Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, martini in the other, totally worn out and screaming,
"WOO HOO, what a ride!"

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Teaser Tuesdays

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly meme hosted by Miz B of Should Be Reading and asks you to :
1. Grab your current read
2. Open to a random page
3 . Share 2 "teaser" sentences also citing the title of the book and the author and in that way people can have great recommendations if they like the "teaser".
4. Please avoid spoilers!
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Grandma Mazur came to live with my parents when Grandpa Mazur passed on to wherever it is that bacon-eating, whiskey-drinking, gravy-loving people pass on to. She's five foot five on a good day, has tightly permed gray hair, a body that's mostly slack skin on spindle bones, and has an attitude only old ladies can pull off.

~page 40
Sizzling Sixteen by Janet Evanovich

Monday, June 28, 2010

Mailbox Monday

Mailbox Monday at The Printed Page is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week (checked out library books don’t count, eBooks & audio books do). Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.

Last week was a busy one getting ready for our garage sale and attending a few graduation parties (it's rough eating, drinking and chatting with friends for hours but somebody has to do it!) so I didn't get to my books as often as I wanted to. I still had fun stuff to read and was fortunate enough to have more goodies come in. How about you?

Web of Lies
by Jennifer Estep


Won from Babbling About Books and More

Curiosity is definitely going to get me dead one of these days. Probably real soon.

I'm Gin Blanco.

You might know me as the Spider, the most feared assassin in the South. I’m retired now, but trouble still has a way of finding me. Like the other day when two punks tried to rob my popular barbecue joint, the Pork Pit. Then there was the barrage of gunfire on the restaurant. Only, for once, those kill shots weren’t aimed at me. They were meant for Violet Fox. Ever since I agreed to help Violet and her grandfather protect their property from an evil coalmining tycoon, I’m beginning to wonder if I’m really retired. So is Detective Donovan Caine. The only honest cop in Ashland is having a real hard time reconciling his attraction to me with his Boy Scout mentality. And I can barely keep my hands off his sexy body. What can I say? I’m a Stone elemental with a little Ice magic thrown in, but my heart isn’t made of solid rock. Luckily, Gin Blanco always gets her man . . . dead or alive.


Infinite Days
by Rebecca Maizel


for review from St Martin's Press

When Lenah Beaudonte, a 500-year-old vampire queen, wakes up a human teenager at an ultra-cliquey prep school, she must choose between embracing the humanity she’s always craved and saving her new friends from her vicious coven. The first in a sizzling new YA series.

Lenah Beaudonte is, in many ways, your average teen: the new girl at Wickham Boarding School, she struggles to fit in enough to survive and stand out enough to catch the eye of the golden-boy lacrosse captain. But Lenah also just happens to be a recovering five-hundred-year-old vampire queen. After centuries of terrorizing Europe, Lenah is able to realize the dream all vampires have -- to be human again. After performing a dangerous ritual to restore her humanity, Lenah entered a century-long hibernation, leaving behind the wicked coven she ruled over and the eternal love who has helped grant her deep-seated wish.

Until, that is, Lenah draws her first natural breath in centuries at Wickham and rediscovers a human life that bears little resemblance to the one she had known. As if suddenly becoming a teenager weren’t stressful enough, each passing hour brings Lenah closer to the moment when her abandoned coven will open the crypt where she should be sleeping and find her gone. As her borrowed days slip by, Lenah resolves to live her newfound life as fully as she can. But, to do so, she must answer ominous questions: Can an ex-vampire survive in an alien time and place? What can Lenah do to protect her new friends from the bloodthirsty menace about to descend upon them? And how is she ever going to pass her biology midterm?


The Mysterious Benedict Society
by Trenton Lee Stewart


request from Paperback Swap

Dozens of children respond to this peculiar ad in the newspaper and are then put through a series of mind-bending tests, which readers take along with them. Only four children-two boys and two girls-succeed. Their challenge: to go on a secret mission that only the most intelligent and inventive children could complete. To accomplish it they will have to go undercover at the Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened, where the only rule is that there are no rules. But what they'll find in the hidden underground tunnels of the school is more than your average school supplies. So, if you're gifted, creative, or happen to know Morse Code, they could probably use your help.

