Friday, April 9, 2010

Friday 56: Week 40 - The Eyes of Willie McGee: A Tragedy of Race, Sex, and Secrets in the Jim Crow South by Alex Heard










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 from a book that I just received and am excited to start reading called The Eyes of Willie McGee: A Tragedy of Race, Sex, and Secrets in the Jim Crow South by Alex Heard:

In addition to taking on the appeal, Jackson agreed to help Bessie McGee recover money she'd paid to Earle Wingo, the man who'd successfully defended the accused lynchers of Howard Wash. Willie was aware of Wingo's reputation for winning cases; according to Bessie's first-trial testimony, he'd asked her to hire him for the defense -- which, if true, indicates that his mind was working all right before the trial started.

Book Review of She's So Dead to Us by Kieran Scott

I first read about She's So Dead to Us on the Simon & Schuster website and was so excited when I received a copy to review!

She's So Dead to Us
The blurb:
Home is where the hate is.

Ally Ryan would rather be in Maryland. She would rather be anywhere, in fact, than Orchard Hill, site of her downfall. Well, not hers exactly, but when your father's hedge fund goes south and all your friends lose their trust funds, things don't look so sunny for you. So her mother moved them away to flee the shame. But now they're moving back. Back to the country club, new car every year, family came over on the Mayflower lifestyle that Ally has outgrown. But there are bright sides. Like gorgeous Jake Graydon. Ally and Jake instantly like each other, but it won't be easy for them to be together -- not if his friends (her former friends) have anything to say about it. Is Ally ready to get thrown back into the drama of the life she left behind?

Review:
She's So Dead to Us is a thoroughly fun read! Ally Ryan has had to move out of her mansion on "the Crest" in disgrace. When her family slunk out of their house to avoid creditors, she never had a chance to say goodbye to her friends. Now that she's moving back to her old town, even though she knows that things have changed, she's hoping that her friends will look beyond her father's actions and see her for the person that she's always been.

Things aren't that simple - and as the title of the book suggests, Ally Ryan's status has markedly changed. Fortunately, she's retained her sense of humor, her biting wit, sense of self, amazing physical prowess, and good looks. Ally Ryan poor still attracts the boys' attention just as she always did - but this time the rich boys aren't willing to be seen with her.

Ally makes her own way and forces everyone to take her on her own terms. Though Ally sometimes wishes that the gorgeous soccer star Jake Graydon would get a spine, the back and forth between Ally and Jake works. I shared Ally's impatience with Jake, but the book is a fun read. I was rooting for Ally from the start - and thoroughly enjoyed that she lived up to her potential! I found the ending a little abrupt - it seems like She's So Dead to Us must have a sequel. I certainly want to find out what happens with Ally, Jake - and Ally's parents!

ISBN-10: 1416999515 - Hardcover $16.99
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing (May 25, 2010), 288 pages.
Review copy provided by the publisher.

About the Author:
Kieran Scott is the author of the Non-Blonde Cheerleader series. She also writes the Private and Privilege series under the pen name Kate Brian. She lives in New Jersey with her husband and son.

Thanks so much to Lucille and Simon and Schuster for this review opportunity!

Thursday, April 8, 2010

Books for NY Schools this Saturday at The Center for Fiction

The Center for Fiction is hosting Books for NYC Schools this Saturday, April 10! In an earlier post, I blogged about The Center for Fiction.



There are plenty of events for adults

11:30am
Reading and Q&A with Jamaica Kincaid
The revered novelist and journalist reads from her novel, Annie John, about a young girl growing up in Antigua, Kincaid’s home country. This beloved book has reached a vast audience of young people and adults over the fourteen years it has been in print, and Kincaid will answer questions about the creation and what the book means to her now.


12:30pm
The Futility of Interviewing Musicians with Craig Marks, Rob Sheffield, Touré, Jody Rosen and Rob Tannenbaum
Marks (editor in chief of Billboard magazine) leads Tannenbaum (fresh from his news-making Playboy interview with Jon Mayer), Sheffield (contributing editor to Rolling Stone and author of Love is a Mix Tape), Toure (journalist and television host of Fuse TV’s Hip Hop Shop) and Rosen (music critic for Slate) through the whys, why nots, and what-the-heck-just-happeneds of interviewing rock stars.


1:30pm
Sci-Fi: Intergalactic Adventures with Kurt Andersen, Rick Moody, and N.K. Jemisen
Literary giants Andersen and Moody might not be the first names that come to mind when ones thoughts turn to sci-fi, but as it turn out they are not just fans, but practitioners. Andersen reads from a short story to be included in a sci-fi collection edited by Neil Gaiman, and Moody reads from his upcoming Four Fingers of Death, while N.K. Jemisen, whose Hundred Thousand Kingdoms has been termed by Publishers’ Weekly in a starred review, “edge of your seat scary, with plenty of funny, scary and bittersweet twists.”

