Found Not Lost

Dragon House by John Shors

JMom — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 02:17:36 +0000

I read this book a few months ago and since I have been on an unplanned break of sorts, I am just getting around to posting some reviews. My sister’s birthday just passed and while brainstorming for possible gifts for her, I immediately thought of this book given her nature to support causes for children.

You’ll see by reading the summary for this book that it is a story within a story, within a story. I loved how the different stories were masterfully woven in this novel. I couldn’t put the book down, almost holding my breath to see what would happen next. I felt outraged at the atrocities, but there were also many touching moments that brought tears to my eyes. Books that elicit emotions are rare and this once certainly accomplishes that with characters that are sympathetic and very easy to relate to. John Shors is a master at painting pictures with words. I felt like I was right there in the middle of Ho Chi Minh City with it’s smells, noise and activity. This story was well crafted by a master story teller.

Book Title: Dragon House
Author: John Shors
Format: Paperback, 384 pages
Publisher: NAL Trade (September 1, 2009)
ISBN-10: 0451227859
ISBN-13: 978-0451227850

Summary:
Set in modern-day Vietnam, Dragon House tells the tale of Iris and Noah—two Americans who, as a way of healing their own painful pasts, open a center to house and educate Vietnamese street children.

Iris and Noah find themselves reborn in an exotic land filled with corruption and chaos, sacrifice and beauty. Inspired by the street children she meets, Iris walks in the footsteps of her father, a man whom Vietnam both shattered and saved. Meanwhile, Noah slowly rediscovers himself through the eyes of an unexpected companion.

Resounding with powerful themes of suffering, sacrifice, friendship, and love, Dragon House brings together East and West, war and peace; and celebrates the resilience of the human spirit.

About the Author:
After graduating from Colorado College, John Shors lived for several years in Kyoto, Japan, where he taught English. On a shoestring budget, he later trekked across Asia, visiting ten countries and climbing the Himalayas. After returning to the United States, he became a newspaper reporter in his hometown, Des Moines, Iowa, winning several statewide awards in journalism. John then moved to Boulder, Colorado, and helped launch GroundFloor Media, now one of the state’s largest public relations firms.

John has been lucky enough to spend much of his life abroad, traveling in Asia, the South Pacific, Europe, Africa, and North America. Now a full-time novelist, John spends his days writing and going on family outings with his wife, Allison, and their two young children, Sophie and Jack.

John’s first two novels, Beneath a Marble Sky, and Beside a Burning Sea, have won multiple awards, and have been translated into more than twenty languages.

This book was provided for review by the author.

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The One Day Way

JMom — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 00:32:33 +0000

A new year always brings about resolutions. Did you set one? Have you broken it yet?

Yes, sadly, most of us break our New Year’s resolution before the month ends. Another interesting fact, most of the resolutions usually involve improving one’s health like dieting more or exercising more or, in light of the present economy, maybe focusing more on job search or enhancing our career skills.

This year, I opted for improving my health by eating better and exercising more. I decided not to jinx myself by not announcing it though. LOL! Anyway, if you are looking to improve your eating habits (notice how I didn’t say the four letter word D-I-E-T) on book that may give you a new perspective and less stressful process, check out The One Day Way by Chantel Hobbs.

Book: The One-Day Way
Author: Chantel Hobbs
Category: Health & Fitness - Diets; Health & Fitness - Exercise
Format: Hardcover, 224 pages
ISBN: 978-0-307-45878-0 (0-307-45878-4)

Summary
The One-Day Way produces lasting results by taking you back to basics. No more complicated weight-loss strategies. No more expensive diet plans that achieve only temporary results. Instead, you will lose weight and get fit with Chantel Hobbs’s simple, high-energy meal plans and her at-home program for cardio exercise and strength training. She will teach you how to change the way you think, which leads to new actions. Before you know it you will be strong, fit, and healthy. All it takes is doing things differently for twenty-four hours—and then repeating it.

The One-Day Way gives you everything you need to lose weight and get fit in body, mind, and spirit:
* Break free from past dieting defeats
* Learn a realistic, life-changing way to measure success
* Change the way you think so you can change your life
* Translate your dreams into goals, and your goals into lasting achievements
* Get strong with thirty-one simple exercises, no fancy equipment required
* Take advantage of ten ways to eat better while you lose weight

By focusing on food, faith, and fitness, Chantel shows you not only how to lose weight, but how to build the new life you were designed to live. You don’t have to wait any longer. The One-Day Way gives you all the tools for success, starting right now.

