Inconsistent Postings... will soon be a thing of the past!

My brother has been transferred back to his home town! Yay! I know that will help speed his recovery up, just being close to his son.
But after spending the last 13 days working & going straight to the hospital, I'm EXHAUSTED! I'm just not the spring chicken I used to be, I guess. I know I have missed deadlines, forgotten to email, etc. I'm sorry! Once I'm caught up on my house cleaning (yuck!), re-read a couple of books (cause I was reading over some of my notes that I wrote at the hospital and it isn't pretty, let me tell ya!) I will get back on track! Thanks for being patient with me! I appreciate it!

AND THE WINNERS ARE...

AND THE WINNERS ARE:

GINNY

SUE

ESME

Look for an email sometime today!

You have 48 hours to respond back with your address!

Congratulations!

Last Call~ Hollywood Is Like High School With Money by Zoey Dean

Twenty-four-year old Taylor Henning has just landed her dream job as an assistant at a major movie studio. But when her catty coworkers trick her into almost getting fired, she realizes that the old saying "Hollywood is like school with money" just may be true. The thing is, Taylor wasn't exactly a social butterfly in high school-how is she supposed to do any better the second time around?That's when she meets her boss's popular sixteen-year-old daughter Quinn, and has an epiphany: maybe this teenager can teach her how to use her queen bee tactics to succeed in the Hollywood popularity contest. Quinn comes up with a plan to teach Taylor one lesson a week-everything from "Fake it 'til you make it" to "It's *never* your fault"--and soon Taylor finds herself winning the war against rival assistant Kylie. Until, that is, she's directed to steal Kylie's boyfriend, and something happens that's not in the game plan: Taylor falls for the guy. Now she must do the impossible-- harness her inner mean girl while staying true to herself.

GO HERE TO ENTER!

Comments left on this post will NOT be included!

Thanks!

Friday Fill-ins

1. The last thing I ate was: mini Reese's Cups and Whoppers
2. Lucky Charms is something I recently bought
3. When it rains it smells great!
4. My sweetie was the first person I talked to today
5. Hugs are always appreciated!
6. a blanket provides extra comfort
7. And as for the weekend: I will be visiting my brother in the hospital, cleaning, then sitting outside reading and enjoying some "me" time and relaxing!

Tour Stop~ The Castaways by Elin Hilderbrand

About the book:

Greg and Tess MacAvoy are one of four prominent Nantucket couples who count each other as best friends. As pillars of their close-knit community, the MacAvoys, Kapenashes, Drakes, and Wheelers are important to their friends and neighbors, and especially to each other. But just before the beginning of another idyllic summer, Greg and Tess are killed when their boat capsizes during an anniversary sail. As the warm weather approaches and the island mourns their loss, nothing can prepare the MacAvoy's closest friends for what will be revealed.

Book Details:

Hardcover: 368 pages
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company (July 7, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0316043893
ISBN-13: 978-0316043892

About the author:

Elin Hilderbrand lives on Nantucket with her husband and their three young children. She grew up in Collegeville, Pennsylvania, and traveled extensively before settling on Nantucket. She is the author of ten novels. Hilderbrand is a graduate of Johns Hopkins University and the graduate fiction workshop at the University of Iowa.

my thoughts:

I read the first 3 pages and had to put the book down. I'm so glad I picked it back up! This story is narrated by 6 different people, taking turns with each chapter. At first I found it odd and a little hard to deal with, but the flow of the book was great and I never thought “Wait, what just happened to…”? So it didn’t take long to get into the book.

The Castaways are a group that I wouldn't mind visiting again in a couple of years to see where they are, how the kids are doing. The Castaways made me long for a close knit group of friends, that you can turn to for anything.

Like so many of the books I've reviewed lately, I have not read Ms. Hilderbrands work before but I am looking forward to reading more in the future!

my suggestion:
If I were to buy one new book, by an author I hadn't read before, this would be the one I would buy. And Elin Hilderbrand has made it on my list of authors to rush out and buy!!!

New Look...

I got the itch today. The itch to make a change! A change to my blog, that is! Every once in awhile, something happens to me and something either gets painted, moved, given away or bought. Today, it was a new blog layout. Don't become too attached to this one, it might change a few times before I decide "Oh that's it"! Or I just throw my hands up in the air and give up! LOL! That won't happen. If you know of great blog layout sites (that are free), let me know! I'm alookin'!