How to Get Published with Judy Hottensen, Ira Silverberg and Sara Nelson
The book publishing industry is reeling, print may or may not be dead, and aspiring authors are left to wonder whether it might be a better idea just to use that 900-page unpublished manuscript for kindling or tweet it every two minutes for the next 50 years. Hottensen, publisher of Weinstein Books and ReadThis board member, guides the discussion with Ira Silverberg, the influential literary agent from Sterling Lord Literistic; and Sara Nelson, books director of O magazine, former editor in chief of Publishers Weekly, and ReadThis board member on the tips of how to get your book in print.

Instant Writer Workshop with Darcey Steinke and Rene Steinke
Do you have 45 minutes? These acclaimed novelists (and ReadThis co-founders) will take you through an experiment with fiction writing. Darcey Steinke is the author of Suicide Blonde, Easter Everywhere, and Milk, and Rene Steinke is the National Book Award nominated writer of Holy Skirts.


2:30pm
Panel Discussion: Writing About Money: The Reporters -with Hugo Lingren, Michael Hudson, and Dean Starkman
The U.S. is just scrambling its way out from under the biggest financial crisis since the Great Depression and we’re still trying to figure out what happened and who caused it. Lindgren, executive editor of
Businessweek, award-winning reporter Hudson, author of the upcoming The Monster: How a Gang of Predatory Lenders and Wall Street Bankers Fleeced America – and Spawned a Global Crisis, and Starkman, a longtime investigative reporter for the Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal and the editor of Audit, take your questions and talk about how writing about money has educated them about human nature.


Instant Writer Workshop with Darcey Steinke and Rene Steinke
Do you have 45 minutes? These acclaimed novelists (and ReadThis co-founders) will take you through an experiment with fiction writing. Darcey Steinke is the author of Suicide Blonde, Easter Everywhere, and Milk and Rene Steinke is the National Book Award nominated writer of Holy Skirts.


3:00pm
Q&A with Elizabeth Gilbert
Special terms of entry–read the information in the blue panel to the right to find out more on how to reserve a seat. (This event repeats at 4:30pm)
Her Eat, Pray, Love is 163 weeks into its residency on the New York Times best-seller list. Her new work, Committed: A Skeptic Makes Peace With Marriage, is keeping it company. For 45 minutes, Gilbert (a ReadThis board member) answers questions for an intimate audience of just over 100 people. Be one of them by clicking on the link and buying a few books for selected schools that need enough copies to teach the titles in the classroom. A good cause, a good chance to ask Elizabeth Gilbert: “What’s it like to have Julia Roberts play you in a movie?”


3:30pm
Panel Discussion: Writing About Money, the Novelists with Jonathan Dee, Adam Haslett, and Martha McPhee
Man Against Man, Man Against Nature…How about Man Against the Federal Reserve? These critically acclaimed writers have recently penned novels set in the world of financial privilege and power. Dee (The Privileges), Haslett (Union Atlantic), and McPhee (Dear Money) talk with Lindgren (executive editor of Businessweek) about what they learned about money while writing about human nature. They will be joined by the financial reporters from the 2:30 p.m. Money Panel.

Instant YA Writers Workshop with Natalie Standiford and Bennett Madison
Ever wonder if you have what it takes to write for teens? Or just want to understand your own teen better? Then attend this 45-minute session with Standiford (author of the popular How To Say Goodbye in Robot and co-founder of ReadThis) and Madison (author of The Blonde of the Joke) for a few hands-on tips of creating stories that get to the hearts of young readers.


4:30pm
Q&A with Elizabeth Gilbert
Special terms of entry – read the information in the blue panel to the right to find out more on how to reserve a seat. (For event details: see 3:00pm)


Reading and Q&A with Sam Lipsyte
Sam Lipsyte’s dark and hilarious new novel, The Ask, is splitting the sides of critics nationwide and accruing a huge—and deeply deserved-- fan base in just its first months on the shelves. A recent rave review in the New York Times’s Sunday Book Review, exclaimed, “Let’s read Lipsyte and rejoice.” Join Lipsyte, one of the best readers in America, for what promises to be a highlight of the day.

There are activities for kids as well:

11:30am
Children’s Book Reading with Veronica Chambers and Miriam Cohen Chambers, author of Double Dutch: A Celebration of Jump Rope, Rhyme and Sisterhood, among other titles, reads from her picture book, Celia Cruz, Queen of Salsa, about the rise of the salsa star from the streets of Havana.
Cohen, an avid champion of the rights of children, will read from a few of her picture books that showcase young people whose positive spirits turn adversity into something constructive. Collaborating with illustrator Lillian Hoban, Cohen has penned the "First-Grade Friends" picture-book series, among dozens of other titles.