Author Bio:
The author of Never Say Diet and The Never Say Diet Personal Fitness Trainer, Chantel Hobbs is a motivational speaker, life coach, personal trainer, marathon runner, wife, and mother of four whose story has been featured on Oprah, The Today Show, Good Morning America, Fox & Friends, the 700 Club, and the covers of People and First magazines. She appears weekly on two fitness-themed radio programs and promotes her One-Day Way Learning System on television. Visit Chantel at ChantelHobbs.com for fitness updates and coaching tips.

This book was provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.

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Western Governors University

JMom — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 23:59:34 +0000

I have a high school senior and she has been in the midst of searching for schools and universities that offer the course she wants. She has looked at both traditional schools and online universities. There are a lot more choices out there for college bound students today than during my time.

One such online university is Western Governors University (WGU) which is a fully accredited online university offering bachelor’s and master’s degree programs. WGU is a non-profit online university which offers affordable tuition fees compared to other online universities. For instance, you can earn a bachelors degree online for only $2,890 per six-month term. The great thing about taking courses online, especially for adults who are re-training or simply enhancing their skills with a master’s degree, is that you can work the schedule to fit yours instead of being confined to their schedule. This is especially important for working adults.

WGU is an exclusively online university which means that they don’t maintain the overhead cost of maintaining a physical location. This is one reason why they can offer their courses at such affordable rates.

If you are looking for an online university to earn either a bachelor’s or master’s degree, visit the WGU website for more details.

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Tell Me Something True By Leila Cobo

JMom — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 02:22:59 +0000

Title: Tell Me Something True
Author: Leila Cobo

Publish Date: 10/1/2009
ISBN: 9780446519366
Pages: 320

Summary
Gabriella always loved the picture of her mother kneeling in front of a bed of roses, smiling, beautiful and impossibly happy. But then she learns that her late mother hated gardening; that she had never wanted the house in the Hollywood hills, the successful movie producer husband, and possibly, her only daughter. When Gabriella discovers a journal–a book that begins as a new mother’s letters to her baby girl, but becomes a secret diary–the final entry leaves one question unanswered: the night her mother died, was she returning to Colombia to end an affair, or was she abandoning her family for good?

About the Author
Renowned journalist and former concert pianist, Leila Cobo is a native of Cali, Colombia. The Executive Director of Latin Content & Programming for Billboard, she is a frequent contributor to NPR and has written liner notes for acts such as Ricky Martin, Shakira and Chayanne. She is also the host of the television show Estudio Billboard, which features in-depth interviews with top Latin acts. Leila is a Fulbright scholar with a graduate degree from the Annenberg School of Communications at USC and holds dual degrees in journalism, from Bogota’s Universidad Javeriana, and in piano performance from the Manhattan School of Music.

Tell Me Something True was one of the many that I read during my short hiatus. It was part of the Hispanic Heritage Month giveaway package here a couple of months ago if you remember. I read through this book in a couple of hours because, again, I couldn’t put it down. I just love books that can capture your attention this way and hold it.

Gabriella is a child of two worlds. She lives with her American father in Beverly Hills, the land of movie stars, wealth, plastic surgeries and acne treatments, but once a year she visit her grandmother in Columbia, a tradition that started soon after her mother’s untimely death in a plane crash when she was just a little girl. It is during one of these visits that several things happened to change her life. The main thing is, she comes across a diary written by her dead mother. Reading her mother’s words, she not only learns more about her but she also learns a secret that changes the way she looks at her life and her relationship with her family. Learning that her mother had an affair during one of her trips home to Colombia unsettled her and made her feel a bit rebellious. She felt betrayed that the image she had of her mother was all wrong. That maybe the picture she had held in her mind is not the truth. Maybe that was one reason she was drawn to Angel, the son of a convicted drug dealer, who she met at a party in Cali. Maybe with Angel she felt she was getting a taste of what her mother must have felt.

This story is beautifully written. Every detail, every event flowed perfectly in a way that you just didn’t want to put it down. You want to keep turning the page to see what happens next. By the end of the book, you are so deeply entrenched that you don’t want it to end. I certainly didn’t. I wanted the story to continue. I wanted to see what happened next to all the characters involved. I was left literally wanting more.

I received a free copy of this book to review from Hachette Book Groups without obligations for a positive review or other compensation.

