Blog Tour: The Love Ceiling by Jean Davies Okimoto

Posted on June 30, 2010 · Leave a Comment
Author:  Jean Davies Okimoto (website, interview)
Publication Date:  April 1, 2009
Publisher:  Endicott & Hugh Books

After the death of her Japanese American mother, sixty-four-year-old Anne Kuroda Duppstadt finds the courage to confront the toxic legacy of her father, a famous artist and cruel narcissist. When a former art professor invites her to his island art studio, she begins pursuing her lifelong dream to become an artist in her own right. But the needs of her family tug at her heart. Her thirty-two-year old daughter s love life is falling apart, and Annie s husband, facing retirement, struggles with depression, leading her to conclude, There is a glass ceiling for women…and it s made out of the people we love.

The Love Ceiling draws readers into the soul of a universal theme for women: the pull between family and creative self-expression. It is the story of a daughter, a wife, a mother and grandmother, and a journey into creativity.

Jean Davies Okimoto the recipient of the American Library Association Best Book for Young Adults Award, the International Reading Association’s Reader’s Choice Award, the IRA/CBC Young Adults’ Choice Award, the Parents’ Choice Award, the Washington Governor’s Award, the Maxwell Medallion for Best Children’s Book of the Year, and is the author of two Smithsonian Notable Books. Her picture book, Blumpoe the Grumpoe Meets Arnold the Cat was adapted by Shelly Duvall for the HBO and Showtime television series “Bedtime Stories.” She and her husband Joe live on Vashon Island, Washington. Together they have four grown children, six grandchildren and a dog who thinks it’s a person.
I have gotten very behind with my reading and am currently about a third of the way through this book (and loving it!).  Please check back for my full review later this week!!  Thank you!  
I received this book for free as part of my participation in a virtual book tour hosted by TLC Book Tours.  This is no way influences my opinion of the book.

Jean Davies Okimoto’s TLC Book Tours TOUR STOPS:

Tuesday, June 1st: Book Club Classics
Wednesday, June 2nd:  Patricia’s Wisdom
Thursday, June 3rd: Dolce Bellezza
Monday, June 7th: Lit and Life
Wednesday, June 9th: Rundpinne
Thursday, June 10th: Reading, ‘Riting, and Retirement
Monday, June 14th: Joyfully Retired
Thursday, June 17th: Luxury Reading
Monday, June 21st: Erasing the Bored
Wednesday, June 23rd: Mooncat Farms Meanderings
Monday, June 28th: Feminist Review
Monday, June 28th:  carp(e) libris reviews
Wednesday, June 30th: Crazy for Books

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"Waiting On" Wednesday: June 30, 2010

Posted on June 30, 2010 · Leave a Comment
“Waiting On” Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.

My pre-publication “can’t-wait-to-read” selection this week is:
 The Good Daughters: A Novel 
The Good Daughters:  A Novel
Author:  Joyce Maynard
Publication Date:  September 1, 2010
They were born on the same day, in the same hospital, into families that could hardly have been less alike. Ruth is an artist and a romantic, with a rich and passionate imaginative life. Dana is a scientist and realist whose faith is firmly planted in what she can see or hear or touch. Yet these two very different women share the same struggle to make sense of their place in a world in which neither of them has ever truly felt she belonged. Told in the alternating voices of Ruth and Dana, “The Good Daughters” follows these birthday sisters as they make their way through the decades, from the 1950s to the present. Master storyteller Joyce Maynard chronicles the unlikely ways the two women’s lives intersect – from childhood and adolescence to first loves, first sex, marriage, and parenthood; from the deaths of parents to divorce, the loss of home, and the loss of a beloved partner – until an unavoidable moment when a long-held secret from the past alters everything…

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Book Giveaway: Greek: Double Date by Marsha Warner

Posted on June 29, 2010 · Leave a Comment

Greek: Double Date (Harlequin Teen)

Author:  Marsha Warner
Publication Date:  May 1, 2010
Publisher:  Harlequin Teen

A NEW SERIES BASED ON THE HIT SHOW FROM ABC FAMILY

GREEK: Double Date features an all-new storyline that goes beyond the primetime soap with the same characters fans have grown to love.

