What Are You Reading Monday? #32

Books I completed in the last week are:
*Reading a lot of children’s book – I’m going to make a challenge of the titles found in 1001 Children’s Books to Read before I Grow Up (just need help with a button)
Nights in Rodanthe by Nicholas Sparks (Audio)
Happily Ever After by Nora Roberts (Quartet Brides #4)


Bookmarks are still living in the middle of:
*Reading a lot of children’s book – I’m going to make a challenge of the titles found in 1001 Children’s Books to Read before I Grow Up (just need help with a button)

Honor Thyself by Danielle Steel (Audio)

Up Next:
The Wedding Girl by Madeleine Wickham

Reviews posted this week:


Author Guest Posts/Interviews:
Book Tour – Letters From Home by Kristina McMorris (February 21)

March is Author Month – Interview A Day
Author Interview – Lin Wellford (March 1)
Author Interview - The Long Night Moon by Willie Elizabeth Towles (March 2)
Author Interview - Independence Day Plague by Carla Suson (March 5)
Author Interview - FACES IN THE MIRROR: OSCAR MICHEAUX AND SPIKE LEE by John Howard (March 8)
Author Interview - Essays on Living with Alzheimer's Disease: The First Twelve Months by Lois Wilmoth-Bennett, Ph.D. (March 9)
Author Interview - Bring Yourself to Love: How Couples Can Turn Disconnection into Intimacy by Mona Barbera (March 11)
Author Interview - Alaska Hoops: Tips and Tales from the Girls' Locker Room by Becky Crabtree (March 13)
Author Interview – A Life of Integrity by Trish Knight (March 14)
Author Interview - The Dog Walked Down the Street: An Outspoken Guide for Writers Who Want to Publish by Sal Glynn (March 15)
Author Interview - Mary Stevens (March 16)
Author Interview - Choose to Be Happy: A Guide to Total Happiness by Rima Rudner (March 18)
Author Interview - Turtle Hope by Jennifer Brown (March 19 )
Author Interview - The Journey of the Little Red Boat by George Smith (March 22)
Author Interview - Joan West (March 23)
Author Intverview - Eat Smart in France by Ronnie Hess (March 24)
Author Interview – East Wind by Jack Winnick (March 26)
Author Interview - Accidental Cowgirl by Mary Lynn Archibald (March 27)
Author Interview - The Magical Adventure of Tara and the Talking Kitten by Diana Cooper (March 29)
Author Interview - Above Honor by Donald Himelstein (March 30)
Author Interview - Judith Finkel (March 31)


Special Blog Hop Giveaways
Lucky Leprechaun Giveaway Hop (March 17 – 20)
Fool for Books Hop (April 1-2)

Books still needing to have reviews written (as opposed to the ones that are simply awaiting posting):
Revolutionary War On Wednesday by Mary Pope Osborne (Magic Tree House #22)
Yertle the Turtle by Dr. Seuss (Audio – John Lithgow)
Gertrude McFuzz by Dr. Seuss (Audio – John Lithgow)
The Big Brag by Dr. Seuss (Audio – John Lithgow)
Thidwick, the Big-Hearted Moose by Dr. Seuss (Audio – Mercedes McCambridge)
Horton Hatches the Egg by Dr. Seuss (Audio – Billy Crystal)
The Cat in the Hat Comes Back by Dr. Seuss (Audio – Kelsey Grammer)
The Cat In The Hat by Dr. Seuss (Audio – Kelsey Grammer)
Horton Hears a Who by Dr. Seuss (Audio – Dustin Hoffman)
The Grinch That Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss (Audio – Walter Matheau)
The Lorax by Dr. Seuss (Audio – Ted Danson)
Civil War on Sunday by Mary Pope Osborne (Magic Tree House #21)
Daisy, Maisey and Lazy by Emma Parker (ebook)
The Not So Scarey Scarecrow by Emma Parker (ebook)
The River Between Us by Richard Peck (Audio)
The Chocolate Snowman Murders by Joanna Carl
The Moovers and the Milkshakers by Emma Parker (ebook)
The Butterfly Race by Emma Parker (ebook)
Teddy Is Real I Think by Emma Parker (ebook)


Giveaways on the blog this week:


Love Hop (February 8-13)
Winners –
Crazy In Love - Lani Diane Rich - Elizabeth Tan
No Greater Love - Danielle Steel - Annette E
Valentine Pontifex by Robert Silverberg - Michele Luker
Bridal Scandal by Stephanie Laurens – Leanna Morris

In The Still of the Night by Jill Churchill (ends 2/4/11)Winner - Brooke DeSpain

Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen(ends 1/28/11)Winner – Ashley Holt


Naughty Neighbor by Janet Evanovich (ends 1/14/11) Winner - Joanne

A Painted House by John Grisham (ends 12/31/10) Winner – Jessica Lay

Happy Valentine's Day 2011

Follower Love Blog Hop (2/8 - 13)

Welcome to the Follower Love Giveaway Hop!

This event is hosted here at I Am A Reader, Not A Writer. 200 Blogs have each signed up to host a book related giveaway and we are all linked up together allowing you to easily enter one giveaway then hop to another one.

Tips:
Print off the linky list of giveaway sites and cross them off as you enter them.
You don't have to go in order - you can start in the middle or at the end of the list and work backwards.

The Follower Love Giveaway Hop runs from Tuesday, February 8th to Sunday, February 13th. Winners will be announced on each blog on Valentine's Day.






Valentine Pontifex (Majipoor: Lord Valentine #3) by Robert Silverberg
The extraordinary story continues in this volume of the bestselling Majipoor Chronicles, begun in Lord Valentine's Castle. Now dark dreams disturb Lord Valentine's sleep, a forewarning of the danger that threatens the peace of Majipoor. The Shapeshifters have set in motion a terrifying plan to regain their stolen world.