This award was given to me by Missy at Missy's Book Nook.

Thanks Missy!

The rules state that in order to accept this award,

I need to list seven of my very favorite things.

Then I may pass the award on to seven other bloggers!

My Seven Favorite Things

1. Spending time with my family

2. McDonalds Iced Vanilla Coffee

3. Books/ reading

4. root beer floats (made with A&W Root Beer & Edy's Ice Cream)

5. snuggling up with my sweetie, watching tv on a chilly day

6. Playing with the dogs

7. Just talking to my kids

I will now pass this award on to:

A Bookish Mom

Book ♥ Soulmates

~ Bambi Reads ~

The Novel Bookworm

The Eclectic Book Lover

Peeking Between the Pages

Just Another New Blog

And The Winners Are...

AND THE WINNERS ARE:

LADY ROX

LORIDES

BELLE

I will be emailing you today!

Please respond back within 48 hours

with your mailing info!

Thanks!

Giveaway~ Tamed By A Laird by Amanda Scott

Jenny Easdale is ready to accept her fate. She's agreed to marry a man she will never love - yet not before slipping away for one last adventure. Following a traveling minstrel troupe, she's whisked into a world of intoxicating freedom. Then, all too soon, she finds herself in danger - from a vengeful political plot against Scotland and from the man who has come to take her home. Dutybound to return with his brother's wayward bride, Sir High Douglas is not prepared for how her quick wit, courage, and laughing eyes touch his warrior heart. Now, as the merry minstrels play matchmaker and passion sparks between Hugh and Jenny, the conspiracy against Scotland builds...and threatens all they hold dear.

About the Contest:
Open to US and Canadian address.
No PO Boxes please.
Five winners will be chosen on July 31st.
A special thanks to Hachette Book Group.
To Win:
Leave a Comment with your name & email address
For an added chance, be a follower!
I will notify the winners by email and on my blog on August 1st.
Please respond within 48 hours with your mailing information!

Giveaway~ My Name Is Will by Jess Winfield

A Tale of two Shakespeares...
Struggling UC Santa Cruz grad student Willie Shakespeare Greenberg is trying to write his thesis about the Bard. Kind of...Cut off by his father for laziness, and desperate for dough, Willie agrees to deliver a single giant, psychedelic mushroom to a mysterious collector, making himself an unwitting target in Ronald Reagan's War on Drugs. Meanwhile, would-be playwright (and oppressed Catholic) William Shakespeare is eighteen years old and stuck teaching Latin in the boondocks of Stratford-upon-Avon. The future Bard's life is turned upside down when a stranger entrusts him with a sacred relic from Rome... This, at a time when adherents of the "Old Faith" are being hanged, drawn, and quartered as traitors.Seemingly separated in time and place, the lives of Willie and William begin to intersect in curious ways, from harrowing encounters with the law (and a few ex-girlfriends) to dubious experiments with mind-altering substances. Their misadventures could be dismissed as youthful folly. But wise or foolish, the bold choices they make will shape not only the 'Shakespeare' each is destined to come... but the very course of history itself.

About the Contest:

Open to US & Canadian addresses. No PO Boxes please.

5 winners will be chosen on July 20th by random.org

A very special thanks to Hachette Book Group

To Win:

Leave a comment with your name & email address

For an added chance, be a follower!

I will notify the winners by email & on my blog on July 21st

Please respond within 48 hours with your mailing information!

Giveaway~ Off Season by Ann Rivers Siddons

For as long as she can remember, they were Cam and Lilly--happily married, totally in love with each other, parents of a beautiful family, and partners in life. Then, after decades of marriage, it ended as every great love story does...in loss. After Cam's death, Lilly takes a lone road trip to her and Cam's favorite spot on the remote coast of Maine, the place where they fell in love over and over again, where their ghosts still dance. There, she looks hard to her past--to a first love that ended in tragedy; to falling in love with Cam; to a marriage filled with exuberance, sheer life, and safety-- to try to figure out her future.It is a journey begun with tender memories and culminating in a revelation that will make Lilly re-evaluate everything she thought was true about her husband and her marriage.

About the Contest:

Open to US and Canadian address.

No PO Boxes please.

