Mailbox Monday - 3/14/2011

Mailbox Monday is a weekly meme started by Marcia at The Printed Page.  You can read all about it at the Mailbox Monday blog.  Well, the mailbox has gone on tour.  This month's host is I'm Booking It.

I love this meme because it lets me take a peek into other bloggers' mailboxes and find out what they received over the last week.  I will warn you, it does lead to more books as you will find many that you want because of others mailboxes.  If you'd like to join in on the fun, post about your books and link up!

I had a rather large mailbox this week and I'm not sure why because I haven't been requesting as many books lately due to lack of time to read.  Many of these were unrequested, just sent from the publisher, and I'm thankful.  I also have some packages at the post office that I hope will be delivered today.  Work has been so busy lately that I can't seem to get out of there in time to get to the post office before it closes.  Hopefully the mailman will be nice and deliver my packages so that I can put them in next week's mailbox.  This week is Spring Break, so I'm hoping to get a lot of reading in.  You may not see me online very much, but know I'm around...I'm just catching up on some reading.

 

Amaryllis in Blueberry (ARC) by Christina Meldrum, from Simon &  Schuster

Women Food and God by Geneen Roth, from Simon & Schuster

Like Mandarin by Kirsten Hubbard, from Knoph Delacorte Dell Young Readers Group

The Queen of Water by Laura Resau and Maria Virginia Farinango, from Knopf Delacorte Dell Young Readers Group

Jersey Tomatoes are the Best by Maria Padian, from Random House Children's Books

Exposed by Kimberly Marcus, from Random House Children's Books - I've already read and reviewed this one, so I will be giving it away.

Night Road (ARC) by Kristin Hannah, from St. Martin's Press

Amos Daragon: The Mask Wearer by Bryan Perro, from Knopf Delacorte Dell Young Readers Group

Show Time by Sue Stauffacher, from Random House Children's Books

White Cat and Red Glove (ARC) by Holly Black, from Margaret K. McElderry - both of these came packaged together, from the publisher.  I read and enjoyed White Cat, so I'm anxious to see what's in store in Red Glove.

The Source of All Things by Tracy Ross, from Free Press via ShelfAwareness

Where She Went (ARC) by Gayle Forman, from Dutton Juvenile

Go, Dog Go! Party Book by P.D. Eastman, from Random House Books for Young Readers

One, Two, Buckle My Shoe: A Counting Nursery Rhyme by Salina Yoon, from Random House Books for Young Readers

Go, Dog Go! by P.D. Eastman, from Random House Children's Books

Baby's First Book, The Poky Little Puppy, Baby Farm Animals (not pictured), and Home for a Bunny (not pictured) by Little Golden Books, from Random House Children's Books - these four titles are in Random House's new padded board book format for babies, the all-new Golden Baby line.  I gave 2 of these to my nephew for his birthday and he is enjoying them.

So Shelly by Ty Roth, from Delacorte Books for Young Readers - I have been waiting on this one, so I'm excited to get to read it now.

What was in your mailbox?

Mailbox Monday - 3/7/2011

Mailbox Monday is a weekly meme started by Marcia at The Printed Page.  You can read all about it at the Mailbox Monday blog.  Well, the mailbox has gone on tour.  This month's host is I'm Booking It.

I love this meme because it lets me take a peek into other bloggers' mailboxes and find out what they received over the last week.  I will warn you, it does lead to more books as you will find many that you want because of others mailboxes.  If you'd like to join in on the fun, post about your books and link up!


Here's what came into my house, via the mailbox, this week:

Young Fredle by Cynthia Voigt, from Knopf Books for Young Readers
Kickers Book 4: Game-Day Jitters by Rich Wallace, from Knopf Books for Young Readers
Lunch Lady and the Bake Sale Bandit by Jarrett J. Krosoczka, from Knopf Books for Young Readers

Gingerbread Man Loose in the School (F&G) by Laura Murray, from Putnam
Scritch-Scratch a Perfect Match (F&G) by Kimberly Marcus, from Penguin
Baby's First Year (F&G) by Rick Walton, from Putnam

School Days According to Humphrey (ARC) by Betty G. Birney, from Putnam
On the Volcano (ARC) by James Nelson, from Putnam
Sparrow Road (ARC) by Sheila O'Connor, from Putnam

Last but not least, I received Arranged by Catherine McKenzie, from Cindy's Love of Books.  This is a signed copy that I won on Cindy's blog.  I loved finding the surprise bookmarks tucked inside the book along with a sweet note from Cindy. The Anne Geddes bookmark is my favorite!  Thanks, Cindy;  I love my blogging friends!