* Since its network debut in July 2007, Greek has reached nearly 24 million total viewers.
* GREEK: Double Date is a quick, captivating beach read for teens of all ages and fans of the show. ABC Family currently draws a highly literate teen audience with approximately 82% reading books, other than for school purposes, as a leisure activity.
* Greek is ABC Family’s longest-running original series currently on the air and has consistently been a Top 5 hit with teens in its basic cable time period. Check your local listings as Greek will be returning soon for its fourth season!
* Get an inside look at the social minefield that is the Greek system at one fictional Midwestern college, Cyprus-Rhodes University.
* Three more Greek books are set to release in August 2010, November 2010 and February 2011.

Two dates – same night! Major oops. When Casey Cartwright’s brother begs her to be nerdy Dale Kettlewell’s date to the sure-to-be-boring Honors Engineering Awards, Casey says yes. Even though Dale is totally not her type… and might have a crush on her. Ugh. But it’s a nice thing to do, and Casey’s always been the “nice” girl.


But now, that night conflicts with the biggest event of the semester, the All-Greek formal. Casey already has a date lined up: hot transfer student Rob Howell. He’s her plan to get over her sexy-slacker ex, Cappie. And even nice girls get to be bad sometimes, right?


What to do? With a little help from BFF Ashleigh, unwanted advice from frenemy Rebecca Logan and even a push from Cappie, what Casey does may surprise even herself.

Giveaway: 
Thanks to Meryl L. Moss Media Relations, I have two (2) copies of this book to give away! 

Want to double your chances of winning?  Head on over to Lori’s blog at Lori’s Reading Corner and enter her “Greek:  Double Date” contest!  She is also giving away 2 copies of this book! 


Rules for entering:
1. You MUST be follower of this blog through Google Friend Connect, E-Mail Subscription, or RSS Feed.
2. This contest is open to residents of USA and Canada only!

3. You MUST complete the form below – do not leave information in the comments – it will not count!
4. The contest will end on July 13, 2010 at 11:59PM EST; 2 winners will be selected and contacted thereafter. span>
5. Once the winners are contacted, they will have 48 hours to respond to my e-mail or another winner will be selected.  Make sure you check your spam filters!
6. NO P.O. Box Addresses!
7. Book will be shipped directly from Meryl L. Moss Media Relations, Inc.


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Review: Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

Posted on June 29, 2010 · Leave a Comment

Shiver 

Author:  Maggie Stiefvater
Genre:  Young Adult, Paranormal
Series:  The Wolves of Mercy Falls, Book 1
Publication Date:  August 1, 2009
Publisher:  Scholastic Press
ISBN:  978-0545123266
391 pages

For years, Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf — her wolf — is a chilling presence she can’t seem to live without. Meanwhile, Sam has lived two lives: In winter, the frozen woods, the protection of the pack, and the silent company of a fearless girl. In summer, a few precious months of being human . . . until the cold makes him shift back again.

Now, Grace meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away. It’s her wolf. It has to be. But as winter nears, Sam must fight to stay human — or risk losing himself, and Grace, forever.

My Thoughts:
Initial Reaction:
Loved, loved, loved it!!  What more can I say?!
About the Book:
Grace is a teenager with an obsession with the wolves who live in the woods on her property.  She is especially enamored with one wolf … her wolf … the wolf with yellow eyes who saved her from a wolf attack seven years prior. 
Sam is a werewolf; changing into human form with the seasons.  The warm weather changes him into a human; the cold weather, a wolf.  After a certain period of time, the wolf will not change into human form and will remain a wolf forever. 
Told in alternating points of view, one chapter from Grace, one chapter from Sam, with the temperature noted in each chapter header, we are drawn into Grace and Sam’s story.  After Grace was attacked by the wolves, Sam has kept watch over her, keeping her safe.  Grace has always felt him nearby and has searched the woods for him, feeling comforted by his presence.
When Sam turns up at Grace’s door one night – as a human – they immediately fall for each other, learning everything they can about one another, and fight to stop Sam from changing back into a wolf.  Sam wants to remain human, to stay with Grace forever.  The story moves fluidly and rapidly, entrancing the reader, making us wonder what will happen.  Will he change back into a wolf?  Will a cure be found?  What will come of Grace and Sam?
This is my first book by Stiefvater and will surely not be my last.  I cannot wait to read Book 2 in this series, LINGER, which is due out July 20.  I have an ARC to read, so watch for my review very soon!
Overall Opinion:

I have a few small issues with this book.  First, I found it kind of hard to believe that Grace’s parents were that oblivious – that they didn’t know a boy was STAYING IN THEIR DAUGHTER’S BEDROOM FOR WEEKS!  A bit far-fetched, but I suspended all reality so I wouldn’t let this ruin by overall feeling of the story.  Second, I was curious about Grace and Sam’s human interactions through the past 7 years.  The reader gets one brief flashback of when Sam first sees Grace (but she doesn’t see him).  I am assuming that Grace and Sam never communicated with each other as humans before this story.

