Awesome Author Challenge 2010

Alyce from At Home With Books is hosting the Awesome Author Challenge that will be running from January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2010.  Here is a chance for you to finally read some of those authors that people keep recommending to you!  I think this challenge will work well for me as you don't have to stick to a list.  I plan on starting a list, but it may change as time goes on. 

I am going to select the Easy Option by selecting three authors.  Then I just need to read one book from each of these authors.

Here are the authors I am going to choose right now:

Dan Simmons--Black Hills-Completed 5/17/2010
Margaret Atwood--The Handmaid's Tale--Completed 9/21/2010

Sue Miller

Philippa Gregory

Edith Wharton

Current Giveaways and Todays Feature at the Book Club Exchange!!!

First of all I would like to thank Julie from Booking Mama for featuring my book club on her Book Club Exchange segment today, which you can view here.  I shared several things about my book club so if you are curious you should check it out!

Here are some great contests that I found out in blogland this week:

Savvy Verse and Wit is giving away The Last Dickens by Matthew Pearl--HURRY because this one ends today, 10/29.

A Sea of Books is giving away The Heretic's Daughter by Kathleen Kent--Contest ends 10/30.

Review From Here is giving away The Heretic's Daughter by Kathleen Kent--Contest ends 10/31.

Readaholic is giving away Pendragon's Banner by Helen Hollick--Contest ends 11/6.

My Own Little Corner of the World  is giving away The Heretic's Daughter by Kathleen Kent--Contest ends 11/7.

Savvy Verse and Wit is giving away some Business Cards--Contest ends 11/7.

Book Blab is giving away a signed copy of Outlander by Diana Galbadon--Contest ends 11/12.

The Neverending Shelf is giving away The Heretic's Daughter by Kathleen Kent--Contest ends 11/13.

Peeking Between the Pages is giving away The Last Will of Moira Leahy by Therese Walsh--contest ends 11/14.

Good luck everyone!

Audiobook Review: BoneMan's Daughters by Ted Dekker

Here is a summary of BoneMan's Daughters by Ted Dekker from his website:

They call him BoneMan, a serial killer who’s abducted six young women. He’s the perfect father looking for the perfect daughter, and when his victims fail to meet his lofty expectations, he kills them by breaking their bones and leaving them to die.Intelligence officer Ryan Evans, on the other hand, has lost all hope of ever being the perfect father. His daughter and wife have written him out of their lives.

Everything changes when BoneMan takes Ryan’s estranged daughter, Bethany, as his seventh victim. Ryan goes after BoneMan on his own.

But the FBI sees the case differently. New evidence points to Ryan being BoneMan. Now the hunter is the hunted and in the end only one father will stand.

My Review:
Now this is probably the most intense audiobook I have listened to yet. The main reason that I listened to this one, was to fullfill one of the slots in the What's in a Name Challenge. I've read a few reviews of this book, but considering that I don't usually read suspense thrillers I guess I just wrote it off in my mind. I'm thankful that my mind went back to this title when I was trying to think of a book with a 'body part' in the title.

Ryan Evans is a career naval intelligence officer who found himself pursuing his career and at the same time abandoning his family in the process. He's given his best years to his country, leaving his wife and daughter on their own trying to build a somewhat normal life without him. During a mission in Iraq he has a life changing experience that has him re-evaluating the decisions that he has made about his family, and finds that he regrets every one of them. He wants his family back and decides that he will return home to fight for their love.

When Ryan returns home he finds that his wife and daughter are not quite so eager to welcome him back into their lives with open arms. During his long absence his wife actually found comfort in the arms of another man, and his daughter Bethany just learned to live her life on her own, which she found very lonely at times.

BoneMan is the psycho murderer in this novel that enjoys preying on young girls. One might think that he had a sexual interest in these girls, but that was the furthest thing from his mind. His quest was to find a girl that was perfect enough to be his daughter. After abducting a girl and finding that she didn't measure up to his standards, that is when he would proceed to break their bones, which would result in their death.

Boneman was very meticulous when it came to his looks and even his victims. He would be sure to break each bone with just the right amount of pressure that would ensure the bone would not break through the skin. He wanted his victims to look unscathed. As far as his own upkeep went, he religiously used his Noxzema skin cream every day.

The novel really sped up when BoneMan abducted Bethany thinking that she would be his perfect daughter. With the family conflict surrounding Ryan Evans, the authorities started to suspect him as the BoneMan. When there wasn't any evidence to prove that Ryan wasn't BoneMan, he knew that he was going to be Bethany's only chance at being rescued from that psychopath. Ryan vowed that he would do whatever he needed in order to save his daughter so he could be with her again.

This novel really will get your blood pumping. When I listened to this in my car I remember there being times I was gripping my steering wheel so tightly that my knuckles turned white! Then there were a few times that really were just, shall I say 'icky', when I would just wave my hands in the air and yell. Oh, what people must think of me when they see me driving sometimes! The gentleman that narrated this book also did a great job, as he made the creepy parts of this novel creepier yet! I definitely recommend this one if you are a fan of the thriller/suspense genre. And if you don't usually read this genre, but are looking for something different, you may enjoy this as much as I did.

My Rating: 5/5

Disclosure:  I borrowed this book from the library to listen to for my own entertainment.

You can check out more great reviews at Cym Lowell's Book Review Party Wednesday.

Teaser Tuesday-Oct. 27

Check out Teaser Tuesdays from Should Be Reading. TEASER TUESDAYS asks you to:

Grab your current read.

