February Summary

February Summary 

1. The Big Show Stopper by Ken Dalton - read 2/2/2011
2. Deadly Codes Screenplay by JP O'Donnell and  - read 2/5/2011
3. The Demon Trapper's Daughter by Jana Oliver - read 2/5/2011
4. Twelve Sharp by Janet Evanovich - read 2/8/2011
5. The Resurrection by Mike Duran - read 2/9/2011
6. The Werewolf Upstairs by Ashlyn Chase - read 2/10/2011
7. A Billion Reasons Why by Kristin Billerbeck - read 2/12/2011
8. These Things Hidden by Heather Gudenkauf - read 2/12/2011
9. The Tudor Secret by C. W. Gortner - read 2/16/2011
10. The Promises We Keep by Erin Healy - read 2/17/2011
11. Lean Mean Thirteen by Janet Evanovich - read 2/18/2011
12. Final Vector by Allen Leverone - read 2/19/2011 
13. How to Flirt With a Naked Werewolf - read 2/22/2011
14. Chocolate and Vicodin by Jennette Fulda - read 2/24/2011 
15. The Heart Doctor and the Baby by Lynne Marshall - read 2/25/2011
16.  Scones and Bones by Laura Childs - read 2/27/2011
17. Fearless Fourteen by Janet Evanovich - read 2/28/2011
18. Mystify by Artist Arthur - read 2/28/2011
    

Review books:14

Library Books:3
Books from my bookshelf:1

A much better month than January even though it was 3 days shorter.  I need to get busy reading to make my goal at the end of the year.  The good thing - I have really enjoyed all the books I have read this month!

Favorite of the month:This is really tough this month because there are lots of contenders.  I could go through and list by different genres but I think I am going to choose These Things Hidden by Heather Gudenkauf - just an amazing book that you must check out if you haven't yet.

So how was your reading month?


Challenge Progress:

• YA Reading Challenge:  7/50
• Support Your Local Library Challenge:  8/51
• 100+ Reading Challenge:  31/217
• 2011 Audiobook Challenge:  4/20
• 2011 Book Blogger Recommendation Challenge:  0/15
• Cruizin' Through Cozies: 0/12
• 2011 A to Z Challenge (Titles): 13/26
• 2011 Reading From My Shelves Project:  0/24
• Edgar Awards Reading Challenge:  0/6
• 2011 Debut Author Challenge:  2/30
• 2011 Ebook Challenge:  3/20
• Book Bucket List:  0/12
• 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die:  0/5
• The Alphabet in Crime Fiction:  2/26
• 2011 Show Me the Free Reading Challenge:  0/12

What are You Reading Monday - February 28

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 

• How to Flirt with a Naked Werewolf by Molly Harper
• Chocolate and Vicodin by Jennette Fulda 
• The Heart Doctor and the Baby by Lynne Marshall

Reading Now: 

• Scones and Bones by Laura Childs (review)
• Madame Tussaud: A Novel of the French Revolution by Michelle Moran (review)
• Fearless Fourteen by Janet Evanovich (library, audiobook)

Next:

• Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult
• The Emperor's Tomb by Steve Berry
• Skipping a Beat by Sarah Pekkanen
• Red Wolf by Liza Marklund

Summary -

Busy week, with my birthday on Saturday - it was a great day and a great week.

Best of the week: Chocolate and Vicodin because it felt like I was talking to someone who understands me and how my health is at this time.


How was your week?

New eBook Publisher: Istoria Books Press Release

ISTORIA BOOKS

eBooks You Want to Read at Prices You Want to Pay ™

February 23, 2011

Contact: Libby Sternberg, editor-in-chief (LibbyMalinSternberg@gmail.com or IstoriaBks@gmail.com)

ISTORIA BOOKS ACQUIRES DIGITAL RIGHTS TO

GARY ALEXANDER’S DRAGON LADY AND AWARD-WINNING ROMANCE AUTHOR JERRI CORGIAT’S FIVE-BOOK BACKLIST

Istoria Books, a new digital publisher dedicated to releasing “eBooks You Want to Read at Prices You Want to Pay” ,™ has recently acquired digital rights to six books, by authors Gary Alexander and Jerri Corgiat.

