Book Tour: Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter by Tom Franklin

Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter by Tom Franklin

Publisher: Harper Perennial (Reprint edition)

Publish Date: May 17, 2011

Paperback, 304 pages 
Fiction, Literary Suspense
ISBN: 978-0060594671

*** My review will be coming later today though I am really enjoying this novel at the moment.  It has interesting characters and great building suspense.  ***

About the Book:

In the 1970s, Larry Ott and Silas “32″ Jones were boyhood pals in a small town in rural Mississippi. Their worlds were as different as night and day: Larry was the child of lower-middle-class white parents, and Silas, the son of a poor, black single mother. But then Larry took a girl to a drive-in movie and she was never seen or heard from again. He never confessed . . . and was never charged.

More than twenty years have passed. Larry lives a solitary, shunned existence, never able to rise above the whispers of suspicion. Silas has become the town constable. And now another girl has disappeared, forcing two men who once called each other “friend” to confront a past they’ve buried for decades.

About the Author: 

Tom Franklin is the author of Poachers, Hell at the Breech, and Smonk. Winner of a 2001 Guggenheim Fellowship, he teaches in the University of Mississippi’s MFA program and lives in Oxford, Mississippi, with his wife, the poet Beth Ann Fennelly, and their children.

Tom’s Tour Stops

Tuesday, May 17th: Eclectic/Eccentric
Wednesday, May 18th: Book Journey
Thursday, May 19th: Jenn’s Bookshelves
Monday, May 23rd: That’s What She Read
Tuesday, May 24th: Chronicles of a Country Girl
Wednesday, May 25th: Lit and Life
Wednesday, May 25th: Helen’s Book Blog
Thursday, May 26th: Life In Review
Tuesday, May 31st: Raging Bibliomania
Wednesday, June 1st: Life in the Thumb
Thursday, June 2nd: Diary of a Stay at Home Mom
Tuesday, June 7th: Jo-Jo Loves to Read!
Wednesday, June 8th: Debbie’s Book Bag
Thursday, June 9th: Books and Movies
Friday, June 10th: My Reading Room
Monday, June 13th: Wordsmithonia
Tuesday, June 14th: Crazy for Books
Wednesday, June 15th: Teresa’s Reading Corner
Thursday, June 16th: Unputdownables
Friday, June 17th: Rundpinne

FTC Information: I received this book from the publisher through TLC Book Tours for an honest review.  I have Amazon links on my review pages but I do not make any money from these because of NC laws.  I put them solely for people to check out the books on a retail site.

Book Review: The Princess of Las Pulgas by C. Lee McKenzie

The Princess of Las Pulgas by C. Lee McKenzie

Publisher:Westside Books

Publish Date: December 15, 2010

Hardcover, 334 pages
ISBN: 978-1934813447
Young Adult, Fiction

My Review:

The Princess of Las Pulgas is an amazing book. I could not put it down. It felt real, dealt with real situations, played on real sympathies and really didn't pull any punches.  It's about finding yourself wherever you are and being true to yourself and knowing and finding your true friends.  It is a feel-good book with important lessons and great entertainment value.

Carlie's life has dealt her a tough blow with the loss of her dad to cancer.  While she's still reeling from that situation, she learns that she, her mom and her brother have to move from their house in Channing to Las Pulgas which is nowhere near the same type of area she is use to living in, it's a little rougher and their apartment is much smaller.  Life is a big change for Carlie and her brother Keith and her mom as well.  The high school is a real eye-opener for both of the siblings.  Keith wants nothing to do with the track team, Carlie wants nothing to do with anyone, she wants to remain friends with her best friend Lena in Channing and her hopeful new boyfriend Sean who is also in Channing.

She however begins to meet some much more colorful people that teach her that people aren't always what they seem.  The transition she faces is challenging but wonderful to watch.  Both her, Keith and her mom have major changes to face and choices to make whether to accept what they have been given or just give up.  The story is amazing and it flows so well.  I love seeing Carlie change and also her brother Keith as well.  The characters have very real reactions in this book and I loved getting to know the students as Las Pulgas was great too.  Ms. McKenzie has a great way of bringing her characters to life and those characters shine in The Princess of Las Pulgas.