Let the book fall open to a random page.

Share with us two “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page.

You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!

This week my teaser is from Made in the U.S.A. by Billie Letts:
  When she finished, she stood back from the mirror to test the high-fashion model pout she'd seen in magazines, along with her sexiest pose...making sure her toilet paper breasts were in proper position and of more or less equal size.
   Just outside the bathroom door, she found Fate waiting for her.

pg. 71

Mailbox Monday-Oct. 26

Thanks to Marcia of The Printed Page for hosting this fun meme that has us list the books that we received last week. You can go to her blog to see what everyone else got last week or to play along. Here is what I found in my mailbox:

Secrets to Happiness  by Sarah Dunn

A Match for Mary Bennett  by Eucharista Ward O.S.F.

 

Taste of Home 2010 Annual Recipes

So what did you get in your mailbox last week?

New Author Challenge 2009...Completed!

This year I joined the New Author Challenge that was hosted by Literary Escapism.  This was the first reading challenge that I joined after becoming a book blogger and I signed up to read 25 books by new authors.  Here is a list of the new authors that I read this year, and if you click on the title you should be able to read my review, unless it is one of the more recent books that I haven't posted a review for yet.

1. Eva Etzioni-Halevy-The Triumph of Deborah--Completed 2/7/2009
2. John Boyne-The Boy in the Striped Pajamas--Completed 2/10/2009
3. Sandra Dallas-Tallgrass--Completed 2/28/2009
4. Mark Grisham and David Donaldson-Bedlam South--Completed 3/10/2009
5. Natasha Mostert-Keeper of Light and Dust--Completed 4/20/2009
6. Ken Follett-Code to Zero--Completed 4/22/2009
7. Anita Diamant-The Red Tent--Completed 5/1/2009
8. C.W. Gortner-The Last Queen--Completed 5/10/2009
9. Tatiana de Rosnay-Sarah's Key--Completed 5/17/2009
10. Kaye Gibbons-Charms for the Easy Life--Completed 5/26/2009
11. Leif Enger-So Brave, Young, and Handsome--Completed 6/8/2009
12.David H. Jones-Two Brothers-One North, One South--Completed 6/16/2009
13.Nadine Dajani-Cutting Loose--Completed 6/25/2009
14.Carolyn Parkhurst-Lost and Found--Completed 7/8/2009
15.Cathy Holton-Beach Trip--Completed 7/10/2009
16.Stephenie Meyer-Twilight--Completed 7/20/2009
17.L. Diane Wolfe-The Circle of Friends III:James--Completed 8/2/2009
18.Teri Coyne-The Last Bridge--Completed 8/17/2009
19.Cathy Marie Buchanan-The Day the Falls Stood Still--Completed 8/30/2009
20.J.W. Nicklaus-The Light, The Dark and Ember Between--Completed 9/12/2009
21.Ted Dekker-BoneMan's Daughters--Completed 9/15/2009
22.Shobhan Bantwal-The Sari Shop Widow--Completed 9/21/2009
23.Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin-Three Cups of Tea--Completed 10/3/2009
24.Jill Smolinski-The Next Thing on My List--Completed 10/4/2009
25.Jess Walter-The Financial Lives of the Poets--Completed 10/7/2009

Here are the books that were my absolute favorites from this list, so they received my highest rating of 5/5.
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
The Last Queen
Lost and Found-Audiobook
Beach Trip
The Day the Falls Stood Still
The Light, The Dark and Ember Between
Three Cups of Tea

So how about you?  Did you find some new authors this year?  Now that I've completed this challenge for 2009 I guess I can go ahead and sign up for next year!

Current Giveaways!!!

Even though I have been away for most of the week, I have still been able to find a few great contests:

S. Krishna's Books is giving away The Last Dickens by Matthew Pearl--Contest ends 10/26.

She Reads is giving away The Heretic's Daughter by Kathleen Kent--Contest ends 10/27.

I Read is giving away The Heretic's Daughter by Kathleen Kent--Contest ends 10/29.

Found Not Lost  is giving away Pendragon's Banner by Helen Hollick--Contest ends 10/30.

Chick With Books  is giving away The Heretic's Daughter by Kathleen Kent--Contest ends 10/31.

Peeking Between the Pages  is giving away Hex in High Heels by Linda Wisdom--Contest ends 11/1.

Luxury Reading is giving away The Last Dickens by Matthew Pearl--Contest ends 11/4.

Bookin' With Bingo is giving away Anne Frank:  The Book, The Life, The Afterlife by Francine Prose--Contest ends 11/5.

One Persons Journey Through a World of Books is giving away Life After Genius by M. Ann Jacoby--Contest ends 11/22.

And don't forget about my Blogiversary Giveaway that ends on 11/6!

Good luck to you all!

Review: The Kingmaking by Helen Hollick

Here is a brief summary of The Kingmaking from the Sourcebooks website:

This is the tale of Arthur flesh and bone. Of the shaping of the man, both courageous and flawed, into the celebrated ruler who inspired armies, who captured Gwenhyfar's heart, and who emerged as the hero of the Dark Ages and the most enduring hero of all.

My Review:
I was one who grew up hearing mystical tales of King Arthur and his magical wizard Merlin so when I first heard what this book was about I didn't think that I would enjoy it. After reading a few reviews it appeared that this book wasn't full of the fantasy folklore and realized I may actually enjoy it. And I enjoyed this novel immensely! Considering the fact that we do not even have evidence that King Arthur actually existed, I think that Hollick did a fabulous job of weaving a story that showed us the life of a young man that would later be the King of Britain.

