Rules of Refer A Book Weekend: To play all you have to do is recommend a book that you liked and post in the comments. Tell me why you liked the book or link to your review. I will pick a recommendation, then add it to my TBR pile and the person who recommended the book will get to win a book from this Pile of Free Books that I reviewed.I usually post the Refer A Book Weekend post at 12pm EST after I am done work. Each week I will post a new post for you to comment in. The winner will not be picked until Monday so you have the weekend to recommend.
Hint: Right now I am reading a book about strange thing that have really happened in the USA. I was think maybe some of you out there know of some good non-fiction books.
Friday, July 3, 2009
Refer A Book Weekend 6/2/09!
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Signed Book Giveaway #8 - The Sock Fairy by Bobbie Hinman
Here is the new giveaway! It's a signed copy of The Sock Fairy by Bobbie Hinman. I twittered half of the book
If you want to know more about the book you can see my review of The Sock Fairy here.
If you would like to enter for a chance to win a copy of this book leave a post below in the comments AND DON'T FORGET YOUR EMAIL. Giveaway end July 13th!
Next Signed Book Mystery Giveaway #8
Starting at 6 pm EST today I will be Tweeting about the New Signed Book Giveaway.
In this post you may take a guess at what it is before I announce the book later tonight.
Some Hints
1. Children's Book
2. I have already reviewed
Follow me on Twitter @confuzzledbooks
In this post you may take a guess at what it is before I announce the book later tonight.
Some Hints
1. Children's Book
2. I have already reviewed
Follow me on Twitter @confuzzledbooks
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Review - The Book of Nonsense by David Michael Slater
Title: The Book of Nonsense (Sacred Book Vol. 1)
Series:: Sacred Books
Author(s):: David Michael Slater
Genre:: Children's Book, YA
Publisher: Blooming Tree Books
Release Date: October 14th 2008
Finished: June 2009
Pages: 256
Challenges: None
Rating: 
My Thoughts: This book starts out a little similar to Inkheart by Cornelia Funke: The father buys unusal and antique books and sells them to dealers. In the begining we see him with his daughter, Daphna, also a lover of books. Later we are introduced to her twin brother Dexter, who is not so fond of books. The father finds an strange book that has words of nonsense in it and tries to sell it to a local book store full of magic books. Little does he know that this is the book the store owner has been seeking for years.
The Book of Nonsense is magical and full of surprises, there is no doubt about that. I just wish the beginning wasn't so similar to another book, even though the end is very different. I am interested in seeing where the series goes.
About the Author: David Michael Slater is the author of many children's books. You can visit him at DavidMichaelSlater.com/
Monday, June 29, 2009
Review - You Wanna Go To Willard? by Linda M. Holbrook
Title: You Wanna Go to Willard?
Series:: None
Author(s):: Linda M Holbrook
Genre:: Memior, Biography
Publisher: BookSurge Publishing
Release Date: November 17th 2008
Finished: June 2009
Pages: 244
Challenges: None
Rating: 
My Thoughts: I had a chance to review this book thru Boswick Communications. It is not a usual choice for me, but the book sounded very inspirational.
It is a memoir of Linda Holbrook's life growing up. It starts with her finding her path as a teenager and ends somewhere in middle age.
As I read it, in the beginning I felt some kinship with Ms. Holbrook as she dealt with self esteem issues. But as it moved on, that began to fade. There was just so much of the book that, when written out, didn't seem like such a struggle. In the end, it didn't inspire me as much as I hoped.
It is a memoir of Linda Holbrook's life growing up. It starts with her finding her path as a teenager and ends somewhere in middle age.
As I read it, in the beginning I felt some kinship with Ms. Holbrook as she dealt with self esteem issues. But as it moved on, that began to fade. There was just so much of the book that, when written out, didn't seem like such a struggle. In the end, it didn't inspire me as much as I hoped.
About the Author: This is the first book for Linda M. Holbrook, who lives in New York and has two grown sons.
Winner of RABW 6/29/09!
