Lavished with Books

It's Monday, What are YOU Reading?

noreply@blogger.com (Lynne Hollingsworth) — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 16:01:00 +0000

This meme is hosted by Shelia @ Book Journey

Last week I did a lot more reading than reviewing. I only read and reviewed Wintergirls

I also read and have the following reviews coming up this week:

Houserules, The Adoration of Jenna Fox, and Memoirs of a Geisha.

I am currently reading to review "Stray" by Mark Matthews.

My reading plans are always subject to change, but as of now, I plan on getting back on track with

In My Mailbox #5

noreply@blogger.com (Lynne Hollingsworth) — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 06:35:00 +0000

Sent to me for review - Review coming soon!

SIGNED COPY - GIFTED to me

I bought these today:

Traded books in at Edwin McKays for these lovely books. I was so happy to find Stephen King's "11/22/63" and my 1st zombie book... "World War Z".

PaperbackSwap

Weekly meme is hosted The Story Siren

Winners on "Steve Jobs" book and audio book"

noreply@blogger.com (Lynne Hollingsworth) — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 05:32:00 +0000

Heather T. won the book
Lucinda F. won the audio book
CONGRATULATIONS! You're going to love it!
Waiting on email response so I can get these to you guys.

Review: "Wintergirls" by Laurie Halse Anderson

noreply@blogger.com (Lynne Hollingsworth) — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 23:36:00 +0000

Released March 2009
Publisher: Viking Juvenile
Author Info: Website / Blog
Twitter / Facebook / Youtube
National Eating Disorder Assoc.

Audio Rating - BEST AUDIO VOICES
Book Rating -4/5 Stars
Add to Goodreads

Book Depository / Indie Purchase

“Dead girl walking,” the boys say in the halls.
“Tell us your secret,” the girls whisper, one toilet to another.
I am that girl.
I am the space between my thighs, daylight shining through.
I am the bones they want, wired on a porcelain frame.

Lia and Cassie were best friends, wintergirls frozen in matchstick bodies. But now Cassie is dead. Lia's mother is busy saving other people's lives. Her father is away on business. Her step-mother is clueless. And the voice inside Lia's head keeps telling her to remain in control, stay strong, lose more, weigh less. If she keeps on going this way—thin, thinner, thinnest—maybe she'll disappear altogether.

In her most emotionally wrenching, lyrically written book since the National Book Award finalist Speak, best-selling author Laurie Halse Anderson explores one girl's chilling descent into the all-consuming vortex of anorexia.

Why I read this book:

"Wintergirls" received great reviews from my friends and it was a topic I could somewhat relate to.

My Take

The novel begins with Lia finding out her ex-best friend was found dead in a hotel room. The ex-best friend she still wanted as a friend, but Cassie's parents decided Lia was a bad influence on her. It was actually the other way around. Cassie was a bad influence on Lia. Cassie had found a new way to stay thin at summer camp, and she couldn't wait to share it with Lia.

~This was the beginning of the end, of their eating disorder friendship.~

Cassie had called Lia last night, the night she died, 32 times; but Lia didn't answer her calls. Lia finally listens to the calls after her death, and becomes certain that she could have saved her, if she had only picked up the phone to talk to her. Overridden with depression and guilt, Lia's eating disorder spirals out of control. Lia begins to see Cassie everywhere. She can't tell a soul, they will think she is crazy, she has to keep it a secret. She has to stay in control. Keeping a secret is control. Control means not eating. The harder her family tries to make her eat, the more she becomes determined to starve.

The author, Laurie Halse Anderson, uses her own history and experience of living with an eating disorder, and takes you through the life of what it's like to be Lia. You learn what goes through her mind that makes her want to starve herself. It becomes easy to see who and how the controlling people in Lia's life become triggers for her.

There were times in the novel I thought the author could have gone deeper into what it was like to have an eating disorder, but after thinking about it, her way was better. #1 She took care of herself while approaching this issue, careful not to trigger herself. #2 She almost goes out of her way not to give young teens ideas to try. Yet the consequences of the characters actions in her book are devastating. The first person narration through Lia's point of view, made this possible.

I personally would have preferred a little more of the dynamics into Lia's and Cassie's relationship. Something to fill in the gaps before their friendship ended. Since this didn't happen, the novel ended with me still having questions.

Who I would recommend this book for:

I would recommend moms read "Wintergirls" along with their teen daughters, or to people who have family members with eating disorders.

Note to parents: - There are consequences in this book from "cutting", although it is not the main plot of the book.

Waiting on Wednesday

noreply@blogger.com (Lynne Hollingsworth) — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 14:46:00 +0000

I am a serious "medical thriller junkie", although I haven't read any in a while. I've been trying to broaden my horizons with other genres, but the itch is coming back.

What if bacteria turned all the gasoline in Los Angeles into vinegar? Carmageddon doesn't begin to describe it. PETROPLAGUE does. Christina Gonzlez expected her research to change the world. But not like this. The UCLA graduate student wanted to use biotechnology to free America from its dependence on Middle Eastern oil. Instead, an act of eco-terrorism unleashes her genetically-modified bacteria into the fuel supply of Los Angeles, turning gasoline into vinegar. With the city paralyzed and slipping toward anarchy, Christina must find a way to rein in the microscopic monster she created. But not everyone wants to cure the petroplague-and some will do whatever it takes to spread it. From the La Brea Tar Pits to university laboratories to the wilds of the Angeles National Forest, Christina and her cousin River struggle against enemies seen and unseen to stop the infection before it's too late.

click here to enter giveaway by the author, Amy Rogers.

It' Monday, What are you reading?

noreply@blogger.com (Lynne Hollingsworth) — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 07:42:00 +0000

Click image to add to Goodreads

It appears this week is "Young Adult" week. Hopefully that means I will be able to finish them all. I tend to go a little OCD with a topic that really grabs at my heart strings, mainly because I can never make up my mind. Here's my list:

"The Fault in Our Stars" by John Green

Diagnosed with Stage IV thyroid cancer at 12, Hazel was prepared to die until, at 14, a medical miracle shrunk the tumours in her lungs... for now.

