Book Review: TWO HOMES by Claire Masurel; illustrated by Kady MacDonald Denton

TWO HOMES

by Claire Masurel

illustrated by Kady MacDonald Denton

Pub. Date: July 2003

Publisher: Candlewick Press

Format: Paperback , 40pp

Age Range: 3 to 6

ISBN-13: 9780763619848

ISBN: 0763619841

Description (from the publisher):

At Mommy’s house, Alex has a soft chair. At Daddy’s house, Alex has a rocking chair. In each home, Alex also has a special bedroom and lots of friends to play with. But whether Alex is with Mommy or with Daddy, one thing always stays the same - Alex is loved. The gently reassuring text focuses on what is gained rather than what is lost when parents divorce, while the sensitive illustrations, depicting two unique homes in all their small details, firmly establish Alex’s place in both of them. TWO HOMES will help children - and parents - embrace even the most difficult of changes with an open and optimistic heart.

My Rating:  4 out of 5 Stars

My Thoughts:  TWO HOMES by Claire Masurel, illustrated by Kady MacDonald Denton, is a sweet book that grapples with a difficult issue. Little Alex's parents each have their own home, so Alex has two homes. How this situation came to be is never discussed. Maybe Alex's parents are divorced (a word that never makes an appearance in the text). Maybe they never married. This book isn't about what happened -- it's about how Alex lives day-to-day. A mini tour of both homes is beautifully illustrated - two bedrooms, two favorite chairs, two kitchens. Alex is loved and happy in both homes.

Ahh, if only shared child custody could always be like this!  But I'm not going to criticize this book for what it doesn't do and doesn't address. I believe the author's intention is to reassure children in this situation, and TWO HOMES does that beautifully. The recommended age range is 3-6 years. It may best be suited for children whose parents "came to live separately" before the child had an awareness that there is any other way for families to live but is now old enough to make comparisons with the homes of other children.

What I liked best about TWO HOMES is that the author keeps things very simple, the focus is on the child and assuring that the child feels secure and loved. Also, Alex's name and appearance are androgenous, so both girls and boys will be able to relate the character. And, of course, the illustrations are just beautiful. I'll be checking out other titles by both this author and illustrator on the strength of the appeal of TWO HOMES.

About the author and illustrator (from the publisher):
Claire Masurel is the author of numerous books for children, including TOO BIG, illustrated by Hanako Wakiyama. TWO HOMES is her first book for Candlewick Press. She wrote the story after talking to a child who was sad about her parents’ recent divorce. She says, "To comfort her, I talked about her two homes, and all the many things she could do in them. It was a positive way of helping her accept the changes in her life, focusing not on what was missed, but on the abundance of good times — and love — that she would continue to share with her mom and dad."
 
Kady MacDonald Denton is the illustrator of A CHILD'S TREASURY OF NURSERY RHYMES and two books by Margaret Park Bridges - IF I WERE YOUR FATHER and IF I WERE YOUR MOTHER. TWO HOMES is her first book for Candlewick Press. She says, "Alex talks about simple things like toothbrushes, bedrooms, and friends — and they are all special because they are part of the love Alex feels in both homes. I tried to show that love in the illustrations."

Check out Booking Mama’s weekly feature, Kid Konnection for more posts related to children's books - picture books, early readers, middle grade, young adult. If you have a post you'd like to share, leave a comment and link up.

Book Giveaway and Review #52: GOD AND DOG by Wendy Francisco

CLOSED.

Thanks to the generous folks at
Hachette Book Group,

I have been authorized to
 give away two (2) copies of

GOD AND DOG
by Wendy Francisco.

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

GOD AND DOG

by Wendy Francisco

Publisher: Center Street

Category: Pets

Format: Hardcover Book

Publish Date: 9/20/2010

Price: $10.99/$12.50

ISBN: 9781599953793

Pages: 48

Size: 6" x 6"

Description (from the publisher):
GOD AND DOG is a phenomenon. First appearing on YouTube, the video of Wendy Francisco's charming animated illustrations and moving song tells of the unconditional love of both God and Dog.