Monday, June 21, 2010

Review: A Field Guide to Aliens by Johan Olander



Intergalactic Worrywarts,
Bubblonauts Silver-Slurpers,
and other Extraterrestrials






"A Field Guide to Aliens" is the first truly comprehensive guide to Earth's extraterrestrial visitors and includes profiles of more than twenty-five previously undocumented aliens. With this essential field guide, you'll: learn about each alien's origin, diet and distinguishing features; check out their cool tech gadgets (from lasersaws to slime grenades); get the most up-to-date information on alien sightings; see the undeniable evidence of aliens on our planet (from a giant club found in the countryside to an oddly familiar helmet and mask left in a living room; and, find out how you can become an alienologist, too. Have you ever noticed strange words spelled out in the night sky? Do you know which alien can't be alone? Are you sure that a Knutt has never played a prank on you? Find out all of that and more in this delightfully eerie collection of extraterrestrial lore.

Even though aliens aren't really my thing and I'm not exactly the target age for this book I adored it! The design is very clever and set up like an actual field guide. Each page is laid out on graph paper and features a different alien. Each alien has a chart of information that includes it's name, origin, diet, distinguishing features, sitings on earth and technology. There is also a detailed colored illustration and a variety of sketches and photos "taped" onto the pages. The illusion of bent corners, coffee stains, smudges and tears add to the charm. And it's all done with a sense of humor. Children will enjoy the silliness and parents will appreciate fun references (Alien Disco aka Boogie-dood is from the planet Funk located in a disc-shaped galaxy called Studio 55).

While this was my first Johan Olander book it definitely won't be my last. This is a followup to A Field Guide to Monsters and An Eyeball in my Garden is coming in August. I'll be looking for both of them!

I was also lucky enough to receive amazing archival prints that I mentioned here.

Thank you to the author for a review copy of this book.

www.monstrology.com
www.marshallcavendish.us/kids

Publisher: Marshall Cavendish Children's Books
Release date: 4/1/10
Pages: 61
Price/format: $15.99/hardcover
Type: children

CSN Stores

If you have a blog or have visited other blogs in the last few months you've probably noticed that there have been many posts for CSN Stores. I first fell in love with their products when I saw several blogs reviewing and giving away books shelves. Who doesn't need more bookshelves? Of course I entered those giveaways (sadly, I didn't win a single one) but I also started shopping through the other 200 sites for CSN Stores. Yes, 200!

With summer finally here I'm looking for some outdoor furniture for the porches but inside I need some new lighting. Since I read late into the night that's a big priority for me, especially in our family room. CSN has everything I could ever need, from holiday and outdoor lights to lamps, chandeliers and recessed lighting

I've been looking at these sites for days and I'd better hurry up and make up my mind because the hubby is checking out the cookware section. He loves to cook but that's not fun for me! Maybe I can find a light that I can use near my hammock and then I'd never have to leave it. Hmmm, something to think about...


Now that's impressive! I can't think of anyone who has one of these by their hammock. It would be so awesome if it zapped bugs too! Hmmm, something else to think about...




Check it out and see what lights or other products might work for you.

Saturday, June 19, 2010

Contest: Lowcountry Summer by Dorothea Benton Frank

When Caroline Wimbley Levine returned to Tall Pines Plantation, she never expected to make peace with long-buried truths about herself and her family. The Queen of Tall Pines, her late mother, was a force of nature, but now she is gone, leaving Caroline and the rest of the family uncertain of who will take her place.

In the lush South Carolina countryside, old hurts, betrayals, and dark secrets will surface, and a new generation will rise along the banks of the mighty Edisto River.

Wonderfully evocative, infused with humor and poignancy, and rich with the lyrical cadences of the South, Lowcountry Summer is vintage Dorothea Benton Frank, a deeply moving novel you'll want to savor and share.