Istoria will publish Gary Alexander’s literary novel Dragon Lady in April 2011. Set in 1965 Saigon, Dragon Lady tells the story of Joe, a young draftee, who becomes obsessed with a Vietnam girl named Mai, his own "Dragon Lady" from his beloved Terry and the Pirates cartoon strips that his mother still sends him. As he pursues a relationship with her, Saigon churns with intrigue and rumors--will the U.S. become more involved with the Vietnamese struggle? What's going on with a special unit that's bringing in all sorts of (for the time) high tech equipment? Will the U.S. make Vietnam the 51st state and bomb aggressors to oblivion? But for Joe, the soldier, the big question is--does Mai love him or will she betray more than just his heart? Gary’s intelligent voice, filled with dry wit, and his own experiences give this story a sharp sense of truth, recounting the horror and absurdity of war. Reminiscent of books such as Catch-22, Dragon Lady serves up equal measures of outrageous humor and poignant remembrance. Gary served in Vietnam in ’65. When he arrived, he joined 17,000 GIs. When he left, 75,000 were in country.

Gary Alexander also writes mystery; his three mystery novels in the Buster Hightower series are published or under contract to be published by print publisher Five Star/Cengage. A Vietnam vet himself, Gary lives in Seattle.

Istoria will also publish the backlist of award-winning romance author Jerri Corgiat this spring. The list includes five books in the Love Finds a Home series originally published by Penguin’s Signet imprint. The titles are:

Sing Me Home

Follow Me Home

Home at Last

Home by Starlight

Take Me Home

            The Love Finds a Home series includes five award-winning books set in the small town of Cordelia, nestled in the Missouri Ozarks. Each novel showcases different members of the extended O'Malley family and their sometimes bumpy journeys toward happiness. These well-told stories will resonate with readers confronting similar challenges--struggles with ailing businesses, damaged reputations, recovery from heartbreak and divorce, children's difficulties, career changes, and serious illness. From the first book to the last, readers will be entranced by the magnificent setting and the loving O'Malley family. Jerri Corgiat's voice sings throughout every story, capturing the beauty of the landscape and the strong emotions of her characters. Likened to bestselling women's fiction author Susan Wiggs, Corgiat excels at descriptive writing, making the reader want to book a flight to fictional Cordelia to spend more time with the O'Malley clan.

            Just a glimpse of praise for Jerri Corgiat's Love Finds a Home books:

·         "....a powerfully moving story...a brilliant read..." Romance Reader at Heart

·         "Ms. Corgiat has become one of my 'must read' authors..." Romance Junkies

·         "....a rich multidimensional novel..." Contemporary Romance Writers

·         "...very poignant, filled with nuances..."  The Romance Readers Connection

·         "...unforgettable characters resonate long after the last page is turned..." RT Bookclub, Top Pick

·         "…warm and touching...one of those wonderful romances that truly captures the heart...filled with joy and laughter, pathos and challenges..." Midwest Book Reviews

·         "...fast-paced, with flowing phrases and realistic characters..." Readers & Writers Ink Reviews

Jerri Corgiat lives in the Midwest and is a former bookseller and winner of a first-place Award of Excellence from the Reviewers International Organization.

Istoria Books is a new digital publisher formed in 2010 by Libby and Hannah Sternberg, both of whom are published authors, along with Matthew Sternberg. The publishing house’s inventory until now has consisted of books by Edgar-nominated author Libby Sternberg, who serves as Istoria’s editor-in-chief.

Istoria recently opened to submissions and will accept unagented queries. They will publish fiction in a wide variety of genres: romance, women’s fiction, historical, literary, mystery, thriller, sci-fi, fantasy, young adult. Submission guidelines are available at their website-- www.IstoriaBooks.com

Istoria Books releases are available on all major ebook etailers, most notably Amazon’s Kindle store, Smashwords.com and Bn.com, in addition to others.

A humorous piece by Libby Sternberg about the evolution to the Kindle (“From Papyrus to Gutenberg to Kindle”) was published by the Wall Street Journal on January 5.

