Cindy's Love Of Books

Another awesome video I have to share

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy) — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 13:40:00 +0000

This past weekend while I was perusing my blog roll I discovered this funny video made by some bloggers that I follow all the time.

Here it is:

The stars of the video are:
http://www.tyngasreviews.com/
http://tableforseven-julie.blogspot.com/
http://parajunkee.com/
http://www.rabidreads.ca/

and two new to me bloggers:
http://www.bookish-brunette.com/
http://book-faery.blogspot.com/

How often have you said things from this video?

You guys did an awesome job.

Just a reminder

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy) — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 05:50:00 +0000

I just wanted to remind my readers that Book Blogger Reader Appreciation Week starts this week. I will be taking part in this fun week long event.

For my info be sure to check out Miss Remmers Review and check back this week. I will be having a give away for one lucky reader.

The Mailbox Post

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy) — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 02:32:00 +0000

I will be reviewing and having a guest post by an author on the 18th (this upcoming week).

The two above books were ebooks.

Books Bought:

So this is what I got this past week. I hope everyone had and has a good week.

A Happy Early Valentine's Day to you. I think I will be getting one book on Valentine's Day but I am not entirely sure.

(Review) Diary of a Mad Fat Girl

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy) — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 19:59:00 +0000

Title: Diary of a Mad Fat Girl
Author: Stephanie McAfee
Pub Date: February 2012
Publisher: Penguin
Pages:356

Source:
I received a finished copy of the book from Penguin USA for an honest review.

About The Book:

Graciela "Ace" Jones is mad-mad at her best friend Lilly who cancels their annual trip to Panama City for mysterious reasons; at her boss Catherine for "riding her ass like a fat lady on a Rascal scooter;" at her friend Chloe's abusive husband; and especially at Mason McKenzie, the love of her life, who has shown up with a marriage proposal three years too late. Ace is never mad, though, at her near-constant companion, an adorable chiweenie dog named Buster Loo.

Ace's anger begins to dissipate as she takes matters into her own hands to take down Chloe's philandering husband-and to get to the bottom of a multitude of other scandals plaguing Bugtussle, Mississippi. Then, she starts to realize that maybe Mason deserves a second chance after all.

With a sharp and distinctive voice, Stephanie McAfee delivers a hilarious and fast-paced tale about Ace Jones and her two best friends-thick as thieves and tough as nails-navigating Southern small-town politics and prejudices, finding love, and standing up for each other all the way.

I was recently offered this book from Penguin USA and it sounded like it was going to be a fun read so I decided to accept the offer to review it and I have to say that I am happy that I did because I thought this was a fun read. I managed to read it over a two day span. Thankfully most of the time I read it I was home alone because I was giggling alot and the times I was reading it when people were around I was getting asked "What's so funny?"

This is Stephanie's debut novel and when I was looking up info I discovered that Stephanie has signed a three book deal with the publisher so I will be curious to see what comes out next.

Just a heads up to my readers who might be offended by offensive language that this might not be the book for you. Personally for me if its not over the top I don't mind it because for me its just a book and not real life.

I have to say that I really liked Ace (Graciela, her real name) because she was who she was and didn't care what others thought of her. She is very brass and what you see is what you get. She hasn't had the ideal life. Her parents died in a car accident at and early age and from there she went to live with her grandmother. Then when she is older her grandmother dies leaving Ace her house and land which just happens to boast a beautiful garden that Ace has maintained.

Ace is living in Bugtassle with her dog. Her best friends (Chloe and Lilly) live in the same city as her and no boyfriend or husband insight and that is because we slowly find out that Ace pushing them away. She is afraid to get hurt. She sabotages the relationships with jealousy and insecurities.

Now Ace and her best friend Lilly are teachers at the school and as the book is beginning Ace is excited for spring break because she is desperate for a vacation with her bestie but with a few hours to spare Lilly calls to tell Ace she can't go. Instead of going on her own Ace decides to wellow in her own self pity and stays home mad at her best friend for cancelling at the last minute thinking that she is jetting off some where fabulous with a mysterious man.

Before long Lilly gets fired from the school because apparently she is linked to a student (hmm could this be true and that is why she is so mysterious?) and of course it looks like that from the outside and it makes sense with all the secrets. But is it true?

Ace's other bestie is Chloe. When Ace finds out that Chloe has been admitted to the hospital because she was beaten up (although its been reported that she fell down some stairs) she is hell bent on getting her away from her abusive husband. Which of course lands her in to some trouble and arrested and of course the principle from hell fires her too.

Thankfully Mason, Ace's long time ex boyfriend who happens to be a lawyer shows up on her doorstep trying to help her out of this situation she is in and hoping that perhaps this time she will wake up and see that he isn't such a bad guy and that he can be trusted. He is honestly her true love and he is there to tell her. But will her insecurities cause her to doubt him?

I loved how much friendships meant to Ace and that she would do anything for her friends no matter what it costs her.

I really enjoyed reading this book and wished I had a friend like Ace.

Thanks again Penguin USA for sending me this book to review.

(Meme) It's Monday, What are you reading? The 6th Edition on the 6th Day of February

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy) — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 00:48:00 +0000

One of my favorite bloggers Sheila from Book Journey is the host of this weekly meme. If you haven't checked out Sheila's blog yet then what are you waiting for. I love reading Sheila's blog because she covers it all and I always end up walking away like I get to know Sheila a little more from her post.

