The Book Inn

Sunday Salon .... Summers Finally Here!

2011-08-21T10:58:00.000-07:00

Yep, its a little late. There hasn't been much of a summer here, mostly in the low 70's, cold, windy but it was in the high 70's yesterday and the rest of the week its supposed to stay that way . We went to the beach and baked in the sun. Reading and building sandcastles.

Last week I finished: Dreams of Joy by Lisa See

Wrecker by Summer Wood

Currently Reading : The Crying Tree by Naseem Rakha

So Close The Hand of Death by J.T. Ellison

This is the beach at Fort Casey, Washington.

The Sunday Salon

2011-08-14T15:14:00.000-07:00

I finally have a day to read, blog and just plain be lazy! Since I've gone back to the office, I haven't had the energy to blog or do anything on the computer. But we've been bike riding, trying to lose weight and I'm finally getting used to the schedule. My son has also been making friends and is adjusting to our new home. The weather has been wonderful too! Not hot not cold but the fall chill is in the air.

Since we've moved I have read so many great books. The last one I finished, The Help by Kathryn Stockett was an awesome read. Sad but the ending was so good. I am looking forward to seeing the movie!

THE HELP: Movie Trailer. Watch more top selected videos about: THE HELP, Sissy Spacek

I've finished :

Little Bee by Chris Cleave

Fallen by Karin Slaughter

The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen

No Cure For The Broken Hearted by Kenneth Rosenberg

Molokai by Alan Brennert

Kiss Her Kill Her by Lisa Dewar

The Lake by Banana Yoshimoto

Currently Reading:

Dreams of Joy by Lisa See

I hope to be able to post more often during the week and also visit some of my favorite blogs.

Hope you have a wonderful Sunday!

TGIF!! Join in on the Friday meme's...

2011-06-24T07:29:00.000-07:00

This will be my last post for awhile. After 10 years of moving around, we're moving back to Washington and I'm going back to the office. Excited and anxious. Our daily routine will be totally changed!!

Fridays we have a few fun meme's to join in on.

Friday Follow hosted by Parajunkee -

To join the fun and make new book blogger friends, just follow these simple rules:

(Required) Follow the Follow My Book Blog Friday Host { Parajunkee.com } and any one else you want to follow on the list
(Required) Follow our Featured Bloggers - http://imabookshark.blogspot.com/
Put your Blog name & URL in the Linky thing. LINKY TOOLS IS BACK! I paid for the subscription - finally so now you can add the links to your own post!!! To add the code to your own post click on GET THE CODE here under the list of names.
Grab the button up there and place it in a post, this post is for people to find a place to say hi in your comments
Follow Follow Follow as many as you can, as many as you want, or just follow a few. The whole point is to make new friends and find new blogs. Also, don't just follow, comment and say hi. Another blogger might not know you are a new follower if you don't say "HI"
If someone comments and says they are following you, be a dear and follow back. Spread the Love...and the followers
If you're new to the follow friday hop, comment and let me know, so I can stop by and check out your blog!

Book Blogger hop is hosted by Crazy for Books:

In the spirit of the Twitter Friday Follow, the Book Blogger Hop is a place just for book bloggers and readers to connect and share our love of the written word! This weekly BOOK PARTY is an awesome opportunity for book bloggers to connect with other book lovers, make new friends, support each other, and generally just share our love of books! It will also give blog readers a chance to find other book blogs to read! So, grab the logo, post about the Hop on your blog, and start HOPPING through the list of blogs that are posted in the Linky list below!!

The Hop lasts Friday-Monday every week, so if you don’t have time to Hop today, come back later and join the fun! This is a weekly event! And stop back throughout the weekend to see all the new blogs that are added! We get over 200 links every week!!

RULES:

Your blog should have content related to books, including, but not limited to book reviews.

1. Post about the Hop on your blog (feel free to grab the logo at the top of the post!)

Spread the word about the book party! The more the merrier!

In your blog post, answer the following question (new question each week!).

This week’s question comes from Elena who blogs at Books and Reviews! Thanks for submitting a question for our Hoppers, Elena! Be sure to visit her blog and tell her thank you!

“When did you realize reading was your passion and a truly important part of your life?”

It's not something I all of the sudden realized. It has been a growing obsession.

