Giveaway: Song of the Silk Road by Mingmei Yip

   Song of the Silk Road by Mingmei Yip

Publisher: Kensington

Publish Date: April 1, 2011

Paperback, 356 pages

ISBN: 978-0-7582-4182-5

Fiction 

***My review will be coming later this week***

About the Book:

Following her success of Peach Blossom Pavilion and Petals from the Sky is the release of SONG OF THE SILK ROAD (Kensington Publishing, April 2011, $15.00 U.S./$17.95 CAN.), the third novel by celebrated author, Mingmei Yip.  This richly imaginative novel follows one woman’s daunting journey along China’s fabled Silk Road, a life-changing adventure filled with the most unexpected revelations.

As a girl growing up in Hong Kong, Lily Lin was captivated by photographs of the desert—its long, lonely vistas and shifting sand dunes. Now living in New York, Lily is struggling to finish her graduate degree when she receives an astonishing offer. An aunt she never knew existed will pay Lily a huge sum to travel across China’s desolate Taklamakan Desert—and carry out a series of tasks along the way.

Intrigued, Lily accepts. Her assignments range from the dangerous to the bizarre. Lily must seduce a monk. She must scrape a piece of clay from the famous Terracotta Warriors, and climb the Mountains of Heaven to gather a rare herb. At Xian, her first stop, Lily meets Alex, a young American with whom she forms a powerful connection. And soon, she faces revelations that will redefine her past, her destiny, and the shocking truth behind her aunt’s motivations.

Powerful and eloquent, Song of the Silk Road is a captivating story of self-discovery, resonant with the mysteries of its haunting, exotic landscape.

Giveaway:

Thanks to the publicist, Media Muscle, I have one copy of Song of the Silk Road by Mingmei Yip to giveaway.  Simply fill out the form below.  US/Canada only.  Giveaway ends 4/11/2011.  

If you have trouble viewing the form, you can find it here.

Book Review: Wickham's Diary by Amanda Grange

Wickham's Diary by Amanda Grange

Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark

Publish Date: April 1, 2011

Paperback, 208 pages 
Fiction, Historical, Jane Austen Fiction
ISBN: 978-1402251863

My Review:
Why I read this:  I haven't read any of Ms. Grange's books before and didn't realize she had written various diaries by Jane Austen characters.  Although I did not like Wickham in Pride and Prejudice I must admit I was intrigued by who he was before Pride and Prejudice and I wanted to see Ms. Grange's take on him.

My thoughts: I loved this book. Sometimes it's easy to be disappointed by other authors taking a stab at Jane Austen fiction, but I was not at all disappointed with Ms. Grange's take on this Pride and Prejudice character.

A quick easy read, written as a diary by the infamous George Wickham from Pride and Prejudice.  Wickham's Diary takes us from Wickham at age 8 right up to the point where he crosses Mr. Darcy by trying to run off and elope with his sister Georgiana.

It's very interesting getting a better feel for Wickham, who at 12 seems pretty okay, but we start to see why he becomes the type of character he does.  Then going through the teen years and his years at Cambridge.  He's not a likable type, but that doesn't take away from this book at all because if  you have read P&P you don't want him to be a good guy - he's the ultimate bad guy.  It's fun to see him develop and see little glimpses of Mr. Darcy from Wickham's point-of-view.

There is not much more I can say and not give things away, but if you enjoy the offshoots of Jane Austen fiction then you will enjoy this diary.  I think Ms. Grange has stayed completely true to the character of George Wickham that Jane Austen created and has given us a wonderful backstory into his life and personality.

I will now be in search of Ms. Grange other diary books because this was such a fun format to read.

My Rating: 4.5/5.0

About the Book:

This prequel to Pride and Prejudice begins with George Wickham at age 12, handsome and charming but also acutely aware that his friend, Fitzwilliam Darcy, is rich, whilst he is poor. His mother encourages him to exercise his charm on the young Georgiana Darcy and Anne de Bourgh in the hopes of establishing a stable of wealthy social connections.

At university, Darcy and Wickham grow apart. Wickham is always drinking and wenching, whilst Darcy, who apparently has everything, is looking for something he cannot find. Wickham runs through the money Darcy gives him and then takes up with the scandalous Belle, a woman after Wickham's own greedy, black heart.


About the Author: 

Amanda Grange is a popular author of historical fiction in the UK. She specializes in creative interpretations of classic novels and historical events, including Jane Austen's novels and the Titanic shipwreck. Her novels include Mr. Darcy's Diary, Mr. Knightley's Diary, Captain Wentworth's Diary, and Mr. Darcy, Vampyre. She lives in England.

