Saturday, January 30, 2010

Book Review-Topless Prophet by Alan Markovitz with Thomas Stevens

Book: Topless Prophet: The True Story of America's Most Successful Gentlemen's Club Entrepreneur by Alan Markovitz with Thomas Stevens
Pages: 324
Price: $24.99
ISBN: 978-0-9840855-0-7

I received a copy of this book for free from the publisher for the purposes of reviewing to post on my blog.

Alan Markovitz wrote this book to give a glimpse of the world of gentlemen's clubs and how they operate. When I first received this book, I wasn't sure about reading and reviewing it as I thought it would be all about the sex industry. However, the book is more about the business and the trials the author went through in building his business and the people he was involved with. A few of the topics that Markovitz addresses are:

* Had to testify against the Mafia when they threatened him.
* Was shot by one of his own dancers when he fired her.
* Was accidentally shot by a drunken patron, an off-duty police officer.
* Had his father, a Holocaust survivor who became his business partner, negotiate with a menacing biker gang that threatened his first club.
* Had to work alongside a business partner who hired two hit men to kill him
* Got swindled out of a million dollars when trying to buy a club.
* Moved the strip club experience form a blue collar to white collar audience.

The book will appeal more to those that love bios and memoirs and I think the target audience is geared more towards the male population. For me, the book was mediocre, even though I am a huge bio/memoir fan, but I can see where it will do well in the male target audience group.

Book Giveaway-The Sacred Cipher by Terry Brennan

I have one signed copy of The Sacred Cipher by Terry Brennan to giveaway. Please leave a comment below with your email address. The winner will be chosen on February 10. Good Luck!!

Be sure to read the great interview with Terry Brennan here on my blog.

Author Interview-Terry Brennan

Terry Brennan, author of The Sacred Cipher, has answered some questions for the blog about his life and the writing of this book.

About the Author:
Over the past 35 years, Terry Brennan has accumulated a broad range of experience in both the profit and non-profit business sectors.

His 22-year, award winning journalism career included:

Seven years as a sportswriter and editor with The Philadelphia Bulletin, at the time the largest-circulation afternoon newspaper in the nation;
Leading The Mercury of Pottstown (PA), as its editor, to a Pulitzer Prize in Editorial Writing;
Serving as Executive Editor of a multi-national newspaper firm – Ingersoll Publications – with papers in the USA, England and Ireland.
In 1996 Brennan transferred his successful journalism management career to the non-profit sector and served for 12 years as Vice President of Operations for the Christian Herald Association, Inc., the parent organization of four New York City ministries, including The Bowery Mission.

Now Vice President of the National Organization on Disability in Manhattan, Brennan also won the Valley Forge Award for editorial writing from the Freedoms Foundation. His two adult sons and their families live in Pennsylvania. Terry, his wife Andrea and their two adult children live in New York City. His first novel, The Sacred Cipher, was published by Kregel Publications and released in July of 2009.



On a more personal level:


I grew up in the Catholic Church but it wasn’t until my marriage to Andrea and our experience with the Catholic Charismatic Renewal that the God of the Bible broke through and convinced me he was real. So, for the last 30 years, the journey has been primarily in trying to accept God’s love for me. I know He loves everybody else. But me? That’s the struggle.


My kids – Michael, Patrick, Meghan and Matthew – always inspire me with their enthusiasm for life and their encouragement. But my greatest inspiration while writing The Sacred Cipher came from my wife, Andrea. Not only did she give me the gift of a year of Saturdays in which to write the book, but she kept me sane and rooted during the many long, agonizing stretches when I struggled with fear, doubt and inadequacy. Andrea is my best friend and biggest fan.


As for me, I was a journalist for 22 years and loved almost every minute of that life. Then providence intervened, picked us up out of the newspaper business and dropped us into New York City working for the organization that runs The Bowery Mission. And I spent 12 years serving in a ministry to the addicted and homeless here in New York. That move was a radical change on so many levels but resulted in so many blessings for all of our family that we wouldn’t change a moment of it.


Interview:
How did you get the idea for the book?


My wife and I lived in The Bowery Mission for many years while I worked for its parent organization, the Christian Herald Association.

I had already formed the idea for the second half of the story (which is the surprise part) and that was kicking around in my head.

Then, one day I was standing at the back of The Bowery Mission’s 120-year-old chapel, looking up at the organ pipes that rise high above the speaker’s platform. And I thought, wouldn’t it be cool if there was a room hidden behind the organ pipes?

Of course, I had been behind the organ pipes many times and knew what was there – certainly not a hidden room. But the idea was intriguing, and that’s when the two pieces started coming together and, eventually, formed The Sacred Cipher.


The Sacred Cipher is an adult thriller/suspense triggered by the discovery of a hidden room behind the organ pipes in The Bowery Mission’s chapel in New York City. In a safe in the room is found an ancient scroll with a message written in an extinct language that has never been deciphered. The first half of the book takes place in NYC as a ‘team’ of guys tries to discover the content of the message, and the second half is when the team goes off to find out if the message is, in fact, true.


Here’s the blurb from the back cover of the book:

"When New Yorker Tom Bohannon uncovers an ancient scroll containing a dead language that has been lost in the sands of time, he doesn't fully comprehend the danger that's about to unfold. Though Tom and his team of ragtag scientists and historians want to decode the ancient text, others don’t want the cipher revealed. And they are prepared to kill to keep it hidden.

"From a market in nineteenth-century Alexandria to a library in present-day New York to the tunnels beneath Jerusalem, the secret of the cipher is gradually revealing itself across the globe. And for those in its path, life is about to change - forever."




Describe your path to writing this book?


The path to this book, as I note below, started when two ideas came together in the chapel of The Bowery Mission. Other writers got excited about the story idea and encouraged me to take the time to sit down and write it. It took a year of Saturdays to write the book, a year to secure an agent, another year to secure a publisher and another year for editing.


The path to writing is pretty short.

I sit in a chair, staring at an LCD screen. I put my fingers on the keyboard in my lap. And the story tells itself through my fingers.

Really, that’s the way it is.

I do research, both online and at the huge Humanities and Social Sciences Library on Bryant Park in New York City. And I love that part of the work.

But, the writing? I don’t have a plan (sorry to all of you who labor over plot outlines and build fully-formed character personalities).

I have a story, and I try to tell the story … or let the story tell me and I tell you.

I was a journalist for 22 years – 15 years as a sportswriter. When you cover a game, any kind of game, you have a very short deadline in which to file that story. An hour if you’re lucky. Sometimes as little as 15 minutes. So you get used to telling the story through your fingers. Not too much thinking. Just try to figure out the story of the game, or the athletes, and tell the story to the best of your ability in the time allowed. Then, the next day, you get to do it all over again. And, just as an aside, don’t make any mistakes.

