Book Club Snippets

I haven't been very good about reviewing my book club books the last several months. I think that's because most of them were just "meh" for me and I didn't feel like writing a long review for a blah book.

The Associate by John Grisham has been touted as a return to the style he was first known for with The Firm and The Client. It has been awhile since I've read a Grisham novel. I think The Summons was the last one I read. I have such high expectations when something is compared to any of Grisham's earlier works. This one was mildly interesting but no where near as good as The Firm for me. It would make for a good beach/vacation read though.
Source disclosure: Book purchased

Billie Letts also wrote Where the Heart Is. I have not read that book, but have seen the movie a number of times. I wasn't sure what I would think about this book going into it. Shoot the Moon is the story of a stranger coming to visit a small town to learn about his roots. Is he who he really says he is, the grown man who once was a baby that disappeared from the town decades earlier? Nick moves from feeling like an outsider to realizing perhaps he is finally home. This was an average to good read for me. The "mystery" of what happened to Nick kept me intrigued. The romantic angle to the book seemed quite unrealistic for me. But I'm not usually too into romantic story angles anyway. :-) If you're just looking for a light quick read with just a little depth, this would be a good one.
Source disclosure: Borrowed book from a friend

Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen can be characterized as Southern Fiction. Catherine Grace grows up the preacher's daughter in the small town of Ringgold, Georgia. The book starts off with Catherine Grace as a child and moves through to adulthood. She leaves Ringgold and has to come back when tragedy strikes. I have to admit this was a DNF (did not finish) for me. I got to about page 50 and just couldn't take the Southern preacher talk anymore. My book club thought it was all right though and some liked it pretty well. Again, I imagine this might be a good vacation/car trip book.
Source disclosure: Borrowed from the library

Testimony by Anita Shreve was our September book. Again, this was a rather fast read thanks to short chapters. And again, this one fell a bit short for me. Each chapter featured a different character's voice rotating through the story. True to its title, the book starts after an tragic event of date rape (or was it?) at a New England prep school. The characters go through the aftermath of the event telling where their lives at now. What Shreve did accomplish was writing an impressive array of different character voices. If you didn't have the chapter title, often you could tell which character was speaking just by the tone of the section. Though Shreve did an interesting job with the character voice, I felt she had TOO many characters. We had everyone from the main participants in the event to the lunch lady, the liquor store clerk and more. Some people just didn't seem to be needed to tell the story. I also felt that the ending didn't fully satisfy my curiosity about what really happened. I wanted to know more about the girl and her motives. It was never made clear if she really was taken advantage of, or if she just worked the situation to make it appear she was taken advantage of so she wouldn't get into trouble. I sort of wanted to know more about her. My final thought on Testimony is that I felt like she was trying to mimic Jodi Picoult's style of switching character voice, but in this case I felt like it didn't work as well as Picoult. On one good note, this was a good book club book because it provided a LOT of discussion.
Source disclosure: Received book from Hachette. I won a copy in a book blog giveaway.

BBAW Contest Wrap-up: The Winners!!

Thank you to EVERYONE for checking out our blog during BBAW! It was so fun to hear from so many of you and explore some new blogs as well!

Here are the winners for our daily contests:

Day #1: Fearless Fourteen
Wanda (Manitoba, Canada)

Day #1: Mating Rituals of the Northern America WASP/The Chocolate Lover's Club Brenda in Michigan

Day #2: Evil at Heart
holdenj (Minnesota--actually practically down the road from me! What a coincidence)

Day#2: Simon Bloom books GBK Gwyneth (This cracks me up because Gwyneth is my neighbor!)

Day #4: Testimony (2 winners)
Pippirose (Ontario, Canada)
Cheryl (Ontario, Canada)

Day #5: The Associate
Belinda M (Winnipeg, Canada)

Day #5: If Your Kid Eats This Book.../Smart Mama's Green Guide Holdenj (another one for you!)

Stay tuned! I'm going to have a fun Autumn Giveaway starting November 1st!

Picture Book Thursday is Back!!

Our enthusiasm for Picture Book Thursday seemed to fizzle out a bit last spring. But I think that was mostly because we had shared most of our favorite books from our daughters' vast collections. BUT, I've had some review picture books laying around here for quite a while now and I am hoping to make Picture Book Thursday a regular feature once again! So let's start off with Pouch! by David Ezra Stein. Became available in book stores on September 17th.