This will go down as one of my favorite YA books so far this year.  It is just that enjoyable.  If you want a wonderful contemporary YA novel then The Princess of Las Pulgas is for you.

My Rating:  5.0/5.0

About the Book:
After her father's slow death from cancer, Carlie thought things couldn't get worse. But now, she is forced to confront the fact that her family in dire financial straits. To stay afloat, her mom has had to sell their cherished oceanfront home and move Carlie and her younger brother Keith to the other side of the tracks to dreaded Las Pulgas, or "the fleas" in Spanish. They must now attend a tough urban high school instead of their former elite school, and on Carlie's first day of school, she runs afoul of edgy K.T., the Latina tattoo girl who's always ready for a fight, even on crutches. Carlie fends off the attention of Latino and African American teen boys, and one, a handsome seventeen-year-old named Juan, nicknames her Princess when he detects her aloof attitude towards her new classmates. What they don't know is that Carlie isn't really aloof; she's just in mourning for her father and almost everything else that mattered to her. Mr. Smith, the revered English teacher who engages all his students, suggests she'll like her new classmates if she just gives them a chance; he cajoles her into taking over the role of Desdemona in the junior class production of Othello, opposite Juan, after K.T. gets sidelined. Keith, who becomes angrier and more sullen by the day, spray paints insults all over the gym as he acts out his anger over the family's situation and reduced circumstances. Even their cat Quicken goes missing, sending Carlie and Keith on a search into the orchard next to their seedy garden apartment complex. They're met by a cowboy toting a rifle who ejects them at gunpoint from his property. But when Carlie finds him amiably having coffee with their mom the next day -- when he's returned her cat -- she begins to realize that nothing is what it seems in Las Pulgas. 

About the Author:
Native Californian C. Lee McKenzie has always been a writer. But she's also been a university professor and administrator, and for five years, she wrote and published a newsletter for university professors. Her fiction and nonfiction for young readers has been published in the award-winning e-zine, Stories for Children, and Crow Toes Quarterly has published her ghostly tales. When she isn't writing, Lee hikes in the Santa Cruz Mountains in Los Gatos, California. She is also the author of Sliding on the Edge, a young adult novel published by WestSide Books in Spring 2009.

FTC Information: I received this book through The Teen Book Scene to review for the current tour.  I have Amazon links on my review pages but I do not make any money from these because of NC laws.  I put them solely for people to check out the books on a retail site.

Book Tour: The Princess of Las Pulgas by C. Lee McKenie

The Princess of Las Pulgas by C. Lee McKenzie

Publisher:Westside Books

Publish Date: December 15, 2010

Hardcover, 334 pages
ISBN: 978-1934813447
Young Adult, Fiction

** I apologize, I am running behind and have just started this book.  It has started off great and I look forward to finishing and reviewing The Princess of Las Pulgas tomorrow.  **

About the Book:
After her father's slow death from cancer, Carlie thought things couldn't get worse. But now, she is forced to confront the fact that her family in dire financial straits. To stay afloat, her mom has had to sell their cherished oceanfront home and move Carlie and her younger brother Keith to the other side of the tracks to dreaded Las Pulgas, or "the fleas" in Spanish. They must now attend a tough urban high school instead of their former elite school, and on Carlie's first day of school, she runs afoul of edgy K.T., the Latina tattoo girl who's always ready for a fight, even on crutches. Carlie fends off the attention of Latino and African American teen boys, and one, a handsome seventeen-year-old named Juan, nicknames her Princess when he detects her aloof attitude towards her new classmates. What they don't know is that Carlie isn't really aloof; she's just in mourning for her father and almost everything else that mattered to her. Mr. Smith, the revered English teacher who engages all his students, suggests she'll like her new classmates if she just gives them a chance; he cajoles her into taking over the role of Desdemona in the junior class production of Othello, opposite Juan, after K.T. gets sidelined. Keith, who becomes angrier and more sullen by the day, spray paints insults all over the gym as he acts out his anger over the family's situation and reduced circumstances. Even their cat Quicken goes missing, sending Carlie and Keith on a search into the orchard next to their seedy garden apartment complex. They're met by a cowboy toting a rifle who ejects them at gunpoint from his property. But when Carlie finds him amiably having coffee with their mom the next day -- when he's returned her cat -- she begins to realize that nothing is what it seems in Las Pulgas. 

