Refer A Book Weekend 7/31/09!

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: Let's what haven't asked about... How about recommend me a good ebook.

Review - The Importance of Wings by Robin Friedman

Title: The Importance of Wings
Series:: none
Author(s):: Robin Friedman
Genre:: YA Fiction
Publisher: Charlesbridge Publishing
Release Date: July 2009
Finished: July 2009
Pages: 176
Challenges: None
Rating:










My Thoughts: The Importance of Wings is a coming of age tale. Taking place in the 80's, the main character, Roxanne, believes that one of the most important things in the world is to have the right style of hair: "wings." She believes that, if she had these wings, she would be popular in school. All of this changes when Roxanne meets her new next-door neighbor, Liat. Through Liat, Roxanne learns about more important things in life, like family and heritage.

I was excited when I found out this book took place in the 80's because I grew up in the 80's. Like Roxanne, I was obsessed with TV like the Brady Bunch and Dukes of Hazzard.

The interaction in the book seemed realistic but short. I feel like this could have been done as a short story and not a novel. The message is to accept yourself as you are and be happy and not worry about what others think.

About the Author: Robin Friedman lives in New Jersey and is the author of five books. Visit her website at http://www.robinfriedman.com/index.html

Winner of RABW 7/27/09!

Congrats to Dawn M. said...

A couple of my favorite paranormal/urban fantasy authors right now are Ilona Andrews, Patricia Briggs and Carrie Vaughn. For books, I would recommend:

Magic Bites - Ilona Andrews
Moon Called - Patricia Briggs
Kitty & The Midnight Hour - Carrie Vaughn

Thank you for recommend I decided to go with Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews. I had never heard of her before. The book looks like fun. Dawn look out for an email sometime today.

Refer A Book Weekend 7/24/09!

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 : Sorry this is so late. I was out most of the day. Looking for good Paranormal Fiction books.

Signed Book Giveaway - Slob By Ellen Potter

Here it is The New Signed Book Giveaway is Slob by Ellen Potter. If you want to know more about the book you can check out MY REVIEW .

SO IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO WIN A SIGNED COPY OF SLOB BY ELLEN POTTER PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT IN THIS POST LEAVING ME AN EMAIL TO ALSO CONTACT YOU.

GIVEAWAY END AUGUST 10TH!

Mystery Signed Book Giveaway #9

Today at 6pm I will be Tweeting about the new Signed Book Giveaway. To Follow what happens in the first half of the book watch Confuzzled Book Twitter page @Confuzzled Books

If you like while I am tweeting you can take a guess in this post what the title of the book is.

Here's a few hints

1. Book was published this year

2. It has won an award

3. It is about a boy and the author is a girl.
4. The author is better known for another series of books.

Guest Post - Author Jack W. Regan

I am so sorry I forgot all about posting this. Oh Well better late then never.
Shannon

I can see the puzzled stares on your faces from here. No, this isn’t Shannon and, yes, I’m harmless. My name is Jack W. Regan and I’m the author of T’Aragam, the new fantasy book for tweens. I’d like to thank my host for allowing me to hijack Confuzzled Books (if only for a brief time) in order to talk about T’Aragam specifically and writing in general. I’m here as part of my Virtual Book Tour that kicked off on July 17 and runs until August 10. You can visit www.taragam.com for a complete list of stops. I work part time at a public library in Lowell, MI and since I handle more books in a day than many people do in a lifetime, I soon noticed a gap in the materials we were offering our patrons. There are plenty of fantasy books for older kids and quite a few for younger kids. But the middle demographic—tweeners—were being somewhat slighted, I thought. T’Aragam was written in part to fill that gap, with my main goal being to get kids of all ages hooked on reading--the healthy addiction.

T’Aragam is the story of a fantasy world that is being threatened by evil. After witnessing the death of his father at the battle of Ransome Hall, thirteen-year-old Max Ransome finds the fate of T’Aragam in his hands. Can he fill his father’s shoes and bring together an alliance that will save his world?

T’Aragam is also a bit of a parody of the fantasy genre, in that it never quite takes itself seriously. It’s full of zany humor, but offers real elements of danger as well. It’s the first book in a series, The Max Ransome Chronicles, with the second book, Kingdom Heir, scheduled to release Dec. 1, 2009.

I started writing at age 12 and haven’t stopped since. This may be because, although I decided I wanted to be a writer when I grew up, I’ve never actually grown up, so I’m in something of an awkward position.

For me, writing is a contradiction. I find it difficult, some of the hardest work I’ve ever done, and yet I can’t stop doing it. It’s largely a labor of love, although I don’t always love my present manuscript while I’m working on it. But the magic of putting words on paper is never far away and the excitement of catching a glimpse of inspiration makes it worthwhile.