Mailbox Monday - 2/28/2011

Mailbox Monday is a weekly meme started by Marcia at The Printed Page.  You can read all about it at the Mailbox Monday blog.  Well, the mailbox has gone on tour.  This month's host is Library of Clean Reads. 

I love this meme because it lets me take a peek into other bloggers' mailboxes and find out what they received over the last week.  I will warn you, it does lead to more books as you will find many that you want because of others mailboxes.  If you'd like to join in on the fun, post about your books and link up!

Thanks to my mail lady not wanting to drive to my gate and drop some packages, I have 2 or 3 waiting for me at the post office.  Therefore, I'm posting this late on Sunday because I will probably be updating it on Monday afternoon or posting an addendum to this mailbox.

Puddleby by Leah Wilcox, from author
The Thirteenth Princess by Diane Zahler, from author
A True Princess by Diane Zahler, from author

What You See in the Dark (ARC) by Manuel Munoz, from Algonquin
When Tito Loved Clara  (ARC) by Jon Michaud, from Algonquin
Something for Nothing  (ARC) by David Anthony, from Algonquin

The small square package on the bottom right has 3 little books in it that are excerpts of the three I received from Algonquin.  It's a great marketing tool!

Because of A Book with Lisa Lickel

A graduate of the Christian Writer’s Guild’s Apprentice Course, Lisa Lickel was a top ten finisher in the first Operation: First Novel contest. She has written and produced for radio theater and performed live. Her works have been released in national syndication on FreeQuincy.podcast. She freelances for local newspapers and writes short stories, book reviews, devotionals and magazine articles which have appeared in Writer’s Digest, You Can Write for Children, and Harpstring. She holds a bachelors of science in history and RECES.

Lickel’s novels include The Gold Standard, Healing Grace, and Meander Scar.

She enjoys membership in local book clubs and writing groups, as well as American Christian Fiction Writers, and Wisconsin Regional Writers where she is editor-in-chief of Creative Wisconsin Magazine. She lives in a hundred and fifty-year old house and is active in local historical societies. Married to a high school biology teacher, she enjoys travel, books and collecting dragons. Visit her on the web at http://lisalickel.com/.

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Both of my parents taught English at one point; my mother was also a librarian and their house is filled with books. When I was young, we visited my grandparents frequently: a two-hour drive north or a five-hour drive west. My favorite memory of those visits is the book shelf. The Pokey Little Puppy was a staple at Grandma Dhein's. The story was a treat I read at their city house. Another influential book in my life was an early Whitman Publishing book called The Star Fairies. Ethereal, fantastic, frightening, I realized later the wonder of capturing allegory.

My parents enrolled my brother and me in a children's book club. The delight of receiving three books a month, like Dr. Suess stories, and A Visit to the Zoo, and so many others is the fondest of memories. They taught me about creating rhythm and word pictures. We were also given free range when choosing from the Scholastic catalog in elementary school. The Witch of Blackbird Pond fueled my love of history and attention to detail.

When I was older, I reached for the western sagas of Zane Grey on my grandfather Duvel's shelf. He never went to high school, but kept a stock of novels and books and crossword puzzles in their farmhouse to satisfy his love of learning. My favorite, Under The Tonto Rim, is a book I kept and read often. It's a tangible family tie I hope my children will appreciate.

I began to read book reviews when I reached high school. Those reviews influenced my reading and buying choices. I discovered Anne McCaffrey, and my love of dragons, inspired first by the frontpiece of Thomas Costain's books, took shape as I started a dragon collection. Robert Heinlein, CS Lewis, and Mark Twain showed me how to create worlds, remember life, and portray characters.

When I read to my children, I saw the delight on their faces, which books were their favorites and why. My reaction, and theirs, taught me the passion of storytelling.

I didn't realize until adulthood that I'd been laying the foundation of an author's toolbox. When I took a writer's course and began selling my articles and stories, then delving into the world of novels, I paid tribute to the love of books I've been privileged to know since childhood.

My work now, mystery and adventure and romance, reflects those early stories.

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About The Poky Little Puppy
One of the original 12 Little Golden Books, The Poky Little Puppy has sold nearly 15 million copies since 1942, making it one of the most popular children’s books of all time. Now this curious little puppy is ready to win the hearts and minds of a new generation of kids.


Buy it at Amazon
Buy it at Powells
Buy it at IndieBound

About Meander Scar

Love can heal even the deepest scars ... After seven years with no clue as to the whereabouts of Ann Ballard's missing husband, nearly everyone presumes him dead. Now forty-something, Ann is ready for her stagnant life to flow again. Then one day, a dark-haired younger man from her past shows up on her doorstep offering a river of hope in place of tears. Former neighbor Mark Roth has secretly loved Ann for years. A respected attorney, he's returned home to help Ann face down disapproving family members and the legal maneuvering of her likely deceased husband's family-while quietly winning her heart. When the hidden truth of Ann's situation turns their lives on end and another tragedy strikes, the two must come to terms with family, faith and the depths to which true love can run.