Five winners will be chosen on July 20th.

A special thanks to Hachette Book Group.

To Win:

Leave a Comment with your name & email address

For an added chance, be a follower!

I will notify the winners by email and on my blog on July 21st.

Please respond within 48 hours with your mailing information!

Giveaway~ Knight of Desire by Margaret Mallory

FEARLESS IN BATTLE
His surcoat still bloody from battle, William FitzAlan comes to claim the strategic borderlands granted to him by the king. One last prize awaits him at the castle gates: the lovely Lady Catherine Rayburn.
TENDER IN BED
Catherine risked everything to spy for the crown. Her reward? Her lands are declared forfeit and she is given this choice: marry FitzAlan or be taken to the Tower. Catherine agrees to give her handsome new husband her body, but she’s keeping secrets and dares not give him her heart. As passion ignites and danger closes in, Catherine and William must learn to trust in each other to save their marriage, their land, and their very lives.

About the Contest:

Open to US and Canadian address.

No PO Boxes please.

Five winners will be chosen on July 27th.

A special thanks to Hachette Book Group.

To Win:

Leave a Comment with your name & email address

For an added chance, be a follower!

I will notify the winners by email and on my blog on July 28th.

Please respond within 48 hours with your mailing information!

Not so consistent postings coming your way!

I might not be posting as often as I usually do, and when I do, it will probably be several posts at once. The reason you ask? Last week, I recieved notice that one of my brothers had to be lifelined to a hospital here in Indianapolis (he lives close to the Illinois border) because he had to have surgery to remove a blood clot from his noggin. It had been touch & go, the docs were saying that he would probably be in the regular hospital for 4-6 weeks, then need in patient rehab. BUT. Last Friday, they took the ventilator out and the tube that was draining the excess fluid off of his brain came out too! Sunday he was sitting up & talking just a little. Last night they took him out of the Intensive Care Unit & put him in a regular room! He was very talkative, asking how my kids were, how work was going, etc. Now they are saying that he might be ready for rehab as soon as next week!

This is NOT my brother!

So, but anyway. I am working my regular 8-5, heading to the hospital immediately after work and hanging out with him, since the other siblings had to return to work this week (and they live at least 2 hours away). By the time I'm getting home, I'm exhausted. But I am writing (long hand) my reviews while he dozes and will get them posted asap!

I will have several (4!!) giveaways posted tonight, so look for them. They all look great & I can't wait to read them!

oh, P.S.~ I will try my best to keep the giveaways on schedule! If I post a blog naming the winners, but you don't get an email that day...I WILL GET IT TO YOU! Don't worry. I start the 48 hours from when I email you, not when I post it! Thanks for understanding!

Tour Stop~ "How Perfect Is That" by Sarah Bird

Blythe Young’s recent divorce from Trey Dix has left her outside the protective bubble of Austin’s high society. As her catering business goes broke and the IRS starts to chase her down, Blythe seeks a haven at Seneca House, the housing co-op where she lived 10 years ago during college. There, she must face Millie Ott, one of many friends Blythe shucked off in a frenzy of social climbing. Once portly Millie is now slender and, as a perfect foil for Blythe, also saintly: she delivers aid to the homeless by way of a tandem recumbent bike (which Blythe names the “dorkocycle”). At Seneca House, Blythe tries to make amends with people she’s stepped on, to avoid the IRS, and to kick both a lingering drug habit and an addiction to scamming people into helping her out. She slowly starts to wins over the affection of her housemates until one of her unthinking decisions brings potential ruin on the co-op’s financial well-being. The result is a laugh-out-loud addition to Bird’s long line of estrogen-fueled dramedies.

About The Author:
Born Dec. 26, 1949 in Ann Arbor, Mich., Bird lived a peripatetic childhood in an Air Force family. She received a bachelor's degree in anthropology from the University of New Mexico in 1973 and a master's degree in journalism from the University of Texas at Austin in 1976. Bird was an editor and contributor for the no-longer-active Austin magazine Third Coast. She authored five romance novels under the name Tory Cates before publishing her 1986 comic novel "Alamo House," set on frat row at a Texas university.
Visit her site HERE!

my thoughts:
I am now a Bird watcher! I will be on the look out for all of her books! "How Perfect Is That" would be a great, fun book to read this summer! The characters are detailed in such a way that you really get to know & care (or really dislike) them. I've never been to Austin, but I feel like if I did go, I would know my way around.
What I thought was so great about "How Perfect Is That", you almost feel like you're reading about a friend (or in some cases, maybe you!). Blythe is a mess. Like most people. She was not perfect. She's divorced, broke, her business is crappy. Who hasn't been there? And like most people who have been there, she finds out who her real friends are.
my suggestion:
If you want a funny read to add to your bookshelves, this is it!

