Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Giveaway: Will There Be Good News? By Kate Atkinson

 
Thanks to Valerie Russo of Hachette Books, I giving away up to 3 copies of this book.

Description:

On a hot summer day, Joanna Mason's family slowly wanders home along a country lane. A moment later, Joanna's life is changed forever...

On a dark night thirty years later, ex-detective Jackson Brodie finds himself on a train that is both crowded and late. Lost in his thoughts, he suddenly hears a shocking sound...

At the end of a long day, 16-year-old Reggie is looking forward to watching a little TV. Then a terrifying noise shatters her peaceful evening. Luckily, Reggie makes it a point to be prepared for an emergency...

These three lives come together in unexpected and deeply thrilling ways in the latest novel from Kate Atkinson, the critically acclaimed author who Harlan Coben calls "an absolute must-read."

About Author:

Kate Atkinson lives in Edinburgh. Her first novel, Behind the Scenes at the Museum, was named Whitbread Book of the Year in the U.K. in 1995, and was followed by Human Croquet, Emotionally Weird, Not the End of the World, Case Histories and One Good Turn. 

The number of entrants to this giveaway will determine how many copies of this book I will giveaway:
1-10 entrants= 1
11-20 entrants= 2
21-30 entrants= 3

Here are the rules:

1. For one entry, leave a comment.  Please be sure to include your email address (if it isn't available in your profile), so that I can contact you if you win. If I can't find your email either in the comments or your profile, you will be disqualified!

2. For two more entries, post about this giveaway on your blog and leave link to your blog post in the comments. You will also get an entry for each person who tells me that they learned about this
giveaway from you.

3. For another 5 more entries: Become a Follower of my blog or subscribe to my blog through Google Reader or other subscription service. If you are already a subscriber or follower you still get the five extra entries! Please do not comment that you are a follower five times! I will give you the extra entries myself. I will delete any extra entries that you make as it will just confuse me when I go to pick the winners.

Sorry, the giveaway is only open US and Canadian residents only.

The winner’s mailing address: NO P.O. Boxes.

Only one entry per household/IP address.

This giveaway will end on Friday, February 19th at 11:59 P.M. E.S.T. The winners will be notified by email, so remember to include your email address in the comments, if it isn't available in your profile! Winners must respond within three days or will be disqualified.

Audio and Video

Posted by Teddy Rose at 9:55 PM 60 comments  

Labels:

Monday, February 1, 2010

February Reviews for the Books Won Challenge

 

Here is what participants read for the challenge in January:

Kathy:
1. I Loved, I Lost, I Made Spaghetti by Giulia Melucc
2, What the Dog Saw by Malcolm Gladwell

Tina:
1.Supreme Courtship
2.True Blue
3.Simons Cat by Simon Tofield

Please post all your links in Mr. Linky for your review of books that you read in February, 2010 for this challenge. I hope everyone is enjoying their reading this month!

Please enter your name and the name of the book in this format: Name: (Your Name, Book Title and Author's Name) for example: (Teddy, Obsessive Reading by Helen Reader).

Posted by Teddy Rose at 8:02 PM 2 comments  

Labels:

February Reviews for the ARC Reading Challenge

 
 The Standings:
Here are the ARCs' that participants read for this challenge in January:

Alyce:
1.The Motion of the Ocean
2.Not My Daughter
3.American Eve

Andrea:
1.Mr, Darcy Broke My Heart by Beth Patillo
2.Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
3.The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong
4.Eyes Like Stars by Lisa Mantchev
5.Alice I Have Been by Melanie Benjamin
6.In A Heartbeat by Loretta Ellsworth
7.Give Up the Ghost by Megan Crewe
8.Magic Under Glass by Jaclyn Dolamore
9.Captivate by Carrie Jones
10.A Match Made in High School by Kristin Walker
11.The Naughty List by Suzanne Young
12Gone by Lisa McMann 
13.Explorer X-Alpha by LM Preston
15.The Dark Divine by Bree Despain

Beth:
1. Eternal On The Water by Joseph Monninge
2.Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah
3.Small Kingdoms by Anastasia Hobbe
4.Saving Cee Cee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman

BookNAround:
1.The Blue Star by Tony Earley
2.The Lonely Hearts Club by Elizabeth Euland
3.Baking Cakes in Kigali

Caribousmom: 
1.Sacred Hearts by Sarah Dunant
2.The Year of the Flood by Maragret Atwood
3.The Last Surgeon

Heather: 
1.The Dark Lanter by Gerri Brightwell
2.The Queen's Dollmaker by Christine Trent
Kool-aid Mom:
1.The Blue Notebook by James A. Levine
2.Islands Apart by Ken McAlpine
3.Any Given Doomsday by Lori Handeland
4.Of Bees and Mist by Erick Setiawan

