New Book: Private Midnight

I received a request to review a new book for a blog tour this week, titled, Private Midnight by Kris Saknussemm, from Phenix & Phenix. I have reviewed titles for them before and this looked like another good one. I started with it for the read-a-thon, got into it, and then put it down for a lighter read and decided to pick it up later. Well, later came, but I just couldn't get into it. I usually try to finish a book that I've agreed to review, but this time I just couldn't. I teach my students that there are times when it's okay to abandon a book. I guess this was one of those times for me. I'm not real sure what it is about the book that I didn't like, or couldn't get over, but I'm sure that many of you would like the book, so I asked if there was anything else I could do on the blog tour, besides review the book. I didn't want to let Phenix & Phenix down because we have a good working relationship and I enjoy most of their books.  That being said, I'm going to share some things about the book with you, and then you can decide whether or not it's for you. 

Title:  Private Midnight

Author:  Kris Saknussemm

About the Book:  By the author of Zanesville, a seductive story of grit, gunplay, vampirism, and a bit of bondage.

Detective Birch Ritter is a man on the edge-of himself. His past is filled with secrets, shadows, guilt, and ghosts. Then a dubious police buddy he hasn't seen in a year introduces him to a mysterious woman who says her business is shadows. What she knows about what lies between the darkness and the light inside men is more than Ritter may want to find out, and much more than he can resist learning. It's said that to try to forget is to try to conceal, and concealing evidence is a crime. But maybe revelation is another kind of crime-against nature.

Kris Saknussemm, the widely acclaimed author of the sci-fi smash Zanesville, now delves into another genre, and another world-a world where even the sunlight is shadowy and where deviancy is the norm. Private Midnight is a journey into the seedy, sexy, underbelly of life-crime noir for a new generation.

Read the review from BC Books and you can see the book trailer here.

If you do read this book, please let me know what you think!

Review: The Lost Hours

 

Title:  The Lost Hours

Author:  Karen White

Review Copy Provided by: Pump Up Your Book Promotion

About the Author:  After playing hooky from school one day in the seventh grade to read Gone With the Wind, I knew I wanted to be a writer—or become Scarlett O'Hara. In spite of these aspirations, I grew up to pursue a degree in business and graduated cum laude with a BS in Management from Tulane University.

I have always been a voracious reader and was encouraged by my teachers to write ever since elementary school. Writing a book was always in the back of my mind, but definitely something I'd "do later when I have time."

One day in 1996 when my children were just babies, I decided it was time and started writing my first book. When I had a few chapters written, I sent it in to a writer's contest and by some miracle it won. The finalist judge was a New York literary agent and she offered to represent me. That first book, In the Shadow of the Moon, was sold and then published in 2000. It was a double finalist in Romance Writers of America's prestigious RITA award.

I have since published eight award-winning novels, and three more books are scheduled: The House on Tradd Street (November 2008) , The Lost Hours (May 2009) and the as-yet untitled sequel to The House on Tradd Street that is scheduled for release in November 2009.

While growing up, I lived in London, England and am a graduate of the American School in London. I currently live in sunny Georgia with my husband and two children. When not writing, I spend my time reading, singing, scrapbooking, carpooling children and avoiding cooking.

I love hearing from readers. Please email me at AuthorKarenWhite@aol.com or write to Karen White, PO Box 623, Roswell, Georgia 30077.

You can visit Karen White's website at http://www.karen-white.com/.

About the Book: Now a near fatal riding accident has shattered Piper’s dreams of Olympic glory. After her grandfather’s death, she inherits the house and all its secrets, including a key to a room that doesn’t exist—or does it? And after her grandmother is sent away to a nursing home, she remembers the box buried in the backyard. In it are torn pages from a scrapbook, a charm necklace—and a newspaper article from 1929 about the body of an infant found floating in the Savannah River. The necklace’s charms tell the story of three friends during the 1920s— each charm added during the three months each friend had the necklace and recorded her life in the scrapbook. Piper always dismissed her grandmother as not having had a story to tell. And now, too late, Piper finds she might have been wrong.