Reviewers interested in Istoria Books offerings should contact Libby Sternberg at LibbyMalinSternberg@gmail.com or IstoriaBks@gmail.com

 

Book Review: Chocolate and Vicodin by Jennette Fulda

Chocolate and Vicodin by Jennette Fulda

Publisher: Gallery

Publish Date: February 22, 2011

Trade Paperback, 304 pages 
Non-fiction, memoir
ISBN: 978-1439182024

My Review:
Why I read this: I was sent the blurb and offered the book.  This sounded like my life in so many ways except I don't have a non-stop headache, but I am a chronic pain sufferer.  I lost 60+ lbs and was in the best shape of my life in January 2008 and I was also training for a half-marathon and had run 8.5 miles one weekend.  The next week I could hardly get out of bed.  It felt like I had been hit by a truck and I knew it wasn't the running as I had built up from 5 minutes of running to the 8.5 miles in over a year and a half.  I started going to a slew of doctors who said I was the model of perfect health.  But I was still exhausted and in pain.  I have gotten a couple of different diagnosis now and have prescriptions to help with various things.  I am better than I was in 2008 but I still do not go a day without pain.  So I thought I would be able to relate to Jennette and of course I was hoping she would tell me something magic that might fix me :)


My thoughts:  Chocolate and Vicodin is a must-read for anyone suffering with chronic pain or those that live with someone with chronic pain.  Ms. Fulda will not solve your problems for you but she will make you feel much less alone with your pain and make you smile at the same time.  I am honestly afraid of support groups because who wants to be around others complaining.  Ms. Fulda is able to explain her situation and all that she goes through without sounding like she's complaining.  She just shows you the real side of herself and how she is pulling herself through even though she still does not have a diagnosis.  I understand the not-knowing.  I can somewhat name my problem, though there is still some gray area to mine as well, but to not know at all has to be tough.

The book is written in a real yet a humorous manner.  I love when she gets snarky at times (mostly in her mind), that is the same way I feel at times and to be able to get that out would be wonderful.  Ms. Fulda proves that you can get through it like she does and there are days when you will be down but sometimes you just have to adjust your reality, change your life to suit it and move on.  I think this is the core message.  Another things I took away - it is normal to feel alone when suffering from something that others can't see.  Like she says - it's easy for someone to see you are in pain when you are curled up in a ball, but when you are going on with everyday life the best way you can, then the pain is harder to see (I paraphrase).

I loved this book, I felt like I was talking with a friend when I was reading it and I saw so much of myself while reading it.  I would like to thank Ms. Fulda for this excellent book and for showing me I'm not alone and also for teaching me some ways to express myself around others so they understand what I am feeling.  I think she does a great job of showing all the different doctors and procedures she had done just to try and find a diagnosis and giving her real feelings.  That is what I really loved.

I think Jennette is an amazing woman, to first lose 200 pounds, run a half-marathon with a headache and to continue to plow through life.  She has given me hope that I can continue on as well and maybe one day I will run my half-marathon as I originally planned in 2008. I think her ideas of laughter as medicine is the best suggestion and I will go on trying to find the positive on the tough days and looking to my wonderful husband for laughter on the bad ones.


One quote I loved and could relate to from the book:

I’d read about other people’s experiences at these institutes on the headache forums online.  I’d been surprised that people in that much pain had been able to set up and maintain online forums but there they were. I was a lurker on the forums and never posted or interacted with others. I wasn’t sure why I’d never struck up a conversation with my fellow pain sufferers.  It was just easier to lurk, read up on the information I needed, and then log off without getting too involved in other people’s misery.  When I’d blogged about my weight loss , I didn’t start commenting on other peoples blogs until I’d lost almost one hundred pounds.  I wasn’t sure how long I’d have to have my headache before I felt comfortable to raise my hand in front of the class and talk about it.  

I often feel the same way - I have lurked on forums for my problems but never post - I just don't feel right for some reason.

Some other quotes that resonated with me:

Not having a name for my disease was almost as frightening as the disease itself.  How could I fight something I couldn't name?

My headache no longer seemed like a big deal. I clearly wasn't the only person in the world in pain. I probably wouldn't even make the list of top ten most suffering people in the building. A dose of perspective might not be a cure, but it made me feel a lot better about my own situation.  No matter how bad your life was, there was always someone whose life was worse.