2. Enter your book blog link in the Linky List below.

In your description, please state the main genre that you review – Example: Crazy-for-Books (contemp. adult fiction)

3. Visit other blogs in the Linky List!
Make new friends! Follow new book bloggers! Talk about books! Rave about authors! Take the time to make a quality visit! Check out other posts and content, make a new friend! Don’t randomly follow someone if you never intend on actually following them! No spamming please! (Please do not leave your link and not visit other blogs – it’s just not cool and not in the spirit of the Hop!)
Failure to adhere to the above 3 rules may result in removal of your link from the Linky List.

Friday 56 is hosted by Freda's Voice

Rules:
Grab a book, any book.
Turn to page 56.
Find any sentence that grabs you.
Post it.
*Add your (url) post below in Linky.

It's that simple.

Mine comes from the book No Cure For The Broken Hearted by Kenneth Rosenberg.

"A small army of security guards held back the riff raff and the paparazzi. It was like arriving at some sort of movie premier, yet Nick hadn't even told Katherine what the occasion was."

If you like fun romance books, I highly recommend this one!

It's Monday What Are You Reading?

2011-06-20T13:55:00.000-07:00

It's Monday, What Are You Reading is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading is where we share what we read this past week, what we hope to read this week…. and anything in between! D This is a great way to plan out your reading week and see what others are currently reading as well… you never know where that next “must read” book will come from!

I love being a part of this and I hope you do too! As part of this weekly meme I love to encourage you all to go and visit the others participating in this meme. I offer a weekly contest for those who visit 10 or more of the Monday Meme participants and leave a comment telling me how many you visited. **You do not have to have a blog to participate! You receive one entry for every 10 comments, just come back here and tell me how many in the comment area.

Currently Reading:

Hello My Name Is James

No Cure For The Broken Hearted

Next Up:

Wrecker by Summer Wood

Fallen by Karin Slaughter

The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen

Dreams of Joy by Lisa See

So Close The Hand of Death by J.T. Ellison

I still have a stack of books to review!

Hopefully I'll be able to chip away at it after we move.

I'll be back in the office soon so I won't have much time to read much less blogging!

Teaser Tuesday! No Cure For The Broken Hearted by Kenneth Rosenberg

2011-06-15T12:38:00.000-07:00

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My teaser comes from the book I'm reading next, No Cure For The Broken Hearted by Kenneth Rosenberg:

A full range of emotions crossed Katherine's face; shock, disbelief and finally a twinge of terror. "Call him back right now and tell him I can't do it," said Katherine, growing pale.

I'm curious to know who this guy is!

More about the book:

Katherine Spencer is an up-and-coming architect in New York City. Her professional life is on the fast-track. Her personal life is a shambles. Katherine compares every man she ever meets to Nick Bancroft, the billionaire’s son who broke her heart one summer long ago. Now, twelve years later he’s suddenly reappeared, asking her to design a house at the cove where they shared their first kiss. Is he looking for an architect, or something more? And should she forgive him?

Visit Kenneth Rosenbergs website for an excerpt.

Whats In My Mailbox....

2011-06-14T08:03:00.000-07:00

Mailbox Monday - which I'm a little late or early- depends on how you look at it, is/was hosted by The Printed Page and each month its hosted by a different blogger. This month it's hosted by The Bluestocking Guide. Love the look of her blog!

So, what's mailbox Monday?

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.

I was thrilled to receive Fallen by Karin Slaughter! If you like a good mystery crime thriller, you'd like Karin Slaughter books.

Product Description

There’s no police training stronger than a cop’s instinct. Faith Mitchell’s mother isn’t answering her phone. Her front door is open. There’s a bloodstain above the knob. Her infant daughter is hidden in a shed behind the house. All that the Georgia Bureau of Investigations taught Faith Mitchell goes out the window when she charges into her mother’s house, gun drawn. She sees a man dead in the laundry room. She sees a hostage situation in the bedroom. What she doesn’t see is her mother. . . .

“You know what we’re here for. Hand it over, and we’ll let her go.”

When the hostage situation turns deadly, Faith is left with too many questions, not enough answers. To find her mother, she’ll need the help of her partner, Will Trent, and they’ll both need the help of trauma doctor Sara Linton. But Faith isn’t just a cop anymore—she’s a witness. She’s also a suspect.

The thin blue line hides police corruption, bribery, even murder. Faith will have to go up against the people she respects the most in order to find her mother and bring the truth to light—or bury it forever.

Karin Slaughter’s most exhilarating novel yet is a thrilling journey through the heart and soul, where the personal and the criminal collide, and conflicted loyalties threaten to destroy reputations and ruin lives. It is the work of a master of the thriller at the top of her game, and a whirlwind of unrelenting suspense.