So Sorry!

When I got home last night my email was down, so I couldn't email the winners for "One Scream Away". As you can see, the problem has been fixed and the winners have all been notified by email. Thanks for understanding!!

Book vs Movie~ P.S. I Love You by Cecelia Ahern

Holly and Gerry had the perfect life. Happily married, living in Dublin close to their friends and family, and with a brilliant social life, they had the world at their feet. Or so they thought. When Gerry dies, Holly is devastated. On the eve of her 30th birthday, the man who was her lover, her best friend, her rock, has left her. But Gerry promised he'd always be there for Holly. And he is: his last bequest to her is The List, a bundle of notes which form a monthly mission for Holly to get her life back on track. As the notes are gradually opened, and as the year unfolds, Holly is both cheered up and challenged. The man who knows Holly better than anyone sets out to teach her that life goes on. With some help from her friends, and her noisy and loving family, Holly finds herself laughing, crying, singing, dancing - and being braver than ever before. Life is for living, she realises - but it always helps if there's an angel watching over you.

I watched the movie BEFORE reading the book and participating in the Book to Movie Challenge. I loved the movie and so I chose this book to be included in my "picks".
my thoughts:
I so loved the book more than the movie. Don't get me wrong, the movie is one of my top favorite "chick flicks". BUT. THE. BOOK. IS. SO. MUCH. BETTER.
Although I will say as I was reading the book, I did picture Hillary Swank (as Holly), Gerard Butler (as Gerry) and Kathy Bates (as Holly's mum). The book delved much deeper into the emotions of not just Holly, but everyone who knew Gerry. There were some MAJOR differences in the book, but the main point remained the same. The letters that Gerry had written to Holly prior to his death. I have the habit of reading until my eyes pop out of my head, but with P.S. I Love You, I couldn't do that. I had to take regular breaks, go outside, do a load of laundry or just watch tv. It was an emotional roller coaster, and I had to jump off, alot. By the time I finished last night, I was exhausted. Cecelia Ahern is a fantastic writer who squeezes every drop of emotion out of her characters.
my suggestion:
Buy the book. Buy the movie. If you only have 2 hours and feel like you need a good cleansing cry, watch the movie. If you have a weekend and feel like you need a good cleansing cry, read the book. It's what I'm going to do!

2 / 6 books. 33% done!

AND THE WINNERS ARE...for One Scream Away

Killer Chevy Bankes is a master of disguise, and just paroled, he's coming after the woman who sent him to jail, the beautiful antiques expert Beth Denison. A set of antique dolls brings Beth into his sight, and inspire Chevy's disturbing crimes as he draws closer to Beth and her young daughter. Chevy sends the dolls to Beth one-by-one and she soon realizes that these antiques carry the same marks as his victims, signaling that the final piece in his collection will be for her.Neil Sheridan gave up his FBI shield five years ago, but his best friend Rick, a cop, pulls him in as a consultant on a case involving a serial killer who is eerily similar to a murderer Neil encountered in the past. The investigation leads Neil to Beth's doorstep, and he is certain she isn't telling him the truth. Neil is the only one who can get through Beth's defenses and, as they grow closer, discover the secrets that Beth is hiding about her fateful night with Chevy.

And the winners are:

Linda Ellen

Wendy

Dag888888

Elaing8

Sue W

Thanks to random.org for picking the winners!
I will be sending you an email today requesting your address.
Please respond back within 48 hours!