My Rating: 5.0/5.0


About the Book:

Jennette Fulda went to bed on February 17, 2008, with a headache, and more than three years later, it still hasn’t gone away. Yes, she’s tried everything: intravenous drugs, chiropractic adjustments, acupuncture, subliminal messaging, marijuana (for medical purposes only), heavy drinking (which just made it hurt more), and lots and lots of chocolate. A pint of ice cream makes her feel better, but her insurance doesn’t cover mint chocolate chip.

In this painfully honest, smart, and funny memoir, the popular PastaQueen.com blogger who chronicled her nearly two hundred pound weight loss in Half-Assed shares her incredible journey to find relief from a chronic headache. As she visits countless doctors, indulges all manner of unsolicited advice from the Internet, and investigates every possible cause, from a brain tumor to a dead twin living in her brain, Jennette considers what it means to suffer, how to live with pain, and why the best treatment might be the simplest: laughter.

About the Author: 

Jennette Fulda is a writer, web designer, weight loss inspiration, chronic headache sufferer, blogger, and overall busy person. She lives in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

Jennette was born weighing 8 pounds 5 ounces, but eventually tipped the scales at 372 pounds before losing almost 200 pounds through diet and exercise. She chronicled the experience on her blog, PastaQueen, and in her book, "Half-Assed: A Weight-Loss Memoir."

In 2008, Jennette got a headache that still hasn't gone away, regained 50 pounds, and wrote about the ordeal in her second book, a humorous headache memoir called "Chocolate & Vicodin: My quest for relief from the headache that wouldn't go away."

She chronicles her life after the "after" photo in her blog, PastaQueen, and does freelance web design at Make My Blog Pretty.

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FTC Information: I received this book from Ayelet Gruenspecht, Associate Publicist for Simon and Schuster 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.

Blog Tour: Chocolate and Vicodin by Jennette Fulda

My review is coming later today, but I want to share with you some of the promotional materials I received with the book.  So read on and read my review later - all materials came from the publicity department at Simon and Schuster.  And let me tell you now - I love this book.

Facts about headaches and chronic pain

• As many as 70 million Americans suffer from chronic pain (Source: New York Times)
• Approximately 28 million Americans battle chronic headaches and migraines (Source: American Headache Society)
• Chronic pain is more widespread than heart disease, cancer and diabetes combined (Source: New York Times)
• Chronic pain costs an estimated $60 billion to $100 billion a year in medical fees, lost working days and working compensation. (Source: American Academy of Pain Medicine)
• The National Institutes of Heath spends only 1% of its funding on reserach focused primarily on pain.
• Many soldiers who experienced mild head trauma or a blast exposure while serving in Iraq or Afghanistan are returning to the United States with headaches. (Source: Neurology magazine, 2007)

Know someone with chronic pain - here are some tips for talking with them and as a chronic pain sufferer I have to say these are excellent tips.