Make Your Own Book with Ruth Root, Rebecca Odes, and Cameron Martin
Sure, your kid has done craft projects before, but how many times have they worked side by side with an artist whose work has hung in the Whitney? These distinguished artists have devised the project and provide hands-on guidance for your young artist to create a book or bookmark.

Children’s Writing Workshop with Sam Swope (ages 7-13)
The author of The Araboolies of Liberty Street and I Am Pencil takes children through the story-writing paces. This is a hands-on, pencils-up, 45-minute session which will take your child a little further toward becoming a writer.

Screening of the short children's film, Lost and Found
“Nothing short of stunning”–The Times in London calls this film adaptation of Oliver Jeffers' children's story of the same name. Narrated by Jim Broadbent, the animated film trails the tested friendship of a boy and the loyal penguin who appeared one day on his doorstep.


12:30pm
Children’s Book Reading with Tad Hills and Fran Manushkin
Tad Hills, the author and illustrator of the popular Duck and Goose series, and Fran Manushkin, the author of 17 books for children, including Baby, Come Out! and the Katie Woo series, read from their work and answer questions from curious little readers.

Make Your Own Book with Ruth Root, Rebecca Odes, and Cameron Martin
Sure, your kid has done craft projects, but how many times have they worked side by side with an artist whose work has hung in the Whitney? Distinguished artists Ruth Root, Rebecca Odes, and Cameron Martin provide hands-on guidance for your young artist to create a book or bookmark.

Young Adult Spectacular: Cecily Von Ziegesar (Gossip Girl), Scott Westerfeld (Uglies, Leviathan), Bennett Madison (The Blonde of the Joke) and Justine Larbalestier (Liar)
What is it like to watch your bestselling book series become a hit TV show? How do you create an alternate universe? With work ranging in subject matter from steampunk to rich kids to compulsive liars to shoplifting, this is said to be the Golden Age of Teen Fiction. Hear four fascinating YA stars read from their books and ask them what you really want to know.


1:30pm
Children’s Book Reading with Bob Morris and Elise Broach
You may know Morris best from his long-running New York Times etiquette column or his hilarious memoir about overseeing his geriatric father’s dating life, Assisted Loving, but he is also the ukulele-playing author of the children’s book, Crispin the Terrible. He plays and reads for kids, along with Elise Broach, the author of the popular book Wet Dog, as well as Time magazine’s #1 children’s book of 2007, When Dinosaurs Came With Everything.

Make Your Own Book with Ruth Root, Rebecca Odes, Roe Etheridge, and Pilita Garcia
Sure, your kid has done craft projects, but how many times have they worked side by side with an artist whose work is shown at Gagosian and Kreps? Distinguished artists Root, Odes, Ethridge and Garcia provide hands-on guidance for your young artist to create a book or bookmark.


2:30pm
Children's Book Reading and Signing with Sam Swope
The author of The Araboolies of Liberty Street and I Am Pencil reads to children from his books and answers their questions about his characters and how he writes such riveting tales.

Make Your Own Book with Ruth Root, Rebecca Odes, Roe Etheridge, and Pilita Garcia
Sure, your kid has done craft projects, but how many times have they worked side by side with an artist whose work is shown at Gagosian and Kreps? Distinguished artists Root, Odes, Ethridge and Garcia provide hands-on guidance for your young artist to create a book or bookmark.


3:30pm
Children’s Book Reading With Brian Floca: To the Moon!
Michael Collins, the Command Module Pilot for Apollo 11 has said of Floca’s book, “Reading Moonshot gave me the feeling I was back up in space.” And now, without suffering the ill effects of zero gravity, your little ones can get the feeling too. Floca reads from his books and answers every out-of-this-world question for your kids.

Make Your Own Book With Ruth Root, Rebecca Odes, Chris Doyle and Jeff Quinn

Sure, your kid has done craft projects, but how many times have they worked side by side with an artist whose work has been projected on the whole side of a building at Columbus Circle? Distinguished artists Root, Odes, Doyle and Quinn provide hands-on guidance for your young artist to create a book or bookmark.


4:30pm
Make Your Own Book With Ruth Root, Rebecca Odes, Chris Doyle and Jeff Quinn
Sure, your kid has done craft projects, but how many times have they worked side by side with an artist whose work has been projected on the whole side of a building at Columbus Circle? Distinguished artists Root, Odes, Doyle and Quinn provide hands-on guidance for your young artist to create a book or bookmark.


For the complete schedule or to learn more, call 212-755-6710 or visit The Center for Fiction's website at http://centerforfiction.org/booksfornyckids Or visit The Center for Fiction to see for yourself!

Interested? Sign up!

The price of entry is a donation of at least 2 new or gently used books (grades K-12). For the list of recipient organizations or to learn more about donating, visit the Center for Fiction's Books for NYC Schools page.