With over 2 million YouTube viewings to date, Francisco's story appeals to all ages, to animal enthusiasts, to people of religious persuasions, and especially to anyone who has been loved by a dog.

Now in book format, Wendy's touching narrative will be expanded on through additional lyrics, illustrations, photographs and some of the powerful mail that is continually being sent to Francisco.

My Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

My Thoughts:  GOD AND DOG by Wendy Francisco is a sweet and inspirational little gift book. It would be perfect for any dog lover whose faith in God might be slipping or who's facing a challenge, large or small. The message is simple, clear but powerful: the love of God and the love of your dog are constant and unwavering. Can their spellings be mere coincidence?

Click here to visit the GoD and DoG website.

About the author (from the publisher):
Wendy Francisco has been a recording artist since the late 1970s and, alongside her husband singer/songwriter Don Francisco, has toured nationally and internationally. She has eight CDs of her own and is currently working on a new one.

Francisco has a degree in fine art from San Diego State University and owned a successful gallery in Colorado. An award-winning pastel artist, Wendy also enjoys painting, printmaking, pen and ink, photography, and a variety of other mediums.

RULES FOR ENTERING THE GIVEAWAY:

• Leave an original 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.

• PLEASE NOTE: One win per household. If you win this title in another contest hosted at another blog, Hachette will only send one (1) copy per household address.

• Deadline for entry is 11:59 p.m. EST on Friday, October 15, 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.

• Winners are determined using the sequence generator at Random.org.

Thank you to Anna
at Hachette Book Group

for making this giveaway possible.

GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!
THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED.

Blog Tour and Book Review #49: THE REMAINS by Vincent Zandri

THE REMAINS

by Vincent Zandri

Pub. Date: November 30, 2010

Publisher: StoneHouse Ink

Format: Paperback

ISBN-13: 9780982770504

ISBN: 0982770502

Description (from the publisher):
Thirty years ago, teenager Rebecca Underhill and her twin sister Molly were abducted by a man who lived in a house in the woods behind their upstate New York farm. They were held inside that house for three horrifying hours, until making their daring escape.

Vowing to keep their terrifying experience a secret in order to protect their mother and father, the girls tried to put the past behind them. And when their attacker was hunted down by police and sent to prison, they believed he was as good as dead.

Now, it’s 30 years later, and with Molly having passed away from cancer, Rebecca, a painter and art teacher, is left alone to bear the burden of a secret that has only gotten heavier and more painful with each passing year.

But when Rebecca begins receiving some strange anonymous text messages, she begins to realize that the monster who attacked her all those years ago is not dead after all. He’s back, and this time, he wants to do more than just haunt her. He wants her dead.

My rating:  4 out of 5 Stars -- a thrilling thriller!

My thoughts:  I love a good thriller. You know what I mean -- the kind you can't put down. The ones where you keep saying "Just one more chapter . . ." while the the bath overflows, the roast cooks to stone, the sun sinks lower and lower, and the moon starts to rise. And the next day at work you're all bleary eyed and bored -- but the killer has been caught, the heroine is safe, and all is right with the world again. My problem is that as I've gotten older and more experienced, it's harder to find stories that provide that old "thrill." In an effort to hold readers' interests, some authors keep upping the ante by divising increasingly gory, sadistic, and ridiculously complex tortures for their victims to suffer. I say, Give me a break! When I read a thriller, I want a good, believable story -- a protagonist who is intelligent but nonetheless vulnerable; a villian who is cleverly malicious but not maniacally insane. I like a story that I think could actually happen. What I want is a good cat and mouse game where the mouse ultimately bells the cat.

I found such a story with THE REMAINS by Vincent Zandri. There may not be much in the story description that sets it apart from run-of-the-mill thrillers, but it is solidly written with interesting and plausible characters and a story line that kept me flipping through the pages late into the night. I liked Rebecca, the heroine, and found her backstory to be fascinating and believable. As a young teenager, she and her twin sister were abused and traumatized when they were trapped in an isolated and abandoned house for several hours by a serial killer. Thirty years later, her twin has passed away from cancer, her marriage has failed, and her career as an artist is flatlining. The girls never told anyone about their ordeal and so Rebecca still suffers the reprecussions of that terrifying experience, making her all the more vulnerable.

