Sign Up Now for Book Blogger Appreciation Week (BBAW)

Posted on July 21, 2009 by Jenn

Thanks to Amy from My Friend Amy’s Blog, I’m excited to announce the dates of the 2009 Book Blogger Appreciation Week. For those of you that don’t know, Amy has devoted a ton of her personal time to recognize the value book bloggers have, and to celebrate the book blogging world!
Last year over 400 blogs came together to celebrate the art of book blogging during the first ever Book Blogger Appreciation Week! The second annual Book Blogger Appreciation Week will be taking place September 14-18.

WHO Anyone who blogs about books is invited to participate. In fact, we want everyone who blogs about books and reading to be a part of this week!

WHAT A week where we come together, celebrate the contribution and hard work of book bloggers in promoting a culture of literacy, connecting readers to books and authors, and recogonizing the best among us with the Second Annual BBAW Awards. There will be special guest posts, daily blogging themes, and giveaways.

WHEN September 14-18, 2009

WHERE The new Book Blogger Appreciation Week Blog! (Please note that this year there are three separate blogs and feeds—one for the main event, one for giveaways, and one for awards.)

WHY Because books matter. In a world full of options, the people talking about books pour hard work, time, energy, and money into creating a community around the written word.

WANT TO PARTICIPATE? Please help us spread the word about Book Blogger Appreciation Week by posting about it on your blog, twittering about it, and telling everyone you know that it’s time to have a party and celebrate book bloggers!

Please register by filling out the registration form! Registering ensures your inclusion in the BBAW 09 Database of Book Bloggers and enters you into the drawing for the BBAW 09 Grand Prize!

Award Nominations opened July 15 on the BBAW Awards Blog.
Posted in Book Blogger Appreciation Week (BBAW), Review, Teaser Tuesday | 1 Comment

Teaser Tuesday, July 21

Posted on July 21, 2009 by Jenn

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along!

Just do the following:

  • Grab your current read

  • Open to a random page

  • Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

  • BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

  • Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My teaser this week comes from Sineater by Elizabeth Massie:

“Burke hurries out of the cabin door, following his aunt into the night, fearful of what he had seen, and filled with a greater dread for that which he has not seen. And as he runs, he hears something in the night, something heavy and dark, moving past him toward the cabin where the mourners cower like children before an insane parent.”

What’s your teaser?

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

It's Monday! What Are You Reading This Week?

Posted on July 20, 2009 by Jenn

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading This Week? This is a weekly event to list the books completed last week, the books currently being reading, and the books to be finish this week. It was created by J.Kaye’s Book Blog, so stop by and join in!

So, I went out of town for a family reunion. Packed eight books and only read 1 1/2 of them! I always over pack when it comes to books. You never know what book you are going to want to read next!

Completed Last Week

The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe
Worst Nightmares by Shane Briant (check back later in the week for a giveaway!)

Currently Reading

Killing Floor (Jack Reacher, No. 1) by Lee Child (audio book)
Sineater by Elizabeth Massie (first book and author spotlighted for my Virginia is for…Book Lovers feature! )

Books to Complete This Week

The Last Bridge by Teri Coyne
Gold of Kings by Davis Bunn
Doomsday Can Wait (The Phoenix Chronicles, Book 2) by Lori Handeland
Far Dark Fields by Gary A.Braunbeck
Triple Cross by Mark T. Sullivan

So what are your reading plans this week?

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Winner of Castaways!

Posted on July 20, 2009 by Jenn

Is….

Julie has been notified via email of her win! Thanks to all who entered!

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Teaser Tuesday, July 14

Posted on July 14, 2009 by Jenn

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along!

Just do the following:

  • Grab your current read

  • Open to a random page

  • Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

  • BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

  • Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My teaser this week comes from The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe:

“The blue orb of light grew more solid, it’s electrical veins snapping in jagged lines from her fingertips and palms into the center of the ceramic planter. In that instant, the dried spider plant leaves flushed with water and health, the fresh, waxy green of life crawling down each black leaf, lifting and twisting as the color returned, and sending out fragile little shoots bursting wiht new baby leaves up and over the edge of the planter.”

What’s your teaser?

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

It's Monday! What Are You Reading This Week?

Posted on July 13, 2009 by Jenn

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading This Week? This is a weekly event to list the books completed last week, the books currently being reading, and the books to be finish this week. It was created by J.Kaye’s Book Blog, so stop by and join in!