Arthur is introduced in this novel as a fifteen year old that is the son of a menial servant. For some reason Uthr Pendragon has taken a liking to young Arthur and has decided to take this boy under his wing. Uthr's mistress Morgause cannot understand her lord's fascination with the boy and finds herself jealous of the relationship that the two seem to have.

When Uthr brings his army to the Gwynedd territory, that is when Arthur has his first glimpse of the lovely Gwenhwyfar. Although she is a young gal at the time, there is something about her that grips his heart. While the army is away at battle their relationship seems to blossom with the time passing. Before Arthur leaves Gwenhwyfar, they pledge their lives and their love for each other.

Unfortunately, circumstances and politics seem to have other plans for Arthur. Before too long, Arthur has taken Uthr's place as head of the army that serves King Vortigern. Although Vortigern despises Arthur, he thinks it best to have him in his own employ since he can sense the power that Arthur is developing. As Arthur makes these political decisions, he worries that he may never be able to enjoy the company of his beloved Gwenhwyfar again.

I don't want you to think that this book is just a love story between Arthur and Gwenhwyfar, because it is so much more than that. There were many battles that were fought to show his country that he was a worthy king. Many of these scenes were pretty graphic so I found myself cringing in my chair. Especially when Gwenhwyfar was fighting in a couple of the battles herself. She was portrayed as a very strong woman and would do just about anything to serve the ones she loved.

As I mentioned earlier, there was only a small amount of magical element in this novel, and that surfaced when Arthur found the sword that he knew he had to possess. I thought this was put into the novel in a way that seemed plausible. Throughout this book you could see the birth of Christianity while the pagan beliefs were falling behind. Many of the characters found themselves practicing both beliefs as they did not want to get rid of their old ways. In one part of the book Arthur was so relieved that he found himself praising his pagan god and the Christian God both in the same breath.

The Kingmaking is part of the Pendragon's Banner Trilogy, and the second book, Pendragon's Banner, is now available and I have ready plenty of rave reviews of this book also. You can find out more information about this series and other books by Helen Hollick at her website. As I first mentioned, there is no documented evidence that Arthur actually existed, so if you are a reader that prefers accurate historical novels, you may not enjoy this book. If you are looking to read an interesting piece of fiction that sweeps you away to another time and place then I highly recommend it.

My Rating: 4/5

Guest Post by Teri Coyne, Author of The Last Bridge

Today I have the honor of welcoming Teri Coyne to Jo-Jo Loves to Read!!!  The Last Bridge was one of the most powerful books that I read this summer that dealt with domestic abuse and alcoholism.  If you missed my review you can still read it here.

Here is what Teri wants to share with us today:

As a debut author of a novel dealing with abuse, addiction and domestic violence, it is hard for people to believe I used to do stand-up comedy but if you met me (which I hope you will someday in a bookstore or at a library!) you would probably understand how that is possible.  

I guess the best place to start is to explain that although I am not a survivor of abuse, I did grow up around domestic violence and alcoholism so I have a firsthand knowledge of the emotional toll it takes on families and individuals, including myself.  While each of us has our own ways of coping and processing the events of our lives, mine was to use humor.  I guess you could say I have a dark sense of humor, not as dark as Cat’s but pretty close. 

As a child I learned that the easiest way to be honest was to be funny, so I expressed my deepest feelings through humor.  I lived the expression, “the truest things are said in jest” and I believe it is what has gotten me through the toughest times of my life.

Performing stand-up comedy grew out of my experiences as an actor and a love of the performing arts.  It combined the best of all worlds for me, I was able to tell stories and perform for an audience. Imagine being able to reveal your truest feelings to a room full of people and make them laugh?  It was like having my cake and eating it too!  Through humor I was able to talk about my scary, intense, charismatic father and not only would people respond, they would relate.   People often came up to me after shows to tell me about their experiences and to share their stories with me.    Instead of being put off by it, I was intrigued and inspired.   

I started writing THE LAST BRIDGE after I had a vision in my head of the opening scene and a woman’s voice saying the opening line, “Two days after my father had a massive stroke my mother shot herself in the head.” The woman who began speaking to me was Cat and the story was an intense and emotionally charged journey of discovery that asks the question, “Are we a product of our experiences or of our choices?” Cat has her challenges and is running from severe trauma, but she is also a vibrant and funny woman struggling to find meaning in a life that has almost destroyed her.  She is an extreme version of all of us at different times.

Over time, my passion for the truth evolved from doing stand-up to writing fiction.   It was in the form of the novel I found my greatest challenge and satisfaction, as my need to speak the truth was no longer just about me standing on stage talking about my life, it was to give voice to the experiences and feelings of other people, to show that although the world is filled with a lot of darkness and pain, humor, love and compassion is the light the leads us through it. 

Since THE LAST BRIDGE has been published I have received many emails from readers who have graced me with their stories, some have survived situations worse than what Cat has endured and many have said their life was similar to Cat’s, still others write to say they could relate to her feelings, or felt grateful for their own lives.   Each of the emails reminds me of how important it is to share our stories with each other and to listen.  Humor is a way of lightening the load, and for me, there is no greater triumph over pain than laughter.   

That’s my story, what is yours?  I would love to hear your comments about humor and how or if it has played an important role in your life, and as a reader do you like stories that are funny or characters that have a humorous perspective?