The Mercantile Library Center for Fiction
17 East 47th Street, b/w 5th & Madison Aves
New York, NY 10017

10 in 2010 - the Teen Chicklit Challenge!

The 10 in ‘10 Teen Chick Lit Challenge!

10 in 10 Chick Lit Challenge

Hosted by YA Author Kay Cassidy and teen book blogger Jessica (www.chicklitteens.com), runs until Dec. 31, 2010 and is a way to learn more about Teen Chicklit - find interesting books, join some discussions, and possibly win some prizes!

Interested? Here's how it works:

1) Grab the official 10 in ‘10 Teen Chick Lit Challenge logo above and put it on your site with a link back to Kay Cassidy's post on 10 in '10 to let people know you’re playing.

2) Choose 10 teen chick lit books to read in 2010. Or select the ones you know you want to read and leave the rest of your list open to see what comes your way in 2010. (Head over to Kay Cassidy and Jessica's site for discussions on the great teen chick lit books we’ve read each month and you may find some new ones that catch your eye!)

3) Click on the Mr. Linky button on Kay's site to share your list if you’ve posted it on your blog. If you don’t have a blog, simply comment below with your choice of books and let us know you’re in like Flynn.

4) Each month, Jessica and Kay will alternate hosting the official check-in post where you can share the books you’ve read for the challenge. And be sure to let us all know what you thought of them!

Here's my tentative list:

  • Hunger Games 3 by Suzanne Collins
  • The Weed that Strings the Hangman's Bag by Alan Bradley
  • She's So Dead to Us by Kieran Scott
  • The Fallen by Lauren Kate
  • Moonshadow: Rise of the Ninja by Simon Higgins
  • The Daughters by Joanna Philbin
  • Gateway by Sharon Shinn
  • Dragon Haven by Robin Hobb
Have you read any good Teen Chicklit lately? If you have any recommendations - please share!!

Book Review of The Devil and Sherlock Holmes: Tales of Murder, Madness and Obsession by David Grann

The Devil & Sherlock Holmes: Tales of Murder, Madness & Obsession

The blurb:
The world's most renowned Sherlock Holmes scholar, hot on the trail of a priceless cache of long-lost Arthur Conan Doyle papers is found garroted. Was he murdered?

A serial French importer pretends to be a missing American boy and is taken in by the boy's real family. Is he the perfect conman, or is he the one being conned?

In Texas a father is about to be executed for setting a fire that killed his children. But could he be innocent?

A Polish detective, while investigating a brutal slaying, stumbles upon a postmodern novel by a darling of the avant-garde. Does this book hold the key to solving the crime?

Sherlock Holmes once said that "life is infinitely stranger than anything which the mind of man could invent." In that same spirit of curiosity and discovery, David Grann sets out to solve a dozen real-life mysteries in these hypnotic accounts. Whether he is reporting on the infiltration of U.S. prisons by the murderous Aryan Brotherhood, riding a cyclone-tossed skiff with a scientist in search of elusive giant squid, or descending into the secret world of sandhogs hundreds of feet below New York City, Grann explores the nature of obsession and those caught in its grip. The unforgettable characters display the full power, and ofthe the perversity, of the human spirit. The Devil and Sherlock Holmes is a gripping and supremely entertaining work -- a mosaic of ambition, deception, passion, and folly.

Review:
The Devil and Sherlock Holmes: Tales of Murder, Madness, and Obsession is an unusual and fascinating collection of true stories. Each story is carefully researched and rich with detail.