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Break’s Over

JMom — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 17:01:44 +0000

I read somewhere that one of the most annoying posts among bloggers is the “Sorry I haven’t posted” post. Well, that’s what I have done these past couple of weeks. I haven’t posted and I really am sorry that I haven’t.

So I’m breaking the rule. If this post is annoying, then so be it. I just feel like I need a transition post or an explanation between the last one I posted weeks ago to the next one. But, that’s just me. So, sorry for this post too

I don’t know that many would want to know why I haven’t posted. I don’t really have a good excuse. It’s just that life has, once again, insinuated itself into my blogging schedule. I blogged about some of my frustrations for the past month in my other blogs so I didn’t go totally MIA. I was around, just that reviewing was starting to feel like work and I didn’t ever want to feel that way about books. Reviews of weight loss diet pill, lotions, cleaning supplies and everything else, I can let go easily, but not my precious books. So I may slow down a bit but I won’t be totally gone.

The good thing about taking a break from blogging though, I read a whole bunch of books! So watch out, I’ll try to post my thoughts about them on the next few posts. Maybe I’ll even get some new giveaways up.

Thanks to you guys who kept visiting even without the new updates!

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Faith and Fangs

JMom — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 01:13:18 +0000

In celebration of the movie release of New Moon, the sequel to the Twilight saga by Stephanie Meyer, I offer you the Faith and Fangs blog tour.

For concerned parents who worry that their kids may be obsessing a little too much about vampires, they will find Touched by a Vampire: Discovering Hidden Messages in the Twilight Saga by Beth Felker Jones and Thirsty by Tracey Bateman, an excellent Christian alternative to the mainstream vampire novels.

I am a parent and I am vampire obsessed. In fact, I am going to watch New Moon with my daughters and their friends tomorrow. The proliferation of the vampire genre doesn’t really bother me but I can see how it can be a concern for some people especially the ones who are religious. Me, I worry more about how to burn fat than how to keep myself from burning in hell. However, I found these books to be very informative and a refreshing change to the genre.

I received copies of these books from Multnomah Books, a division of Random House.

Title: Touched by a Vampire
Author: Beth Felker Jones
Format: Trade Paperback
Categories: Religion - Christian Life
On Sale: Oct 6, 2009
ISBN: 9781601422781

Summary:
EXAMINING TWILIGHT THROUGH A BIBLICAL LENS

People around the world are asking the same question, enraptured with Edward and Bella’s forbidden romance in the Twilight Saga, a four-book serial phenomenon written by Stephenie Meyer. The bestsellers tell the story of a regular girl’s relationship with a vampire who has chosen to follow his “good” side. But the Saga isn’t just another fantasy–it’s teaching girls about love, sex, and purpose. With 48 million copies in print and a succession of upcoming blockbuster films, now is the time to ask the important question: Can vampires teach us about God’s plan for love?

Touched by a Vampire is the first book to investigate the themes of the Twilight Saga from a Biblical perspective. Some Christian readers have praised moral principles illustrated in the story, such as premarital sexual abstinence, which align with Meyer’s Mormon beliefs. But ultimately, Beth Felker Jones examines whether the story’s redemptive qualities outshine its darkness.

Cautionary, thoughtful, and challenging, Touched by a Vampire is written for Twilight fans, parents, teachers, and pop culture enthusiasts. It includes an overview of the series for those unfamiliar with the storyline and a discussion guide for small groups.

Title: Thirsty
Author: Tracey Bateman
Format: Trade Paperback
Categories: Fiction - Christian - Suspense
On Sale: Oct 6, 2009
ISBN: 9780307457158

Summary:
There’s no place like home, they say.
“Hello, I’m Nina Parker…and I’m an alcoholic.”
For Nina, it’s not the weighty admission but the first steps toward recovery that prove most difficult. She must face her ex-husband, Hunt, with little hope of making amends, and try to rebuild a relationship with her angry teenage daughter, Meagan. Hardest of all, she is forced to return to Abbey Hills, Missouri, the hometown she abruptly abandoned nearly two decades earlier–and her unexpected arrival in the sleepy Ozark town catches the attention of someone–or something–igniting a two-hundred-fifty-year-old desire that rages like a wildfire.