My Review:  This is the 2nd book I've read by Karen, the first being, The House on Tradd Street, which I loved.  When Dorothy contacted me to do this one, I jumped on it!  Trust me, I was not disappointed!

Karen is an excellent writer!  One of the things I love about her books is how she makes you feel like you are really "in" the book.  I really connect with her characters as her writing makes them come alive!  I really enjoyed how she intermingled the generations in this story.  The story is about Piper's grandmother and the story behind the box, the secret room, and missing out on knowing a woman she wished she had known.  But, it's also about Piper and her learning to love herself again, get back on a horse, and find love.  Karen's books are about romance, but she never makes that the center of her books and I like that.  There is always a story within a story and it makes for a great read!

The other thing I enjoyed about this book is the character development.  Karen really takes the time, as an author, to bring her characters to life.  She doesn't just skim the surface, but digs in deep and allows the reader to "know" the characters, minor or not.  I really connected with Piper, agonized for her, cheered her on, and cried with her.

I hope that you will enjoy this book as much as I did, should you choose to read it!

Today is the last stop on Karen's tour with Pump Up Your Book Promotion.  There have been many great reviews and interviews on this tour.  I hope that you have been able to check out alot of them.  I am so glad that Dorothy allowed me to join in on this one, because I am a HUGE Karen White fan!  I am anxiously awaiting the sequel to The House on Tradd Street!

Wednesday Wanderings - 4/29/09

I wander around the blogosphere and bring you what I find!

The first link I have for you this week is a HUGE one!  You can win one book or the entire series + a t-shirt!  Want to know who has this great contest?  Well, it's none other than Sher over at A Novel Menagerie!  She recently read and reviewed Who Made You a Princess? by Shelley Adina.  She loved it and so did her daughter!  Hachette has given her 3 copies to giveaway, but one person will win all the books in the series plus a t-shirt.  There are many ways to earn entries, so get over there and get entered.  If my post sends you over there, please tell her I sent you!

Tales of a Ravenous Reader has a great interview with YA author of Wings, Aprilynne Pike.  This book comes out on May 5th, and she has one to giveaway!

Senfaye at A Maze of Books is having her 1st ever contest!  Her goal is to get 100 followers, so if you're a YA fan, go follow her.  Her giveaway is Sea of Change, a great new YA book!

Bookluver-Carol has Betty's Pack to giveaway.  You can win both books!

It's Frenetic Reader's blog-o-versary!  You will win signed copies of the Mortal Instruments series and Wake, and a Wake necklace.  Go enter!

Over at I Heart Monster, you can enter to win a copy of Pretty Face.  You have until April 30th, so hurry!!

The Year of Secret Assignments is being given away at Reader Rabbit.  Contest runs for 2 weeks.

Fantastic Book Review is having a Five Star Review Free Giveaway Contest.  She has given 6 books, a 5 star review and now she wants to pass them on to you!  This contest runs until May 9th.  All you have to do is enter on that book's review post.

There's a HUGE party going on in the month of May!  Head over to Shooting Stars Mag for this one. It's a month-long birthday party!

Cindy Pon's new book, Silver Phoenix released yesterday and she is hosting a celebratory contest to win one of her paintings or $100 gift card to the bookstore of your choice.  You can earn multiple entries.  She is running this contest through June 8th, so you have time to read and review the book for more entries!  I am also including the book trailer in case you don't know about this book!

You have to hurry to catch this one because it ends Thursday (tomorrow).  Carrie's YA Bookshelf is having a First in a Series contest. She's giving away City of Bones and The Summoning.

Author Jennifer Banash has extended the deadline of her HUGE giveaway!  You now have until May 15th to enter to win a SIGNED ARC of SIMPLY IRRESITABLE, but ALSO a $25 Amazon.com gift card, a SIGNED ARC of THE ELITE, AND a copy of the newest installment of THE LUXE series, ENVY!  So, what are you waiting on?

Are you anxiously awaiting the release of Ballads of Suburbia by Stephanie Kuehnert like I am?  Well, yesterday she released the trailer for the book.  I've posted it here for you to see.