From Kelley & Hall Book Publicity I received Kiss Her, Kill Her by Lisa Dewar.

Product Description

THE PREDATOR
New York City has a monster on the loose and his name is Tarryn Cooper Love.
No one had given a second glance to the handsome taxi driver, but in reality he had been molded to be a killer since early childhood. His mother, who valued a juicy murder above all else, had taught him well. Just one more trophy and he is set to reach his goal, surpassing his mother's idol, the infamous Ted Bundy.
THE PREY
When a beautiful young woman gets into his cab flashing a wad of cash, he thinks he's hit the jackpot. As she starts confessing her plans for ending her own life he decides to listen to her story, hoping to charm her back from the brink of death, to heighten his game.
What he discovers is a twisted tale that has taken her from the hardened streets of LA to the upper crust of New York...a story that might even rival his own.
Tarryn has to decide within the space of 24 hours, if he should kill her or save her - and perhaps save himself in the process.

Ordered from Christianbooks.com Bestsellers :

Over the Edge by Brandilyn Collins

Over the Edge

By Brandilyn Collins / B&H Books

Janessa McNeil's husband, Dr. Brock McNeil, has spent his life "proving" chronic Lyme Disease doesn't exist. Because of doctors like Brock many Lyme patients remain untreated. One embittered man--who lost his wife to the disease--has seen enough. He breaks into the mcneil's house and places an infected tick on Jannie while she sleeps. After jannie develops Lyme symptoms the man states his demand--or her daughter will be next. Jannie must convince her husband to publicly change his opinion about Lyme. But her marriage is already rocky. She's so sick she can hardly walk or think. And her husband denies that she has Lymes at all.

That's it for this week!

What does Tom think?

TGIF!! Join in on the Friday meme's....

2011-06-10T07:28:00.000-07:00

Hosted by Crazy For Books but this week hosted by Lori's Reading Corner.

In the spirit of the Twitter Friday Follow, the Book Blogger Hop is a place just for book bloggers and readers to connect and share our love of the written word! This weekly BOOK PARTY is an awesome opportunity for book bloggers to connect with other book lovers, make new friends, support each other, and generally just share our love of books! It will also give blog readers a chance to find other book blogs to read! So, grab the logo, post about the Hop on your blog, and start HOPPING through the list of blogs that are posted in the Linky list below!!

The Hop lasts Friday-Monday every week, so if you don't have time to Hop today, come back later and join the fun! This is a weekly event! And stop back throughout the weekend to see all the new blogs that are added! We get over 200 links every week!!

RULES:

Your blog should have content related to books, including, but not limited to book reviews.

1. Enter your book blog link in the Linky List below, including the genre that you review!

In your link, please state the main genre that you review: eclectic, contemp. fiction, ya, paranormal, mystery, non-fiction, etc.

Example: Crazy-for-Books (contemp. adult fiction)

2. Post about the Hop on your blog. Spread the word about the book party! The more the merrier! In your blog post, answer the following question (new question each week!).

If you have a suggestion for a future HOP question, click here to fill out the form! Thanks!

“Who is the ONE author that you are DYING to meet?

Oh, that's easy. Not just one tho. Faye Kellerman, Kathy Reichs, oh Laurel Rain Snow, Craig Lancaster, umm there are so many!!

2. Enter your book blog link in the Linky List below.

In your description, please state the main genre that you review – Example: Crazy-for-Books (contemp. adult fiction)

3. Visit other blogs in the Linky List!

Make new friends! Follow new book bloggers! Talk about books! Rave about authors! Take the time to make a quality visit! Check out other posts and content, make a new friend! Don’t randomly follow someone if you never intend on actually following them! No spamming please! (Please do not leave your link and not visit other blogs – it’s just not cool and not in the spirit of the Hop!)

***Failure to adhere to the above 3 rules may result in removal of your link from the Linky List.***

Welcome to Week 31 with me!

Rules:
*Grab a book, any book.
*Turn to page 56.
*Find any sentence that grabs you.
*Post it.
*Add your (url) post below in Linky.

It's that simple.

My Friday 56 comes the book I'm currently reading called Hello, My Name is James.

" It's ok, It's only June. Baseball is a marathon not a sprint," James replied. "Well, I hope they sprint their ass to the World Series this year. I would like to see them win a championship in my lifetime."