Buy it at Amazon
Buy it at Powells
Buy it at IndieBound

Mailbox Monday - 2/14/2011

Mailbox Monday is a weekly meme started by Marcia at The Printed Page.  You can read all about it at the Mailbox Monday blog.  Well, the mailbox has gone on tour.  This month's host is Library of Clean Reads. 

I love this meme because it lets me take a peek into other bloggers' mailboxes and find out what they received over the last week.  I will warn you, it does lead to more books as you will find many that you want because of others mailboxes.  If you'd like to join in on the fun, post about your books and link up!

The week started off with a bang as I received an awesome package from Simon and Schuster.  You can read about the excitement of Wither in the blog post, Thank You Simon & Schuster!

Here's what else came in the mail this week:

Lucky's Little Feather  by Peggy van Gurp, from Clavis Publishing
Crinkle Animals: Garden & Crinkle Animals: Jungle by Guido Van Genechten, from Clavis Publishing
The Moonlight Message by Denice Barlow Brown, from Cypress Productions

 

West of Here by Jonathan Evison, from Algonquin Books

A Mountain of Crumbs by Elena Gorokhova, from Simon & Schuster

The Weird Sisters (audio) by Eleanor Brown, from the author (won at Jenn's Bookshelves)

What books did you get?

Mailbox Monday - 1/31/2011

Mailbox Monday is a weekly meme started by Marcia at The Printed Page.  You can read all about it at the Mailbox Monday blog.  Well, the mailbox has gone on tour.  This month's host is Rose City Reader. 

I love this meme because it lets me take a peek into other bloggers' mailboxes and find out what they received over the last week.  I will warn you, it does lead to more books as you will find many that you want because of others mailboxes.  If you'd like to join in on the fun, post about your books and link up!

This was a pretty big book week for me, especially with children's books, which are hard to see when taking pictures only of the spines, so I've spread them out in groups and that's how I'm sharing them with you this week.  I can't wait to dive into these and start posting reviews.

These four titles were waiting for me at the post office on Tuesday.  They were sent for review from Charlesbridge Publishing.

• A Call for a New Alphabet
• Camille's Team
• Percy Gets Upset
• The Multiplying Menace Divides 

Raj, the Bookstore Tiger by Kathleen P. Telley, from Charlesbridge Publishing
Silverlicious by Victoria Kahn, from HarperCollins - I am so excited about this one!  I have previously purchased Pinkalicious and Purplicous for my 2 oldest granddaughters.
There's a Dragon in the Library by Dianne de Las Casas, from Pelican Publishing
For the Love of Music: The Remarkable Story of Maria Anna Mozart by Elizabeth Rusch, from Random House - I plan on gifting this one to the music teacher at my school when I've read and reviewed it.

Cahoots (ARC) by Karla Oceanak, from Bailiwick Press - I have enjoyed the first 2 books in this series, so the publisher contacted me and asked if I'd be willing to review the 3rd book.
The Radleys by Matt Haig and Goodnight Tweetheart from Simon & Schuster as a Book Club Advisory Member.
Kat Incorrigible (ARC) by Stephanie Burgis, from Simon & Schuster

This was an email request to review, from the publisher.  Richard Fast has a series of these 29 Days books.  I chose 29 DAYS...to save money and acheive financial independence, as saving money is something I could use a little help with. 

What was in your mailbox?

Mailbox Monday - 1/24/2011

I am late posting my mailbox today because I had 3 packages waiting at the post office.  It has been raining here in South Texas off and on for 2 weeks, so my 800 foot long, dirt driveway is really, really muddy.  So muddy that the mailman won't even attempt driving even a little ways down it, so I'm getting notices in my mailbox to pick my packages up at the post office.  Stopped today to pick up last week's and got home to another notice from today.  2 more packages are waiting for me to pick up after 8 AM tomorrow.  Oh boy!!

Mailbox Monday is a weekly meme started by Marcia at The Printed Page.  You can read all about it at the Mailbox Monday blog.  Well, the mailbox has gone on tour.  This month's host is Rose City Reader. 

I love this meme because it lets me take a peek into other bloggers' mailboxes and find out what they received over the last week.  I will warn you, it does lead to more books as you will find many that you want because of others mailboxes.  If you'd like to join in on the fun, post about your books and link up!