Crazy In Love by Lani Diane Rich
Flynn Daly is turning thirty. And thirty is the age where she has to, gulp, get a job. Not just any job, but a job working for her real estate magnate father, a man who's tired of supporting his daughter through her many careers. So when their great-aunt Esther Goodhouse, proprietress of a historic inn nestled in Nowhere, New York, dies, Flynn finds herself smack dab in the country, contending with a hotel staff that's unsure of their new boss, a scruffy, sexy ex-policeman named Jake Turner who's convinced that Esther's death wasn't as natural as it seemed, and the ghost of Aunt Esther herself, who starts showing up in Flynn's dreams and undoing all the personal touches that Flynn tries to make to her new home.




No Greater Love by Danielle Steel
While hearts may go on after a tragedy occurs, they are never the same. Prolific bestselling author Danielle Steel revisits this familiar theme in No Greater Love. Twenty-year-old Edwina Winfield is forced to assume the role of head of the household, becoming both mother and father to her five younger siblings after her parents and beloved fiancé drown during the disastrous sinking of the Titanic. Determined never to marry, Edwina must also run the family newspaper until her younger brothers are old enough to step in. But next-in-line Phillip heads first to Harvard and then is tragically killed during World War I. Fun-loving George is wooed by the lights of Hollywood and exquisite sister Alexis follows in his footsteps. While tending to the youngest children, Fannie and Teddy, Edwina must assist the rest of her siblings out of their many scrapes and escapades. Along the way, she comes to terms with her loss and is finally able to put the events of the fateful night of April 15, 1912, the night the Titanic made its final voyage to the bottom of the sea, behind her and let love into her heart once more.




Scandal’s Bride by Stephanie Laurens
When Catriona Hennessey's uncle's cleverly crafted will offers her the choice of either marrying the scandalous Richard Cynster or leaving her innocent cousins penniless, Catriona is appalled. If she marries at all, she wants a consort who would allow her to continue to act as healer and serve "The Lady," as the women in her family have always done. She knows Cynster is far too overbearing to be that person. The Lady, however, has other ideas. Laurens takes full advantage of the current New Age interest in ancient Goddess worship to weave a steamy story with strong, well-matched protagonists, lively action, and love scenes that melt the pages. Although the novel is set during the British Regency, the period has little influence on this patricular story; readers who want a bit more Regency flavor might enjoy earlier books in the Cynster series. Laurens (A Rake's Vow, Avon, 1998) lives in Victoria, Australia.

What Are You Reading Monday? #31

Books I completed in the last week are:
*Reading a lot of children’s book – I’m going to make a challenge of the titles found in 1001 Children’s Books to Read before I Grow Up (just need help with a button)
Nights in Rodanthe by Nicholas Sparks (Audio)


Bookmarks are still living in the middle of:
*Reading a lot of children’s book – I’m going to make a challenge of the titles found in 1001 Children’s Books to Read before I Grow Up (just need help with a button)

Happily Ever After by Nora Roberts (Quartet Brides #4)
Honor Thyself by Danielle Steel (Audio)

Up Next:
The Wedding Girl by Madeleine Wickham

Reviews posted this week:


Author Guest Posts/Interviews:
Book Tour – Letters From Home by Kristina McMorris (February 21)

March is Author Month – Interview A Day
Author Interview – Lin Wellford (March 1)
Author Interview - The Long Night Moon by Willie Elizabeth Towles (March 2)
Author Interview - Independence Day Plague by Carla Suson (March 5)
Author Interview - FACES IN THE MIRROR: OSCAR MICHEAUX AND SPIKE LEE by John Howard (March 8)
Author Interview - Essays on Living with Alzheimer's Disease: The First Twelve Months by Lois Wilmoth-Bennett, Ph.D. (March 9)
Author Interview - Bring Yourself to Love: How Couples Can Turn Disconnection into Intimacy by Mona Barbera (March 11)
Author Interview - Alaska Hoops: Tips and Tales from the Girls' Locker Room by Becky Crabtree (March 13)
Author Interview – A Life of Integrity by Trish Knight (March 14)
Author Interview - The Dog Walked Down the Street: An Outspoken Guide for Writers Who Want to Publish by Sal Glynn (March 15)
Author Interview - Mary Stevens (March 16)
Author Interview - Choose to Be Happy: A Guide to Total Happiness by Rima Rudner (March 18)
Author Interview - Turtle Hope by Jennifer Brown (March 19 )
Author Interview - The Journey of the Little Red Boat by George Smith (March 22)
Author Interview - Joan West (March 23)
Author Intverview - Eat Smart in France by Ronnie Hess (March 24)
Author Interview – East Wind by Jack Winnick (March 26)
Author Interview - Accidental Cowgirl by Mary Lynn Archibald (March 27)
Author Interview - The Magical Adventure of Tara and the Talking Kitten by Diana Cooper (March 29)
Author Interview - Above Honor by Donald Himelstein (March 30)
Author Interview - Judith Finkel (March 31)


Special Blog Hop Giveaways
Love Hop (February 8-13)
Lucky Leprechaun Giveaway Hop (March 17 – 20)
Fool for Books Hop (April 1-2)

Books still needing to have reviews written (as opposed to the ones that are simply awaiting posting):
Revolutionary War On Wednesday by Mary Pope Osborne (Magic Tree House #22)
Yertle the Turtle by Dr. Seuss (Audio – John Lithgow)
Gertrude McFuzz by Dr. Seuss (Audio – John Lithgow)
The Big Brag by Dr. Seuss (Audio – John Lithgow)
Thidwick, the Big-Hearted Moose by Dr. Seuss (Audio – Mercedes McCambridge)
Horton Hatches the Egg by Dr. Seuss (Audio – Billy Crystal)
The Cat in the Hat Comes Back by Dr. Seuss (Audio – Kelsey Grammer)
The Cat In The Hat by Dr. Seuss (Audio – Kelsey Grammer)
Horton Hears a Who by Dr. Seuss (Audio – Dustin Hoffman)
The Grinch That Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss (Audio – Walter Matheau)
The Lorax by Dr. Seuss (Audio – Ted Danson)
Civil War on Sunday by Mary Pope Osborne (Magic Tree House #21)
Daisy, Maisey and Lazy by Emma Parker (ebook)
The Not So Scarey Scarecrow by Emma Parker (ebook)
The River Between Us by Richard Peck (Audio)
The Chocolate Snowman Murders by Joanna Carl
The Moovers and the Milkshakers by Emma Parker (ebook)
The Butterfly Race by Emma Parker (ebook)
Teddy Is Real I Think by Emma Parker (ebook)

Author Interview - Dark Road to Darjeeling by Deanna Raybourn

Describe your book in five words or less.
Romantic Victorian mystery with a twist.