(Required) Follow the Follow My Book Blog Friday Host { Parajunkee.com } and any one else you want to follow on the list
(Required) Follow our Featured Bloggers - http://www.nickijmarkus.com/
Put your Blog name & URL in the Linky thing. LINKY TOOLS IS BACK! I paid for the subscription - finally so now you can add the links to your own post!!! To add the code to your own post click on GET THE CODE here under the list of names.
Grab the button up there and place it in a post, this post is for people to find a place to say hi in your comments
Follow Follow Follow as many as you can, as many as you want, or just follow a few. The whole point is to make new friends and find new blogs. Also, don't just follow, comment and say hi. Another blogger might not know you are a new follower if you don't say "HI"
If someone comments and says they are following you, be a dear and follow back. Spread the Love...and the followers
If you're new to the follow friday hop, comment and let me know, so I can stop by and check out your blog!

Happy Follow Friday!

What does Tom think?

Book Review : Tuck Your Skirt in Your Panties and Run by Lucy Adams

2011-06-04T09:11:00.000-07:00

When your day is blue and upside down, Tuck Your Skirt In Your Panties and Run!!

Product Description -(Amazon)

Ever laughed when you knew you shouldn't? Battled with Satan over chocolate? Forgotten to wear lipstick to the Garden Club meeting? Tried to define variorium? At times like these, what else can you do but Tuck Your Skirt in Your Panties and Run?
In her much awaited second book, award winning writer Lucy Adams, author of If Mama Don't Laugh, It Ain't Funny, takes readers on a roller-coaster ride through life's most embarrassing moments and delivers them safely on the other side. In her usual form, Adams gives readers an eye-watering, nose-snorting, giggling gift of a good time.
Join a 40 year-old bridesmaid on her journey to walk down the aisle, delve into a magnolia massacre, attend a hawg killin' with the communists, do some island living country style, and inflict vicarious revenge on the inventor of the balloon. Adams's wit will make you turn around and check your own underwear. Best of all we each can relax in the realization that we're not the only ones running with our skirts tucked in our panties.

My thoughts:

Each themed chapter holds tales of those unforgettable moments in life, from marriage, to family to chickens, hehe!! Some stories are just the little things and some are major catastrophes that make you chuckle. I don't know about you but I tend to read so many serious, sad, dark fiction that this book was a much needed respite. I have started this trend now that when something goes awry, I end it with saying " Tuck Your Skirt In Your Panties and Run"!!! ( my husband thinks I'm nuts)

This is a definite must read.

About the author:

From her website Lucy Adams:

Freelance writer, syndicated newspaper columnist, and a recent convert to running, which she also refers to as exercising on the dark side. She is the author of If Mama Don't Laugh,It Ain't Funny, and a second book titled Tuck Your Skirt in Your Panties and Run.

You can follow Lucy on Facebook and Twitter.

Deed So by Katharine A. Russell - Book Review

2011-05-25T15:49:00.000-07:00

Deed So by Kath Russell

Product Description from Amazon:

It is 1962, and Agnes Hayden Bashford, Haddie, a brainy Southern teen from a tradition-bound family, dreams of breaking free from suffocating expectations placed on girls and from Wicomico Corners. She vows to escape to the exhilarating world beyond its narrow borders, like her handsome, older friend Gideon Albright who is going to Vietnam. A series of shocking incidents brings the outside world crashing down on her peaceful village, exposing long-buried family secrets and setting Haddie on a collision course with an unstable firebrand who will have to silence her to protect his identity. Haddie witnesses the fatal shooting of a black teen by a white down-on-his-luck farmer trying to protect his retarded son. The resulting murder trial attracts outside agitators and political aspirants, and pits townspeople against each other. Excited about being a witness in the trial, Haddie sees her moment of notoriety dissolve into frustration and discomfort and tragedy claim the people around her. The racially-charged case exposes civic fault lines and secrets within Haddie's own family, shattering her comfortable home life, and unleashes an arsonist who terrorizes the community by night. In Deed So, a young girl and an entire town lose their innocence in the last year of innocence, the year before the Kennedy assassination, the civil rights struggle, feminist activism and the Vietnam War changed America forever.

A hearty story, in some ways reminded me of To Kill A Mockingbird . Haddie witness's a murder and now the town she is so bored in, is overwhelming her. Her friend Gideon who she would love to have as a boyfriend, goes back to war and comes back a mess. The murder trial sends people from Washington invading their small town of Wicomico, creating havoc and her family uncovers some shocking secrets.

