Giveaway Winners: CORKED; and audiobooks of THE SWAN THIEVES and THE UNNAMED

Graphic courtesy of Cupcakes for Clara.

Click here to visit her Etsy shop.

#5 Sandy Jay
#29 Martha Lawson
#66 Susan
#71 Anita Yancey
#75 Bethie

#34 justpeachy36
#46 Janetfaye
#92 Dina

#34 Anonymous (skkorman)
#66 Jo-Jo
#97 Belinda M.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

- All winners have been contacted and confirmed.

- Thank you to everyone who stopped by and entered. If you weren't one of the lucky ones in these drawings, hop on over to the contest page at Hachette Book Group for listings of other blogs hosting book giveaways.

- Be sure and check my sidebar for other ongoing giveaways here and at other blogs.

A big thank you to Hachette Book Group

 for making these giveaways possible.

Mailbox Monday: February 8, 2010

Mailbox Monday is hosted by Marcia at The Printed Page. If you'd like to join in, stop by Marcia's and leave a link - or just browse through the comments to see what new books have been showing up.

AN IRISH COUNTRY GIRL
by Patrick Taylor

For review through The Book Report Network.

THE POWER OF HALF
by Kevin and Hannah Salwen

For review through FSB Associates.

TRY DARKNESS
by James Scott Bell

For review from Hachette Book Group.

UNDRESS ME IN THE TEMPLE OF HEAVEN
by Susan Jane Gilman

For review from Hachette Book Group.

ROSE OF YORK: LOVE & WAR
by Sandra Worth

Purchased from my wish list.

IN THE CONVENT OF LITTLE FLOWERS
by Indu Sundaresan

Purchased from my wish list.

THE GIRL FROM FOREIGN
by Sadia Shepard

Purchased from my wish list.

Spotlight on: DEVIL'S FOOD CAKE by Josi S. Kilpack

A delicious new release just in time for
Valentine's Day!

DEVIL'S FOOD CAKE

by Josi L. Kilpack

Book 3 in the Sadie Hoffmiller Culinary Mystery Series.

About the book (from the publisher):
It’s been years since author Thom Mortenson has been back to Garrison, Colorado. As part of the committee who invited the bestselling writer to speak at the library fundraising benefit, Sadie Hoffmiller wants everything to be perfect—right down to the homemade devil’s food cake she baked herself. Certainly, murder was not on the menu.

When Thom’s manager ends up dead on stage, Sadie jumps in to offer her guidance and expertise to investigators. But when the police refuse to take her seriously, Sadie has no choice but to pursue justice on her own. After all, is Sadie to blame if she keeps stumbling over information? Can Sadie turn her back when people intricately woven into the deception keep crossing her path? With her son, Shawn, at her side, her reputation on the line, and a full cast of suspicious characters, Sadie Hoffmiller is once again cooking her way through a case that offers far more questions than answers.

Click here to visit the author's website and read an excerpt.
 
Click here to visit the author's blog.

Click here to go to Deseret Book for purchasing information.

About Book 1 (from the publisher):
Award-winning author Josi S. Kilpack introduces a new series of culinary "cozies" that is sure to tantalize mystery lovers. In this debut volume, cooking aficionado-turned-amateur detective, Sadie Hoffmiller, tries to solve the murder of Anne Lemmon, her beautiful young neighbor - a single mother who was mysteriously killed while a lemon tart was baking in her oven. At the heart of Sadie's search is Anne's missing two-year-old son, Trevor. Whoever took the child must be the murderer, but Sadie is certain that the police are looking at all the wrong suspects - including her!

Armed with a handful of her very best culinary masterpieces, Sadie is determined to bake her way to proving her innocence, rescuing Trevor, and finding out exactly who had a motive for murder.

About Book 2 (from the publisher):
What begins as a holiday trip for amateur sleuth and cooking aficionado Sadie Hoffmiller and her daughter, Breanna, turns into a bizarre mystery. First comes the discovery of a dead body in the sitting room of an English manor belonging to the family of Breanna’s boyfriend, who is also heir to the family title. When the body comes up missing, Sadie and Breanna are stranded at the estate until the police can clear them to leave.

Armed with a jogging whistle, her personal recipe collection, and an unfailing sense of American justice, Sadie begins her own investigation to find the killer. But when she seems to encounter one dead end after another, Sadie wonders if anyone is telling the truth — or if the case is really as hopeless as it appears to be.