Thanks for stopping by today Teri and sharing with us your experience with domestic abuse. October is Domestic Abuse Awareness Month, so I think it is very important for all of us to recognize what a problem this has become in our country.  So many victims are out there right now that are afraid to reach out for help and we need to let them know that we are there for them when they are ready to take that step.  The Last Bridge stresses the importance of seeking help even after the abuse is over.  Because the abuse will continue on in your mind until it is dealt with in a healthy manner. Thanks again for stopping by today Teri, and I wish you the best of luck with your future endeavors!

Mailbox Monday-Oct. 19

Thanks to Marcia of The Printed Page for hosting this fun meme that has us list the books that we received last week. You can go to her blog to see what everyone else got last week or to play along. Here is what I found in my mailbox:

The Queen's Mistake  by Diane Haeger

'Tis the Season by Lorna Landvik

Love Walked In by Marisa de los Santos

So what did you get in your mailbox last week?

Winners of The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold!

And the winners of The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold are:

GMR

wfl

walkerd

I will be emailing the winners shortly to get your mailing information.  Thanks again Valerie from Hachette for offering this contest on my blog!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend everyone!  And just so you know, you probably won't be hearing much from me over the next few days.  I have a work-related conference that I will be attending, but I do plan on sneaking in a little bit of blogging in the evenings as I will have a laptop with me.

Congrats again to the winners...I hope to be reading The Lovely Bones myself in the near future.

Giveaway to Celebrate My One Year Blogiversary!

Wow!  I can't believe a year has gone by since I have started this blog.  I remember when I started that I thought I would post a book review maybe once every couple of weeks, and maybe something else in between.  Well things have definitely come along as I have been able to work things out to where I can post a book review at least once a week, and I also enjoy posting other book related items almost every day of the week. 

It will be interesting to see where the next year of blogging brings me.  Many bloggers have recently purchased their own domain, so maybe I will look into that if it isn't too complicated. I really am pretty happy with how my blog operates right now, it has come to be a fun and relaxing outlet for me that I look forward to, without having too many obligations to concern myself with.

So to celebrate my One Year Blogiversary, I have decided to give one winner the choice between three gently used books that I have enjoyed and reviewed on my blog.  By clicking on the title of the book you can read my review, if you haven't read it already.

This One is Mine by Maria Semple

This is the hardcover version that I received from Hachette as a review copy.

The Sari Shop Widow  by Shobhan Bantwal

This is a signed trade paperback that I received from the author to participate in a blog tour for Pump Up Your Book Promotion.

The Financial Lives of the Poets by Jess Walter

This is an Uncorrected Proof that was provided to me to participate in a TLC Book Tour. My copy has a plain white cover.





So here is how you can enter:

To enter this contest you must be 18 or older and live in the US or Canada.

For one entry leave me a comment including your email address below.

For two additional entries, blog about this contest or add the link to your sidebar.

Please include your email so I will have a way to contact you if you win.

You will have until Novemer 6th to enter, and I will draw for a winner on November 7th.

Friday Finds-Oct. 16

Should Be Reading asks you to share what books you discovered this week that interest you!

The book that caught my eye this week wasn't found on another blog, but actually at the Bon Jovi website!  Yes, you have read this correctly.  After hearing their newest song, We Weren't Born to Follow, I decided to go to their website and see if they were planning a tour soon.  I didn't see one yet, so please keep your eyes and ears open for me and if you catch wind of an upcoming tour please let me know!  But I did find a book that they are releasing...am I wanting this just for the pictures?  Maybe, but who cares!  Check it out:

In all seriousness, here is a summary of Bon Jovi: When We Were Beautiful by Bon Jovi from the HarperCollins website:

You think you know Bon Jovi, but you don't until you open this book. With gorgeous, exclusive photographs and revealing text from the band members themselves, Bon Jovi: When We Were Beautiful captures Jon, Richie, Dave, and Tico at both intimate moments and under the limelight in all aspects of their lives, from the private times backstage and on the road to their stunning and unforgettable live performances. Stretching back to the early days in Jersey, through successes and struggles, and up to the 2008 Lost Highway tour—the highest-grossing rock tour of that year—this book offers fans a dazzling portrait of rock stars on the road as they reflect on their twenty-five years together as a band of brothers. This insider's portrait of one of America's best-loved rock bands is the subject of a major documentary and this extraordinary book.

You may be unaware that I am a Bon Jovi fan, so rest assured, if they do happen to go on tour again soon, I will be there.  So did anything catch your eye this week?

Winners of the Hispanic Heritage Month Giveaway!

And the time has come to post the winners of this contest!

And the lucky winners are:

Marjorie

Linna

janetfaye

Congratulations ladies!  I will be emailing you shortly to get your mailing information so the publisher can get these sent out to you right away.  I want to take this opportunity to give a special Thank You once again to Valerie from Hachette for offering this contest on my blog!

I hope you all enjoy your new books!

Current Giveaways!!!

More great giveaways again this week!  One of the popular contests that I have noticed is for The Bible Salesman by Clyde Edgerton--Here are just a few places you can enter to win that one:

Readaholic--Contest ends 10/17.
Bookfoolery and Babble --Contest ends 10/18.
Tutu's Two Cents --Contest ends 10/20.

Another great book being given away at quite a few places is Pendragon's Banner by Helen Hollick:

Historically Obsessed --Contest ends 10/19.
Passages to the Past --Contest ends 10/29.
He Followed Me Home...Can I Keep Him? --Contest ends 11/3.
Enchanted By Josephine --Not sure when this one ends.