This adorable book introduces us to a baby kangaroo who wants to get out of his mother's pouch and hop around to explore the world. He is excited to see what is out and around him, however, when he encounters something new to him (a bee, rabbit, bird, a new kangaroo friend) he gets a bit nervous and runs back to his mother's pouch for comfort. Each time he emerges from the pouch he takes a few more steps away from his mother, but she is always there for him if he needs her for comfort.

Such a fun little book to show children that it is great to take a few steps away from Mom and see the surprises of the world. And Mommy will always be right there for you if you need a little extra comfort as you get used to something new. And in the end, taking those steps away from Mom could mean something great like making a new friend to play with!

For extra fun, look at the illustrations closely and see if your child can spot the animal from the previous pages in the drawings (ie: the bee on the rabbit page).

Pouch! is perfect for those children who may be a little shy and might need a story to show that it is okay to be nervous about encountering new things. I also think this would be great for the toddler to preschool group who are growing too old for board books, but do not have the attention span yet for longer story-driven picture books. A perfect starter picture book!

About the Author/Illustrator:
David Ezra Stein received the Ezra Jack Keats New Writer Award for Leaves, which was also a Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year, a Kirkus Reviews Editor's Choice and a School Library Journal Best Book. His other books include: The Nice Book, Cowboy Ned and Andy, and Monster Hug! He lives in Kew Gardens, New York.

There is a fun "Making of Pouch" feature on the author's website! Check it out here.

Thank you to Sara Zick from the Penguin Group for sending me a copy of this delightful book to review!

The Hanging Hill by Chris Grabenstein

Last year, I LOVED Chris Grabenstein's The Crossroads. It was one of two five-star books I read last year (here's my review). So for me, his follow-up had some high expectations to live up to.

Unfortunately, I feel The Hanging Hill fell a bit short of those expectations. But was a worthwhile and fast read nonetheless. In The Hanging Hill, we find it has been two months since the incident at the Crossroads. Zack and his family are living in an extended-stay hotel while their house is rebuilt (it burned down in the first book). Zack and his stepmom Judy travel to Chatham, Connecticut to spend some time at the Hanging Hill Theater where her popular children's book series, Curiosity Cat, is being turned into a musical.

Sidenote: The creepy building on the cover is the Hanging Hill Theater depicted as it looked when Judy and Zack first pull up to it. Until I read the passage in the book (page 41 toward the bottom), I never noticed the lights making a jack-o-latern face. Pretty cool, huh?

Obviously, by the name of the theater you might be able to guess that it was built on top of the place where historically they used to hold public hangings. And therefore, many ghosts (good spirits and demons) haunt the old theater. Zack meets some of the cast members--children his own age--and becomes friends with Meghan who can also see ghosts! He's thrilled someone else can see them besides him and Judy. And he stops to notice that Meghan does in fact eat food proving she is not a ghost herself. He's had trouble with befriending ghosts in the past, not realizing they're ghosts right away.

The two friends start to explore the theater and find themselves involved in a ceremonial ritual meant to release angry demons from their spirithood. If the ceremony finishes, these evil ghosts can come back to life more powerful and deadly than when they were first alive.

While this was a fun entry in a ghost series, I didn't find the story as gripping or as interesting as The Crossroads (there is one tie-in in this book with a ghost from the Crossroads...I thought that was pretty cool--very insignificant to the plot, but a fun tidbit). I guess the sacrificial ceremony plot just didn't grip me as much as the ghost story of the first one. I did like the appearance of Zack's mom's ghost though (I won't say more, I don't want to give too much away). I believe it really helped in developing Zack's character a bit more and helping him become more confident to move on from the past. The book was fun overall and I'm sure middle-grade readers will enjoy it immensely. I do hope that Grabenstein continues the series. I'll be sure to keep reading to see if he can top The Crossroads, at least in my mind.

This is book #2 for the R.I.P. IV Reading Challenge. Two down, two to go for this challenge. I think I might actually make it with this one!! ;-)

BBAW Day #5 - Last giveaway!

My last giveaway for Book Blogger Appreciation Week is for two books (one winner receives both), courtesy of Hachette Group. Both are geared toward parents and have really, really long titles.