I also just discovered recently that Sheila has partnered with Jen from Teach Mentor Texts and they come up with a fun meme with a kidlit focus - anyone reading and reviewing books in children's literature - it can be picture books, chapter books, middle grade novels, young adult novels, you name it in the world of kidlit and it's in!

So in case you are wondering what It's Monday! What are you reading? is about well its a great way to recap what you read and/or reviewed the previous week and to plan out your reading and reviews for the upcoming week. It's also a great chance to see what others are reading right now…who knows, you might discover that next “must read” book!

I am late in getting this up because its been very busy the last few days. Michael had three hockey games this past weekend (Friday 3-1, Saturday 1-1 and Sunday 3-2) and the team won two and tied one and then we spent the rest of the weekend working on a penguin project which he has to present on Wednesday and a french fairy tail that he has to present on Thursday. So its been busy and I wasn't able to get much done this week in regards to reading.

This morning I had to volunteer in the school library and it was a full morning we had 5 classes and it ranged from a grade 3,4 5(2 classes) and a grade 6. I didn't read this morning because I had a sore throat and hoping it was due to all the cheering I did. Fingers crossed.

Last week was a very slow reading week for me and it was mainly do to all the running around I had to do with various activities and the fact that I was really tired and was going to bed earlier then normal. Hopefully I will get back on track.

What I read this past week:

So last week I completed this:

I enjoyed it and my review will be up tomorrow for it.

I am currently reading this:

I have to admit that I am not sure if its just me but I am having a hard time getting into this book. I am only at page 72 and have been reading it most of the week. I just can't seem to get into this one. I know this is already out in the UK (and this is where I got the book from) and its only going to be released in Canda in the fall.

Has this ever happened to you?

What will be up next:

Hope everyone has a good week.

This is what I read and whats on my agenda. I hope everyone has a good reading week.

(Reading Challenge) Women of the Otherworld Series

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy) — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 01:54:00 +0000

As you can probably tell I haven't signed up for an reading challenges this year and that is because quite honestly I have to admit that I suck at them big time.

Although this time I am determined to make this work (since I have a few of these titles on my shelf) and help out my awesome blogger friend Lucy from Moonlight Gleam's the lovely host of this challenge.

I have read Kelley Armstrong's young adult series and loved them and have always said I wanted to read more of her work so what better time then now right?

Kelley has written twelve novels in the Women of the Otherworlds series and with this upcoming thirteenth book, she will be wrapping it up.

Each month beginning March 1st, 2012, challenge members will read or re-read the title for that month. In addition, challenge members will either post a review, their reading experience, character castings or anything else related to that title. You have freedom to have fun with your monthly post so be creative! Seeing as this series is 13 novels long, this challenge will last 13 months.

PLEASE NOTE: **You do not have to have a blog to enter this challenge. You must, however, have a Goodreads account if you don't, so that you can link to your posts there.**

**You do not have to participate each month if you don't want to. I want this to be a fun experience for everyone so, if there only a few books you want to read, please feel free to join!**

**If you did not find time to read the title of the month, feel free to write a post about it and indicate why. This will allow you to link up to qualify for monthly challenge giveaways as well!**

So here is the reading schedule:

Bitten (March 1st - 31st, 2012)
Stolen (April 1st - 30th, 2012)
Dime Store Magic (May1st - 31st, 2012)
Industrial Magic (June 1st - 30th, 2012)
Haunted (July 1st - 31st, 2012)
Broken (August 1st - 31st, 2012)
No Humans Involved (September 1st - 30th, 2012)
Personal Demon (October 1st - 31st, 2012)
Living With The Dead (November 1st - 30th, 2012)
Frostbitten (December 1st - 31st, 2012 )
Waking The Witch (January 1st - 31st, 2013)
Spell Bound (February 1st - 28th, 2013)
Thirteen (March 1st - 31st, 2013)

So be sure to head over to Moonlight Gleams to sign up and to grab the button.

I know I have the first few books in the series and I will be taking the rest out from the library to read. I think this is a pretty good reading schedule and realize that its pretty doable so its a book a month for the next 13 months. I can manage that right?

So as of right now I have the following books:

I am looking forward to digging into my own reading pile for this one and hoping to clear a few books of my to be read pile and my shelf.

Wish me luck.

The Mailbox post

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 00:36:00 +0000

Mailbox Monday is a gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week and explore great book blogs. Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.

Mailbox Monday is originally hosted by Marcia from A girl and her books and The Printed Page. In the summer of 2010 Marcia decided she needed a change in hosting and didn't want to rely on one blogger alone to do it because its a lot of work so she decided to put Mailbox Monday on tour and so far with great success it has made monthly stops at more then a dozen blogs and this year is booked until the end. I will actually be hosting Mailbox Monday in April.

The host for February is DC Metro Reader.

Another host for In My Mailbox is Kristi from The Story Siren.

Be sure to check out the above blogs to see what they and others got in their mailboxes this past week.

Can you believe that we are already into February? I found that the month of January literally flew by.

So this past week was a pretty big book week and I am thinking that next week will be a big week as well although I am not sure.