That is the learned skill I bring to novel writing. I have an idea what the story is going to be, some understanding of the people who are playing in that story, and then I sit down to write the story. And it usually tells me what to do and where it’s going.

Conception to revision – that’s about the way it goes.

Pretty lame, eh?



Have you always written, when did you start, etc?


I think I was born a writer … it was the way God wired me. But I didn’t become aware of it until I was a freshman in high school. I’ve written ever since. I wrote for my high school newspaper and my college humor magazine. I’ve written advertising copy, short stories and spent 22 years as a journalist – 15 as a sportswriter.

But I never considered myself a ‘writer’ until I tried my hand at my first novel in the mid-90’s. That one took four years, then sat in a drawer for six years. One day, I thought, I wonder if there is any value in that book? Eventually I went to my first writer’s conference – the Philadelphia Christian Writer’s Conference – in 2005. I had an idea that I pitched to anyone who would listen, got a lot of encouragement and … boom … that was it. Off on this crazy journey. It took four years for The Sacred Cipher to go from an idea at the ’05 Philly Conference to launch date 2009.




I knew from the end of the book that you had used some factual info but a day after I finished this book, I saw a news story online about the Rosetta Stone and realized that you used quite a bit of factual events and information. Have you always followed the info on the Rosetta Stone and the history relating to it or did you begin to research it just for the writing of this book?


I was a history major in college, and I truly love the thrill of research … digging into books, the Internet, any information I can find and trolling for that luscious morsel that will give the story life – and a surprising twist.

But, I can take no credit for the introduction of Demotic into the story.

I was privileged to have an archeologist in Jerusalem – Kathy Vance – as a collaborator on The Sacred Cipher. I would send her all these ideas I was working on for the book and she would email me back and say, No, don’t use that one. Use this one. That had to do with one of the historical characters and also to the use of Demotic as the extinct, indecipherable language used to write the Sacred Cipher.

The scroll that is discovered in The Bowery Mission is written in Demotic – the third language on the Rosetta Stone. Once the decision was made to use Demotic as the language, that obviously brought the Rosetta Stone into play. That’s when I went to work in the Humanities and Social Science Library here in New York City and researched as much as I could find out about the Rosetta Stone … and then tried to figure out how the Stone would fit into the unfolding of the story.

The search for the scroll’s meaning leads the team to Sir Edward Elgar, the English composer, and a cipher he wrote over 100 years ago that has yet to be deciphered. The scroll’s history reaches back to the 11th Century and at one point crossed the path of legendary English preacher Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

Writers like Stephen King often say a story is organic … that it has a life of its own and will tell you where it wants to go. I was stunned to find out that is what happened with The Sacred Cipher. The Rosetta Stone, and the Demotic language, ended up being entwined into so many different aspects of the book … so much more so than I had any idea at the beginning. So I kept adding layer upon layer of factual information on top of this fanciful story about a secret message from 1,000 years ago that changes today’s history.

The Bowery Mission is real … Demotic is real … Sir Edward Elgar is real … Charles Haddon Spurgeon is real … and so are dozens of other facts and folks that are weaved into this adventure.

Most of the research was done is the massive and beautiful Humanities and Social Science Library on Bryant Park and Fifth Avenue in New York City. And on Google Earth.




As I was reading, I could see this as a movie. Any plans for one?


Many people who have read The Sacred Cipher have said the same thing … and I can only hope you are prophetic. I would love to see the book as a movie, obviously. I think it’s a very visual book. Even though it’s jammed with information and interesting facts, it’s also full of action. I hope someone out in Hollywood, or Indie-land, gets their hands on a copy and feels the same way. But no nibbles, yet.

The closest we’ve gotten is that my wife and kids and I pretend we are the casting director for the film version of the book and try to decide who would play the lead roles?

At the moment, this is as far as we’ve gotten (and it changes regularly):

For the lead, Tom Bohannon: Robert Downey, Jr. or Gerard Butler (if makeup could age him a bit) or, more of a long shot, Aiden Quinn or Liev Schrieber.
We all agree Sean Connery or Gabriel Byrne … or, perhaps, Harrison Ford … should be Dr. Richard Johnson, Jr.
Danny DeVito or Paul Giammati, or Sean Astin as Sammy Rizzo.
Charlize Theron, or Drew Barrymore, or Kate Hudson, or Rachel McAdams as Kallie Nolan.
For Joe Rodriguez, Amaury Nolasco (from Prison Break TV show).
As Tom’s wife, Annie – Jennifer Connelly, or Tea Leoni.



Can you give any info/hints on the sequel? When will it be released?


I am deep into writing the sequel, Scorpion Pass, at the present. It starts right at the end of The Sacred Cipher and continues the story into the next phase of its evolution. All I can tell you is that the same characters are involved, that there are some major surprises to be revealed in Scorpion Pass and that all is not as it seems.

In the interim, I’ve written another novel, Hunger’s Ransom, which is a contemporary suspense set in New York City. That novel – and it’s necessary rewriting and editing – has been set aside, for the moment, as I work to complete Scorpion Pass.

My publisher, Kregel Publications, has not yet set a release date for Scorpion Pass.



Fave author? Fave book?


I’ve always loved the classic American authors – Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald – particularly Steinbeck. Steinbeck is my favorite, all-time author. That guy was a wizard with words. As a kid, I read every Fu Manchu mystery. As a college student, every James Bond thriller and the required Lord of the Rings trilogy, including the prequel The Hobbit. In between, Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes … you get the drift.

Today, I enjoy Dennis Lehane’s work – particularly his latest – The Given Day. I think he’s become a lyrical writer. And my son, Matt, has hooked me into both Stephen King and (more my style) Cormack McCarthy. McCarthy’s The Road was a revelation. A wonderful story in a very unique style.

Sprinkle into that adrenalin mix some historical biographies and/or autobiographies (Mornings on Horseback By David McCoullough). And lots of contemporary thriller writers, like Joel Rosenberg.




Include any other info about the book that you would like my blog readers to know.



The Sacred Cipher is a contemporary tale of mystery, intrigue and suspense wrapped around a historical novel – based on real people, real places and real events – encapsulated by an archeological treasure hunt that threatens the lives of all those involved. All of which culminates in a revelation that could be ripped from tomorrow’s headlines and which, if true, could lead the Middle East to the cusp of nuclear war.

And the story is more than plausible.

It’s a rollicking, fast-paced adventure, a combination of Indiana Jones, The DaVinci Code and the Jason Bourne movies, filled with fascinating historical lore. Judging from the reviews, it’s a story that has captured the imagination of both male and female readers. I really enjoyed the discovery of the journey. I started with the idea of how the book would start and how it would end and … in very general terms … what the story would be.

It was such a hoot. I wrote it in a year of Saturdays and was constantly amazed at where the story would take me, what the characters would tell me and the wild stuff I would come up with in research. It was like I was on an adventure with a bunch of friends who would only give me little clues about what was going on.


