Sunday Salon - Bookish Parts Of Life

I haven't done a post on Sunday in a while and I have been meaning to do more I just get stuck in a circle laziness.

I have been trying not to buy books or request to many arcs because I am over whelmed with books to read. Although there are a few arcs that make it threw. We haven't had any trips to the book store in weeks since my husband hurt his knee from a bad fall on the ice.  Not making the trip means less urge to buy books.  So that means we have saved some money.

This week I did not finish any books. That might change tonight while I read Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris.  I am enjoying a lot which surprised me because before I read the book I had seen one episode of True Blood and I wasn't impressed.  Now that I am almost finished I may watch more of  True Blood again.

So far this week  I have 4 books to review.  I need one more for Friday which will probably be a children's book,  maybe the picture book that takes place in Haiti.

I will announce the winner of Signed book The Adventures of Snip in Oregon by Betty S. Moir tomorrow (Monday) and I will announce another Giveaway for the month of March.

Weekly Geeks - Comments

Commenting. It can be a fun way to connect to your readers. It can be the a source of frustration as a blogger. A comment can make your day. A comment can cause an argument. Today let's talk commenting.

Do you have a commenting policy? For example:

*Do reply to all comments? If you do, how do you do it? Email? On the blog?
*Do you use moderation?
*How do you handle trolls? Flaming?
*How much do you tolerate from a belligerent commenter before you close or delete comments?

Have you ever gotten a comment from someone you admire? An author? A superstar blogger (the ones with the book deals)?

How do you feel about author comments? Are they welcome or do they make you nervous?

Word verification? Yay or nay.

And then there's spam. How do we combat the evil that is spam?

Talk about your experiences with any of the above. Share your wisdom with other bloggers. What works on your blog? What doesn't?

If you are feeling brave, try something new and report on it later in the week (a new commenting widget or spam catcher. These will vary depending on your blog).

Or write a commenting policy, even if no one sees it but you.

Or comment on some blogs you've never commented on before. 

As always, take this prompt and make it your own.

Comment button from The Vintage Moth.

Comments.... how I love thee.

Let me count the ways.

1.Comments bring me joy... well except the spammers. ( Speaking of spammers I am the only one who gets the the poetry spammer or Chinese writing. Just curious.)  I love any comments. Even the little ones that the person may think it is a generic post because they can't think of anything that doesn't matter I still love those comments.  Getting one makes me do my happy dance.

2. Surprise Comments - These are the ones I least expect and they are probably the ones from authors  or illustrators who I find a review or comment I made about there book. 

Well there is probably more but I can't think of any.

There is one thing I like least about comments and that is that I don't leave enough on other blogs.  I always have hard time thinking of what to say.  Does any one else get comment writer's block?

Rapunzel's Revenge by Shannon and Dean Hale

 Title: Rapunzel's Revenge

Series: N/A
Author(s): Shannon and Dean Hale
Genre: Graphic Novel, Young Adult
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Children's Books
Received from: Library Book 

Release Date: August 19, 2008
Finished: February 2010
Pages: 144
Challenges: None
Rating:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My Thoughts: As a young, quizzical girl, Rapunzel has questions about her surroundings and her parentage. Soon she finds out the woman she believed was her mother is not. As Rapunzel starts inspecting the grounds, she finds another secret hidden from her that makes her fake mother banish Rapunzel to a tower she cannot escape from.  How will she survive?

I liked this version of Rapunzel. It's happier than, say, the Sondheim musical Into The Woods, where Rapunzel is a mother of twins and is way past postpartum depression. The Hales' book has an enjoyable story and artwork.

Shannon Hale is no stranger to retelling fairy tales, but now she has help from family from her husband Dean to write this one.

About the Author: Shannon Hale is an author of teen and adult books.  This is the first book for Dean Hale. Check out their website: http://www.squeetus.com/.

