Last Day to Enter Feelin' the Vibe Giveaway!

Today is the final day to enter to win one of FIVE copies of Feelin' the Vibe.

Good Luck!

How to Catch and Keep a Vampire

Amazon Product Description. Who needs a book on dating a vampire? Well, Bella Swan and Sookie Stackhouse to name just two. They are fortunate to have vampire boyfriends. But what the heroines of Twilight and True Blood don't have and could use is some advice on getting along with them. Everything they and every other red-blooded American girl (and guy) wants to know about finding a dreamy blood-drinker and keeping him is within How to Catch and Keep a Vampire: A Step-by-Step Guide to Loving The Bad and the Beautiful. And who better to introduce mortal readers to the world of dating a 21st century vampire than a few mouth-watering immortals? The cast includes: Ethan, with his aquamarine eyes and supernaturally seductive piano playing. Mordred, classically cruel, dark, and handsome, with a thing for black leather gloves. His entrancingly cute carrot-topped friend Adam, as sweet as Mordred is scary. Gunnar, with his rich, golden hair, and dastardly but delightful knack for getting his way. The experienced and fascinating Colin, with his exquisite latte-colored skin and exotic beauty. The eccentric but gorgeous Aidan, purveyor of ancient magic. And enigmatic Conner, with his deep, dark eyes and protective soul. These undead charmers will win the hearts and minds of readers everywhere, and author Diana Laurence will be their expert guide.

Review. By Renee A.J. I enjoyed the ‘tongue and check’ humor and romantic vignettes throughout the How to Catch and Keep A Vampire A Step-By-Step Guide to Loving the Bad and the Beautiful by Diana Laurence. This book is written in the first person, from the point of view of author. Laurence shares her expertise on romances with vampires and does a great job of explaining and outlining the various theories that underpin vampire-human romances. As an avid reader of paranormal romances and adventures, I was amazed because she was eeriely accurate about why I like these stories so much.

By interspersing personal advice with short tales of romance, Laurence creates a smart and appealing read. The Case Studies are each mini-romances and can stand as seductive stories in their own right. For example, Case Study 101 describes Laurence’s first real vampire – “Looking at him, I found myself realizing I had never seen a perfect man before, not even in a magazine ad or in a movie, because no one looked like him. He had a face that conveyed both the clean freshness of youth and the intriguing charm of experience.” As a mature reader of romance, I loved the sense from Laurence that the attraction for vampires and from vampires is not simply physical attraction, but rather honors the experience and personality of those who have lived and loved a bit in this life.

In addition, to being a book of “how to” find and keep a vampire lover, Laurence gives the reader lots of upbeat, practical tips regarding life and romance. For example, when dealing with others seeking to discourage you from pursuing a happy relationship with a vampire she notes “As in much of life, you’ll find it easier to deal with this by changing yourself, your attitude, and your approach, rather than putting energy into trying to change the minds of your critics.” Also, in her breezy, refreshing style Laurence muses that one should make sure not to focus too much on the vampire in your relationship. She suggests that if the human is spending too much time in the vampire's lair, you many need to draw back a bit and reconnect with what it is about yourself that is interesting and cool. Great advice!

How to Catch and Keep A Vampire A Step-By-Step Guide to Loving the Bad and the Beautiful is a quick read - fun, sweet, and spicy.



Publisher: Sellers Publishing Inc. (August 28, 2009), 160 pages
Review Copy Provided Courtsey of the Publisher.

Girl on Top

Publisher's Summary. Nicole Williams is the tell-it-like-it-is career expert who you wish could fight your work battles for you. But with her ingenious approach-taking the tactics used to land a man and applying them to your career-you'll be able to handle any work situation and come out on top. Here, Nicole introduces twenty tried-and-true dating rules such as "Don't Give Away the Milk for Free" and "Don't Waste the Pretty" and reveals how they can be applied just as effectively in the office.

Review. Every so often a “Eureka” moment comes along that flicks the proverbial light switch in the human brain to the “on position.” Girl on Top is the end product of author Nicole Williams’ “Eureka” insight. Williams, after being newly-single, had a “Eureka” moment while reading dating advice books. Her epiphany was that many of “The Rules” for romantic relationships were equally applicable to the 9-5 world.

Williams declares, “Dating rules turned career strategies . . . [are] everything you need to be the Girl on Top!” Each chapter explores how the identified dating rule applies to the modern day work world. Reading Girl on Top is like listening to a mash-up of the Dating Rules Hall of Fame with chapters on “Treat Him Mean, Keep Him Keen;” “Don’t Giveaway the Milk For Free;” “Don’t Waste the Pretty;” “Play Hard to Get;” “Be Willing to Walk Away;” and many more.

Williams’ conversational girlfriend to girlfriend delivery is smart, savvy, and witty, but also contains language that may offend some readers. Other readers may take issue with some her suggestions. Williams deflects these criticisms by summarizing Girl on Top as “an easy-to-get-your-head around way of thinking about your job, in a language that we’re already familiar with, in a context that makes the mind-numbing boring theory of career a little more fun.”

Girl on Top is an entertaining tome on a serious subject!




Publisher: Center Street; 1 edition (October 12, 2009), 208 pages
Review Copy Provided Courtesy of the Publisher.

Girl on Top Giveaway Ends 11/13/09

Publisher's Summary. Nicole Williams is the tell-it-like-it-is career expert who you wish could fight your work battles for you. But with her ingenious approach-taking the tactics used to land a man and applying them to your career-you'll be able to handle any work situation and come out on top. Here, Nicole introduces twenty tried-and-true dating rules such as "Don't Give Away the Milk for Free" and "Don't Waste the Pretty" and reveals how they can be applied just as effectively in the office.

Giveaway Rules: Today I am giving away FIVE copies of this fabulous book.

First Entry: Comment with your email address in the body of the comment (you can list it as mary123 (at) yahoo(dot)com). If you do not list your email address your entry will not count.

Extra Entry: Sign up to follow my blog (or let me know that you are a current follower). NOTE: This extra entry MUST be left in a separate comment or it will not count.

The giveaway is open to Canadian and US residents only.
You must be 18 years of age or older.
NO P.O. Boxes for the winner’s mailing address.

Giveaway ends 11/13. Good Luck!

Mailbox Monday -- October 26th

Thanks to Marcia at The Printed Page I'm participating in the Mailbox Monday round up. This week I received the following advance review copies:

1) The Sugarless Plum by Zippora Karz. Amazon product Description. Product Description. For dancer Zippora Karz, a rising young star with the famed New York City Ballet, being diagnosed with diabetes could easily have ended all her dreams. She was just twenty-one when she was plucked from the corps de ballet to dance solo roles like the Sugarplum Fairy in The Nutcracker. It was near the end of a grueling season when she became exhausted, dizzy, and excessively thirsty. Heavy pancake makeup covered the sores under her arms that would not heal, but still Karz neglected to return her doctor s urgent calls. When she finally went to the doctor, she learned that her blood sugar was excessively high. If she continued to ignore her symptoms, Karz risked heart disease, stroke, kidney failure, blindness, and amputation of toes, feet, and legs. Because she was over twenty, doctors misdiagnosed her with Type 2 diabetes, when in fact she had juvenile (or Type 1) diabetes. Her weight dropped and she became dangerously ill as a result of being prescribed the wrong treatment. Once correctly diagnosed and placed on an insulin regimen, she would inject herself with unsafe doses before going on stage in ill-judged attempts to obtain peak performance. The potentially fatal result of Karz s self-experimentation became all too real when she nearly put herself into a coma.