Egalley for review:
-I've Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella (RD FEb 14th/12)

Books Bought from Scholastic order forms:
-Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
-Witch & Wizard Series: The Fire (bk 3) by James Patterson and Jill Dembowski
- Empty by Suzanne Weyn
-The Boy on Cinnamon Street by Phoebe Stone
-Take a Bow by Elizabeth Eulberg (RD April 2012)
-39 clues Cahill vs Vespers (book 2) A kings Ransom by Jude Watson
-Phineas and Ferb Science lab
- Penguins
-Creepella Van Cacklefur Ghost Pirate Treasure book 3

For Review:
-A Breath of Eyre by Eve Marie Mont (RD April 2012)
-Bloodman by Robert Pobi (RD March 2012)

Won:
-The Jane Austin companion to life

Gifted:
-Our 25th anniversary cookbook
Thanks Donna at BooksBound

Borrowed:
-Cinder by Marissa Meyer

So this is what I got in my mailbox this past week, I hope you all had a good week.

(Meme) On My Wishlist

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy) — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 00:57:00 +0000

It's been awhile since I have done an On My Wishlist post. If you are new to my blog I should let you know that On My Wishlist that is hosted by Book Chick City. If you haven't checked out her blog yet then you really should.

I am trying to think when the last time I did an On My Wishlist post and realized that its been awhile. I always love reading other bloggers post about wishlist books. What a great way to find out about books you might normal not hear about.

The only thing with On My Wishlist is that it can lead to more books to add to that wishlist.

This week I have:

A detective with a secret…
When homicide detective Alexandra Jarvis sees a photo of Seth Benjamin on a police bulletin, she knows that Heaven’s plan to halt Armageddon has gone terribly wrong. As the only mortal aware of Seth’s true nature, only she can save him.

An exiled angel turned assassin…

Aramael was a hunter of Fallen Angels until a traitor forced him into earthly exile. Now, with no powers and only a faint memory of Alex, his mortal soulmate, he will stop at nothing to redeem himself—even if it means destroying Seth in the name of the Creator.

A world with little chance of redemption…

As Alex’s need to protect Seth sets her on a fiery course with the determined Aramael, the coming conflict between them may push the world over the edge—and into the very chaos they’re trying to prevent.

This is coming out March 27, 2012 and its the second book in the series and I am dying to read this because I loved Sins of the Angels.

A Month Of Letters

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy) — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 15:01:00 +0000

One of my favorite bloggers, Heidi from YA Bibliophile mentioned this in her blog post today and it sounds like this could be alot of fun.

Can you remember the last time that you actually got a letter in the mail? In the actual mailbox and not an email? I think for me the last time would have been Christmas time. I love getting mail, don't you? I love seeing something addressed to me that isn't a bill.

The person behind this is author Mary Robinette Kowal.

Here is her challenge to us: (She even has a seperate blog up for this http://lettermo.com/ that you can click on to find out more about it.)

I have a simple challenge for you.

In the month of February, mail at least one item through the post every day it runs. Write a postcard, a letter, send a picture, or a cutting from a newspaper, or a fabric swatch.

Write back to everyone who writes to you. This can count as one of your mailed items.

All you are committing to is to mail 24 items. Why 24? There are four Sundays and one US holiday. In fact, you might send more than 24 items. You might develop a correspondence that extends beyond the month. You might enjoy going to the mail box again.

Just to update. You don't need to actually take part in this if you want to get a letter or something from me. I am just asking for you blog URL so that I know who I am sending something to.
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I am in February's Book Blogger Spotlight

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 19:05:00 +0000

I just got an email from Simon & Schuster Canada saying that I was being featured as February's Book Blogger Spotlight this month. YAY!!!

It was truly an honored to be asked to take part and I had so much fun answering the questions. If you are interested please take a look and let me know what you think.

(Review) Spin (repost)

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy) — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 14:05:00 +0000

TITLE: Spin
AUTHOR: Catherine McKenzie
PUB DATE: February 7th, 2012 (US release date) January 9, 2010(Canadian release date)
PAGES: 419

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Katie Sandford has just gotten an interview at her favourite music magazine, The Line. It's the chance of a lifetime. So what does she do? Goes out to celebrate -- and shows up still drunk at the interview. No surprise, she doesn't get the job, but the folks at The Line think she might be perfect for another assignment for their sister gossip rag. All Katie has to do is follow It Girl Amber Sheppard into rehab. If she can get the inside scoop (and complete the 30-day program without getting kicked out), they'll reconsider her for the job at The Line.

Katie takes the job. But things get complicated when real friendships develop, a cute celebrity handler named Henry gets involved, and Katie begins to realize she may be in rehab for a reason. Katie has to make a decision -- is publishing the article worth everything she has to lose?

MY THOUGHTS:

Since this book is coming out next week in the US, I thought I would repost my review for it. I originally read and reviewed it almost two years ago for the Canadian release date.

I am so happy that I got to discover this awesome local author. I am wishing her much luck and success in the US with this book.

If you are a Canadian reader just a reminder that her book Forgotten will be released in May 2012. I am super excited to read it when it comes out.
The only way I can describe Katie in this book is a train wreak happening. She might not want to really admit it but she has a drinking problem and it causes alot of problems for her that she really isn't aware of or wants to admit to.

She finally gets the interview for her dream job to write for The Line. She has wanted to write for them for a long time but she manages to basically manages to screw that up by showing up to the interview late and drunk. Which of course is never a good thing.

Katie is afraid to face reality with herself and everyone around her. She is a party girl who has yet to really grow up and is going around lying about her age. She hangs around university kids so that she can feel like she fits in while her friends that her age are out making a real life for themselves and working.