How did the ideas for your books come to you?
I never know! It can be a line from a poem or a song, a snippet of historical fact I’ve seen in a documentary. Something will appeal to me and I’ll seize on it and start playing the “what if?” game—what if that terrible thing was done by a woman instead of a man? What if the victim of this crime was unlikable and his murderer was justified? What if that motive drove a peaceful person to the brink of madness? Then I start putting the pieces together into a book. With a series, it’s also about keeping a certain rhythm to the books. If my characters have spent the last book abroad, maybe it’s time to bring them back to London. Or if they’ve had an urban setting, maybe it’s time to go to the country.

What is the hardest part of writing for you? What's the easiest?
The hardest was actually learning how to balance being a writer with being an author—very different energy and very different skill sets are required for both of those jobs. I am still working on that, in fact. I have never traveled in the middle of working on a draft, but I know I will have to in 2011, and that’s going to be a new step for me. I’m looking forward to it! The easiest part is the work itself. I love what I do beyond measure, and I’m very disciplined, so even on the days when I want to moan and groan about having to write, I do it anyway and pretty soon I’m relaxed into the groove of writing again.

What's next for you? Are you currently working on or have plans for future projects?
I have just turned in the fifth Lady Julia book, The Dark Enquiry, out in July, so there will be some copy editing going on this month!

Why did you choose to write for specific genre?
You should write the book you want to read. I love Elizabeth Peters and Mary Stewart and Victoria Holt, so when I started the series, it was very natural to me to write a book that is essentially a mystery with a bit of romance to sweeten the pot. I also have a Southern Gothic streak, so my books usually have some odd little twist. My books are very reflective of who I am, both as a person and a writer.

What's it like hearing that readers are eagerly awaiting your book's release date?
Fabulous! I’m always happy that they’re anticipating the new book, and I’m always thrilled to share it with them. That NEVER gets old!

What is one question that you've always wanted to be asked in an interview? How would you answer that question?
I’ve been asked everything except my shoe size! 7 ½ , for the record.

What was your road to publications like?
Long and tedious. I wrote my first novel when I was 23; I did not get a publishing deal for 14 years! But I never quit because writing is what I do. To me, getting published didn’t make me a writer—it made me an author. When I finally landed a book deal, it was for Silent in the Grave, the first Julia Grey book, and two sequels. Very shortly after, I was offered a second deal for three more books, so I was quite suddenly a person under contract for six books, only one of them already written. It was terrifying, but exhilarating, and I am so very happy to do what I do.





Author Bio
A sixth-generation native Texan, Deanna Raybourn graduated from the University of Texas at San Antonio with a double major in English and history and an emphasis on Shakespearean studies. She taught high school English for three years in San Antonio before leaving education to pursue a career as a novelist. Deanna makes her home in Virginia, where she lives with her husband and daughter and is hard at work on the next installment in the award-winning Lady Julia Grey series.

Deanna Raybourn

Author Interview - Robert Pielke

Describe your book in five words or less.
*Time-travel, alternate-history, aliens

How did the ideas for your books come to you?
•Ever since I was a kid, I would always tell myself stories to put myself
asleep. This hasn’t changed. I still do. Sometimes the stories are inspired by
a movie or TV show I’ve seen and sometimes from just a comment or idea
someone came up with in passing. But no matter what the source of the
impetus, there’s a story to be constructed.

What is the hardest part of writing for you? What's the easiest?
•There’s no “hard part” of writing…there’s always a difficulty of finding
the time to do it, and I need a block of hours to devote to it. I can’t write
in “snippets” of time.

What's next for you? Are you currently working on or have plans for future
projects?
•My current project is to finish the trilogy. A New Birth of Freedom: The
Visitor is the first book. I’m already working on the third ANBOF: The
Translator. The third will be ANBOF: The Historian, and I already know how
the trilogy ends. Alternate Dimensions Press is publishing it.
I’m also finishing up a revised update of my non-fiction book, Rock Music
in American Culture: You Say You Want a Revolution? I originally did in the
mid-80’s and there was pressure from “the masses” to bring it up to date.
McFarland & Co. is publishing it.


Why did you choose to write for specific genre?
•It’s more the case that the “genre” chose me! Ever since I was that kid I
referred to above, I’ve always imagined myself in the films and shows and
books that I was watching or reading. And when I was “there” I sort of had
to “do” something interesting – hence a story arose. And since I read a lot
of history, liked historical films and shows, my stories were pretty much
the very essence of “alternate history.” Plus, I liked some kinds of science
fiction a lot – especially stories about time-travel and contact with aliens.
So, if you add this all together, what do you get? A sort of “mish-mash” of
genres the found me a willing victim.

What's it like hearing that readers are eagerly awaiting your book's release date?
• I’m always astounded that anybody likes anything I’ve written. It always
seems like they’re talking about somebody else. (I sound like this happens
daily! Hahahaha….hardly)

What is one question that you've always wanted to be asked in an interview? How would you answer that question?
•Q: “What do you read when you’re writing?”
A: “Absolutely nothing of any significance! I can’t read a novel if I’m
writing a novel and I can’t read anything that has any bearing on what I’m
writing. For example, with A New Birth of Freedom, which has to do with
Gettysburg, Lincoln and the Civil War, that ruled out even Doris Kearns
Goodwin’s Team of Rivals. When I try to read what others have written, I
get so involved in their writings that I’m afraid I’ll be influenced by their
style, or – more often – I’ll wind up editing their writing, imagining how
they could have said it better.