As a writer, I get asked a lot of questions about the craft and one of the most common questions is, “How do I become a writer?” The answer is simple, although the implementation is not. The way to becoming a writer is to…write! That’s really all there is to it—putting your thoughts on paper and learning to organize them.

There are other things you can do to help yourself along, of course. Here are just a few: 1. Read what accomplished authors have written, try to copy their style and then develop your own. 2. Write consistently (preferably every day), set word limits and hold yourself to them. 3. Join a critique group and submit your material. 4. If you’re writing fiction, experiment with genres and viewpoint. 5. Read books on writing and take copious notes. 6. And, finally, learn the rules so you’ll know how to break them.

Thanks for visiting this stop on the Virtual Book Tour. I truly appreciate it. If your curiosity has been stirred, please visit www.taragam.com, where you’ll find out all sorts of interesting stuff about T’Aragam and also ways to contact me personally. I love to hear from readers! And, of course, you can also do that by commenting directly on this blog and showing support for Confuzzled Books.

My next stop will be July 22 at Melissa’s Bookshelf http://www.melissas-bookshelf.com/ I hope you’ll all join us there and continue the party! Jack

Winner of Refer A Book Weekend 7/21/09!

Congrats to Sherrie said...
Hi!Got a great book for you. Velva Jean Learns to Drive by Jennifer Niven. Set in the the 1930's and 1940's in North Carolina. My review is at my place, Just Books. Have a great day!Sherrie http://sherriesbooks.blogspot.com/2009/07/review-velva-jean-learns-to-drive.html .

Sherrie I picked this one because it seemed to be the lighthearted one. I will email you later today and you can tell me what you would like from the freebie pile.



Thank you to MJ who said...
I just finished reading The Host. I admit that it is the first of her books that I've read. Paranormal is not one of my favorites. Maybe that's why I loved it so much.I did find it a little hard to get into but by page 65, I was totally hooked!!If you haven't read it yet, give it a shot!

MJ I have actually read The Host (my review) and really liked it. I can't wait for the sequel to it.


Thank you to Dawn M. who said...
One of my favorite books by far this year is Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles. http://www.perfectchemistrythebook.com/It's a YA book about a boy & girl from very different backgrounds who are thrown together as lab partners. And what starts out as just a star crossed romance turns into a story about how people's lives & goals aren't always how they seem. This is one of the few books since Twilight that really just pulled me in and didn't want to let me go. I was still thinking about it days after I finished it. It's really good. :0)

It not that I don't like the idea of retelling romeo and juilet I feel like I have read a lot of them or seen movies of them often.


Thank you to SamieVt who said...
Did you ever have one of those books that you just can't get into? By about page 50 or 60 you are ready to toss it back on the bookshelf and grab something new. This was how I started out with All God's Children - the story of the Boskett family. The introduction was a bit challenging to follow but once I got into the "story", I couldn't put the book down. Here is a link for a summary: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1282/is_n12_v48

This one just didn't interest me. Sorry



Thank you to Book Bird Dog said...
Hi! I've given you The Friendship/Let's Be Friends Award. You can head on over and pick it up at my blog, http://www.bookbirddog.blogspot.com

Even though you didn't recommend a book this time I just wanted to take a min to thank you for the award I do appreciate it.

Refer A Book Weekend 07/17/09

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 open to anything this week.

Signed Book Giveaway #9

I know I know I said the Giveaway would start today but I have to move it to Wed the 22nd of July.
I will twitter about the books then.

So tune in next week around 3pm I will be tweeting about the new Mystery Signed Book Giveaway

Review - Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin

Title: Something Borrowed Series:: NA Author(s):: Emily Giffin Genre:: Fiction Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin Release Date: April 1st 2005 Finished: June 2009 Pages: 323 Challenges: None Rating: My Thoughts: I got this book through GoodReads' giveaways. Emily Giffin's covers have always attracted me because they look so simple but elegant. The book is about Rachel, who just turned 30, is not married and is a good friend to Darcy ... until her drunken birthday party where she sleeps with Darcy's soon-to-be husband. Rachel feels horrible and so does Dexter( the Fiance). They vow to never do it again, but soon realize they feel something toward one and other. Most of the book is Rachel either talking to herself or to others about Darcy. Her friends think has some comeuppance and deserves what Rachel did/ is doing. It was the kind of book I wanted to talk back to and say, "yeah she may have deserved it, but it's still wrong to do." So sometimes the book was a little frustrating, but something kept me hooked to find out what was going to happen. There is a sequel to this book that is all about Darcy called Something Blue. I may read that to someday. About the Author: . You can visit her at http://www.emilygiffin.com/index.html

Winners of Refer A Book Weekend and Signed Book Giveaway!