Balancing ballet and her blood sugar would be a long and difficult struggle for Karz, but eventually she learned to value her body and work with it, rather than rage at its limitations. In The Sugarless Plum, Karz shares her journey from denial, shame and mis-education about her illness to how she lead an active, balanced, and satisfying life as an insulin-dependent diabetic and ballet star. Through her fascinating story, those struggling with diabetes and other serious illnesses can find encouragement and inspiration as well as practical advice on achieving physical and emotional wellness.

After sixteen years with the New York City Ballet, Karz retired and took her passion and skills into a whole new arena as a diabetes educator and advocate, where today she inspires people to not just manage their illness, but to thrive and fulfill their passions. The Sugarless Plum takes readers deep into the heart and soul of a young dancer, and is a remarkable testament to determination and perseverance.

2) Children of the Dust by Ali Eteraz. Amazon Product Description. Ali Eteraz's Children of Dust is a spellbinding portrayal of a life that few Americans can imagine. From his schooling in a madrassa in Pakistan to his teenage years as a Muslim American in the Bible Belt, and back to Pakistan to find a pious Muslim wife, this lyrical, penetrating saga from a brilliant new literary voice captures the heart of our universal quest for identity.

Children of Dust begins in rural Islam at the lowest levels of Pakistani society in the turbulent eighties. This intimate portrayal of rustic village life is revealed through a young boy's eyes as he discovers magic, women, and friendship.

After immigrating with his family to the United States, Eteraz struggles to be a normal American teenager under the rules of a strict Muslim household.

In 1999, he returns to Pakistan to find the villages of his youth dominated by the ideology of the Taliban, filled with young men spouting militant rhetoric, and his extended family under threat. Eteraz becomes the target of a mysterious abduction plot when he is purported to be a CIA agent, and eventually has to escape under military escort.

Back in the United States, with his fundamentalist illusions now shattered, Eteraz tries to find a middle way within American Islam. At each stage of Eteraz's life, he takes on a different identity to signal his evolution. From being pledged to Islam in Mecca as an infant, through Salafi fundamentalism, to liberal reformer, Eteraz desperately struggles to come to terms with being a Pakistani and a Muslim.

Astonishingly honest, darkly comic, and beautifully told, Children of Dust is an extraordinary adventure that reveals the diversity of Islamic beliefs, the vastness of the Pakistani diaspora, and the very human search for home.

Thanks to FSB Associates.

3) Can God Be Trusted by Thomas D, Williams, LC, THD. Publisher's Summary. Father Williams explores the most common obstacles that prevent people from trusting God, including personal betrayals, unfulfilled expectations, and seemingly unanswered prayers. He then explains what is reasonable to expect from God and offers practical tips for ways to grow in trust.

Williams is becoming a revered voice in the Christian community for his insightful writings on issues that really matter to Christians. In this new book, Father Williams will help readers understand, not only how to trust God in spite of doubts and confusion, but to truly know God can be trusted.

4) Six Pixels of Separation by Mitch Joel. Publisher's Summary. Is it important to be connected? Well, consider this: If Facebook were a country, it would have the sixth largest population in the world.

The truth is, we no longer live in a world of six degrees of separation. In fact, we're now down to only six pixels of separation, which changes everything we know about doing business.

This is the first book to integrate digital marketing, social media, personal branding, and entrepreneurship in a clear, entertaining, and instructive manner that everyone can understand and apply.

Through the use of timely case studies and fascinating stories, SIX PIXELS OF SEPARATION offers a complete set of the latest tactics, insights, and tools that will empower you to reach a global audience and consumer base-and, best yet, you can do this pretty much for free. Digital marketing expert Mitch Joel unravels this fascinating world of new media-but does so with a brand-new perspective that is driven by compelling results. The smarter entrepreneurs and top executives are leveraging these digital channels to get their voice "out there"-connecting with others, becoming better community citizens, and, ultimately, making strategic business moves that are increasing revenue, awareness, and overall success in the marketplace-without the support of traditional mass media.

Everyone is connected. Isn't it time for you and your company to connect to everyone? SIX PIXELS OF SEPARATION will show you how.

5) Connected by Nicholas A. Christakis, MD. PhD and James H. Fowler. Publisher's Summary. Your colleague's husband's sister can make you fat, even if you don't know her. A happy neighbor has more impact on your happiness than a happy spouse. These startling revelations of how much we truly influence one another are revealed in the studies of Drs. Christakis and Fowler, which have repeatedly made front-page news nationwide.

In CONNECTED, the authors explain why emotions are contagious, how health behaviors spread, why the rich get richer, even how we find and choose our partners. Intriguing and entertaining, CONNECTED overturns the notion of the individual and provides a revolutionary paradigm-that social networks influence our ideas, emotions, health, relationships, behavior, politics, and much more. It will change the way we think about every aspect of our lives.

6) How to Roast a Lamb by Michael Psilakis. Publisher's Summary. A rising star in the food world, Michael Psilakis is co-owner of a growing empire of modern Mediterranean restaurants, and one of the most exciting young chefs in America today. In How to Roast a Lamb, the self-taught chef offers recipes from his restaurants and his home in this, his much-anticipated first cookbook.

Ten chapters provide colorful and heartfelt personal essays that lead into thematically related recipes. Gorgeous color photography accompanies many of the recipes throughout. Psilakis's cooking utilizes the fresh, naturally healthful ingredients of the Mediterranean augmented by techniques that define New American cuisine. Home cooks who have gravitated toward Italian cookbooks for the simple, user-friendly dishes, satisfying flavors, and comfortable, family-oriented meals, will welcome Psilakis's approach to Greek food, which is similarly healthful, affordable, and satisfying to share any night of the week.

Thanks to Hachette Book Group.

7) City Boy by Edmund White. Amazon Product Description. Product Description. An irresistible literary treat: a memoir of the social and sexual lives of New York City’s cultural and intellectual in-crowd in the tumultuous 1970s, from acclaimed author Edmund White.

In the New York of the 1970s, in the wake of Stonewall and in the midst of economic collapse, you might find the likes of Jasper Johns and William Burroughs at the next cocktail party, and you were as likely to be caught arguing Marx at the New York City Ballet as cruising for sex in the warehouses and parked trucks along the Hudson. This is the New York that Edmund White portrays in City Boy: a place of enormous intrigue and artistic tumult. Combining the no-holds-barred confession and yearning of A Boy’s Own Story with the easy erudition and sense of place of The Flaneur, this is the story of White’s years in 1970s New York, bouncing from intellectual encounters with Susan Sontag and Harold Brodkey to erotic entanglements downtown to the burgeoning gay scene of artists and writers. I t’s a moving, candid, brilliant portrait of a time and place, full of encounters with famous names and cultural icons.

Thanks to Good Reads.

8) Cherries in Winter by Suzan Colon. Publisher's Summary. What is the secret to finding hope in hard times?

When Suzan Colón was laid off from her dream job at a magazine during the economic downturn of 2008, she needed to cut her budget way, way back, and that meant home cooking. Her mother suggested, “Why don’t you look in Nana’s recipe folder?” In the basement, Suzan found the tattered treasure, full of handwritten and meticulously typed recipes, peppered with her grandmother Matilda’s commentary in the margins. Reading it, Suzan realized she had found something more than a collection of recipes—she had found the key to her family’s survival through hard times.

Suzan began re-creating Matilda’s “sturdy food” recipes for baked pork chops and beef stew, and Aunt Nettie’s clam chowder made with clams dug up by Suzan’s grandfather Charlie in Long Island Sound. And she began uncovering the stories of her resilient family’s past. Taking inspiration from stylish, indomitable Matilda, who was the sole support of her family as a teenager during the Great Depression (and who always answered “How are you?” with “Fabulous, never better!”), and from dashing, twice-widowed Charlie, Suzan starts to approach her own crisis with a sense of wonder and gratitude. It turns out that the gift to survive and thrive through hard times had been bred in her bones all along.