Two years post-miracle, sixteen-year-old Hazel is post-everything else, too; post-high school, post-friends and post-normalcy. And even though she could live for a long time (whatever that means), Hazel lives tethered to an oxygen tank, the tumours tenuously kept at bay with a constant chemical assault.

Enter Augustus Waters. A match made at cancer kid support group, Augustus is gorgeous, in remission, and shockingly to her, interested in Hazel. Being with Augustus is both an unexpected destination and a long-needed journey, pushing Hazel to re-examine how sickness and health, life and death, will define her and the legacy that everyone leaves behind.

"Wintergirls" by Laurie Halse Anderson

“Dead girl walking,” the boys say in the halls.
“Tell us your secret,” the girls whisper, one toilet to another.
I am that girl.
I am the space between my thighs, daylight shining through.
I am the bones they want, wired on a porcelain frame.

Lia and Cassie were best friends, wintergirls frozen in matchstick bodies. But now Cassie is dead. Lia's mother is busy saving other people's lives. Her father is away on business. Her step-mother is clueless. And the voice inside Lia's head keeps telling her to remain in control, stay strong, lose more, weigh less. If she keeps on going this way—thin, thinner, thinnest—maybe she'll disappear altogether.

In her most emotionally wrenching, lyrically written book since the National Book Award finalist Speak, best-selling author Laurie Halse Anderson explores one girl's chilling descent into the all-consuming vortex of anorexia.

"Stray" by Mark Matthews

**STRAY has recently been voted into the Second Round of the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Contest**

Stray traces the harrowing paths of addicts at the West Oaks treatment center, the stray pets at the next door animal shelter, and the caregivers who serve them both.

After an alcohol-induced seizure during his father's funeral, Thomas Cleaves remains sober and becomes a therapist to help others just like him recover from their addiction. After trying to start a family, his wife has a miscarriage on the same day a client of his dies from an overdose, and he fears that the addicts he treats must have infected her womb.

When his wife becomes pregnant again, and the sickness and despair of his clients worsen, Tom becomes terrified and is in desperate need of a client to give him some hope.

James White is one such client. James is a newly orphaned alcoholic dead bent on drinking again until he finds a job at the Argos animal shelter. It is here that he meets the mystical Rachel who rescues strays, cleans cages, but has the unfortunate duty of putting some to sleep by lethal injection. Can James find a reason to live by helping her rescue the throw-away pets of the city?

The lives of Tom and James, along with some incredibly vivid characters from the streets of Detroit, are intricately woven together, creating a novel that has received excellent reviews, been downloaded over 10,000 times, and is certain to be remembered. A gritty novel with an edge yet surprisingly gentle and sweet, Stray illustrates the universal longing in all of us as we look for a safe place that feels like home.

"Before I Die" by Jenny Downham

Tessa has just months to live. Fighting back against hospital visits, endless tests, drugs with excruciating side-effects, Tessa compiles a list. It’s her To Do Before I Die list. And number one is Sex. Released from the constraints of ‘normal’ life, Tessa tastes new experiences to make her feel alive while her failing body struggles to keep up. Tessa’s feelings, her relationships with her father and brother, her estranged mother, her best friend, and her new boyfriend, all are painfully crystallised in the precious weeks before Tessa’s time finally runs out.

"Lockdown (Escape from Furnace#1)"
by Alexander Grodon Smith

Furnace Penitentiary: the world’s most secure prison for young offenders, buried a mile beneath the earth’s surface. Convicted of a murder he didn’t commit, sentenced to life without parole, “new fish” Alex Sawyer knows he has two choices: find a way out, or resign himself to a death behind bars, in the darkness at the bottom of the world. Except in Furnace, death is the least of his worries. Soon Alex discovers that the prison is a place of pure evil, where inhuman creatures in gas masks stalk the corridors at night, where giants in black suits drag screaming inmates into the shadows, where deformed beasts can be heard howling from the blood-drenched tunnels below. And behind everything is the mysterious, all-powerful warden, a man as cruel and dangerous as the devil himself, whose unthinkable acts have consequences that stretch far beyond the walls of the prison.
Together with a bunch of inmates—some innocent kids who have been framed, others cold-blooded killers—Alex plans an escape. But as he starts to uncover the truth about Furnace’s deeper, darker purpose, Alex’s actions grow ever more dangerous, and he must risk everything to expose this nightmare that’s hidden from the eyes of the world.

This meme is hosted by Shelia @ Book Journey

In My Mailbox #4

noreply@blogger.com (Lynne Hollingsworth) — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 03:59:00 +0000

Traded books in at Edwin McKays for these lovely books.

Books I received in the mail via "Paperback Swap".
Join the Club and Swap Books for Free! - PaperBackSwap.com

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren

Review: "Columbine" by Dave Cullen

noreply@blogger.com (Lynne Hollingsworth) — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 07:00:00 +0000

Released April 2009
Publisher: Twelve
Author Info: Website / Blog
Twitter / Facebook / Youtube

Audio Rating - BEST Audio Books
Book Rating - 5+/5
Add to Goodreads

Book Depository / Indie Purchase
Book Closeouts

Ten years in the making and a masterpiece of reportage, "Columbine" is an award-winning journalist's definitive account of one of the most shocking massacres in American history.

It is driven by two questions: what drove these killers, and what did they do to this town?
*****

"On April 20, 1999, two boys left an indelible stamp on the American psyche. Their goal was simple: to blow up their school, Oklahoma City-style, and to leave a lasting impression on the world. Their bombs failed, but the ensuing shooting defined a new era of school violence--irrevocably branding every subsequent shooting 'another Columbine.

"When we think of Columbine, we think of the Trench Coat Mafia; we think of Cassie Bernall, the girl we thought professed her faith before she was shot; and we think of the boy pulling himself out of a school window--the whole world was watching him. Now, in a riveting piece of journalism nearly ten years in the making, comes the story none of us knew. In this revelatory book, Dave Cullen has delivered a profile of teenage killers that goes to the heart of psychopathology. He lays bare the callous brutality of mastermind Eric Harris and the quavering, suicidal Dylan Klebold, who went to the prom three days earlier and obsessed about love in his journal.