When she begins receiving mysterious text messages, Rebecca finally begins to connect with her ex-husband in a way she never could while they were married. She also receives help and support from her childhood neighbors, an artistic savant, Francis, and his mother. Turns out that Francis knows more about the danger Rebecca is facing than he's able to verbalize. With Francis, Zandri has created a fascinating and sympathetic portrait of an autistic adult.

I totally enjoyed THE REMAINS and plan to read more of Mr. Zandri's novels. Of course, I fully expected Rebecca to survive, but wondering who else would make it out alive -- and how -- kept me completely focused to the last page.  If you like a good thriller, THE REMAINS is a highly entertaining read.  Just start it early on a day you have nothing else to do - you won't get anything else done anyway!
   
The paperback version of THE REMAINS won't be released until the fall, but you can purchase the Kindle version for $2.99 by clicking here.

Click here for a special excerpt and to view the trailer.

Click here to visit the author's website.

Thank you to Dorothy at

Pump Up Your Book Promotion Virtual Book Tours

for organizing this tour and supplying my review copy. 

Blog Tour and Book Review #46: SMALL CHANGE by Sheila Roberts

SMALL CHANGE

by Sheila Roberts

Pub. Date: March 2010

Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Format: Paperback, 352pp

Sales Rank: 26,607

ISBN-13: 9780312594473

ISBN: 031259447X

Description (from the publisher):

Take a trip to the charming little town of Heart Lake, and meet three best friends who you’ll never forget…

Rachel, Jessica and Tiffany have money problems—major money problems. Tiffany’s whipped out the plastic one too many times, and now a mountain of debt is about to come crashing down on her. Jessica’s husband lost his job—thrusting this longtime stay-at-home mom out into the cold, cruel workforce. And Rachel’s divorce has transformed her from an upper-middle-class mom to a strapped-for-cash divorcee. What are three best friends to do?

Get financially fit, that’s what! Together, Rachel, Jessica and Tiffany start a financial support group called The Small Change Club—challenging each other to bring balance back to their checkbooks, and their lives. Even though frugality is a lot harder than they ever imagined, these women are about to learn some very important lessons: that small changes can make a big difference…and that some things in life, like good friends, are truly priceless.

Click here to view the Reading Group Guide online.

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars - An optimistic and happy read.

My Thoughts:
First, let me say how much I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Life's waters have been a little rough for me lately, and there's nothing quite like the support of family and friends to help keep you bobbing and afloat until you reach a nice tranquil bay. In SMALL CHANGE, Sheila Roberts writes about just that - the strength and encouragement that three women friends provide to each other during difficult times, and how that friendship also helps to strengthen and renew the women's individual family relationships as well.

Our heroines, Rachel, Jessica, and Tiffany, are each experiencing financial problems in a realistic reflection of what has been happening across the U.S. in the last couple of years. It's not hard to relate to any of these women or the tough times they experience and the choices they have to make. Rachel is a single mom struggling to land a permanent job, Jessica is a not-so-empty nester who is forced back into the workplace after years of being a stay-at-home mom, and (the saucily named) Tiffany is a shopaholic whose retail therapy just perpetuates her problems.

Though their problems are serious, Roberts writes with a light touch and plenty of wit. I think I found Jessica to be the most fun character. She has to resort to some clever scheming to get her grown son up on his feet and out of the house. And her decision to audition as a lead singer for an all-girl oldies band is spunky and bold and just made me smile.

At the other end of the spectrum, Tiffany's inability to control her spending and the potential threat to her marriage is a cautionary tale. The term "shopoholic" really rather trivializes Tiffany's affliction. But this is not a heavy book, and I like the way Roberts handled Tiffany's problem. She made it serious enough that it could not be ignored, but not so devastating that recovery wasn't possible. 

There's also room in this story for romance, which provides tension of another sort: how will the long-suffering Rachel react when her Prince Charming presents her with an engagement ring AND a pre-nup? I'm not giving anything away, but I loved the way Roberts resolved that issue.

