Book Giveaway: Beyond Blue: Surviving Depression & Anxiety and Making the Most of Bad Genes by Therese Borchard

Anna and Hatchette Book Group are sponsoring a giveaway of 5 copies of Beyond Blue: Surviving Depression & Anxiety and Making the Most of Bad Genes by Therese Borchard.

About the Book:
Therese Borchard may be one of the frankest, funniest people on the planet. That, combined with her keen writing abilities has made her Beliefnet blog, Beyond Blue, one of the most trafficked blogs on the site.

Beyond Blue, the book, is part memoir/part self-help. It describes Borchard's experience of living with manic depression as well as providing cutting-edge research and information on dealing with mood disorders. By exposing her vulnerability, she endears herself immediately to the reader and then reduces even the most depressed to laughter as she provides a companion on the journey to recovery and the knowledge that the reader is not alone.

Comprised of four sections and twenty-one chapters, Beyond Blue covers a wide range of topics from codependency to addiction, poor body image to postpartum depression, from alternative medicine to psychopharmacology, managing anxiety to applying lessons from therapy. Because of her laser wit and Erma Bombeck sense of humor, every chapter is entertaining as well as serious.

About the Author, courtesy of Therese Borchard's website:

Therese Borchard is the author of the hit daily blog “Beyond Blue” on Beliefnet.com, which is featured weekly on The Huffington Post and was voted by PsychCentral.com as one of the top 10 depression blogs. Her memoir, Beyond Blue: Surviving Depression & Anxiety and Making the Most of Bad Genes, has just been published by Hachette Book Group/Center Street, who will also release, in April 2010, a handsome volume of her therapy notes, called “The Pocket Therapist: An Emotional Survival Kit.”

Therese is becoming a top go-to expert in the field of pop-psychology. Her work has recently been cited in The Wall Street Journal, the Atlantic, USA Today, Guideposts, and on Time.com, CNN.com, and Yahoo! She has been featured in O magazine, Psychology Today, Parenting, More, Redbook, Ladies’ Home Journal, and the Washington Post.

Therese moderates the popular depression support group, Beyond Blue, on Beliefnet’s social networking site. She lives with her husband, Eric, and their two “spirited” children in Annapolis, Maryland.

CONTEST DETAILS:

To enter please tell us something that you're grateful for. For an extra entry, share something that you do when you or a loved one is feeling down.

Rules:
1. Please include your email address, so that I can contact you if you win. No email address, no entry.
2. You must be a follower to join the contest.
3. Leave a separate comment for each entry or you'll only be entered once.

The contest is limited to US and Canada only. No P.O. boxes. The contest ends at noon on February 28, 2010.

Thank you so much to Anna and Hatchette Book Group for sponsoring this giveaway!

Book Giveaway: Corked by Kathryn Borel

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

About the Author, courtesy of the publisher:
Kathryn Borel was born in 1979 in Toronto, the daughter of a hotelier. / After several years, she became the older sister to Nico, who was named after the family cat. She spent her early years living in hotels in Paris, Bermuda, Dallas, and New Jersey, finally settling in Quebec City.

CONTEST DETAILS:

To enter please tell us about a memoir that you'd recommend or would like to read.

Rules:
1. Please include your email address, so that I can contact you if you win. No email address, no entry.
2. You must be a follower to join the contest.

The contest is limited to US and Canada ONLY. No P.O. boxes. The contest ends at noon on February 28, 2010.

Thank you so much to Anna and Hatchette Book Group for sponsoring this giveaway!

Book Review of Lisa Dale's It Happened One Night

The blurb:

Sometimes love finds you when you least expect it. '

Lana Biel has always wanted to shake the dust of Vermont off her feet and see the world, one exotic country after another. But when a lighthearted spring fling changes her life forever, she turns to the one man whose strong shoulders can lighten any burden: her best friend, Eli Ward.