Michelle: 
1.Winter's End by Jean- Claude Mourlevat

Nicola:
1.Shades of Grey
2.Fallen by Lauren Kate
3.The King's Legacy by Jim Stovall
4.Graphic Classics: Louisa May Alcott
5.The Jungle Vampire
6.The Silver Anklet
7.Irredeemable by Mark Waid
8.The Levee by Malcolm Shuman
9.Innocent War by Susan Violante
10.Leaving Gee's Bend
11.Calamity Jack
12.The Flying Troutmans by Miriam Toews 
 
Teddy:
1.Sometimes we're always real same- same by Mattox Roesch
2.The Postmistress by Sarah Blake
3.O, Juliet by Robin Maxwell

Tina:
1.The Book of William
2.My Name is Will
3.The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind
4.The Lovely Bones
5.Then Came the Evening
6.The Postmistress
7.Death of a Valentine
8.Fireworks over Toccoa

Please post all your links in Mr. Linky for your review of books that you read in February, 2010 for this challenge. I hope everyone is enjoying their ARC's this month!

Please enter your name and the name of the book in this format: Name: (Your Name, Book Title and Author's Name) for example: (Teddy, Obsessive Reading by Helen Reader).

Posted by Teddy Rose at 12:47 PM 6 comments  

Labels:

Mailbox Monday

 
Visit Marcia every Monday at The Printed Page to share what arrives in your mailbox each week.
Here's what I received in my mailbox last week:  


Thanks to Lisa Roe an Online Publicist.












Thanks to Yen Cheong of  Assistant Director of Publicity, Viking and Penguin Books

Posted by Teddy Rose at 10:00 AM 15 comments  

Labels:

She Wasn't Soft by T.C.Boyle

 
 
A few weeks ago, after reading reviews for T.C. Boyle's short story 'Chicxulub', I decided to read it.  Actually I devoured it and was hungry for more by Boyle.  I was also convinced that more people should read the story and set up a little challenge. Here is the link for my review of 'Chicxulub'.

No one took me up on the challenge, however I am determined to read more by T.C. Boyle.  He has many published collections of short stories and novels.  I went to my local library and picked out one of his short story collections, 'After the Plague'.  Do to my ARC  commitments, I was only able to read one story from the collection, so far.

The Story I read was 'She Wasn't Soft'.  It is quite different than 'Chicxulub' but is still has lots of depth.  Paula Turk, a 28 year old biathlete  knows that she is destined for greatness.  She competed to win.  However, her boyfriend Jason, owns a surf and dive shop and doesn't want anything more.  At 33, he only keeps his shop open part time, pretty much when he feels like it.  His parents bought the shop for him, hoping that he would make something of himself but the shop doesn't make a profit due to the short time he keeps it open..  It he prefers to surf and hang out on the beach.

On Paula's birthday she wanted to stay home by herself and eat healthy food, to prepare herself for an upcoming competition.  However, Jason wanted to take her out and celebrate and she gave in and went.  While at the restaurant, Paula's fiercest competitor came in.  Paula wanted to avoid her but Jason was drunk and made a scene.

I don't want to risk spoilers so am not going to tell anymore of the story.  I really enjoyed this story, as I said, it does have lots of depth.  It didn't wow me like 'Chicxulub' did but there are some nice twists that kept the story moving along and it was well written.  Boyle really know how to capture the human spirit both good and bad.  I recommend this story.

Posted by Teddy Rose at 4:30 AM 12 comments  

Labels:

Saturday, January 30, 2010

100 Mile Fitness Challenge

Week 4 (3 for me) January 22-28
Friday-0
Saturday-3
Sunday-0
Monday-2
Tuesday-
Wednesday-1
Thursday-2

Total this week: 8
Total for challenge: 21

Do you want to join the challenge?  It's not too late!  Go to 100 Mile Fitness Challenge.