Additionally, Roberts found a terrific way to weave in some basic financial tips and advice -- Rachel creates a blog! Now raise your hands if you can relate to that!

This was the first book by Sheila Roberts that I've read, but it won't be the last. It's an enjoyable and "light" read that also provides plenty of provocative material to mull over and/or discuss. I like the way Roberts focused in on real issues and created believable and empathetic characters. I don't think reading SMALL CHANGE will change your life, but its story and characters will provide a triple threat of humor, hope, and happiness against whatever hard times might be clouding your days.

About the author (from the publisher):
Sheila Roberts lives in Bremerton, Washington. When she’s not speaking to women’s groups or at conferences, she can be found writing about family, friendship and other things near and dear to women’s hearts.

Click here to visit the author's website.

Click here to read an interview with the author.

Thank you to Dorothy at

Pump Up Your Book Promotion Virtual Book Tours

for organizing this tour and supplying my review copy.

Giveaway and Book Review #44: THE CRAZY SCHOOL by Cornelia Read

Thanks to the generous folks at
Hachette Book Group,

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

by Cornelia Read.

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

THE CRAZY SCHOOL

by Cornelia Read

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing

Category: Fiction

Format: Trade Paperback

Publish Date: 2/12/2010

Price: $13.99/$16.99

ISBN: 9780446198202

Pages: 352

Size: 5-1/4" x 8"

Description (from the author):
From the acclaimed author of A FIELD OF DARKNESS comes another compelling novel featuring the acerbic and memorable voice of ex-debutante Madeline Dare. Madeline Dare has finally escaped rust-belt Syracuse, New York, for the lush Berkshire Mountains in Massachusetts. After her husband's job offer falls through, Maddie signs on as a teacher at the Santangelo Academy, a boarding school for disturbed teenagers. Behind the academy's ornate gates, she discovers a disturbing realm where students and teachers alike must submit to the founder's bizarre therapeutic regimen.

My Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

My Thoughts:  Like a lot of protagonists in crime fiction, Madeline Dare is tough as nails on the outside and just shy of marshmallow on the inside. She's smarter than average, and her tendency to think too much gets her into trouble again and again. What is it with smarter than average, tough but tender crime fiction characters that makes their brains turn off and their mouths go into overdrive? I don't know, but thank goodness they do because that's what makes the story.

In Cornelia Read's second Maddie Dare novel, THE CRAZY SCHOOL, we catch up with Maddie after circumstances force her into a teaching position at the only school that will employ her -- a last-stop boarding school for socially and psychologically troubled rich kids. At Santangelo Academy, it can be difficult to distinguish the discipline from the therapy, and everyone follows the same bizarre rules -- students as well as teachers and staff. It's not long before Maddie has her back to the wall as she tries to keep the most disturbed students and faculty at bay while simultaneously trying to isolate victims from victimizers.

I like the character of Maddie Dare. She's smart, but not smart enough to have all the answers. She's got a sharp wit and, like all of my favorite crime fiction heros, she questions herself as well as authority. It's those inner explorations of the character's own mind and motivations that make crime fiction so compelling to me.

Occasionally while reading THE CRAZY SCHOOL, I thought the author went a bit over the top. It wasn't always easy to believe that some of the practices at Santangelo Academy would be allowed to continue for as long as they did. But I told myself to suspend disbelief and just go with it for a while. After all, some truly bizarre "therapies" have been common practice in the past, but I won't give any examples lest I offend anyone who might have benefited from them. (See, I'm not smarter than average -- my mouth barely operates in first gear, nevermind overdrive. Sigh, guess I'll never be a crime fiction protagonist!)

I enjoyed THE CRAZY SCHOOL. It was a nice blend of stimulating and escapist fiction. And I'm looking forward to the next Maddie Dare novel, THE INVISABLE BOY, which is due out this month.

About the author (from the publisher):
Cornelia Read grew up in New York, California, and Hawaii. She describes herself as a reformed debutante who currently lives in Berkeley. This is her second novel. Her website is http://www.corneliaread.com/.

Questions for Discussion

 (The Reading Group Guide)

1. Maddie is the only Santangelo Academy teacher who lives off campus. How does this affect her views of what is “normal”?