And here are some other great contests that I found:

Savvy Verse and Wit is giving away Haunting Bombay by Shilpa Agarwul--Contest ends 10/16.

The Burton Review  is giving away The Tudor Rose by Margaret Campbell Barnes--Contest ends 10/16.

Devourer of Books is giving away The Queen's Mistake by Diane Haeger--Contest ends 10/19.

A Bookshelf Monstrosity is giving away Pope Jone by Donna Woolfolk Cross--Contest ends 10/20.

Savvy Verse and Wit is giving away The Tudor Rose by Margaret Campbell Barnes--Contest ends 10/20.

All about {n} is giving away The Heretic's Daughter by Kathleen Kent--Contest ends 10/23.

The Sweet Bookshelf is giving away The Heretic's Daughter by Kathleen Kent--Contest ends 10/23.

All about {n} is giving away The Tudor Rose by Margaret Campbell Barnes--Contest ends 10/24.

Bookin' With Bingo  is giving away Children of Dust:A Memoir of Pakistan Ali Eteraz--Contest ends 10/25.

Readaholic is giving away The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova--Contest ends 10/25.

Luxury Reading is giving away The Sound of Sleigh Bells by Cindy Woodsmall--Contest ends 10/26.

Chocolate and Croissants is giving away The Sound of Sleigh Bells by Cindy Woodsmall--Contest ends 10/30.

J. Kaye's Book Blog is giving away A Separate Country by Robert Hicks--Contest ends 10/31.

J. Kaye's Book Blog is giving away Rooftops of Tehran by Mahbod Seraji--Contest ends 10/31.

Wow!  Could there be any more contests for October?  You bet, because this is just a sample of what is out there.  Don't forget about my contest for The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold that ends tomorrow (10/16).  I am also working on a special contest for my One Year Blogiversary that I am hoping to post this weekend.  So please check back to see what I may have up my sleeve!

Blog Tour and Review: The Financial Lives of the Poets by Jess Walter

I would like to give a huge Thank You to Trish from TLC Book Tours for inviting me to be a part of this tour!  This was a great story that really swept you away in this downward spiral of one man's life.

Here is a summary of The Financial Lives of the Poets from the Harper Collins website:

In the winning and utterly original novels Citizen Vince and The Zero, Jess Walter ("a ridiculously talented writer"—New York Times) painted an America all his own: a land of real, flawed, and deeply human characters coping with the anxieties of their times. Now, in his warmest, funniest, and best novel yet, Walter offers a story as real as our own lives: a tale of overstretched accounts, misbegotten schemes, and domestic dreams deferred.

A few years ago, small-time finance journalist Matthew Prior quit his day job to gamble everything on a quixotic notion: a Web site devoted to financial journalism in the form of blank verse. When his big idea—and his wife's eBay resale business— ends with a whimper (and a garage full of unwanted figurines), they borrow and borrow, whistling past the graveyard of their uncertain dreams. One morning Matt wakes up to find himself jobless, hobbled with debt, spying on his wife's online flirtation, and six days away from losing his home. Is this really how things were supposed to end up for me, he wonders: staying up all night worried, driving to 7-Eleven in the middle of the night to get milk for his boys, and falling in with two local degenerates after they offer him a hit of high-grade marijuana? 

Or, he thinks, could this be the solution to all my problems?
 
Following Matt in his weeklong quest to save his marriage, his sanity, and his dreams, The Financial Lives of the Poets is a hysterical, heartfelt novel about how we can reach the edge of ruin—and how we can begin to make our way back. 

My Review:
I want to start my review by saying that to be totally honest with you, when I started this book I didn't think that I would enjoy it at all.  But I found that once I reached the second chapter that I couldn't put this book down!  This novel is very timely considering the state of our economy right now, and I could realistically see how easily a story like this could happen to anyone.  In a sense this book reminded me of The House of Sand and Fog by Andre Dubus III, in that circumstances were just spinning out of control because of one bad decision.

Drug use usually does turn me off, but in this book it seemed so fitting and realistic to me.  Who's to say that if the average American is in similar circumstances to Matt's, unemployed, in debt up to his eyeballs and a week from losing his house, that if the opportunity arose he or she wouldn't smoke a little marijuana?  Nothing else seemed to work for Matt up to this point, so what did he have to lose?  So when Matt meets a couple of guys late one evening at the 7-11, they welcome him back to a way of life that he left behind in his college days.

Matt knows that his home life is falling to pieces.  As he tries to take care of his father that is suffering from dementia, still send his children to a private school while being unemployed, and try to monitor his wife Lisa's online flirtatious behavior with her old boyfriend Chuck, he just doesn't know how much more he can deal with!  After another late night outing at the 7-11 Matt thinks that he may have a temporary solution to his financial problems, but what looks like a quick fix to his dilemma may turn his problems into the worst nightmare he could possibly imagine.

If you read the summary above, you can see that Matt's failed business had to do with crafting poetry from financial journalism.  He obviously wanted to try to keep the poetry alive in his life, so snippets of verse were inserted in various parts of this novel.  Some of the poems were very thoughtful, raw, and honest, while others were just downright hilarious!  Here is a snippet of one of his poems from page 41 when Matt is contemplating when exactly moms started wearing thongs:
And that is the issue I will run on
when I eventually run:
Getting our moms out of thongs
and back into hammocks
with leg holes
the way God
intended.  