What was your road to publications like?
•It began when I was in elementary school, when I wrote my first novel.
I called it “White Cloud.” It was the story of an American Indian boy who
grows up to be a chief who unifies all the Indian nations into a formidable
force that checks the Europeans from co-opting the hemisphere. It was
alternate history! And it was three pages long, one single-spaced paragraph
and I knew I wanted people to read it. That was the beginning.



ROBERT PIELKE, a native of Baltimore, Maryland, now lives in Claremont, California. He earned a B.A. in History at the University of Maryland, an M. Div. in Systematic Theology at the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg, and a Ph. D. in Social Ethics from the Claremont Graduate School.

He taught on ground and online for countless years at George Mason University in Virginia, El Camino College in California and online for the University of Phoenix. Now happily retired from “the job,” he is doing what he always wanted to do since he wrote his first novel at ten in elementary school. It was one paragraph, three pages long and, although he didn’t know it at the time, it was alternate history. Since then, in addition to his academic writings in ethics, logic, and popular culture, he has published short stories, feature articles, film reviews, a non-fiction
analysis of rock music, You Say You Want a Revolution: Rock Music in American Culture, a boring academic treatise, Critiquing Moral Arguments, a savagely satirical novel on America and its foibles, proclivities and propensities, Hitler the Cat Goes West, and an alternate history,science fiction novel, The Mission.

Most recently, he has updated and revised his book on rock music and it is being republished by McFarland & Co. Alternate Dimensions Press has published A New Birth of Freedom: The Visitor, the first book of an alternate history/time-travel/first-contact science-fiction trilogy. The second of the three, The Translator, is already underway.

January 2011 Reading Recap

Books Read in January 2011
Hedgehogs by Emma Parker
The Moovers and the Milksakers by Emma Parker
Hullabaloo at the Zoo by Emma Parker
The Butterfly Race by Emma Parker
The Yellow Hummer by Ivet Graham-Morgan
Teddy Is Real I Think by Emma Parker
The Lion and the Mouse by Emma Parker
There's a Bear In My Bed by Emma Parker
Daisy, Maisey, and Lazy by Emma Parker
The Not So Scarey Scarecrow by Emma Parker
The River Between Us by Richard Peck (audio)
The Chocolate Snowman Murders by JoAnna Carl
The Cat In The Hat by Dr. Seuss (Audio)
Horton Hears A Who by Dr. Seuss (Audio)
The Grinch That Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss (Audio)
Did I Ever Tell You How Lucky You Are by Dr. Seuss (Audio)
Civil War on Sunday (Magic Tree House #21) by Mary Pope Osborne
The Lorax by Dr. Seuss (audio)
Revolutionary War on Wednesday (Magic Tree House #22) by Mary Pope Osborne)
Yertle the Turtle by Dr. Seuss (audio)
Gertrude McFuzz by Dr. Seuss (Audio)
The Big Brag by Dr. Seuss (Audio)
Thidwick, The Big-Hearted Moose by Dr. Seuss (Audio)
Horton Hatches the Egg by Dr. Seuss (audio)
The Cat In The Hat Comes Back by Dr. Seuss (Audio)
Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss (Audio)
Hop on Pop by Dr. Seuss (Audio)
Fox in Sox by Dr. Seuss (Audio)
I'm Not Going to Get Up Today by Dr. Seuss (audio)
Oh Say Can You Say by Dr. Seuss (Audio)
Oh, the Thinks You Can Think! By Dr. Seuss (audio)
One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish by Dr. Seuss (Audio)
Dr. Seuss's ABC by Dr. Seuss (audio)
I Can Read with My Eyes Shut by Dr. Seuss (Audio)


2011 Reading Challenges Update

2011 Challenges
100+ Reading Challenge (Jan – Dec 2011) 30/100
2011 Audiobook Challenge (Jan – Dec 2011) 21/12 - COMPLETED
2011 Chick Lit Challenge (Jan – Dec 2011) 1/12
2011 E-Book Reading Challenge (Jan – Dec 2011) 9/12
2011 Foodies Reading Challenge (Jan – Dec 2011) 1/3
2011 Read-n-Review (Jan – Dec 2011) 30/100 (reviewed 5)
2011 Romance Reading Challenge (Jan – Dec 2011) 0/12
2011 Romantic Suspense Reading Challenge (Jan – Dec 2011) 0/12
2011 Sexy Reading Challenge (Jan – Dec 2011) 0/12
2011 Show Me The Free Reading Challenge (Jan – Dec 2011) 0/12
2011 Support Your Local Library Reading Challenge (Jan – Dec 2011) 25/50
2011 War Through the Generations Challenge: U.S. Civil War (Jan – Dec 2011) 2/5
2011 YA Romance Challenge (Jan – Dec 2011) 0/12
50 States Challenge in 2011 (Jan – Dec 2011) 2/50
A to Z challenge (Jan-Dec 2011) 9/26
A-Z Mystery Author Challenge (A-I) (Jan – Dec 2011) 1/12
Books Won Challenge 2011 (Jan-Dec 2011) 0/??
Buy One Book and Read It Challenge 2011 (Jan-Dec 2011) 0/1
Celebrate the Author (Jan-Dec 2011) 0/12
Comicbook Challenge (Jan-Dec 2011) 0/15
Contemporary Romance Reading Challenge 2011 (Jan – Dec 2011) 0/10
Cruisin' thru the Cozies (Jan – Dec 2011) 1/12
Harlequin/Silhouette 2011 Reading Challenge (Jan – Dec 2011) 0/12
Just For Fun Reading Challenge (Jan – Dec 2011) 0/12
Memorable Memoirs Reading Challenge, 2011 Edition (Jan – Dec 2011) 0/1
Nicholas Sparks Reading Challenge (Jan-Dec 2011) 0/4
Off Your Shelf Challenge (Jan – Dec 2011) 0/5
Outdo Yourself Reading Challenge 2011 (Jan-Dec 2011) 0/6 (more than 81)
Pages Read Challenge (Jan – Dec 2011) 1785/20,000
Reading from My Shelves Project 2011 (Jan – Dec 2011) 0/12
Romance Reading Challenge (Jan – Dec 2011) 0/5
Series Challenge Season 5 (Jan – Dec 2011) 0/3
The Page to Screen Reading Challenge (Jan – Dec 11) 3/5
Whats In a Name Challenge 4 (Jan – Dec 2011) 0/6
Whisper In My Ears Audio Challenge (Jan – Dec 2011) 21/12
Young Readers Challenge (Jan – Dec 2011) 10/12