The story definitely has the captivating, engrossing page turning factor !! Highly recommend.

More about the author from her website:

Author Biography

Before transitioning to a life of full time writing and care-giving, Katharine Russell enjoyed a career in the biotechnology industry. A seasoned executive with over 35 years in biopharmaceutical marketing and communications management, Russell, founded RWWR Associates to assist startup companies with strategic planning and positioning. Formerly, Russell was president of Russell-Welsh Strategic Life Science Communications, Inc., a public relations practice she sold to Grey Advertising in 2000.
Previously, Russell was senior vice president and a member of the operating committee of Cetus Corporation, one of the first biotechnology companies (now part of Chiron), where she helped Wall Street evaluate some of the first products of genetic engineering including PCR technology, interleukin-2, beta interferon and genetically altered crops. She also held various management positions at Baxter International at headquarters and in the Artificial Organs Division. Previously, she was vice president of a film company serving the pharmaceutical industry.
Her clients have included Genentech, Affymax, Cell Genesys, Abbott, Searle, Becton-Dickinson, Marion Laboratories, Mallinckrodt and the American College of Surgeons. She also was a founder and chief executive officer of MyEtribute, Inc., an eCommerce company offering information, products and services for mature companion animals and veterinarians.
Russell received a BA degree in history from Northwestern University, holds an MS degree in journalism from Boston University and an MBA in marketing from the Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern. She received her certificate in creative writing from the UCLA Extension Writer's Program in 2009.
Russell is a trustee of St. Mary's College of Maryland and served on the Board of Visitors for Goucher College for six years. A member of the Board of Visitors of Northwestern University's Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences (1992-2007), Russell served on that body's steering committee (2000-2007). She was a member of the Johns Hopkins University, Bloomberg School of Public Health Advisory Board from 2000-06.
She is a member of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, the Palm Springs Writer's Guild, the International Association of Business Communicators, the Women's National Book Association and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Russell divides her time between Palm Desert, California, and Baltimore, Maryland.

Banana Blog Hop - Book Blogger Hop - Friday 56 - Friday Friday!!

2011-05-20T12:02:00.000-07:00

In the spirit of the Twitter Friday Follow, the Book Blogger Hop is a place just for book bloggers and readers to connect and share our love of the written word! This weekly BOOK PARTY is an awesome opportunity for book bloggers to connect with other book lovers, make new friends, support each other, and generally just share our love of books! It will also give blog readers a chance to find other book blogs to read! So, grab the logo, post about the Hop on your blog, and start HOPPING through the list of blogs that are posted in the Linky list below!!

The Hop lasts Friday-Monday every week, so if you don't have time to Hop today, come back later and join the fun! This is a weekly event! And stop back throughout the weekend to see all the new blogs that are added! We get over 200 links every week!!

RULES:
Your blog should have content related to books, including, but not limited to book reviews.

1. Enter your book blog link in the Linky List below, including the genre that you review!

In your link, please state the main genre that you review: eclectic, contemp. fiction, ya, paranormal, mystery, non-fiction, etc.

Example: Crazy-for-Books (contemp. adult fiction)

2. Post about the Hop on your blog. Spread the word about the book party! The more the merrier! In your blog post, answer the following question (new question each week!).

If you have a suggestion for a future HOP question, click here to fill out the form! Thanks!

This week's question comes from Ivan who blogs at Ivan Bookworm:

"If you were given the chance to spend one day in a fictional world (from a book), which book would it be from and what would that place be?"

Hmmm, well, Dan Browns Davinci Code, PARIS! Yeah. The Louvre.

The Friday 56 is hosted by Freda's Voice.

Rules:
*Grab a book, any book.
*Turn to page 56.
*Find any sentence that grabs you.
*Post it.
*Add your (url) post below in Linky.

This comes from the book Wrecker by Summer Wood. A Library Thing early reviewer book:

"They all turned to stare at the waves. Collectively, with horror, they searched for a bob of blond hair, for a flash of red sweatshirt."

Banana Blog Hop! What is the Banana Blog hop you say? Melville House

is hosting the Banana Blog Hop and here's what they have to say about it:

We’ve just released the new summer novel The Lake by Japanese sensation Banana Yoshimoto and so we’re going to center our first “Hop” around that book.

Here’s how you can participate and win free books.

1. Answer these questions on your blog.

“What’s the most unusual love story you’ve ever read?”