Layer by layer, Sadie uncovers a mouth- watering mystery with an English flair. Included are Sadie’s favorite new recipes for American English Trifle, High Tea Lemon Cookies, Coconut Macaroons, Wake ’Em Up Breakfast Casserole, Sausage Rolls, Crumpets, and Sadie’s Scrumptulicious Scones.

Not My Giveaways 02-07-10

Here are a few giveaways I found out there in the blogosphere and entered - maybe something here will strike your fancy, too! Good luck!

from At Home With Books

ends 02-16-10

from At Home With Books

ends 02-16-10

from Passages to the Past

ends 02-20-10

from Winter Write

ends 02-28-10

from The Conscious Cat

ends 02-17-10

from Tif Talks Books

ends 02-28-10

from The Burton Review
ends 02-12-10

from Writing the Renaissance
ends 02-09-10

from Historical-Fiction.com
ends 02-14-10

from Historically Obsessed

ends 02-11-10

Book Giveaway and Review #41: LOVE IN 90 DAYS by Diana Kirschner, Ph.D.

Thanks to the generous folks at
Hachette Book Group,

I have been authorized to
 give away five (5) copies of

LOVE IN 90 DAYS
by Diana Kirschner, Ph.D.

Rules for entering this giveaway are at the bottom of this post.

LOVE IN 90 DAYS

by Diana Kirschner, PhD

Publisher: Center Street

Category: Family; Relationships, Romance

Format: Trade Paperback

Publish Date: 2/8/2010

Price: $13.99/$16.99

ISBN: 9781599951232

Pages: 368

Size: 5-1/4" x 8"

Description (from the publisher):

Finding true love is possible in just 90 days. Renowned clinical psychologist, Dr. Diana Kirschner, uses the latest research, clinical and personal experience to show you how. Dr. Diana knows the questions single women everywhere face: "Why am I attracted to the wrong kind of guys?" "Why is he just not that into me?" "Why can't I seem to find the One?" She also knows the unconscious mistakes that women make over and over again in love-regardless of age, work success, or the type of men they are dating.

Over the years Dr. Diana has received countless inquiries from single women about writing a how-to guide on her work. Love in 90 Days: The Essential Guide to Finding Your Own True Love is that book.

Love in 90 Days is fun, savvy and based on the latest research on singles, online dating and healthy relationships. Loaded with step-by-step instructions, checklists, and weekly homework assignments, this revolutionary love book is also an intensely personal journey for each reader. Love in 90 Days guides you along your own path towards self discovery with proven and effective dating advice and tough love. Dr. Diana dispels common misconceptions about love relationships and dating, and share personal stories from women who have successfully completed the Love in 90 Days Program. There's also a chapter devoted to the special issues faced by African-American women, single mothers, and women forty-five and older.

My Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

My Thoughts:  Take my advice -- don't go out there looking for love without reading Diana Kirschner's LOVE IN 90 DAYS. This book is more than sentimental, seasonal fluff -- a LOT more! I had expected a rehash of the usual advice for finding a partner. You know, join clubs, volunteer, be open to dating your next-door neighbor's third cousin's son, get a dog. I was surprised to find that though Kirschner has a fun and accessible writing style, she takes her subject very seriously.

In fact, you should be prepared to take a good hard look at yourself as early on there's a discussion of deadly dating patterns. Kirschner explains 13 patterns and helps you to identify which ones you might be stuck in. Readers are asked to do a lot of self-assessment throughout this entire book, but particularly in the first few sections.  Of course, most self-help books have sections of writing exercises at the end of each chapter, and this one is no exception. But it certainly makes sense to figure out exactly what you're looking for in a partner and why you haven't been able to find the right guy so far.

Did I say "find the right guy"?  Kirschner has aimed LOVE IN 90 DAYS specifically at women, and she covers situations from a female perspective.  I think guys could certainly benefit from some of the advice in this book, but with terminology such as the Dud/Stud Test, they might be more comfortable looking elsewhere. Kirschner does point out that to be a worthy contender, a guy should have some aptitude for self-reflection and personal growth.

One of my favorite ideas proposed in LOVE IN 90 DAYS is Kirschner's advice to date three guys at once early in the program. At first the concept sounds a bit tawdry, but the emphasis here is on dating, not a physical relationship. Part of Kirschner's reasoning here is to keep women from falling too hard too fast and becoming caught up in a "singular focus." By dating three guys at once, you can allow yourself the opportunity to really compare and contrast - and that will help you determine what attributes are most important to you in a partner.