Congrats to Kelly @ The Novel Bookworm who recommended...The Sweet Potato Queens' First Big-Ass Novel: Stuff We Didn't Actually Do, But Could Have, And May Yet, by Jill Connor and I can't remember the other author...just the title alone will make you laugh!

I think they've written a couple more, but I haven't read them.

Also, any of Strohmeyer's Bubbles books, Bubbles in Trouble, Bubbles Abroad, etc., never fail to make me snicker.

I picked The Sweet Potato Queens it is probably the third time someone has recommend it. Every time I came close to picking it so I went for it this time.

Thank you to Book Bird Dog who said...

If you like thrillers in a rustic setting, no blood or gore, try Killer Summer, which I just reviewed. It's on the front page of http://www.bookbirddog.blogspot.com At least you might enjoy the summary and comments. Sorry about your feet. Good excuse to read.

I do want to read one of Ridley Pearson adult novel because I have read some of his kids fiction and liked it. This one didn't really grab me though.

Thank you to Liyana said... Eyes Like Stars by Lisa Mantchev. It's one of the most delightful books I've ever read. Here's my review: http://liveandbreathesmexily.blogspot.com/2009/06/eyes-like-stars-theatre-illuminata-act.html

Ignore the gushiness, but it truly is an amazingly light hearted book. :D

I have heard good things about this book and it is right up my alley but I went with something else this time maybe next time.

Thank you to... Quacky the Ballads Duck said...No need to really enter me. Just wanted to suggest a book that isn't out yet...reading it now, so great. Ballads of Suburbia by Stephanie Kuehnert. Pre-order it now and you could win big. Check the blog.

Thank you for stopping by I had never heard of this one it look interesting. Not normally something I read but sometimes I break out. So far I see good reviews of this one though.

Thank you to Llehn said... I would like to recommend The Actor and The Housewife by Shannon Hale because it is such a lovely fantasy and will make you forget about your own life for a while.

As I said of the Ridley Pearson novel above I would love to read one Shannon Hale adult works and this one sounds good. Maybe next time.

Thank you to Dawn M. said...Have you tried any of the Stephanie Plum books by Janet Evanovich? She's a fly-by-the-seat-of-her-pants bounty hunter and gets herself into all kinds of outrageous trouble & messes. You can't help but laugh and be grateful that it's her crazy life and not yours. She always has me rolling on the floor laughing. *grin* The first book is One For The Money.

I have not tried any of Evanovich novels. I might one day. I am not sure yet.

Thank everybody for playing

And now the winner for the Signed Book Giveaway of The Sock Fairy by Bobbie Hinman is picked by a Randome Number Generator. The number pick out of 35 people interesting is number 8 who is Staci who said... My kids (and I) will LOVE this book!

Review - Bloody Good by Georgia Evans

Title: Bloody Good
Series:: Brytewood Series
Author(s):: Georgia Evans
Genre:: Fantasy, Adult Fiction
Publisher: Kensington
Release Date: June 1st 2009
Finished: June 2009
Pages: 320
Challenges: None
Rating:

My Thoughts: This book takes place in England during World War II. The main character is Alice Doyle, doctor of the area of Brytewood, England. Strange things begin to happen in the area, such as missing patients and murdered neighbors. Those murdered are missing blood. Brytewood's legends include many magical beings that Alice denies are real, even though her heritage indicates she's a Pixie. She is also not looking for love, but may find it in Peter, her assistant.
I like the idea of this story because it is interesting to mix the War with vampires, pixies, dragons and more. But I don't think enough was told about the magical creatures. I want to hear more back ground, but maybe that is why this is a first book in a series of three.

About the Author: Geogia Evans is a pen name for author Rosemary Laurey. She has written books about World War II for children and adults. If you like, you can see an interview I did with her HERE, and check out the Brytewood website Here.

Refer A Book Weekend 7/10/09

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 : Sorry I am posting this late I have been at doctors all day. I have two bum legs and it hard to walk and get around. So I was hoping someone out there could recommend me a book to cheer me up as I will have lots of time reading.

Review - Enemies & Allies by Kevin J. Anderson

Title: Enemies and Allies
Series:: None
Author(s):: Kevin J. Anderson
Genre:: Fantasy, Adult Fiction
Publisher: William Morrow
Release Date: May 1st 2009
Finished: June 2009
Pages: 336
Challenges: None
Rating:










My Thoughts: Set in the 50's, we find two superheroes, Batman and Superman, just starting out as protectors of their cities. Pushed together because of one supervillian, Lex Luthor, the two superheroes struggle with trusting each other.