A few days later Katie gets another call from another boss at The Line called Bob. He is offering Katie another job with the company but its for the gossip magazine and promises her that if she does good on this job then he will hire her to work at The Line. Her job will to go to rehab as a patient and spy on IT Girl, Amber Sheppard. She is the hottest thing in Hollywood. She agrees because she will do anything to work for The Line.

At first Katie goes with the flow and takes it as it is, not really taking in the rehab. She is there to do a job and doesn't feel she has a problem. As time goes by Katie begins to see it and admits she does have a problem. She finds herself friends with Amber and admits that she likes her.

Things are good while they both are in rehab until they are released and Bob informs Katie she has an article to write. Katie is stick if she doesn't submit this article she can be sued and if she does submit the article she looses her friendship with Amber. What is Katie to do? Will she risk it all?

I have to say that I really enjoyed reading the book. Luanne from http://luanne-abookwormsworld.blogspot.com/2010/01/spin-catherine-mckenzie.html describes this book like a bag of patoto chips and I have to agree. For it me it was like a accident waiting to happen and I had to keep reading to see what was going to happen next. It was addictive.

This is Catherine's debut novel and her second book is coming out in 2011.

This book was provided for review by Harper Collins Canada.

(meme) It's Monday! What are you reading? 5th edition

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 12:22:00 +0000

So in case you are wondering what It's Monday! What are you reading? is about well its a great way to recap what you read and/or reviewed the previous week and to plan out your reading and reviews for the upcoming week. It's also a great chance to see what others are reading right now…who knows, you might discover that next “must read” book!

Can you believe that this is the very last Monday of January? Where is the time going? I have no idea where January went but phew I wish it would slow down some. Surprisingly this is up early for once and that is because I actually prepared this post in advance and have it schedule to post. Yea me.

Well this will probably be up while I am volunteering at my son's school library. I am really enjoying this and its so much fun to see some many kids I know. I love giving them book ideas.

Since working in this enviroment I have been contemplating going back to school to get a degree in Library Science so that I can eventually work in a library enviroment proferably a school. That will be the plan this week to contact the local CJEP (sort of like a intro to university or almost equal to a grade 12 elsewhere) I will keep you posted on what I end up doing. Wish me luck.

Last week was a slow week in reading for me. I only read one and a quarter books.

What I read this past week:

I really enjoyed this book.

Currently reading:

What will be up next:

Hope everyone has a good week.

This is what I read and whats on my agenda. I hope everyone has a good reading week.

A Month of Letters (UPDATE Please Read)

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy) — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 02:49:00 +0000

I just wanted to make this quick post as an UPDATED post.

I just updated the form to now include a blog URL if you filled in the form already do you think you could put in the comments your blog URL (the first post about this challenge) or email it to me at cindysloveofbooksarc(at)gmail(dot)com

Thanks so much.

A month of Letters

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy) — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 02:14:00 +0000

Here is her challenge to us: (She even has a seperate blog up for this http://lettermo.com/ that you can click on to find out more about it.)

I have a simple challenge for you.

In the month of February, mail at least one item through the post every day it runs. Write a postcard, a letter, send a picture, or a cutting from a newspaper, or a fabric swatch.

Write back to everyone who writes to you. This can count as one of your mailed items.

All you are committing to is to mail 24 items. Why 24? There are four Sundays and one US holiday. In fact, you might send more than 24 items. You might develop a correspondence that extends beyond the month. You might enjoy going to the mail box again.

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The Mailbox Post

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy) — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 15:04:00 +0000

For Review:
Diary of a Mad Fat Girl by Stephanie McAfee. I am on a blogger tour for this in February I believe.

Books Bought:
I didn't buy anything this week because last week I ordered some Scholastic books and I am waiting for those to come in.

R.A.K:
Nothing this week.

Freebie:
Since I buy Special K (cereal and bars) I noticed that they were giving away a free yoga mat if you submitted pins from specially marked boxes and I did and I got my yoga mat this week.

I also got my 50 card pack from http://us.moo.com/ because I had added the timeline feature to my facebook page. I love them.

So this is what I got in my mailbox. I hope everyone had a good week.

Just in case your not on my facebook page I thought I would share the new look I got this past week. I was unsure at first but now I am really liking the new look.

Julep Maven Unboxing & Review of Penny Box

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 16:58:00 +0000

I was hoping to have gotten this box first (before my regular box that I showed you recently) but for some reason it came in much later. Sorry I have no vlog for this so I will just include a picture.

When I first discovered Julep Maven on Youtube I was pretty interested in the box but when I checked out the site I quickly discovered that it was a little expensive for me. Its basically $19.99/month and you get sent nail polish in the hottest shades for the season along with products that are geared towards Mani's and pedis that could be lotion/scrubs etc.

So when I heard they had a penny box up for grabs I figured why not try it out. I literally only paid one cent for this box and that included shipping to Canada. Great deal right? So why not give it a try.

What did I get for a penny you ask? Quite a few great items.
-89 ml Julep Facial for Hands glycolic hand scrub
-2ml sample of the same product
-2ml Julep everyday SPF 30 hand cream
-8ml Demi nail polish (this is the dark red color) An elegant burgundy crème, like a fine wine. Transcends time and trends. So sexy on all ages. Professional quality “4-free” nail polish formulation, developed without carcinogens such as formaldehyde or formaldehyde resin, toluene and DBP.
-8ml Jennifer nail polish (this is the pink color) (I couldn't find anything on this shade so either its a new shade or a discounted one.)