2. Wiesner tells Maddie she is “too whacked to maintain appropriate boundaries” and has issues with authority. Do you agree? Does anyone at Santangelo maintain “appropriate” boundaries?

3. Maddie claims she hates Mindy because she is so shallow. What does this assessment reveal about Maddie herself? How does the generally negative nature of Maddie’s worldview affect the outcome of this particular narrative?

4. Maddie wants to believe that Santangelo can “fix” her. What is broken in her life?

5. The school uses a lot of phrases such as “firing yourself ” and “doing a turn-in.” Many groups use language to create a shared sense of identity. When can this be beneficial, and when can this be dangerous?

6. What are the author’s views on therapy, as expressed by Maddie? Do you agree with her?

7. Why does Maddie stay on as a teacher at Santangelo? Is it only about the paycheck for her?

8. While he never appears in the novel, Maddie’s father is discussed twice during the course of the story. What impact do you think his mental illness has had on her development and on her issues with “authority”?

9. What might be different about this novel if Dean had a steady job? What do you think of his attitude about drug testing—is he standing up for individual rights, or should he put down the bong and get over himself already?

10. Could Maddie have been a more effective advocate for her students if she’d played by the Santangelo rules? What would this have meant for Fay and Mooney, specifically? Should she have “done a turn-in” with regard to their secret?

11. What impact has the advent of psychotherapeutic drugs such as Prozac had on the public perception of “talk therapy”?

12. Has the influence of such psychiatric authorities as Freud and Jung been diminished or enhanced by advances in our understanding of neurochemistry over the last two decades? Is this a good thing or a bad thing?

13. How do you think Maddie will respond when she hears about the events of the final chapter? Did what happened change your perception of Wiesner and Sitzman?

14. Is the final word of the book, uttered by Sitzman, significant? Does its use here tie in with the discussion of campus prohibitions against it in chapter one? How would the novel be impacted if there were no profanity used by any of its characters?

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 Sunday, March 28, 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 the winners.

Thank you to Valerie
at Hachette Book Group

for making this giveaway possible.

GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!
THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED.

Giveaway and Book Review #43: ALPHATUDES: The Alphabet of Gratitude by Michele Wahlder

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

ALPHATUDES: The Alphabet of Gratitude

by Michele Wahlder

Pub. Date: January 2010
Publisher: Life Possibilities Publishing
Format: Paperback, 128pp
ISBN-13: 9780982364505
ISBN: 0982364504

Description (from the publisher):

Sometimes complicated problems have simple solutions.

In Alphatudes: The Alphabet of Gratitude, Michele Wahlder reveals the unexpected and simple secret to living a joyful life: gratitude. In a world obsessed with negativity, we must deliberately choose to focus our attention toward the positive.
The good news is the homework is already done! Alphatudes utilizes your earliest grade school victory—the ABCs—to elicit a sustainable shift in your thinking and outlook on life. This book will help you:

•Heighten your awareness and appreciation of life’s daily gifts

•Attract opportunities with a positive mind-set

•Surmount life’s challenges with a healthy reservoir of gratitude

•Find the hidden blessings in difficult situations

•Free yourself from worry, negativity and resentment
 

Alphatudes shares the practical, yet remarkable, secrets of embracing a grateful, positive outlook and approaching life’s little challenges with grace, gratitude and hope.

Resplendent with breathtaking illustrations, heartfelt prayers, uplifting affirmations and quotes, Alphatudes takes you on an extraordinary 26-step journey grounded in spiritual principles and universal human concepts. An inspiring guide that serves as a road map and a trusted companion on life’s journey, Alphatudes: The Alphabet of Gratitude provides an uplifting, simple method for positively transforming your life … one day at a time.

Click here to visit the author's website.

Click here to read an interview with the author.

My Rating:  4 out of 5 Stars

My Thoughts:  I've frequently heard how valuable it is to consciously express gratitude on a daily basis, and I've often wanted to start a gratitude journal. Somehow, I never got around to it. When I was offered the opportunity to review ALPHATUDES: The Alphabet of Gratitude by Michele Wahlder, I took it as a sign to put my intentions into action.