This book is such a good reminder that we really do need to appreciate the things that we do have.  It will make you think that maybe what you have now is really all you need, so why do we always want more?  By wanting and getting more we are actually setting ourselves up for failure if a crisis should occur, as it had for Matt.  Here is an excerpt from page 98 where Matt admits where he went wrong:
And my disappointment is not that my own home has lost half its value.  What disappoints me is me-that I fell for their propaganda when I knew better, that I actually allowed myself to believe that a person could own a piece of the world when the truth is that anything you try to own ends up owning you.


There are so many twists and turns for Matt as we follow him through his life during this time, but they are well worth it.  When Matt compares life in general to the game "Jenga", meaning that it could all fall apart at any time, it made me stop and think how true that is for so many Americans right now.  This book is well worth reading and may help you to re-assess your own lifestyle.  I highly recommend it, but also I feel that I need to disclose that there is a fair amount of drug use and profanity that I know many readers do not appreciate.  To find out more about Jess Walter and view his other books please check out his website.

My Rating: 4/5

**Excerpts are taken from an Uncorrected Proof copy so they may be different in the final print version.
This book was provided to me to review as part of the TLC Book Tour.  You can view all of the stops for this tour at the TLC Book Tour website here.

Wondrous Words Wednesday-Oct. 14

Bermudaonion asks you to share new words that you have learned during your reading adventures in the last week. Feel free to join in the fun!

I found a couple of new words while I have been reading A Change in Altitude by Anita Shreve:

Expatriate:  to banish (a person) from his or her native country.

Here is how expatriate was used on page 8:
The distance between those who were comfortable and those who were not was a precipice an expatriate stood upon, the ground beneath subject at any moment to erosion.

Parquet:  a floor composed of short strips or blocks of wood forming a pattern, sometimes with inlays of other woods or other materials.

Here is how parquet was used on page 11:
The floor was polished wood in an intricate parquet pattern.

Askari:  [as-kuh-ree]a native African police officer or soldier, esp. one serving a colonial administration.

Here is how askari was used on page 41:
The plumber would sleep with James in the cement box just behind the garage that James shared with the evening askari.

So did you learn any new words in your reading adventures this last week?

Teaser Tuesday-Oct. 13

Check out Teaser Tuesdays from Should Be Reading. TEASER TUESDAYS asks you to:

Grab your current read.

Let the book fall open to a random page.

Share with us two “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page.

You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!

This week my teaser is from A Change in Altitude by Anita Shreve:
The government had rounded up fifty students at the university, one of them said.  The students had been massacred and tossed into a mass grave.

pg. 28

Mailbox Monday-Oct. 12

Thanks to Marcia of The Printed Page for hosting this fun meme that has us list the books that we received last week. You can go to her blog to see what everyone else got last week or to play along. Here is what I found in my mailbox:

The Way Home  by George Pelecanos

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

So what was in your mailbox last week?

Friday Finds-Oct. 9

Should Be Reading asks you to share what books you discovered this week that interest you!

The book that most recently caught my eye is The Last Dickens by Matthew Pearl that I found at both Book Chatter and Other Stuff and Bookish Ruth.

Here is a summary of the book from the Random House website:

In his most enthralling novel yet, the critically acclaimed author Matthew Pearl reopens one of literary history’s greatest mysteries. The Last Dickens is a tale filled with the dazzling twists and turns, the unerring period details, and the meticulous research that thrilled readers of the bestsellers The Dante Club and The Poe Shadow.

Boston, 1870. When news of Charles Dickens’s untimely death reaches the office of his struggling American publisher, Fields & Osgood, partner James Osgood sends his trusted clerk Daniel Sand to await the arrival of Dickens’s unfinished novel. But when Daniel’s body is discovered by the docks and the manuscript is nowhere to be found, Osgood must embark on a transatlantic quest to unearth the novel that he hopes will save his venerable business and reveal Daniel’s killer.

Danger and intrigue abound on the journey to England, for which Osgood has chosen Rebecca Sand, Daniel’s older sister, to assist him. As they attempt to uncover Dickens’s final mystery, Osgood and Rebecca find themselves racing the clock through a dangerous web of literary lions and drug dealers, sadistic thugs and blue bloods, and competing members of Dickens’s inner circle. They soon realize that understanding Dickens’s lost ending is a matter of life and death, and the hidden key to stopping a murderous mastermind.

So did anything catch your eye this last week?

Current Giveaways!!!

Wow!  It certainly looks like October is going to be a good month to win some books!  Here are a bunch of contests that caught my eye this last week:

Savvy Verse and Wit is giving away A Match for Mary Bennett by Eucharista Ward--Contest ends 10/16.

Passages to the Past  is giving away The Tudor Rose by Margaret Campbell Barnes--Contest ends 10/19.

Drey's Library  is giving away The Tudor Rose by Margaret Campbell Barnes--Contest ends 10/19.

At Home With Books  is giving away The Queen's Mistake by Diane Haeger--Contest ends 10/20.

Books and Needlepoint  is giving away The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova--Contest ends 10/20.

A Circle of Books  is giving away The Heretic's Daughter by Kathleen Kent--Contest ends 10/20.

Bookin' With Bingo is giving away an audiobook of A Separate Country by Robert Hicks--Contest ends 10/22.

Passages to the Past is giving away The Queen's Mistake by Diane Haeger--Contest ends 10/22.

So Many Precious Books, So Little Time is giving away The Tudor Rose by Margaret Campbell Barnes--Contest ends 10/23.  Please tell her that Jo-Jo sent ya!

Books and Needlepoint  is giving away The Bible Salesman by Clyde Edgerton--Contest ends 10/23.