Five tips for talking to a chronic pain sufferer

1. DON'T GIVE THEM UNSOLICITED ADVICE.  If they ask for your opinion, feel free to give it.  Otherwise, you can be certain they've already heard the same advice over and over again.  It's patronizing when someone suggests an obvious treatment.  After three years you think they haven't tried aspirin?  It's presumptuous to assume you know more aobut someone's body and their experiences than they do.
2. REMEMBER THAT MOST CHRONIC PAIN PATIENTS JUST WANT TO FEEL VALIDATED.  We yearn for empathy and for people to recognize our pain is real.  Pain is an invisible illness, so most people don't recognize how debilitating it can be.  If someone isn't moaning in pain or curled up in a ball on the floor, it's easy to forget tat they're in pain.  Chronic pain patients are talented in covering up their symptoms because they want to live normal lives.  Even if they aren't exhibiting symptoms, know they are still in pain.  Instead of suggesting a cure, just listen to them, acknowledge their pain and let them know you care.
3. TRY TO BE SENSITIVE TO THEIR NEEDS, BUT DON'T OVERDO IT.  If you know a friend has lower back pain, offer her a pillow for her chair.  If your friend is having a migraine, offer to dim the lights for him or offer him a place to lie down.  Don't be overly insistent, though, because chronic pain patients don't want to feel babied.  We appreciate help, but we also want to maintain as much independence as we can.
4. NEVER TELL THEM "I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU DO IT," OR "I COULD NEVER DEAL WITH WHAT YOU'RE GOING THROUGH."  Yes, you could, even though you wouldn't want to, which is exactly what chronic pain patients have to do.  When you tell someone you don't know how they do it, you're basically saying "I can't believe you haven't committed suicide yet."  Pain isn't something you've chosen to deal with.  It's not like a bake sale where you can back out at the last minute if you don't have time to bake cupcakes.  The only way not to deal with chronic pain is to die.  Chronic pain sufferers are at an increased risk for depressions and suicide, so don't push them off the edge.  Instead, say something like, "I admire how well you've dealt with your illness" or "If I ever become ill, I hope I deal with it with as much grace and strength as you have."  Both of these statements give the sufferer praise without implying something negative too.
5. DON'T TELL THEM YOU HOPE THEIR PAIN GOES AWAY.  The sentiment is well-intentioned, but hte sad fact is most chronic pain patients never find a cure.  Telling them you hope they'll be cured is like telling an amputee that you hope their leg grows back.  That would be fantastic, but it's probably not going to happen.  Telling me you hope I'm cured only reminds me of the fact that I most likely never will be.  Instead, wish me better health in general or tell me you hope I'll have a low pain day.

Author, blogger, headache sufferer and web designer, Jennette Fulda, who now also lives in the lovely state of NC :)

Book Review: How to Flirt with a Naked Werewolf by Molly Harper

How to Flirt with a Naked Werewolf by Molly Harper

Publisher: Pocket Books (a division of Simon & Schuster)

Publish Date: February 22, 2011

Paperback, 371 pages 
Romance, Comedy
ISBN: 978-1-4391-95886-4

My Review:
Why I read this: I love funny romances and I dare you to read the blurb below and not smile at some point - it just sound cute and funny.  Next month, The Art of Seducing a Naked Werewolf comes out and I hope to read it as well.

How is the novel driven: It's a romance so it's given that it is character-driven. There is a plot as well, but it is mainly character-driven.


My thoughts: A really cute paranormal romance.  Not quite as funny as I expected, but it's definitely light and the funny parts are definitely funny.  I have not read any other of Ms. Harper's books but I will be sure to pick up the next one in this series, The Art of Seducing a Naked Werewolf when it comes out next month.

The romance is interesting.  I like that Cooper is protective of Mo.  I think that makes him a  great male character but sometimes he seems to take his "alphaness" a little too far.  I love Mo.  The descriptions of life with her parents are laugh-out-loud funny and you really feel for her and her struggle to become her own person and live a "normal" life.  Just when she thinks it's finally working she figures out that Cooper is a werewolf.  Nothing too normal about that.  I loved how the werewolves were worked in and how she was able to accept him pretty easily (it goes with her background so it doesn't seem unrealistic).  The scenes between them can be steamy, but I got a little frustrated at times when he didn't behave like I wanted him to. He could be rather angsty at times, but at other times so sweet.  Of course that's what makes it a romance, there has to be a little conflict to make the relationship work in a book.

So the characters are interesting and I look forward to meeting some of the other pack members and getting to know them better in future books and maybe getting to know the inhabitants of Grundy a little better as well.  I felt the book was mainly focused on the romance and conflict between Mo and Cooper that the town inhabitants were more in the background, but I want to learn more about them and the town. 

Great characters and good romance equals a fun and light read.  I enjoyed reading How to Flirt With a Naked Werewolf and will be picking up some of Molly Harper's other books in the near future.  She has a good writing style and I want to see it in action in her other books.


My Rating: 4.25/5.0


About the Book:

If a naked guy shows up on your front porch with a bear trap clamped to his ankle, it's best to do what he asks.

when Mo Wenstein made the move from Mississippi to Grundy, Alaska to get away from her intrusive hippie parents, she knew she would have to adapt to the cold, the remoteness of her new home ... but not a neighbor that shows up naked on her front porch--and who just so happens to be a werewolf.