Thanks to Megan at HarperCollins I have two copies of this book to give away!

Rules:
- Simply fill out the form to enter.
- US and Canada only, no PO boxes
- Winners chosen by random.org

Extra entries:
+1 new followers
+2 old followers
+2 promote the contest and leave a link

Contest ends 7/9/10 at 11:59 p.m.

Contest: The Rule of Nine by Steve Martini

The Old Weatherman dreams of a plan that could be his swan song, an attack to drive a stake through the heart of the right-wing establishment and bury it for good. Now he's found the money, the ideal weapon, and the professional who knows how to use it. And he has set his sights on the perfect target at the very seat of the United States government, in the heart of downtown Washington. It will be a strike heard round the world.

San Diego defense attorney Paul Madriani is still reeling from the trauma of a near nuclear explosion he helped avert at the naval base in Coronado. Threatened by federal authorities to keep quiet about the close call in California, Madriani is now faced with a new problem in the steely-eyed and alluring Joselyn Cole, a weapons control expert, who believes he has to go public with what he knows if they have any hope of stopping a similar event in the future.

But Madriani has been linked to the murder of a Washington, D.C., political staffer, and authorities believe a shadowy figure called Liquida—a hired assassin known as "the Mexicutioner"—may be responsible. And this man, as the last survivor of the attack in San Diego, might be driven by a bizarre and horrifying star-crossed vendetta, and might now be looking for Madriani himself. What Madriani and Cole begin to fear is that the Old Weatherman and this madman have joined forces and intend to pull the city—and the country—into a vortex of terror before Madriani and Cole can find answers to the enigma that is "the rule of nine."

Thanks to Megan at HarperCollins I have two copies of this book to give away!

Rules:
- Simply fill out the form to enter.
- US and Canada only, no PO boxes
- Winners chosen by random.org

Extra entries:
+1 new followers
+2 old followers
+2 promote the contest and leave a link

Contest ends 7/9/10 at 11:59 p.m.

Contest: The Secret Speech by Tom Rob Collins

It is 1956. Three years ago, Leo Demidov moved on from his career as a member of the state security force. As an MGB officer, Leo had been responsible for untold numbers of arrests and interrogations. But as a reward for his heroic service in stopping a killer who had terrorized citizens throughout the country, Leo was granted the authority to establish and run a homicide department in Moscow. Now, he strives to see justice done on behalf of murder victims in the Soviet capital, while at the same time working to build a life with his wife Raisa and their adopted daughters, Zoya and Elena.

Leo's past, however, can not be left behind so easily, and the legacy of his former career--the friends and families of those he had arrested as a state security officer--continues to hound him. Now, a new string of murders in the capital threaten to bring Leo's past crashing into the present, shattering the fragile foundations of his new life in Moscow, and putting his daughter Zoya's life at risk.

Faced with a threat to his family, Leo is launched on a desperate, personal mission that will take him to the harsh Siberian Gulags, to the depths of the hidden criminal underworld, and into the heart of Budapest and the Hungarian uprising.


Thanks to Val at Hatchette Books I have three copies of this book to give away!

Rules:
- Simply fill out the form to enter.
- US and Canada only, no PO boxes
- Winners chosen by random.org

Extra entries:
+1 new followers
+2 old followers
+2 promote the contest and leave a link

Contest ends 7/9/10 at 11:59 p.m.

Thursday, June 17, 2010

The gift of a scholarship

Last week our family gave a scholarship at our local high school in memory of my cousin Dawn. This is the school that she attended and so have several generations of our family. We didn't have a lot of money to give and the majority of the donations collected when she died last year were put into college funds for her own four young children. We still had $300.00 each for a boy and a girl that will be graduating this month. At first it was hard to narrow down the candidates but the guidance department helped us find the perfect pair. Our criteria was a little different than most because we weren't worried about the highest grades or even if the students would be going on to college. We wanted kids who may not always get recognized but who deserve it. Kids who embody Dawn's same spirit and her generous and happy nature. Our recipients were terrific choices and were very grateful. We've already received touching thank you notes. I'm so glad we did it and we plan to give more next year.