Review: Maybelle, Bunny of the North

 

Title:  Maybelle, Bunny of the North

Author/Illustrator:  Keith Patterson

Review Copy Provided by:  Nancy at Bees Knees Books

About the Author: This is Keith Patterson's first book.  He was once a cartoonist for his school newspaper  Keith spent 2 years driving a cab in Homer, Alaska, after graduating with a BA in Fine Arts from SUNY, Albany.  While driving, he met many interesting characters which he sketched to the delight of his young daughter.  Keith lives in Asheville, North Carolina.

About the Book:  Maybelle, Bunny of the North is our lively little tour guide to the seasons in Homer, Alaska.  We journey through changing weather and explore seasonal play with a precious parent-child duo who have an obvious love of the outdoors.  Maybelle enjoys a peaceful moon-gazing session on a snowy winter night and  frolicking in the vast fields of summer’s abundant fireweed to look for moose.  Ever the sociable adventurer, Maybelle offers a friendly Hiya to all her friends along the way.  Her adventures wind down as she eases into sleep with the help of a goodnight song and a book  

My Review:  I was very honored when Nancy emailed me about this book; I couldn't wait to get it!  I love seeing an author's first work, to be able to share it with others, and promote their work.  I think it's the promoting part that I love the most.  Keith Patterson is definitely worth promoting!  This book was released into stores on April 1.

Having been an early childhood/elementary teacher for 12 years, I am always looking for new children's books to teach old concepts.  Maybelle is a great book to help teach children about the seasons.  Set in Alaska, this story takes Maybelle through all four seasons, which we don't see in all areas of the United States.  I love that I can do that with this book; let children experience the seasons vicariously through Maybelle's eyes, which is like having a child's perspective.

Patterson's illustrations are done with watercolor and ink.  They are simplistic, which I think children enjoy.  They can relate to the illustrations because simple is how they think.  Sometimes illustrators make the scenes too busy for little eyes.  Children miss the story for the illustrations.  It takes both equally to make a good children's book.  Children also like animal characters, so I'm glad Patterson chose an animal instead of a little girl or boy for this story.  Every character in the book is an animal, and some are ones not normally seen very often in books, magpie and moose.

Maybelle is such a lovable little character.  She is just a typical kid telling the reader how she sees things.

A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this book will be donated to Room to Read, a non-profit dedicated to education children around the globe.

Review and Giveaway: The Noticer

Title:  The Noticer

Author:  Andy Andrews

Review Copy Provided by: Phenix & Phenix

About the Book:  Orange Beach, Alabama is a simple town filled with simple people. But like all humans on the planet, the good folks of Orange Beach have their share of problems - marriages teetering on the brink of divorce, young adults giving up on life, business people on the verge of bankruptcy, as well as the many other obstacles that life seems to dish out to the masses.

Fortunately, when things look the darkest - a mysterious man named Jones has a miraculous way of showing up. An elderly man with white hair, of indiscriminate age and race, wearing blue jeans, a white T-shirt and leather flip flops carrying a battered old suitcase, Jones is a unique soul. Communicating what he calls "a little perspective," Jones explains that he has been given a gift of noticing things that others miss. "Your time on this earth is a gift to be used wisely," he says. "Don't squander your words or your thoughts. Consider even the simplest action you take, for your lives matter beyond measure…and they matter forever."

Jones speaks to that part in everyone that is yearning to understand why things happen and what we can do about it.
 
My Review:  This was such an inspirational little book!  I say little because it is only 156 pages, but in those pages, there are so many simple, yet profound truths.  Andy Andrews takes one man, Jones, and puts him in the middle of others' lives.  He pops in and out of those people's lives and reveals to them things that help them become a better person.  He teaches them to "notice" what's around them, to "notice" things in other people, and to "notice" things about themselves. 

What he tries to get each of them to do is to have a different perspective about things.  Take for example, Andy's story.  Jones and Andy are having lunch.  They are under the pier eating vienna sausages and sardines.  Jones asks Andy what he's eating and where.  "Okay.  I am eating sardines and Vienna sausages.  In the sand."  Jones says, "Incidentally, you ate sardines and Vienna sausages in the sand.  I dined on surf and turf with an ocean view.  It's all about perspective."