About the Author:
Native Californian C. Lee McKenzie has always been a writer. But she's also been a university professor and administrator, and for five years, she wrote and published a newsletter for university professors. Her fiction and nonfiction for young readers has been published in the award-winning e-zine, Stories for Children, and Crow Toes Quarterly has published her ghostly tales. When she isn't writing, Lee hikes in the Santa Cruz Mountains in Los Gatos, California. She is also the author of Sliding on the Edge, a young adult novel published by WestSide Books in Spring 2009.

FTC Information: I received this book through The Teen Book Scene to review for the current tour.  I have Amazon links on my review pages but I do not make any money from these because of NC laws.  I put them solely for people to check out the books on a retail site.

Popular by Alissa Grosso, Character Interview: Nordica

Character Interview: Nordica

1.  What was going through your head the first time you met Hamilton?

I thought she was an angel disguised as a high school girl. 

2.  How is it being the youngest member of the clique?

I always feel about three steps behind everyone else.

3.  How do you think being in Hamilton's clique has helped you?

I would be nothing without Hamilton and the clique. I owe everything to them.

4.  How do you think being in Hamilton's clique has hurt you?

Then again, maybe I would have been happier being nothing. It certainly would make life less stressful.

5.  Photography is one of your passions, what led you to realizing you were a good photographer?

I don't think I'm a very good photographer. I mean, it's not like my work will be in magazines or newspapers or even the yearbook. I just like being able to snap pictures of people and preserve moments forever. Really, the camera does all the work. I just press the buttons.

6.  If you could do anything to make your mark in your Senior year next year, what do you think it would be?

Do you have any idea how terrifying this question is? I have no idea how to make my mark. I wish I could just fast forward through all of senior year. But I can't. So, I don't know what I'll do.

7.  If you had to describe yourself, how would you?

I'm just an ordinary person who happens to be friends with some pretty amazing people. So, most days I feel like a fish out of water, or at least like a little fish who somehow wound up swimming with a school of much bigger fish.

About the Book:
For reigning popularity queen Hamilton Best, the very idea of graduation is filled with fear. She's always been the star of Fidelity High's most exclusive clique, idolized for her perfection and her fabulous parties—you know you're "in" when you make Hamilton's guest list. As high school draws to a close, Hamilton is about to lose everything that makes her who she is.

To make matters worse, the clique is slowly coming apart at the seams. Although the hand-picked members—Olivia, Zelda, Nordica, and Shelly—all have their own agendas, desires, and secrets, they do have one thing in common: they're desperate to break away from Hamilton. Yet Hamilton has the biggest and most shocking secret of all, one that only her devoted boyfriend Alex knows. If the truth got out, it would completely destroy her fragile world.

And she'll do anything to keep that from happening.

About the Author: 

Early Days and Education

Alissa was born in Hackensack, New Jersey in 1975. She grew up in the Garden State living in Hackensack, Ramsey and later Byram Township, NJ.

She graduated from Lenape Valley Regional High School in Stanhope, NJ where she ran on the cross country and track teams. She earned a B.A. in English from Rutgers University graduating with highest honors and was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa.

Professional Life

Alissa worked for Waterloo Foundation for the Arts while attending college as well as after graduating from college in a number of different capacities. She later worked for the Eastern Monroe Public Library in Stroudsburg, PA where she worked in both the circulation and youth services departments, and was the Children's Coordinator for Norway Memorial Library in Norway, ME. She also worked as an editor and writer for Journal Newspapers in White Haven, PA. She presently works as an independent library sales representative for Unique Books, Inc. and is the author of the forthcoming YA novel Popular.

What She's Doing Now

After living for several years in Pennsylvania and briefly in Maine, Alissa has returened to New Jersey and presently lives in Clinton.  When she isn't visiting libraries or busy playing outdoors, she is hard at work on her next novel. 