If you're looking for a way to help others, consider a scholarship. It's a great way to memorialize a loved one and you are investing in the future of a young adult. It's also a wonderful feeling to do something nice for other people. Maybe someday they will pass it on too.

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

So, I was just wondering…

woman wondering

As you probably already know (since I mention it every chance I get) I LOVE my hammock. My hubby built the frame several years ago and has replaced the hammocks twice. It’s a favorite place to read and relax and I use it every chance I get. Unfortunately, the bugs aren’t cooperating with my plans to lounge as much as possible lately and they are feasting on me and my family, even the dogs. F-ing bugs. They won’t keep me from my haven though!

Since my hammock is right in my backyard I don’t need much, just my book and sometimes my pillow. And sunshine, I love sunshine. A drink is a nice bonus but the book is my only requirement.  I recently stayed at my brother’s house to watch his pets for the weekend and that was a reader’s retreat. They have a pool, a pond, an enclosed porch with comfy furniture, a whirlpool tub and big screen TVs for the times I needed a break from reading (ha!). I’ve done that twice for them and it was more of a gift to me than it was a favor to them.  Last year my mother found  a small cottage for the extended family to rent at a nearby lake and that was heaven. I got to read on the dock, the porch, in front of the picture window and yes – even in a hammock. I even made time to go out in the row boat and spend time with family, although it doesn’t sound like it does it? I hope we get to do that again and again.  I haven’t been to the ocean in many, many years but the beach is a wonderful place to read as well. I remember spreading out my towel, unloading a pile of paperbacks and I was happy for hours. I have a cozy family room and fireplace to use for my reading retreat in the long winter months but these are my happy places to escape to in the warm weather. 

So I was just wondering, when you head to the beach, the lake, a cabin in the woods, the park or wherever your special place is, what do you like to take with you? What do you toss into your bag? Do you load up on supplies or is a book enough to make you happy? We all know if we’re packing for our families the supply list is endless – toys, snacks, sun block, wipes, towels, extra clothes… but what do you need for you? Where is your warm weather happy place and what do you take with you? 

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Teaser Tuesdays

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly meme hosted by Miz B of Should Be Reading and asks you to :
1. Grab your current read
2. Open to a random page
3 . Share 2 "teaser" sentences also citing the title of the book and the author and in that way people can have great recommendations if they like the "teaser".
4. Please avoid spoilers!
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

When I'm in a relaxed position my thighs feel spongy. This is partly due to the fact that I don't run, swim, or play Frisbee of any kind, and also due to the fact that I will eat anything if it has chocolate sauce or ketchup on it.

~page 3
Big Boned by Meg Cabot

Saturday, June 12, 2010

A little of this, a little of that...

It's finally feeling summery around here so I had to change up the blog a little. I hope the white background isn't too stark but I couldn't find exactly what I wanted. I still have to play with things a bit. I made the header from some photos I took with my new camera. I got some beautiful flowers two weeks ago from the farmer's market and they looked so pretty that I had to start clicking away. That's one of my dogs posing and looking pretty and of course I had to get my hammock in there too!

I'm hoping to get my mom to post some guest reviews with me. (If you're reading this mom that's a hint!) I don't know where she finds the time but she breezes through her books so she might as well be writing about it. I think I'm going to post some mini reviews as well. Sometimes I've read a book from the library or a story that has plenty of regular reviews out there already and a post with just a few of my thoughts is enough. Some of my photos and favorite quotes may get tossed into the mix every now and then too.

Of course there are more contests coming also. In fact, I'd better get to work on that right now! Thank you to all of you for stopping by, being so kind and becoming my friends. I don't get to visit as often as I would like to, especially with nicer weather here, but I appreciate your comments and the hard work you do on your own blogs. Happy summer!