Completed Last Week

The Poet by Michael Connelly
The Castaways by Erin Hilderbrand

Currently Reading

The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe
I Love Yous Are for White People: A Memoir by Lac Su
Killing Floor (Jack Reacher, No. 1) by Lee Child (audio book–and man, is it good!)

Books to Read this Week

We’re headed out of town this weekend, so I’m looking forward to a lot of down time for reading!

Welcome Back to the Night by Elizabeth Massie (first book and author spotlighted for my Virginia is for…Book Lovers feature! )
The Goodbye Cousins by Maggie Leffler
Little Bee: A Novel by Chris Cleave
Sacred Hearts by Sarah Dunant
The House on Fortune Street by Margot Livesey
Bought by Anna David
Worst Nightmares by Shane Briant

So, what will you be reading this week?

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

New Feature: Virginia is for…Book Lovers!

Posted on July 9, 2009 by Jenn

Virginia is known for many things, our great wine, historic locations like Jamestown, Williamsburg, and Manassas. Virginia is also known for it’s amazing writers! Thanks to Michelle at Galleysmith, I’ve decided to start a new feature highlighting authors from my state, the Commonwealth of Virginia, by doing a review of one of their books. This feature will be called “Virginia is for Lovers…of Books!” When I was doing my research on authors from VA, I came up with a pretty amazing list:

Geraldine Brooks
Willa Cather
John Grisham
Barbara Kingsolver
Adriana Trigiani
Elizabeth Massie
David Baldacci
Patricia Cornwell
Sharyn McCrumb
Tom Wolfe
….and many many more!

Authors/Publicists-If you have a book written by a VA author (born in, or currently residing in) that you would like featured, please use the Contact Me Page to tell me about it!

Thank you to Heather from A High and Hidden Place for designing the amazing button you see above!

Check back in the coming weeks to find out more about all the amazing authors that have come out of Virginia!

Posted in Virginia is for Book Lovers | Leave a comment

Book Review, Blog Tour & Giveway: The Castaways by Elin Hilderbrand

Posted on July 8, 2009 by Jenn


In Nantucket, six couples are very close friends. They name their close little clique The Castaways. The vacation together, their children have been raised together. They share everything…and sometimes a little too much.

The story opens with the friends discovering that Greg and Tess have mysteriously drowned. They leave behind two small children and a lot of unanswered questions. They were out on a sailboat celebrating their anniversary when disaster hit. Greg and Tess had experienced marital problems in the past few months. Greg was accused of having a relationship with one of his high school students. He was aching for something more in his life. Tess had a secret of her own, a relationship with one of the other Castaways. So the other Castaways are left wondering what happened. Did Greg kill Tess, or was it truly an accident. Was killing Tess his way to get out of the life that was holding him back like an anchor?

The deaths of Greg and Tess isn’t the only mystery surrounding the Castaways. Each of the couples in the group seem to be experiencing some type of infidelity (both physical and emotional) or drama.

The Castaways is a stunning tale of passion, suspense and intrigue. Just how far can friendship be tested before it is destroyed?

I was immediately pulled in to the many mysteries this book held. Looking at the book, and reading the title, I automatically and mistakenly assumed this would be a light, easy beach read. It’s much much more than that. The characters are very developed, the reader learns intricate details of their life and relationships. The many characters at first was a bit difficult, at times it was difficult to keep them all straight. But once I got into the story each character had their own discernable characteristics. The story is told by each of the Castaways, so the reader gets to see all sides of the story. I have to say, it was difficult for me to like any of the Castaways. They each had their own faults and were downright annoying at times. The one redeeming character was the Chief. He seemed to be the only one with a level head. I felt sorry for him for being the one that had to deal with the brunt of the drama because he was the one everyone could count on.

Nevertheless, I highly recommend this book for anyone looking for a “meaty” beach read. It will take a bit of concentration to get into the story and the characters at first, but it will be well worth it!