This week was a light one, so I'll post summaries for you.

Three Seconds by Roslund & Hellstrom, from Sterling Publishing
Piet Hoffman, a top secret operative for the Swedish police, is about to embark on his most dangerous assignment yet: after years spent infiltrating the Polish mafia, he's become a key player in their attempt to take over amphetamine distribution inside Sweden's prisons. To stop them from succeeding, he will have to go deep cover, posing as a prisoner inside the country's most notorious jail.

But when a botched drug deal involving Hoffman results in a murder, the investigation is assigned to the brilliant but haunted Detective Inspector Ewert Grens--a man who never gives up until he's cracked the case. Grens's determination to find the killer not only threatens to expose Hoffman's true identity-it may reveal even bigger crimes involving the highest levels of power. And there are people who will do anything to stop him from discovering the truth.

Pretty Penny Sets Up Shop by Devon Kinch, from Random House

retty Penny has lots of big ideas. For instance, she wants to throw a birthday party for her grandmother, Bunny, but there is only one problem—she doesn't have any money! What's a creative, industrious girl to do? When Penny notices that Bunny's attic is cluttered with old things that still have value, Penny has an idea—create a "Small Mall!" Penny will have to clean up and set up shop in the attic to sell the old items to earn the money for Bunny's surprise celebration. Author/illustrator Devon Kinch has created a charming, stylish character with a signature look, just like such classic children's book characters as Madeline, Eloise, Pippi Longstocking, and Olivia—Penny is never without her fuschia purse! With Pretty Penny's help, kids can get money savvy!

Enclave (Razorland #1), ARC, by Ann Aguirre, from Fiewel and Friends
In Deuce's world, people earn the right to a name only if they survive their first fifteen years. By that point, each unnamed 'brat' has trained into one of three groups-Breeders, Builders, or Hunters, identifiable by the number of scars they bear on their arms.

Deuce has wanted to be a Huntress for as long as she can remember. As a Huntress, her purpose is clear--to brave the dangerous tunnels outside the enclave and bring back meat to feed the group while evading ferocious monsters known as Freaks. She's worked toward this goal her whole life, and nothing's going to stop her, not even a beautiful, brooding Hunter named Fade.

When the mysterious boy becomes her partner, Deuce's troubles are just beginning. Down below, deviation from the rules is punished swiftly and harshly, and Fade doesn't like following orders. At first she thinks he's crazy, but as death stalks their sanctuary, and it becomes clear the elders don't always know best, Deuce wonders if Fade might be telling the truth.

Her partner confuses her; she's never known a boy like him before, as prone to touching her gently as using his knives with feral grace. As Deuce's perception shifts, so does the balance in the constant battle for survival. The mindless Freaks, once considered a threat only due to their sheer numbers, show signs of cunning and strategy... but the elders refuse to heed any warnings. Despite imminent disaster, the enclave puts their faith in strictures and sacrifice instead. No matter how she tries, Deuce cannot stem the dark tide that carries her far from the only world she's ever known.

Sing You Home (ARC) by Jodi Picoult, from Atria Books via ShelfAwareness 
Zoe Baxter has spent ten years trying to get pregnant, and after multiple miscarriages and infertility issues, it looks like her dream is about to come true – she is seven months pregnant. But a terrible turn of events leads to a nightmare – one that takes away the baby she has already fallen for; and breaks apart her marriage to Max. In the aftermath, she throws herself into her career as a music therapist – using music clinically to soothe burn victims in a hospital; to help Alzheimer’s patients connect with the present; to provide solace for hospice patients. When Vanessa – a guidance counselor -- asks her to work with a suicidal teen, their relationship moves from business to friendship and then, to Zoe’s surprise, blossoms into love. When Zoe allows herself to start thinking of having a family, again, she remembers that there are still frozen embryos that were never used by herself and Max.

Meanwhile, Max has found peace at the bottom of a bottle – until he is redeemed by an evangelical church, whose charismatic pastor – Clive Lincoln – has vowed to fight the “homosexual agenda” that has threatened traditional family values in America. But this mission becomes personal for Max, when Zoe and her same-sex partner say they want permission to raise his unborn child. 

Because of A Book with Joanne Kennedy

Today I am pleased to welcome author, Joanne Kennedy to the blog.

Joanne Kennedy has worked in bookstores all her life in positions from bookseller to buyer. A member of Romance Writers of America and Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers, she won first place in the Colorado Gold Writing Contest and second in the Heart of the Rockies contest. Joanne lives in Cheyenne, Wyoming. For more information, please visit http://joannekennedybooks.com/.