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

So, I was just wondering

woman wondering

It’s graduation season and gifts are needed. Cash is important to every new grad of course but books are always a good idea too (I think so anyway). Finding the right one can be a challenge but there are plenty of classics out there. A favorite that always comes to mind is Oh, The Places You’ll Go by Dr. Seuss. Although it’s considered a picture book, the rhymes are endearing and inspirational. The messages are timeless and apply to all ages so it’s equally good for a preschooler or a teenager. After all, you’re never too old for Dr. Seuss! And what about dictionaries? That used to be an obvious choice but do people even buy them anymore? I still use mine, I have a couple that have been around here for a long time and it’s handy to grab one when I need it.  

So I was wondering, what books would you suggest for a graduation gift? Have you ever given any for that occasion? Did you receive any yourself that were memorable? Please share with us!

Congratulations to all the graduates and best wishes!

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Teaser Tuesdays

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly meme hosted by Miz B of Should Be Reading and asks you to :
1. Grab your current read
2. Open to a random page
3 . Share 2 "teaser" sentences also citing the title of the book and the author and in that way people can have great recommendations if they like the "teaser".
4. Please avoid spoilers!
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

My wings unfurled. White feather by white feather, curving out and up toward the ceiling, spreading to their full span, like two halves to one heart, until they tapped the walls.
~page 10
Godmother - The Secret Cinderella Story by Carolyn Turgeon

Review: Truly, Madly by Heather Webber






Romance, mystery
and a whole lot of fun.





Meet Lucy Valentine; sassy, fabulously original…and psychic. Lucy hails from a long line of matchmakers known as Valentine INC. According to family legend, the Valentines have been blessed by Cupid with the ability to help couples find true love. Trouble is Lucy’s powers were zapped away by an electrical surge and now all she can find are lost objects. But what good is that in the matchmaking world? Lucy is about to find out when she tries to solve a murder and winds up falling into a romance of her own.

I thought I had posted this months ago but apparently I never did. What a bad way to treat a good book! This was an easy read that I really enjoyed. It has a nice mix of romance, mystery and humor with a twist of paranormal added to the mix.

This is the first book in a new series about matchmaker and psychic Lucy Valentine. The story is interesting but unpredictable and unfolds at a steady pace. A murder adds suspense and also brings a new man and adventure into Lucy's life. The characters are quirky, fun and have great chemistry. I truly enjoyed reading their story and look forward to more. This may have a Valentine's Day theme but it's great for any time of the year. It's the perfect book to take to the beach!

Thank you to Goodreads First Reads and LibraryThing Early Reviewers for an ARC of this book.


Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks
Release date: 2/2/10
Pages: 304
Price/format: $7.99/Mass market paperback
Type: romance/mystery

Monday, June 7, 2010

Mailbox Monday

Mailbox Monday at The Printed Page is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week (checked out library books don’t count, eBooks & audio books do). Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.




Doomsday Key
by James Rollins

From Harper Collins

At Princeton University, a famed geneticist dies inside a biohazard lab. In Rome, a Vatican archaeologist is found dead in St. Peter's Basilica. In Africa, a U.S. senator's son is slain outside a Red Cross camp. The three murders on three continents bear a horrifying connection: all the victims are marked by a Druidic pagan cross burned into their flesh.

The bizarre murders thrust Commander Gray Pierce and Sigma Force into a race against time to solve a riddle going back centuries, to a ghastly crime against humanity hidden within a cryptic medieval codex. The first clue is discovered inside a mummified corpse buried in an English peat bog--a gruesome secret that threatens America and the world.

Aided by two women from his past--one his exlover, the other his new partner--Gray must piece together the horrifying truth. But the revelations come at a high cost, and to save the future, Gray will have to sacrifice one of the women at his side. That alone might not be enough, as the true path to salvation is revealed in a dark prophecy of doom.

Sigma Force confronts humankind's greatest threat in an adventure that races from the Roman Coliseum to the icy peaks of Norway, from the ruins of medieval abbeys to the lost tombs of Celtic kings. The ultimate nightmare is locked within a talisman buried by a dead saint--an ancient artifact known as the Doomsday Key.