The chapters were short, or seemed to be. The way Kevin J. Anderson wrote, the book just flew by. I don't know if that is a good or bad thing because, while the story was good, it lacked adventure. Sure there were some hijinks, but I was left wanting more meat to my story.

So this wasn't as good as Anderson's Last Days of Krypton, but it was an okay summer read. I still look forward to more Superman stories by Anderson, if they are coming.

About the Author: Kevin J. Anderson has written over 100 novels. Find out more about him at his website: http://www.wordfire.com/

Review - The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale

Title: Goose Girl
Series:: Books of Bayern
Author(s):: Shannon Hale
Genre:: Teen, Young Adult, Audio Book
Publisher: Full Cast Audio
Release Date: October 1st 2005
Finished: June 2009
Pages: NA
Challenges: None
Rating:









My Thoughts: This is the first book in the Books of Bayern. Even though it is a retelling of a fairy tale by the same name, The Goose Girl, it is creatively woven with other ideas the author gathered to make it her own novel.
The story is about young princess Ani, who was raised to be queen of Kildenree. As a young girl she had a close relationship with her aunt, who taught her special things, like how nature speaks to people and how Ani can speak back. But Ani is betrayed. She soon finds herself on a trip to Bayern, where she learns she might one day be queen as she was promised, but young Ani has been propelled into a world where she is not wanted and has to learn to survive before she even gets to the new kingdom.
I especailly enjoyed the magical aspects of this book, such as people learning animal speak, or wind speak, or even people speak. It was so imaginitive and fun to listen to (I find myself spoiled by audio books that have a full cast like this one). Also, the relationships between people are well thought out. For example, the distance between Ani and her mother, the current queen of Kildenree.
About the Author: Shannon Hale is the author of a few books in Young Adult, Teen and Adult. Find out more about her at her website HERE.

Winner of RABW 7/7/09!

And the Winner of Refer A Book Weekend is Sherrie who said...
Hi!I recommend "Retribution" by Jilliane Hoffman. Very fast paced book. Keeps you on the edge of your seat. You can see my review at my place, Just Books.Sherrie http://sherriesbooks.blogspot.com/2009/06/review-retribution-jilliane-hoffman.html

I thought I would pick something I never heard of and see how I like.

Thank you to
gaby317 who recommended said...
A Civil Action by Jonathan Harr is an interesting read - about a tort action brought against several large companies for the improper disposal of environmental waste, the people that were badly injured, and the lawyer who refused to accept money for settlement. It's an engrossing read!It was also turned into a movie with John Travolta, which was also well done.

I actually saw the movie Civil Action but barely remember it only reason I didn't pick it is because I know the story since I saw the movie.

Thank to Llehn who said...
I would like to recommend The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch. Mr. Pausch passed away last year and this is his wisdom on how to achieve the most vital of all human yearnings: the realization of childhood dreams. Within his narrative are timeless lessons of showing gratitude, setting goals, keeping commitments, tolerating frustration, maintaining a sense of humor in the face of adversity, telling the truth, working hard, celebrating victories when they arrive, and choosing to be a fun-loving Tigger over a sad-sack Eeyore. This book will change your perspective on life. Here's the review at Amazon : http://www.amazon.com/Last-Lecture-Randy-Pausch/dp/1401323251/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1246806117&sr=8-1

I actually seen Randy Pausch last lecture in video and it is a very special speech



Thank you to Sheila DeChantal who said...
I am going to suggest The Book Thief for you by Marcus ZusakIt is written from the perspective of death and is considered a YA read.

I actually listen to most of the Audio book of The Book Thief and got bored with it. I never finished it.

Refer A Book Weekend 6/2/09!

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: 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.

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

@confuzzledbooks

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!

Giveaway Winner Announced Here~!

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

Review - When You Are Engulfed In Flames by David Sedaris

Title: When You Are Engulfed in Flames Series:: None Author(s):: David Sedaris Genre:: Essays, Audio Book Publisher: Hachette Audio Release Date: June 3rd 2008 Finished: June 2009 Pages: NA Challenges: None Rating: My Thoughts: This is a book filled with essays or short stories that involve Sedaris life that I checked out because it was recommended by Yan. I thought the first essay was funny, but the rest of the stories just sound like Sedaris being mean and not that funny. Sure it got a giggle or two out of me when he read some of the essays to a live audience, but I almost didn't finish the audio book, and I barely remember the last couple shorts. Not sure why I didn't just scrap it completely, because near the end listening to it was horrid. About the Author: David Sedaris has written plays and a few books filled with essays similar to the ones in When You Are Engulfed in Flames