Author Website

Twitter
Blog 

FTC Information: I received this book from the publisher for a 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.

It's Monday What Are You Reading - April 4

Come post weekly and see what others are reading too just so you can add to your tbr - I always do! For more information see Sheila at One Persons Journey Through a World of Books and join in! 

Books Completed Last Week 

• Dragon Lady by Gary Alexander
• Horns by Joe Hill
• My Jane Austen Summer by Cindy Jones
• Valentine Bride by Christine Rimmer
• Overtime in the Boss's Bed by Nicola Marsh
• The Secret Child and the Cowboy CEO by Janice Maynard
• Wickham's Diary by Amanda Grange

Reading Now: 

• The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffeneger (audio, car)
• Drought by Pam Bachorz (audio, mp3 player)
• The Face of God by Bill Myers
• Night Road by Kristin Hannah (review)

Next:

• Lowcountry Summer by Dorothea Benton Frank
• Stillettos and Scoudrels by Laina Turner-Molaski
  
• Born at Midnight by C.C. Hunter
• The Arrow Chest by Robert Parry
• Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult
• Madame Tussaud: A Novel of the French Revolution by Michelle Moran
• The Emperor's Tomb by Steve Berry
• Red Wolf by Liza Marklund

Summary -

A much calmer week since it rained most of the week - we only had one evening we had to do something with the kids.  Though because of the rain, I did have another flare-up, but thankfully it was only one missed day of work.  

I was hard at work on the reading this week.  I had to finish up judging for a RWA contest and I enjoyed all 4 of the short contemporaries I read.  It reminded me why I use to read various Harlequin imprints from time-to-time.  Wonderful stories that make for great escapism for a few hours.  So that is done and now it's time to play catch-up on my review titles again.

This week's weather looks mostly sunny so I expect it to be a busy week with practices and opening ceremonies on Saturday.  Hopefully they won't have any games that day so I can go the ceremonies and leave and get back to Dewey's 24-hour-read-a-thon that is taking place this weekend!  I can't wait.

Best of the week:  Tie between Dragon Lady by Gary Alexander and Horns by Joe Hill - two completely different books, but both were great!

How was your week?

Book Review: Kat, Incorrigible by Stephanie Burgis

Kat, Incorrigible

Publisher: Atheneum

Publish Date: April 5, 2011

Hardcover, 304 pages
Young Adult, ages 10 and up 
ISBN: 978-1416994473

My Review:
This was the first book I picked up during the Spring read-a-thon in 2010 (I won it in a giveaway) and it is a perfect read-a-thon book because once you start reading it you will not want to put it down.  This book had me from the first sentence:

I was twelve years of age when I chopped off my hair, dressed as a boy, and set off to save my family from impending ruin. I made it almost to the end of my front garden...

I mean doesn't that just set the tone so well.  Kat, Incorrigible will keep you turning the pages and laughing at the same time.  Kat is a wonderful, strong female character, but she is still just 12 years old which back in 1800s England was older acting than now, but still a child.  She is trying to take on the world, or at least her Stepmama who is trying to marry off her older sister Elissa to a much older and not very nice man.  Elissa makes a great older sister and I love her love of gothic novels and her desire to be a gothic heroine.  She is partial to drama but not an annoying drama queen, more of the oh woe is me, I will do this to help out my family even if I suffer.  Angeline is in between Elissa and Kat in age and personality.  She has more of Kat's spirit and is a little mischievous too. All three sisters are great in the book as is the Stepmama.  As I stated during the read-a-thon, I kept picturing Angelica Huston as Stepmama after her role in Ever After (though this is not a Cinderella story at all).  She just fit.

There are other characters in the book as well and they all fit the book very well.  I loved the magic of the book.  It was fun and light.  The plotting was well-paced and kept me interested until the end. Ms. Burgis does a wonderful job on both plot and characters.

I can't say enough about this book - it is just fantastic and I think it will appeal to girls of all ages (though it is marketed to ages 10-15).  Kat gives girls something to aspire to, she is trying to figure out right and wrong and just how to be herself and she is a beautifully done character.

Rating: 4.5/5.0

About the Book:
Twelve-year-old Kat Stephenson may be the despair of her social-climbing Step-Mama, but she was born to be a magical Guardian and protector of Society--if she can ever find true acceptance in the secret Order that expelled her own mother. She's ready to turn the hidebound Order of the Guardians inside-out, whether the older members like it or not. And in a society where magic is the greatest scandal of all, Kat is determined to use all her powers to help her three older siblings--saintly Elissa, practicing-witch Angeline, and hopelessly foolish Charles--find their own true loves, even if she has to turn highwayman, battle wild magic, and confront real ghosts along the way!