The Rule of Nine
by Steve Martini

From Harper Collins

The Old Weatherman dreams of a plan that could be his swan song, an attack to drive a stake through the heart of the right-wing establishment and bury it for good. Now he's found the money, the ideal weapon, and the professional who knows how to use it. And he has set his sights on the perfect target at the very seat of the United States government, in the heart of downtown Washington. It will be a strike heard round the world.

San Diego defense attorney Paul Madriani is still reeling from the trauma of a near nuclear explosion he helped avert at the naval base in Coronado. Threatened by federal authorities to keep quiet about the close call in California, Madriani is now faced with a new problem in the steely-eyed and alluring Joselyn Cole, a weapons control expert, who believes he has to go public with what he knows if they have any hope of stopping a similar event in the future.

But Madriani has been linked to the murder of a Washington, D.C., political staffer, and authorities believe a shadowy figure called Liquida—a hired assassin known as "the Mexicutioner"—may be responsible. And this man, as the last survivor of the attack in San Diego, might be driven by a bizarre and horrifying star-crossed vendetta, and might now be looking for Madriani himself. What Madriani and Cole begin to fear is that the Old Weatherman and this madman have joined forces and intend to pull the city—and the country—into a vortex of terror before Madriani and Cole can find answers to the enigma that is "the rule of nine."

Low Country Summer
by Dorothea Benton Frank

From Harper Collins

Dorothea Benton Frank is a native of the South whose novels vividly capture the wild beauty, laid-back atmosphere, earthy characters, and charming eccentricities of life in South Carolina's Lowcountry. Written with compelling honesty and emotional depth, her stories have touched readers from coast to coast, and propelled her to the top ranks of bestsellerdom nationwide.

Now this remarkable writer revisits some of her most unforgettable characters in this enchanting new story sure to make you laugh and cry. Return with her to Tall Pines Plantation in this long-awaited sequel to her beloved bestseller Plantation. . . .

When Caroline Wimbley Levine returned to Tall Pines Plantation, she never expected to make peace with long-buried truths about herself and her family. The Queen of Tall Pines, her late mother, was a force of nature, but now she is gone, leaving Caroline and the rest of the family uncertain of who will take her place.

In the lush South Carolina countryside, old hurts, betrayals, and dark secrets will surface, and a new generation will rise along the banks of the mighty Edisto River.

Contest winners!

Congratulations to the winners of
The Host by Stephenie Meyer!

Elise
Fate Fortuna

Melanie


I've sent emails to each of you. Thank you again to Hatchette Books!

Sunday, June 6, 2010

I've been busy...

I have so much catching up to do but I had a good reason - really. My youngest son is a junior in high school and over the weekend his baseball team won sectionals! They won another game the next day and continue on tomorrow towards a regional title and then possibly the state championship. It's been five years since this high school has won so these kids are really excited. They've struggled with injuries (I took my kid for x-rays for two different body parts in a twenty-four hour period), illnesses (one of the seniors played with a ruptured appendix for ten days, spent two weeks in ICU and came back to the team two weeks later!!) and other problems but they've pulled together for an amazing finish. In addition to all the end of the year events (school doesn't let out here until the end of June) I'm driving to all the games, washing and rewashing those stupid white pants (only a man would choose white for a uniform), cheering for those boys and swelling with pride when I see my kid smile. This ride won't last forever and we will be patting backs and soothing broken hearts soon enough but right now it's all sunshine and rainbows.I do have some goodies to post so I guess I'd better get to it! Goodies, coming right up!

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Teaser Tuesdays

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly meme hosted by Miz B of Should Be Reading and asks you to :
1. Grab your current read
2. Open to a random page
3 . Share 2 "teaser" sentences also citing the title of the book and the author and in that way people can have great recommendations if they like the "teaser".
4. Please avoid spoilers!
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Strange things were suppose to happen near the Line; dangerous things. Even though there hadn't been a Crossing Storm in over forty years, people still thought of the Line as a bad place to be near. There were whispers about Away - the territory on the other side of the Line.

~page 1
The Line by Teri Hall