That is a tough question - I have been thinking about this and most of the love stories I've read are the usual story lines. One recent book I've read, not sure if its classified as a "love story" is The Preachers Bride by Jody Hedlund. Ummm, I don't read many love stories so this is kind of hard. Kristin Higgins, All I Ever Wanted not so unusual.

“What’s your favorite novel from another country?”

Oh, do Amy Tan's book qualify being in another country? I love her books. I also have read The Wind Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami.

“Why would you be interested in winning a copy of Banana Yoshimoto’s The Lake?”

Well, for one, the book sounds really good. I am also part Japanese , so anything Japanese is interesting to me!

2. Include the book’s cover in your post.

3. Add your blog link at MobyLives so everyone knows you’re participating and can link to your responses.

On Tuesday we’ll have a drawing and give away 5 free copies of The Lake to anyone who participated.

By the way, each novel sale helps contribute to Japan Disaster Relief.

You can participate in this meme by going to Mobylives

ThrillerFest VI - Will You Be Going?

2011-05-19T18:53:00.000-07:00

Have you seen the lineup for this event? Oh, how I wish I could go! Sounds so fun.

Guests include:

And so many more!

More about ThrillerFest VI

THE BIG THRILL RETURNS
Anticipation mounts as those who dare to scare plot their return to the Big Apple for ThrillerFest VI July 6-9, 2011
WITH 60 AGENTS IN RESIDENCE

Imagine learning the craft of novel writing from Ken Follett, the world-acknowledged master of the thriller novel whose iconic prose has kept millions of fans up late turning pages. This fantasy will become reality when New York City brings back the world’s biggest gathering of masters and devotees of the crime novel July 6-9, 2011 at ThrillerFest VI at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in New York City.

“ThrillerFest VI is breaking records again this year!” says ThrillerFest Chair Kathleen Antrim. “It’s the only event of its kind on the planet. A summer camp for thriller fans and writers. We’re especially excited to have international best seller Ken Follett teaching the craft of writing. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

Class with Follett and many other New York Times Bestsellers at CraftFest is just one loop of the non-stop thrill ride that is ThrillerFest VI. This year AgentFest, the follow-through roundhouse to the one-two punch of CraftFest and AgentFest, will be bigger than ever. Sixty of the industry’s best will be there for the event described as “speed-dating with agents.” Aspiring authors will have three minutes to pitch an agent – and they can pitch as many agents as desired within two hours. Every year new writers are discovered.

There’s felonious fun in store for fans, too. More than 200 of the world’s best thriller writers will be in attendance with the express purpose of mixing, mingling and meeting their readers. There will be talks, readings and cocktail parties where tales of suspense will intoxicate more than the libations.

This year’s Thrillermaster is R.L. Stine, a name that is sure make those young at heart shiver in anticipation. The mastermind behind the wildly popular Fear Street and Goosebumps series, Stine has written 330 books for children and four adult thrillers and has sold almost 400 million books around the world. ThrillerFest will also welcome special guests:
•    Robert Crais, author of the bestselling Elvis Cole series and winner of the 2006 Ross Macdonald Literary Award. His novels are bestsellers in 42 countries.
•    Diana Gabaldon, whose unique novels blend 20th-century science-fiction with 18th-century historical romantic adventure in a way that is impossible to categorize. A true word-of-mouth sensation, she inspires writers everywhere to keep the faith.
•    John Lescroart, who took 20 years to become an overnight sensation, but today has novels translated into 16 languages in 75 countries.

The dénouement of ThrillerFest is the Awards Banquet, where authors and fans alike will feel pulse-racing anticipation as they wait to find out who will win the International Thriller Writers awards for best novel, best debut novel and best short story. Two beloved authors will also be honored. Karin Slaughter will receive the Silver Bullet Award for her outstanding and meritorious achievement in the pursuit of literacy and the love of reading. The True Thrill Award will go to Joe McGinnis for the verve, guts, and ambition that have inspired three generations of nonfiction suspense and true crime authors.

To make a reservation for an adrenaline-pumped summer adventure, please visit www.ThrillerFest.com.

Sunday Salon

2011-05-15T12:29:00.000-07:00

The weather is finally starting to act like spring! Its so nice to hear the birds chirping and fluttering about. I can't wait for summer!
I haven't had much time to read or blog. I miss blogging and visiting other blogs. I don't know how people with kids and a job have time to read so much and blog. I guess if you don't watch TV that probably helps! I have been hooked on a show called Brothers & Sisters and on season 3 now. I heard it got cancelled but I guess after 7 seasons or whatever its probably about time.