We learn about:
  • Mysterious Circumstances: The Strange Death of a Sherlock Holmes Fanatic Richard Lancelyn Green, the foremost expert on Sherlock Holmes, sought to find a missing collection Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's letters, diaries, and manuscripts. Before the papers are found, Green is found to have died in a mysterious fashion. Grann takes us to Green's life, his quest, his rivals, and the mystery of his death.
  • Trial by Fire: Did Texas Execute an Innocent Man? Grann examines the case of Todd Willingham who was accused and convicted of having murdered his three daughters by arson. Decades after the fire, a scientific expert is able to determine what had caused the fire and to evaluate Willingham's guilt.
  • The Chameleon: The Many Lives of Frederic Bourdin Frederic Bourdin successfully adopts a variety of ages, professions, and nationalities - American, French, Spanish...
  • True Crime: A Post Modern Murder Mystery Described by the Polish press as "the perfect crime" the murder of a 35-year old businessman is linked to the graphic and shocking novel "Amok".
  • The Squid Hunter: Chasing the Sea's Most Elusive Creature Grann recounts man's encounters with and search for the Giant Squid from ancient times to today. From descriptions in the Bible to Roman encyclopedias and Homer's Odyssey, descriptions of giant squid are plentiful and encompass different continents. Grann accompanies Steve O'Shea, a marine biologist from New Zealand in his quest to capture and raise giant squid.
  • City of Water: Can an Antiquated Maze of Tunnels Continue to Sustain New York? Grann explores the caverns and tunnels over 600 feet underground to understand the system of waterways and pipelines that pump billions of gallons of water into New York City daily.
  • Giving "The Devil" His Due: The Death Squad Real-Estate Agent Emmanuel "Toto" Constant, known in Haiti as "the devil" had terrorized his countrymen with organized violence and mass murders. When Toto Constant forced out of power and facing criminal charges, he escaped to the United States. Toto Constant lived in the open in New York City, worked as a real estate agent and mingled with fellow Haitians despite the clamor for his arrest and execution. Grann interviews Constant, his American allies, and the Haitians who seek his imprisonment for his crimes - and paints a fascinating account of Toto Constant.
  • The Brand: The Rise of the Most Dangerous Prison Gang in America. I'm almost afraid to mention the Aryan Brotherhood, especially after reading about their organization, their methods, and their willingness to murder and maim with impunity. Based on interviews and research, Grann describes how the organization developed, expanded, and solidified its power base. The intricate methods of communication, the bloodthirsty acts of revenge, and the intentional intimidation have all built a terrifying organization of criminals with vast resources.
The old saying that truth is stranger than fiction certainly applies here. David Grann's carefully selected stories are intricate, complex and fascinating. These are stories that you'll read and want to share with those around you - whether to tell them about giant squids or the reach of the Aryan Brotherhood or the case of Todd Willingham, I am certain that this is a book that readers will want to recommend to friends and family. I recommend it highly myself to anyone with an interest in nonfiction, mysteries, or searching for something informative and fun to read.

ISBN-10: 0385517920 - Hardcover $26.95
Publisher: Doubleday (March 9, 2010), 352 pages.
Review copy provided by the publisher.

About the Author, courtesy of the publisher:
David Grann is a staff writer at The New Yorker and the author of the bestselling The Lost City of Z, which has been translated into more than 20 languages. His stories have appeared in many best American writing anthologies, and he has written for the New York Times Magazine, the Atlantic, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal and the Republic.

Want your own copy? Sign up for my giveaway - it ends on April 30.
http://startingfresh-gaby317.blogspot.com/2010/03/book-giveaway-devil-and-sherlock-holmes.html

A huge thank you to Judy and DoubleDay for my review copy and for sponsoring this giveaway!

Book Giveaway of Get Rid of Performance Review by Samuel A. Culbert and Lawrence Rout

Valerie and Hatchette Book Group are sponsoring a giveaway of Get Rid of Performance Review!: How Companies Can Stop Intimidating, Start Managing -- and Focus on What Really Matters by Samuel A. Culbert and Lawrence Rout!



About the Book:
The performance review. It is one of the most insidious, most damaging, and yet most ubiquitous of corporate activities. We all hate it. And yet nobody does anything about it. Until now... Straight-talking Sam Culbert, management guru and UCLA professor, minces no words as he puts managers on notice that -- with the performance review as their weapon of choice -- they have built a corporate culture based on intimidation and fear. Teaming up with Wall Street Journal Senior Editor Lawrence Rout, he shows us why performance reviews are bogus and how they undermine both creativity and productivity.

Listen to an excerpt of Get Rid of Performance Review! at http://www.hachettebookgroup.com/books_9780446556057.htm

About the Authors:
Samuel A. Culbert is Professor of Management at UCLA Anderson School of Management. He is the recipient of the American Association of Publishers Best Management Book of the Year award and the Harvard Business Review McKinsey Award.

Larry Rout is an editor at the Wall Street Journal.

CONTEST DETAILS:

To enter please share why you'd like to win this book.

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 May 5, 2010.

Thank you so much Valerie and Hatchette for sponsoring this giveaway!

Book Giveaway of The Cradle by Patrick Somerville

Valerie and Hatchette Book Group are generously sponsoring a giveaway of The Cradle by Patrick Somerville.



About the Book:
Early one summer morning, Matthew Bishop kisses his still-sleeping wife Marissa, gets dressed and eases his truck through Milwaukee, bound for the highway. His wife, pregnant with their first child, has asked him to find the antique cradle taken years before by her mother Caroline when she abandoned Marissa, never to contact her daughter again. Soon to be a mother herself, Marissa now dreams of nothing else but bringing her baby home to the cradle she herself slept in. His wife does not know-does not want to know-where her mother lives, but Matt has an address for Caroline's sister near by and with any luck, he will be home in time for dinner.

Only as Matt tries to track down his wife's mother, he discovers that Caroline, upon leaving Marissa, has led a life increasingly plagued by impulse and irrationality, a mysterious life that grows more inexplicable with each new lead Matt gains, and door he enters. As hours turn into days and Caroline's trail takes Matt from Wisconsin to Minnesota, Illinois, and beyond in search of the cradle, Matt makes a discovery that will forever change Marissa's life, and faces a decision that will challenge everything he has ever known.