Website
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Blog

Giveaway:
Teen Book Scene is hosting a giveaway of one copy of Popular, and it's open internationally.  Just comment on this post and for more entries to win, go to other posts during the tour and comment on them.  Giveaway will end a few days after the end of the tour and will be announced on A Good Addiction.  Be sure and come back on June 7th when I have my character interview with Nordica, for another chance to enter.

Book Review: Shattered by Melody Carlson

Shattered by Melody Carlson

Publisher: NavPress

Publish Date: April 15, 2011

Paperback, 199 pages 
Fiction, Young Adult, Life Issues

 ISBN: 978-1600069499
Book #2 in Secrets

My Review:
Why I read this: I have been hooked on Melody Carlson since I read her first book last year and have read every book I could review by her since.  


My thoughts:  I'm going to do this review in two parts, something I'm considering doing in the future for my YA reviews, first part from the parent perspective, the second as a review of the book.  Let me know what you think.


As a parent:  Shattered covers a number of issues that teens face today and one of the biggest is taking control of your own actions.  Not blaming others and not taking on blame for things that are out-of-your-control.  I think we all hope our kids don't have to learn in such an extreme way that Cleo learns in.  I think this also takes on too much parental control and how a little freedom can help kids, but it never really puts down the parents in any way.  Ms. Carlson is a parent herself so I think this book is well-thought out.  Concepts in this book are tough, but handled in a way that I think this book is optimal for teenagers 13 and older.  A great book to talk about with your teen or for a teen book group - there is lots that can be discussed.  And after saying all the value this book has, let me tell you it is an enjoyable book as well.  As this is a Christian book, there is no bad language, but there is drug use, but this is handled in a way that does not glamorize it in any way. 

My Review:  Shattered is a very powerful book.  Cleo goes against her mother's wishes one night and it leads to the ultimate life-changing occurence for both Cleo and her family.  The book open introducing us to Cleo, her over-protective mother and her best friend Lola.  It's Lola's last night in town and she has won tickets to a Christian band concert in the city.  Cleo's mom won't let her use the car to get to the concert and doesn't want her going into the city with just her friend, but she has plans that night.  Cleo then hatches a plan to get her best friend and herself to the concert without her mom knowing.

This little lie leads to major consequences in Cleo's life and the rest of the book takes the reader through how Cleo handles this situation and how her family and some new friends help her as she faces the guilt, the consequences and more bad decisions she makes.  I think the plot was handled well and kept me interested.  I would liked the book to be a little longer, but felt everything was covered well.  The reader gets to know Cleo most, but I enjoyed getting to know Cleo's aunt Kellie and her help in her life as well as Cleo's long-time crush, now boyfriend, Daniel.

A sensitive subject is handled very well by Ms. Carlson.  I haven't read the first book in the Secrets series, but I don't think they are linked like typical series.  I think the Secrets series is just a series dealing with teens keeping secrets that weigh them down and how to go about confessing these secrets and getting back to relationships with friends, family and of course God.

A  few powerful quotes that really stood out to me:

Even after the house finally got quiet, I still couldn't sleep. By midnight I was playing Ghost Girl again, wandering throughout the house, wishing and wishing I could undo everything . . . or somehow fix this mess.  But that's impossible.

 The second:

All except for one part of the sermon that somehow sticks.

"God has the heart of a mother. Like a mother, God's love is unconditional. Like a mother, God's forgiveness is complete."

And one final one (this is Aunt Kellie talking to Cleo):

"We can blame ourselves for things that were beyond our control for a lifetime, Cleo.  We can torture ourselves for years and years. But someday, we have to accept that we don't control anyone but ourselves.  And then we have to account for all the time we lost fretting over those things we couldn't control."

I enjoyed Shattered and think young adults and adults will as well.  Ms. Carlson has hit another home run with this one and I will be going back to check out the first Secrets novel, Forgotten.  And stay tuned for the third in the series, Trapped in the future.


My Rating: 4.0/5.0


About the Book:
Everybody does it—sneaks out of the house now and then. It's harmless enough, right? Not this time. Cleo Neilson faces the chilling consequences of her actions. Now she has a secret and can’t tell anyone, and it’s breaking her heart. As Cleo fights through her grief and guilt, she learns about faith in God and forgiveness through him. As teenage girls read Cleo's journey, they too will learn the value of having faith and receiving forgiveness as well as just how dangerous it really is to keep a secret.