2010 – 2011 Cross Over Challenges
What An Animal III Challenge (March 1, 2010 to February 28, 2011) 13/12 - COMPLETED

erpetual
To Be Continued…Challenge (October 20, 2008 - ???) 45/52
101 Books in 1001 Days Challenge (August 31, 2009 - April 8, 2012) 89/101
US Presidents Reading Project (November 5, 2008 - ???) 4/44
1001 Childrens book Before I Grow Up (June 1, 2010 - ???) 43/1001


OnThePorchSwing (Yahoo Group)
1. Read a book with a one word title (if it has The or A in it), leave that out and just count the one word after it....
2. Read a book with a number in the title.
3. Read a young adult book FROM the science fiction genre.
4. Read a mystery by an author whose last name starts with a "K"
5. Read a book with orange or pink in the title
For a fun extra - pick a book on a subject in history you are interested in, or a travel book on a place you have always wanted to visit, or an artist you are interested in, and share your experience with us.
MysteryReaderCafe (YahooGroup)
1. Read a mystery set in your state (one you live in now or one where you are originally from)
2. Read a mystery where the amateur sleuth has a craft or a hobby or a specific type of job (like working in a shop of some sort) – The Chocolate Snowman Murder by JoAnna Carl(Chocolate Shop)
3. Read a mystery with the word dark or black in the title
4. Read a mystery from the young adult section of your library
5. Read a mystery by an author whose last name starts with "M"
For a fun extra, read a mystery whose title has the first letter of your first and last name in it - like for me - I would have to have read one that had an L and an H in it (in either order) - like the Last Hollow of the Dark, or Hateful Crimes of the Lowlands (I made these titles up...)

What Are You Reading Monday? #30

Books I completed in the last week are:
*Reading a lot of children’s book – I’m going to make a challenge of the titles found in 1001 Children’s Books to Read before I Grow Up (just need help with a button)


Bookmarks are still living in the middle of:
*Reading a lot of children’s book – I’m going to make a challenge of the titles found in 1001 Children’s Books to Read before I Grow Up (just need help with a button)

Nights in Rodanthe by Nicholas Sparks (Audio)
Happily Ever After by Nora Roberts (Quartet Brides #4)


Up Next:
The Wedding Girl by Madeleine Wickham
The Election-Day Disaster by Ron Roy (Capital Mystery #10)
The Ghost at Camp David by Ron Roy (Capital Mystery # 12)

Reviews posted this week:
One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish by Dr. Seuss

Author Guest Posts/Interviews:
Author Interview - A Birth of Freedom: the Visitor by Robert Pielke (Feburary 2)
Book Tour – Letters From Home by Kristina McMorris (February 21)

March is Author Month – Interview A Day
Author Interview – Lin Wellford (March 1)
Author Interview - The Long Night Moon by Willie Elizabeth Towles (March 2)
Author Interview - Independence Day Plague by Carla Suson (March 5)
Author Interview - FACES IN THE MIRROR: OSCAR MICHEAUX AND SPIKE LEE by John Howard (March 8)
Author Interview - Essays on Living with Alzheimer's Disease: The First Twelve Months by Lois Wilmoth-Bennett, Ph.D. (March 9)
Author Interview - Bring Yourself to Love: How Couples Can Turn Disconnection into Intimacy by Mona Barbera (March 11)
Author Interview - Alaska Hoops: Tips and Tales from the Girls' Locker Room by Becky Crabtree (March 13)
Author Interview – A Life of Integrity by Trish Knight (March 14)
Author Interview - The Dog Walked Down the Street: An Outspoken Guide for Writers Who Want to Publish by Sal Glynn (March 15)
Author Interview - Mary Stevens (March 16)
Author Interview - Choose to Be Happy: A Guide to Total Happiness by Rima Rudner (March 18)
Author Interview - Turtle Hope by Jennifer Brown (March 19 )
Author Interview - Joan West (March 23)
Author Interview – East Wind by Jack Winnick (March 26)
Author Interview - Accidental Cowgirl by Mary Lynn Archibald (March 27)
Author Interview - Above Honor by Donald Himelstein (March 30)
Author Interview - Judith Finkel (March 31)


Special Blog Hop Giveaways
Love Hop (February 8-13)
Lucky Leprechaun Giveaway Hop (March 17 – 20)
Fool for Books Hop (April 1-2)

Books still needing to have reviews written (as opposed to the ones that are simply awaiting posting):
Revolutionary War On Wednesday by Mary Pope Osborne (Magic Tree House #22)
Yertle the Turtle by Dr. Seuss (Audio – John Lithgow)
Gertrude McFuzz by Dr. Seuss (Audio – John Lithgow)
The Big Brag by Dr. Seuss (Audio – John Lithgow)
Thidwick, the Big-Hearted Moose by Dr. Seuss (Audio – Mercedes McCambridge)
Horton Hatches the Egg by Dr. Seuss (Audio – Billy Crystal)
The Cat in the Hat Comes Back by Dr. Seuss (Audio – Kelsey Grammer)
The Cat In The Hat by Dr. Seuss (Audio – Kelsey Grammer)
Horton Hears a Who by Dr. Seuss (Audio – Dustin Hoffman)
The Grinch That Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss (Audio – Walter Matheau)
The Lorax by Dr. Seuss (Audio – Ted Danson)
Civil War on Sunday by Mary Pope Osborne (Magic Tree House #21)
Daisy, Maisey and Lazy by Emma Parker (ebook)
The Not So Scarey Scarecrow by Emma Parker (ebook)
The River Between Us by Richard Peck (Audio)
The Chocolate Snowman Murders by Joanna Carl
The Moovers and the Milkshakers by Emma Parker (ebook)
The Butterfly Race by Emma Parker (ebook)
Teddy Is Real I Think by Emma Parker (ebook)