One of the things that had held me back from focusing on gratitude was that I had convinced myself of how it had to be done. I thought I needed to have a special journal and write in it every evening a list of things for which I was grateful. With the help of this little book, I've realized that I can express my gratitude anywhere, any time of day, and in a multitude of ways.

The book is lightweight and slim and it's easy to carry around in my purse - so I have been. Some mornings I pull into the parking lot at work and read a segment and then hold those thoughts in my mind throughout the day. Sometimes I don't read it until my lunch break or before I head home. Then I think about one of the concepts, such as forgiveness, joy, obstacles, or even "now", and apply them to interpreting events that occured that day. Other times, I don't read it until just before I go to sleep. Regardless of the time of day, I've found reading it, focusing on the concepts, and applying them to events in my life to be a relaxing, restorative, and centering exercise.

In ALPHATUDES, each letter of the alphabet is dedicated to a positive and uplifting discussion of a concept. Included are such diverse subjects as beauty and music and the "universal yes." The segment begins with a colorful illustration which visually connects to the concept. Then there is a quote on the topic, a short discussion followed by an affirmation and, finally, a short prayer. Each concept is covered in a total of 4 pages. It's a wonderful format for a busy person.

I've been very pleased with my copy of ALPHATUDES and, of course (here it comes . . . ) grateful! I've read it on an almost daily basis. Some of the images are ingrained in my brain and I only have to call up the illustration to bring to mind the positive message of that concept. A few of the quotes are beginning to stick with me and guide me through my day. I've found this book to be a valuable and comforting resource and definitely recommend it, especially to those who want to be more spiritually expressive, but don't really know how to begin or have a lot of time to devote each day.

My copy of ALPHATUDES is a keeper, but thanks to the author and publisher, I have one (1) copy to giveaway. Here's how to enter:

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 - no P.O. Boxes.

• Deadline for entry is 11:59 p.m. EST on Saturday, March 19, 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 Rebecca
of The Cadence Group

for providing my review and giveaway copies.

GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!

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!
THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED.

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.

Giveaway and Book Review #33: SIMON'S CAT by Simon Tofield

Thanks to the generous folks at
Hachette Book Group,

I have been authorized to
 giveaway five (5) copies of

SIMON'S CAT
by Simon Tofield.

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

SIMON'S CAT

by Simon Tofield

Category: Humor

Format: Trade Paperback

Publish Date: 9/24/2009

Price: $12.99/$0.00

ISBN: 9780446560061

Pages: 240

Size: 8-1/2" x 6"

About the book (from the publisher):

Simon Tofield's animations have taken YouTube by storm. Now, the feline Internet phenomenon makes his way onto the page in this first-ever book based on the popular animated series. SIMON'S CAT depicts and exaggerates the hilarious relationship between a man and his cat. The daily escapades of this adorable pet, which always involve demanding more food, and his exasperated but doting owner come to life through Tofield's charming and hilarious illustrations.

My Rating:  4 out of 5 Stars

My Thoughts: 
Fun! Fun! Fun! I laughed and giggled my way through this collection of cat cartoons and had to fight to keep it out of the hands of my family so I could finish it. They kept hanging around wanting to know what was so funny. But I couldn't spoil it for them -- they just had to wait their turns. And everybody loved it. Whether you're a cat lover or a cat hater, you'll find plenty in this book to support your position.

SIMON'S CAT is by turns endearingly, sweetly, naive and then downright irritating and aggravating. But he's always funny. Tofield's simple line drawings depict the daily agenda of a cat's life from surveillance of a miniscule (non-existent?) bug to stalking, subduing, and shredding the living room couch. I think the funniest panels are the ones which prove true every paranoid thought you've ever had about cats being in charge of humans.

SIMON'S CAT is a very funny little book, and it would make a great stocking stuffer for anyone who has ever encountered a cat!

If you'd like to take your chances on winning a copy, just keep reading.

Click here to watch the Simon's Cat videos.

Click here to visit SimonsCat.com

Simon Tofield is an award-winning animator who lives in London.