So basically this penny box was well worth the penny and I applaud http://www.julep.com/ for offering such a great incentive to join. I wish I wore enough nail polish where I can warrant continuing the monthly subscription. I don't wear alot of nail polish on a weekly bases but when i do I honestly have to say that I already own quite a few bottles of various kinds.

This time I thought I would try something a little different and that is that I am going to include my review in this post as well.

I loved the Facial for Hands scrub. You don't need alot of the product just a small amount and was you are rubbing your hands together you are exfoliating them. You can use this every day but for me I used it every other day and I loved the result I got because it made my hands feel soft and smooth.

The 2ml of the SPF 30 hand cream was another great product. It went on nicely and didn't leave my hand greasy. I had nice soft hands. I am not sure how many uses you are suppose to get out of the sample but for me I got 5 uses out of it because I found you didn't need alot of the lotion.

I love the idea behind the nail polishes because they are all developed without carcinogens such as formaldehyde or formaldehyde resin, toluene and DBP. Which in the end if very good for us and the environment. I like the two shades I got and when I tried them out I was pleasantly surprised at how well they went on. I never felt like I needed to add another coat if I didn't want to.

The Jennifer shade was a pale color and that is a shade a love when you want a little color but not alot of color. I ended up putting two coats of this one on. This one will be used alot because I really liked it.

The Demi shade is a nice red shade and I was really impressed with the tone. Honestly when you see the bottle you think of a darker shade but it wasn't that dark at first but once it started to dry it got darker and I think the next time I put it on I might be tempted to try another coat. This will be another color that I would use quite often when I want a pop of colour or just to brighten up a dull day.

Thanks again Julep for offering this fantastic penny box. I am thoroughly impressed with the quality of the products. If you are looking for a great gift idea for the person who loves nail polishes and don't know what to get then this could be the perfect gift.

Please note that I bought the above product with my own money and was no way compensate for my review.

It's Monday! What are you reading? 4th edition

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 01:43:00 +0000

So in case you are wondering what It's Monday! What are you reading? is about well its a great way to recap what you read and/or reviewed the previous week and to plan out your reading and reviews for the upcoming week. It's also a great chance to see what others are reading right now…who knows, you might discover that next “must read” book!

Can you believe that we are almost at the end of January? Where is the time going? I am a little late in getting this up today because of course its Monday and its my day to work in the school library. I love working in the library and have been thinking about going back to school perhaps in the fall to take a library science course. I would love to work in a school library.

Once again the weather has changed from last week. Today it was very mild out compared to last week's freezing cold weather. Apparently we will be sitting at around 0 most of the week. Tonight its pouring rain so hopefully it won't freeze over night other wise it will be messy in the am.

Last week was a slow week in reading for me. I only read one and a half books. I was reading Bunheads and I because I have been busy during the day cleaning the house and getting it ready for Michael's first Communion in May I haven't been reading during the day so my reading has been happening at bed time. Then on Friday morning I managed to hurt my back so I ended up on the couch most of the day and Bunheads was upstairs so I had to pick another book to read.

What I read this past week:

I ended up buying this last week because last Monday we were talking about this in the library and after we talked about it I just had to pick it up. Apparently the grade 6 classes are reading this in the class. Wow what a book. I have never read it but it was always on my wishlist.

This is my current read:

I am 3/4 of the way done this so I am sure I will finish it either tonight or tomorrow night.

I am not sure what I will be reading next as I have to check to see what my commitments are like and whats upcoming.

Hope everyone has a good week.
This is what I read and whats on my agenda. I hope everyone has a good reading week.

Glymm Box January Edition

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy) — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 12:57:00 +0000

I am super excited at how fast my January Glymm box came this month. I got a email January 13th and it arrived January 17th. I think this is the first time I ever received it so quickly considering I am in the same city (Montreal) that it ships from. So for me we started off on the right foot.

What I got in my Glymm box this month:

-Kaia Naturals- Juicy Bamboo Facial Cleaning Clothes. Full sized product is 30 clothes for $17.99 and my sample size was 1 cloth for $0.60
-Vasanti Csometics- BrightenUp! Enzymatic Face Rejuvenator. Full sizes products is 120ml for $34.00 and my sample size was 12g for $3.40
-Anastasia Beverly Hills- Clear Brow Gel. Full size product is 0.28oz for $21.00 and my sample size is 0.085oz for $6.38
-Burt Bees- Nourshing Milk & Honey Body Lotion. Full size is 170g for $12.99 and my sample size was 2x 0.25oz for $1.08
-Cargo Cosmetics- Eye Pencil. I got a full size of this product for $16.00 for 2g.
-a card for a Free Lip Shine valued at $25 with a order.

This month my box totally paid for itself. I got almost $28 worth of samples and if I happen to get the Lip Shine then it will be bring box over $52.

I am very happy with the products I got to sample this month. They are all products that I am excited to try. As you can see the jelly belly beans were missing this month. I went on to their facebook page to see what happened and because they were a safety hazard they discontinued them but promised that there would be something new and exciting coming.

I will be placing an order with Glymm tomorrow because I have enough points to redem for something but I am not quite sure what I want to use them for.

Here are some pictures:

I love the postcards they use. When I am done doing my posts for the box and product review posts I use these cards for bookmarks. They are the perfect size.This is another pretty card.

This is what I got in my box.

Check back next weekend when I will share my thoughts on the products.

The Mailbox Post

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy) — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 11:41:00 +0000

Mailbox Monday is a gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week and explore great book blogs. Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.