Congrats to Becky who said... I recommend L.M. Montgomery. I loved The Blue Castle.
I picked this because I actually have never read anything by Montgomery. I use to watch the Avonlea show that was the Disney channel I believe. The Blue Castle sounded very romantic.
To gaby317 said...
I recommend the Commoner by John Burnham Schwartz. It's the story of Empress Michiko, the first commoner to marry into the Japanese Imperial family. Haruko excels in tennis and through this meets the Crown Prince. The prince admires her greatly and she eventually agrees to marry him against her father's recommendations. Her family worried that she would be lost to them living with the restrictions and expectations of members of the Imperial family, the book covers her isolation and difficult adjustment but with great sympathy and kindness. It's a beautiful love story and I enjoyed getting to know each of the characters.I found it wonderfully written, touching and fascinating to read.
This one seem like it would be okay but didn't really catch my interest.
To Llehn who said...
I would like the recommend Mistress Of The Sun by Sandra Gulland. The book chronicles the life of Louise de la Vallière (1644–1710), mistress to Louis XIV, France's Sun King. Her meteoric rise from an impoverished background to become the king’s mistress attracted unwanted attention and her life was filled with the terrors and tragedies that accompany all internecine tales of palace intrigue. Amid rumors of black magic and sorcery, loved ones would die, and she herself would ultimately arrive at a crossroads where she would be forced to choose between her loyalty to the king and her own personal salvation. Go to http://www.amazon.com/Mistress-Sun-Novel-Sandra-Gulland/dp/0743298926/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1246201517&sr=1-1 to learn more about what other people are saying about the book.
This would have been my second pick. The rumors of magic and sorcery sounds quite interesting.
Friday, June 26, 2009
Refer A Book Weekend 6/26/09!
Rules of Refer A Book Weekend: To play all you have to do is recommend a book that you liked and post in the comments. Tell me why you liked the book or link to your review. I will pick a recommendation, then add it to my TBR pile and the person who recommended the book will get to win a book from this Pile of Free Books that I reviewed.I usually post the Refer A Book Weekend post at 12pm EST after I am done work. Each week I will post a new post for you to comment in. The winner will not be picked until Monday so you have the weekend to recommend.
Hint: I am looking for a good historical fiction.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Review - Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer
Title: Breaking Dawn
Series:: Twilight Series
Author(s):: Stephenie Meyer
Genre:: Teen Book, Series
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Release Date: August 2nd 2008
Finished: June 2009
Pages: 754 pages
Challenges: None
Rating:
My Thoughts: First let me say, I can't believe how much this book is hated. I was completely unspoiled before I read this, but I had heard people hated and wanted to return the book. I absolutly loved it. There were so many things I didn't see coming. I don't like spoiling anything so I will try to make this spoilerless.
The story takes place as Edward and Bella are getting ready to marry. They go on there honeymoon and comeback to Forks with something extra. Something that is going to kill Bella.
I love the new character, Renessme. I kinda hope Meyer writes a book about her someday. I can't pinpoint what I really loved about this book, but the more I think about it, the more I think the writing was good and the mystery within the story better. I wish there was more of the series to read.
I love the new character, Renessme. I kinda hope Meyer writes a book about her someday. I can't pinpoint what I really loved about this book, but the more I think about it, the more I think the writing was good and the mystery within the story better. I wish there was more of the series to read.
About the Author: Stephenie Meyer is the author of 4 Teen Books and 1 Sci Fi book (all of which we have reviewed here). Visit her at http://www.stepheniemeyer.com/index.html
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Interview With Author Crystal Storm
Interview Questions for Crystal Storm
What are your favorite books and authors to read? Dean Koontz, Dan Brown, Matthew Reilly, Thomas Harris, Karen Marie Monning. Funny thing, I’m just recently getting into reading science fiction which is pretty amusing considering that’s what genre my book ended up falling into. I’ve the Foundation Trilogy by Isaac Asimov sitting on my shelf, waiting to get read.