As for me … learning to be a novelist …

The easiest part is coming up with basic plot. I’m a plot-driven writer, so it’s not hard for me to come up with basic plot ideas. I have several plot ideas tucked away that will be my next few books.

Flushing out the plot details is not that difficult, either. It takes time and effort, and there are many days when I’m stuck and frustrated, or I find myself written into a corner I can’t seem to escape. But my 22 years in journalism, more than half as a sportswriter often writing on deadline, effectively trained me to write when it was time to write. Sit down and get the fingers moving. I often say I think through my fingers, and it is often true. I just sit down and start at some part in the plot (never sequential) and put my fingers to work. Most of the time, the story reveals itself.

One of my greatest struggles is in character development. That takes a lot of effort. Understanding and developing motivation … building characters of complexity and depth … those are continuous challenges for me.

I struggle with confidence, and I haven’t overcome that one yet. Organization, and I haven’t overcome that one yet. But the greatest roadblock is discipline. When I have it, magic happens. When I don’t, nothing happens. Creating and sticking to a rigid schedule is one of the few ways I’ve found to establish discipline.

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Giveaway-At Home With Laurie Ann: A Decorator’s Guide: Turn the Place You Live Into a Home You Love by Laurie Ann McMillin Ray

I have one copy of this book to giveaway. Please leave a comment with your email below. This contest is open to US only and no PO Box addresses please. The winner will be chosen on February 24.

Summary:
These days few can afford to hire an interior decorator. No need. A copy of At Home With Laurie Ann and an open mind are the only requirements to give your home the professional, yet melt-into-a-sofa look and feel you’ve always wanted.

Starting with the basics, At Home With Laurie Ann cracks the code to creating the home of your dreams on the budget you have. The instructions are simple and straightforward, and the look is cozy and comfortable. It’s practical because Laurie starts with what you already have, moves a piece of furniture here, makes a substitution there, adds unexpected color and tops it off with inexpensive (but expensive-looking) purchases. The result is a thrifty transformation!

Written in a non-intimidating, down-home style to appeal and inspire many to redecorate, this book is ideal for everyone from the first-time buyer or third-time home owner to the perennial renter, newly married to the long-time bachelor and lively family to the single sophisticate.

About the author: Laurie Ann McMillin Ray began by decorating model homes for her father, well-known builder Corky McMillin. His philosophy was simple – everyone deserves to own a house.

Following cues from Corky, Laurie operates by a similar principle – everyone deserves to make a house his or her home, and she's dedicated her career to this goal. For more than 25 years Laurie has built a solid reputation in Southern California as an interior designer, and as the owner of several decorating stores. Visit www.laurieann.com.

Book Giveaway-Step Out on Nothing: How Faith and Family Helped Me Conquer Life's Challenges by Byron Pitts

I have one copy of this book to giveaway. Leave a comment with your email address below. This contest is open to US only and no PO Box addresses. The winner will be chosen on February 17.

Summary:
In Step Out on Nothing, Byron Pitts chronicles his astonishing story of overcoming a childhood filled with obstacles to achieve enormous success in life. Throughout Byron’s difficult youth — his parents separated when he was twelve and his mother worked two jobs to make ends meet — he suffered from a debilitating stutter. But Byron was keeping an even more embarrassing secret: He was also functionally illiterate. For a kid from inner-city Baltimore, it was a recipe for failure.

Pitts turned struggle into strength and overcame both of his impediments. Along the way, a few key people “stepped out on nothing” to make a difference for him — from his mother, who worked tirelessly to raise her kids right and delivered ample amounts of tough love, to his college roommate, who helped Byron practice his vocabulary and speech. Pitts even learns from those who didn’t believe in him, like the college professor who labeled him a failure and told him to drop out of college. Through it all, he persevered, following his steadfast passion.

After fifteen years in local television, he landed a job as a correspondent for CBS News in 1998, and went on to become an Emmy Award–winning journalist and a contributing correspondent for 60 Minutes. Not bad for a kid who couldn’t read.

From a challenged youth to a reporting career that has covered 9/11 and Iraq, Pitts’s triumphant and uplifting story will resonate with anyone who has felt like giving up in the face of seemingly insurmountable hardships.

About the author: BYRON PITTS was named a contributor to 60 Minutes and chief national correspondent for CBS News in Jan. 2009. Pitts was one of CBS News' lead reporters during the 9/11 attacks and won a national Emmy award for his coverage. As an embedded reporter covering the Iraq War, he was recognized for his work under fire within minutes of the fall of the Saddam statue. Other major stories covered by Pitts include the Chicago train wreck in 1999, for which he received a national Emmy Award, Hurricane Katrina, the war in Afghanistan, the military buildup in Kuwait, the Elian Gonzalez story, the Florida Presidential recount, and the refugee crisis in Kosovo. He garnered recognition as NABJ Journalist of the Year Award in 2002 for his coverage of the 9/11 attacks. He is also the recipient of four Associated Press Awards and six regional Emmy Awards. Pitts graduated from Ohio Wesleyan University with a B.A. in journalism and speech communication. He lives with his wife in Montclair, N.J.

Saturday, January 23, 2010

Reading Group Guide-The Little Giant of Aberdeen County by Tiffany Baker

I gave away a copy of this book today and the winner is Sarah from California.

I wanted to post the reading group guide on the blog as this is a book all of you readers should check out.


1. Truly is the “little giant” of this book, yet her size seems to make her less, rather than more, visible to the town around her. Can you explain this phenomenon? What do you think the author is trying to say about her outsider status?

2. Serena Jane and Truly are as physically different as sisters can be, yet Truly sees that this difference is crucial, explaining “the reason the two of us were as opposite as sewage and spring water, I thought, was that pretty can’t exist without ugly.” (pp. 97-98) How would you describe Truly and Serena’s connection? How is it different from Truly’s relationship with Amelia Dyerson? Which seems the more genuine sisterhood to you?

3. As the successor to a long line of old-fashioned, small-town doctors, Robert Morgan is traditional, strict, and often cruel. I the end, however, the legacy terminates with him and he becomes Aberdeen’s last Dr. Morgan. How do he and Bobbie stray from the family paradigm? What Morgan characteristics stayed with each of them? Is the town “more modern” without a Dr. Morgan, and with Bobbie and Salvatore’s restaurant instead? Is the replacement of nurturing through nourishment rather than doctoring a symbolic replacement?

4. Death haunts Truly and all of Aberdeen, sometimes in unexpected ways. As a gardener, Marcus’s aim is to “make things live,” but, as Truly realizes, “wasn’t it also true that gardeners were always wrestling with death, whether in the form of drought, or blight, or hungry insects? In a garden, Marcus always said, death was the first, last and only fact of life.” What other parallels do you see in the ways Marcus and Truly court life and death?