Cherries in Winter is an irresistible gem of a book. It makes you want to cook, it makes you want to know your own family’s stories, and, above all, it makes you feel rich no matter what.

Thanks to the Publisher via Shelf Awareness.

9) Fallen by Lauren Kate Publisher's Summary. What if the person you were meant to be with could never be yours? Seventeen-year-old Lucinda falls in love with a gorgeous, intelligent boy, Daniel, at her new school, the grim, foreboding Sword & Cross . . . only to find out that Daniel is a fallen angel, and that they have spent lifetimes finding and losing one another as good and evil forces plot to keep them apart.

Get ready to fall . . .

Thanks to the Publisher via Shelf Awareness.

10) Spellbinder by Helen Springer Publisher's Summary. elladonna Johnson can see ghosts. It’s a trait she’s inherited from her mother’s side of the family, like blue eyes or straight hair. And it’s a trait she could do without, because what twelve-year-old wants to be caught talking to someone invisible?

It is convenient, though, after Belladonna’s parents are killed in a car accident. They can live with her the same as always, watching the same old TV shows in their same old house. Nothing has changed . . . until everything changes.

One night, with no warning, they vanish into thin air—along with every other ghost in the world. It’s what some people think ghosts are supposed to do, but Belladonna knows it’s all wrong. They may not be living, but they’re not supposed to be gone.

With the help of her classmate Steve, a master of sneaking and spying, Belladonna is left to uncover what’s become of the spirits and to navigate a whole world her parents have kept well-hidden. If she can’t find her way, she’ll lose them again—this time for good.

Thanks to the Publisher via Shelf Awareness.

Last Day to Enter Friends Like These Giveaway!

If you haven't entered already hurry here to win one of FIVE copies of Danny Wallace's Friends Like These memoir.

Good Luck!

Winners!

The winner of the Fierce Style Giveway is:

Marian


The winners for the $20 Per Gallon Giveaway are:

Jonnie
Linna
Sharon




Congrats to the winners!

Friends Like These

Publisher's Summary. Danny Wallace has friends. He has a wife and goes to brunch, and his new house has a couch with throw pillows. But as he nears 30, he can't help wondering about his best childhood friends, whose names he finds in a long-forgotten address book. Where are they now-and where, really, is he?

Acting on an impulse we've all had at least once, he travels from London to Berlin, Tokyo, Australia, and California, risking rejection and ridicule to show up on his old pals' doorsteps. Memories of his 1980s childhood-from Michael Jackson to Ghostbusters-overwhelm him as he meets former buddies who have blossomed into rappers and ninjas, time-traveling pioneers, mediocre restaurant managers, and even Fijian royalty.

Danny's attempt to re-befriend them all gives remarkable new resonance to the age-old mantra,"friends forever!"

Review. Danny Wallace, the perpetual boy-man, is about to turn 30. For Wallace the big 3-0 symbolizes “Adulthood, Responsibilities, and Display Cushions!” And he’s not sure he’s ready for the transition. On the eve of his thirtieth birthday, with a stroke fortuitous timing, Wallace receives a box of childhood memorabilia. While perusing through his personal collection of 80’s artifacts, Wallace discovers a long forgotten address book containing: “The Twelve” -- the names and addresses of twelve former childhood friends. Friends Like These follows Wallace’s continent- hopping race to re-discover “The Twelve” before he turns 30.

Wallace is a gifted comedic writer who knows how to deliver a story for maximum laughs. The on-going saga of ManGriff, the man- animal, he creates to outprank a former prankster-friend is laugh-out-loud hilarious! But not every re-acquaintance with one of The Twelve ends on a jocular note. Some friends are profoundly touched by Wallace’s re-entry into their lives while others are unwilling or unable to rekindle the childhood friendship.

Still every step and misstep along the odyssey to find “The Twelve” is notable. As Wallace reflects, “And those, small, lost moments – once remembered – can often mean more than you could ever guess. Like a forgotten joke, or a final hug, or a local restaurant’s fourth anniversary. In the past few months, I had a whole host of new moments to remember.”

Friends Like These is a humorous memoir with a life-affirming message!



Publisher: Little, Brown and Company, Hachette Book Group (Sep. 2, 2009), 416 pages.
Review copy provided courtesy of the Publisher.

Don't forget to enter the Friends Like These Giveaway here.

Ansel Adams in Color

Publisher's Summary. In a career that spanned six decades, Ansel Adams was at once America's foremost landscape photographer and one of its most ardent environmentalists. His work has been published in a multitude of books, posters, and calendars.

Andrea G. Stillman, who worked with Adams in the 1970s, has edited several books of his photographs and writings, including Letters and Images: 1916-1984, Our National Parks, and Ansel Adams: 400 Photographs. She lives in New York City.

John P. Schaefer was a student, collaborator, and close friend of Ansel Adams, and is currently the president of Research Corporation and a Trustee of The Ansel Adams Publishing Rights Trust. In 1975, as president of the University of Arizona, he helped found the Center for Creative Photography. He lives in Tucson, Arizona.

Review. The title says it all: “Ansel Adams in Color.” Who knew that America’s premier black and white photographer performed his film magic in color too? I certainly didn’t.

“Ansel Adams in Color” is filled with Adams’ gorgeous, technicolor, photographs along with accompanying essays. While Adams was ambivalent about working in color -- primarily due to the technical limitations at the time -- today's digital advancements allow the photos to shine. These majestic photos were taken primarily in the 40’s- 50’s and capture America’s natural landscape at its zenith. The photographs include breathtaking shots of the Grand Canyon; Yosemite National Park; Death Valley; Hawaii; Alaska, Wyoming; and much more!

“Ansel Adams in Color” would be a welcome edition to the collection of any photographer or Adams’ admirer.



Publisher: Little, Brown and Company; Rev'd edition(Oct. 21, 2009), 168 pages.
Review Copy Provided Courtesy of Hachette Book Group.

Mailbox Monday -- October 19th

Thanks to Marcia at The Printed Page I'm participating in the Mailbox Monday round up. This week I received the following advance review copies:
1) How it all Vegan 10th Anniversary edition Amazon Product Description. Since it was first published in 1999, How It All Vegan! has become a bible for vegan cooks, both diehard and newly converted; its basic introduction to the tenets of vegan living and eating, combined with Sarah Kramer's and Tanya Barnard's winning charm, made it an essential cookbook for anyone considering eschewing animal products from their diet. It won VegNews' Veggie Award for Best Cookbook twice, has been reprinted fourteen times, and spawned several successful sequels (including The Garden of Vegan, La Dolce Vegan!, and last year's Vegan à Go-Go!).

In the ten years since How It All Vegan! was first published, however, veganism has "come out of the closet," and is now considered a legitimate diet and lifestyle not only for those wishing to improve their health, but also for those who care deeply about the welfare of animals. This tenth-anniversary edition includes a new color photo section and new recipes; it also includes a new introduction by co-author Sarah Kramer, who speaks personally and passionately about the impact of veganism on her life over the past decade.

Thanks to Arsenal Pulp Press.

2) The Christmas Cookie Club by Ann Pearlman. Amazon Product Description. Mark your calendar. It's the Christmas Cookie Club! Every year on the first Monday of December, Marnie and her twelve closest girlfriends gather in the evening with batches of beautifully wrapped homemade cookies. Everyone has to bring a dish, a bottle of wine, and their stories. This year, the stories are especially important. Marnie's oldest daughter has a risky pregnancy. Will she find out tonight how that story might end? Jeannie's father is having an affair with her best friend. Who else knew about the betrayal, and how can that be forgiven or forgotten, even among old friends such as these? Rosie's husband doesn't want children, and she has to decide, very soon, whether or not that's a deal breaker for the marriage. Taylor's life is in financial freefall. Each woman, each friend has a story to tell, and they are all interwoven, just as their lives are.