Unaware of the darkness stalking her, Nina is confronted with a series of events that threaten to unhinge her sobriety. Her daughter wants to spend time with the parents Nina left behind. A terrifying event that has haunted Nina for almost twenty years begins to surface. And an alluring neighbor initiates an unusual friendship with Nina, but is Markus truly a kindred spirit or a man guarding dangerous secrets?

As everything she loves hangs in the balance, will Nina’s feeble grasp on her demons be broken, leaving her powerless against the thirst? The battle between redemption and obsession unfold to its startling, unforgettable end.

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The Wildest Heart by Rosemary Rogers

JMom — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:30:26 +0000

Title: Wildest Heart
Author: Rosemary Rogers
Publication Date: November 2009
Product ISBN: 9781402222740
Pages: 736

ABOUT THE BOOK
Out of print for over 15 years, the classic tale from the New York Times Bestselling romance author, Rosemary Rogers is back! Heroine Rowena Dangerfield is sensual, headstrong, and scandalously independent, the granddaughter of the governor of an Indian province under the British empire. After his death, she travels to New Mexico, where she arrives in grand style to lay claim to her inheritance. There she meets Lucas Cord, a handsome half-Apache renegade, whose reputation as an outlaw both attracts and repels her. When he encounters the beautiful stranger, unlike any woman he’s ever met before, he knows instantly that he’ll have to win her for his own, and not even the treachery of desperate enemies is going to stop him.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rosemary Jansz was born on 1932 in Ceylon (now known as Sri Lanka). A dreamy child, she wrote her first novel at eight, and all through her teens scribbled madly romantic epics in imitation of her favorite writers: Sir Walter Scott, Alexandre Dumas and Rafael Sabatini.

Her first novel, ”Sweet Savage Love”, skyrocketed to the top of bestseller lists, and became one of the most popular historical romances of all time. Her second novel, ”Dark Fires”, sold two million copies in its first three months of release. Her first three novels sold a combined 10 million copies. The fourth, ”Wicked Loving Lies” sold 3 million copies in its first month of publication. Rosemary Rogers became one of the legendary “Avon Queens of Historical Romance”.

MY THOUGHTS
It took me a while to warm up to this book. While I love historical romances, I’m not really all too crazy about the wild wild west. The book is also very thick for a romance novel but I guess it would have to be to contain the epic saga that starts in India, stops in London high society before finally ending in America’s wild west.

I thought I would skim through the book since I had another one waiting in the wings about punta cana vacations (always a good read for when it’s gray and dreary outside. Anyway, I was surprised to be so quickly embroiled in the story right away. From the get go, the headstrong teenage girl in India caught my attention. I couldn’t keep the book down after that and followed that girl to London where she endured some time with her uncaring mother and step-father who cared a little too much if you know what I mean.

Rosemary Rogers is a story-teller who knows how to weave. She takes varying story lines and weaves them into one cohesive story that you can’t take your eyes off from. Although this book was originally published in 1974, it is timeless in its appeal. The heroine, Rowena is not only headstrong, she’s also independent, intelligent and beautiful. The story is told in her voice and point of view which allows you, the reader, to take the journey with her. You experience everything she feels and goes through. You become misguided as she is with the misinformation and deceptions of the people around her, you discover the surprising truths at the same time she does. That’s what makes the experience of reading this book so much fun. At the end you are wishing for more even after 700 and something pages.

I think this reprint will find a whole new generation of Rosemary Rogers fans.

I received an advanced review copy of this book from Sourcebooks, Inc.

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Sins of the Flesh by Caridad Pineiro - Giveaway

JMom — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 01:16:14 +0000

Title: Sins of the Flesh
Author: Caridad Piñeiro
Category: Fiction
Publish Date: 11/1/2009
ISBN: 9780446543835
Pages: 336

About the Book
Caterina Shaw’s days are numbered. Her only chance for survival is a highly experimental gene treatment-a risk she willingly takes. But now Caterina barely recognizes herself. She has new, terrifying powers, an exotic, arresting body-and she’s been accused of a savage murder, sending her on the run.

Mick Carrera is a mercenary and an expert at capturing elusive, clever prey. Yet the woman he’s hunting down is far from the vicious killer he’s been told to expect: Caterina is wounded, vulnerable, and a startling mystery of medical science. Even more, she’s a beautiful woman whose innocent sensuality tempts Mick to show her exactly how thrilling pleasure can be. The heat that builds between them is irresistible, but surrendering to it could kill them both . . . for a dangerous group is plotting its next move using Caterina as its deadly pawn.