5. Truly’s size marks her as an outcast, but throughout the novel, other characters have trouble “fitting in” in a more figurative way. Examine how this manifests in Bobbie, Marcus, Amelia, even Serena Jane. What larger point do you this the author might be trying to make about the importance of conforming?

6. What role does Aberdeen County play in the novel? Could the story or these characters exist elsewhere? Do the effects of the 60s and the Vietnam War seem to touch Aberdeen in the same way they touched the rest of the country? What is unique and what is not about Aberdeen as a setting?

7. When Amelia discovers how Priscilla Sparrow and Robert Morgan died, she asks Truly whether it was mercy or murder that killed them. What do you think? How do you feel about Truly’s actions? What in Truly’s character draws her to “collect souls” as she comes to call it?

8. When Marcus and Truly finally come together, Marcus says “We’re not exactly a match made in heaven, you and I, but I figure we’re good enough for here on earth” (p. 334) What does he mean by this? Do you agree?

9. Why doesn’t Robert Morgan “care” that his son runs away? What does it say about what he thinks of himself? How does this connect to Serena Jane’s leaving and his reaction to that event?

10. After Robert Morgan’s death, Truly gradually takes on some of his responsibilities as town doctor by using the knowledge she’s gained from Tabitha’s quilt. How is this a fitting purpose for Truly, and a fitting counterpoint to the legacy of Morgan doctors?

11. What about this story is larger than life or possesses elements of a tall tale or folklore? How are these details woven into the story? How is the book similar to or different from other works in this tradition?

Book Giveaway-Selling In Tough Times by Tom Hopkins

I have five copies of this book to giveaway. Please leave a comment with your email address below. This contest is open to US and Canada residents but no PO Box addresses. Winners will be chosen on February 26.

Summary:
We've all heard it before: when times are tough, go back to the basics. It seems simple, but the reality is that in good times, many of us let some of the most important principles of selling go by the wayside, which leaves us scrambling when a downturn hits. That's why world-renowned sales expert Tom Hopkins is here to remind us that challenges are a constant aspect of selling and that the key to success is to keep your attitude positive and to never stop striving for excellence. What's more, Hopkins distills the four key practices to help you get your creative juices flowing and discover and exploit business opportunities that you may not even know existed, including:

Success Is In Who You Know: Effectively working with existing clients to generate new leads for business is crucial.

Retaining (and Rewarding) Customers: Excellent service and consistent follow-up ensure happy customers and ongoing success.

Reducing Sales Resistance: In tough times, people put off making buying decisions. Help them overcome their fears in order to thrive.

Converting Clients from the Competition: With fewer new business start-ups for you to pursue, you need strategies for getting clients to consider you over their current providers

Don't just survive, learn how to thrive by turning your challenges into advantages today.

Book Giveaway-On The Brink by Henry Paulson Jr.

I have five copies of this book to giveaway. Please leave a comment with your email address below. This contest is open to US and Canada but no PO Box addresses. The winner will be chosen on February 22.

Summary:
When Hank Paulson, the former CEO of Goldman Sachs, was appointed in 2006 to become the nation's next Secretary of the Treasury, he knew that his move from Wall Street to Washington would be daunting and challenging.

But Paulson had no idea that a year later, he would find himself at the very epicenter of the world's most cataclysmic financial crisis since the Great Depression. Major institutions including Bear Stearns, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Lehman Brothers, AIG, Merrill Lynch, and Citigroup, among others-all steeped in rich, longstanding tradition-literally teetered at the edge of collapse. Panic ensnared international markets. Worst of all, the credit crisis spread to all parts of the U.S. economy and grew more ominous with each passing day, destroying jobs across America and undermining the financial security millions of families had spent their lifetimes building.

This was truly a once-in-a-lifetime economic nightmare. Events no one had thought possible were happening in quick succession, and people all over the globe were terrified that the continuing downward spiral would bring unprecedented chaos. All eyes turned to the United States Treasury Secretary to avert the disaster.

This, then, is Hank Paulson's first-person account. From the man who was in the very middle of this perfect economic storm, ON THE BRINK is Paulson's fast-paced retelling of the key decisions that had to be made with lightning speed. Paulson puts the reader in the room for all the intense moments as he addressed urgent market conditions, weighed critical decisions, and debated policy and economic considerations with of all the notable players-including the CEOs of top Wall Street firms as well as Ben Bernanke, Timothy Geithner, Sheila Bair, Nancy Pelosi, Barney Frank, presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain, and then-President George W. Bush.

More than an account about numbers and credit risks gone bad, ON THE BRINK is an extraordinary story about people and politics-all brought together during the world's impending financial Armageddon.

Book Giveaway-Countess of Scandal by Laurel McKee

I have five copies of this book to giveaway. Please leave a comment with your email address below to enter. The contest is open to US and Canada residents, but no PO Box addresses. Winners will be chosen on February 11. Be sure to come back to the blog on February 11 for a blog tour on the book and author.

Summary:

As children, Eliza Blacknall and William Denton ran wild over the fields of southern Ireland and swore they would be friends forever. Then fate took Will away to England, while Eliza stayed behind to become a proper Irish countess.

Years later, Will finally makes his way home-as an English soldier sent to crush the Irish uprising. When he spies the lovely Eliza, he is captivated by the passionate woman she has become. But Eliza's passions have led her to join the Irish rebel cause, and Will and Eliza now find themselves on opposite sides of a dangerous conflict.

When Ireland explodes in bloody rebellion, Will's regiment is ordered to the front lines, and he is forced to choose between his duty to the English king and his love for Eliza and their Irish homeland.

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Book Giveaway-How To Never Look Fat Again by Charla Krupp

I have three copies of this book to giveaway. Please leave a comment with your email below. This contest is open to US only and no PO Box addresses. The winners will be chosen on February 15.

Summary:
The new groundbreaking style-guide from bestseller author Charla Krupp on how to look 10 pounds lighter, 10 years younger and 10 times sexier every day, all year--in summer, winter, at the gym, even in a swimsuit!

You'll never get dressed the same way again once you discover:

*smart, easy ways to hide arm flap, a big bust, a muffin top, back fat, Buddha
belly, a big booty, wide hips, thunder thighs, and heavy calves-and
that's only half the book.

*which fabrics, colors, and styles make women look fat

*absolutely the best shades, shapes, and brilliant buys to make the pounds invisible

*clever solutions for special fashion situations--workout gear, evening wear, and even swimsuits!

*which products, fashions, and services you shouldn't waste your money on

*the top ten tips that will make you look thinner by tonight!

So, if you've ever put on a piece of clothing and asked "Does this make me
look fat?" Finally, here is the book that will answer your question.


Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Blog Talk Radio with Therese Borchard

I wanted to post to all you readers in case you would be interested in participating in a blog Talk Radio program with Therese Borchard, the author of Beyond Blue. I just gave away five copies of this book, thanks to Hachette books and you can scroll down to read the details of the book.

Date: January 21, 2010
Time: 1:00 PM ET
Author: Therese Borchard
Title: Beyond Blue
Publisher: Center Street

BlogTalkRadio/HBG Program:
Therese Borchard is the author of the hit daily blog “Beyond Blue” on Beliefnet.com, which is featured weekly on The Huffington Post and was voted by PsychCentral.com as one of the top 10 depression blogs, she also moderates the popular depression support group, Beyond Blue, on Beliefnet’s social networking site. Join us in this live interview as she provides insight into the grossly misunderstood world of depression. Frank, funny, and unfailingly clever, Borchard will surely take us beyond blue.

Call-in with your questions during show time to participate in the live interview @ (646) 378-0045

Listen-in or chat on the Center Street channel on BlogTalkRadio.
www.blogtalkradio.com


If you would like your questions to be read on air by the host or if you would like to give advanced notice of your participation during the live call, email anna.balasi@hbgusa.com.


Monday, January 18, 2010

Audio Book Giveaway-Absolute Power by David Baldacci

I have three copies of the audio book to giveaway. Winners will be chosen on January 31 and is open to US and Canada residents. Sorry, but no PO Box addresses. Please leave a comment with your email below.

Summary:
Available for the first time Unabridged on CD in an all-new recording by Scott Brick, the first of the blockbuster thrillers by New York Times bestselling author David Baldacci. The book that will change the way you think about Washington - and power - forever.

In a heavily guarded mansion in a posh Virginia suburb, a man and a woman start to make love, trapping a burglar behind a secret wall. Then the passion turns deadly, and the witness is running into the night. Because what he has just seen is a brutal slaying involving the president of the United States.

Luther Whitney is the career break-in artist who's in the wrong place at the wrong time. Alan Richmond is the charming U.S. president with the power to commit any crime. And Jack Graham is the young attorney caught in a vortex between absolute truth and... ABSOLUTE POWER




Audio Book Giveaway-The Unnamed by Joshua Ferris

I have three copies of the audio book to giveaway. The winners will be chosen on January 31 and is open to US and Canada residents. Sorry, but no PO Box address. Please leave a comment with your email address below.

Summary:
Joshua Ferris' debut novel Then We Came to the End was both heralded by critics and a New York Times bestseller, and marked the arrival of a startlingly talented young writer. With THE UNNAMED, Ferris imagines the collision between one man's free will and the forces of nature that are bigger than any of us.

Tim Farnsworth walks. He walks out of meetings and out of bed. He walks in sweltering heat and numbing cold. He will walk without stopping until he falls asleep, wherever he is. This curious affliction has baffled medical experts around the globe--and come perilously close to ruining what should be a happy life. Tim has a loving family, a successful law career and a beautiful suburban home, all of which he maintains spectacularly well until his feet start moving again.

What drives a man to stay in a marriage, in a job? What forces him away? Is love or conscience enough to overcome the darker, stronger urges of the natural world? THE UNNAMED is a deeply felt, luminous novel about modern life, ancient yearnings, and the power of human understanding.




Audio Book Giveaway-I Am Ozzy by Ozzy Osbourne

I have three copies of this audio book to giveaway. The winners will be chosen on January 31 and is open to US and Canada residents. Sorry, but no PO Box addresses. Please leave a comment with your email address below.

Summary:
"They've said some crazy things about me over the years. I mean, okay: 'He bit the head off a bat.' Yes. 'He bit the head off a dove.' Yes. But then you hear things like, 'Ozzy went to the show last night, but he wouldn't perform until he'd killed fifteen puppies . . .' Now me, kill fifteen puppies? I love puppies. I've got eighteen of the f**king things at home. I've killed a few cows in my time, mind you. And the chickens. I shot the chickens in my house that night.

It haunts me, all this crazy stuff. Every day of my life has been an event. I took lethal combinations of booze and drugs for thirty f**king years. I survived a direct hit by a plane, suicidal overdoses, STDs. I've been accused of attempted murder. Then I almost died while riding over a bump on a quad bike at f**king two miles per hour.

People ask me how come I'm still alive, and I don't know what to say. When I was growing up, if you'd have put me up against a wall with the other kids from my street and asked me which one of us was gonna make it to the age of sixty, which one of us would end up with five kids and four grandkids and houses in Buckinghamshire and Beverly Hills, I wouldn't have put money on me, no f**king way. But here I am: ready to tell my story, in my own words, for the first time.

A lot of it ain't gonna be pretty. I've done some bad things in my time. I've always been drawn to the dark side, me. But I ain't the devil. I'm just John Osbourne: a working-class kid from Aston, who quit his job in the factory and went looking for a good time."





Audio Book Giveaway-The Swan Thieves by Elizabeth Kostova

I have three copies of the audiobook to giveaway. Winners will be chosen on January 31 and this contest is open to US and Canada only. Sorry but no PO Box addresses. Please leave a comment with your email below to enter.

Summary:
Psychiatrist Andrew Marlowe has a perfectly ordered life--solitary, perhaps, but full of devotion to his profession and the painting hobby he loves. This order is destroyed when renowned painter Robert Oliver attacks a canvas in the National Gallery of Art and becomes his patient. In response, Marlowe finds himself going beyond his own legal and ethical boundaries to understand the secret that torments this genius, a journey that will lead him into the lives of the women closest to Robert Oliver and toward a tragedy at the heart of French Impressionism.

Ranging from American museums to the coast of Normandy, from the late nineteenth century to the late twentieth, from young love to last love, THE SWAN THIEVES is a story of obsession, the losses of history, and the power of art to preserve human hope.




Audio Book Giveaway-Marriage and Other Acts of Charity by Kate Braestup

I have three copies of this audio book to giveaway. The contest is open to US and Canada and no PO Box addresses. Winners will be chosen on January 31. Please leave a comment with your email to enter.

Summary:
Kate Braestrup has been married and widowed, betrayed and betrothed, her personal spirituality constantly evolving along the way. How do God and love figure in our everyday lives and bonds with others? In MARRIAGE, AND OTHER ACTS OF CHARITY, she tackles these big questions with stories from her own relationships--romantic and familial, platonic and professional--much as Anne Lamott weaves her spirituality through her tales of parenthood.

With the same compassion and warmth that made Here If You Need Me a New York Times bestseller, Braestrup engages readers fully, regardless of their path in life. She tells us about teaching sex education for her daughter's eighth-grade class, and the welcome embrace extended toward her adopted nephew from Africa. She introduces the essential concept that charity--the key to all relationships--is a whole-hearted selfless emotion, which is but a hint of God's immense devotion. Kate Braestrup's very human outlook gives anyone seeking to understand human relationships a fresh perspective on what it is to love and be loved.