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Joanne Kennedy Guest Blog, Author of One Fine Cowboy

Write for a Reader Because of a Book Feature

As a child, I loved to go to my grandparent’s farm and read the books my mother read as a child. The most battered and beloved of these were two books by Gene Stratton-Porter: Freckles and A Girl of the Limberlost.

Gene Stratton-Porter is a perfect example of the ephemeral nature of fame. Her books were enormous bestsellers in her day, with over 50 million readers—and this was in the nineteen-teens and twenties. Today, I wonder how many readers have even heard of her.

Ms. Stratton-Porter was a naturalist, novelist, photographer, conservationist, and one of the first women to start a film studio. She accomplished all these things around the turn of the century, when women didn’t necessarily have careers.

And she did it to save a swamp.

When she moved to the 13,000-acre Limberlost Swamp in Indiana, it was 1888 and the wetlands were in the process of being drained and logged. An oil and gas boom sparked drilling and more draining. This all sounds very familiar and modern, but it was 1913 when Stratton-Porter finally was forced to move away. She continued to sing the praises of the Limberlost in her bestselling novels, and her cabin there is now a state historic site.

After almost a century, her books have faded into obscurity. I’ve worked in bookselling for twenty years, and for a while I owned a used and rare bookstore. Stratton-Porter’s books turned up often, but except for her rare nature books, nobody seemed to be interested. It’s incredible how the bestselling authors of one era can be totally unknown to readers of another.

But discovering these books when I was a child changed me, sparking my interest in birds and butterflies and my belief that nature feeds the mind and restores the soul. They also introduced me to some strong and stalwart heroines that inspired the heroines of my own books. Stratton-Porter’s women have little in the way of creature comforts in their woodland cabins, but their appreciation of the natural world and their dogged determination to better themselves makes them compelling characters.

I read her books over and over. When I was ten, I was the “Girl of the Limberlost.” I’d never been to Indiana, but my childhood home boasted a brook and an actual, no-kiddin’, mushy, gushy swamp populated with all kinds of birds and frogs and slimy salamanders.

The swamp must have been a pond at one time, because the remnants of an old stone dam stood on one side. I’d sit up on the tumbled rocks and watch the birds, scribbling descriptions and renditions of birdsong in a tattered notebook just like my favorite author. I rarely went home without gathering some sort of “specimen”—a bucket of polliwogs, a caterpillar on its host plant, or a tiny red newt. Thank goodness my mother had read those Limberlost books and understood why I felt compelled to bring the outdoors in.

And thank goodness she introduced them to me. Thanks to the long-reaching influence of this turn-of-the-century writer, I can still have my day brightened and my heart lightened just by the song of a sparrow.

The publisher has offered 2 copies of One Fine Cowboy, for giveaway to 2 of my readers.  Please just leave a comment on this post if you'd like to be entered.  Entries will be taken until Tuesday, Oct. 5th at midnight.

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About A Girl of the Limberlost - Set amid Indiana's Limberlost Swamp, this classic mixes astute observations on nature with the struggles of growing up in the early 20th century and the discoveries of independence and romance.

Buy it at Indiebound

About One Fine Cowboy - He’s got a way with horses…and with women...

Nate Shawcross is perfectly content to spend his days training wild horses. So when a beautiful greenhorn unexpectedly shows up for a seminar from the famous “Horse Whisperer” of Wyoming, all Nate wants to do is send her packing…

The last thing she expects is a lesson in romance…

Graduate student Charlie Banks came to the ranch to learn about horse communication, but when she meets the ruggedly handsome cowboy, she starts to fantasize about another connection entirely…

Nate needs to stay focused if he’s going to save his ranch from foreclosure, but he can’t help being distracted by the brainy and breathtakingly sexy Charlie. Could it be that after all this time Nate has finally found the one woman who can tame his wild heart?

Buy it at Indiebound

Because of A Book with Maya Jax

There are times that I love Blogger, and then other times that I do not.  When my scheduled posts do not get posted, that is one time I do not like Blogger.  With the start of school this week, I knew my life would be hectic and non-stop, so I tried to prepare for that by scheduling posts.  Well, as they say, "the best laid plans of mice and men..."

I'd like to thank Dorothy Thompson and Pump Up Your Book Promotion for allowing me to participate in Maya Jax's blog tour.  Let me first introduce you to Maya.

Loving John Grisham and Janet Evanovich novels, Maya Jax entertained the idea of being a lawyer or a spy and started working at an embassy in Australia while doing her master’s in international relations. During this time, she finished her first screenplay, an action/thriller about spies and nuclear weapons. She pitched it to a friend in Hollywood, who told her she had talent, but to never show the screenplay to anyone again — ever. Realizing her love for writing was stronger than her desire to spy and fight crime, she attempted a second screenplay focusing on what she knew best — trying to make it as a writer. The screenplay turned into a novel and the result was Escapades of Romantically Challenged Me.