Elegant and astonishing, Patrick Somerville tells the story of one man's journey into the heart of marriage, parenthood, and what it means to be a family. Confirming the arrival of an exuberantly talented new writer, The Cradle is an uniquely imaginative debut novel that radiates with wisdom and wonder.

About the Author:
Patrick Somerville grew up in Green Bay, Wisconsin, attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and later earned his MFA in creative writing from Cornell University. He is the author of the story collection Trouble (Vintage, 2006), and his writing has appeared in One Story, Epoch and Best American Nonrequired Reading. He lives with his wife in Chicago, and is currently the Blattner Visiting Professor of Creative Writing at Northwestern University. This is his first novel.

The Cradle comes with a Reading Group Guide, which I've reproduced below. The author also shares a list of books that have influenced his own work as a writer. I love learning about a writer's influences - here's the link to the list of 51 books that most influenced Patrick Somerville.


Reading Group Guide, courtesy of the publisher:
1. What does Matt mean when he tells Joe, "You're free," as they eat breakfast in the diner?

2. In your opinion, what is the significance of the cradle?

3. Renee's story occurs more than a decade after Matt's, and in many ways the two characters exist in different worlds. How are their respective quests similar? How are their journeys different?

4. Why does Marissa cry on her wedding day?

5. Why do you think Matt rips the showerhead out of the wall?

6. In the novel's first chapter, Marissa claims,"There are two kinds of people in the world. There are people who understand that everything matters and people who don't understand that everything matters" (page 6). What does she mean by this? Is she serious? Use her statement as a way to think about the various characters in the book.

7. How is writing poetry different for Renee than her work writing children's books? Why do you think she struggles so much with the former, and how does that struggle change in the course of the novel? How does Renee's understanding of Walt Whitman's work play a role?

8. Matt comes to the realization that "the world never just happened but rather was made by people, each and every aspect of it" (page 157). How does this realization affect his sense of personal responsibility?

9. Who was the character you most identified with at the beginning of the novel? Did that change by the conclusion of the story?

10. Why do you think that, following Matt's return, Marissa never again asked about the cradle?

Want your own copy? Sign up below!

CONTEST DETAILS:

To enter please tell us about one new release book that you're looking forward to reading.

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 May 5, 2010.

Thank you so much Valerie and Hatchette for sponsoring this giveaway!

Book Giveaway of Stephanie Meyer's The Host

Valerie and Hatchette Book Group are sponsoring this giveaway of 3 copies of Stephanie Meyer's The Host! The Host debuted as #1 on The New York Times hardcover fiction bestseller list and remained there for more than a year. Meyer’s first adult novel was not only a huge commercial success with more than 2 million copies sold, it also brought a whole new audience of readers to Stephenie Meyer. Movie rights to The Host have been optioned by Nick Wechsler and Steve and Paula Mae Schwartz, the team that produced the film of Cormac McCarthy’s The Road. Andrew Niccol of Gattaca and The Truman Show will write the script and direct.



About the Book:
Melanie Stryder refuses to fade away. The earth has been invaded by a species that take over the minds of human hosts while leaving their bodies intact. Wanderer, the invading "soul" who has been given Melanie's body, didn't expect to find its former tenant refusing to relinquish possession of her mind.

As Melanie fills Wanderer's thoughts with visions of Jared, a human who still lives in hiding, Wanderer begins to yearn for a man she's never met. Reluctant allies, Wanderer and Melanie set off to search for the man they both love.

Featuring one of the most unusual love triangles in literature, The Host is a riveting and unforgettable novel about the persistence of love and the essence of what it means to be human.

Intrigued? Here's a sneak peak at the bonus chapter.

Listen to an excerpt at http://www.thehostnovel.com/

The trade paperback edition comes with a New Bonus Chapter and Reading Group Guide. The book also includes Stephenie Meyer's Annotated Playlist as an accompaniment.

About the Author, courtesy of her website:

Stephenie Meyer's life changed dramatically on June 2, 2003. The stay-at-home mother of three young sons woke-up from a dream featuring seemingly real characters that she could not get out of her head.

"Though I had a million things to do, I stayed in bed, thinking about the dream. Unwillingly, I eventually got up and did the immediate necessities, and then put everything that I possibly could on the back burner and sat down at the computer to write-something I hadn't done in so long that I wondered why I was bothering."

Meyer invented the plot during the day through swim lessons and potty training, then writing it out late at night when the house was quiet. Three months later she finished her first novel, Twilight. With encouragement from her older sister (the only other person who knew she had written a book), Meyer submitted her manuscript to various literary agencies. Twilight was picked out of a slush pile at Writer's House and eventually made its way to Little, Brown where everyone fell immediately in love with the gripping, star-crossed lovers theme.