Tour Stop~ Seduce The Darkness by Gena Showalter

Synopsis:

SHE HAS A BODY MADE FOR TEMPTATION...AND A KISS TO DIE FOR.
The war between otherworlders and humans changed Earth beyond recognition. It also saved Bride McKells's life. Before, the gorgeous vampire was a target for every fanatic with a stake and a crucifix. Now, she's free to roam the streets -- and desperate to find others of her kind. One man claims to have the answers she seeks. Devyn, King of the Targons, is a warrior and a womanizer, and he makes no secret of how much he wants Bride -- and how dangerous he could be to her in every way. An avid collector of women, Devyn easily seduces human and otherworlder alike. Until now. Not only does Bride resist him, but she leaves Devyn feeling something entirely new...a bone-deep need bordering on obsession. Her blood is the key to curing a vicious alien disease, but helping Bride uncover her origins will compel her to choose between electrifying passion and a destiny that could tear her from Devyn's side forever.

• Mass Market Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Pocket Star (June 30, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416531645

About The Author:

Gena Showalter is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of breathtaking paranormal and contemporary romances, cutting edge young adult novels, and stunning urban fantasy.

Her novels have appeared in Cosmopolitan Magazine, MTV, and Seventeen Magazine. The critics have called her books "sizzling page-turners" and "utterly spellbinding stories", while Showalter herself has been called “a star on the rise”.

my thoughts:

This couple is HOT! I loved, loved, loved Devyn's "I'm the best" attitude! I normally can not stand this attitude, even in a book, but Devyn just hit the right spot with me! Bride is funny & holds her own with Devyn, even taking on his "I'm the best" attitude. The Lords Of The Underworld series were the first books that I had read by Gena Showalter, and I thought they were great reads. Seduce The Darkness lives up to them! Ms. Showalter creates a new world for you to immerse yourself in, with each book she writes.

my suggestion:

Run out & buy Seduce The Darkness! (And if you haven't read The Lords Of The Underworld, why? Run out and get those too!! You will not be disappointed!)


Other stops on the Blog Tour:

Readaholic: http://bridget3420.blogspot.com/Book Series Reviews: http://bookseriesreviews.blogspot.com/All About {n}: http://www.bookwormygirl.blogspot.com/Debbie’s World of Books: http://debbiesworldofbooks.com/Wendy’s Minding Spot: http://mindingspot.blogspot.com/Anna’s Book Blog: http://annavivian.blogspot.com/My Guilty Pleasures: http://www.mgpblog.com/Undercover Book Lover: http://undercoverbooklover.blogspot.com/Drey’s Library: http://dreyslibrary.blogspot.com/A Book Bloggers Diary: http://abookbloggersdiary.blogspot.com/Book Soulmates: http://booksoulmates.blogspot.com/A Journey of Books: http://ajourneyofbooks.blogspot.com/My Friend Amy: http://www.myfriendamysblog.com/Literary Escapism: http://www.literaryescapism.com/Horror and Fantasy Book Review: http://horrorandfantasybookreview.blogspot.com/Temple Library Reviews: http://templelibraryreviews.blogspot.com/Fantasy Freak: http://fantastyfreak.blogspot.com/Books Joseph Reads: http://booksjosephreads.blogspot.com/

Tour Stop: My Forbidden Desire

Synopsis:

TORN BETWEEN...
Alexandrine Marit is a witch in mortal danger. An evil mage craves the powerful, mysterious talisman that supplies her magic, and the only person who can keep her safe is a dark and dangerous fiend called Xia. With his fierce animosity toward witches, he's hardly the ideal bodyguard. Yet as days turn into nights, she can't deny the white-hot passion between them.
DESIRE AND TEMPTATION…
Xia hates witches. They enslave and mercilessly kill his kind. But he's been ordered to protect Alexandrine, who, to his surprise, has a spirit he admires and a body he longs to possess. With the mage and his henchmen closing in, Alexandrine and her protector must trust the passion that can unite them...or risk losing everything to the enemies who can destroy them both.

Book Details:
· Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
· Publisher: Forever (June 1, 2009)
· Language: English
· ISBN-10: 0446178241
· ISBN-13: 978-0446178242

About The Author:


When not writing, Carolyn Jewel is a Database Administrator. She lives in northern California with her son, three cats, a border collie, several chickens, and some sheep

Visit Carolyn Jewel’s site at http://carolynjewel.com/.
Follow Carolyn Jewel on Twitter http://twitter.com/cjewel.
Become a friend of Carolyn Jewel on MySpace.
Become a fan of Carolyn Jewel on Facebook.