Other than that, LOVED this book and definitely recommend it!  Great characters, well-developed story.  I felt the connection between Grace and Sam.  I felt their love and was rooting for them to find a way to be together.   
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Author Guest Post: Scott Nicholson, Author of The Skull Ring

Posted on June 28, 2010 · Leave a Comment

The Skull Ring

The Skull Ring
Author:  Scott Nicholson
Publication Date:  March 10, 2010
Publisher:  Ghostwriter Publications/Haunted Computer Books

SYNOPSIS:

Julia Stone will remember, even if it kills her.
Dr. Pamela Forrest is determined to bring Julia’s memories to the surface, hoping to heal Julia’s panic disorder. The therapist keeps returning Julia to a night twenty-three years ago when Julia was four. A night of hooded figures, strange chants, pain, and blood. The night her father disappeared from the face of the earth.

Julia rebuilds the past a piece at a time during the mind-wrenching therapy sessions. But the line between the past and the present begins to blur. Julia finds a silver skull ring that bears the name “Judas Stone.” The same ring had been worn by one of the hooded figures who scarred her both mentally and physically on that long-ago night.

Someone is leaving strange messages inside her house, even though the door is locked. The religious handyman, who has a key, spends a lot of time in the woods behind her house. Her boyfriend Mitchell becomes distant and violent. And the cop who investigated her father’s disappearance has followed her to the small Appalachian town of Elkwood.

Now she has a head full of memories, but she doesn’t know which are real and which are the creations of Dr. Forrest. The shadows of Julia’s panic are growing larger and darker. But succumbing to madness seems safer than heeding the whispers of the master who claims ownership of her body and soul.

SCOTT NICHOLSON GUEST POST:


THE SKULL RING came together from a number of sources, the primary one being the phenomenon of “False Recovered Memory Syndrome.” The syndrome emerged from real cases in the 1980s and 1990s (and still goes on today from time to time) of psychiatrists enabling patients to “remember” that they had been abused as children, often in cult sacrifices. Some of these psychiatrists seemed to have every other patient turning up as a victim of Satanic ritual abuse. The psychiatrists got a lot of attention, and the diagnosis got a formal name in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the shrink bible and encyclopedia.


The problem was, not one shred of corroborating evidence ever turned up for these outlandish claims. Though the label has since slid in the background, along with such other trendy diagnoses as multiple-personality disorder, I figured the Devil went out of style, and neither did manipulative shrinks.


Though the cult in the novel is based on actual Satanic cults, the formal Church of Satan is rather dull, bland, and capitalistic. But my fictional cult is driven by the same petty greed you’d expect of such lost souls, and are ultimately far too human. Against this enemy, heroine Julia Stone finds strength after realizing she has been manipulated, though she finds her supposed allies have their own flaws and motives. Julia is a reporter, based much on my own journalism experiences, and the handyman Walter is based on my career as a carpenter. I had to consult a lawyer on some of the key legal issues in the book, adding in some additional research and then turning the characters loose in the rugged Blue Ridge Mountains for a climactic chase.


One of my personal recurring themes is each character’s journey of faith, and having the suggestion of Big Evil leads Julia to explore her own spiritual beliefs and be open to those big mysteries of life and death.


I hope you will enjoy Julia Stone’s company in THE SKULL RING. I’m thinking of bringing her back for a sequel, because there are plenty of bizarre mental disorders and strange belief systems yet to explore.


Scott Nicholson is the author of nine novels, including DRUMMER BOY, THE RED CH
URCH, and THEY HUNGER. He’s also a freelance editor and headed up the free download Write Good or Die. He lives in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina and at his web site www.hauntedcomputer.com.
Thanks for stopping by!
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