Exciting events:

May 24 - 26th in New York City - {{ sigh}} wish I could go!

THRILLERFEST VI on July 6-9 at the Grand Hyatt Hotel. I'll be posting more about this next week.

Currently reading:

A Walk for Sunshine by Jeff Alt

Tuck Your Skirt In Your Panties and Run by Lucy Adams

The 19th Wife by Jeff Ebershoff

Still have quite a few reviews to work on, which is the hardest part for me. I really struggle writing reviews. I'm working on Deed So by Katharine Russell. My goal next week is to finish 3 reviews. Ha! Ya right....

Hope you have a wonderful week!

You know what day it is? Yep! Its Friday Meme Day!!

2011-04-29T11:36:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Jennifer!

Your blog should have content related to books, including, but not limited to book reviews.

1. Enter your book blog link in the Linky List below, including the genre that you review!

In your link, please state the main genre that you review: eclectic, contemp. fiction, ya, paranormal, mystery, non-fiction, etc.

Example: Crazy-for-Books (contemp. adult fiction)

2. Post about the Hop on your blog. Spread the word about the book party! The more the merrier! In your blog post, answer the following question (new question each week!).

If you have a suggestion for a future HOP question, click here to fill out the form! Thanks!

"Summer is coming quickly - what 2011 summer release are you are most looking forward to?"

Sadly, I haven't had time to keep up on the book news. So I don't know whats coming out this summer. But I'm sure after visiting other blogs today, I'll be adding to my wish list.

3. Visit other blogs in the Linky List! Make new friends! Follow new book bloggers! Talk about books! Rave about authors! Take the time to make a quality visit! Check out other posts and content, make a new friend! Don't randomly follow someone if you never intend on actually following them! No spamming please! (Please do not leave your link and not visit other blogs - it's just not cool and not in the spirit of the Hop!)

And just as an FYI - this event is not something you should feel that you have to participate in every week. If you want to join in and link up once a month, GREAT! It's up to you how often you participate!

Rules:
*Grab a book, any book.
*Turn to page 56.
*Find any sentence, or two, that grabs you. Please don't spoil the book!
*Post it.
*Add your (url) post below in Linky.

It's that simple.

Books I'm currently reading are:

A Walk For Sunshine by Jeff Alt:

Page 56 is a picture of a map so this comes from page 57:

"The majority of hikers-85 percent to 90 percent, according to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy-who set out to complete the entire 2,160 mile journey quit before reaching the end. A mere 10 percent to 15 percent of hikers-roughly 200 to 300-actually make it each year."

Another book I'm reading is

Tuck Your Skirt In Your Panties and Run by Lucy Adams.

You'll love this one:

"She lathered his belly with sunscreen. Then she pulled in one direction as the Greg Luganis impersonator backed away in the other. He shot out of his corset."

Hehe makes you wonder what he was doing in a corset in the first place?

And lastly I'm reading a book that my husbands aunt loaned to me called The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff.

"With her words cold upon my heart, I have come to believe it would service some purpose-whether personal or historical I cannot say-if I were to set down in my own words the story of how I came to be a Saint and marry five wives. In her Preface Ann Eliza writes, "I leave judgement to the hearts of my good Readers everywhere." Yet in truth, only two can judge a main: himself and God."

This comes from the chapter The Autobiography of Chauncey G. Webb.

An intertwining story of a murder in a small Latter Day Saints community and the story of Brigham Youngs 19th wife. Very good book so far!

Another fun Friday meme is Follow Friday hosted by Parajunkee's View

To join the fun and make now book blogger friends, just follow these simple rules:

(Required) Follow the Follow My Book Blog Friday Host { Parajunkee.com } and any one else you want to follow on the list

(Required) Follow our Featured Bloggers - http://startingthenextchapterbooks.blogspot.com/

Put your Blog name & URL in the Linky thing.

Grab the button up there and place it in a post, this post is for people to find a place to say hi in your comments

Follow Follow Follow as many as you can, as many as you want, or just follow a few. The whole point is to make new friends and find new blogs. Also, don't just follow, comment and say hi. Another blogger might not know you are a new follower if you don't say "HI"

If someone comments and says they are following you, be a dear and follow back. Spread the Love...and the followers

If you're new to the follow friday hop, comment and let me know, so I can stop by and check out your blog!