Mailbox Monday is originally hosted by Marcia from A girl and her books and The Printed Page. In the summer of 2010 Marcia decided she needed a change in hosting and didn't want to rely on one blogger alone to do it because its a lot of work so she decided to put Mailbox Monday on tour and so far with great success it has made monthly stops at more then a dozen blogs and this year is booked until the end. I will actually be hosting Mailbox Monday in April.
The host for January is Alyce from At Home With Books.

Another host for In My Mailbox is Kristi from The Story Siren.

Be sure to check out the above blogs to see what they and others got in their mailboxes this past week.

I was going to do a vlog today for In My Mailbox but this morning I ended up hurting my back. I think i might have turned too fast because I pulled something and it hurts really bad so I have taken my second Aleve and going to go and lay down with some heat.

Hope everyone had a good weekend and I can't wait to see what you got in your mailboxes.

This is what came to my door this week:

For Review:
I received All The Single Ladies by Jane Costello from Simon & Schuster UK. This is coming out May 3rd in Canada and coming out February 2nd in the UK.

R.A.K (Random Act of Kindness)
This past week I received two R.A.Ks from the awesome Lucy at Moon Light Gleam. Thank you Lucy they were a total surprise. She sent me Dark Lover (book 1) and Lover Eternal (book 2) by J.R Ward.

Books Bought:
This week I bought one book with a remainder gift card I had and that was Lover Revealed by J.R Ward (book 4) in the series.

So this is what I got in my mailbox. I hope everyone had a good week.

Brand New Series In Books

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 15:57:00 +0000

I am always on the hunt for interesting and exciting books for Michael and I stumbled upon these on Friday. It sounds like a great series for Michael that I am thinking about getting them for him because I am sure he would enjoy these books.

Here is a description about the books:
Like any third-grade boy, Zeke Meeks has his share of problems. His little sister sings embarrassing princess songs around his friends. He has a deep, dark secret that no one can find out about. (Psst...he's terrified of bugs!) And his biggest enemy is a tiny, evil girl with razor-sharp fingernails. It's Zeke Meeks versus the world!

Girls are ruining Zeke Meeks' life. Not only is he surrounded by girls at home, he now has a new girl neighbor. She might be good at sports and video games, but when it comes down to it, she is still an awful girl

Zeke Meeks thinks his teacher is crazy when he announces that no one can watch TV for an entire week. There is no way Zeke will survive without videogames or his favorite shows. Will he be bored enough to play with his sister? Study? Actually read for fun? Only time will tell

Instead of playing at recess, Zeke Meeks' classmates have been sitting around, staring at their boring Puppet Pals. Will Zeke join them, even though he has no interest in this playground craze?

Normally, Zeke Meeks wouldn't care too much about the science fair, but he needs the prize money. If he doesn't pay Grace Change fifty dollars, she'll use her evil fingernails to rip his face off. Now if only he could find a project that doesn't make the dog sick or clog up the pipes.

There is also a great website to go along with the books and its Capstone Kids .

Don't they sound like the would be so much fun to read? If you go to the Capstone kids you can read a sample chapter of Zeke Meeks vs the putrid puppet pals. I just read it and I think this is right up Mihael's alley.

(Guest Post) Joel M. Andre

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 11:17:00 +0000

Today I am taking part in Partners In Crimes blog tour and I am honored to have Joel M. Andre stop by to guest post for me today. Thanks so much Joel for taking the time out of your busy schedule to do this for me and my readers.

Most people who do a Google search on me will find an endless supply of
information. Over the years I have done a number of interviews and guest
posts promoting my books. However, around the time that my third Lauren
Bruni book, The Black Chronicles: Cry of the Fallen, I began to build a
website that focused on a variety of horror themed topics.

It was here that I would promote items like Brutal, Kill 4 Me and other
titles I have released and built a world of horror topics that interest
people. This created an online presence that left people interested in
learning more about me after they researched another topic. This has helped
me to reach a new audience. It has also helped me to avoid plenty of the
pitfalls other writers encountered.

Many writers who self-publish sit back after the book is published and
wait for people to find and buy it. They may get a fair number of sales
once people start finding it but there is no telling how long that could
take. It could be weeks or even months before the first sale.

Why not help people find your book faster so it starts selling faster?
Using SEO strategies is the answer. It isn't that difficult and the first
step is done at the time you publish at Kindle Desktop Publishing or just
about any of the other places you can self-publish. Most places have a
field to enter carefully chosen keywords that will help bring your book up
in searches made by people looking for something related to your book's
topic or storyline. To choose the best keywords, you can use such tools as
Google Keyword Tool. This will help you find the keywords relative to your
book that are actually used by people looking for something in the search
engines.

Now, this is just the first step and while important, does not go far
enough to help your book be found sooner. The next step in SEO is
backlinking. This means having other sites link to the page offering your
book. It is important that these links come from sites that are relevant to
the type of book you have or the topic of the book.

Another effective SEO strategy that is newer is social networking. This
involve such sites as Facebook, Twitter, Redgage and Google +. Millions of
people are on these sites regularly so if you are not using them to promote
your book, you are leaving sales and cash on the table. Create fan pages,
circles and whatever is the mode for a particular social site just for your
books and then start getting people to 'Like', 'Follow' and 'Plus 1' you.
It can go viral and help to boost sales and more talk about your book.