My thoughts:

When I signed up for the book tour, I didn’t realize this was the second book of (hopefully) a series. But “My Forbidden Desire” could be a stand alone. There is just the right amount of back information to make you want to run out and buy “My Wicked Enemy” (which I will!!), but it does not overtake the plot of “My Forbidden Desire”.
Carolyn Jewell has created characters that were believable (thank you!), a setting that was realistic, and dialogue that was not stilted, but flowed well between characters. I enjoyed the “dance” between Xia and Alexandrine (I LOVE THAT NAME!). How could he continue with his hatred when he wants her that much?!? He can’t. And he has bad boy written all over him and that is irresistible to Alexandrine. I thought this book gives a fresh look at mage’s, witches, demons (aka fiends). I look forward to reading Harsh’s story as well as Kynan’s.

My suggestion:
Buy both “My Forbidden Desire” and “My Wicked Enemy”. You will definitely want to read these books, over and over and over again!

Other tour stops with dates, giveaways and Q&A's!
PARTICIPATING BLOGS:
http://bridget3420.blogspot.com/ - June 28 review and giveaway
http://booksoulmates.blogspot.com/ - June 28 review and giveaway
http://ajourneyofbooks.blogspot.com/ - June 28 review and giveaway
http://www.morbid-romantic.net/ - June 28 review, giveaway, and Q&A
http://debbiesworld.wordpress.com/ - June 28
http://yankeeromancereviewers.blogspot.com/ - June 28 giveaway
http://rannthisthat.blogspot.com/ - June 28
http://dreyslibrary.blogspot.com/ - June 28 review, giveaway, and Q&A
http://undercoverbooklover.blogspot.com/ - June 28 giveaway and Q&A
http://bookinwithbingo.blogspot.com/ - June 28
http://martasmeanderings.blogspot.com/ - June 28 review and giveaway
http://www.mgpblog.com/ - June 28 review and giveaway
http://www.startingfresh-gaby317.blogspot.com/ - June 28 review and giveaway
http://trinsnook.blogspot.com/ - June 28 review and giveaway
http://mustreadfaster.blogspot.com/ - June 29 review and giveaway
http://www.loveimpossible.com/ - June 29 review and Q&A
http://seductivemusings.blogspot.com/ - June 29 review and giveaway
http://reviewfromhere.com/ - June 29 reviewhttp://booksandneedlepoint.blogspot.com/ - June 29 review; giveaway
http://mindingspot.blogspot.com/ - review, giveaway, and Q&A
http://reesspace.blogspot.com/ - review and giveaway
http://carolsnotebook.wordpress.com/ - June 29 review, giveaway, and possible Q&A
http://horrorandfantasybookreview.blogspot.com/ - June 29 review and giveaway
http://www.myspace.com/darbyscloset - review

In My Mailbox...(06/28/09)

In My Mailbox was started by

The Story Siren

If you haven't checked out her blog

you should!

Prey by Rachel Vincent

SOMETIMES PLAYING CAT AND MOUSE IS NO GAME...
Play? Right. My Pride is under fire from all sides, my father's authority is in question, and my lover is in exile. Which means I haven't laid eyes on Marc's gorgeous face in months. And with a new mother and an I-know-everything teenager under my protection, I don't exactly have time to fantasize about ever seeing him again.
Then our long-awaited reunion is ruined by a vicious ambush by strays. Now our group is under attack, Marc is missing, and I will need every bit of skill and smarts to keep my family from being torn apart. Forever.

How Perfect Is That by Sarah Bird

Blythe Young—a wannabe Texas princess, a heroine as plucky, driven, and desperate as Vanity Fair’s Becky Sharp—is plummeting precipitously from up- to downstairs, banging her head on every step of the Austin social ladder as she falls. Not unlike the country as a whole, Blythe has surrendered to a multitude of dubious moral choices and is now facing the disastrous consequences: bankruptcy, public humiliation, a teensy fondness for the pharmaceuticals, and no Pap smear for ten years. But worst of all, she is forced to move back into the fleabag co-op boardinghouse where she lived when she was a student at the University of Texas.Though Blythe cares much more about the ravaged state of her nails, and how to get the ingredients for Code Warrior—Blythe’s proprietary blend of Stoli, Ativan, and Red Bull that keeps everything in focus—her soul is hanging in the balance. Only when she is in danger of losing the one friend who’s been her true moral center is she ready to face her sins and make amends.And her penance is merciless: she must find a way to lure her former socialite friends into the tofu tenement she has been reduced to. Little does Blythe know that the ensuing collision between the pierced, tattooed, and dreadlocked inhabitants and the pampered, Kir-sipping socialites offers the only hope of finding a way out of her moral quagmire.Funny, fast-paced, sharp-eyed, an old-fashioned morality tale with an appropriately twenty-first-century ending, How Perfect Is That is a comic triumph of a novel.