On this evening, at least, they can feel as a group the impulses of sisterly love and conflict, the passion and hopefulness of a new romance, the betrayal and disillusionment some relationships bring, the joys and fears of motherhood, the agony of losing a child, and above all, the love they have for one another. As Marnie says, the Christmas Cookie Club, if it's anything, is a reminder of delight.

The Christmas Cookie Club is about the paths Marnie and her friends have traveled, the absolute joy they take in life and love despite the decisions they've regretted, the hard choices and amends they've had to make, and the sacrifices along the way. Ultimately, The Christmas Cookie Club is every woman's story. As you read about Marnie and her friends, their struggles and triumphs, what makes them laugh and what has made them cry, you'll see yourself and some of the ingredients of your own story. Celebrating courage and joy in spite of hard times and honoring the importance of women's friendships as well as the embracing bonds of community, Ann Pearlman has written a novel that speaks to us all.

3) Cowboy & Wills by Monica Holloway. Amazon Product Description. The day Monica learns that her lovable, brilliant three-year-old son, Wills, has autism spectrum disorder, she takes him to buy an aquarium. It's the first in a string of impulsive trips to the pet store to buy animals as a distraction from the uncontrollable, crushing reality of Wills's diagnosis. But while Wills diligently tends to the growing menagerie, what he really wants is a puppy. And one Christmas, when Wills is six, Cowboy Carol Lawrence joins their family.

Like all dynamic duos, Cowboy and Wills complement each other perfectly. Wills is cautious, fastidious, and irresistibly tenderhearted. Cowboy, a rambunctious golden retriever, is overeager, affectionate, and impulsive. And from the moment Cowboy enters their lives, Monica sees her son step a little farther into the world.

Soon, the boy who could barely say hello to his classmates in kindergarten is sharing stories of his new "sister" Cowboy during morning circle. Children crowd around them at the park, and instead of running away, Wills, holding Cowboy's leash in his sweaty fist, proudly answers all of their questions. With Cowboy, he finds the courage to invite kids over for playdates, overcomes his debilitating fear of water to swim along beside her in the family pool, and, after years of gentle coaxing, Wills finally sleeps in his own bed with Cowboy's paws draped across his small chest.

Through it all, Cowboy is there, dragging him toward other children, giving him the confidence to try new things and the courage to face his worst fears. And when Cowboy turns out to need her new family as much as they need her, they discover just how much she has taught them -- about devotion, about loyalty, and about never giving up.

Sometimes it's what you don't know to hope for that saves you. For Monica, her husband, Michael, and their son, Wills, salvation came in the form of a puppy with pale blond fur, chocolate brown eyes, a fondness for chewing the crotch out of underpants, and a limitless capacity for love.

Thanks to Simon & Schuster.

4) The Lovely Bones by ALice Sebold. Amazon Product Description. Sebold's first novel after her memoir, Lucky is a small but far from minor miracle. Sebold has taken a grim, media-exploited subject and fashioned from it a story that is both tragic and full of light and grace. The novel begins swiftly. In the second sentence, Sebold's narrator, Susie Salmon, announces, "I was fourteen when I was murdered on December 6, 1973." Susie is taking a shortcut through a cornfield when a neighbor lures her to his hideaway. The description of the crime is chilling, but never vulgar, and Sebold maintains this delicate balance between homely and horrid as she depicts the progress of grief for Susie's family and friends. She captures the odd alliances forged and the relationships ruined: the shattered father who buries his sadness trying to gather evidence, the mother who escapes "her ruined heart, in merciful adultery." At the same time, Sebold brings to life an entire suburban community, from the mortician's son to the handsome biker dropout who quietly helps investigate Susie's murder. Much as this novel is about "the lovely bones" growing around Susie's absence, it is also full of suspense and written in lithe, resilient prose that by itself delights. Sebold's most dazzling stroke, among many bold ones, is to narrate the story from Susie's heaven (a place where wishing is having), providing the warmth of a first-person narration and the freedom of an omniscient one. It might be this that gives Sebold's novel its special flavor, for in Susie's every observation and memory of the smell of skunk or the touch of spider webs is the reminder that life is sweet and funny and surprising. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

5) Girl on Top by Nicole Williams. Amazon Product Description. Nicole Williams is the tell-it-like-it-is career expert who you wish could fight your work battles for you. But with her ingenious approach-taking the tactics used to land a man and applying them to your career-you'll be able to handle any work situation and come out on top. Here, Nicole introduces twenty tried-and-true dating rules such as "Don't Give Away the Milk for Free" and "Don't Waste the Pretty" and reveals how they can be applied just as effectively in the office. Other strategies include:

· Keep It Brief

· Don't Bash Your Ex

· Have Others Sing Your Praises

· Play Hard to Get

· Keep the Fire Alive

· Be Willing to Walk Away

Among other topics, Nicole dishes on how much to reveal at work as well as what to put up with from your boss (and, more importantly, what not to). She tackles everything from having the money talk to leaving them wanting more on a job interview. And sprinkled throughout GIRL ON TOP is fashion advice ("Top Ten Commandments of Style") and checklists to determine if you need to get a life.

Nicole's keen insight and candid advice will teach you how to recognize the good guys from the bad, win the kudos of those who matter, and create the career of your dreams.

6) When Everything Changed by Gail Collins. Amazon Product Description. Product Description
Picking up where her previous successful, and highly lauded book, America's Women, left off, Gail Collins recounts the sea change women have experienced since 1960. A comprehensive mix of oral history and Collins's keen research, this is the definitive book about five crucial decades of progress, told with the down-to-earth, amusing, and agenda-free tone this beloved New York Times columnist is known for. The interviews with women who have lived through these transformative years include an advertising executive in the 60s who was not allowed to attend board meetings that took place in the all-male dining room; and an airline stewardess who remembered being required to bend over to light her passengers' cigars on the men-only 'Executive Flight' from New York to Chicago.

We, too, may have forgotten the enormous strides made by women since 1960--and the rare setbacks. "Hell yes, we have a quota [7%]" said a medical school dean in 1961. "We do keep women out, when we can." At a pre-graduation party at BarnardCollege, "they handed corsages to the girls who were engaged and lemons to those who weren't." In 1960, two-thirds of women 18-60 surveyed by Gallup didn't approve of the idea of a female president. Until 1972, no woman ran in the Boston Marathon, the year when Title IX passed, requiring parity for boys and girls in school athletic programs (and also the year after Nixon vetoed the childcare legislation passed by congress). What happened during the past fifty years--a period that led to the first woman's winning a Presidential Primary--and why? The cataclysmic change in the lives of American women is a story Gail Collins seems to have been born to tell.

7) Supreme Courtship by Christopher Buckley. Amazon.com Review. In bestselling author Christopher Buckley's hilarious novel, the President of the United States, ticked off at the Senate for rejecting his nominees, decides to get even by nominating America's most popular TV judge to the Supreme Court.

President Donald Vanderdamp is having a hell of a time getting his nominees onto the Supreme Court. After one nominee is rejected for insufficiently appreciating To Kill a Mockingbird, the president chooses someone so beloved by voters that the Senate won't have the nerve to reject her--Judge Pepper Cartwright, star of the nation's most popular reality show. Will Pepper, a vivacious Texan, survive a Senate confirmation battle? Will becoming one of the most powerful women in the world ruin her love life? Soon, Pepper finds herself in the middle of a constitutional crisis, a presidential reelection campaign that the president is determined to lose, and oral arguments of a romantic nature. Supreme Courtship is another classic Christopher Buckley comedy about the Washington institutions most deserving of ridicule.