Twilight was one of 2005's most talked about novels and within weeks of its release the book debuted at #5 on The New York Times bestseller list. Among its many accolades, Twilight was named an "ALA Top Ten Books for Young Adults," an Amazon.com "Best Book of the Decade ... So Far", and a Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year.

The highly-anticipated sequel, New Moon, was released in September 2006 and has spent more than 25 weeks at the #1 position on The New York Times bestseller list.

In 2007, Eclipse landed literally around the world and fans made the Twilight Saga a worldwide phenomenon! With midnight parties, vampire-themed proms and more the enthusiasm for the series continues to grow.

On May 6, 2008, Little, Brown and Company released The Host, Meyer's highly-anticipated debut for novel adults which debuted at #1 on The New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller lists. The Host still remains a staple on the bestseller lists a year after its debut.

On August 2, 2008, the final book in the Twilight Saga, Breaking Dawn was released at 12:01 midnight. Stephenie made another appearance on "Good Morning America" and was featured in many national media outlets, including Entertainment Weekly, Newsweek, People Magazine and Variety. Stephenie headlined the Breaking Dawn Concert Series with Justin Furstenfeld of Blue October to celebrate the release in four major markets across the US.

The Twilight movie, directed by Catherine Hardwicke and starting Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart, was released on November 21, 2008. Twilight debuted at #1 at the box office with $70 million, making it the highest debut for a female director.

Stephenie lives in Arizona with her husband and three sons.

Want your own copy of The Host with all the bonus material? Join the contest below!

CONTEST DETAILS:

To enter, you can either visit Stephanie Meyer's website and tell us something new about her OR mention if you'd read any of the Twilight books and who you liked best (JACOB!!).

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 May 5, 2010.

Thank you so much Valerie and Hatchette for sponsoring this giveaway!

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Book Review of Burn by Ted Dekker and Erin Healy

I should apologize to Phenix Publicity and the authors - my review for Ted Dekker & Erin Healy's Burn was long in coming! It took me a while to get started because of prior commitments and just other things taking over, but once I got started, it was so hard to put this book down.


Burn

The blurb:
Burn uniquely combines the heart-pounding suspense, supernatural elements and the trademark plot twists Dekker fans have come to know and love with Healy’s strong feminine voice and affinity for nuanced emotional connections.

“This genre of fiction is often dominated by male authors and male protagonists,” says Healy, award-winning editor and owner of WordWright Editorial Services. “I think women who like supernatural thrillers but are looking for a more feminine narrative voice, and strong female characters will connect with Burn.”

In Burn, Janeal Mikkado’s world is turned upside down when powerful criminal Salazar Sanso promises her a new life if she helps him recover a vast sum of money from her father, a leader in their gypsy kumpania. When the plan goes awry and the camp is attacked and burned
by Sanso’s men, Janeal finds herself faced with two choices: save her best friend who is about to be consumed by a fire or disappear with the million dollars stolen from her father. Her decision will alter the course of her life forever.

The past Janeal thought had burned away eventually rises from the ashes. The sudden reappearance of the best friend and boyfriend she left for dead, along with the malevolent Sanzo, threatens the high-powered life she has made for herself away from the gypsy camp.
There’s a debt to be paid for the money she found: she must make a new life-or-death choice—but this time, escape is not an option.

Review:
Burn was my first exposure to Ted Dekker & Erin Healy writing together. In Burn, Dekker & Healy have created complex female lead characters. Janeal, the lead protagonist, is a sympathetic and nuanced.

Born of mixed heritage and treated as an outsider by the Rom and the outside world, Janeal quick to react in a crisis. Janeal finds herself a pawn in power struggle and she's forced to choose between her father and security. Janeal struggles with the repercussions of this choice for years to come.

Burn starts out strong - I found myself rooting for Janeal to rise above her situation. I found the paranormal angle to be a bit disappointing, although other readers might enjoy this aspect of the book. Overall, Burn is a fun, thrilling read.

ISBN-10: 1595544712 - Hardcover $24.99
Publisher: Thomas Nelson (January 12, 2010), 384 pages.
Review copy provided by the Phenix Publicity.

About the Authors:
Ted Dekker is the New York Times bestselling author of more than 20 books, which have sold a combined 3.6 million copies worldwide. He began his career writing spiritual thrillers, and has since crossed over into mainstream fiction with recent titles such as Adam, Thr3e, Skin, Obsessed and BoneMan's Daughters. His novels Thr3e and House became feature films, and more of his books are in development with Lionsgate Entertainment. Learn more at his website www.teddekker.com

Erin Healy will release her first stand-alone novel this spring with Never Let You Go (Thomas Nelson | May 2010 | 9781595547507 | Hardcover |$17.99), a new brand of fiction building on her work with Dekker that melds supernatural suspense with relational drama. She lives in
Colorado Springs, Colo., with her husband, Tim, and two children.
Visit her website at www.erinhealy.com to learn more

Thank you so much to Cristina and Phenix Publicity for this review opportunity!