My Thoughts:
I loved this book because again, it crosses my love for sci-fi and romance. The hero is also tall, dark and handsome just like I like them, so from the get-go this book had a lot going for it. Aside from the hunk of a hero and a sexy and talented heroine, this book also had a lot of well researched science woven throughout the story.

This book is promoted for its erotic appeal like most romance novels but the appeal for me in this case was the story. Not that it didn’t have some steamy scenes, mind you. The mystery of who really committed the murder that the heroine, Caterina is accused of and the snippets of the science behind the mystery, all told in the easy to read prose is what makes this book appealing for me. It intrigued me how this author researched all the background information. So I thought I’d ask her and guess what, she answered! I do just love authors who interact with their readers and Caridad is very generous with her time and graciously answered with the following post. I know you will enjoy reading more about the author and how a story is developed as much as I did. (Giveaway details at the end of this post)

AUTHOR’S GUEST POST:
One of the questions that so many readers have been asking is: ”What inspired you to pick genetic engineering for this book and how did you research it?”

The “what inspired me” is easy to answer – I love science. I have loved it since I was a little kid and got a chemistry kit for Christmas.

It’s not even the first time that I’ve included science in my novels, from some early contemporary romances where the protagonists were working on mapping the human genome to my vampire novels where I’ve tried to formulate a rationale based on cell lines for the powers that vampires have.
But in SINS OF THE FLESH, science plays a major role in the story line thanks to the non-human genes illegally transplanted into the heroine. Which leads to the second part of the question, namely, how did I research it?

For starters, I was a science major in college and took quite a number of classes, including ones like embryology, immunology, biochemistry and genetics. In those classes we learned about all the different mechanisms and ways that humans functioned and also, how they could be altered. We even did so in embryology class, shifting around developing cells in order to change the physical development of particular organisms.

In the years since graduation, my interest in particular topics, such as genetics, kept me reading articles and following news stories on what was happening in that particular field. It’s actually hard not to keep up if you think about. The topic of genetically modified organisms is one that is often in the news lately as the debate rages about whether such GMOs as they are known belong in our food chains.

Caterina Shaw, the heroine in SINS OF THE FLESH, is what some might call the ultimate GMO – a genetically modified human.

So how did I go about creating what would happen to Caterina?
For starters, I refreshed my understanding of techniques used to replicate and splice DNA by reading up on these techniques online and checking out how they had improved in the years since college. I also researched the different kinds of DNA tests that were being used so that when Caterina’s DNA is tested, I could accurately describe the results.

For the bigger picture, namely, what do those genes do, there was some fiction involved, in particular with Caterina’s skin changing abilities. The introduction of chameleon genes and their incorporation into her skin was pure fiction. But the glowing and glitter was all real science! Scientists use markers called fluorescent proteins to trace where genes are expressing (meaning, the genes are incorporated and undertaking some action).

I read about these GFPs (green fluorescent proteins) and their uses in things from glowing fish for environmental testing to glowing cats and mice. Did you know you can buy such glowing fish in some stores and online (glofish.com)? Did you know that the Nobel Prize in Chemistry was recently awarded to the scientists who created these GFPs?

To make sure I was getting the science and actions right, I had an inside source – a graduate student who is studying gene expression. I ran by my fictional genetic engineering and GFP questions by her to make sure that what I was creating seemed accurate and luckily it was!

I hope you’ve enjoyed this behind the scenes look at the research and science that helped produced SINS OF THE FLESH.

Learn more about Caridad Pineiro and her books from her website, http://www.caridad.com/. To purchase her book, visit the Hachette website for a list of retailers.

OR, you can sign up here to win a FREE copy of Sins of the Flesh!

WIN THE BOOK!

Contest Duration: November 17-December 2, 2009
Prize: Five copies of this book will be awarded

To be eligible for the drawing, here’s what you have to do to enter:
1. Leave me a comment with your answer to this question: If it could save your life, would you subject yourself to experimental treatment as the heroine, Caterina, did in this novel?

2. Gain additional entries by sharing this contest in any social media (e.g. facebook, digg, reddit, StumbleUpon, delicious, etc) . Just come back and let me know or leave the url where your shared it. (one entry per site you share it at)

3. Follow me on Twitter

4. You can also win one entry each day you share this giveaway on Twitter. Just copy and paste the text below, tweet it and come back and leave the URL of your tweet.