8) Ansel Adams in Color

Thanks to Hachette Book Group.

Giveaway Reminder

Tomorrow is the last day to enter to win these fantastic books:

$20 a Gallon Gas

&

Fierce Style

You also have until the end of the week to enter to win:

Friends Like These

Good Luck!

Feelin the Vibe Giveaway (ends 10/31)

Publisher's Summary. A decade ago, Clark Winston nearly had a nervous breakdown after the man of her dreams, Devin Patterson, left her to marry another woman. Soon after, her best friend, the mother of her niece, died, leaving Clark sole custodian of the 10-year-old. Knowing she had to pull herself together, she sought help at a mental health clinic run by an old college friend, Dr. Kenneth Winston. The attraction was instant, and they proved to be a perfect match. Now 10 years later, the past is behind her and she has a perfect career and family at hand.

Giveaway Rules: Today I am giving away FIVE copies of this fabulous book.

First Entry: Comment with your email address in the body of the comment (you can list it as mary123 (at) yahoo(dot)com). If you do not list your email address your entry will not count.

Extra Entry: Sign up to follow my blog (or let me know that you are a current follower). NOTE: This extra entry MUST be left in a separate comment or it will not count.

The giveaway is open to Canadian and US residents only.
You must be 18 years of age or older.
NO P.O. Boxes for the winner’s mailing address.

Giveaway ends on 10/31. Good Luck!

Guest Post: David Morrell

Rising Above it All: How Rambo's Creator Earned His Pilot's License
By David Morrell,
Author of The Shimmer

Readers familiar with my fiction know how much I love doing research. For Testament, I enrolled in an outdoor wilderness survival course and lived above timberline in the Wyoming mountains for 30 days. For The Protector, I spent a week at the Bill Scott raceway in West Virginia, learning offensive-defensive driving maneuvers, such as the 180-degree spins you see in the movies. I once broke my collarbone in a two-day knife-fighting class designed for military and law enforcement personnel.

Two years ago, I began the longest research project of my career. I was preparing to write a novel called The Shimmer, a fictional dramatization of the mysterious lights that appear on many nights outside the small town of Marfa in west Texas. When the first settlers passed through that area in the 1800s, they saw the lights, and people have been drawn to those lights ever since, including James Dean who became fascinated by them when he filmed his final movie Giant near Marfa in 1955.

The lights float, bob, and weave. They combine and change colors. They seem far away and yet so close that people think they can reach out and touch them. In the 1970s, the citizens of Marfa organized what they called a Ghost Light Hunt and pursued the lights, using horses, vehicles, and an airplane, but the lights had no difficulty eluding them.

Because an airplane was used, I decided to include one in The Shimmer. I'd never written about a pilot, and the idea of trying something new always appeals to me. The dramatic possibilities were intriguing. But a minute's thought warned me about the monumental task I was planning. As a novelist version of a Method actor, I couldn't just cram an airplane into my novel. First, I would need to learn how airplanes worked so that real pilots wouldn't be annoyed by inaccuracies. Real pilots. That's when I realized that it wouldn't be enough to learn how airplanes worked. I would need to take pilot training.

I live in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Our small airport has a flight school: Sierra Aviation. I made an appointment with one of the instructors, Larry Haight, who took me up in a Cessna 172 on what's called a "discovery" flight. The idea was to "discover" whether I enjoyed the sensation of being in the cockpit and peering several thousand feet down at the ground. Flying in a small aircraft is a much more immediate and visceral experience than sitting in the cabin of a commercial airliner. Even in a Cessna, the canopy is huge compared to the tiny windows on an airliner. The horizon stretches forever.

It turned out that I more than enjoyed the experience. It was exhilarating and fulfilling. I realized that this was something I wanted to do not only for research but also to broaden my life. As a consequence, I eventually earned my private pilot's license and bought a 2003 172SP. The plane was based near Dallas, and my longest cross-country flight to date (600 miles) involved piloting it from there to Santa Fe. Truly, nothing can equal controlling an aircraft, making it do safely whatever I want while seeing the world as if I were an eagle.

In The Shimmer, I wanted the main character's attitude toward flying ("getting above it all") to help develop the book's theme. The following passage shows what I mean. You only need to know that Dan Page is a police officer. When I started pilot training, I figured that one day I'd be relaxing in the sky, listening to an iPod and glancing dreamily around. As we learn in this section, the actuality is quite different and more substantial.

"Non-pilots often assumed that the appeal of flying involved appreciating the scenery. But Page had become a pilot because he enjoyed the sensation of moving in three dimensions. The truth was that maintaining altitude and speed while staying on course, monitoring radio transmissions, and comparing a sectional map to actual features on the ground required so much concentration that a pilot had little time for sightseeing.

"There was another element to flying, though. It helped Page not to think about the terrible pain people inflicted on one another. He'd seen too many lives destroyed by guns, knives, beer bottles, screwdrivers, baseball bats, and even a nail gun. Six months earlier, he'd been the first officer to arrive at the scene of a car accident in which a drunken driver had hit an oncoming vehicle and killed five children along with the woman who was taking them to a birthday party. There'd been so much blood that Page still had nightmares about it.

"His friends thought he was joking when he said that the reward of flying was 'getting above it all,' but he was serious. The various activities involved in controlling an aircraft shut out what he was determined not to remember.

"That helped Page now. His confusion, his urgency, his need to have answers -- on the ground, these emotions had thrown him off balance, but once he was in the air, the discipline of controlling the Cessna forced him to feel as level as the aircraft. In the calm sky, amid the monotonous, muffled drone of the engine, the plane created a floating sensation. He welcomed it yet couldn't help dreading what he might discover on the ground. "

At one point a character asks Page, how high he intends to fly.

"Enough to get above everything," he answers.

"Sounds like the way to run a life."

That's an important lesson I learned from flying.

©2009 David Morrell, author of The Shimmer

Author Bio David Morrell, author of The Shimmer, is the award-winning author of numerous New York Times bestsellers, including Creepers and Scavenger. Co-founder of the International Thriller Writers organization and author of the classic Brotherhood of the Rose spy trilogy, Morrell is considered by many to be the father of the modern action novel

For more information please visit www.davidmorrell.net

Learn more about The Shimmer at www.shimmerbook.com

Bo's Cafe Winners!

The winners for the Bo's Cafe giveaway are: Stacie, Cheryl, Mary, Sheila & Sharon.


Congrats to the winners!

The Shimmer

Publisher's Summary. Creator of Rambo and co-founder of the International Thriller Writers organization, David Morrell has been called “the father of the modern action novel.” Now this award-winning, New York Times bestselling author delivers The Shimmer, a novel of chilling impact.

When police officer Dan Page’s wife disappears, her trail leads to Rostov, a remote Texas town where unexplained phenomena attract hundreds of spectators each night. Not merely curious, these onlookers are compelled to reach this tiny community and gaze at the mysterious Rostov Lights.

But more than the faithful are drawn there. A gunman begins shooting at the lights, screaming “Go back to hell where you came from!” then turns his rifle on the innocent bystanders. As more and more people are drawn to the scene of the massacre, the stage is set for even greater bloodshed.

To save his wife, Page must solve the mystery of the Rostov Lights. In the process, he uncovers a deadly government secret dating back to the First World War. The lights are more dangerous than anyone ever imagined, but even more deadly are those who try to exploit forces beyond their control.

With The Shimmer, David Morrell takes readers on a brilliant, terrifying journey. Suspenseful, yet thought-provoking, it is the master at his very best.