Eli has always been there for Lana - after all, that's what best friends are do. But Lana isn't the only one hiding something. Eli is keeping secrets of his own that threaten their relationship. Yet as summer turns to fall, new desires awaken between them, even as old fears tear them apart. Then, when another Vermont winter fills the valleys with snow, Eli and Lana are given the chance for an adventure greater than they ever dreamed possible. . . and a love that will last for all time.

Review:

It Happened One Night raises many of questions that I'd spent hours debating with my college roommates and single friends. Can men and women be friends or will attraction get in the way? Is it better to stay best friends with a guy than risk losing that special closeness? Lana and Eli face these questions in detail in It Happened One Night.

The novel contains the elements of a good romantic comedy - a shifting love triangle, beautiful people completely unaware of their appeal, and best friends that are on the verge of dating don't want to risk their friendship.

Aside from dealing with friendship and love, Lisa Dale delves into the pushes and pulls of family relationships. It Happened One Night is rich with emotion. I am sure that this book will appeal to many people, but it just didn't speak to me. I had a hard time connecting with free spirited Lana and was often frustrated by her response to difficult situations. Lana's responses to her crises were likely honest and realistic, but I prefer lead characters to be assertive, funny, and savvy or to have the story be wholly unrealistic and funny. Having said that, I can see many other readers will find It Happened One Night a satisfying read.

ISBN-10: 0446406902

Publisher: Forever (November 1, 2009), 368 pages.

Review copy provided by the publisher.

Thank you so much to Anna and Hatchette Book Group for this review opportunity!

Book Review of The Masqueraders by Georgette Heyer

 


 Published in 1928 and one of Georgette Heyer's earlier novels, The Masqueraders introduces us to the incomparable brother and sister pair known as Prudence and Robin Merriot.

The book opens late one evening, with Prudence and Robin escaping the weather at an inn in the middle of nowhere. They overhear a young girl pleading with an aggressive suitor. It quickly becomes apparent while the young heiress may have willingly chosen to run off with the young man, Letty Grayson has had a change of heart. The suitor is enamored of her beautiful looks and large fortune and does not intend to let her go. Prudence and Robin quickly devise and execute a daring rescue plan. When Miss Grayson's rescuer Sir Tony Fanshawe arrives on the scene shortly thereafter, Prudence and Robin have the situation well in hand.

Letty Grayson considers Tony to be the man her father would choose for her and dismisses him as staid and respectable. But the astute Prudence sees something special in Sir Tony Fanshawe. And Letty Grayson finds a mysterious hero in Robin. While Robin and Prudence decide to spend some time in London with their new friends, they are constrained by their past adventures. As their father's mistakes and their escapades threaten to expose them, Prudence and Tony are aware that this time the stakes are painfully high and they are both in danger of losing their hearts.

With Prudence dressing as a young boy and Robin dressing as a young girl, the many costume changes, the small deceptions, the abductions, and the threat of exposure, this is a fun escape. Georgette Heyer's The Masqueraders is the sort of lighthearted comedy that I thoroughly enjoy.

ISBN-10: 1402219504

Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca; Reprint edition (December 1, 2009), 336 pages.

Review copy provided by the publisher.

Thank you so much to Danielle and SourceBooks for this review opportunity!

Friday 56: Week 27 Georgette Heyer's The Masqueraders

Rules:
* Grab the book nearest you. Right now.
* Turn to page 56.
* Find the fifth sentence.
* Post that sentence (plus one or two others if you like) along with these instructions on your blog or (if you do not have your own blog) in the comments section of this blog.
*Post a link along with your post back to this blog and to Storytime with Tonya and Friends at http://storytimewithtonya.blogspot.com/
* Don't dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.

Here's mine:

"I have to thank you."

"Pray do not. Plucking pigeons has never been a favorite pastime of mine...Well, I concede your point, but I claim a quinte and fourteen Queens, besides three Kings. Alack for a spoiled repique! Five played, sir."