Some of the other messages that come from this book are the 4 ways that people communicate love, the difference between a mistake and a choice, focusing on things that can be controlled, and others.  Jones is like a modern day angel walking into people's lives, helping them to change something about themselves or their life, and then walking out mysteriously.  He is always there when least expected and then gone when he needs to move on.  Never aging, he is known by many.

I really enjoyed this book.  I read it in one evening and will reread it to take more time for the meaning to really sink in.  It is also a book I will be gifting to others, not because I think they need some perspective, but because it is a great story with wonderful meaning.  I am so glad that I chose to take on The Noticer and The Noticer Project this month.  Both have truly been a blessing in my life!

This would be a great book for a book club as there is a Reader's Guide at the end with discussion questions.  These are also good questions for doing some personal reflection.  
     
For a list of other bloggers participating in this tour, see Phenix Publicity's blog post.
 
They were gracious enough to send me 2 hardback copies of this wonderful book to giveaway to 2 of my readers.  For your chance to win one, please visit The Noticer Project and tell me one thing that you learned.  To earn extra entries, become a new follower or tell me that you already follow this blog (+1), follow me on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway (+2), blog about this giveaway (+3), or visit one of the other blogs on the tour and let me know which one you visited and something they said. (+5).
 
This giveaway is open to US and Canada addresses only.  It begins today and will run for 1 week, ending at midnight on Monday, May 4.  The winners will be drawn randomly, emailed, and posted on this blog on Tuesday, May 5.  The winners will have 48 to contact me with their mailing information.

Review: Follow Me

Title: Follow Me

Author: Joanna Scott

Review Copy Provided by: Hachette Book Group

About the Author: Joanna Scott is the author of nine books, including The Manikin, which was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize; Various Antidotes and Arrogance, which were both finalists for the PEN/Faulkner Award; and the critically acclaimed Make Believe, Tourmaline, and Liberation. A recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship, a Guggenheim Fellowship, and a Lannan Award, she lives with her family in upstate New York.

About the Book: On a summer day in 1946 Sally Werner, the precocious young daughter of hardscrabble Pennsylvania farmers, secretly accepts her cousin's invitation to ride his new motorcycle. Like so much of what follows in Sally's life, it's an impulsive decision with dramatic and far-reaching consequences. Soon she abandons her home to begin a daring journey of self-creation, the truth of which she entrusts only with her granddaughter and namesake, six decades later. But when young Sally's father--a man she has never known--enters her life and offers another story altogether, she must uncover the truth of her grandmother's secret history.

You can read an excerpt from the book, here.

My Review: Joanna Scott is a great writer! This book tells Sally's story, from Sally's point of view, but also from her granddaughter's point of view. It is interesting how the story changes narration. If you're not careful, you'll lose track of who is telling the story. Sometimes, it's Sally, who the story is about, sometimes it's the granddaughter, whose name is also Sally, and at one point, it's the latter Sally's father.

Sally, the grandmother, is a very strong character. She goes through more than one person should be able to handle in a lifetime, but she perseveres. At first, she does so to save herself and her son, but then she does it to save her daughter. She is determined to do what's best for both of her children, even it is not always the "right" thing in others' eyes. There were times when I felt sorry for her and then times when I thought, "Why are you doing that; are you crazy?" This was one that I really got into and at times felt like I was right there with the characters. That's a sign of a good book, when you can escape.

This is the first book by Joanna Scott that I have read, but I'm intrigued enough by her writing to want to read more. She writes in such a way that you connect with the characters and want to get to know them better by continuing to read. All in all, this was a good read!