Vanguard PressCopyright © by Vanguard Press, a division of Perseus Books Group. Sign up for our newsletters.

Review. By Renee A.J. Dan Page is a good guy, who tries to do the right thing, yet something out of kilter with his life – somehow his life doesn’t seem to be working. Thing’s haven’t totally gone bad – but they look like they’re going that way. Dan is a good luck seems to be running a bit short. On his day off, he’s flying his small plane for relaxation and ends up helping his fellow police officers chase a suspect in an SUV – the chase ends with an explosion as the SUV hits a gasoline truck. Dan imagines the agony of the truck driver who died in the flames. Dan stops by his home and finds that his wife, Tori, has left him with a note says that she’s on her way to see her mother. Unfortunately, Tori’s mother doesn’t seem to have any knowledge of the visit. Dan follows Tori’s to the small town of Rostov, Texas where she has become enraptured with an odd phenomena of colored lights called the Rostov Lights. This is where the story begins to weave a mystery, a history, a love story, a competition, and a government conspiracy into a journey of strength and self-discovery for a cast of characters.

The Rostov Lights seem to affect individuals in many different ways – some don’t see any lights and call them a hoax. Some see a shimmer of colored orbs and call them an optical illusion. A few local residents are simply satisfied to watch the Ghost Lights seeing them as mysterious, beautiful, and possibly healing. Col. Warren Raleigh seems the view the lights and the mysterious sounds that accompany them as an alien weapon that can cause men to perform great acts of violence; therefore he hopes to harness the power of their power as a weapon for the U.S. military. My sole criticism is that the author may have tried to include too many perspectives from too many characters - yet, by the end of the book, I wanted to know how each character had managed his or her vision. Tori is entranced by the lights, which Dan can’t see. As Tori turns away, Dan allows himself to expand his view and he, too, sees the lights. And somehow the theme of the story – though told from various perspectives by various characters – seems to be not so much the alien phenomena, but rather humanity’s reaction.

Dan’s muses “The[lights] match what people bring to them. If you need something to believe in, they’ll inspire you, but if you’ve built a wall around yourself, you won’t be able to see them. If you’re angry, they’ll make you angrier. If you want to turn them into a weapon, they’ll use that weapon against you and make you realize just how terrifying a weapon can be.”
“Plus, if you hope hard enough for a miracle,” Tori said, “they can make one happen.”

The Shimmer details Dan’s growth, celebrates the essential strength of his character, and brings healing to the relationship between Dan and his wife. I think that these interwoven tales might help many of us cope with today's confusions by remembering that the essential gifts of good deeds and good people will ultimately triumph over greed, deception, violence, and military might.


Publisher: Vanguard Press (July 7, 2009), 352 pages
Review Copy Provided Courtesy of the publisher and FSB Associates.

Friends Like These Giveaway (ends 10/23)

Publisher's Summary: Danny Wallace has friends. He has a wife and goes to brunch, and his new house has a couch with throw pillows. But as he nears 30, he can't help wondering about his best childhood friends, whose names he finds in a long-forgotten address book. Where are they now-and where, really, is he?

Acting on an impulse we've all had at least once, he travels from London to Berlin, Tokyo,Australia, and California, risking rejection and ridicule to show up on his old
pals' doorsteps. Memories of his 1980s childhood-from Michael Jackson to Ghostbusters-overwhelm him as he meets former buddies who have blossomed into
rappers and ninjas, time-traveling pioneers, mediocre restaurant managers, and even Fijian royalty.

Danny's attempt to re-befriend them all gives remarkable new resonance to the age-old mantra,"friends forever!"

Giveaway Rules: I will be reviewing this book shortly, but today I am giving it away. Thanks to Anna at Hachette Book Group, I have the opportunity to give away FIVE copies of Friends Like These!

First Entry: Comment with your email address in the body of the comment (you can list it as mary123 (at) yahoo(dot)com). If you do not list your email address your entry will not count.

Extra Entry: Sign up to follow my blog (or let me know that you are a current follower). NOTE: This extra entry MUST be left in a separate comment or it will not count.

The giveaway is open to Canadian and US residents only.
You must be 18 years of age or older.
NO P.O. Boxes for the winner’s mailing address.

Giveaway ends October 23rd. Good Luck!

Mailbox Monday -- Columbus Day

Thanks to Marcia at The Printed Page I'm participating in the Mailbox Monday round up. This week I received the following advance review copies:

1) Cheating Death by Sanjay Gupta: Publisher's Summary: An unborn baby with a fatal heart defect . . . a skier submerged for an hour in a frozen Norwegian lake . . . a comatose brain surgery patient whom doctors have declared a "vegetable."
Twenty years ago all of them would have been given up for dead, with no realistic hope for survival. But today, thanks to incredible new medical advances, each of these individuals is alive and well . . .Cheating Death.
In this riveting book, Dr. Sanjay Gupta-neurosurgeon, chief medical correspondent for CNN, and bestselling author-chronicles the almost unbelievable science that has made these seemingly miraculous recoveries possible. A bold new breed of doctors has achieved amazing rescues by refusing to accept that any life is irretrievably lost. Extended cardiac arrest, "brain death," not breathing for over an hour-all these conditions used to be considered inevitably fatal, but they no longer are. Today, revolutionary advances are blurring the traditional line between life and death in fascinating ways.

Drawing on real-life stories and using his unprecedented access to the latest medical research, Dr. Gupta dramatically presents exciting accounts of how pioneering physicians and researchers are altering our understanding of how the human body functions when it comes to survival-and why more and more patients who once would have died are now alive. From experiments with therapeutic hypothermia to save comatose stroke or heart attack victims to lifesaving operations in utero to the study of animal hibernation to help wounded soldiers on far-off battlefields, these remarkable case histories transform and enrich all our assumptions about the true nature of death and life.

Thanks to Hachette Book Group.

2) Secrets of the Christmas Box by Steven Hornby. Amazon Product Description. Enter the magical festive world of the Christmas 'Tree-Dwellers', as Larry, a Christmas snowman, wakes up after the long sleep in the Christmas box, to find his brother is missing.

Desperate to find him before Christmas, Larry, along with his girlfriend Debbie, a newcomer Splint, and Larry's companion Tinsel, break the laws of the 'Tree-Elders' and escape down the tree and away into the house, to look for clues.

Away from the safety of the tree and in an unfamiliar world, the Dwellers stumble upon a dark and sinister secret that threatens their entire world. Can Larry and the group make it back to the tree in time to warn the others, and finally uncover the truth behind the 'Secrets of a Christmas Box'?


Thanks to Shelf Awareness.

Last Day to Enter Bo's Cafe Giveaway

Don't forget to get your entry in here to win one of FIVE copies of this inspirational book.

Fierce Style Giveaway (ends 10/19)

Publisher's Summary. In 2008, Christian Siriano made headlines as the youngest designer to win the hit reality series Project Runway. But the now twenty-three-year-old is bigger than a TV celebrity. From his prodigious fashion talent to his one-of-a-kind personality, Christian is the embodiment of fierce style.

Now in his first book, he helps readers discover how to look, feel, and act fierce in everyday life. With tips from some of fashion and Hollywood's biggest names -including Victoria Beckham, Heidi Klum, Nina Garcia, and Vanessa Williams -- along with gorgeous original sketches by Christian, never-before-heard stories, and behind-the-scenes photos, he tells his journey of developing his own fashion sense and overcoming obstacles to success.

Giving advice on creating personal style, sharing tips on building self-confidence, and revealing his own list of fashion dos and don'ts, Christian shows how to use one's unique strengths to get ahead - and go from tickity-tack to totally flawless.

Giveaway Rules: Today I am giving away ONE copy of this fabulous book.