WIN! Sins of the Flesh by Caridad Pineiro on @JMom http://bit.ly/3MO0Me

There is also the ‘Share This’ and ‘retweet’ button at the end of this post for your convenience.

5. Follow this blog on Networked Blogs

6. Subscribe to this blog via reader or email (option to subscribe on top right of this page).

7. Blog about this giveaway and win three (3) additional entries to the giveaway. Make sure you leave the URL to your post three times. (It would make tallying the winner faster and I thank you in advance)

Restrictions:
- The publisher, Hachette Books, will be sending out the books directly to the winners therefore,
- Only residents of the U.S. or Canada are eligible to win and
- No P.O. Boxes

This contest will end on December 2, 2009

Visit other blogs participating in the blog tour:
Drey’s Library – Nov. 9 Review, Giveaway, and guest post.
My Book Addiction and More – Nov. 9 Review, Giveaway, and guest post
Just Another New Blog - Nov. 9 Giveaway and guest post
Bridget 3420 – Nov. 10 Review, Giveaway
A Book Blogger’s Diary - Nov. 10 Giveaway and guest post
Ree’s Space – Nov. 11 Review, Giveaway
Book Soulmates - Nov. 11 Review, Giveaway
Minding Spot – Nov. 12 Review, Giveaway, and guest blog
Froggaritaville’s Bookcase - Nov. 12 Review, Giveaway, and Q&A
Parajunkee – Nov. 13 Review, Giveaway
Bookwormy Girl - Nov. 16 Review, Giveaway
Found Not Lost - Nov. 16 Giveaway and guest post
Razlovers Bookblog - Nov. 17 Review, Giveaway
Confessions of a Romance Book Addict - Nov. 18 Review, Giveaway, and Q&A
Cindy’s Love of Books - Nov. 19
Cheeky Reads - Nov. 19 Guest blog
My Foolish Wisdom - Nov. 20 Review, giveaway, and Q&A
Morbid Romantic - Nov. 20 Giveaway
Starting Fresh - Nov. 21 Review, Giveaway
Manda Blogs About - Nov. 21 Review, Giveaway, and guest post
My Overstuffed Bookshelf - Nov. 22 Review, Giveaway
JuniperrBreeze Nov. 22 Review

Hachette Book Group provided a free copy of the book for this review and will fulfill the giveaway copies to the winners.

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Ansel Adams in Color

JMom — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 19:11:22 +0000

ANSEL ADAMS IN COLOR
by Ansel Adams

Category: Photography
Format: HARDCOVER BOOK
Publish Date: 10/21/2009
Price: $35.00/$43.00
ISBN: 9780316056410
Pages: 168

ABOUT THE BOOK
Toward the end of his life Ansel Adams wrote, “People are skeptical about my thoughts on color. I do not blame them, as I have protested it and have not shown color pictures. I feel the urge now and only wish I was sixty years younger!”

Adams began to photograph in color in the mid-1930s. He did significant personal or “creative” photography in color, and his distinctive visualization of a scene and technical mastery is immediately evident in his color photographs. Overall, he made nearly 3,500 color images, but only a small fraction have ever been published.

Adams thought seriously about publishing his color images but the task was not accomplished during his lifetime. The Ansel Adams Publishing Rights Trust–with advice and counsel from John Szarkowski, former Director of Photography at New York’s Museum of Modern Art; David Travis, Curator of Photographs at the Art Institute of Chicago; and James Enyeart, former Director of the International Museum of Photography at George Eastman House–asked the distinguished master photographer Harry Callahan to select the best of Adams’ color work for publication in this book.

Accompanied by an introductory essay by Enyeart, and a selection of Adams’ fascinating, often contradictory writings on color photography, these magnificent color images add a new dimension to Adams’ enduring legacy.

MY THOUGHTS
I’ve always loved the romantic feel of Ansel Adams’ photographs and I’ve associated his work only with the sweeping panoramas in black and white that I was used to. I guess that’s why I had a hard time wrapping the name Ansel Adams with these photographs. I mean they are beautiful landscapes as always, don’t get me wrong. I just was not feeling that emotion… the romance, the loftiness, the emotions evoked by the old black and white photographs. I guess there must be some kind of an emotional learning that takes place when we associate certain images with certain names or events or places, and I am stuck there. I couldn’t get my feelings to learn that this too is Ansel Adams. The same photographer who never failed to evoke that feeling in me… My eyes were not buying it.