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Blog Tour-Denise's Daily Dozen by Denise Austin

About the Author:
A native of San Pedro, California, Denise started gymnastics at the age of 12 and earned an athletic scholarship to the University of Arizona, graduating in 1979 with an exercise physiology degree. She began her career teaching aerobic exercise classes in the Los Angeles area and went on to cohost the The Jack LaLanne Show, in 1981. (Denise considers Jack LaLanne one of her role models, and she is delighted to still speak regularly with the 94-year-old fitness legend.)

During more than 25 years promoting health and fitness, Denise has created 82 workout videos or DVDs. Her enormous number of sales led to her 2003 induction into the Video Hall of Fame.

Denise has been married for 25 years to Jeff Austin, a sports attorney and brother of tennis champ Tracy Austin. They share a home with their two teenage daughters, Kelly and Katie.


Denise Austin's new book is a great way to start off your New Year and weight loss resolutions. The book contains fantastic photos of the exercises you should do to lose 12 pounds in two weeks. There are recipes and tips to get you in shape, healthy, and feeling better. Be sure and check out this book where you can do 12 exercises in 12 minutes a day.

www.DeniseAustin.com


Sunday, January 17, 2010

Review-Hearing From God Each Morning by Joyce Meyer

Hearing From God Each Morning by Joyce Meyer
FaithWords: A division of Hachette Books
ISBN: 978-0-446-55785-6

I received a copy of this book free from FaithWords to review and post on this blog.

Joyce Meyer's new book is a devotional for each day of the year. Each day starts with a theme, followed by a Bible verse, and then a short passage that ties the theme and verse together. At the end of the devotional, Meyer has a short item she calls "God's Word For You Today" where she challenges the reader to complete an activity for the day. These challenges are things such as "Thank God for twenty things today before you ask Him for anything" or "Use your Spiritual Ears."

Although we are only a few weeks into the year, I am enjoying this devotional. If you are like me, mornings are hectic and there isn't much time in the rush to get ready and get out the door on your way to work. I don't have children, as many of you do, but I do have an hour's commute to work each morning and I find that this is short enough to read and start my day without having to interrupt the usual routine. It is a great way to start off your day with God with a short devotional to keep in mind until later in the day when you have more time to devote to Bible study.

Saturday, January 16, 2010

Book Giveaway-The Confident Woman by Joyce Meyer

I have five copies of this book to giveaway. Please leave a comment below with your email address. This contest is open to US and Canada but no PO Box addresses. The winners will be chosen on Febrary 19.

Summary:
What keeps women from being their best? Joyce has been helping women better themselves by helping identify emotional barriers and physical, mental, and spiritual obstacles in their lives for years. Now she provides another answer-confidence.

Our society has an insecurity epidemic, women in particular. Compensating by pretending to be secure-a common response-only leads to feelings of shame. Lack of self-confidence causes great difficulty in relationships of all kinds, and in marriage instances can even lead to divorce.

In THE CONFIDENT WOMAN, Joyce explores the seven characteristics of a woman with confidence, which include a woman who knows she is loved, who refuses to live in fear, and who does not live by comparisons. Joyce explains that confidence stems from being positive in your actions and living honestly, but most importantly from having faith, in God and in ourselves.

Now in paperback, this #1 New York Times bestseller encourages women to boldly embrace all that God created them to be by finding their true confidence.


Book Giveaway-Single Husbands by HoneyB

I have 3 copies of this book to giveaway. Please post a comment with your email address. This is open to US and Canada but no PO Box addresses. A winner will be chosen on February 15.

Summary:
Herschel Henderson says, "I do," to gain access to his wife's money. Lexington Lewis vows for his better and her worse, and Brian Flaw claims until death do we part, but does he really mean it? The one thing these men share is none of them will give up the sexual freedom they enjoyed as single men to make their marriages work. Herschel has a mistress that he sexes more than his wife and thinks nothing of it. Lexington is making love to as many women as he can, and Brian is sexing women of every ethnicity because he's become bored with his wife.

Reading Group Guide:
1. Do you love yourself? I ask this question first because most people either don’t know how to love themselves or they think they love themselves, yet they allow others to abuse them.

2. Married, divorced, or single, have you had sex with (or dated) a married person? Before you answer, think, have you dated or sexed a person without inquiring about his or her marital status (i.e., a one-night stand, a short-term relationship, etc.)? Was the relationship fulfilling? Why?

3. After reading Single Husbands, do you feel the characters in this novel violated their marriage license? Why or why not?

4. Has reading Single Husbands changed your outlook on marriage? Why or why not?

5. Would you have or have you had sexual intercourse with your friend’s spouse or mate? If so, would you ever tell your friend?

6. Do you know any women or men who are married but live like they are single? Do you envy their relationships or lifestyle?

7. If you knew for a fact that your friend’s spouse or mate was cheating, would you tell your friend? Why or why not? Have you ever lusted after your friend’s mate?

8. Could you have an open marriage, knowing that both you and your spouse were permitted to have sex outside the marriage? If so, would you want to know your spouse’s sexual partner(s)? Why or why not?

9. Is it possible for one person to satisfy all of your sexual needs and fantasies? Before you answer, what are your sexual needs and fantasies?

10. Should the person who earns more money in the relationship or marriage be permitted to control the relationship? What emotional impact, if any, do finances bear on a relationship?

11. After reading Single Husbands, how would you write or rewrite your marriage vows? Do you believe marriage vows are important? If the vows are broken, what can a person do to make them enforceable? What are the laws of marriage?

12. Would you divorce your spouse for sexual and/or emotional infidelity if everything else in your marriage was perfect? Why or why not?

13. Would you go to a sex club with your spouse or mate? Would you participate in sexual activities with other club members? Could you be comfortable watching someone else have sex with your spouse or mate?

14. What’s the freakiest thing you’ve done sexually? Would you do it again? Are you try-sexual?


Book Giveaway-Searching For Tina Turner by Jaqueline Luckett

I have one copy of this book to giveaway. Please leave a comment below with your email address. This contest is open to US only and no PO Box addresses. A winner will be chosen on February 1. Be sure to check back the first week of February for a guest blog by the author.

Summary:
For any woman who has questioned the direction of their lives or wanted to make a change: SEARCHING FOR TINA TURNER is for you.

On the surface, Lena Spencer appears to have it all. She and her wealthy husband Randall have two wonderful children, and they live a life of luxury. In reality, however, Lena finds that happiness is elusive. Randall is emotionally distant, her son has developed a drug habit, and her daughter is disgusted by her mother's "overbearing behavior." When Randall decides that he's had enough of marriage counseling, he offers his wife an ultimatum: "Be grateful for all I've done for you or leave." Lena, realizing that money can't solve her problems and that her husband is no longer the man she married, decides to choose the latter.

