Another Giveaway – Friends Like These by Danny Wallace

Posted on July 30, 2009 · 55 Comments

A big THANKS to Hachette Book Group for providing me with five (5) copies of Friends Like These by Danny Wallace to give away!!

Book Description:

Danny Wallace has friends. He has a wife and goes to brunch, and his new house has a couch with throw pillows. But as he nears 30, he can’t help wondering about his best childhood friends, whose names he finds in a long-forgotten address book. Where are they now-and where, really, is he?

Acting on an impulse we’ve all had at least once, he travels from London to Berlin, Tokyo, Australia, and California, risking rejection and ridicule to show up on his old pals’ doorsteps. Memories of his 1980s childhood-from Michael Jackson to Ghostbusters-overwhelm him as he meets former buddies who have blossomed into rappers and ninjas, time-traveling pioneers, mediocre restaurant managers, and even Fijian royalty.

Danny’s attempt to re-befriend them all gives remarkable new resonance to the age-old mantra, “friends forever!”

About the Author:

Danny Wallace is the author of The Yes Man, now a film starring Jim Carrey. He has hosted various television shows and starred in BBC documentaries. Currently, he has a weekly radio show on XFM in London, and three of his books have been bestsellers in the UK.

The Rules:

  • Leave a comment with an e-mail address or PaperbackSwap nickname for +1 entry (I have to be able to reach you if you win!!)
  • Follow my blog for +1 extra entry
  • Blog about this contest for +1 extra entry (leave a link so I can come check out your blog!)
  • Add me to your Blog Roll for +1 extra entry (leave a link so I can come check it out!!)
  • Only US/Canada Residents are eligible to win
  • No P.O. Boxes!

The contest will close on August 24, 2009!
Thanks and GOOD LUCK!!

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Giveaway – Cult Insanity by Irene Spencer

Posted on July 30, 2009 · 53 Comments

Thank you so much to Hachette Book Group for providing me with five (5) copies of CULT INSANITY by Irene Spencer for this awesome giveaway!!

Book Description:

Life for Irene Spencer was a series of devastating disappointments and hardships. Irene’s first book, Shattered Dreams, is the staggering chronicle of her struggle to provide for her children in abject poverty and feelings of abandonment each time her husband left to be with one of his other wives. Irene was raised to believe polygamy was the way of life necessary for her ticket to heaven.

The hard knocks of her environment were just the beginning of Irene’s shocking tale. Insanity ran rampant in her husband’s family and was the source of inconceivable events that unfolded throughout Irene’s adult life. CULT INSANITY takes readers deeper into her story to uncover the outrageous behavior of her brother-in-law Ervil — a self-proclaimed prophet who determined he was called to set the house of God in order — and how he terrorized their colony. Claiming to be God’s avenger and to have a license to kill in the name of God, Ervil ordered the murders of friends and family members, eliminating all those who challenged his authority. For those who were gripped by Shattered Dreams, the rest of the story will blow them away. CULT INSANITY is a riveting, terrifying memoir of polygamist life under the tyranny of a madman.

About the Author

Irene Spencer resides in Northern California with her husband of twenty-one years, Hector J. Spencer. During the twenty-eight years of her first marriage to a polygamous husband, Irene gave birth to thirteen children (all single births). She additionally adopted a newborn girl, who became her ninth child.

Irene has 123 grandchildren and sixty great-grandchildren. Among her many talents, she is an accomplished seamstress, a great cook, and is fluent in Spanish, and she has traveled to twenty-three countries and twenty-three states speaking on polygamy and related issues.

The Rules

  • Leave a comment with an e-mail address or PaperbackSwap nickname for +1 entry (I have to be able to reach you if you win!!)
  • Follow my blog for +1 extra entry
  • Blog about this contest for +1 extra entry (leave a link so I can come check out your blog!)
  • Add me to your Blog Roll for +1 extra entry (leave a link so I can come check it out!!)
  • Only US/Canada Residents are eligible to win
  • No P.O. Boxes!

The contest will close on August 24, 2009!
Thanks and GOOD LUCK!!

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The Imposter's Daughter: A True Memoir by Laurie Sandell

Posted on July 30, 2009 · 2 Comments

Thank you to Hachette for sending me this wonderful book to review!

Description from Amazon:

“Laurie Sandell grew up in awe (and sometimes in terror) of her larger-than-life father, who told jaw-dropping tales of a privileged childhood in Buenos Aires, academic triumphs, heroism during Vietnam, friendships with Kissinger and the Pope. As a young woman, Laurie unconsciously mirrors her dad, trying on several outsized personalities (Tokyo stripper, lesbian seductress, Ambien addict). Later, she lucks into the perfect job–interviewing celebrities for a top women’s magazine. Growing up with her extraordinary father has given Laurie a knack for relating to the stars. But while researching an article on her dad’s life, she makes an astonishing discovery: he’s not the man he says he is–not even close. Now, Laurie begins to puzzle together three decades of lies and the splintered person that resulted from them–herself.”
MY REVIEW:
I wasn’t sure what to think when I cracked open this book! The story is told in comic book style, with illustrations and thought bubbles! I have never read a graphic novel and I wasn’t sure if I would like the style in which the book was written. I have to say – I just closed the book after finishing it in less than 24 hours and I am extremely impressed with how the author, Laurie Sandell, put this story together. This style works extremely well for this story and I am so happy I read it! Because of all the illustrations, the book reads very quickly, so it’s possible to finish it in one sitting. Don’t be put off by the illustrations, though – the story itself is engaging and thought-provoking. The only caution I give is this. There are comic illustrations of nudity, so just be careful where you are reading this book!!
Laurie Sandell grew up in awe of her father and all of his mesmerizing stories. As she gets older, she begins to question her father and learns that he is not who he says he is. As Laurie digs deeper into her father’s life, she struggles to learn who she really is along the way. This is a coming-of-age story that will keep you quickly turning the pages to see what will happen next! Definitely recommended!
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Nine Months in August by Adriana Bourgoin