"The result is an astonishing account of two good students with lots of friends, who were secretly stockpiling a basement cache of weapons, recording their raging hatred, and manipulating every adult who got in their way. They left signs everywhere, described by Cullen with a keen investigative eye and psychological acumen. Drawing on hundreds of interviews, thousands of pages of police files, FBI psychologists, and the boys' tapes and diaries, he gives the best complete account of the Columbine tragedy.

"In the tradition of Helter Skelter and In Cold Blood, COLUMBINE is destined to be a classic. A close-up portrait of violence, a community rendered helpless, and police blunders and cover-ups, it is a compelling and utterly human portrait of two killers--an unforgettable cautionary tale for our time." (From inside cover)

Why I read this book
I discovered this book after reading Jodi Picoult's Nineteen Minutes and Jay Asher's Thirteen Reasons Why. I was looking for a book that could help me to better understand how and why suicide and school shootings could happen in such a horrific way without someone knowing about it, particularly their parents.

My Take
Two completely different, yet highly intelligent high school boys- both depressed and unhappy. One is a leader, the other is a follower. A perfect match for a horrific disaster.

Dave Cullen did an incredible job researching, investigating and uncovering the why, how, and what was really going on in Eric and Dylan's minds. What caused them to want to blow up their school and end their lives. Both Eric and Dylan left behind journals spanning 1 1/2 years leading up to the shootings, consisting of their plans and the depressed and downward spirals that had engulfed their minds and lives.

This book is primarily told in Eric's and Dylan's point of view. Eric is the leader behind it all. Although he had been in legal trouble, he was going to face consequences, and his parents had been trying to set limits for him. Making him follow those limits was another story. He was a sweet-talking lier. His parents had taken him to a physician for psychiatric help. Even the psychiatrist was fooled and never saw it coming.

Dylan on the other hand, never let on that he was so severely depressed. Sure he had bad days, and there were times towards the end that his behavior was out of character. But nothing that would have clued anyone into such devastation that was about to take place. The only trouble Dylan had been in, was when he and Eric were together. His parents had forbid Dylan to spend time with Eric outside of school. They had only recently allowed them to spend time together again. Unknown to them, Dylan and Eric had been spending time together plotting the event that would end life as we know it.

Dave Cullen did an enormous amount of research into all of the information left behind by both Eric and Dylan. Eric specifically left details behind that he knew would be found. And he encouraged Dylan to do the same. As the pages come to life with their plans and their actions, you feel as though you are right in the middle of the planning, the events immediately leading up to the shootings, and the shootings themselves. Different situations are verified and explained by cameras recently installed in the school, and by the lucky survivors that lived to tell about it. Several of the students who survived sustained "life-changing" injuries. Their lives will never, ever be the same. Most of their dreams are gone. They are now faced with a lifetime of depression and memories, and fight everyday to go on.

Dave's 10 years of research focuses on the injured students, the survivors, and the families of those students and one teacher who were lost in the shootings, and how the whole community began to heal. With the shooters dead, who is to blame? The parents? School officials? The police? (who didn't follow up on a situation and warning sign prior to the shootings), The physician? How did everyone miss this?

It's easy to blame the parents of Eric and Dylan, but after reading this book, it's hard not to feel compassion for them too. Mental illness isn't an exact science, and hippa laws cut the parents off after the child turns 18. Both sets of parents also lost a child, along with having to face the fact that their children are murderers. I can't even imagine the guilt that has consumed them. Good parents sometimes raise sick, twisted children. But when "mental illness" is the cause, who do you blame?

Susan Klebold (Dylan's mother)finally speaks .

Teaching and Bookclub Tools
Instructor Guide / Student Guide
Columbine On-Line Research Guide
Videos for Classrooms and Bookclubs
Oprah's Book Club Questions

Top 10 Tuesday Spring TBR List

noreply@blogger.com (Lynne Hollingsworth) — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 06:38:00 +0000

Weekly meme hosted by Broke and the Bookish
Click image for Goodreads

Register to win Hardcover _& Audio Book_ "Steve Jobs" by Walter Isaacson

noreply@blogger.com (Lynne Hollingsworth) — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 16:54:00 +0000

INTERNATIONAL if Book Depository delivers to your Country
To register for AUDIO BOOK, CLICK HERE. (Audio is AWESOME and made my BEST AUDIO list).
HARD COPY

a Rafflecopter giveaway

For Steve Jobs videos CLICK HERE

"Steve Jobs" videos

noreply@blogger.com (Lynne Hollingsworth) — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 18:10:00 +0000

A young Steve Jobs at work on his company "Next" at age 31, after getting fired from Apple.

VIDEO DISTORTED AT BEGINNING, WILL PASS AND WELL WORTH IT!

Steve Jobs sought out Walter Isaacson, a historical biographer, to write his biography after he was diagnosed with cancer in 2003, never telling him of his diagnosis. Walter kept putting it off, thinking Steve still had so much more to achieve in life; until he received a call from Steve's wife, Laurene Powell, telling him if he was going to write Steve's biography, he better hurry.

STEVE JOBS COMMENCEMENT ADDRESS AT STANFORD UNIVERSITY.

Jobs gave up 100% disclosure and forfeited all editing rights. He gave friends, family, and colleagues permission to be completely honest. He even said he wouldn't read the book. The only input he gave was the cover, which he later requested to be in black and white. It fit HIM to a "T".

ORIGINAL VIDEO ON AMAZON TO PROMOTE BOOK.

When asked why he wanted his biography written, Steve said he knew people would write about him after he was gone and he wanted his children to know him, to know the truth. He wasn't around for his kids enough and he wanted them to know who he really was and what he had done in his life. He hoped it would help them to better understand why he wasn't always able to be there for them.

Read my review here.