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 Wednesday, December 30 2009.

• 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
for making this giveaway possible.

GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!

THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED.

Blog Tour and Book Review #29: THE SECRET OF JOY by Melissa Senate

THE SECRET OF JOY

by Melissa Senate

 is released in paperback today!

THE SECRET OF JOY

by Melissa Senate

Pub. Date: November 2009

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing Group

Format: Paperback, 352pp

ISBN-13: 9781439107171

ISBN: 1439107173

 
Description (from the publisher):
As 28 year old New York paralegal Rebecca Strand's widowed father lays dying, he confesses a secret: he had an affair 26 years earlier when Rebecca was just a toddler. Now he wants Rebecca to deliver the secret stash of letters he wrote, but never mailed, to the daughter he fathered. Rebecca's lawyer boyfriend, Michael, is adamant that she forget the woman exists. He's sure the woman will be an opportunist who will demand half of Rebecca's father's million-dollar estate. But Rebecca, now without any family in the world, can't help but wonder about her one living relative. With her relationship with Michael in tatters, Rebecca drives from New York City to Maine to find Joy Jayhawk, who operates a Weekend Singles Tour service out of an orange mini-van that her regulars dub "The Love Bus." Enter a cast of lovable, colorful characters, from Joy's eccentric mother to the singles on The Love Bus, and a sexy carpenter for whom Rebecca finds herself unexpectedly falling in love...

My Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars -- a pleasant and enjoyable read.

My Thoughts:

THE SECRET OF JOY by Melissa Senate is such an enjoyable read, I wanted to pack up my bags and move to Maine. It's mostly set in a quaint little seaside town which is populated by a close-knit and supportive cast of quirky characters. By turns funny, poignant, and romantic, it is so engaging I became thoroughly engrossed in this story and looked forward to settling down each evening with my "new friends."

The title of this book with its cute double meaning is like a foreshadowing of the story. Rebecca Strand thinks she's only on a quest to find and connect with her half-sister, Joy, of whose existance she has just become aware. Her father confessed to a long ago secret affair on his deathbed. Between coming to terms with the death of her father and attempting to forge a bond with her sister, Rebecca also has to determine just what it is she wants out of life -- how to create her own joy. In fact, it could be said that all the characters in this novel are either in pursuit of their own personal bliss, or they've found it, are living it, and subtly guiding others toward finding their own.

This is Melissa Senate's eighth novel, and her experience and skill as a writer are evident. The book is smoothly written with great descriptions and terrific dialogue. I liked the variety of characters Ms. Senate created. No one was completely perfect and no one had found perfect happiness, but everyone was at varying stages in their quest for joy. I also appreciated her deft handling of the complex issue which confronts the character of Joy -- after being ignored by her father for her entire life, his other daughter is suddenly thrusting herself into Joy's life. This theme could be explored in a much heavier and very different kind of novel. Ms. Senate keeps things light but realistic enough to give the reader something to think about. 

I also like that the main character, Rebecca, doesn't equate finding joy only with being with the right man. She does want the right man but she also wants the bonds of her extended family. And she wants to find the work that will give her the most satisfaction and make use of her interests and skills. I like that she thoughtfully explores which aspects of her life have been fulfilling and are worth maintaining.  

I really liked THE SECRET OF JOY. I've already recommended it to my sisters and several friends. It's a great choice for anyone wanting to escape into a story that is upbeat but not fluffy. Personally, I plan to work my way through all of Melissa Senate's novels.    

Click here to visit the author's website.

Click here to read an interview with the author.

Click here to read the Reading Group Guide.

About the author (from the publisher):
Melissa Senate is the author of eight novels, including the bestselling See Jane Date, which was made into an ABC Family TV movie and has sold over 200,000 copies worldwide. She's published short pieces in Everything I've Always Wanted to Know About Being a Girl I Learned from Judy Blume, It's a Wonderful Lie, Flirting with Pride and Prejudice, and American Girls About Town. A former romance and young adult editor from New York, she now lives on the southern coast of Maine with her son.

Thank you to Sarah at Pocket Books for supplying me with my review copy.