- The Masqueraders by Georgette Heyer

Self Managed Buildings in NYC: Annual Notice reminder

Just a reminder for others in self-managed buildings in NYC. We have until January 15 to distribute to tenants and unit owners copies of these annual notices:

• fire safety plan and notice
• window guard notice
• lead paint notice

To learn more about this annual notice requirement affecting NYC residential buildings (larger than 2 family homes), visit this link

http://home2.nyc.gov/html/doh/downloads/pdf/win/win-wf013-appendixb-landlord.pdf

If you need a copy of the form, send me an email at gaby317nyc at gmail.com

Unexpected finds in 2009: Debut Novels Not to Miss (updated)

One of the best things about this blog is how it's led me to books that I normally would not have found. Here are some of the books that I am so glad not have missed. Some of them came out earlier than 2009, but that's when I discovered them. Have you read any of these? Which books were welcome surprises for you?

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley (paperback comes out Jan 2010)

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba and Brian Mealer

The Boy Next Door by Irene Sabatini

The Hunger Games (& the sequel Catching Fire) by Suzanne Collins

Graceling (& the prequel Fire) by Kristin Cashore

Under This Unbroken Sky by Shandi Mitchell

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak The Mystery of the Third Lucretia by Susan Runholt

Al Capone Does My Shirts (and the sequel Al Capone Shines My Shoes) by Gennifer Choldenko

Book Review of Kate Atkinson's When Will There Be Good News?

The blurb:
On a hot, beautiful day in the English countryside, six-year-old Joanna Mason witnesses a horrific crime. Thirty years later, the man convicted of the crime is released from prison.

Sixteen-year-old Reggie works as a nanny for a doctor devoted to her infant son. When Dr. Hunter goes missing, Reggie - no stranger to bad luck and worse seems to be the only person who is worried.

Detective Chief Inspector Louise Monroe is also looking for a missing person, unaware that hurtling toward her is an old friend, private detective Jackson Brodie, himself on a journey that becomes fatally interrupted.

As lives and histories intersect, as past mistakes and current misfortunes collide, Jackson and Louise both get caught up in an investigation that will call into question everything they once thought true.

Review:

The blurb of When Will There Be Good News? piqued my interest, but the first few pages had me hooked.

The novel opens to a scene of violence and loss and gives us six-year-old Joanna Mason's third person account of the day that she lost her family. Somehow, despite the details of the day and Joanna's youth, we get a sense of the woman that she becomes. Admirable, strong, courageous, and simpatico.

The other women characters are similarly compelling and parts of the story is told in the third person but from their points of view. There's Reggie who seems to be stalked by death. Brilliant, she did well academically at the horrible posh school where she'd been awarded a scholarship. But socially, the school was a disaster for Reggie. When freed from her mother's watchful eye, Reggie trades school for two jobs and private tutoring of sorts. Reggie's favorite place is at Dr. Hunter's home, with the baby, Dr. Hunter and the dog. Clean, full of light, warm and welcoming, it is where Reggie feels most useful and at home.

The organized, well-read, caring, and efficient Dr. Hunter seems a strange match with her dodgy husband in the "entertainment business". But while Reggie and Detective Chief Inspector Louise Monroe may shake their heads, love is a strange business. When you're among those that Dr. Hunter loves, you bask in the warmth of her affection. She'll phone to speak to baby and to the dog. Accomplished but not vain, Dr. Hunter is an "all rounder" - an athlete, musician, gifted doctor, cherished mother, wife, and friend. Her judgement in all things, excepting her husband, seems unimpeachable.

Through the character and point of view of Detective Chief Inspector Louise Monroe, the book moves towards the tradition of the British detective novels. Centered on work to the detriment of her marriage and social life, DCI Monroe reminds us that When Will There Be Good News? is a detective thriller and mystery. As DCI Monroe and Reggie work to piece together the mystery of Dr. Hunter's disappearance, the tension rises and leads us to a satisfying end.

I thoroughly enjoyed When Will There Be Good News? I laughed, cried, couldn't put it down. If you like detective novels, give it a try. This book is great for a long trip, a cold afternoon or whenever you're looking for a fully satisfying read! Plus, it comes out in paperback on Jan. 10. I'm so glad to have discovered Kate Atkinson.