If Your Kid Eats This Book, Everything Will Still Be Okay: How to Know If Your Child's Injury or Illness Is Really an Emergency by Lara Zibners: This is the book to reach for when your child collides with the coffee table and is bleeding from the scalp or has a fever at 3:00 in the morning. Zibners is an emergency room pediatrician (and also has an excellent sense of humor), so she knows when your child needs a trip to the emergency room. She covers all body parts and emphasizes prevention (while making it easy to determine whether symptoms are ER-worthy in the middle of the night. This is not a cover-to-cover book, but a handy, reassuring reference for parents (especially first-time parents).

Smart Mama's Green Guide: Simple Steps to Reduce Your Child's Toxic Chemical Exposure by Jennifer Taggert: This book empowers the parent looking to reduce exposure to toxic chemicals with practical advice on everything from selecting flooring to deciding what's for dinner. Recipes for nontoxic cleaning supplies are also included. If the tone is sometimes a bit on the alarmist side and the statistics and side effects make the reader's eyes start to glaze over, there are still excellent tips here. The sheer volume of toxic chemicals in the average household is overwhelming; readers will want to focus their energies on implementing small changes.

The Rules:

To enter:
+1 just by leaving a comment on this post AND sharing a parenting tip or a green living tip
+2 if you subscribe to our blog through a feed
+3 if you already subscribe to our blog
+4 if you blog about this giveaway and link to us.

--Please leave ALL entries in ONE comment, not separate comments!
--Be sure to leave your email address in the comment. Entries without email addresses will be discarded.
--Open to only US/Canada residents
--Giveaway ends Friday, September 30th at midnight EDT, winner will be emailed directly.

BBAW Day#5: Giveaway

Today, I'm giving away one hardcover copy of The Associate (Like NEW! Read only once).

Our generic giveaway rules apply. I'll leave this one open until September 30th at midnight.

The Rules:

To enter:
+1 just by leaving a comment on this post
+2 if you subscribe to our blog through a feed
+3 if you already subscribe to our blog
+4 if you blog about this giveaway and link to us.

--Please leave ALL entries in ONE comment, not separate comments!
--Be sure to leave your email address in the comment. Entries without email addresses will be discarded.
--Open to only US/Canada residents
--Giveaway ends Friday, September 30th, winner will be emailed directly.

BBAW Day#5: Blog Goals

Today's topic is: Setting Goals!
Write in 50 words or less…what do you like best about your blog right now and where would you like your blog to be a year from now?

(HA! 5o words or less...I have trouble with brevity)

Hmmm....Wonder what Allison will say compared to me? ;-) I have to say, the blog has grown immensely in the last year and I'm very happy with where we are at. I made a concerted effort to seek out review copies of upcoming books. I wanted to start reviewing more up and coming books, and not just books that have been out for awhile or already endlessly reviewed.

I also thought it would be fun to have our subscriber list grow, which it has by leaps and bounds! I think we started the year off with about 20 regular readers and now we have over a 150 subscriber/followers.

I really like our semi-weekly features of Mystery Monday, Picture Book Thursday and YA Weekend (hopefully, we can get those back on track soon--especially Picture Book Thursday).

There's not much more I can ask of our little book blog. As for setting future goals, I just hope to continue the level of activity I've had this year, keeping reviewing the books I read, and keep having fun with book blogging as a hobby. That's all I can ask for really.

This has been a fun week! Great to visit some new book blogs and giveaway some books that have been hanging around for awhile. Thanks to My Friend Amy for organizing a fantastic blog event!!

By the way, there's a really great guest post on the BBAW site this morning from an author discussing the importance of book bloggers to the publishing world!

Seducing the Spirits by Louise Young

And, even in the midst of the Book Blogger Appreciation Week fun, we still have actual book blogging to do...