Register to win a "Steve Jobs" Audio Book by Walter Isaacson

noreply@blogger.com (Lynne Hollingsworth) — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 18:09:00 +0000

INTERNATIONAL if Book Depository delivers to your Country
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Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson

noreply@blogger.com (Lynne Hollingsworth) — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 05:15:00 +0000

Released October 2011
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Author Info: Website
Twitter / Author's Facebook
Facebook for Book

Audio Rating - BEST Audio
Book Rating - 5+/5 Stars
Add to Goodreads

Book Depository / Indie Purchase

Based on more than forty interviews with Jobs conducted over two years--as well as interviews with more than a hundred family members, friends, adversaries, competitors, and colleagues--Walter Isaacson has written a riveting story of the roller-coaster life and searingly intense personality of a creative entrepreneur whose passion for perfection and ferocious drive revolutionized six industries: personal computers, animated movies, music, phones, tablet computing, and digital publishing.

At a time when America is seeking ways to sustain its innovative edge, and when societies around the world are trying to build digital-age economies, Jobs stands as the ultimate icon of inventiveness and applied imagination. He knew that the best way to create value in the twenty-first century was to connect creativity with technology. He built a company where leaps of the imagination were combined with remarkable feats of engineering.

Although Jobs cooperated with this book, he asked for no control over what was written nor even the right to read it before it was published. He put nothing off-limits. He encouraged the people he knew to speak honestly. And Jobs speaks candidly, sometimes brutally so, about the people he worked with and competed against. His friends, foes, and colleagues provide an unvarnished view of the passions, perfectionism, obsessions, artistry, devilry, and compulsion for control that shaped his approach to business and the innovative products that resulted.

Driven by demons, Jobs could drive those around him to fury and despair. But his personality and products were interrelated, just as Apple's hardware and software tended to be, as if part of an integrated system. His tale is instructive and cautionary, filled with lessons about innovation, character, leadership, and values.

Why I read this book:

I had planned on buying this book, but lucky for me I won a signed 1st edition. I'm still so excited!

My Thoughts:

Isaacon's beautifully written words will make you laugh, get angry, laugh again, think, laugh some more, and cry. Isaacson writes in a way he doesn't loose the reader while explaining the technical details. Perhaps that comes with writing about history. One thing is for sure, Steve Jobs accomplishments will definitely go down in history. He sat out to change the world, and I think we can all agree that he definitely put a dent in it.

Certain aspects of Jobs life I wasn't completely comfortable with. He could become erratic and impulsive and fire someone over something really minor. And there were times he lacked compassion for human life other than his own. These behaviors were more common when he was younger. Getting fired from Apple and starting his second company "Next", is what appeared to prompt a personality change for him.

Steve Jobs was the "ideas" man behind Apple. All of his visions came from his heart, which meant they all had a creative artsy flare and had to be perfect. Jobs had to hold and touch everything before it ever went to production. If it didn't feel right, changes had to be made. He liked simplicity in both design and ease of use. I'm curious to find out how the new iPAD held up to previous versions according to Jobs' strict guidelines.

DID YOU BUY YOUR NEW iPAD FRIDAY?

Although Steve Jobs wasn't here to see it, some of his ideas I'm sure went into the new iPAD. He worked closely with the engineer on the original iPad and iPad2, and until he resigned in the summer of 2011, correspondence was maintained.

I can not recommend this book enough.
There is something here for everyone.

Movie Buffs / Computer Animators - Steve owned Pixar, which contracted with Disney on all of their "hit" animations and characatures.

Computer Geeks / Computer Engineers - Do I really need to say more?

Graphic Artist and Mac owners - Only the history behind tha Mac and its ability to design; the creative typography, multiple type faces and proportionally spaced fonts.-(per Steve Jobs on Stanford commencement video).

Biography and Memoir lovers - Steve's story is told from birth to the end. There is a lot about family and life, along with pictures, and a little bit of history too.

History Buffs - This book will become part of history.

Did you grow up in the 60's and 70's? - You will love the first half of this book. Part of Steve's odd behaviors came from his spiritual experiences during that time period. Experiences only you will completely understand.

Business, Technology, and Marketing Professionals - You will definitely learn more in this book than you can learn in a lifetime.

Walter Isaacson's book is A MUST READ! Any book that can keep my attention all the way through 600 plus pages is a MUST READ!

And no, I am not in "the reality distortion field", I really love this book.

Read excerpts from the book

Steve Jobs givaway Register to win a copy of the book or the audio book!

Pirates of Silicon Valley TV Movie of Steve Jobs and Bill Gates

noreply@blogger.com (Lynne Hollingsworth) — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 18:13:00 +0000

First Released June 20, 1999
Production Co: TNT / Warner Video
Movie Info: IMDb

Video Rating - 5/5

Amazon Purchase

The revolution came when we weren't looking. It happened in a garage. In a dorm room. In countless hours of effort, imagining and intrigue. Apple co-founder Steve Jobs and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates were changing the way the world works, lives and communicates. The event-packed saga of the quirky visionaries who jump-started the future unfolds with exhilarating, cutting-edge style in Pirates of Silicon Valley. Noah Wyle (ER) portrays Jobs and Anthony Michael Hall (The Dead Zone) portrays Gates in this chronicle of the fierce and often humorous battle to rule the fledgling personal computer empire. "The story is almost Shakespearean... it's a tale of lust, greed, ambition, love and hate," writer/director Martyn Burke reflects. And it's a success story unlike any other.

I originally saw "Pirates of Silicon Valley" on TNT in 1999, and unfortunately, not many people saw it. The made for TV movie is partially based on the book "Fire in the Valley: The Making of the Personal Computer" written by Paul Feiberger and Michael Swaine, which I am now on a mission to hunt down. However after reading "Steve Jobs" by Walter Isaacson, the movie makes a lot more sense.

The movie opens with the filming of the 1984 Apple Super Bowl Commercial; then goes back to the 70's to show you how Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak created the first personal computer. The two Steve's played very separate roles in the process of the corporate climb, yet one couldn't have made it without the other.