Publisher: Back Bay Books; Reprint edition (January 11, 2010), 416 pages.

ISBN-10: 0316012831

Review copy provided by the publisher.

About the Author, courtesy of the publisher:

Kate Atkinson lives in Edinburgh. Her first novel, Behind the Scenes at the Museum, was named Whitbread Book of the Year in the U.K. in 1995, and was followed by Human Croquet, Emotionally Weird, Not the End of the World, Case Histories, and One Good Turn. Learn more by visiting Kate Atkinson's website at http://www.kateatkinson.co.uk/

Do you want your own copy of When Will There Be Good News? Win it here! When Will There Be Good News? contest ends on Jan. 31. Can't wait? Order the paperback which comes out on Jan. 10, 2010!

Thank you so much to Miriam, Valerie, and Hatchette Books Group for this review opportunity!

Book Giveaway: Sleep No More by Susan Crandall

Anna and Hatchette Book Group are generously sponsoring this giveaway of 5 copies of Susan Crandall's Sleep No More.

The blurb:
The night was always Abby Whitman's enemy. As a young girl she walked in her sleep, and one night, she started a fire that scarred her sister for life and left Abby with unbearable guilt . . . and a loneliness that echoes within her. Now Abby has begun blacking out again-with apparently fatal results. A car accident has killed the son of a prominent family. Even though the evidence seems to exonerate her, Abby is plagued by doubts-and soon by mysterious threats. Psychiatrist Dr. Jason Coble is intrigued by Abby and offers to help her explore the dark recesses of her mind.

About the Author, courtesy of the publisher:
Susan Crandall makes her home in Noblesville, Indiana. This is her eighth novel. Learn more at Susan Crandall's website at http://www.susancrandall.net/


CONTEST DETAILS:

To enter please tell us two books that are looking forward to reading this year and why.

Rules:
1. Please include your email address, so that I can contact you if you win. No email address, no entry.
2. You must be a follower to join the contest.

The contest is limited to US and Canada only. No P.O. boxes. The contest ends at noon on January 31, 2010.

Thank you so much to Anna and Hatchette Book Group for sponsoring this giveaway!

Book Giveaway: A Black Tie Affair by Sherrill Bodine

Anna and Hatchette Book Group are generously sponsoring a giveaway of 5 copies of A Black Tie Affair by Sherrill Bodine.

The blurb:
Fashion curator Athena Smith will do anything to get her hands on the Clayworth family's couture collection for her exhibit. So she's thrilled when she's called in to authenticate the gowns...until she falls ill while examining them and wakes up face-to-face with notorious Chicago bachelor Drew Clayworth.

Drew doesn't trust Athena one bit. He still believes she betrayed him years ago. So when his family's gowns go missing and Athena offers her help in exchange for the dresses, he reluctantly accepts. But they're both taken off guard by the barely restrained passion that's still between them...and the memories that are both bitter and sweet. As they work together to find the dresses, can they resist the sparks between them?

About the Author, courtesy of the publisher:
Sherrill Bodine has been writing stories since junior high, when she won a pair of silver skates in a state-wide essay contest. While moving twenty-two times back and forth across America and rearing her four children, she published fifteen award-winning novels under two pseudoynyms (Lynn Leslie/Leslie Lynn). Now she's decided to be herself and write about the people, parties, and high-life in the city she knows best: Chicago. When she's not in the Windy City with her husband, family, and Newfoundland and pug dogs, she's fulfilling her passion to travel to exotic locales around the world.

CONTEST DETAILS:

To enter please tell us two books that you read last year that you would recommend highly and why.

Rules:
1. Please include your email address, so that I can contact you if you win. No email address, no entry.
2. You must be a follower to join the contest.

The contest is limited to US and Canada only. No P.O. boxes. The contest ends at noon on January 31, 2010.

Thank you so much to Anna and Hatchette Book Group for sponsoring this giveaway!