Seducing the Spirits by Louise Young: Jenny Dunfree is a graduate student exiled to the jungles of Panama to study harpy eagles after a disastrous affair with her advisor. She is told not to piss anyone off and to continue the research, but she is told very little about the Kuna, the native tribe whose favor she must curry to carry on the research. Jenny's disorientation is mirrored in the reader: we are all dropped into the world of the Kuna and witness the bizarre town meeting at which Jenny is interrogated in almost Kafkaesque fashion. Though Jenny is fluent in Spanish, she has no knowledge of the Kuna language, so an interpreter adds an additional layer of confusion. The Kuna refuse to address Jenny by her name (in fact, at one point in the middle of the book, I had to check the flap, as I had forgotten it). Jenny's lifeline is Pedro, a man educated in a mission school and fluent in English, who acts as her guide in the ways of the Kuna. Young's treatment of the Kuna is expertly balanced; the tension between traditional culture and creeping modernity is well-played. Jenny's loneliness leads her into friendships with several of the Kuna, while she rejects the only American, a belligerent missionary. She learns (and in some cases, embraces) Kuna customs and treats the natives with respect while resenting their denial of her name. Perhaps it is not surprising that Jenny seems a strangely detached character; she reflects the confusion of being caught between two cultures. At any rate, the supporting cast of Kuna bring more than enough passion and fervor to fuel the story.

Young's portrayal of a native culture through the eyes of an American would be impressive even if the Kuna were fictional. What makes this novel astounding is that the Kuna do exist; Young herself has acted as a cultural guide for the Kuna and uses her firsthand knowledge of a seldom-portrayed culture. Her prose is lush and sensuous as she captures the tedium of academic fieldwork, the challenges of being an outsider in a foreign culture, and the basic human need for friendship. Available November 1.

BBAW Day #4 - Giveaway!

Holly and I each have a copy of Testimony by Anita Shreve hanging around that we'd love to give away!

I'm plagiarizing the rules Holly came up with for her last giveaway, because it's more fun than just having you leave a comment. This drawing is open internationally!

For this one, you will be able to enter as many times as you like!! All you have to do is visit our blog and leave meaningful comments on our blog posts. The more comments you leave, the more entries you get!

Simply leave a comment, include your email address (if no email address, your entry will NOT be included in the drawing). Open worldwide. Contest closes September 27th at midnight.

I just thought this might be fun! I know we have lots of subscribers out there (over 100!), but for some reason, we rarely get commenters! We love to hear your comments, so please be encouraged to leave comments on our posts, EVEN WHEN WE AREN'T HOSTING A GIVEAWAY!! Any ol' day of the week, we love to hear your thoughts!!! Leaving new comments on older posts counts for this giveaway!!! Please go back and explore our older posts, especially if you're new to our blog! Also, any meaningful comments on new posts will count! Can you tell, I'm trying to drum up comments here? :-)

BBAW Day #4 - Daily Topic

Today we encourage you to blog about a book you read only because you discovered it on another book blog. Preferably, this will be a book you loved! You might also write a bit about the blog you discovered it on!

At first, I was overwhelmed by this topic...how can I possibly remember? Which led me to an idea...when I post a review, I ought to credit the blogger who introduced it to me! A few notable books that stand out in my mind:

I have found many books at the delightful Presenting Lenore. But The Joy of Spooking: Fiendish Deeds, the first in a trilogy by P. J. Bracegirdle, stands out. I actually won a copy, but loved the book so much that I bought a copy for Holly (I had promised to send it along once I finished, but found I couldn't part with it!). Book Two will be out next year, and I can hardly wait.

Lesa's Book Critiques is another favorite spot of mine, and I've found many a cozy mystery there. One Bad Apple, the first in the orchard series by Sheila Connelly is one of of them. Granford is a nice town to visit on a rainy day, and Meg, the protagonist, is charming. The orchard information is icing on the cake. Lesa's Book Critiques is also where I found that the second book, Rotten to the Core, was available. I believe I also found the G. M. Malliet series (beginning with Death of a Cozy Writer), which I love.

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman was *everywhere* in the book blogging world before I finally got around to reading it. I can't remember where I saw it first, and it took me several glowing reviews before I picked it up, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.

There are many, many more, but I can't recall off the top of my head. I shall certainly make a point of crediting bloggers who introduce me to books in the future.

BBAW Day #4--Daily Topic

Today's BBAW topic: Today we encourage you to blog about a book you read only because you discovered it on another book blog. Preferably, this will be a book you loved! You might also write a bit about the blog you discovered it on!