Bill Gates, Steve Ballmer (Microsoft's CEO), and Paul Allen randomly appear and start snooping around Steve Jobs' business, due to all the media hype about the first personal computer being made available to the public. Bill Gates dropped out of Harvard to create Microsoft but lacks the financial backing Steve has acquired.

Both Steve Jobs and Bill Gates are sweet talking businessmen with completely different styles and ideas. It's no secret that Bill felt licensing Microsoft software to all computer companies was the way to go. He even lies in a big way in the movie to work out a deal with IBM. Bill is able to have a vision and see dollar signs.

Steve on the other hand felt keeping his software only available to Mac users would increase sales, plus give Apple complete control over the software working correctly and keep it great. Steve is a visionary artist and an extreme perfectionist; to mess with his masterpiece would be like grabbing a paint brush and adding a bird to his painting.

This movie gives the viewer great insight into the personalities, the ideas, and the concept behind the makings of both Apple Computers and Microsoft. It is a must see for anyone whose inquisitive mind truly wants to know how the PC was born.

Personally, I was blown away by Noah Wyle's portrayal of Steve Jobs in this movie. It's almost as if he becomes Steve. Evidently Steve thought so too, because he invited him to the Mac convention in the 2nd video below.

Clip from the movie

My personal favorite...
Noah Wyle at the iMac Convention

LOOK FOR GIVEAWAY TO BE POSTED THIS WEEKEND!

Top 10 Tuesday

noreply@blogger.com (Lynne Hollingsworth) — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 13:25:00 +0000

TOP 10 DYSTOPIAN NOVELS
This meme is hosted by The Broke and BookishClick on book cover to go to goodreads page

In a future Chicago, 16-year-old Beatrice Prior must choose among five predetermined factions to define her identity for the rest of her life, a decision made more difficult when she discovers that she is an anomaly who does not fit into any one group, and that the society she lives in is not perfect after all.

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV.

Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister Primrose, regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister's place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before — and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that will weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

Connor, Risa, and Lev are running for their lives.
The Second Civil War was fought over reproductive rights. The chilling resolution: Life is inviolable from the moment of conception until age thirteen. Between the ages of thirteen and eighteen, however, parents can have their child "unwound," whereby all of the child's organs are transplanted into different donors, so life doesn't technically end. Connor is too difficult for his parents to control. Risa, a ward of the state is not enough to be kept alive. And Lev is a tithe, a child conceived and raised to be unwound. Together, they may have a chance to escape and to survive.

Eli and his family have lived in the underground Compound for six years. The world they knew is gone, and they've become accustomed to their new life. Accustomed, but not happy.
For Eli, no amount of luxury can stifle the dull routine of living in the same place, with only his two sisters, his father and mother, doing the same thing day after day after day.

As problems with their carefully planned existence threaten to destroy their sanctuary - and their sanity - Eli can't help but wonder if he's rather take his chances outside.

Eli's father built the Compound to keep them safe. But are they safe - or sorry?

Under the bubbling hot springs and geysers of Yellowstone National Park is a supervolcano. Most people don't know it's there. The caldera is so large that it can only be seen from a plane or satellite. It just could be overdue for an eruption, which would change the landscape and climate of our planet.

Ashfall is the story of Alex, a teenage boy left alone for the weekend while his parents visit relatives. When the Yellowstone supervolcano erupts unexpectedly, Alex is determined to reach his parents. He must travel over a hundred miles in a landscape transformed by a foot of ash and the destruction of every modern convenience that he has ever known, and through a new world in which disaster has brought out both the best and worst in people desperate for food, water, and warmth. With a combination of nonstop action, a little romance, and very real science, this is a story that is difficult to stop reading and even more difficult to forget.

Humanity is all but extinguished after a war with partials--engineered organic beings identical to humans--has decimated the world’s population. Reduced to only tens of thousands by a weaponized virus to which only a fraction of humanity is immune, the survivors in North America have huddled together on Long Island. The threat of the partials is still imminent, but, worse, no baby has been born immune to the disease in over a decade. Humanity’s time is running out.

When sixteen-year-old Kira learns of her best friend’s pregnancy, she’s determined to find a solution. Then one rash decision forces Kira to flee her community with the unlikeliest of allies. As she tries desperately to save what is left of her race, she discovers that the survival of both humans and partials rests in her attempts to answer questions of the war’s origin that she never knew to ask.

Combining the fast-paced action of The Hunger Games with the provocative themes of Battlestar Galactica, Partials is a pulse-pounding journey into a world where the very concept of what it means to be human is in question--one where our sense of humanity is both our greatest liability, and our only hope for survival.

Saba has spent her whole life in Silverlake, a dried-up wasteland ravaged by constant sandstorms. The Wrecker civilization has long been destroyed, leaving only landfills for Saba and her family to scavenge from. That's fine by her, as long as her beloved twin brother Lugh is around. But when a monster sandstorm arrives, along with four cloaked horsemen, Saba's world is shattered. Lugh is captured, and Saba embarks on an epic quest to get him back.
Suddenly thrown into the lawless, ugly reality of the world outside of desolate Silverlake, Saba is lost without Lugh to guide her. So perhaps the most surprising thing of all is what Saba learns about herself: she's a fierce fighter, an unbeatable survivor, and a cunning opponent. And she has the power to take down a corrupt society from the inside. Teamed up with a handsome daredevil named Jack and a gang of girl revolutionaries called the Free Hawks, Saba stages a showdown that will change the course of her own civilization.

Blood Red Road has a searing pace, a poetically minimal writing style, violent action, and an epic love story. Moira Young is one of the most promising and startling new voices in teen fiction.

What was once the western United States is now home to the Republic, a nation perpetually at war with its neighbors. Born into an elite family in one of the Republic's wealthiest districts, fifteen-year-old June is a prodigy being groomed for success in the Republic's highest military circles. Born into the slums, fifteen-year-old Day is the country's most wanted criminal. But his motives may not be as malicious as they seem.