You can find Maya at her website, Maya Jax.

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Writer for a Reader – Books that Impacted Me As a Child

How Nancy Drew Saved Me From Suburbia by Maya Jax

I have always wanted to be a secret agent – always. When I was in grade school, I had a pair of binoculars covered in hockey stickers, and everyday I would spy on the neighbor’s car across the street because I thought it was suspicious. I would hunker down on the couch, peer out the window and write down everything about the car. Tuesday: It’s parked on the left side of the driveway. Wednesday: It’s parked on the right. Thursday: They’ve moved the car onto the street. There is now an orange air freshener hanging from the rear view mirror. Interesting… But nothing ever came of my neighbor’s car. They were actually an older couple with a little dog and not much excitement outside of take-out Chinese food every Friday. To a wannabe spy the suburbs were torture. I wanted great adventure and riding my bike around the block just wasn’t cutting it.

And then I read Nancy Drew. A detective. A girl detective. I knew of the Hardy Boys, and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (and I adored them all!), but Nancy Drew was the first heroine I ever read about that did things I wanted to do. I loved those books. In sixth grade very single book report I did was one of hers. By June everyone was rolling their eyes when I came up to the front of the class. I remember the very last one I did. The story involved a shark at the beach and after I was finished, my teacher called me over to her desk and suggested I start reading something else.

But I didn’t. Instead I expanded my spy kit from binoculars to invisible ink, secret codes and a magnifying glass. I also started a mystery club and forced my two best friends to join. (Ghostbusters had just been released, so I hooked them in by saying we could solve mysteries involving ghosts just like Peter, Ray, Egon and Winston). We spent HOURS going through old photos looking for ghost clues and running tests on Silly Putty with my chemistry set. After a few months of meetings, my friends became very ‘busy’ on our club nights, so I was left to my own devices again and went back to Nancy Drew.

She opened so many doors in my mind. All the adventure I wanted was right there on the page, and unlike TV or movies, I could spend hours in just one story, investing so much into the character. Actually, until now I didn’t realize how much Nancy Drew acted as a foundation for what I read and write now. I love spy and mystery novels, Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum books are some of my most favorite. The best part about reading is the escape, and for me, Nancy Drew introduced me to the grand world outside my own and laid a foundation for a future love of espionage, travel and just being a girl.

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About Nancy Drew - Nancy Drew, the classic mystery-solving heroine, returns in these special-issue omnibus editions. Each collection features three bestselling, classic Nancy Drew mysteries.

The Best of Nancy Drew Classic Collection Volume 1

#1 The Secret of the Old Clock: Nancy Drew's keen mind is tested when she searches for a missing will in this mystery that started them all.

#3 The Bungalow Mystery: When one of Nancy's closest friends suspects her guardians of trying to steal her inheritance, Nancy's search for clues leads her to an old, abandoned bungalow.

#43 The Mystery of the 99 Steps: Despite warnings from a stranger, Nancy sets out for France to search for a flight of 99 steps that may help solve the mystery of a weird dream and a possible case of blackmail.

Buy it at IndieBound

About Escapades of Romantically Challenged Me - Lelaina is trying to make it in LA, but first she has to make it through her trip home... Aspiring screenwriter Lelaina Zane finally lands a Hollywood break, but it's cut short when her dad has a heart attack and she has to return to her home town. Leaving LA for the first time in three years, she returns home to be with her family. And now that she's back, her parents want her to stay and join the family law firm. After three years of unsuccessfully trying to 'make it' in Hollywood, she thinks they might be right. But soon after settling into her new life, Hollywood calls with a potential offer. Lelaina has to decide if she'll stay for her ailing father and the promise of a successful life, or return to LA to pursue what she's always wanted. Torn between her two choices, the decision becomes even harder when her cheating ex -- her first love, first kiss and first... you know -- reappears with apologies and a proposition.

Buy it at Amazon

Because of A Book with Melissa Sarno

This week I am pleased to have Melissa Sarno joining me on the blog.  Here is a little about her...