The first one that really jumps out at me is Hunger Games. I am not a Dystopian Fiction kind of reader so the book jacket description of this one did not intrigue me at first. But after seeing positive, if not glowing, reviews pop up on blog after blog after blog, I finally decided I needed to read this one. And I really REALLY liked it. The fact that I liked this much-hyped book says ALOT because I typically am very disappointed in much-hyped books.


The Percy Jackson series is another that comes to mind. I never would have known about this series. But I remember reading about it on Jen Robinson's blog and her (fan) love for Rick Riordan and I had to run out and see what the books were all about. LOVED them! And a nice fix after the end of Harry Potter.


I'm not sure I would have ever read Jodi Picoult without the constant reviews I saw on various books of hers. Reviews throughout the blogosphere. Though, I can't say she's a favorite author of mine. Mostly because after reading multiple books of hers, the formulaic nature bothers me a bit. But I never feel I've wasted my time with her books.

But overall, I've found so many books through book bloggers, the number of books I read has jumped in the last few years just because I can't wait to get to them all. Not to mention my TBR pile growing, my book shelves expanding, and my wallet shrinking. :-) It's always so fun to read someone's enthusiastic review about a great book! And I'm so happy I've found the book blogging community to share my love of reading with!

BBAW Day#3 Meme--Just a bit late

After getting caught up in my Google Reader this morning, I thought I would quick do the Reading Meme from yesterday. :-)

Do you snack while you read? If so, favorite reading snack?
Usually something warm to drink.

Do you tend to mark your books as you read, or does the idea of
writing in books horrify you?
Not since college.

How do you keep your place while reading a book? Bookmark? Dog-ears?
Laying the book flat open?
Bookmark, sometimes dog-ear to remember something.

Fiction, Non-fiction, or both?
Both, but mostly fiction.

Hard copy or audiobooks?
Hard copy. (audiobooks are hard for me to focus on).

Are you a person who tends to read to the end of chapters, or are you
able to put a book down at any point?
Almost always end of chapter. (Unless parental duties cause me to immediately put the book down for some reason)

If you come across an unfamiliar word, do you stop to look it up right away?
Nope, I use context.

What are you currently reading?
The Hanging Hill by Chris Grabenstein

What is the last book you bought?
Catching Fire, The Hanging Hill, and That Old Cape Magic by Richard Russo.

Are you the type of person that only reads one book at a time or can
you read more than one at a time?
Only one at a time.

Do you have a favorite time of day and/or place to read?
Afternoon is my favorite. But really anytime, anywhere that I can get away with it.

Do you prefer series books or stand alone books?
Both.

Is there a specific book or author that you find yourself recommending over and over?
My Sister's Keeper, The Time Traveler's Wife, The Poisonwood Bible, the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series.

How do you organize your books? (By genre, title, author’s last name, etc.?)
By Genre, author, then title.

Fun Bookish Saturday

I don't have a giveaway to post about today. But have more to add in the next couple days so be sure to check back (and check out Allison's Day #3 giveaway)! I did want to post about a fun family event we attended this weekend: the Target Children's Book Festival in Bloomington, MN. We went to this festival last year and the girls LOVED it. They have arts and crafts projects, games, face painting, bounce houses, etc. As well as a stage for readings of children's books and fun acts geared towards the young'uns. This year Choo Choo Soul from Disney performed and the actress who voices cartoon character Kai-lan. And the best part is this event is totally free!

Me and my girls at one of the art tables.

On of the main reasons we went later in the day was so I could catch Susan Runholt's reading of Rescuing Seneca Crane! It was great fun to hear her speak about her work and her background. And I think I might have been the only one waiting for her to sign a book (but then again, this event is geared more toward younger children than the slightly older kids who would be reading her series). So of course I had to have my picture taken with her.So fun to say hi to her in person and introduce myself as Holly the book blogger. Not the greatest photo of me, but you know, what can I say, it was very hot. But I was pleased to meet her since we've been saying I needed to make it to one of her signings.

Very entertaining afternoon in all and if you live anywhere near the Twin Cities and have kids, I highly recommend this family activity. I believe it's every fall, the second Saturday in September.

For more information about local St. Paul author Susan Runholt and her books, please visit my reviews of Rescuing Seneca Crane (with an author interview!!!) and The Mystery of the Third Lucretia.