Posted by Teddy Rose at 1:33 PM 4 comments  

Labels: ,

O, Juliet by Robin Maxwell


Last year I had the pleasure to read Robin Maxwell's Signora daVinci.  So, when she contacted me to see if I wanted an advance reader copy of her new novel, O'Juliet  I jumped at the chance. 
We all know the story of Romeo and Juliet so I will not repeat the story.  Maxwell sticks to the major events that happen in William Shakespeare's story but does a nice job in retelling it with some new twists and characters.  Maxwell's version it is set in 15th century Florence during the Medici era. 
Juliet's best friend Lucrezia was engaged to Piero de Medici and big party was thrown by the patriarch of the Medici family, Cosimo de Medici and his wife.  Juliet was there and met Romeo, who actually came to the party to enlist the help of Cosimo, to help break the feud between the Monticeccos' and Capellettis'.  Right away the couple find they have a strong common interest, the writings of Dante. 
The two found all kinds of different ways to see each other and their love for each other grew very fast.  A big problem, even bigger than the feud was that Juliet was promised to her father's business partner, Jacopo Strozzi.  She loathed him but as with most women back then, she had to abide by her father's wishes.
Romeo figured out a plan so that Juliet would be able to marry and live with him.  However there are many twists and turns that get in their way.
I loved the way Robin Maxwell used the Medici as a starting point and background to the story.  It really added a new and exciting dimension to the story.  I didn't care for her portrayal of Jacopo Strozzi.  She used the "done to death" plot of him being ugly and sour breathed.  She mentioned this just about every place he appeared in the novel.  Yes, I got the point, he was evil.  That said, another part I really adored was the addition of Dante's writing in the story and how she used them.
Over all, I really did enjoy this retelling of Romeo and Juliet.  I recommend it for fans of romance, historical fiction, and the Medici.
3.5/5
Thanks to Robin Maxwell for sending me this book.
Also reviewed by:
All Things Royal
Passages to the Past
The Burton Review
If I missed your review of this book , please leave the link in the comments.

Posted by Teddy Rose at 4:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: ,

Thursday, January 28, 2010

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

 

There were a few books that I contimplated using for the letter "D" in this challenge but I finally decide to go with a classic.

I read The Picture of Dorian Gray back in 2005, before my blogging days, with my Classics reading club on Yahoo.  The story has stuck with me all of this time.  Sometimes I'll see something or think of something that makes me think of this book.

For those of you who don't know the basic story, Dorian Gray is very vain.  He looks at himself in the mirror a lot and admires his handsome looks.  He has wishes never to age and his wish comes true.  However the portrait of him does age.  It is a reminder of Dorian's ugliness on the inside.

I really enjoyed this story for the era and the mannerisms of the characters.  Wilde captured a time when social etiquette was everything.  With the importance that society puts on beauty, this story is still very relevant today.  I also enjoyed Wilde's beautiful prose.  I can certainly see why this book has stood the test of time and is considered a great classic.

Posted by Teddy Rose at 11:10 PM 9 comments  

Labels: , ,

Monday, January 25, 2010

Mailbox Monday


Visit Marcia every Monday at The Printed Page to share what arrives in your mailbox each week.
 
Here's what I received in my mailbox last week:  

 
Thanks to Danielle L. Jackson of  Sourcebooks, Inc!

Posted by Teddy Rose at 9:59 PM 7 comments  

Labels:

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Ghosts by Edwidge Danicat





PpPhoto © Arturo Patten
"My country [...] is one of uncertainty. 
When I say 'my country' to some Haitians, 
they think of the United States. 
When I say 'my country' to
some Americans, they think of Haiti."
(from The Butterfly's Way
 
Last week John of The Book Mine Set reviewed this story.  He explained, that with all the recent news of Haiti he wanted to read a Haitian writer.  At the time, he only knew of a poet.  he found this writer, Edwidge Danicat and his short story, Ghosts.
Of course, I had to check out this story for myself. 
Pascal and his parents lived in Bel Air, a mid-level slum.  Bel Air was a peasant community when they moved there.  They were to live there temporarily while Pascal and his brother went to primary school. However, they stayed and raised pigeons and opened a restaurant. They mostly stayed in the hopes that one day their children could leave the country some day and have a better life.  Pascal's older brother already fulfilled that dream, he moved to Canada.
Most of their diners of the restaurant were now gang members, also known as ghosts. Pascal served them and eavesdropped on their conversation.  He worked part time for a local radio station as a reporter and had an idea for a new radio show that he would host.  The show would be called, "Ghosts" and be a kind of reality show with what gang members are really like, what makes them cry, etc.
He brought the idea to the head of the radio station but was told that his idea would never work.  Then they stole his idea and did a show similar to what he proposed.  The gang members encourage Pascal to retaliate.  He didn't, so the head of the gang decided they would do it for him. 
I won't say anymore because I don't want to risk spoilers.
Edwidge Danicat currently live in the United States.  The Haitian people have had to live through many heart aches and tragedies.  In Ghosts, she explores the problem of gangs.  She seems to understand the life in Bel Air well.  She wrote this before the devastating earthquake and it raises the issue has a lot more than needs fixing than meets the eye.  Yet she writes with a kind of "respect" for her people.  This is an excellent story and I highly recommend it!
If you would like to participate in Short Story Mondays or just find out about some great short stories, go to John of The Book Mine Set. He has a short story review every Monday and a place for you to link your short story reviews. Come join in the fun!
 

Posted by Teddy Rose at 9:49 PM 5 comments  

Labels:

Newer Posts Older Posts Home

Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)