From very different worlds, June and Day have no reason to cross paths - until the day June's brother, Metias, is murdered and Day becomes the prime suspect. Caught in the ultimate game of cat and mouse, Day is in a race for his family's survival, while June seeks to avenge Metias' death. But in a shocking turn of events, the two uncover the truth of what has really brought them together, and the sinister lengths their country will go to keep its secrets.

Full of nonstop action, suspense, and romance, this novel is sure to move readers as much as it thrills.

A thrilling tale of adventure, romance, and one girl's unyielding courage through the darkest of nightmares.
Epidemics, floods, droughts--for sixteen-year-old Lucy, the end of the world came and went, taking 99% of the population with it. As the weather continues to rage out of control, and Sweepers clean the streets of plague victims, Lucy survives alone in the wilds of Central Park. But when she's rescued from a pack of hunting dogs by a mysterious boy named Aidan, she reluctantly realizes she can't continue on her own. She joins his band of survivors, yet, a new danger awaits her: the Sweepers are looking for her. There's something special about Lucy, and they will stop at nothing to have her.

Who is Jenna Fox? Seventeen-year-old Jenna has been told that is her name. She has just awoken from a coma, they tell her, and she is still recovering from a terrible accident in which she was involved a year ago. But what happened before that? Jenna doesn't remember her life. Or does she? And are the memories really hers?

This fascinating novel represents a stunning new direction for acclaimed author Mary Pearson. Set in a near future America, it takes readers on an unforgettable journey through questions of bio-medical ethics and the nature of humanity. Mary Pearson's vividly drawn characters and masterful writing soar to a new level of sophistication.

Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult

noreply@blogger.com (Lynne Hollingsworth) — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 02:23:00 +0000

Released March 2011
Publisher: Atria
Author Info: Website
Twitter / Facebook

Audio Rating - BEST Audio
Book Rating - 2/5 Stars
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Book Depository / Indie Bookstores

One miscarriage too many spelled the end of Max and Zoe Baxter's marriage. Though the former couple went quite separate ways, their fates remained entangled: After veering into alcoholism, Max is saved in multiple senses by his fundamentalist conversion; Zoe, for her part, finds healing relief in music therapy and the friendship, then romantic love with Vanessa, her counselor. After Zoe and Vanessa, now married, decide to have a baby, they realize that they must join battle with Max, who objects on both religious and financial grounds. Like her House Rules and several other previous Jodi Picoult novels, Sing You Home grapples with hot button issues. The novel also includes a CD of songs, each matched with a chapter in the book. Perfect for book clubs.

Why I read this book:
I am enrolled in a Jodi Picoult reading challenge

My Thoughts:
I am truly at a loss for words.

After picking my jaw up off the floor, and after much needed contemplation over this book, this is where I am...

Jodi Picoult is known for writing about controversial issues, so I should have been expecting it. Her fearless ability to cross into forbidden territory is what keeps me coming back for more. Only Picoult could approach the controversial issue of evangelical Christians, gay rights, and then throw in a few embryos for them to fight over. "Sing You Home" is sure to evoke strong emotions among readers.

Picoult's novel is told in three different points of few: Zoe's, Max's, and Vanessa's. You feel like you are right in the middle of the chaos with them. It honestly made me feel uncomfortable and angry.

Zoe wants nothing more than to be a mother. Her and Max try for 9 years to have a baby; going through numerous invitro-fertilizations, multiple miscarriages, and 1 stillbirth. Before she can even get over one loss, she wants to try again. This sends poor Max over the edge. He can't take any more failed fertilization attempt. He feels like a sperm donor and they have debt Zoe doesn't know about from her invitro treatments. He's an alcoholic and starts drinking again, leaves Zoe, then files for divorce. He eventually decides he needs help and moves in with his brother and his wife. They invite him to their church and it is there he finds hope.

Not long after Max and Zoe's divorce, Zoe has a medical issue, and it's Vanessa who stays by her side, striking up a friendship that continues long after she recovers. Zoe heals through her music and through providing music therapy to her patients. She also finds solace through her new found friendship turned relationship with Vanessa.

After only 3 months of deciding she’s a lesbian, Zoe decides she wants to spend the rest of her life with Vanessa. Vanessa wants to carry Zoe’s baby but they have to get Max’s approval before the embryos can be implanted. However Max has gotten all caught up in the evangelical atmosphere of his new church and has decided he doesn’t want Zoe to have them, even though he doesn’t want them. Needless to say, here comes the “drama llama”. A massive conflict begins between evangelical Christians, gay rights activists, and three tiny little embryos.

What I didn't like:
This book really upset me. So much in fact, I almost didn’t finish the book. The characters were unrealistic. I’ve known a lot of alcoholics in my life, and not one of them ever ran to Jesus in such a short amount of time. Most of them in fact have God issues. I also know quite a few gay people well enough to ask any question that came to my mind. Most people knew they were gay at a very young age, but the people who actually got married to the opposite sex, then decided they were gay, definitely needed more than 3 months to work it all out in their head, and know beyond a shadow of a doubt they were gay.

The United States court system would not have allowed some of the things that went on in this courtroom to go on. I know a Christian Judge and he's said you have to be able to separate church from state or you don’t need to be a judge. There was absolutely too much cross-over between church and state.

Now for my huge complaint of the evangelical Christians. I wanted to run into that courtroom and box their heads like a punchin’ bag. This was a BAD example because all Christians do not act this way. I am a Christian, and I support gay rights. By the end of this book, I found myself questioning whether swearing on the bible before taking the stand was the right thing to do, because that alone would promote church and state being meshed.

I feel Picoult could have gotten the point across without bringing Christianity into it on such a negative level. It would have been acceptable had she clarified that all Christians weren’t that way, however that wasn’t done. Getting everybody upset is not the way to gain acceptance, it only divides everyone further.

What I liked:
Regardless of the topic, Jodi Picoult’s writing style is always perfect. And I have to give her credit for having enough guts to write about such a taboo subject. For that reason alone, she gained my respect. That being said, I can't think of anybody I would recommend this book to. Although if you get the opportunity to listen to the CD of the music, it is worth listening to.