The Good Neighbors - Kith, Vol. 2 by Holly Black

Title: The Good Neighbors - Kith, Vol. 2
Series: The Good Neighbors
Author(s): Holly Black
Genre: Graphic Novel
Publisher: GRAPHIX
Received From: Library Book
Release Date: October 1, 2009
Finished: February 2010
Pages: 128
Challenges: None
Rating:









My Thoughts: Rue is half faerie and learning where she belongs in the world -- especially since it has been rocked by the affair her father had, which cost the return of her mother to the faerie world.

I am trying to remember what happened in this book. I mean, yeah, her friends and boyfriend are becoming sparse and the faerie king has plans for the non faerie world... Nothing seemed like it was new in the story, though. Nothing was resolved; nothing really changed in the end. I was left feeling meh.

About the Author: Holly Black is the author to various young adult books, including the Spiderwick Chronicles and Tithe series. Check out her Offical Site, http://www.blackholly.com/.

Between Sisters by Kristin Hannah

Title: Between Sisters
Series: None
Author(s): Kristin Hannah
Genre: General Fiction
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Received From: Bought for myself and will be given away for free.
Release Date: July 28, 2009
Finished: February 2010
Pages: 480
Challenges: None
Rating:












My Thoughts: If there is one thing author Kristin Hannah likes, it is stories about sisters. So, not unlike True Colors, we have another book about sisters. This time it is two sisters (Meghann & Claire). Older sister, Meghann, is a successful divorce lawyer but unlucky in love. Claire is a single mother and caretaker of a popular lodge. Meghann and Claire are not as close as they used to be, but things may change now that Claire is getting married.

This is a good story. Again Hannah does a good job with character development and emotions. I think there was more romance in True Colors, which I liked more. This one is just about relationships between sisters.

About the Author: Kristin Hannah has written 16 novels. Check out her website http://kristinhannah.com.

The Ankh Of Isis by Christine Norris

Title: The Ankh Of Isis
Series: The Library of Athena
Author(s): Christine Norris
Genre: Children's, Young Adult
Publisher: Samhain Publishing
Received from: Bought for myself and will be given away for free.
Release Date: May 1, 2009
Finished: January 2010
Pages: 248
Challenges: None
Rating:









My Thoughts: This is the second book in The Library Of Athena. Returning are Megan and her friends Claire and Rachel. This time the girls must save Rachel, who accidentally gets pulled into a magical book with a crazy, gun-toting colleague who wants the Ankh of Isis. To get through the adventure, they will need all their knowledge of Egyptian history and any other clever skills they have.

With the end of Percy Jackson and the Olympians, this series is a nice one to turn to. It is mostly girls going through the adventures, but this one did feature a boy. The Ankh of Isis was really dependent on the kids knowing Egyptian history, more so than in the first book, The Crown Of Zeus. The clues were harder, and to be honest, if I were stuck in that book alone I'd be living in it for the rest of my life.

About the Author: Christine Norris is the author of 4 books. You can visit her site, http://www.christine-norris.com/, and her blog, http://christinenorris.livejournal.com/.

True Colors by Kristin Hannah

Title: True Colors
Series: None
Author(s): Kristin Hannah
Genre: Fiction, Women's Fiction
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Received from: Bought for book club and will be given away for free.
Release Date: February 3, 2009
Finished: January 2010
Pages: 528
Challenges: None
Rating:










My Thoughts: Three sisters, Winona, Aurora and Vivi Anne, are as different as people can be. Vivi Anne starts seeing someone that Winona is falling for, but she never tells Vivi Anne so this causes discord among them. Luke, the guy involved with Vivi Anne, has really fallen for her and wants her hand in marriage, but Vivi Anne then falls for new farm hand Dallas Raintree. Through out their lives, each sister has her ups and down, but they remain family even if sometimes they wish they weren't.

I enjoyed this one. I especially liked the younger sister, Viva Anne, her romance with Dallas Raintree and later the introduction to their son, Noah. Author Kristin Hannah has a way with evolving the characters and bringing them to life.