About the Author:
Stephanie Burgis grew up in East Lansing, Michigan, but fell in love with Regency England when she discovered the novels of Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer. She decided to be a writer when she was seven, and sold her first short story when she was fifteen. Stephanie lives with her husband, fellow writer Patrick Samphire, their baby, and their dog in Wales. (from Amazon.com)

Her webpage: http://www.stephanieburgis.com/
Her blog:  http://www.stephanieburgis.com/blog/

FTC Information: I received this book from the author Stephanie Burgis.  I won it on Lisa Mantchev's blog.  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: My Jane Austen Summer by Cindy Jones

My Jane Austen Summer by Cindy Jones

Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks

Publish Date: March 29, 2011

Paperback, 352 pages 
Fiction
ISBN: 978-0399254123

My Review:
Why I read this: I love all things Jane Austen so this was a must.


My thoughts:  A really great book in the end, entertaining, witty, soul-searching and just a great read.

I have to admit I almost put this book down.  I was at around 100 pages and it just wasn't clicking for me.  Then suddenly it clicked and I could not put it down.  Lily is a great character, she is looking for herself and looking for a man who will understand her and join her in her love of books.  I love how she grows and learns in this book.  I also like watching how the people around her begin to shape her and change her and help her learn about herself along with her Jane Austen who she often sees around her.

The plot was interesting once I really understood what was going on.  The main driving force is Lily and her character development but there are also some other plots going on as well.  I loved the setting of the old manor house, it was perfect for the Jane Austen plot and the acting and re-enacting the theater group was doing.

Some of the secondary characters I liked and some I didn't, but that was the point.  Some redeemed themselves by the end and some were still unlikeable.  It was an interesting group of characters and I like how Ms. Jones made them all very different and somewhat alike at the same time.

If you enjoy Jane Austen literature or anything that refers to it, then this will be an enjoyable book for you.  If you like the slightly more grown-up chicklit (less references to brands and fashions) then this is a book for you.  I really enjoy books where characters grow and learn about themselves and also am a sucker for books set in England so this one had me on two counts.

Ms. Jones freshman offering is very enjoyable and I look forward to her next foray into fiction as well.


My Rating: 4.0/5.0

About the Book:
Lily has squeezed herself into undersized relationships all her life, hoping one might grow as large as those found in the Jane Austen novels she loves. But lately her world is running out of places for her to fit. So when her bookish friend invites her to spend the summer at a Jane Austen literary festival in England, she jumps at the chance to reinvent herself.

There, among the rich, promising world of Mansfield Park reenactments, Lily finds people whose longing to live in a novel equals her own. But real-life problems have a way of following you wherever you go, and Lily's accompany her to England. Unless she can change her ways, she could face the fate of so many of Miss Austen's characters, destined to repeat the same mistakes over and over again.

My Jane Austen Summer explores how we fall in love, how we come to know ourselves better, and how it might be possible to change and be happier in the real world.



About the Author: 

Cindy Jones was born in Ohio and grew up in small midwestern towns, reading for escape. She is a winner of the Writers’ League of Texas Manuscript Contest, and she lives with her family in Dallas.


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FTC Information: I received this book from the publisher through TLC Book Tours for a 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.

Saturday Giveaway #5

First off, last week's giveaway winner is:  

.Ambur. (ambiepie_6)

 Ambur will be contacted today to make her selection.

This giveaway seemed to work well so I'm hoping to make this a weekly feature.  It's simple, fill out the form and you are entered.  Open to US/Canada only due to lack of funds. Following is not required, nor is tweeting or anything like that but if you would like to, I would be thrilled.

It seems my average right now is around 3-5 books a week, 1 book this week I can't give away because it's an ebook, but if you look at my sidebar you can win it in another giveaway. The choices for this week are rather diverse:

   

 

or these from week 1 and 3 are back in as choices:

 

 

   

Please note that Nickel Plated, My Jane Austen Summer, Zero Day, Letters From Home, Wither, and Mystify are ARCs

 Giveaway open through next Friday, April 8 at 11:00pm so I can draw the winner and announce with my new Saturday giveaway next week.  A little something for everyone.  If you win, I'll email and ask your choice.  It's simple.

If you can't see the form, you can find it here.