Giveaways on the blog this week:
In The Still of the Night by Jill Churchill (ends 2/4/11)

Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen(ends 1/28/11)Winner – Ashley Holt

Blog Tour - Interview - Said the Spider by Earle E. Van Gilder

Book Synopisis:
Sophisticated crime syndicate parasites invade the normally solid foundation of Midwestern banking and generations of established manufacturing. Executives and management usually in control suddenly find they are masterfully manipulated into a web of irreconcilable personal and financial seduction.

From the traumatic discovery at the river’s edge to the eventual confrontational conclusion Said The Spider seduces greedy, gullible and unsuspecting prey into a deadly and graphic whirlwind of corporate disaster leading to murder, suicide and revenge.

The early exploits of the juvenile crime spree by a youthful mastermind who cleverly manipulates his prey leads the reader to the ruthless genius manipulating the city. This drama of cause and effect with no escape from the temptations of lust, greed, and ignorance has been cleverly baited.

The corporate investigative agency and police sources enter almost too late to stop this whirlpool of turbulence as the bank Vice President’s realize their own failure and the investors and corporation officers panic and retreat from the coming Armageddon.

As murder, suicide and monumental financial losses are exposed, the crime syndicate learns of an investigation which might interrupt their lucrative operation. Crime bosses will stop at nothing to successfully complete their artistic looting of a major bank and manufacturing complex.

Time is running out. Investigators are pulling pieces of the puzzle together. Corrupt and greedy bank executives are running for their lives. The syndicate is charging ahead in their goal of complete domination and eventual departure culminating in a surprise and conclusive end to fraud and murder.



Author Interview:

Describe your book in five words or less.
Mystery, intrigue, investigative thriller.

How did the ideas for your books come to you?
Friends had asked me to write and share my life stories.

What is the hardest part of writing for you? What's the easiest?
Sitting down and taking time away from so many other things is the discipline I need to improve on in writing. The easiest is dreaming up the characters and story.

What's next for you? Are you currently working on or have plans for future projects?
I’ve completed two (2) more book in series with Said The Spider. They are Gumshoe Diary-The Month of May, and Point of Connection. They involved many of the same characters but with new and different adventures.

Why did you choose to write for thillers?
I didn’t choose a genre or a specific targeted reader. I’ve written about what I know, lived and experienced.

What's it like hearing that readers are eagerly awaiting your book's release date?
Knowing that another person wants to read something that I’ve written is a very pleasant experience.

What is one question that you've always wanted to be asked in an interview? How would you answer that question?
Who was your hero growing up? And my answer would be my Grandmother, for no other reason than she loved me unconditionally. I was always safe with her, and she was then and is now my idol. My newest idol and right up there with Grandma is my wife Annie. How could a guy ask for anything more?

What was your road to publications like?
The road (after the writing) was fairly simple. Outskirts Press made that effort as easy as possible. It’s been a pleasant experience. Being impatient as a man who wants things done immediately (a personal failing) the seemingly endless project following becomes tedious. I’m having fun!


Bio:
More than 40 years Earle (Doc) Van Gilder was involved in the investigation of white-collar crime. The last 20 years he ran his own Investigative Corporation partnering with major firms, local and state government agencies and law enforcement to solve a wide range of criminal activities from internal theft and white collar crime to insurance fraud, criminal investigations and undercover operations.

Earle is also a certified Kyokushinkai Karate Branch Chief and martial arts instructor and well versed in the handling of weaponry. These experiences combined with his Marine Corp and equestrian experiences have resulted in a number of short stories which in turn led to his first novel, Said The Spider. He recently completed a second novel, Gumshoe Diary, The Month of May.

Freebie Friday - In The Still of the Night by Jill Churchill (ends 2/4)

GoodReads Review:
Lily Brewster and her brother Robert have all the appearances of being filthy rich, even though the family fortune went out the window with the crash of 1929. But thanks to great-uncle Horatio, who left them Grace and Favor Cottage, a huge mansion on the Hudson not far from Franklin Roosevelt's Hyde Park, the Brewsters live in the style to which they had become accustomed--with a few troublesome limitations.

To make sure Lily and Robert didn't go back to being society bums, crafty old Horatio attached some strings to his bequest--and a penny-pinching attorney to manage the funds. Now the poor Brewsters have to actually work for money to survive, and Lily comes up with a brilliant scheme. They can turn a profit while they hobnob with their society friends, luring them to Grace and Favor for a paying weekend with the promise of big-name celebrities as guests.

If Sinclair Lewis hadn't been working on a new book, he might have joined the party; if Amelia Earhart hadn't been busy planning her cross-Atlantic flight, history might not have its own unsolved mystery. And if the Brewsters' celebrity/society bash hadn't been short on luminaries and long on snide barbs and open hostility among the guests, the glittering, glamorous affair might not have turned into a whodunit with one guest dead, one missing, and Lily and Robert chasing a murderer who is ready to strike again

Book Review - One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish by Dr Seuss

Title: One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish
Author: Dr. Seuss (Read by David Hyde Pierce)
Publisher: Harper Colins
ISBN:
Release Date:
Pages: 62
Genre: Children’s
Format: Audio (10 minutes)
Source: Library

From the back:
"Did you ever fly a kite in bed? Did you ever walk with ten cats on your head?" Such are the profound, philosophical queries posed in this well-loved classic by Theodor "Dr. Seuss" Geisel. While many rhymes in this couplet collection resemble sphinx-worthy riddles, Seuss's intention is clear: teach children to read in a way that is both entertaining and educational. It matters little that each wonderful vignette has nothing to do with the one that follows. (We move seamlessly from a one-humped Wump and Mister Gump to yellow pets called the Zeds with one hair upon their heads.) Children today will be as entranced by these ridiculous rhymes as they have been since the book's original publication in 1960--so amused and enchanted, in fact, they may not even notice they are learning to read!