BBAW Day #3 - Meme

Today's BBAW event is a meme about reading habits. We're supposed to answer in five words or less...a challenge for us wordy book bloggers!

Do you snack while you read? If so, favorite reading snack?
Yes. Usually chocolate.

Do you tend to mark your books as you read, or does the idea of
writing in books horrify you?
Horrifies me.

How do you keep your place while reading a book? Bookmark? Dog-ears?
Laying the book flat open?
Bookmark.

Fiction, Non-fiction, or both?
Both, but mostly fiction.

Hard copy or audiobooks?
Hard copy unless it's something I've read before.

Are you a person who tends to read to the end of chapters, or are you
able to put a book down at any point?
Depends on the book.

If you come across an unfamiliar word, do you stop to look it up right away?
Of course!

What are you currently reading?
Re-reading Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

What is the last book you bought?
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.

Are you the type of person that only reads one book at a time or can
you read more than one at a time?
One at a time.

Do you have a favorite time of day and/or place to read?
Anywhere, anytime.

Do you prefer series books or stand alone books?
Both.

Is there a specific book or author that you find yourself recommending over and over?
Jasper Fforde.

How do you organize your books? (By genre, title, author’s last name, etc.?)
Autobiographically.

BBAW #2: Evil at Heart Giveaway

Oh man, we've had a busy day around here today!! Sorry for getting this posted so late.

I have an ARC of Chelsea Cain's third book in the Archie Sheridan/Gretchen Lowell series. And I'm giving it away!!!

Here is my review of Evil at Heart which also contains links to my reviews of the first two books.

I'm doing this giveaway a little bit different than others we've hosted. For this one, you will be able to enter as many times as you like!! All you have to do is visit our blog and leave meaningful comments on our blog posts. The more comments you leave, the more entries you get!

Simply leave a comment, include your email address (if no email address, your entry will NOT be included in the drawing). Open to US/Canada only. Contest closes September 27th at midnight.

I just thought this might be fun! I know we have lots of subscribers out there (over 100!), but for some reason, we rarely get commenters! We love to hear your comments, so please be encouraged to leave comments on our posts, EVEN WHEN WE AREN'T HOSTING A GIVEAWAY!! Any ol' day of the week, we love to hear your thoughts!!!

(Edited to add: Leaving new comments on older posts counts for this giveaway!!! Please go back and explore our older posts, especially if you're new to our blog! Also, any meaningful comments on new posts will count! Can you tell, I'm trying to drum up comments here? :-)

BBAW Day #2 - Giveaway

This giveaway is for Simon Bloom: The Gravity Keeper and Simon Bloom: The Octopus Effect by Michael Reisman. This is a clever series that blends science, humor, and suspense. In The Gravity Keeper, sixth-grader Simon Bloom finds a book that allows him to manipulate the laws of the universe. Naturally (this is middle-grade fantasy, after all), he must use his newfound powers to thwart a villain's attempt at world domination. This has gotten good reviews, but I couldn't get into it. I think it's more of a hit with its intended audience (the 9-12 crowd) and not a solid crossover for adult reading.

The Rules:

To enter:
+1 just by leaving a comment on this post
+2 if you subscribe to our blog through a feed
+3 if you already subscribe to our blog
+4 if you blog about this giveaway and link to us.

--Please leave ALL entries in ONE comment, not separate comments!
--Be sure to leave your email address in the comment. Entries without email addresses will be discarded.
--Open to only US/Canada residents
--Giveaway ends Friday, September 16th, winner will be emailed directly.

BBAW Day #1 - Another Giveaway!

This giveaway is for brand-new trade paperback copies of The Chocolate Lovers' Club by Carole Matthews and Mating Rituals of the North American WASP by Lauren Lipton. Two books, one winner.

I'm using Holly's excellent rules to promote consistency:
To enter:
+1 just by leaving a comment on this post
+2 if you subscribe to our blog through a feed
+3 if you already subscribe to our blog
+4 if you blog about this giveaway and link to us.

--Please leave ALL entries in ONE comment, not separate comments!
--Be sure to leave your email address in the comment. Entries without email addresses will be discarded.
--Open to only US/Canada residents
--Giveaway ends Friday, September 16th, winner will be emailed directly.