About the Author: 
Melody Carlson is the best-selling author of more than 150 books, including the TrueColors series (TH1NK/NavPress). Her first book in the Secrets series is titled Forgotten. She has won various awards for her writing, including The Gold Medallion and The Rita. Melody currently lives in the beautiful Oregon Cascade Mountains with her husband.

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FTC Information: I received this book through Glass Road PR for the blog tour and an honest review.  I have Amazon links on my review pages but I do not make any money from these because of NC laws.  I put them solely for people to check out the books on a retail site.

Book Tour by My Foolish Heart by Susan May Warren

My Foolish Heart by Susan May Warren

Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers
Publish Date: April 18, 2011

Paperback, 384 pages
ISBN: 978-1414334820
Fiction, Romance

***  My Review will be coming later this week (I'm still running behind and I'm at Duke University Hospital today getting a MRI and visiting with my neurosurgeon) ***

About the Book:

Unknown to her tiny town of Deep Haven, Isadora Presley spends her nights as Miss Foolish Heart, the star host of a syndicated talk radio show. Millions tune in to hear her advice on dating and falling in love, unaware that she’s never really done either. Issy’s ratings soar when it seems she’s falling in love on-air with a caller. A caller she doesn’t realize lives right next door.

Caleb Knight served a tour of duty in Iraq and paid a steep price. The last thing he wants is pity, so he hides his disability and moves to Deep Haven to land his dream job as the high school football coach. When his beautiful neighbor catches his eye, in a moment of desperation he seeks advice from My Foolish Heart, the show that airs before his favorite sports broadcast. 

Before he knows it, Caleb finds himself drawn to the host—and more confused than ever. Is his perfect love the woman on the radio . . . or the one next door?

Read an excerpt here: http://www.susanmaywarren.com/novels/contemporary-romance/

 Link to buy the book: http://www.amazon.com/My-Foolish-Heart-Deep-Haven/dp/1414334826/ref=sprightly-20

 

About the Author:

Susan May Warren is an award-winning, best-selling author of over twenty-five novels, many of which have won the Inspirational Readers Choice Award, the ACFW Book of the Year award, the Rita Award, and have been Christy finalists. After serving as a missionary for eight years in Russia, Susan returned home to a small town on Minnesota’s beautiful Lake Superior shore where she, her four children, and her husband are active in their local church.

Susan's larger than life characters and layered plots have won her acclaim with readers and reviewers alike. A seasoned women’s events and retreats speaker, she’s a popular writing teacher at conferences around the nation and the author of the beginning writer’s workbook: From the Inside-Out: discover, create and publish the novel in you!. She is also the founder ofwww.MyBookTherapy.com, a story-crafting service that helps authors discover their voice.

Susan makes her home in northern Minnesota, where she is busy cheering on her two sons in football, and her daughter in local theater productions (and desperately missing her college-age son!)

A full listing of her titles, reviews and awards can be found at:www.susanmaywarren.com.

Win a Romantic Night on the Town from Miss Foolish Heart! Susan May Warren is thrilled to announce the release of her latest Deep Haven book, My Foolish Heart! Read what the reviewers are saying here. To celebrate this charming novel about a dating expert who's never had a date, Susan has put together a romantic night on the town for one lucky couple. One grand prize winner will receive a Miss Foolish Heart prize package worth over $200!

The winner of the Romantic Night on the Town Prize Pack will receive:

• * A $100 Visa Gift Card (For Dinner) 
• * A $100 Gift Certificate to a Hyatt/Marriott Hotel 
• * The entire Deep Haven series 

To enter just click one of the icons below. But, hurry, the giveaway ends at noon on June 16th. The winner will be announced that evening during Susan’s Miss Foolish Heart Party on Facebook! Susan will be chatting with guests, hosting a book club chat about My Foolish Heart, testing your Deep Haven trivia skills, and giving away tons of great stuff! (Gift certificates, books, donuts, and more!) Don't miss the fun and BRING YOUR FRIENDS! 