Melissa Sarno is a writer and producer living in Brooklyn, NY. After working in television production for several years, on the sets of live televised events, promos, commercials, and reality tv, she made the switch to children’s media. She now writes and produces content for toys and interactive games. When she’s not writing elegant prose for preschoolers, she writes for an adult audience and most recently finished her first novel, Spared. Now she begins the exciting journey to get it published. Read more about Melissa on her blog, This Too (http://www.melissasarno.com)

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     I can think of many things that have happened to me because of a book. As a child, I definitely had an overly romantic and idealistic view of the world. I thought that things would be much more exciting if I could live on a farm with talking pigs like in Charlotte’s Web or prance around, following a red robin to an enormous secret garden. I wanted to be the fifth March sister in Little Women and I had lots of other nonsensical ideas that might have gotten me funny looks on the playground. Of course, I now believe that a healthy imagination led me to write the stories I write today. The fact that I knew stories existed at all must have led to my belief that I could create them too.
      I wrote stories from the time my Dad brought home a strange Apple computer when I was 7 years old. Pac Man got boring after a while and the only other thing to ‘play with’ on the strange contraption was a word processing program. I wrote all kinds of silly little things I wish I could read now. And if you had a computer that still read a floppy disk, maybe I could!  I also told people I wanted to be an ‘author’ like Ann M. Martin, creator of the beloved Babysitter’s Club series.
      Despite the fact that I was so invested in the idea of becoming a ‘writer’ and that I had become so wrapped up in stories other people wrote as well as absorbed in the words I was putting on paper, it did not hit me that stories and words were powerful things until I read The Diary of Anne Frank. The fact that she sat down to write in her journal every day. That she told her story despite unimaginable human suffering. That she was just a young girl and she had a voice was remarkable to me. Of course we know her as a symbol of so much more. I mean the praise for this book is epic; her wisdom at such a young age, her faith in the human spirit, her haunting prose, all about a life cut tragically short. But for me, it was all about this idea of being 15 years old and writing out your thoughts even when no one cares and no one is listening. And then knowing that those words could become what they became. That it was just a paper and a pen that could make the whole world turn their heads and listen.
      Of course, there are many books that shaped me as a writer. But it was her diary that told me if you sit down and write what you think, it could mean something to someone. And at 15 years old myself, I thought, Well, this makes a lot of sense to me. This is pretty cool. You never know who will hear your stories. You never know who will relate to them. You just sit down and tell your story the best you can with the knowledge that someday it could mean something to someone.

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About The Diary of Anne Frank - Anne Frank's The Diary of a Young Girl is among the most enduring documents of the twentieth century. Since its publication in 1947, it has been read by tens of millions of people all over the world. It remains a beloved and deeply admired testament to the indestructible nature of the human spirit. Restored in this Definitive Edition are diary entries that were omitted from the original edition. These passages, which constitute 30 percent more material, reinforce the fact that Anne was first and foremost a teenage girl, not a remote and flawless symbol. She fretted about and tried to cope with her own sexuality. Like many young girls, she often found herself in disagreements with her mother. And like any teenager, she veered between the carefree nature of a child and the full-fledged sorrow of an adult. Anne emerges more human, more vulnerable and more vital than ever.

Anne Frank and her family, fleeing the horrors of Nazi occupation, hid in the back of an Amsterdam warehouse for two years. She was thirteen when she went into the Secret Annex with her family.

Buy it at IndieBound

Blog Tour - Female Nomad and Friends

Title:  Female Nomad and Friends

Author:  Rita Golden Gelman

Review Copy Provided by:  Three Rivers Press

About the Book:  In 1987, Rita, newly divorced, set out to live her dream. She sold all her possessions and became a nomad. She wrote a book about her ongoing journey and, in 2001, insisted on putting her personal e-mail address in the last chapter—against all advice. It turned out to be a fortuitous decision. She has met thousands of readers, stayed in their homes, and sat around kitchen tables sharing stories and food and laughter.

In this essay collection, Gelman includes her own further adventures, as well as those of writers and readers telling tales of the shared humanity they experienced in their travels. The stories are funny and sad, poignant and tender, familiar and bizarre. They will make you laugh and cry and maybe even send you off on your own adventure. Also included are fabulous international recipes such as vegetarian dolmades (stuffed grape leaves), chiles en nogada (stuffed poblano chiles topped with a white cream sauce with walnuts and a sprinkle of pomegranate seeds), and ho mok (an extraordinary fish-coconut custard from Thailand). Happy reading—and bon appétit, selamat makan, buen provecho!

My Review:  What a delightful collection of essays!  I really enjoyed Gelman's thoughts as well as those of the others in the book.  The stories took me through a range of emotions as I read them and made me want to see the places that were being talked about.  I love to read first person accounts; it makes me really feel like I'm walking in the person's shoes.  The voice in these essays really comes through as the authors speak from the heart and with passion!

My favorite thing about this book is the recipes.  I love to collect recipes and cookbooks, and love it even more when authors include recipes in their books.  I am anxious to try out many of the recipes because they are out of my comfort zone and culturally different than what I am used to.  It will definitely be a challenge, but one that I am ready to take on.