Peeking Between the Pages is giving away Crossing Washington Square by Joanne Rendell--Contest ends 10/24.

Peeking Between the Pages is giving away The Heretic's Daughter by Kathleen Kent--Contest ends 10/25.

The Burton Review is giving away The Other Mr. Darcy by Monica Fairview--Contest ends 10/26.

Book Blab is giving away Hugh and Bess by Susan Higginbotham--Contest ends 10/30.

Bookin' With Bingo is giving away The Heretic's Daughter by Kathleen Kent--Contest ends 10/30.

J. Kaye's Book Blog is giving away The Accidental Bestseller by Wendy Wax--Dontest ends 10/31.

And then last, but not least, there are my giveaways for Hispanic Heritage Month that ends 10/13, and also for The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold that ends 10/16.

Good Luck Everyone and Happy Reading!

Wondrous Words Wednesday-Oct. 6

 

Bermudaonion asks you to share new words that you have learned during your reading adventures in the last week. Feel free to join in the fun!

I've found a few new words as I've been reading The Financial Lives of the Poets by Jess Walters:

Quatrain:  a stanza or poem of four lines, usually with alternate rhymes.

Here is how quatrain was used on page 50:
The hook, though, was poetry-not because I felt there was some great demand for a quatrain about consumer confidence, but because I thought people would simply be drawn to the anachronism of it-like the European TV channel where the news is read by topless anchors.

Sycophants: a self-seeking, servile flatterer; fawning parasite.

Here is how sycophants was used on page 71:
Meanwhile, M- continued to promote his sycophants to build himself the Taj Mahal of offices, even as he oversaw round after round of layoffs.

Gentrification:  the buying and renovation of houses and stores in deteriorated urban neighborhoods by upper- or middle-income families or individuals, thus improving property values but often displacing low-income families and small businesses.

Here is how gentrification was used on page 96:
The truly undesirable part of our undesirable neighborhood begins at the alley behind our big house; our alley is the DMZ of gentrification.

Apocryphal: of doubtful authorship or authenticity.

Here is how apocryphal was used on page 187:
While it sounds apocryphal, we can't help glancing over when one of them delivers coffee to the table next to us.

So did you learn any new words this last week?
**Please note that these excerpts are taken from the Uncorrected Proof copy so it may be different in the final print version.

Blog Tour: Guest Post by Shobhan Bantwal

As part of the blog tour for The Sari Shop Widow by Shobhan Bantwal, the author has decided to stop by today at Jo-Jo Loves to read with a guest post!  If you missed my review yesterday you can view it here.


So here is what Shobhan wants to share with us today:

Creating a Unique World

By Shobhan Bantwal

When a writer begins to write a novel, she is not only weaving a story but she is also creating an entire world where her characters live and work, love and hate, give and take.

They say there are a finite number of storylines in the entire universe. How those stories are crafted and told to the readers, the author’s voice in other words, is what makes it different and unusual. However, a very large element in fiction writing, besides crafting the characters, is the creation of the special world that surrounds them. Whether the genre is suspense, sci-fi, paranormal, contemporary, historical, or fantasy, the backdrop can make the difference between an ordinary novel and an outstanding one.

In every one of my books, I try to create a background that introduces the reader to the scents, flavors, textures, and colors of my ethnic Indian background. Saris and cholis, lehangas and sadras are some of the clothing my characters wear. Curries, dals, raitas, kormas, and chapaties are interesting foods they eat.  If I do not introduce such unique elements then my books would not stand out as a different variety of fiction.

In my latest book, THE SARI SHOP WIDOW, I have offered the reader a glimpse into the Indian-American fashion industry. Set on the streets of Edison, New Jersey’s Little India, a young businesswoman rediscovers the magic of love, family, and her traditional roots as she fights to save her sari boutique.

New Jersey’s Little India is an interesting little slice of India in the heart of suburban America, and this is the slice I have chosen as the world in which my story is set, a world of sari shops, Indian restaurants, ethnic cafes, jewelry boutiques, music shops, and video stores.

THE SARI SHOP WIDOW is available at all U.S. and Canadian bookstores and online booksellers.

To contact me or learn more about my books, author events, book trailer video, recipes, short stories, and sign up for my newsletter, visit my website www.shobhanbantwal.com.

Thank you for hosting me on “Jo-Jo Loves to Read.”

Shobhan Bantwal

Thanks for stopping by today Shobhan!  As you could probably tell from my review, one of the favorite things about this book was being able to visualize the sights and tastes of the Indian culture.  Thanks so much for sharing about why you enjoy implementing these elements into your novels. I want to give a special thank you once again to both Jamie and Dorothy from Pump Up Your Book Promotion for allowing me to participate in this virtual tour. I truly wish you the best with your future endeavors and also that the remainder of this tour is a success.