Mine:
What a wonderful rhyming book as usual for a Dr. Seuss. I’ve always love this one and like reading this with my youngest nephew. I always love the illustrations that he does. The Zeds with one hair. How can you not think it’s funny.

David Hyde Pierce is a great voice to be reading this story and has a wonderful cadence to the rhyming of the words.

What Are You Reading Monday? #29

Books I completed in the last week are:
*Reading a lot of children’s book – I’m going to make a challenge of the titles found in 1001 Children’s Books to Read before I Grow Up (just need help with a button)

Revolutionary War On Wednesday by Mary Pope Osborne (Magic Tree House #22)
Yertle the Turtle by Dr. Seuss (Audio – John Lithgow)
Gertrude McFuzz by Dr. Seuss (Audio – John Lithgow)
The Big Brag by Dr. Seuss (Audio – John Lithgow)
Thidwick, the Big-Hearted Moose by Dr. Seuss (Audio – Mercedes McCambridge)
Horton Hatches the Egg by Dr. Seuss (Audio – Billy Crystal)
The Cat in the Hat Comes Back by Dr. Seuss (Audio – Kelsey Grammer)
One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish by Dr. Seuss (Audio – David Hyde Pierce)
Fox In Sox by Dr. Seuss (Audio – David Hyde Pierce)
Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Suess (Audio – Jason Alexander)
I’m Not Going to Get Up Today by Dr. Seuss (Audio – Jason Alexander)
Dr. Seuss’s ABC by Dr Seuss (Audio – Jason Alexander)
Oh, The Thinks You Can Think by Dr. Seuss (Audio – Michael McKean)
Oh Say Can You Say by Dr. Seuss (Audio – Michael McKean)
I Can Read With my Eyes Shut by Dr. Seuss (Audio – Michael McKean)


Bookmarks are still living in the middle of:
*Reading a lot of children’s book – I’m going to make a challenge of the titles found in 1001 Children’s Books to Read before I Grow Up (just need help with a button)

Nights in Rodanthe by Nicholas Sparks (Audio)
Happily Ever After by Nora Roberts (Quartet Brides #4)


Up Next:
The Wedding Girl by Madeleine Wickham
The Election-Day Disaster by Ron Roy (Capital Mystery #10)
The Ghost at Camp David by Ron Roy (Capital Mystery # 12)

Reviews posted this week:
Hop on Pop by Dr. Seuss

Author Guest Posts/Interviews:
Author Interview - A Birth of Freedom: the Visitor by Robert Pielke (Feburary 2)
Book Tour – Letters From Home by Kristina McMorris (February 21)

Special Blog Hop Giveaways
Love Hop (February 8-13)
Lucky Leprechaun Giveaway Hop (March 17 – 20)
Fool for Books Hop (April 1-2)

Books still needing to have reviews written (as opposed to the ones that are simply awaiting posting):
Revolutionary War On Wednesday by Mary Pope Osborne (Magic Tree House #22)
Yertle the Turtle by Dr. Seuss (Audio – John Lithgow)
Gertrude McFuzz by Dr. Seuss (Audio – John Lithgow)
The Big Brag by Dr. Seuss (Audio – John Lithgow)
Thidwick, the Big-Hearted Moose by Dr. Seuss (Audio – Mercedes McCambridge)
Horton Hatches the Egg by Dr. Seuss (Audio – Billy Crystal)
The Cat in the Hat Comes Back by Dr. Seuss (Audio – Kelsey Grammer)
The Cat In The Hat by Dr. Seuss (Audio – Kelsey Grammer)
Horton Hears a Who by Dr. Seuss (Audio – Dustin Hoffman)
The Grinch That Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss (Audio – Walter Matheau)
The Lorax by Dr. Seuss (Audio – Ted Danson)
Civil War on Sunday by Mary Pope Osborne (Magic Tree House #21)
Daisy, Maisey and Lazy by Emma Parker (ebook)
The Not So Scarey Scarecrow by Emma Parker (ebook)
The River Between Us by Richard Peck (Audio)
The Chocolate Snowman Murders by Joanna Carl
The Moovers and the Milkshakers by Emma Parker (ebook)
The Butterfly Race by Emma Parker (ebook)
Teddy Is Real I Think by Emma Parker (ebook)


Giveaways on the blog this week:
Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen(ends 1/28/11)

Book Review - Hop On Pop by Dr. Seuss

Title: Hop On Pop
Author: Dr. Seuss (Read by David Hyde Pierce)
Publisher: Harper Collins
ISBN: 9780394800295
Release Date: February 12th 1963
Pages: 72
Genre: Childrens
Format: Audio (10 minutes)
Source: Library


Inside Cover:
First published in 1963, Hop on Pop remains a perennial favorite when it comes to teaching kids to read. Here, as in most of his extensive body of work, Dr. Seuss creates uncomplicated, monosyllabic rhymes to foster learning and inspire children to read. But what was radical about this little book at the time of publication (and what makes it still compelling today) is Seuss's departure from the traditionally dull pictures and sentences used in reading primers. In contrast, the illustrations here are wild and wonderful, and the accompanying language, while simple, is delightfully silly. For example, the rhyme "THREE TREE / Three fish in a tree / Fish in a tree? / How can that be?" is brought to life with a trio of plump, self-satisfied fish perched atop globular branches as two stymied hybrid dog-rabbit-humanoids look on in consternation. Hop on Pop does much more than teach children the basics of word construction, it also introduces them to the incomparable pleasure of reading a book.