About the Author: Kristen Hannah wrote her first while pregnant with her first child. She has written a total of 16 now. Visit her website at http://kristinhannah.com

The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards

Title: The Memory Keeper's Daughter
Series: None
Author(s): Kim Edwards
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: Penguin
Received From: Bought for book club and will be given away for free.
Release Date: May 30, 2006
Finished: January 2010
Pages: 432
Challenges: None
Rating:








My Thoughts: Dr. Henry and his wife are expecting their first child. Little do they know that they are going to have twins. The doctor ends up delivering his own children, one baby boy and one baby girl with downs syndrome. He gives up the girl to be raised in a special hospital where they can take care of her better, but tells his wife her daughter died. The nurse he puts in charge of the baby ends up falling in love with the little bundle and keeps her. Throughout the years, each family deals with the decisions they made.

This was only OK for me. I feel like I have seen this on the Lifetime Movie Network, and it was hard to find characters to relate with. Everyone seemed to be holding grudges against each other.

About the Author: Kim Edwards has written two books, The Memory Keeper's Daughter and Secrets Of The Fire King. Check out her website at http://www.memorykeepersdaughter.com/

Weekly Geeks - Author Fun Facts - Chris D'Lacey

Weekly Geeks is a event that happens every Saturday go to WeeklyGeeks.com to participate

This week’s theme is: fun facts about authors.

How to:

1. Choose a writer you like.
2. Using resources such as Wikipedia, the author’s website, whatever you can find, make a list of interesting facts about the author.
3. Post your fun facts list in your blog, maybe with a photo of the writer, a collage of his or her books, whatever you want.
4. Come sign the Mr Linky below with the url to your fun facts post.
5. As you run into (or deliberately seek out) other Weekly Geeks’ lists, add links to your post for authors you like or authors you think your readers are interested in.

Chris D'Lacey

1. a) He has written many books for children but is best know for The Last Dragon Series (He is holding the first book in that series above, Fire Within)

b) When he started writing he wrote a 250,000 word story about polar bears to be given to his wife for Christmas.

c) The ceramic dragons mentioned in The Last Dragon were made by Mrs. Pennykettle in the book. In real life Mrs. Pennykettle is based on a real woman who does make ceramic dragons. (One dragon is in the picture above)

I Learned A New Word Today ... Genocide by Elizabeth Hankins

Title: I Learned A New Word Today ... Genocide
Series: None
Author(s): Elizabeth Hankins
Genre: Young Adult, History
Publisher: Key Publishing House, Inc.
Received from: Author for free for review, and will be given away for free.
Release Date: October 16, 2009
Finished: January 2010
Pages: 150
Challenges: None
Rating:










My Thoughts: A young boy, Javier, writes in his journal about what he is learning about in school ... genocide. He learns it is a horrible thing and he wants to do something to stop it from happening.

The author, Elizabeth Hankins, takes a chance on writing a book about genocide for children. I knew a little about genocide like the Holocaust, but not much about the more recent genocides. I was afraid when I opened the book that it would go into great in detail about the killings and would end up gory. But it is mostly a book with facts, history and others' thoughts on what age is the right age to start talking about such horrible things.

About the Author: Elizabeth Hankins is the author of two books, The Calling and I Learned A New Word Today...Genocide. Check out her books and links at http://www.elizabethhankins.com

The Adventures of Snip in Oregon by Betty S. Moir

Title: The Adventures of Snip in Oregon
Series: None
Author(s): Betty S. Moir
Genre: Children's Picture Book
Publisher: BookSurge Publishing
Received from: Author for free for review, and will be given away for free.
Release Date: December 29, 2008
Finished: November 2009
Pages: 42
Challenges: None
Rating:










My Thoughts: The Moir family just moved back to the states after living over seas. They get a dog, Snip, who is loving, fluffy and vocal. He likes helping with the kids chores, riding in the car and protecting the family from curious vermin.

Although the story is a little wordy, reading about Snip ordering around ("helping") the children with their chores on the farm is endearing.


About the Author: Betty S. Moir is a mother of three. This is her first book.

Signed Book Giveaway - The Adventures Of Snip In Oregon by Betty S. Moir

SIGNED BOOK GIVEAWAY!

For the month of February we have a story about the Moir family and their loving dog Snip.
If you would like to see what I think check out my review.
The book is signed by author Betty S. Moir.