Blog Tour and Review: The Sari Shop Widow by Shobhan Bantwal

I am so excited to be able to participate in the Blog Tour for The Sari Shop Widow by Shobhan Bantwal. The following is a summary from the Kensington Publishing website:

Pungent curry…sweet fried onions…incense…colorful beads…lush fabrics. Shobhan Bantwal’s compelling new novel is set on the streets of Edison, New Jersey’s Little India, where a young businesswoman rediscovers the magic of love and family…

Since becoming a widow at age twenty-seven, Anjali Kapadia has devoted herself to transforming her parents' sari shop into a chic boutique, brimming with exquisite jewelry and clothing. Now, ten years later, it stands out like a proud maharani amid Edison’s bustling Little India. But when Anjali learns the shop is on the brink of bankruptcy, she feels her world unraveling…

To the rescue comes Anjali’s wealthy, dictatorial Uncle Jeevan and his business partner, Rishi Shah—a mysterious Londoner, complete with British accent, cool gray eyes, and skin so fair it makes it hard to believe he’s Indian. Rishi’s cool, foreign demeanor triggers distrust in Anjali and her mother. But for Anjali, he also stirs something else, a powerful attraction she hasn’t felt in a decade. And the feeling is mutual…

Love disappointed Anjali once before and she’s vowed to live without it—though Rishi is slowly melting her resolve and, as the shop regains its footing, gaining her trust. But when a secret from Rishi’s past is revealed, Anjali must turn to her family and her strong cultural upbringing to guide her in finding the truth…

My Review:
As this book opens, Anjali is helping her parents run the Silk and Sapphires boutique in a community known as Little India in New Jersey.  After her beloved husband passed away ten years before, she has invested all that she had into the little boutique, so she definitely has a vested interest in the success of the business.  Anjali found that she had quite a knack for design so she ran that aspect of the business while her father took care of the administrative side.

Anjali has noticed that business has been a bit slow lately, so she really wasn't too surprised when her father informed her that the boutique is in serious financial trouble and they stand to lose everything.  Not knowing where to turn, her father decides to seek advice from his older brother Jeevan.  Jeevan has been known to always have a good head for business and if anyone was going to help them get out of this jam he knew Jeevan would be the one to accomplish the task.

Since uncle Jeevan lives in India, he has only been to the United States to visit his family a few times, but the impression from those few visits as being the rich, tyrant uncle was embedded into everyone's minds.  When Anjali and her parents are informed that Jeevan will be helping them with their dilemma, and he will be staying with them until the task is completed, everyone is on pins and needles awaiting the arrival of this demanding man.  When he does show up at their doorstop everyone is quite shocked when they find that not only will he be staying with them for the duration of the project, but he has also brought along his business partner Rishi as a consultant.

As Rishi and Anjali are working so closely to get the store on the right track they can't help but notice the spark that has been created between them.  Anjali knows that she hasn't felt anything like this since she lost her husband but is worried about the outcome of their relationship if it should develop.  She thinks that after his consultation project is over he will be on his way and out of her life, so she finds it very difficult to let her guard down around Rishi and allow her to share her true feelings.

While Rishi and Anjali are appearing to be building a relationship, Jeevan uses this time to try to mend his own relationships with his family.  As the story develops we find that Jeevan came to the United States with his own secrets and we learn more about what made him the businessman that he has become.  It is not until Jeevan confides honestly in his family that they can finally come to terms with his demanding ways and accept him wholly into their lives.  

I believe that this book may fall into the romance genre, but to me it was really much more than that.  This book really gives you a good taste of the Indian culture. It helped me to visualize the beauty of the elegant silk fabrics and smell the aroma of the ethnic foods.  I loved how this novel shared the importance of family bonds, stressing that when one is in trouble you strive together as a unit to work it out.  You can find more books that are laced with Indian culture at Shobhan Bantwal's website. I want to give a special thank you to both Jamie and Dorothy from Pump Up Your Book Promotion for allowing me to participate in this virtual tour. Please be sure to check back tomorrow for a special guest post from Shobhan Bantwal.

My Rating: 4/5

Mailbox Monday-Oct. 5

Thanks to Marcia of The Printed Page for hosting this fun meme that has us list the books that we received last week. You can go to her blog to see what everyone else got last week or to play along. Here is what I found in my mailbox:

The Crying Tree by Naseem Rakha

The Devil's Queen : A Novel of Catherine de Medici by Jeanne Kalogridis

So what did you find in your mailbox last week?

Giveaway: The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

I want to give a special Thanks to Valerie from Hachette for offering this giveaway of The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold on my blog.

Check out the new cover of this book that has been created to go along with the release of the movie.  If you are like me and just haven't had a chance to read this book yet, you could be one of the three lucky winners that have an opportunity to win a copy of the book right here!

Here is a summary of the book from the Hachette website:

"My name was Salmon, like the fish; first name, Susie. I was fourteen when I was murdered on December 6, 1973."

So begins the story of Susie Salmon, who is adjusting to her new home in heaven, a place that is not at all what she expected, even as she is watching life on earth continue without her -- her friends trading rumors about her disappearance, her killer trying to cover his tracks, her grief-stricken family unraveling. Out of unspeakable tragedy and loss, THE LOVELY BONES succeeds, iraculously, in building a tale filled with hope, humor, suspense, even joy.

The major motion picture version of THE LOVELY BONES, directed by Peter Jackson and starring Rachel Weisz, Susan Sarandon, Mark Wahlberg, Stanley Tucci, and Saoirse Ronan is scheduled for release on December 11, 2009.

Here is how to enter:

To enter this contest you must be 18 or older and live in the US or Canada. No PO boxes please!

For one entry leave me a comment including your email address below.

For two additional entries, blog about this contest or add the link to your sidebar.

Please include your email so I will have a way to contact you if you win.

You will have until October 16th to enter and I will draw for a winner on October 17th.

Good luck everyone!

And the Winner of Cleopatra's Daughter by Michelle Moran is.....

fitz12383

Congratulations!  You have won a copy of Cleopatra's Daughter by Michelle Moran!

I will be contacting you shortly to get your mailing address so Michelle can get this book sent out for you.

I want to also give a special Thank You to Michelle Moran for offering this giveaway on my blog!