Single Entry: Comment with your email address in the body of the comment (you can list it as mary123 (at) yahoo(dot)com). If you do not list your email address your entry will not count.

The giveaway is open to Canadian and US residents only.
You must be 18 years of age or older.
NO P.O. Boxes for the winner’s mailing address.

Giveaway ends October 19th. Good Luck!

Fierce Style

Publisher's Summary. In 2008, Christian Siriano made headlines as the youngest designer to win the hit reality series Project Runway. But the now twenty-three-year-old is bigger than a TV celebrity. From his prodigious fashion talent to his one-of-a-kind personality, Christian is the embodiment of fierce style.

Now in his first book, he helps readers discover how to look, feel, and act fierce in everyday life. With tips from some of fashion and Hollywood's biggest names -including Victoria Beckham, Heidi Klum, Nina Garcia, and Vanessa Williams -- along with gorgeous original sketches by Christian, never-before-heard stories, and behind-the-scenes photos, he tells his journey of developing his own fashion sense and overcoming obstacles to success.

Giving advice on creating personal style, sharing tips on building self-confidence, and revealing his own list of fashion dos and don'ts, Christian shows how to use one's unique strengths to get ahead - and go from tickity-tack to totally flawless.

Review. Christian Siriano, the 2008 Project Runway winner (when he was only 21!), in his new book Fierce Style gives real, attainable, advice for normal women (i.e. those of us who are not runaway models or heiresses). For example, in his “Top 10 Dream Pieces” he offers not only the “dream” piece such as a Burberry trench coat, but also the “reality piece” (affordable counterpart), in this case a Banana Republic trench. In another section, “Looking Fierce on a Budget” Siriano recommends where and what to shop for at national chain stores: H&M for basics and accessories, Target for designer lines, and Forever 21 for knockoffs etc. In a nod to non-model figures Siriano suggests flattering styles for various body shapes (e.g. large bust/small waist, small bust/large waist, curves, and few curves). Also sprinkled throughout the book are fashion tips from noted celebrities.

In addition, to the realistic fashion advice Siriano shares pieces from his life story. Growing up in Annapolis , Maryland Siriano formed his fashion sensibilities working in the Bubbles hair salon where his outrageous coworkers inspired him to try out various looks. During his time at the salon and after, he made a lot of fashion mistakes, but he eventually learned what worked for him. Siriano even includes photographic evidence of some of his fashion foibles (I don’t think many other designers would do the same) to encourage women not to be afraid to experiment with different looks.

Stylistically, Fierce Style is fun to peruse. The book is beautifully photographed with lots of pictures. And the writing style is peppered Siriano linguistics such as “hot tranny mess,” “ferocia couture,” and “tickity tack” with definitions provided in “The Official Christian Siriano Glossary.”

Christian Siriano’s Fierce Style will inspire you to be your best you!

$20 Per Gallon AudioBook Giveaway (ends 10/19)

Publisher's Summary: Imagine an everyday world in which the price of gasoline (and oil) continues to go up, and up, and up. Think about the immediate impact that would have on our lives.

Of course, everybody already knows how about gasoline has affected our driving habits. People can't wait to junk their gas-guzzling SUVs for a new Prius. But there are more, not-so-obvious changes on the horizon that Chris Steiner tracks brilliantly in this provocative work.

Consider the following societal changes: people who own homes in far-off suburbs will soon realize that there's no longer any market for their houses (reason: nobody wants to live too far away because it's too expensive to commute to work). Telecommuting will begin to expand rapidly. Trains will become the mode of national transportation (as it used to be) as the price of flying becomes prohibitive. Families will begin to migrate southward as the price of heating northern homes in the winter is too pricey. Cheap everyday items that are comprised of plastic will go away because of the rising price to produce them (plastic is derived from oil). And this is just the beginning of a huge and overwhelming domino effect that our way of life will undergo in the years to come.

Steiner, an engineer by training before turning to journalism, sees how this simple but constant rise in oil and gas prices will totally re-structure our lifestyle. But what may be surprising to readers is that all of these changes may not be negative - but actually will usher in some new and very promising aspects of our society.

Steiner will probe how the liberation of technology and innovation, triggered by climbing gas prices, will change our lives. The book may start as an alarmist's exercise.... but don't be misled. The future will be exhilarating.

Giveaway Rules. I will be reviewing $20 Per Gallon soon, but today I am giving away THREE copies of this thought-provoking book.

Entry: Comment with your email address in the body of the comment (you can list it as mary123 (at) yahoo(dot)com). If you do not list your email address your entry will not count.

The giveaway is open to Canadian and US residents only.
You must be 18 years of age or older.
NO P.O. Boxes for the winner’s mailing address.

Giveaway ends October 19th. Good Luck!

Breaking the Bank

Publisher's Summary.
MONEY ISN'T EVERYTHING

Mia Saul is down on her luck. Dumped by her husband, jettisoned from her job, and estranged from her adored older brother, she and her young daughter, Eden, have had to make a downscale move to a crummy apartment, where their neighbors include a tough young drug dealer and a widower who lets his dogs use the hallways as their own personal litter box. Juggling a series of temporary jobs, wrangling with her ex-husband over child support, and trying to keep pace with Eden's increasingly erratic behavior have left Mia weary and worn out.

EXCEPT WHEN IT IS

So when a seemingly functional ATM starts handing Mia thousands and thousands of dollars -- and not deducting the money from her account, because it sure isn't in there -- she isn't about to give it back. Her newfound cash stash opens up a world of opportunity, and a whole lot of trouble. Worried friends, family, and in-laws start questioning her judgment about everything, and the cops really, really want to know where all that cash is coming from. And then there's Patrick, a man Mia most definitely would never have met if things hadn't spun out of control. Mia is beginning to think that maybe somebody, somewhere, is trying to teach her a lesson about what matters in life, and what doesn't....

Review.A parent once told the following story: His young son wanted a new toy. The father explained that he was sorry, but he didn’t have the money for the toy. The little boy replied, “Daddy go to the wall. There is money from the wall.” The wall, of course, was the ATM machine and what the little boy didn’t grasp was that “the wall” only released what the father had in his bank account. Long after the little boy had grown up his bemused father still enjoyed telling the money from the wall story.

Breaking the Bank by Yona Zeldis McDonough is based on the same magical wall: an ATM releases unaccounted for money, in ever greater amounts, to the struggling single mom Mia. The story then follows the consequences of the magical money on Mia and those around her. Breaking the Bank is a delightful, magical, tale for any woman who has ever struggled to pay her bills or was unable to provide the desired lifestyle for her child. That is, virtually every woman can relate to the story on some level.

In addition, to being a magical fairy tale Breaking the Bank also weaves some serious philosophical musing into the story. Consider for instance this passage: “Garbage, she realized, was the natural consequence of money. The more money you had, the more garbage, the better garbage, you could produce. Lobster shells and artichoke leaves, empty champagne bottles by the score, the rinds of rich imported cheeses. Bags, tissue paper, and ribbons from exclusive shops in Paris, London, New York, Rio, Tokyo; elegant, robin’s-egg blue boxes from Tiffany’s that held gold rings, collars of diamonds. This was not just any garbage – it was expensive, tasteful, high-class garbage. Would that man on the street be able to produce such garbage? Would she? Not now, of course, but given enough money, anyone could. Money and garbage, garbage and money. There was a relationship between the two . . . .”

Breaking the Bank is an engaging, fanciful, story that may just change your views on that most taboo of all subjects – money.

Mailbox Monday -- October 5th

Thanks to Marcia at The Printed Page I'm participating in the Mailbox Monday round up.