This post is part of a blog tour hosted by Hachette Book Group. Below is a list of ALL the participants. I know there are alot, but I encourage you to at least stop by some of them and see what they have to say about this book.

http://peekingbetweenthepages.blogspot.com/
http://bermudaonion.wordpress.com/
http://abookbloggersdiary.blogspot.com/
http://thereviewfromhere.wordpress.com/
http://bookopolis.blogspot.com/
http://www.caribousmom.com/
http://www.frommipov.blogspot.com/
http://luanne-abookwormsworld.blogspot.com/
http://redladysreadingroom-redlady.blogspot.com/
http://mindingspot.blogspot.com/
http://thetometraveller.blogspot.com/
http://dreyslibrary.blogspot.com/
http://hiddenplace.wordpress.com/
http://stephaniesbooks.blogspot.com/
http://www.acircleofbooks.blogspot.com/
http://bananas4books.blogspot.com/
http://www.bookthoughtsbylisa.blogspot.com/
http://martasmeanderings.blogspot.com/
http://grumpydan.blogspot.com/
http://cafeofdreams.blogspot.com/
http://worducopia.blogspot.com/
http://cindysloveofbooks.blogspot.com/
http://2kidsandtiredbooks.blogspot.com/
http://www.myspace.com/darbyscloset
http://www.myfriendamysblog.com/
http://www.skrishnasbooks.com/
http://epicrat.blogspot.com/
http://www.anovelmenagerie.com/
http://danys-san.blogspot.com/
http://jennsbookshelf.blogspot.com/
http://tvandbookaddict.blogspot.com/
http://literarymenagerie.blogspot.com/
http://www.chikune.com/blog
http://book-chic.blogspot.com/
http://www.amberstults.com/
http://allisonsatticblog.blogspot.com/
http://diaryofaneccentric.blogspot.com/
http://38thavedivareaders.blogspot.com/
http://linussblanket.typepad.com/
http://www.morbid-romantic.net/
http://kylees2009.blogspot.com/
http://www.savvyverseandwit.blogspot.com/
http://exlibrisbb.blogspot.com/
http://bookinwithbingo.blogspot.com/
http://www.xanga.com/bravehsgirl
http://purplg8r-somanybooks.blogspot.com/
http://burtonreview.blogspot.com/
http://donnasbookreviews.blogspot.com/
http://www.squidoo.com/readingstaycation

Blog Link-Up #13 - 4/26/09

It is time for this week's edition of the blog link round-up.  Each week a group of us link to each others' favorite blog posts from the previous week.

I have 3 reviews for you this week as well as a giveaway post.

If you haven't read Uglies, then head over to Devourer of Books and read her review.  She says that the book was well written even though she was skeptical of it at first.

Beth Fish Reads has reviewed a mystery this week, A Cold Day for Murder, by Dana Stabenow.  This is the first book is a series.

Over at Books and Movies, there's a review for a book that's new to me, Leonardo's Swans by Karen Essex.  This is an historical novel set in 15th century Italy.  

Last week I blogged about Books and Movies moving to a new site.  Well, this week, she is saying thank you to everyone who has followed her to her new home, by having a Blogwarming Giveaway.  There are 6 books to choose from and there will be 6 winners.

Don't forget that I have giveaways going on.  Some are ending this week, so make sure you're entered!  Check the right side bar for all the current giveaways.

Snapshot Saturday #12

Two weeks ago, I posted about our new colt.  She is almost a month old now, and we've finally named her!  Well, she doesn't have her registered name because we have to send that in to the American Paint Horse Association for approval.  That takes awhile.  But, in the meantime, we have to call her something and we have decided on ...

KIDDY!!!

I actually got it from one of the comments y'all left.  Thank you to Pissenlit for her random thoughts.  Here is the comment she left.

Oh, she's fantastic!:D

Okay, pardon my thought patterns but I haven't had any tea yet.

Hello Kiddie - Influenced by the names Cat and Golden Child

or

Diamonds - being one of the string figures in the game Cat's Cradle...and Gold...Diamonds...eh? eh?(oh gosh, I so need caffeine)...also, you know that saying about Diamonds being a girl's best friend...heh heh...(point me in the direction of caffeine...and sugar...now...) 

We didn't use the exact suggestion, but it's close, and I wouldn't have thought of it with out the comment, so Pissenlit, congratulations!  I will be sending you a $10 Amazon GC!!

So, for this week's edition of Snapshot Saturday, I'm sharing 2 recent pictures of Kiddy.  The first one was taken 2 weeks ago and the last, on Wednesday.  She is really growing!!