Another thing I liked about this book is Kirschner's style of writing. Reading along, I had the sense of being advised by an older and wiser sister or cousin. While there are clinical and academic references at the back of the book, the text reads like a friendly chat. And that's nice, especially when "Dr. Diana" suggests online dating! Don't worry, she'll guide you through it every step of the way from picking a site to picking a partner.

I liked LOVE IN 90 DAYS a lot. Any lady out there who is looking for love should take the time to check out this book -- and follow the advice!

Click here to read an excerpt.

Click here to visit the author's website.

Click here to read the author's article Five Secrets to Finding True Love.

About the author (from the publisher):
Diana Kirschner, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist who has more than 25 years of professional and practical experience doing therapy and workshops for singles and writing relationship articles for women. Dr. Diana appears regularly on The Today Show, has been a guest on Oprah and many other national television and radio programs. She runs the 90 Day Love Challenge on Fox's Morning Show with Mike & Juliet and her popular Love in 90 Days workshops have been featured in major media around the world.

RULES FOR ENTERING THE GIVEAWAY:

• Leave a comment on this post telling me you would like to win. Include an email address with your comment so that I can contact you if you do win. Use a spam-thwarting format such as geebee.reads AT gmail DOT com or geebee.reads [at] gmail [dot] com

• You must leave an email address in order to qualify. If I can't contact you, you can't win!

• You can earn an extra entry by being or becoming a Follower or Subscriber of this blog and telling me about it in a separate comment.

• Blog about this contest and provide me with the link to the post in a separate comment, and I'll give you yet another entry.

• Tweeting about this contest and providing me the link in a separate comment will get you one more entry. I've added a Retweet button at the bottom of every post.

• Stumble this blog, Digg it, or Technorati Fave it, whatever, and leave a separate comment for another entry.

• Winners must provide a U.S. or Canadian street address. Hachette is unable to deliver to P.O. Boxes.

• Deadline for entry is 11:59 p.m. EST on Saturday, February 20, 2010.

• Winners will have 48 hours to respond to my email announcing that they have won; if I don't hear from a winner, I will draw another name.

Thank you to Anna at Hachette Book Group

for supplying my review copy and making this giveaway possible.

GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!

Book Giveaway: BEYOND BLUE by Therese Borchard

Thanks to the generous folks at
Hachette Book Group,

I have been authorized to
 give away five (5) copies of

BEYOND BLUE
by Therese Borchard.

Rules for entering this giveaway are at the bottom of this post.

BEYOND BLUE

by Therese Borchard

Publisher: Center Street
Category: Psychology, Self-Help

Format: Hardcover Book

Publish Date: 1/6/2010

Price: $21.99/$26.99

ISBN: 9781599951560

Pages: 288

Size: 5-1/2" x 8-1/4"

Description (from the publisher):
Therese Borchard may be one of the frankest, funniest people on the planet. That, combined with her keen writing abilities has made her Beliefnet blog, Beyond Blue, one of the most trafficked blogs on the site.

BEYOND BLUE, the book, is part memoir/part self-help. It describes Borchard's experience of living with manic depression as well as providing cutting-edge research and information on dealing with mood disorders. By exposing her vulnerability, she endears herself immediately to the reader and then reduces even the most depressed to laughter as she provides a companion on the journey to recovery and the knowledge that the reader is not alone.

Comprised of four sections and twenty-one chapters, BEYOND BLUE covers a wide range of topics from codependency to addiction, poor body image to postpartum depression, from alternative medicine to psychopharmacology, managing anxiety to applying lessons from therapy. Because of her laser wit and Erma Bombeck sense of humor, every chapter is entertaining as well as serious.

Visit ThereseBorchard.com

And check out Therese Borchard's daily blog on Beliefnet.com and the HuffingtonPost.com

http://twitter.com/thereseborchard.

RULES FOR ENTERING THE GIVEAWAY:

• Leave a comment on this post telling me you would like to win. Include an email address with your comment so that I can contact you if you do win. Use a spam-thwarting format such as geebee.reads AT gmail DOT com or geebee.reads [at] gmail [dot] com

• You must leave an email address in order to qualify. If I can't contact you, you can't win!

• You can earn an extra entry by being or becoming a Follower or Subscriber of this blog and telling me about it in a separate comment.

• Blog about this contest and provide me with the link to the post in a separate comment, and I'll give you yet another entry.