Nevertheless, even without the emotional accompaniment, I still enjoyed looking through this book and I’m sure this would make a great gift for someone who loves photography. Whether in color or not, Ansel Adams has the eye for photography like no one else. As I read through Adams’ writings and ideas, I learned more about the man and the artist and I think I am slowly absorbing his thoughts in color and my mind’s eye is slowly learning that this guy is not so bad in color either!

Hachette Book Group provided a free copy of this book for review.

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To Desire a Devil by Elizabeth Hoyt - Review & Giveaway

JMom — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 22:54:23 +0000

Book Title: To Desire a Devil
Author: Elizabeth Hoyt
Publish Date: 11/1/2009
ISBN: 9780446406949
Pages: 384

Summary:
Reynaud St. Aubyn has spent the last seven years in hellish captivity. Now half mad with fever he bursts into his ancestral home and demands his due. Can this wild-looking man truly be the last earl’s heir, thought murdered by Indians years ago?

Beatrice Corning, the niece of the present earl, is a proper English miss. But she has a secret: No real man has ever excited her more than the handsome youth in the portrait in her uncle’s home. Suddenly, that very man is here, in the flesh-and luring her into his bed.

Only Beatrice can see past Reynaud’s savagery to the noble man inside. For his part, Reynaud is drawn to this lovely lady, even as he is suspicious of her loyalty to her uncle. But can Beatrice’s love tame a man who will stop at nothing to regain his title-even if it means sacrificing her innocence?

About the Author
Elizabeth Hoyt is a USA Today bestselling author of historical romance. She also writes deliciously fun contemporary romance under the name Julia Harper. Elizabeth lives in central Illinois with three untrained dogs, two angelic but bickering children, and one long-suffering husband. Please visit her websites for chapter excerpts, book extras, and author appearances: www.elizabethhoyt.com and www.juliaharper.com.

My Thoughts
I had gotten out of reading romance novels for a while and I must say, with the books I’ve been receiving from Hachette Books lately, it’s nice to be back! To start, here’s a trailer for the book:

I don’t really like watching these trailers because it messes up with the image of the characters in my head. Beatrice, in my head does not look as blond or as soft (that’s my nice way of putting it) as the girl in the trailer. I imagine her to be more sensible in an Elizabeth Bennett kind of way. Not the femme fatale, but beautiful in her own way. As for Reynaud, well, the cover boy model just does not do him justice. So you really want to know what I thought of this book?

It was ok, BUT I thought it was mostly hype that it is titled to Desire a Devil. Sure, Reynaud came back damaged from his seven year ordeal as a captive of an Indian tribe in the colonies, he may be have been to hell and back, but that didn’t make him into a Devil. To label him as such is inaccurate. The background story of his captivity and being subjected to torture and slavery was alright, even though it could have been more developed (but then that would have made this into an entirely different story lol!). The reveal of who was really responsible for what happened to him was kind of lame too. But as far as romance between him and Beatrice go, it is what you would expect from a romance novel. You get everything you expect but not much more.

I think the reason I am not raving about this book is because the story line is a little far fetched or rather the reactions of the characters to the events in the story is just not believable. OR, maybe it is just me. There was just something about Renaud that I wasn’t too crazy about. Beatrice was fine, I liked her character well enough. She’s level headed and not too flighty.

So I say, read this book then come back and tell me if my feelings towards Renaud are off base, ok? Here’s how five of you can get a copy of this book…

WIN THIS BOOK!

Contest Duration: November 9-23, 2009
Prize: Five copies of this book will be awarded

To be eligible for the drawing, here’s what you have to do to enter:
1. Leave me a comment. Tell me, how do you like your romantic hero? (strong? silent? funny? dark? rich? successful?)

3. Follow me on Twitter

4. You can also win one entry each day you share this giveaway on Twitter. Just copy and paste the text below, tweet it and come back and leave the URL of your tweet.

To Desire a Devil, a romance novel on @JMom http://bit.ly/3mTwBw

There is also the ‘Share This’ and ‘retweet’ button at the end of this post for your convenience.

5. Follow this blog on Networked Blogs

6. Subscribe to this blog via reader or email (option to subscribe on top right of this page).

Restrictions:
- The publisher, Hachette Books, will be sending out the books directly to the winners therefore,
- Only residents of the U.S. or Canada are eligible to win and
- No P.O. Boxes

This contest will end on November 23, 2009

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