There will be a BlogTalkRadio interview with Jacqueline Luckett during the week of the tour on February 2nd at 9PM ET.

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/grandcentralpub/2010/02/03/live-interview-with-jacqueline-luckett-author-of-searching-for-tina-turner

Check out all the participating blogs for more info and details on this book and author:
Participating Blogs:
February 1
http://my-book-views.blogspot.com
http://aseaofbooks.blogspot.com/
http://luanne-abookwormsworld.blogspot.com/
http://justanothernewblog.blogspot.com/
http://bookinwithbingo.blogspot.com/
http://booksoulmates.blogspot.com
http://ilratb.blogspot.com
http://bridget3420.blogspot.com/

February 2
http://www.bibliophilicbookblog.com
http://myfoolishwisdom.blogspot.com
http://www.frommipov.blogspot.com
http://jensbooktalk.blogspot.com/
http://www.thedivinemissmommy.com
http://booksiesblog.blogspot.com
http://www.mybookaddictionandmore.wordpress.com
http://ojoyofmylife.blogspot.com

February 3
http://maryinhb.blogspot.com/
http://brokenteepee.blogspot.com
http://www.crazy-for-books.com
http://www.buuklvr81.blogspot.com
http://www.jeannesramblings.com
http://haleymathiot.blogspot.com
http://thecajunbooklady.blogspot.com/

February 4
http://www.rundpinne.com
http://www.madeleineatbooksandphotos.com/
http://myreadingroom-crystal.blogspot.com
http://www.geekgirlreviews.com
http://startingfresh-gaby317.blogspot.com/
http://sumanam.wordpress.com/
http://dixie-afewofmyfavoritethings.blogspot.com/
http://reviewfromhere.com
http://dreyslibrary.blogspot.com

February 5
http://www.libslibrary.blogspot.com
http://thebooktree.blogspot.com
http://booknerdextraordinaire.blogspot.com
http://www.psychoticstate.blogspot.com/
http://bookjourney.wordpress.com/
http://www.kballard87.blogspot.com
http://booksandneedlepoint.blogspot.com
http://fredasvoice.blogspot.com

Book Giveaway-Corked by Kathryn Borel

I have five copies of Corked to give away. Please leave a comment with your email address. This contest is open to US only and no PO Box addresses. The winners will be chosen on February 8. Good Luck!

Summary:
Meet Kathryn Borel, bon vivant and undutiful daughter. Now meet her father, Philippe, former chef, eccentric genius, and wine aficionado extraordinaire. Kathryn is like her father in every way but one: she's totally ignorant when it comes to wine. And although Philippe has devoted untold parenting hours to delivering impassioned oenological orations, she has managed to remain unenlightened. But after an accident and a death, Kathryn realizes that by shutting herself off to her father's greatest passion, she will never really know him.


Saturday, January 9, 2010

Book Review-The Recipe Club by Andrea Israel and Nancy Garfinkel


The Recipe Club: A Tale of Food and Friendship A Novel by Andrea Israel and Nancy Garfinkel
Polhemus Press, 2009
ISBN: 978-0-9823492-0-5

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher to review for this blog.

Lilly and Val are best friends. They are the typical pairing of friends, as one is dramatic and charismatic, while the other is her other half to include shyness and a lacking of self confidence. The two friends started a letter writing habit at a young age and decided they would call it their Recipe Club and have a recipe included with each letter they wrote to each other. The letters chronicle the happenings in the lives of each girl with a recipe that often has a name derived from that event. Such names include Good Karma Veggie Samosa and Apple and Pear Friendship Fool, with the book containing 80 recipes.

Overall, I liked the book. However, it seemed at times the characters were annoying and you wanted to tell them to stop bickering. The characters seemed more enemies than friends for most of the book and the ending didn't seem to fit well with the the overall concept of what had taken place during their lives. I think I would have liked the characters to have more depth so that the reader could have a better connection with them.

I would recommend the book just for the recipes, because I am a recipe collector. It has inspired me to start my own Recipe Club by email so if anyone would like to join, please leave a comment with your email address or you can email me at laura.leahj@gmail.com

Thursday, January 7, 2010

Author Interview-Abigail Reynolds

About the Author:
Abigail Reynolds is a physician and a lifelong Jane Austen enthusiast. She began writing The Pemberley Variations series in 2001, and encouragement from fellow Austen fans convinced her to continue asking “What if…?” She lives with her husband and two teenage children in Madison, Wisconsin. For more information, please visit http://pemberleyvariations.com/




When did you first discover Jane Austen? I was 12 when I read Pride and Prejudice for the first time and fell in love, and all the other books followed quickly.


Tell a little about your love/obsession with Austen and her books. At first I think it was escapism and enjoyment of Austen’s wit that kept me reading. Her humor is sharp but not cruel, and she seems to care about all her characters even with all their faults. There isn’t any division into bad and good characters, just ones that are weaker or sillier than others. It’s a world view that appeals strongly to me. As I grew older, I realized the Regency world wasn’t all tea parties and balls, and then I started delving deeper into the characters and finding new understandings, especially in some of the character flaws. Austen’s characters are like old friends that I keep with me all the time.


Describe your writing schedule? I mostly write at coffee shops and late at night at home when my family is asleep. It’s always squeezed in, with a few paragraphs written at my son’s karate practice, then scribbling down lines while cooking, etc.


How do you fit is all in… family, writing, medical practice? That’s easy – I don’t fit it in! I always feel like I should give more time to work, writing, and my kids. A couple of times I’ve tried to give up writing, but my kids complain that it makes me really cranky and tell me to start again! I’ve let go of a lot of things like keeping my house even remotely tidy, and my husband does a lot of work around the house. But writing fits in well because I often don’t have much physical stamina because of a chronic illness, and it’s something I can do while resting.


How many books do you read a year? Oh dear – I’m not sure I can count that high! Usually it’s a couple of books a week, sometimes less when I’m in the throes of writing and there’s no room in my head for anybody else’s characters. Just lately I’ve been reading a series of children’s books by Sally Watson that I loved as a kid but were out of print for decades. It’s like a trip down memory lane.


Fave authors/books? Apart from Pride and Prejudice? My reading is very eclectic. I love Robin McKinley, Gillian Bradshaw, Kate Elliott, Mary Balogh, and I’m currently really enjoying reading Maria V. Snyder’s books.


Do you plan another what if series from another author? Probably not. I embarked on these books because I wanted to spend more time with Austen’s characters, rather than a particular interest in what-if stories. I’m more likely to write original fiction.


How many books do you see publishing in the current Jane Austen what if series? The sixth book, Mr. Darcy’s Obsession, will be coming out next October, and I’ve finished the first draft of a seventh. I’ll probably keep writing them as long as there are people interested in reading them!

Guilty pleasures? Chocolate, chocolate, and chocolate. Did I mention chocolate?