This Giveaway is open to all.
To enter into the Giveaway all you have to do is post in the comments that you are interested in this book AND PLEASE LEAVE A EMAIL SO I MAY CONTACT YOU.

Giveaway Ends Saturday February 27th 2010.


A WINNER HAS BEEN CHOSEN !!!

Winner of The Rabbit And The Snowman by Sally O. Lee

And the Winner is number: 23





Ladytink_534 said... I'd love to give this to my two-year-old nephew-in-law Hunter.

I hope Hunter enjoys it!


THANK YOU FOR EVERYONE WHO TRIED!

What Should I Read Next?

Here's the thing I have about 4 tall piles of books one is almost over my head. Yes, this is my TBR Mt. Most of the books are stuff that I picked to read, the ARCs I recieve go else where. So the 4 piles are not really new books.

I was hoping that you could help me decide what to read next after I finish The Ankh of Isis by Christine Norris.


So here are the four choices. Click on each book cover to see summaries at goodreads.com :

A. Rachel Secret by BJ Hoff
B. Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris
C. Dragonspell by Donita K. Paul
D. The Romanov Bride by Robert Alexander


Write in the comments below what letter you would pick (A - D)

P.S. I want to thank the person who bought 25 books of The Heroes of Googley Woogley by Dalton James, last month from our affiliate store with Amazon.com. It made my day to know that someone decided to buy it after reading my review or maybe they just stumbled upon my site and bought. Either way I thank you!

Call Me Kate: Meeting the Molly Maguires by Molly Roe

Title: Call Me Kate: Meeting the Molly Maguires
Series: None
Author(s): Molly Roe
Genre: Young Adult, Historical Fiction
Publisher: Tribute Books
Release Date: November 24, 2008
Finished: January 2010
Pages: 168
Challenges: None
Rating:










My Thoughts: In 1862, a young Pennsylvania girl named Kate McCafferty stops going to school after her father is injured working in the coal mines. Now she has to be the bread winner and gets a job in another town as a maid. Soon she hears about how awful the coal miners are being treated and begins posing as a boy in the Molly Maguires, an rough underground Irish group who tried to improve the coal miners lot. Will she get caught, or will the coal miners get the benefits?

I was attracted to this book because my family comes from coal miners in the same area where young Kate lived. There are some family rumors that my great great grandfather was in the group, but that is another story. I thought this book seemed well researched. As I read, I felt as if I was in the story.

About the Author: Molly Roe is a jr. high school teacher. This is her first book in a trilogy of historical fiction.

Teaser Tuesdays - The Ankh Of Isis

Event takes place at Should be reading every Tuesday.



My Teaser:
"They took the liver, stomach, intestines and brain and put them all in jars, called canopic jars. Most of the ones I've seen are very beautiful, and expensive. ..."

Tink, North Of Neverland by Kiki Thorpe

Title: Tink, North of Neverland
Series: Disney's Fairies
Author(s): Kiki Thorpe
Genre: Children's Chapter Book
Publisher: A Stepping Stone Book
Release Date: August 14, 2007
Finished: January 2010
Pages: 112
Challenges: None
Rating:












My Thoughts: Here is the second Disney Fairies chapter book about Tinkerbell. In this one, Tink is hanging out with fellow fairy Terrance. Another fairy finds a unique treasure in Neverland, a compass. Tink decides to fix it. and as Terrance helps the best way he knows how, he ends up ruining other things in Tink's room. Tink gets so mad she tells Terrance to leave her alone. Terrance takes this to heart and stays away from her. Tink, realizing that she was too hard on Terrance, wants to find the perfect present to say she is sorry. Adventure, here comes Tink!

I thought this one was cute. I especially like the way fairies say they are sorry. Only clumsies (humans) say the actual words, "I am sorry." Fairies say, "I'd fly backwards if I could.". Most of the Disney Fairies books have a lesson they teach, but I am not quite sure what this one was.

About the Author: Kiki Thorpe has written almost 100 children's books. Most of them are Disney characters or Nickolodean, like Dora the Explorer.