This book wasn’t for me.

Join Me in the 21-Day Positivity Challenge

noreply@blogger.com (Lynne Hollingsworth) — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 18:32:00 +0000

For the month of March, "Personal Excellence" is hosting a 21-Day Positivity Challenge. I am definitely entering and I hope you will join me. Honestly, I came across the challenge by accident. With so much negativity in the world today, and my tendency to get brought down by those around me... I immediately decided this challenge is for me.

I will be posting my assignments and challenge progress on this blog along with my book reviews. The challenge runs March 1-21.
Please check it out - 21 Day Positivity Challenge

Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult

noreply@blogger.com (Lynne Hollingsworth) — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 17:51:00 +0000

Released March 2007
Publisher: Atria
Author Info: Website
Twitter / Facebook
Discussion Questions / Stop Bullying

Audio Rating - Average Audio Voices
Book Rating - 5 Stars
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Book Depository / Indie Bookstores

Jodi Picoult, bestselling author of My Sister's Keeper and The Tenth Circle, pens her most riveting book yet, with a startling and poignant story about the devastating aftermath of a small-town tragedy. Sterling is an ordinary New Hampshire town where nothing ever happens--until the day its complacency is shattered by an act of violence. Josie Cormier, the daughter of the judge sitting on the case, should be the state's best witness, but she can't remember what happened before her very own eyes--or can she? As the trial progresses, fault lines between the high school and the adult community begin to show--destroying the closest of friendships and families. Nineteen Minutes asks what it means to be different in our society, who has the right to judge someone else, and whether anyone is ever really who they seem to be.

What a powerful book. I honestly didn't expect this book to be so powerful; mainly because it started out slow, bouncing back and forth between characters with no real action taking place. I soon realized this was needed to introduce the reader to each person involved or affected, and their actions that led up to the event. The event being a school shooting that takes place after a lifetime of being bullied.

Jodi Picoult creates a world so real and intense that my heart skipped a beat a few times. She has a way of getting you to feel compassion for the perpetrator and to view that person as a victim, even feeling sorry for that person at times. In retrospect, she also gets you to feel angry at the victims for their behavior prior to the shooting. But you never feel as if you need to choose sides.

The events in this book have been a reality in the past. Therefore it is up to everyone who crosses paths with a child to do their part. "Nineteen Minutes" should be required reading of all high school students, parents, teachers,and anyone working in education. We all need to become aware of the affects bullying can have on a person.

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

noreply@blogger.com (Lynne Hollingsworth) — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 15:55:00 +0000

Released October 2007
Publisher: Razor Bill / Listening Library
Author Info: Blog / Website
Facebook / Youtube
13 Reasons Why Project
Movie rights: Universal Pictures / Strike Entertainment

Audio Rating: BEST Audio Voices
Book Rating: 5+/5 Stars
Add to Goodreads

PURCHASE LINKS ARE FOR AUDIO:
Book Depository / Indie Bookstores

Clay Jensen’s first love records her last words.

Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a strange package with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers several cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker–his classmate and crush–who committed suicide two weeks earlier. Hannah’s voice explains that there are thirteen reasons she decided to end her life. Clay is one of them. If he listens, he’ll find out why.

Clay spends the night crisscrossing his town with Hannah as his guide. He becomes a first-hand witness to Hannah’s pain, and learns the truth about himself–a truth he never wanted to face.

One of the most powerful books I've read and listened to in a long time. I would highly recommend listening to the audio because it sounds as though Clay and Hannah are having a conversation and you are right there with them. "Emotional and Powerful".

Hannah recorded 7 cassette tapes, both sides, stating there were thirteen reasons, or rather thirteen people, who played a part in her decision to end her life. The first person on the list receives a copy of the tapes, and they are responsible for passing them on to the next person on the list.

*SPOILER ALERT* May contain spoilers. If you have not read the book or listened to the audio, you may not want to read below this point.

The first time through, I was so mad at Hannah because it was obvious she was into self-sabotage. She kept claiming she was asking for help, but seemed to ask the people who were not equipped to help her. She also seemed to form "trama bonds" with the people who bullied her. Once she does decide to ask the right person for help, she skips around it and won't be direct enough for the person to pick up on her state of mind. Then she gets mad, claiming no one cares.

The second time listening to the audio, it became more apparent that she was bullied at school by people she thought were her friends. There are even sexual advances towards her which fuel the gossip about her reputation, causing her to spiral downward quickly.

Hannah tended to go after "the popular people", a group she didn't seem to fit into. She was never happy with herself and seemed to put that responsibility onto other people. She also seem to stalk the people she couldn't let go of and developed an unhealthy obsession with them. Her love for herself was based on other people's perception of her.

She mentioned in the tape about her poem that she had tried therapy, but it didn't work. It seems to me that her parents were neglegent in not seeking out another therapist for her. Shouldn't she have been on medication for her depression if she was this bad? Was she even under the care of a physician for her depression? Why weren't her parents aware of her state of mind, especially with a history of depression? Too many things don't connect for me concerning her parents.

Depression and suicide is an extremely touchy subject to address, and an even harder subject to get people who have never suffered from depression, to understand. Jay Asher did an incredible job portraying "Hannah's reality". (However keep in mind that Hannah's reality is not 100% what really happened, only her perception of what happened).

This book has been a long time coming and very welcome in the educational system. I can't wait until the movie is finally made. It will become an incredible tool to show teenagers that gossip is a real form of bullying. Everyone gossips to some extend, and the people you tell, usually believe what you say. When your intent is to hurt the other person or to put yourself in the lime-light, you are bullying.

Credit for video goes to Thirteen Reasons Why website Check out the website for more videos and information.

In My Mailbox #4

noreply@blogger.com (Lynne Hollingsworth) — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 04:05:00 +0000

Books I bought or traded for at my favorite locally owned used bookstore, "Edwin McKay used books and more".

Books I received in the mail via "Paperback Swap".
Join the Club and Swap Books for Free! - PaperBackSwap.com

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren

In My Mailbox #3

noreply@blogger.com (Lynne Hollingsworth) — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 05:47:00 +0000

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren.