• Tweeting about this contest and providing me the link in a separate comment will get you one more entry. I've added a Retweet button at the bottom of every post.

• Stumble this blog, Digg it, or Technorati Fave it, whatever, and leave a separate comment for another entry.

• Winners must provide a U.S. or Canadian street address. Hachette is unable to deliver to P.O. Boxes.

• Deadline for entry is 11:59 p.m. EST on Saturday, February 20, 2010.

• Winners will have 48 hours to respond to my email announcing that they have won; if I don't hear from a winner, I will draw another name. (I use Random.Org to determine winners.)

Thank you to Anna
at Hachette Book Group

for making this giveaway possible.

GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!

Book Giveaway: A GOOD TALK by Daniel Menaker

Thanks to the generous folks at
Hachette Book Group,

I have been authorized to
 give away five (5) copies of

A GOOD TALK
by Daniel Menaker.

Rules for entering this giveaway are at the bottom of this post.

A GOOD TALK

by Daniel Menaker

Publisher: Twelve

Category: Social Science

Format: Hardcover Book 

Publish Date: 1/4/2010

Price: $20.00/$24.99

ISBN: 9780446540025

Pages: 240

Size: 5-1/2" x 8-1/4"

Description (from the publisher):
A GOOD TALK is an analysis of and guide to that most exclusively human of all activities -- conversation.

Drawing on over forty years of experience in American letters, Menaker pinpoints the factors that drive and enliven every good conversation: the vagaries (and joys) of subtext; the deeper structure and meaning of conversational flow; the subliminal signals that guide our disclosures and confessions; and the countless other hurdles we must clear along the way. Moving beyond self-help musings and "how to" advice, he has created a stylish, funny, and surprising book: a celebration of "the most excusively human of all activities."

In a time when conversation remains deeply important-- for building relationships, for relaxing, even for figuring out who we are -- and also increasingly imperiled (with Blackberries and texting increasingly in vogue), A GOOD TALK is a refreshing celebration of the subtle adventures of a good conversation.

Click here to view an amusing video interview of Daniel Menaker.

Visit TitlePage.tv where Daniel Menaker hosts episodes of The Title Page and posts blogs about literary works, authors, and issues.

Daniel Menaker is also a contributor on the BarnesandNobleReview.com
 
 

RULES FOR ENTERING THE GIVEAWAY:

• Leave a comment on this post telling me you would like to win. Include an email address with your comment so that I can contact you if you do win. Use a spam-thwarting format such as geebee.reads AT gmail DOT com or geebee.reads [at] gmail [dot] com

• You must leave an email address in order to qualify. If I can't contact you, you can't win!

• You can earn an extra entry by being or becoming a Follower or Subscriber of this blog and telling me about it in a separate comment.

• Blog about this contest and provide me with the link to the post in a separate comment, and I'll give you yet another entry.

• Tweeting about this contest and providing me the link in a separate comment will get you one more entry. I've added a Retweet button at the bottom of every post.

• Stumble this blog, Digg it, or Technorati Fave it, whatever, and leave a separate comment for another entry.

• Winners must provide a U.S. or Canadian street address. Hachette is unable to deliver to P.O. Boxes.

• Deadline for entry is 11:59 p.m. EST on Saturday, February 20, 2010.

• Winners will have 48 hours to respond to my email announcing that they have won; if I don't hear from a winner, I will draw another name. (I use Random.Org to determine winners.)

Thank you to Anna
at Hachette Book Group

for making this giveaway possible.

GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!

Book Giveaway: THE SURVIVORS CLUB by Ben Sherwood

Thanks to the generous folks at
Hachette Book Group,

I have been authorized to
 give away five (5) copies of

THE SURVIVORS CLUB
by Ben Sherwood.

Rules for entering this giveaway are at the bottom of this post.

THE SURVIVORS CLUB

by Ben Sherwood

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing

Category: Self-Help

Format: Trade Paperback

Publish Date: 2/3/2010

Price: $14.99/$17.99

ISBN: 9780446698856

Pages: 400

Size: 6" x 9

Description (from the publisher):

Which is the safest seat on an airplane? Where is the best place to have a heart attack? Why does religious observance add years to your life? How can birthdays be hazardous to your health?

Each second of the day, someone in America faces a crisis, whether it's a car accident, violent crime, serious illness, or financial trouble. Given the inevitability of adversity, we all wonder: Who beats the odds and who surrenders? Why do some people bound back and others give up? How can I become the kind of person who survives and thrives?