Hidden talents? For a long time, writing was my hidden talent. I didn’t tell anybody in my real life about my secret life in the Regency. My other talent, diagnostics, is useful in my other job. I’m good at teasing out odd symptoms that nobody has ever thought much about and putting them together in a big picture, which is actually a lot like the intuitive parts of writing.

I noticed on your blog you mentioned writing conferences. How many do you attend a year? Would you suggest inspiring writers to go to these? If so, do you have a suggestion on which ones work well for those not yet published? I usually go to two conferences a year, and I find them very useful. It’s a good way to learn the unwritten tricks of getting published and to make connections, as well as learning about the craft of writing. The annual Romance Writers of America conference is a good opportunity, but can be overwhelming, especially for first-timers. I’d recommend the Chicago-North RWA Spring Fling conference (www.chicagospringfling.com) in April which has a particularly good lineup of workshops, agents and editors, and will be a bit more personal. I’ll be there.


Thanks for inviting me!





MR. FITZWILLIAM DARCY: THE LAST MAN IN THE WORLD—IN STORES JANUARY 2010!



In this sexy Jane Austen sequel, Elizabeth Bennet accepts Mr. Darcy's first marriage proposal, answering the "What if...?" question fans everywhere have pondered



" I had not known you a month before I felt that you were the last man in the world whom I could ever be prevailed on to marry."



Famous last words indeed! Elizabeth Bennet's furious response to Mr. Darcy's marriage proposal has resonated for generations of readers. But what if she had never said it? Would she have learned to recognize Mr. Darcy's admirable qualities on her own? Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy follows Elizabeth and Darcy as they struggle to find their way through the maze of their prejudices after Elizabeth, against her better judgment, agrees to marry Darcy instead of refusing his proposal.



Two of the most beloved characters in English literature explore the meaning of true love in a tumultuous and passionate attempt to make a success of their marriage.

Friday, January 1, 2010

Book of the Year Selection-Giveaway Opportunity

I have decided to feature one book this year on my blog as the Book of the Year. I read this selection in 2009 and think it is one worth checking out by readers.

Finding Reason by Bryce Anderson

Bryce Anderson first self published this book under the title of Body of Knowledge and once it was picked up by a publisher, the title was changed to Finding Reason. I believe in this book and hope that a wide readership will develop for this book. I have decided to host a giveaway on my blog to help get information out about the book and hopefully garner sales that will shoot the book into the forefront of book selections this year.

You can click on the Amazon link below to order the book or pick it up from your favorite bookseller. Anyone that purchases this book and emails me their sales receipt for it, will be entered to win a box of books. I will add books all through the year and a winner will be chosen at the end of the year. If you recommend this book to a friend and they email me their receipt and they tell me you referred them, you will get an extra entry in the drawing for the box of books. I plan on posting on the blog, the books that will be included in the box of books as I add them. If you have any questions about the contest or are ready to email your receipt to be entered in the giveaway, just email me at laura.leahj@gmail.com

Happy New Year

I hope that today finds everyone well and ready to start a New Year filled with many great reads. I have already started my first book of the year and think that many of you have as well. I am in hopes of reading a huge list of selections this year, however, I am starting work on my Masters degree in English Literature and afraid that most of what I read will be for classes. I will still be offering giveaways and book reviews and hope you will all join me this year in my journey through books.

I would like to share a few things that I have planned for this year and invite you all to join me.

I will be participating in a Take The Journey reading challenge this year and I have placed a button on the side of my blog for anyone that would like to join.

I will be attempting to read as many Classics as possible in order to prepare for the GRE Subject Test, in hopes of getting into a PhD program once my Masters degree is finished. I will post which selection I will be reading next if anyone would like to read along with me.

I am posting a Book of the Year selection on my blog. The book I have chosen is one that I read in 2009 and would like to share with everyone. I am hosting a giveaway for everyone that purchases my Book of the Year selection. Details will be posted in a separate blog entry and a link will be placed under the Labels category on the side of my blog for easy access to the information.

I love to hear from all readers and encourage you to email me with book selections that you have read and liked. I would also encourage suggestions for my blog, let me know what you like about it, what you don't like about it, and if there is a certain book you think I should check out and share with my readers, please let me know.

Happy Reading!!!

Books Read In 2009

A Charmed Life: Growing Up in Macbeth's Castle by Liza Campbell
Across The Pond by Storyheart
Angel and Apostle by Deborah Noyes
Bartleby the Scrivener by Herman Melville
Bluegrass by William Van Meter
Body of Knowledge (Finding Reason) by Bryce Anderson
Ciao Italia by Mary Ann Esposito
Clapton: The Autobiography by Eric Clapton
Daisy Miller by Henry James
Dry by Augusten Burroughs
Editha by William Dean Howells
Extreme by Sharon Osbourne
Hester by Paula Reed
How Reading Changed My Life by Anna Quindlen
How To Be Famous by Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt
I Loved, I Lost, I Made Spaghetti by Giulia Melucci
Inside Edge by Christine Brennan
Jesus Freaks by DC Talk and The Voice of the Martyrs
Julie and Julia by Julie Powell
Let It Be: My Daughter's Legacy by Ruthe Rosen
My Life in France by Julia Child and Alex Prudhomme
Out of the Kitchen: Adventures of a Food Writer by Jeannette Ferrary
Racing Odysseus by Roger Martin
Rappaccini's Daughter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
Rip Van Winkle by Washington Irving
Running With Scissors by Augusten Burroughs
Sardinian Silver by A. Colin Wright
Scarecrow by Michael Connelly
Secret Son by Laila Lalami
Seven by Jacqueline Leo
Something Borrowed by Emily Griffin
Surviving a House Full of Whispers by Sharon Wallace
Telling: A Memoir of Rape and Recovery by Patricia Weaver Francisco
The Book of Guinevere by Andrea Hopkins
The Call of the World by Trent Newcomer
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larrson
The Girls From Ames by Jeffrey Zaslow
The House of Usher by Edgar Allan Poe
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving
The Library At Night by Alberto Manguel
The Master Plan of Evangelism by Robert Coleman
The Minister's Black Veil by Nathaniel Hawthorne
The Only Thing That Lasts by Tyler R. Tichelaar
The Outcasts of Poker Flat by Bret Harte
The Purloined Letter by Edgar Allan Poe
The Recipe Club by Andrea Israel and Nancy Garfinkle
The Stolen Crown by Susan Higginbotham
The Unlikely Disciple: A Sinner's Semester at America's Holiest University by Kevin Roose
The Weight Loss Plan for Beating Diabetes by Frederic Vagnini and Lawrence Chilnick
Undress Me In The Temple of Heaven by Susan Jane Gilman
Waiter Rant by Steve Dublanica
When You Are Engulfed In Flames by David Sedaris