~Click book covers to add to goodreads~

Books I received for trade and bought at Indie "McKays" used bookstore

Books I received in the mail via "Paperback Swap".
Join the Club and Swap Books for Free! - PaperBackSwap.com

~I won 2 different giveaways from SHELF AWARENESS.~

In January I won a signed copy of Steve Jobs book by Jacob Issacson.

This week I won a 5 book bundle of ARC's from SHELF AWARENESS.

I LOVE SHELF AWARENESS

Stephen King interview (mark your calendar)

noreply@blogger.com (Lynne Hollingsworth) — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 19:28:00 +0000

click here for more information on Lauren Grodstein's interview with Stephen King.

Register for Christine E. Schulze's giveaway on Charla's Book Shelf!

noreply@blogger.com (Lynne Hollingsworth) — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 11:40:00 +0000

Add to Goodreads

Head on over to Charla's Book Shelf to register for this AWESOME paperback. Yes, you can actually win a real book, how exciting is that!

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

noreply@blogger.com (Lynne Hollingsworth) — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 16:02:00 +0000

Released February 2010
Publisher: Crown Publishing Group
Author Info: Website / Twitter / Facebook / Reading Groups Guide

Audio Rating - Above Average Audio Voices
Book Rating - 5/5 Stars
Add to Goodreads

Book Depository / Indie Purchase

Her name was Henrietta Lacks, but scientists know her as HeLa. She was a poor Southern tobacco farmer who worked the same land as her slave ancestors, yet her cells—taken without her knowledge—became one of the most important tools in medicine. The first “immortal” human cells grown in culture, they are still alive today, though she has been dead for more than sixty years. If you could pile all HeLa cells ever grown onto a scale, they’d weigh more than 50 million metric tons—as much as a hundred Empire State Buildings. HeLa cells were vital for developing the polio vaccine; uncovered secrets of cancer, viruses, and the atom bomb’s effects; helped lead to important advances like in vitro fertilization, cloning, and gene mapping; and have been bought and sold by the billions.

Yet Henrietta Lacks remains virtually unknown, buried in an unmarked grave.

Now Rebecca Skloot takes us on an extraordinary journey, from the “colored” ward of Johns Hopkins Hospital in the 1950s to stark white laboratories with freezers full of HeLa cells; from Henrietta’s small, dying hometown of Clover, Virginia—a land of wooden slave quarters, faith healings, and voodoo—to East Baltimore today, where her children and grandchildren live and struggle with the legacy of her cells.

Henrietta’s family did not learn of her “immortality” until more than twenty years after her death, when scientists investigating HeLa began using her husband and children in research without informed consent. And though the cells had launched a multimillion-dollar industry that sells human biological materials, her family never saw any of the profits. As Rebecca Skloot so brilliantly shows, the story of the Lacks family—past and present—is inextricably connected to the dark history of experimentation on African Americans, the birth of bioethics, and the legal battles over whether we control the stuff we are made of.

Over the decade it took to uncover this story, Rebecca became enmeshed in the lives of the Lacks family—especially Henrietta’s daughter Deborah, who was devastated to learn about her mother’s cells. She was consumed with questions: Had scientists cloned her mother? Did it hurt her when researchers infected her cells with viruses and shot them into space? What happened to her sister, Elsie, who died in a mental institution at the age of fifteen? And if her mother was so important to medicine, why couldn’t her children afford health insurance?

Intimate in feeling, astonishing in scope, and impossible to put down, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks captures the beauty and drama of scientific discovery, as well as its human consequences.

WOW! What an incredibly amazing read.

Rebecca Skloot’s 10 years of research on Henrietta’s life and the life of her cells, a passion which captured her heart in college; has definitely paid off. And not just for Rebecca. Henrietta’s family will be forever grateful for Rebecca’s hard work and kind generosity.

The life of Henrietta Lacks, her family, the story of how her cells were taken without her knowledge, and what was done with them, will invoke feelings of disbelief, anger, laughter, hope, tears of sadness, and tears of joy. The entire Lack family opened up their personal lives to Rebecca, with extreme hesitation, in hopes of getting Henrietta the credit she deserves for the use of her cells.

Henrietta’s family lived in poverty, without the healthcare and medications they needed, which only got worse after her death; while her cells were making millions. Understandably causing her family to feel taken advantage of, hurt, and angry. With no laws in affect at the time the cells were taken, at a time when all races were not considered equal, could anything be done to help the family?

The story and history of Henrietta Lacks cells, "HeLa", opened up so many different questions regarding scientific research, tissue donation, patient consent, patient privacy and patient rights laws. One being the HIPPA law, the aggravating form you have to complete at the doctor’s office today. It is important to remember, that without tissue donation, scientific research would come to a stand-still. No more vaccines, no more life saving chemo treatments for cancer, no hope of a cure for HIV/AIDS. The list goes on. Therefore the laws have to benefit both sides.

Personally, I am all for scientific research. If my body were to contain cells that would make a huge impact in curing a devastating disease, I would gladly donate them. All I ask is that I am made aware of what I am signing, and if my cells are successful, please let me or my family know. It would make me feel as if I've made a difference and my family proud!

Note: the audio version is extremely clear and easy to understand. I would personally recommend listening to the audio while following along with the book due to the medical content within the book.

Lavished with Books

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In My Mailbox #5

Winners on "Steve Jobs" book and audio book"

Review: "Wintergirls" by Laurie Halse Anderson

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Review: "Columbine" by Dave Cullen

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Register to win Hardcover _____& Audio Book_____ "Steve Jobs" by Walter Isaacson

"Steve Jobs" videos

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Top 10 Tuesday

Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult

Join Me in the 21-Day Positivity Challenge

Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

In My Mailbox #4

In My Mailbox #3

Stephen King interview (mark your calendar)

Register for Christine E. Schulze's giveaway on Charla's Book Shelf!

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

Register to win Hardcover _& Audio Book_ "Steve Jobs" by Walter Isaacson