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Book Blog Tour of In the Shadow of the Cypress by Thomas Steinbeck

Welcome to the Book Blog Tour of In the Shadow of the Cypress by Thomas Steinbeck.

In the Shadow of the Cypress
The blurb:
In 1906, the Chinese in California lived in the shadows. Their alien customs, traditions, and language hid what they valued from their neighbors. . . an left them open to scorn and prejudice. Their communities were ruled -- and divided -- by the necessity of survival among the many would-be masters surrounding them, by struggles between powerful tongs, and by duty to their ancestors.

Then, in the wake of a natural disaster, fate brought to light artifacts of incredible value among the Monterey coast: an ancient Chinese jade seal and a plaque inscribed in a trio of languages lost to all but scholars of antiquity. At first, chance placed control of those treasures in the hands of outsiders -- the wayward Irishman who'd discovered them and a marine scholar who was determined to explore their secrets. The path to the truth, however, would prove to be as tangled as the roots of the ancient cypress that had guarded these treasures for so long, for there are some secrets the Chinese were not ready to share. Whether by fate, by subtle design, or some intricate combination of the two, the artifacts disappeared again. . . before it could be proved that they must have come there ages before Europeans ever touched the wild and beautiful California coast.

Nearly a century would pass before an unconventional young American scientist unearths evidence of this great discovery and its mysterious disappearance. Taking up the challenge, he begins to assemble a new generation of explorers to resume the perilous search into the ocean's depth. . . and the shadows of history. Armed with cutting edge, modern technology, and drawing on connections to powerful families at home and abroad, this time Americans and Chinese will follow together the path of secrets that have long proved as elusive as the ancient treasures that held them.

This striking debut novel by a masterful writer weaves together two facinating eras into one remarkable tale. In the Shadow of the Cypress is an evocative, dramatic story that depicts California in all its multicultural variety, with a suspense that draws the reader inexorably on until the very last page.

Review:
In the Shadow of the Cypress is an unusual and engrossing read. The book is told from three points of view: that of Dr. Charles Gilbert, a professor at Stanford University in 1906, that of his contemporary, Dr. Lao-Hong, a Harvard-educated Chinese who takes an active role assisting the Chinese community, and that of Charles Lucas, a graduate student at Stanford in the present. At the center of the book is a mystery of unique Chinese artifacts that were first discovered in Northern California in 1906, at a time that Chinese immigrants are marginalized.

The novel begins with the narrative of Dr. Charles E. Gilbert, a professor of marine biology at Stanford. As Gilbert describes life in Northern California during the early 1900s, he sympathizes with the local Chinese as they face open discrimination and attacks on China Point. Gilbert learns about the discovery of unique Chinese artifacts and his fascination with the mysterious artifacts leads him to a great mystery.

Then the novel the impact that the artifacts have on the local Chinese community from the point of view of Dr. Lao-Hong, a contemporary of Dr. Gilbert's. Dr. Lao-Hong is a Harvard graduate and well respected member of the Chinese community. Born, raised and educated in America, Dr. Lao-Hong often shares a "semi-Western sensibility" and often feels torn between two cultures. In a society where family ties and connections are of critical importance, Dr. Long-Hong is fortunate in his family and clan; he is nephew to two highly respected directors of the powerful Three Corporations. As the representative of Three Corporations, Dr. Lao-Hong tasked with balancing conflicting claims over the artifacts that would respect the people and town where the artifacts were discovered, the local tongs and his clan, and the interests of Mainland China.

When as a student at Stanford, Luke comes across Dr. Gilbert's notes on the artifacts and he immediately recognizes the importance of this groundbreaking discovery. Luke tries to decipher the symbols and enlists the expertise of Robert Wu, a Chinese American PhD candidate. Working together and aided by cutting edge technology, Luke and Robert decipher the mysteries of the ancient Chinese artifacts.

Thomas Steinbeck's In the Shadow of the Cypress is a well-crafted and fascinating read. The mystery of the artifacts drew me in but I found the descriptions of Dr. Lao-Hong and the Chinese communities to be the best part of the book. Steinbeck weaves an intriguing tale and offers a sympathetic look at a hidden culture.

1439168253 - Hardcover $ 25.00
Publisher: Pocket (April 6, 2010), 256 pages.
Review copy provided by the publisher.

About the Author:
Thomas Steinbeck began his career in the 1960s as a combat photographer in Vietnam. Along with his writing an producing obligations, he is in demand as a public speaker, lecturing on American literature, creative writing and the communication arts. He lives in California with his wife.

Thank you so much to Sarah and PocketBooks for this review opportunity!
CymLowell