For Cooper Graham, an Alpha in self-imposed exile from his dysfunctional pack, it's love at first sniff when it comes to Mo.  But Cooper has even more pressing concern on his mind.  Several people around Grundy have been the victims of wolf attacks and since Cooper has no memory of what he does while in werewolf form, he's worried he might be the violent canine in question.

If a wolf cries wolf, it makes sense to listen.  Yet Mo is convinced that Cooper is not the culprit.  But if he's not responsible, who is?  And when a werewolf falls head over haunches in love with you, what are you supposed to do anyway?  The rules of dating just got a whole lot more complicated.

About the Author: 

Molly Harper is the author of the acclaimed Nice Girls Vampire series as well as the stand-alone novel And One Last Thing...  She is a former humor columnist and newspaper reporter who studied print journalism at Western Kentucky University.  Her first work of darkly humorous fiction was composed at age eight--a story about her third-grade class taking a trip around the world and losing a kid in each city.  She lives in western Kentucky with her husband and children.

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FTC Information: I received this book from Ayelet Gruenspecht, Associate Publicist for Simon and Schuster 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.

Book Review: Haven by Kristi Cook

Haven by Kristi Cook

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Publish Date: February 22, 2011

Hardcover, 416 pages
Fiction, Young Adult, Paranormal

My Review:
Why I read this: I love the cover, the blurb sounded interesting (I am a sucker for private school settings) and it was getting a lot of positive reviews around the blogosphere.

How is the novel driven: Character and plot are a good balance in this one.


My thoughts: What a fun book.  I love a book that I really like all the characters from the first time they enter the book.  Violet is fun, she is a great character and has always felt out-of-place in her own skin and around others because of the visions that hit her when she least expects it.  So not only does she zone out but she can frequently see when bad things are going to happen to those around her. And this is bad enough but when she tries to tell people they never believe her.  So Violet feels very out-of-place until she sees the brochure for Winterhaven.  It calls to her and when she starts at the school she quickly finds out why.  At Winterhaven, Violet is not alone.  Everyone there has a special ability and finally Violet feels like she is at home.  With  a great roommate, who is a lot of fun herself, CeeCee and several other girls that quickly befriend her, she is part of a group and happy for the first time in a long time.


Add into the mix a handsome, mysterious boy who seems to have eyes only for her (even though he spends a lot of time in the chemistry lab) and Violet is just about in Heaven.  Then the visions start and things get a little weird.  But I won't give any more away - you have to read it.


Fun characters, a plot that sucks you in and great storytelling make Haven one of my favorite YA books this year.  It comes out today so I suggest you get a hold of this one.  I am hoping there will be more in the series.  The book ties itself up well but it also lends itself to a series.  I was impressed with this book - it's light fun yet serious at times too.  It's a very enjoyable read, that I would read again in a heartbeat - I loved being immersed in the world of Winterhaven and the students and teachers there. 

My Rating: 4.75/5.0


About the Book:

Violet McKenna isn’t a normal girl with normal teenage issues; she has more to contend with than most people could handle. Violet thought she was just crazy when she had a vivid vision of her dad’s murder. Her life started falling apart when her premonition came true. She’s had flashes of other events too. The problem was nobody believed her until she found a new school: Winterhaven.

At Winterhaven, Violet finally feels like she belongs. She quickly finds a close group friends and discovers that they too have psychic ‘gifts’—as do all the students at Winterhaven. But as soon as she feels settled she discovers the most intriguing and alluring boy she has ever met, and things quickly go awry. As the attraction between them grows, intense visions of the boy’s death start to haunt her. In her premonitions the secret he is unwilling to share begins to reveal itself. And to Violet's horror, she learns that their destinies are intertwined in a critical--and deadly--way.

About the Author: 

Kristi Cook writes adult novels for Zebra (as Kristina Cook), including To Love a Scoundrel, Unveiled, Unlaced, and Undressed. She also writes for Harlequin adult (as Kristi Astor), including A Midnight Clear and Winter's Desire. Kristi lives in Riverdale, NY.

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FTC Information: I received this book from Simon and Schuster's Galley Grab program 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.