Of course, guest blogging and blog comments are another means of helping
people find and buy your book. This can be a more personal way as you can
tell a little about yourself and how you came to write the book, which is
often a great way to promote a book.

These can be a bit time consuming to do all on your own but there is a
company with the expertise to help you get it done right without costing an
arm and a leg. That company is Need An Article, where I am one of the staff
of writers who can help you get your book noticed sooner. You can check
them out at www.needanarticle.com or visit me online at www.joelmandre.info.

Joel's newest book is:

About the book:
On a warm summer afternoon, in Northern Arizona, a double homicide stains the ground with blood. Detectives are called out to handle the investigation, each plagued with their own internal demons, and aren't prepared for what they are about to find. Detective Lauren Bruni, faces a world of darkness and evil, as a demonic force begins to leash an attack on a small town. As the stakes begin to rise, so does the stunning truth, that not even Lauren can imagine. In a world where her life had started to fall apart, she must pick up the pieces and push forward in an effort to save those that she loves the most. Joel M. Andre takes the Horror genre and pushes the boundaries in a tale full of suspense, dark comedy and genuine horror.

To buy the paperback version of this book click here or to buy it on kindle click here.

About the Author
Joel M. Andre was born January 13, 1981. At a young age he was fascinated with the written word. It was at fourteen that Poe blew his mind, and Andre began to dabble with darker poetry. Between the years of 1999 and 2007, Joel was featured in various poetry anthologies and publications. In 2008 he released his first collection, "Pray the Rain Never Ends". Knowing there was something deeper and darker inside of his soul, Joel decided to take a stab at commercialism. Releasing the dark, tongue in cheek, "A Death at the North Pole", created a dark world that resulted from the death of Kris Kringle. Ultimately, it proved to be a tale of redemption. October of 2008 saw Joel release his second book, "Kill 4 Me." This was a tale that found Casey Dwyer being haunted by a spirit through text messages, and instant messaging. It was far more brutal than anything he had released before. Taking some time off and doing a lot of soul searching, Joel took things in a new direction and dabbled in the Fantasy Genre with, "The Pentacle of Light". This tale dealt with five major races battling for control of Earth, and the acceptance of their God. As times continue to change, so does the tales he has to tell. This October he will bring back Lauren Bruni in a prequel, and come 2011 there will be the next book in his Fantasy series "The Pentacle of Light". Currently, he resides in Arizona.

Thanks again Joel for stopping by and doing this for us.

Two Funny videos I discovered today

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 16:13:00 +0000

One of my daily rituals is always to head to facebook before anything else to see what is going one with my friends. Usually they post something interesting or funny and this morning on facebook one of my friends posted this video:

I guess this can relate to any of us bloggers and I admit that I am guilty of saying a few things in this video. How about you?
Then my second thing to do online is to head into blogger and find out what fun and exciting things fellow bloggers are posting and I saw this one this morning on tales of a ranting ginger

I am sure our significant others have said a few things this guy has said. I know mine has.

Enjoy everyone.

(Review) Canal House Cooking Volume 7

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 14:37:00 +0000

Title: Canal House Cooking Volume 7 La Dolce Vita
Authors: Melissa Hamilton & christopher Hirsheimer
Pub Date: January 2012
Publisher: Canal House
Pages: 128

Source: I received a copy of this from Andrews McMeel Publishing for a honest and sincere review. Thank You Andrews McMeel for sending this.

About the book:
Welcome to the Canal House—our studio, workshop, dining room, office, kitchen, lair, lab, and atelier devoted to good ideas and good work relating to the world of food. We write, photograph, design, and paint, but in our hearts we both think of ourselves as cooks first.
How did we get here? Neither of us set out to make careers in the food world. Actually there wasn’t much of a “foodie” world when we both started. But our deep interests led us down paths that unfolded in front of us.

We had worked with each other as food editors in the magazine world. We traveled the globe in search of essential and authentic recipes, sliding into banquettes in famous restaurants, meeting big deal chefs, and even cooking in far-flung home kitchens. It was great and exciting. But our work took us both away from our families, our homes, and our gardens, away from what really matters, after all.

We live in little towns across the river from each other, one in New Jersey, the other in Pennsylvania. So we decided to join forces. We share similar backgrounds, having grown up in big families where food came first. In a time that seems like a million years ago now, our aproned grandmothers nurtured us with wholesome, comforting food—buttermilk pancakes drenched in salty butter and maple syrup. Our mothers were glamorous. They loved parties and cocktails and restaurants and brunch with Bloody Marys—food was exciting. Last night’s Chinese “takeout” would show up at breakfast reheated with two poached eggs on top. Both of us have deep food memories and large legacies to uphold.

We found our loft studio in an old redbrick warehouse downriver from where we live. A beautiful lazy canal runs alongside the building. One hundred years ago, mules plodding along the tow path hauled provision-ladened barges up and down the state. In warm weather, we provision-ladened barges up and down the state. In warm weather, we throw open the French doors and the voices of the people walking or or fishing below float up to us. We plant herbs in our window boxes and grow tomatoes in pots on our wrought-iron balcony. In the winter we build fires in the Franklin wood stove to keep cozy when its snowy and gray outside.

The Canal House has a simple galley kitchen. Two small “apartment-size” stoves sit snugly side by side against a white tiled wall. An old wooden carpenter’s worktable with a little sink at one end is our long counter and pots hang from a rack suspended above it. We have a dishwasher, but we find ourselves preferring to hand wash the dishes so we can look out of the tall window next to the sink and see the ducks swimming in the canal or watch the raindrops splashing into the water.