BBAW Day #1 Giveaway: Fearless Fourteen by Janet Evanovich

I have an extra copy of Evanovich's 14th installment of the Stephanie Plum series. So I figure what better book to announce a giveaway on the FOURTEENTH of September than Fearless Fourteen!

This is a very gently used (looks brand new!) hardcover edition of Fearless Fourteen.

To enter:
+1 just by leaving a comment on this post
+2 if you subscribe to our blog through a feed
+3 if you already subscribe to our blog
+4 if you blog about this giveaway and link to us.

--Please leave ALL entries in ONE comment, not separate comments!
--Be sure to leave your email address in the comment. Entries without email addresses will be discarded.
--Open to only US/Canada residents
--Giveaway ends Friday, September 16th, winner will be emailed directly.

Book Blogger Appreciation Week

Welcome to Book Blogger Appreciation Week 2009! This year's theme is Celebrating Books, which I actually think Holly and I both do all the time :) But this is a fun week during which we discover new, fun book blogs to keep our Google Readers full AND get to give away books...to make room for more books. Seriously, books are threatening to take over my whole house. I found one in the pantry the other day. Holly and I will both be hosting giveaways all week, so stay tuned.

Evil at Heart by Chelsea Cain

I received an ARC of Evil at Heart through the LibraryThing Early Reviewers Program. And the timing of it was perfect for me because I had to read it for LibraryThing AND it fits in with the R.I.P. Reading Challenge I recently joined.

Evil at Heart is Book 3 in the Archie Sheridan/Gretchen Lowell series by Chelsea Cain, preceded by Heartsick and Sweetheart. Archie Sheridan is a police detective originally in charge of the task force put in place to catch The Beauty Killer, a serial killer on the loose in the Portland Area. In the first two books, we learned Gretchen (the Beauty Killer) had manipulated herself into the investigation and got close to Archie. In the end, she kidnapped and tortured him. In Book 2, she escapes from prison and continues to torment him, this time taking a newspaper journalist Susan Ward along for the ride. Now, in Book 3, we find Archie has checked himself into the mental ward of a hospital voluntarily. He could leave at any time but prefers to stay closed off from the "real" world and hopefully out of Gretchen's clutches. But dead bodies start appearing around Portland again in signature Gretchen Lowell sites. The city has gone crazy with their fascination with the Beauty Killer and the police don't know if she has resumed killing or some crazy Beauty Killer cult has taken up where she left off. Trying so hard not to be involved, Archie can no longer resist and checks himself out to try and figure out what is going on and journalist Susan Ward is again long for the ride.

I like this series more with each book. I started out with the first book thinking it was just sort of "meh". And I also wondered how long Cain could drag the cat and mouse game of Archie and Gretchen out. It's sort of like one of those television shows where two main characters like each other, but find for one reason or another they can't be together even though they long to be. And you keep watching to see just when the show's producers will finally let them get together and then you continue to watch to see the aftermath of the relationship. Well, in Book 3, Cain has found a way to have Gretchen be central, but then again not really. I won't say anything more because I don't want to spoil the story for you. In the end you really don't know just how much Gretchen was involved in the whole story or not. I really liked how Book 3 evolved and I liked that throughout the book Archie finally seemed to mentally be on the road to recovery.

I'll definitely read the next one to see where Cain takes the story from here. My only problem with the book is the gory-ness of it. There are some extremely graphic parts and I tend to read while I'm eating lunch and whatnot. Not a great book to read while you're eating. But if you can look past it or gore doesn't bother you then read this series! The back of the ARC touts, "Stephen King placed both Heartsick and Sweetheart on his 10 Best Books List of 2008, and praised Cain's "ferocious" writing." I have to say this book certainly evokes classic Stephen King with its torture theme and Cain doesn't hold back ata all. Anyone who has read Misery, this is definitely in the same category as that. I think Mr. King would approve of Book 3 just as much as he did of Book 1 and 2.

If you're interested in reading an excerpt from the book, please click here. You can even visit a website from the book called: iheartgretchenlowell.com

Here's a book trailer:


My reviews of Books 1 and 2:
Heartsick
Sweetheart

Other Blog reviews of Evil at Heart:
Charlotte's Web of Books, The Novel Bookworm, The Genreview, Fatally Yours

Completed Book #1 for the R.I.P. IV Reading Challenge.