The fascinating, hopeful answers to these questions are found in THE SURVIVORS CLUB. In the tradition of Freakonomics and The Tipping Point, this book reveals the hidden side of survival by combining astonishing true stories, gripping scientific research, and the author's adventures inside the U.S. military's elite survival schools and the government's airplane crash evacuation course.

With THE SURVIVORS CLUB, you can also discover your own Survivor IQ through a powerful Internet-based test called the Survivor Profiler. Developed exclusively for this book, the test analyzes your personality and generates a customized report on your top survivor strengths.

There is no escaping life's inevitable struggles. But THE SURVIVORS CLUB can give you an edge when adversity strikes.

Click here to read an excerpt.

Click here to visit the author's website.

About the author (from the publisher):

Ben Sherwood is a bestselling author and award-winning journalist. His novel The Man Who Ate the 747 was published in 13 languages and is being adapted as both a feature film and musical. A former broadcast producer for NBC Nightly News, he joined Good Morning America in April 2004 as executive producer and stayed in that position until Fall 06. He lives with his wife and son in Los Angeles.

RULES FOR ENTERING THE GIVEAWAY:

• Leave a comment on this post telling me you would like to win. Include an email address with your comment so that I can contact you if you do win. Use a spam-thwarting format such as geebee.reads AT gmail DOT com or geebee.reads [at] gmail [dot] com

• You must leave an email address in order to qualify. If I can't contact you, you can't win!

• You can earn an extra entry by being or becoming a Follower or Subscriber of this blog and telling me about it in a separate comment.

• Blog about this contest and provide me with the link to the post in a separate comment, and I'll give you yet another entry.

• Tweeting about this contest and providing me the link in a separate comment will get you one more entry. I've added a Retweet button at the bottom of every post.

• Stumble this blog, Digg it, or Technorati Fave it, whatever, and leave a separate comment for another entry.

• Winners must provide a U.S. or Canadian street address. Hachette is unable to deliver to P.O. Boxes.

• Deadline for entry is 11:59 p.m. EST on Saturday, February, 2010.

• Winners will have 48 hours to respond to my email announcing that they have won; if I don't hear from a winner, I will draw another name. (I use Random.Org to determine winners.)

Thank you to Anna
at Hachette Book Group

for making this giveaway possible.

GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!

WINNERS! THE CONCISE KING and CAREER COMEBACK

Graphic courtesy of Cupcakes for Clara.

Click here to visit her Etsy shop.

# 13 Simply Stacie

#17 just peachy

# 32 Anne-Marie T.



#4 Simply Stacie

#13 Baileythebookworm

#17 Rebecca G.

#25 Kerri

#27 Denny, Alaska

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

- All winners have been contacted and confirmed.

- Thank you to everyone who stopped by and entered. If you weren't one of the lucky ones in these drawings, hop on over to the contest page at Hachette Book Group for listings of other blogs hosting book giveaways.

- Be sure and check my sidebar for other ongoing giveaways here and at other blogs.

A big thank you to Hachette Book Group

 for making these giveaways possible.

Mailbox Monday: January 31, 2010

Mailbox Monday is hosted by Marcia at The Printed Page. If you'd like to join in, stop by Marcia's and leave a link - or just browse through the comments to see what new books have been showing up.


It's nice to know that book deliveries are made regardless of how cold it gets - and it's sure been cold around here! I received quite the mix of fiction, facts, and fantasy this past week. If only I didn't have to earn a living . . .

INKHEART by Cornelia Funke (A purchase to read with my 9-y-o nephew)

SONGBIRD UNDER A GERMAN MOON by Tricia Goyer (For review from the publisher)

HASTA LA VISTA, LOLA by Misa Rameriz (For review and blog tour from Latino Book Tours)

THE GIN CLOSET by Leslie Jamison (For review from the publisher)

MAKING TOAST by Roger Rosenblatt (For review from the publisher)

FIELD GUIDE TO BURYING YOUR PARENTS by Liza Palmer (For review from the publisher)

FOREST GATE by Peter Akinti (For review from the publisher)

MASTER YOUR DEBT by Jordan Goodman with Bill Westrom (for review from FSB Associates)

LANGUAGE OF SECRETS by Dianne Dixon (For review from the publisher)

THE SEROTONIN POWER DIET by Judith J. Wurtman, PhD. and Nina T. Frusztajer (for review from FSB Associates)