FTC Information: I received this book through Litfuse Publicity Group to review for the current tour.  I have Amazon links on my review pages but I do not make any money from these because of NC laws.  I put them solely for people to check out the books on a retail site.

Book Review: C.Y.A.: The Sext Crime by Jason Ancona

The Sext Crime (Covert Youth Agency #2) by Jason Ancona

Publisher: CreateSpace

Publish Date: March 1, 2011

Paperback, 280 pages
ISBN: 978-1460969342
Young Adult, Suspense
Ages 12 and up

My Review:

The Sext Crime was a thoroughly entertaining book that I think would do well with teenagers 12 and up.  The warning below is perfect for the book and for the humor.  There is no sex in this book, just references to a picture the girl texts to her boyfriend.  The boo also has very little bad language and the only one who uses bad language is a grumpy teacher who is out to find out who the members of the Covert Youth Agency are.  So this book is completely appropriate for pre-teens and teens and others (meaning adults) should enjoy this as well.

On the surface, The Sext Crime appears to be a light-hearted and easy-going fun book to read.  Yes there is a problem to solve and The Covert Youth Agency is on the job.  A girl who is running for school President is being blackmailed to leave the race because racy pictures were found that she sent to her boyfriend.  Sexting as it is know is illegal and when pursued in the legal system system can lead to serious consequences.  At the beginning this is mentioned but more effort it put into the story.

The main characters are introduced, Pi, Lightman and Tollhouse, the members of the CYA.  They all  have their parts and thei r specialties.  I believe they were introduced more in the first book (which I have but have not had a chance to read yet).  But I got a good feel for each of the characters in this book.  After introductions are made and the case is accepted, the ball really starts rolling and never slows down.  I enjoyed trying to figure out with the members of CYA just who was behind the blackmail.

It's a fun romp but when you finish reading it you realize that there is so much more there.  It does cover sexting, there is even some addressing of bullying, but one of my favorite things, is that this book shows there are consequences for all actions even as teenagers, even the ones you think are innocent or the ones you do to protect someone.  The second thing I really liked (and this is as a parent).  The parents of the kids in CYA are well-represented and caring parents.  They are involved in their kids lives and don't let them run completely without supervision and I find that refreshing and more realistic in teen fiction.

But when it comes down to it - The Sext Crime is a fun book full of intrigue, spying and general teenage mayhem.  I loved every minute and look forward to reading the first book in the series and any more that follow.  So read, enjoy, fall in love with Pi, Lightman and Tollhouse and try to figure out the bad guy.

My Rating: 4.0/5.0



About the Book:
SNAP--a girl sexts racy pics of herself.
She thought the fun shots would stay between her and her boyfriend.

SNAP--an anonymous hacker hijacks her photos.
If she doesn't obey, she'll be exposed.

SNAP--the Covert Youth Agency takes the girl's case.
The agents jump headfirst into Operation: Sext Crime. Their new client has less than a week to surrender to the hacker's ultimatum. Or else the naughty photos go "wide."

SEND--a squad of goons are closing in on C.Y.A. members.
Agent identities may be unmasked.

REPLY ALL--end communication.
It's not safe.

WARNING--this book contains NO explicit sexual content.
Material suitable for ages 12 and above. May contain some humor.

About the Author:
Freakishly nerdy in high school, Jason became a certifiable weakling his sophomore year when he lost an arm-wrestling match to a female cheerleader in class. Never a participant in school activities, he fantasized about being someone else--an athlete, a secret agent, or whatever character he commanded in the latest computer role-playing-game. His imaginary worlds didn't help in the dating department, but they sure were fun to explore. A graduate of UCLA's Screenwriting Program, he has written various feature film scripts and television shows. In the Fall of 2010, he quit his corporate job, leaving Los Angeles and all of his belongings behind, save his computer and his clothes. He's currently hiding in the Chicago suburbs, where he's making friends with the locals--mostly deer and squirrels.

Website/Blog
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FTC Information: I received this book through The Teen Book Scene to review for the current tour.  I have Amazon links on my review pages but I do not make any money from these because of NC laws.  I put them solely for people to check out the books on a retail site.