Fairest Of Them All by Jan Blazanin

Oribella Bettencourt is living a teenage girl’s dream. At fifteen, she’s a beauty queen, a model, and a breath away from her life-long goal of acting in a major motion picture. She and her mother are more than partners; they’re best friends. When Oribella is diagnosed with alopecia, losing her hair means the end of her career. While she struggles to cope with that loss, the strain shatters the special bond she and her mother share. Without friends, family, or direction, Ori feels like a discarded doll. As she struggles to put her life back together, Ori wonders if she can build a future worth living for.

Last Light Over Carolina by Mary Alice Monroe

Every woman in the lowcountry knows the unspoken fear that clutches the heart every time her man sets out to sea. Now, that fear has become a terrible reality for Carolina Morrison. Her husband, shrimp boat captain Bud Morrison, the only man she's ever loved, is lost and alone somewhere in the vast Atlantic fi shing grounds, with a storm gathering and last light falling.
As the action unfolds on this one terrifying, illuminating day, Carolina and Bud Morrison look back across thirty years of love and loss, joy and sorrow. Carolina walked away from a well-to-do upbringing to marry Captain Bud Morrison. She embraced his extraordinary lifestyle by the sea and the customs of a historic shrimping village. Yet lately, hard times and the loneliness of long separations have driven them apart -- and driven her to make a mistake that threatens to shatter their once-unbreakable bond forever.
When Bud Morrison is overdue at the docks, the close-knit community rallies together to search for one of its own. But Carolina knows that it is their love that must somehow call him home, across miles of rough water and unspeakablememories. And she swears that if she is given one more chance -- for love and for forgiveness -- nothing will ever take her from this man's side again.
In Last Light over Carolina, Mary Alice Monroe once again explores a vanishing feature of the southern coastline, the mysterious yet time-honored shrimping culture, in a convincing and compelling tale of an enduring marriage.

Julie & Julia by Julie Powell

With the humor of Bridget Jones and the vitality of Augusten Burroughs, Julie Powell recounts how she conquered every recipe in Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking and saved her soul.Julie Powell is 30-years-old, living in a rundown apartment in Queens and working at a soul-sucking secretarial job that's going nowhere. She needs something to break the monotony of her life, and she invents a deranged assignment. She will take her mother's dog-eared copy of Julia Child's 1961 classic Mastering the Art of French Cooking, and she will cook all 524 recipes. In the span of one year. At first she thinks it will be easy. But as she moves from the simple Potage Parmentier (potato soup) into the more complicated realm of aspics and crepes, she realizes there's more to Mastering the Art of French Cooking than meets the eye. With Julia's stern warble always in her ear, Julie haunts the local butcher, buying kidneys and sweetbreads. She sends her husband on late-night runs for yet more butter and rarely serves dinner before midnight. She discovers how to mold the perfect Orange Bavarian, the trick to extracting marrow from bone, and the intense pleasure of eating liver. And somewhere along the line she realizes she has turned her kitchen into a miracle of creation and cuisine. She has eclipsed her life's ordinariness through spectacular humor, hysteria, and perseverance.

The Imposter's Daughter by Laurie Sandell

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.

The Cemetary Dance by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child

William Smithback, a NY Times reporter, and his wife Nora Kelly, a Museum of Natural History archeologist, are brutally attacked in their apartment on the Upper West side of Manhattan. Eyewitnesses claim and the security camera confirms the killer seen leaving the building was their strange, sinister neighbor--a man who, by all reports, was already dead. Captain Hayward leads the official homocide investigation, while Pendergast, D'Agosta, and Nora undertake a private quest for the truth. Their serpentine journey takes them into a part of Manhattan they never imagined could exist: a secretive and deadly hotbed of Obeah, the West Indian Zombii cult of sorcery and magic. And it is here they find their true peril is just beginning.