The town around us is a small American river town. A noon whistle still blows and church bells chime—no kidding! There is a drug store around the corner. Across the street is an old hardware store, and the best bar in the world is right down the alley.

And every day we cook. Starting the morning with coffee or cups of sweet milky tea, we tell each other what we made for dinner the night before. In the middle of the day we stop our work, set the table simply with paper napkins, and have lunch. So it came naturally to write down what we cook.

The Canal House Cooking series is a seasonal collection of our favorite recipes—home cooking by home cooks for home cooks. With a few exceptions, we use ingredients that are readily available and found in most markets in most towns throughout the United States. All the recipes are easy to prepare, all completely doable for the novice and experienced cook alike. We want to share with you as fellow cooks, our love of food and all its rituals. The everyday practice of simple cooking and the enjoyment of eating are two of the greatest pleasures in life.

This volume celebrates the bounty of fall and the festive holiday season with delicious Italian dishes, some classic, some reinterpreted Canal House style.

I always love when I get a new cookbook in the mail to review because that means a whole bunch of new recipes to try. We love trying new foods and some are a hit and some are a miss but its nice to try something new.

I love the cover of the book because it looks like its a fancy looking journal.

This is the first time that I heard about Canal House cookbooks and now I am really cuirous about them because if they are anything like this one I am sure I would enjoy it. Who doesn't like to try something new every now and then?

This is cookbook number seven in the series and its based on a recent month long journey that Melissa and Christopher took in Tuscany.

I got to make a few recipes from the cookbooks so far and our favorites have been the Simple Tomato Sauce (you can use this with pasta and lasagne), Ragu Bolognese (which I modified a bit because there was some ingredients we didn't like and we enjoyed it) and finally a delicious Apple Cake.

I think if you like trying new things or Italian cooking then this is the book for you. Interested in buying the book but would like to see a sample first, well then click on this. After seeing the sample I am sure your mouth will be watering.

It's Monday! What are you reading? (meme) #3

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 01:14:00 +0000

One of my favorite bloggers Sheila from Book Journey is the host of this weekly meme. If you haven't checked out Sheila's blog yet then what are you waiting for. I love reading Sheila's blog because she covers it all and I always end up walking away like I get to know Sheila a little more from her post. Hopefully this year I might actually get to meet her if she goes to NYC (HINT HINT Sheila).

I also just discovered recently that Sheila has partnered with Jen from Teach Mentor Texts and they come up with a fun meme with a kidlit focus - anyone reading and reviewing books in children's literature - it can be picture books, chapter books, middle grade novels, young adult novels, you name it in the world of kidlit and it's in!

So in case you are wondering what It's Monday! What are you reading? is about well its a great way to recap what you read and/or reviewed the previous week and to plan out your reading and reviews for the upcoming week. It's also a great chance to see what others are reading right now…who knows, you might discover that next “must read” book!

Can you believe that we are into our third week of January? Where is the time going? I am a little late in getting this up today because of course its Monday and its my day to work in the school library. I love working in the library and have been thinking about going back to school perhaps in the fall to take a library science course. I would love to work in a school library.

The weather has changed very drastically here in Montreal. The past few days have been extremely cold with almost temps of -25. Its almost typical weather for us but a shock when its been above average temps. We got hit with a major snow fall last week and I hear there is more coming tomorrow along with freezing rain so that should be alot of fun....NOT!

Last week was a slow week in reading for me. I only read one book. Not sure what happened as I was on a roll but I think it was getting back into the swing of things and into a routine. Looking forward to getting the reading back into gear.

What I read this past week:

I managed to finish this up last week and I was almost going to give up because I was having a hard time but then I got to a point and was like a manic. I had to know what was going to happen. I really enjoyed this one. My review will be posted this week.
This is my current read:

I will begin this one tonight and I am excited as I love the cover.
This is what I read and whats on my agenda. I hope everyone has a good reading week.

The Mailbox Post

noreply@blogger.com (Cindy) — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 12:41:00 +0000

This weeks mailbox is a little different because I started the week off by picking up a gift basket that I won from a local radio station here in Montreal, 92.5 The Beat. It was a Van Houtte's coffee basket as you will see shortly.

I also was lucky enough to meet the announcers of the morning show which was a total surprise because I thought that I was just going to be meeting with the producer but I think he knew that I was a fan of the show and of Cat's that he brought them down.

Shaun, Sarah, me and Cat.

I had no idea what the prize was exactly apart from it being a Van Houtte's gift basket. So when I got it I was surprised. It ws filled with a full bag of expresso beans, and three other bags of assorted coffees which I am dying to try as those are ones I have never tried. There was also a can of cookies and a panatone cake and a frother. It was all in a reusable black box.

After picking up my gift basket I decided since I still had some time that I would stop by the Atwater library to check the sale cart to see what there was and I managed to pick these up:

-I am not a Serial Killer by Dan Wells
-How I made it to Eighteen by Tracey White
-Also known as Harper by Ann HayWoo Leal

This past week I didn't get anything for review which is okay but the lovely Jeri Smith Ready sent me this little envelope of swag that is signed and a book plate that I can added to my copy of Shift.

When I was at Walmart this week I saw this sitting in the book section and it was too much of a deal that I couldn't pass up. Its Switched by Amanda Hocking

So this was my week how was yours?