This blog tour will run all this week. Check out the other blogs participating in this tour:

July6
http://bookingmama.blogspot.com/
http://www.writeforareader.blogspot.com
http://cafeofdreams.blogspot.com/
http://thetometraveller.blogspot.com/

July 7
http://www.sheistoofondofbooks.com/
http://peekingbetweenthepages.blogspot.com
http://bfishreads.blogspot.com/
http://hiddenplace.wordpress.com/
http://www.bellasnovella.com/
http://www.acircleofbooks.blogspot.com/
http://booksandneedlepoint.blogspot.com/
http://bridget3420.blogspot.com/
http://abookishmom.blogspot.com/
http://bermudaonion.wordpress.com/

July 8
http://dreyslibrary.blogspot.com/
http://cindyloveofbooks.blogspot.com/
http://books-movies-chinesefood.blogspot.com/

July 9
http://thisbookforfree.com/
http://redladysreadingroom-redlady.blogspot.com/
http://www.linussblanket.com/
http://abookbloggersdiary.blogspot.com/
http://brainlair.blogspot.com/
http://www.myfriendamysblog.com/

July 10
http://www.myspace.com/darbyscloset
http://kayespenguinposts.blogspot.com/
http://imbookingit.wordpress.com/
http://booksoulmates.blogspot.com/
http://www.morbid-romantic.net/
http://nisefunpages.blogspot.com/
http://tvandbookaddict.blogspot.com/
http://allisonsatticblog.blogspot.com/
http://wrightysreads.blogspot.com/
http://frugalplus.com/
http://www.mgpblog.com/

Now for the giveway: Hachette books sent me a nice finished copy of the book, so I have my gently read review copy to give away!

  • To be entered, please answer the following question: What is your favorite beach read?
  • To get extra entries, blog or tweet about it. Please include a link to your post or tweet for the entry to count.
  • An email address must be included in every comment or that comment will be disqualified.
  • Contest ends Friday, July 17th. Winner will be announced Saturday the 18th.
  • Contest open to residents of US and Canada only.

Thank you, and good luck!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyqfn2Tu5GM&hl=en&fs=1&]

Posted in blog tour, Review | Leave a comment

Review: The Poet by Michael Connelly

Posted on July 7, 2009 by Jenn

Jack McEnvoy is a crime reporter for a local Denver newspaper. His twin brother, Sean, a homicide detective, is found dead in his car. The cause of death is ruled as a suicide. Jack knows his twin would never commit suicide. He begins to investigate more into the crime scene. A quote was found written on the windshield. The first responders assume it was a suicide note. Afterall, Sean was upset about an emotional case he was unable to close.

Jack takes on his toughest assignment ever and choses to write a story about his brother’s death. But with every bit of research he does, the information he uncovers points to homicide instead of suicide. He does a search for homicide detective deaths around the countryand comes up with a handful. Futher research indicates that they all had quotes written somewhere at the crime scene. Jack discovers that the quotes are all from the writings of Edgar Allen Poe. Jack takes his information to the FBI, and soon a search begins for a serial killer/pedophile referred to by the FBI as The Poet. In exchange for the information he’s given to the FBI, Jack is allowed to participate in the case. He joins up with the FBI’s Behavioral Science Unit and an attractive Agent Rachel Walling. The case quickly picks up speed and Jack becomes closer to the case, the killer, and Agent Walling, than he had intended.

I have to confess..The Poet is my first Connelly book. Shocking, yes? However, I received a copy of THE SCARECROW thanks to Hachette books and wanted to get my hands on the prequel before I started reading it. All I can say is…WOW! I can’t believe I waited so long to read this! Connelly does a stellar job of keeping the reader guessing. I was drawn in from the very beginning. About halfway through the book I thought I knew who The Poet was, but Connelly threw me not once, but twice! It’s a book that will grab you and won’t let you go. I really liked Jack. He’s an average sort of guy, yes, he’s a reporter but not one of those that will stop at nothing to get a story. By the end of the book he gained my respect and admiration.

Connelly is now one of my new favorite authors. If you haven’t read any of his work, I suggest you do it now!

Note to the squeamish: some of the crimes and crime scenes are described in vivid detail.

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Teaser Tuesday-July 7

Posted on July 7, 2009 by Jenn

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along!

Just do the following:
  • Grab your current read

  • Open to a random page

  • Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

  • BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

  • Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My teaser this week comes from The Spare Room by Helen Garner:

“I was afraid I would slide off the bench and measure my length among the cut roses. At the same time, a chain of metallic thoughts went clanking through my mind, like the first dropping of an anchor: death would not be denied.”

Share your teaser by commenting below, or by visiting MizB of Should Be Reading.

Posted in Teaser Tuesday | Leave a comment