In My Mailbox/Mailbox Monday - 4/11/2010

Welcome to this week's edition of In My Mailbox/Mailbox Monday!  You can find these hosted by some wonderful ladies: Kristi at The Story Siren and Marcia at The Printed Page, respectively. They host these memes so that book bloggers can share the books that come into their houses. I appreciate them both and hope that you will visit their blogs.


Here's what came into my house, via the mailbox...

The Dark Divine (ARC) by Bree Despain, from Egmont - Grace Divine, daughter of the local pastor, always knew something terrible happened the night Daniel Kalbi disappeared--the night she found her brother Jude collapsed on the porch, covered in his own blood--but she has no idea what a truly monstrous secret that night held.

The memories her family has tried to bury resurface when Daniel returns, three years later, and enrolls in Grace and Jude's high school. Despite promising Jude she'll stay away, Grace cannot deny her attraction to Daniel's shocking artistic abilities, his way of getting her to look at the world from new angles, and the strange, hungry glint in his eyes.

The closer Grace gets to Daniel, the more she jeopardizes her life, as her actions stir resentment in Jude and drive him to embrace the ancient evil Daniel unleashed that horrific night. Grace must discover the truth behind the boy's dark secret...and the cure that can save the ones she loves. But she may have to lay down the ultimate sacrifice to do it--her soul.

Scones and Sensibility (ARC) by Lindsey Eland, from Egmont - Polly Madassa is convinced she was born for a more romantic time. A time when Elizabeth Bennet and Anne of Green Gables walked along the moors and beaches of the beautiful land, a time where a distinguished gentleman called upon a lady of quality and true love was born in the locked eyes of two young lovers.

But alas, she was not.

This, however, does not stop our young heroine from finding romance wherever she can conjure it up. So while Polly is burdened with a summer job of delivering baked goods from her parents bakery (how quaint!) to the people in her small beach town, she finds a way to force…um…encourage romance to blossom. She is determined to bring lovers, young and old, together…whether they want to be or not.

Still Missing (ARC) by Chevy Stevens, from St. Martin's Press via Shelf Awareness - On the day she was abducted, Annie O'Sullivan, a thirty-two year old realtor, had three goals--sell a house, forget about a recent argument with her mother, and be on time for dinner with her ever- patient boyfriend. The open house is slow, but when her last visitor pulls up in a van as she's about to leave, Annie thinks it just might be her lucky day after all. Interwoven with the story of the year Annie spent as the captive of psychopath in a remote mountain cabin, which unfolds through sessions with her psychiatrist, is a second narrative recounting events following her escape--her struggle to piece her shattered life back together and the ongoing police investigation into the identity of her captor.

The truth doesn't always set you free.

Numbers by Rachel Ward, from Scholastic (a win) - Ever since she was child, Jem has kept a secret: Whenever she meets someone new, no matter who, as soon as she looks into their eyes, a number pops into her head. That number is a date: the date they will die. Burdened with such awful awareness, Jem avoids relationships. Until she meets Spider, another outsider, and takes a chance. The two plan a trip to the city. But while waiting to ride the Eye ferris wheel, Jem is terrified to see that all the other tourists in line flash the same number. Today's number. Today's date. Terrorists are going to attack London. Jem's world is about to explode!

We Planted a Tree by Diane Muldrow, from Random House to review for Poetry Month - We planted a tree and it grew up,

While it reached for the sky and the sun. . . .

In this simple poem illustrated by award winner Bob Staake, two young families in two very different parts of the world plant a tree. As the trees flourish, so do the families . . . while trees all over the world help clean the air, enrich the soil, and give fruit and shade.

Our Farm by Maya Gottfired, from Random House to review for Poetry Month - Maya the cow, J.D. the piglet, Hilda the sheep, and a dozen more animals all speak directly to the reader, showing off their unique personalities in this wonderful collection of poems. Master watercolorist Robert Rahway Zakanitch provides a portrait that perfectly captures the essence of each creature. Together the poems and paintings add up to a picture of life on the friendliest farm around.

Maya Gottfried based her poems on real animals from Farm Sanctuary, a safe haven for injured or abused farm animals with locations in New York and California.

Once Upon a Twice by Denise Doyen, from Random House to review for Poetry Month -A cautionary tale for mice reminiscent of Carroll's Jabberwocky

Out in the open, in the clear,

Where any wisenmouse would fear,

Jam licks his paw, he grooms an ear,

And never hears approaching hisssss . . .

What will happen to the brave mouse Jam when he breaks the rules and goes for a moonlit adventure against the advice of the elder mice?