Can you tell me a little about what got you started in writing? I noticed you have a roleplaying game connected to your book, did that have anything to do with it? I started writing before I started roleplaying. I think roleplay just became a natural extension of that creative endeavor. There wasn’t one thing that got me started writing either, I just did it. Meant to be and all that. I’ve always been a story-teller. I think the roleplay though, has really helped improve my writing. I’ve been doing that almost every day, for the last ten years. It means I’m always writing something, which is great. Keeps me fresh, keeps my mind humming, and helps combat writers block. A few snippets from the book are actually roleplayed scenes between myself and other really fantastic writers.
Have you played a lot of RPGs? Does that influence your approach to writing? I have played in a few of them. All txt based online and free form. I’ve been RPing for the last ten years, and I think it does show in my writing especially with character views. You’ll notice in my book that you’re not just getting the mindset of one character, you delve into the point of view from all of them.
Do you have any tips for a writer starting out? First things first, write an awesome novel. Dream big, and don’t let it go. This is going to be a long term process. It’s going to take a lot of work, pull you out of your box, and be very businesslike at times. But, I don’t know if there’s any greater feeling for a writer then seeing your book in someone else’s hands, watching their face while they enjoy something you created.
You just released a new book called Synarchy. Could you tell 
us a little about it? In their quest to dominate the world, a powerful crime family, the Terenzio’s, discover who the real players are that control the planet, and just how far they’re willing to go to keep their hold on humanity. Because of sheer arrogance, and the fact that they may be the only ones who can, Terenzio decides to fight back. Now, they’ve got until December 21st, 2012, to stop a sinister, centuries old plan, and give Earth a choice it was never given before. You can get a copy on Amazon, or from now until the summer solstice, I’m offering personalized autograph copies. See the books website at www.synarchynovel.com for more details.
The synopsis talks about bloodlines, 2012, dark secrets and betrayal... How do those themes fit together in this book? Book One is about the discovery of certain mind blowing, life altering secrets, and how that knowledge has split a family in two; the betrayal. Then, once you know what do you do about it? Why do you choose that path? To top it all off your on a deadline, and someone is going to be proven right on or before December 21st, 2012. I think Synarchy puts forth the opposing views on those questions and leaves it up to the reader who’s the good guy and who’s the bad guy.
How much of the story is personal drama (love/betrayal) compared to thriils/action? Was that a balance you aimed for? I did aim for that balance. Book One really delves into a lot of history behind these characters, and why everything is happening. But, I didn’t just want it to be a really interesting history lesson, lol. So, it does have some action. Not nearly as much as Book two will have, but I think it does all right. The readers will let me know if I’ve hit my goal.
In the synopsis you say that humanity has been kept prisoner. How so? That’s a loaded question, lol. It’s going to be difficult for me to summarize my answer but I’ll give it a shot. Humanity has been lead to believe that life is very mundane, systematic process. You wake up, you go to work, you come home, you spend time with your family, you go to bed, you do it all again the next day. And in a nutshell that’s it. That’s what you’re stuck with for approximately the next 80 years, then you die, and what happens after that depends on your belief system. But, what if life wasn’t that mundane? What if some of the fantastical things you watch on TV are possible? What if the people you trusted, the very ones that have you locked in this repetitive system knew that you had far more potential than you remembered, and were purposefully keeping that knowledge to themselves? In that way, I believe humanity has been kept prisoner, from the fantastical, awesome nature of what we as individuals are really capable of.
Do you have a favorite part in the book? Yes I do. There is a scene between Stefano and his second wife, a flash back that I particularly love.
Do you think anything will really happen in 2012? I think it’s already happening and that once we get to 2012, we can look forward to the end of life as we know it and the start of something else, a lot more fun.