Posted on July 29, 2009 · Leave a Comment

Description from Amazon:
“Gretchen Fox is a planner and list-maker by nature, perfectly suited to her job as a hotel catering manager. And in her cautious, look-before-you-leap way, Gretchen was waiting until the time was absolutely perfect before she had a baby. Her body, however, had other ideas. Now Gretchen is discovering what a big difference a little blue line can make – to her marriage, her career, and her state of mind. As Gretchen spends sleepless nights pondering all the reasons she’s not ready to become a mother, she starts to question every other area of her life too. Even her relationship with Meredith and Louisa, her closest friends since their days together at Smith College, undergoes a sudden, dramatic shift. As she’s inducted into a new world of anti-motion sickness wristbands, emergency supplies of ginger ale, and hormone-fuelled crying jags, Gretchen realizes that all the planning in the world couldn’t have prepared her for the wonderful, extraordinary journey that lies ahead…”

MY REVIEW
I really enjoyed this story of a pregnant woman’s first-time journey through pregnancy and childbirth. Although, I do not have the personal knowledge or experience, I could empathize with the main character, Gretchen. This book reads like chick lit and is a quick and fun read. I would recommend it, especially to anyone who is pregnant!

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Mailbox Monday!!

Posted on July 27, 2009 · Leave a Comment

Mailbox Monday is hosted by Marcia at The Printed Page.
We share what books that we found in our mailboxes last week.

Here’s what I found!

Ghost of a Chance (Chintz’n China, Book 1) by Yasmine Galenorn

“Emerald O’Brien is the owner of the Chintz ‘n China Tea Room where guests are served the perfect blend of tea and tarot reading. She never set out to be a detective, but once word gets out that she can communicate with the dead, there’s no turning back…

When the ghost of Susan Mitchell asks for Emerald’s help in convicting her own murderer, Emerald can’t refuse. Along with her friends-an ex-supermodel and a cop-and her new love interest, Emerald must search for clues to put the killer behind bars-and this tortured soul to rest. “


The Bright Side of Disaster by Katherine Center

“Sometimes the worst thing that can happen is exactly what you’ve been waiting for.

Very pregnant and not quite married, Jenny Harris doesn’t mind that she and her live-in fiancé, Dean, accidentally started their family a little earlier than planned. But Dean is acting distant, and the night he runs out for cigarettes and doesn’t come back, he demotes himself from future husband to sperm donor. And the very next day, Jenny goes into labor.

In the months that follow, Jenny plunges into a life she never anticipated: single motherhood. At least with the sleep deprivation, sore boobs, and fits of crying (both hers and the baby’s), there’s not much time to dwell on her broken heart. And things are looking up: Jenny learns how to do everything one-handed, makes friends in a mommy group, and even gets to know a handsome, helpful neighbor. But Dean is never far from Jenny’s thoughts or, it turns out, her doorstep, and in the end she must choose between the old life she thought she wanted and the new life she’s been lucky to find.”

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

“January 1946: writer Juliet Ashton receives a letter from a stranger, a founding member of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. And so begins a remarkable tale of the island of Guernsey during the German occupation, and of a society as extraordinary as its name.”

The Imposter’s Daughter by Laurie Sandell
FOR REVIEW

“Laurie Sandell grew up in awe (and sometimes in terror) of her larger-than-life father, who told jaw-dropping tales of a privileged childhood in Buenos Aires, academic triumphs, heroism during Vietnam, friendships with Kissinger and the Pope. As a young woman, Laurie unconsciously mirrors her dad, trying on several outsized personalities (Tokyo stripper, lesbian seductress, Ambien addict). Later, she lucks into the perfect job–interviewing celebrities for a top women’s magazine. Growing up with her extraordinary father has given Laurie a knack for relating to the stars. But while researching an article on her dad’s life, she makes an astonishing discovery: he’s not the man he says he is–not even close. Now, Laurie begins to puzzle together three decades of lies and the splintered person that resulted from them–herself.”

Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin

“Welcome to Elsewhere. It is warm, with a breeze, and the beaches are marvelous. It’s quiet and peaceful. You can’t get sick or any older. Curious to see new paintings by Picasso? Swing by one of Elsewhere’s museums. Need to talk to someone about your problems? Stop by Marilyn Monroe’s psychiatric practice.

Elsewhere is where fifteen-year-old Liz Hall ends up, after she has died. It is a place so like Earth, yet completely different. Here Liz will age backward from the day of her death until she becomes a baby again and returns to Earth. But Liz wants to turn sixteen, not fourteen again. She wants to get her driver’s license. She wants to graduate from high school and go to college. And now that she’s dead, Liz is being forced to live a life she doesn’t want with a grandmother she has only just met. And it is not going well. How can Liz let go of the only life she has ever known and embrace a new one? Is it possible that a life lived in reverse is no different from a life lived forward?

This moving, often funny book about grief, death, and loss will stay with the reader long after the last page is turned.”

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