SAFFRON DREAMS by Shaila Abdullah (A purchase because I just want it so much)

Book Review #40: THE MOON LADY by Amy Tan; illustrated by Gretchen Schields

THE MOON LADY

by Amy Tan

illustrated by Gretchen Schields

Pub. Date: November 1995

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing

Format: Paperback, 32pp

Age Range: 6 to 9

ISBN-13: 9780689806162

ISBN: 0689806167

Edition Description: Reprint

Description (from the publisher):
A magical night when secret wishes can come true.
On a rainy afternoon, three sisters wish for the rain to stop, wish they could play in the puddles, wish for something, anything, to do. So Ying-Ying, their grandmother, tells them a tale from long ago. On the night of the Moon Festival, when Ying-ying was a little girl, she encountered the Moon Lady, who grants the secret wishes of those who ask, and learned from her that the best wishes are those you can make come true yourself. This haunting tale, adapted from Amy Tan's best-seller The Joy Luck Club and enhanced by Gretchen Schields's rich, meticulously detailed art, is a book for all to treasure.

My Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

My Thoughts:  THE MOON LADY by Amy Tan is a sophisticated story of a young girl's maturation woven around an actual character from Chinese folklore. Tan originally told a version of this story in her novel, THE JOY LUCK CLUB. It's been years since I read that novel (definitely in line for re-read), and I don't specifically recall this story from that source. My review is based solely on this picture book.

In this book, richly illustrated by Gretchen Schields, a grandmother recounts an incident from her childhood to her three restless granddaughters.  On the day her family travels to Tai Lake to celebrate the Moon Festival, 7-year-old Ying-ying is so excited she can barely control herself. She can't understand why everyone else isn't as excited as she or as eager to be on their way. Like most children her age, she is by turns sulky and sweet, selfish and loving, distracted and introspective -- basically, naughty and nice. Throughout the day, these aspects of her personality lead her into many adventures, some quite dangerous and scary. Everything culminates with Ying-ying's encounter with the Moon Lady who, on this one special day of the year, has the power to fulfill a secret wish. But what is it that Ying-ying desires most?

I enjoyed this story quite a bit. I loved how the language easily transported me to another place and time, another way of describing the world: ". . . the fifteenth day of the eighth moon."  You can't read those words and think you are in modern day America. I loved Ying-ying's spirit and her curiosity, her sense of wonder of the world.  There is a lovely scene where she plays with her shadow and speaks of it as though it is a little friend.

There are also darker elements to this tale, so that even though the story is presented in picture book format, I think it is more appropriate for older children and adults. One scene describes a toothless old woman gutting eels for making soup. When Ying-ying accidently gets some of the blood on her clothes, she naively thinks she can hide the stains by smearing even more blood all over her outfit. Fortunately, in the accompanying illustration, the blood is more magenta in color as opposed to red so that it's not so frightening to look at! Subsequently, Ying-ying is separated from her family. The story enters into a dreamlike phase where Ying-ying is rescued and returned to her family, only to have them deny her because they don't believe she is lost. Ying-ying actually sees her doppleganger on the boat with her family. And then there is the encounter with the Moon Lady herself . . .

Of course the story ends on a happy note - Ying-ying is obviously reunited with her family as she is telling this story to her granddaughters. I read this book to my 9-year-old nephew who has a fascination with Asian cultures. The moral and messages were lost on him - it is a rather convoluted tale. He enjoyed certain passages and was very interested in the detailed illustrations.

I enjoyed this book but can see that it would not be to everyone's taste. As a fable, it is more apt to appeal to adults. For sheer narrative, some children will enjoy the adventuresome nature of the story; I think others will get bogged down by the twists and turns. I'd recommend THE MOON LADY to adults and older children who are interested in Chinese culture and folktales.

About the author (from the publisher):
With her acclaimed 1989 novel The Joy Luck Club and its successors, Amy Tan succeeded in revealing the Chinese-American sensibility to readers in unprecedented numbers. In mystical, winding prose, she draws the boundaries and commonalities between generations of women who are related, but born worlds apart.

I read this book for the Middle Grade Book Challenge hosted by
Linda Ellen at Bambi Reads. Despite its picture book format, I think it qualifies because of the sophisticated language and story strucuture.

My review copy came from the Portsmouth Free Public Library, and I read this as part of the 2010 Support Your Local Library Challenge hosted by J. Kaye's Book Blog.