Mine:
As always – what a wonderful book. I used to read this to my brother when he was a child. I have now had the opportunity to read the book to my nephews. The rhyming makes the whole story come to life.

David Hyde Pierce is a great voice to be reading this story and has a wonderful cadence to the ryming of the words.

Freebie Friday - Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen (ends 1/28)

Review by GoodReads:

Though not the first novel she wrote, Sense and Sensibility was the first Jane Austen published. Though she initially called it Elinor and Marianne, Austen jettisoned both the title and the epistolary mode in which it was originally written, but kept the essential theme: the necessity of finding a workable middle ground between passion and reason. The story revolves around the Dashwood sisters, Elinor and Marianne. Whereas the former is a sensible, rational creature, her younger sister is wildly romantic--a characteristic that offers Austen plenty of scope for both satire and compassion. Commenting on Edward Ferrars, a potential suitor for Elinor's hand, Marianne admits that while she "loves him tenderly," she finds him disappointing as a possible lover for her sister:

Oh! Mama, how spiritless, how tame was Edward's manner in reading to us last night! I felt for my sister most severely. Yet she bore it with so much composure, she seemed scarcely to notice it. I could hardly keep my seat. To hear those beautiful lines which have frequently almost driven me wild, pronounced with such impenetrable calmness, such dreadful indifference!

Soon however, Marianne meets a man who measures up to her ideal: Mr. Willoughby, a new neighbor. So swept away by passion is Marianne that her behavior begins to border on the scandalous. Then Willoughby abandons her; meanwhile, Elinor's growing affection for Edward suffers a check when he admits he is secretly engaged to a childhood sweetheart. How each of the sisters reacts to their romantic misfortunes, and the lessons they draw before coming finally to the requisite happy ending forms the heart of the novel. Though Marianne's disregard for social conventions and willingness to consider the world well-lost for love may appeal to modern readers, it is Elinor whom Austen herself most evidently admired; a truly happy marriage, she shows us, exists only where sense and sensibility meet and mix in proper measure

Author Interview & Giveaway - The Great Snowball Escapade by J.D. Holiday

How long have you been writing and what inspired you to become a writer?
I’ve been writing for 28 years, since 1983. My father wrote every weekend for as long as I can remember though I never thought of writing myself while he was alive. My spelling and grammar problems held me back. I didn’t think I could write because of it, but early one, when I was in the sixth grade, I did write one story on a rainy day and loved it.

In 1983 I started writing when a friend asked me to read a few pages from a historical romance she was writing. I told her what I thought about it and she asked me to help her write the book. We did finish it and sent it to an agent who was kind and sent the manuscript back with a detailed account of what was wrong with it. My friend went on to other things while I found that I loved writing and did not want to stop.


Why did you choose to write for specific genre?
I think I never grew up and my childhood was full of fun and adventure which gives me plenty of situations to put characters in.


Describe your current book in five words or less.
I would say that five words that describe The Great Snowball Escapade are: childhood, adventure, friendships, understanding and fun.


How did the idea for The Great Snowball Escapade come to you?
As a child, every winter day that snow was on the ground I would spend time on the hill in front of the high school near where I lived sledding. This story was inspired by my love of it.


What is the hardest part of writing for you?

The hardest part about writing for me is the editing. Grammar is not my strong point. I have to rely on others to edit for me.


What's the easiest?
The easiest part of writing for me is coming up with my stories and characters. I find that while working out the details of my plot, I also begin to develop my characters. Usually by the time I have the story outlined I also have my characters in place.


What's next for you?
I have two books I’m working on at the moment. One is a picture book I am now doing the drawings for and then I’ll paint them. It is a story about a boy who wants a puppy but gets a dog that is older. It's what they do together that makes them pals. The other book is a young adult novel titled, ‘Christmas in the City.’ This story about two girls, one with a family and one without and both searching for what is important to them.


Are you currently working on or have plans for future projects?
Yes. Besides the two books I mentioned, I have about four other picture book manuscript already written that I have to do the illustrations for, and a second young adult novel that needs to be written.


What's it like hearing that readers are eagerly awaiting your book's release date?
It’s exciting and thrilling. I love when children tell me they like my stories.


What was your road to publications like?
It wasn’t easy. For many years I submitted my manuscripts to the big publishers getting many rejection letters. Though during all that time I had some short stories and a Chapbook published, some editors were interested in my children’s stories, and I even had an agent for a time, but none of my children’s books made it into print.

In 2002 I decided to try one of those print services, which for me, was a disaster. I had my publicity plan ready to go but the print service had made a mess of my book and the galley was not ready for printing. I tried working with them to fix it, but the next galley had the same problems and the deal collapsed.

At that point, POD publishing, or Print On Demand had come along and was affordable to get books into print. That was when I decided I could do the job better myself and I started my own publishing company, Book Garden Publishing, LLC.


Sue, I want to thank you for having me on your blog. This has be fun!


Sincerely,

J.D. Holiday



SUMMARY: In the story, Wilhemena Brooks’ cousin, Bud Dunphry come to live with her family. Wil, as she likes to be called, finds her pink pencil sharpener is missing after Christmas. Wil knows Bud has it! Who else would have taken it?

Bud doesn’t like girls! In fact, Bud doesn’t like anybody. Wil tries to ignore him but he pulls her friends hair, taken over games, and when Bud is in trouble he making his “you’re going to got it” face at her.

After a snowstorm closes school, Wil and her friends go sled riding. Bud shows up and starts a snowball fight which lands Wil in her room for the rest of the day for fighting.

When her pencil sharpener is found, right where she left it, Wil decides she has to try harder to understand her cousin and stay out of trouble. Her mother told her to be nice to Bud and to treat him like she would like to be treated. If Wil treats Bud nicely does that change anything for her?