I want to thank you Shannon, for giving me the opportunity to swing by your awesome blog and chat with you and your readers! I really hope they enjoy Synarchy as much as I did writing it. To learn more about the book, myself, my podcasts and all the other crazy things I’ve got going on visit www.synarchynovel.com
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Review - The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan
Title: The Last Olympian
Series:: Percy Jackson and the Olympians
Author(s):: Rick Riordan
Genre:: Young Adult Book
Publisher: Disney Hyperion Books for Children
Release Date: May 5th 2009
Finished: May 2009
Pages: 381
Challenges: None
Rating:
My Thoughts: I started reading this series when the last book came out, The Battle at the Labyrinth, and I consider that the best of the run even after reading this one. This is a good book, but something was missing, even though it is action packed.
I liked the parts that tell you about the characters' backgrounds and history. The legends and myths were interesting, and the first couple books had more of that. There was a good amount of backstory in this book, but I still wanted more.
I think followers of Harry Potter will enjoy these books because of all the magic and legends. The world created in this series is not as defined as Potter's, but has it's own charm.
About the Author: Rick Riordan is the author of several adult mystery books and a number of children stories, including 4 earlier books from the Percy Jackson series. You can visit him at Rick Riordan.com
Monday, June 22, 2009
Summer of Hitchcock - North by Northwest
Amy at My Friend Amy has an event going on called The Summer of Hitchcock. Watch the Hitchcock movies listed here every week and then write about them. I thought it sounded like fun because the only Hitchcock movie I remember is Psycho and parts of The Birds.
I am behind on my posts. I watched North by Northwest the first week of the Summer of Hitchcock and I was surprised how much I liked it. This one was probably was the one I was most excited about. As soon as Amy posted about the Summer of Hitchcock I was interested.
My favorite scene was probably where the main character was drunk and trying to tell his story to the police.
The main thing my husband and me were surprised was that these movies stand the test of time and are still good.
"Also, here's a little meme you can do for Summer of Hitchcock...feel free to put your responses on your blog and leave a link in Mister Linky. Just include in parentheses that it's the meme and not a review of North by Northwest."
1) What film are you most looking forward to watching this summer?
2) How many Alfred Hitchcock films have you seen before?
3) Which one is your favorite?
4) Is there one you don't like?
5) Is there one you wish was on the list but isn't?
1) I am looking forward to all but Psycho. I have watched that one enough times that I don't think I need to see again for a while.
2) I have seen Psycho and The Birds and now North by Northwest.
3)I enjoy North by Northwest a lot.
4) I am tired of Psycho. I don't remember The Birds that well so that will be interesting to see again.
5) I was kinda hoping that some his earlier movie would be on the list just because I have my dad's set of Hitchcock movies but they are all older. Oh well maybe they are not as good.
Review - Blueberry Girl by Neil Gaiman
Title: Blueberry Girl
Series:: none
Author(s):: Neil Gaiman
Genre:: Children's Book, Picture Book
Publisher: HarperCollins
Release Date: March 10th 2009
Finished: May 2009
Pages: 32
Challenges: None
Rating:
My Thoughts:
This book attracted me not only because of it's artwork, but also because of the author, Neil Gaiman. This did not look like Gaiman's usual work. It was written for singer Tori Amos' daughter as poem and prayer.
What I liked most about the book was the flow of the prose; it really is beautiful. I think this would be a great babyshower gift for a mother having a girl.
About the Author: Neil Gaiman has written many books and comic books for children and adult. A few of his books have been made into movies, including Stardust (and he's one of my husband's favorite authors). Check out his offical website and blog Neil Gaiman.com
Winner Of Signed Book Giveaway The Bored Book
And the Winner(who is picked by a random number generator) is number 3
MJ who said... It sounds great. I think my kindergarten kids would love it.
Congrats MJ! I will contact you soon.
Tomorrow I will announce the new Mystery Signed Book Giveaway. So watch Twitter tomorrow as I Tweet about the next book .
Congrats MJ! I will contact you soon.
Tomorrow I will announce the new Mystery Signed Book Giveaway. So watch Twitter tomorrow as I Tweet about the next book .
Bloggiesta - Finish Line
Well i didn't get as much done as I hoped. I only got 4 reviews done and nothing else. I didn't get to any challenges either ...boooo!
I guess I will try harder next time.
I guess I will try harder next time.
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