This week I received the following advance review copies:
1) Fierce Style by Christian Siriano: Amazon Product Description: In 2008, Christian Siriano made headlines as the youngest designer to win the hit reality series Project Runway. But the now twenty-three-year-old is bigger than a TV celebrity. From his prodigious fashion talent to his one-of-a-kind personality, Christian is the embodiment of fierce style.

Now in his first book, he helps readers discover how to look, feel, and act fierce in everyday life. With tips from some of fashion and Hollywood's biggest names -including Victoria Beckham, Heidi Klum, Nina Garcia, and Vanessa Williams -- along with gorgeous original sketches by Christian, never-before-heard stories, and behind-the-scenes photos, he tells his journey of developing his own fashion sense and overcoming obstacles to success.

Giving advice on creating personal style, sharing tips on building self-confidence, and revealing his own list of fashion dos and don'ts, Christian shows how to use one's unique strengths to get ahead - and go from tickity-tack to totally flawless.

2) Permission Slips by Sherri Shepherd: Amazon Product Description:
Covering topics such as "It's Jesus or Jail,""Marriage, the Hard Way,""Children: The Gift You Can't Give Back," and "All the Things I Don't Know...And All the Things I Definitely Do," stand-up comedienne, actress, and ABC's The View co-host Sherri Shepherd comically chronicles her struggles to keep up with the many roles-professional, wife, mother, daughter, and friend-that women must play in today's world. Sherri urges women to pursue their most important dreams and to never give up, but also let's readers know that it's okay to give themselves "permission slips" when things don't always work out the way they want them to. As her many fans know, Sherri is never hesitant to speak from the heart, and her bubbly personality shines through in this delightful autobiography.

Thanks to Hachette Book Group.

3) Searching for Whitopia by Rich Benjamin: Amazon Product Description: Between 2007 and 2009, Rich Benjamin, a journalist-adventurer, packed his bags and embarked on a 26,909-mile journey throughout the heart of white America, to some of the fastest-growing and whitest locales in our nation.

By 2042, whites will no longer be the American majority. As immigrant populations--largely people of color--increase in cities and suburbs, more and more whites are moving to small towns and exurban areas that are predominately, even extremely, white.

Rich Benjamin calls these enclaves "Whitopias" (pronounced: "White-o-pias").

His journey to unlock the mysteries of Whitopias took him from a three-day white separatist retreat with links to Aryan Nations in North Idaho to the inner sanctum of George W. Bush's White House--and many points in between. And to learn what makes Whitopias tick, and why and how they are growing, he lived in three of them (in Georgia, Idaho, and Utah) for several months apiece. A compelling raconteur, bon vivant, and scholar, Benjamin reveals what Whitopias are like and explores the urgent social and political implications of this startling phenomenon.

The glow of Barack Obama's historic election cannot obscure the racial and economic segregation still vexing America. Obama's presidency has actually raised the stakes in a battle royale between two versions of America: one that is broadly comfortable with diversity yet residentially segregated (ObamaNation) and one that does not mind a little ethnic food or a few mariachi dancers--as long as these trends do not overwhelm a white dominant culture (Whitopia).

Thanks to FSB Associates.

Playing House

Publisher's Summary. When Playing House appeared in 1973, Publishers Weekly hailed it, "A probing descent into madness that will fascinate the same audience that appreciated I Never Promised You a Rose Garden." This nationally bestselling story of one woman’s struggle with the lasting effects of a childhood sexual relationship with her brother shocked American readers; it remains a literary work of enduring quality and value. In his foreword Philip Roth writes, "The traumatized child; the institutionalized wife; the haunting desire; the ghastly business of getting through the day -- what is striking about Wagman's treatment of these contemporary motifs is the voice of longing in which the heroine shamelessly confesses to the incestuous need that is at once her undoing and her only hope."

Review. My English Literature 101 professor once explained that “happy ending” novels rarely qualify as literature because after the story’s conclusion there is little to discuss. Think about it for a moment. Would readers still ponder Gone with the Wind if Scarlett had bagged her man? Would To Kill a Mockingbird be as powerful if Boo Radley had received a fair trial? Would The Great Gatsby be a “Great American Novel” if Gatsby had spent his golden years with Daisy? With some exceptions I believe my professor’s point was well taken.

By this measure, Playing House by Frederica Wagman is great literature. When I finished this novel I was dying to talk about it with someone: the symbolism; the characters; the repetitious writing style; and the subject matter. Playing House’s subject matter – sibling incest – shatters cultural taboos and is not for readers with certain sensibilities. The unnamed narrator is both a victim and a willing participant in the incestuous relationship that thrived in her dysfunctional family unit. As she admits, “I never had a brother, I had a lover. I never knew what the word ‘brother’ could mean, what the word ‘sister’ could mean, what the word ‘mother’ could mean – it was all meaningless to me, all except what it felt like being with him, that was the only meaning.”

On a stylistic level Playing House is highly symbolic: the Swan that the narrator clings to; the color yellow which is used to describe everything from light, to grass, to hair, and dress; and the smoke that destroys the narrator’s sister and threatens to claim the narrator. A typical illustrative passage is this one: “A yellow-white aloneness hung around the glass birds and the dancing swans in crystal cages behind the gilt lattice doors, there was no conversation except my mother talking to herself about how no one was good enough for us except each other, her poison, her inbred murder, her disaster, while she grinned and posed and wet her lips and saw herself reflected, poor soul, poor little mother, poor wreck in a yellow satin dressing gown with threadbare cuffs and elbows, with yellow eyes that didn’t see, that could only stop where the noise was coming from.” For an excellent review of many of the themes/symbols in Playing House I highly recommend Shellie of Layers of Thought’s review.

Playing House is the perfect novel for thoughtful discussions!

Harry Connick, Jr. Your Songs

Amazon Product Description: 2009 album from the singer, pianist and actor, an album of cover versions of songs requested by his many fans. Like his best-selling Only You of 2004, Your Songs consists of Connick singing familiar songs with a full Jazz big band and string orchestra, and, as with nearly all of Harry's previous albums, he wrote each of the orchestrations himself. He also recruited two of his lifelong friends from New Orleans, Branford and Wynton Marsalis, as well as bluegrass guitar virtuoso Bryan Sutton, for guest appearances. 14 tracks including 'Mona Lisa', 'Smile', 'Just The Way You Are' and more.


Review: Today, thanks to the One-2-One Network, I am switching hats to review the new Harry Connick, Jr. CD: Your Songs. While I am no music critic I do know what I like and I love Your Songs! The honey-throated crooner Harry Connick, Jr. has never sounded more engaging.

In this CD Connick sings in the Big Band style, but with contemporary lyrics such as The Beatles “And I Love Her;” Roberta Flack’s “First Time Ever I Saw Your Face;” Billy Joel’s “Just the Way You Are;” and of course, Elton John’s “Your Song” as well as many more (see the track listing below). Since I was familiar with most of the songs I enjoyed Your Songs more than if he had sung Big Band Era songs. I also appreciated hearing old familiar favorites in a new musical light.

Connick’s Your Songs is the perfect musical accompaniment to a cocktail/dinner party or simply relaxing at home.


Album Tracklisting (Originally made Popular by):

All The Way (Frank Sinatra)
Just The Way You Are (Billy Joel)
Can’t Help Falling In Love With You (Elvis Presley)
And I Love Her (The Beatles)
(They Long To Be) Close To You (The Carpenters)
Besame Mucho (Frank Sinatra)
The Way You Look Tonight (Frank Sinatra)
First Time Ever I Saw Your Face (Roberta Flack)
Your Song (Elton John)
Some Enchanted Evening (South Pacific)
And I Love You So (Don McLean)
Who Can I Turn To? (Tony Bennett)
Smile (Charlie Chaplin)
Mona Lisa (Nat King Cole)