Happy Follow Friday!

Ghellow Road by T.H. Waters A Book Review

2011-04-19T18:11:00.000-07:00

"My Greatest Hope is to be a voice for all those out there who are fumbling through their own tangled labyrinth."

T.H. Waters

Ghellow Road : A Literary Diary of a Young Girl's Journey

is a story told by Theresa. She tells of growing up with a mentally ill mom and a dad that tries to hold their small family together but eventually gives up. Her and her older brother are sent to a foster home, aunt & uncles, friends, whoever will take them in while her mother is in the hospital. Even though she lives a life of turmoil, she manages to have friends and finds a job and tries to live a normal life.

This little girl goes through so much and you just wish you could wrap your arms around her and tell her everything's going to be alright but she still has hopes and dreams and doesn't her family situation get her down.

A sad story that keeps you wanting to turn the page to find out what's going to happen next and I highly recommend it!

More about this book:

Based on a true story, Ghellow Road is a literary diary of a young girl's journey through the tangled labyrinth that is her life. Theresa's story begins in a large midwestern city where she is born to loving parents in 1965. For a brief moment in time, her life is full, as is her heart, and the world is hers to receive without consequence. As time passes and Theresa grows, supernatural forces begin to shape her existence, no matter how carefully her father colors the empty spaces of her world. After a series of tragic events, Theresa and her family seek refuge in a small Minnesota town nestled near the shores of Rainy Lake. She creates a new life for herself there, sharing adventures with friends and riding the ups and downs of adolescence. Yet through it all, her mother remains forever lost in the prison of her own mind and forever lost to Theresa. The young girl feels as though she is leading a double life, one that no one else could possibly understand. She begins to peer at the world as if looking through a thick, black veil, never certain which pieces are illusion and which are not. Through the kindness and support of the townspeople, She eventually summons the strength to survive. This is a story of tragedy and triumph. This is the story of my life.

For excerpts visit this website: Verefor Publishing Co.

About the Author:

I was raised in the state of Minnesota and currently reside in Minneapolis with my significant other and two loving kitty cats. I have always been a life-long lover of the written word. I love the magic of it, the mystique; I love the breadth of it and how it can fortify one’s spirit. I didn’t grow up imagining that I would one day become an author. In fact, I never even considered it until about 8 years ago when I received news that my brother had died suddenly. He was only 39 years old. It was one of the saddest days of my life. Numb and in shock, I picked up a pen and some paper, sat down at my dining room table and, with tears streaming down my face, I wrote his eulogy. A few more years would pass before my significant other encouraged me to take my passion for writing and use it to create my life’s story, Ghellow Road. My book is written from the heart, and I hope it will move you in some way… All my best, T.H. Waters

*I'm so sorry to hear that your brother died! So sad after all that he's been through. Thank you Ms. Waters for the opportunity to read this amazing book. I will never forget it!

Thursday Meme's!!

2011-04-14T11:50:00.000-07:00

Today, April 14th:

1865, Lincoln was shot at Ford Theater and dies the next day.

At approximately 11:30pm, 1912, R.M.S. Titanic hits the iceberg and sinks the next morning

This site has lots of interesting Titanic facts, click here.

Jack: Where to, Miss?

Rose: To the stars!

from the movie Titanic

Booking Through Thursday

In a related question to last week’s–

I was reading the other day a quote from JFK Jr who said on the death of his mother, that she died surrounded by family, friends, and her books. Apparently, Jackie’s books were very much a part of HER, her personality, her sense of self.

Up until recently, people could browse your bookshelves and learn a lot about you–what your interests are, your range of topics, favorite authors, how much you read (or at least buy books).

More and more, though, this is changing. People aren’t buying books so much as borrowing them from the library. Or reading them on their e-readers or computers. There’s nothing PHYSICAL on the shelves to tell strangers in your home, for better or worse, who you ARE.

Do you think this is a good thing? Bad? Discuss!

It's getting that way with so many things! Remember the stacks of 33 LP record albums and the 45's? I had so many records lining my shelf in my bedroom and then it was cassette tapes. Listening to the music while reading the jacket or the tape insert and looking at the pictures was the best . You could walk into my room and by looking at my records new I was a typical teenager. As I was growing up, I collected cookbooks, photo albums, coins, stamps but now all of these items are replaced with some sort of electronic gadget. I think this is really sad because those things were a part of your personality, you life! The feeling of collecting those things and seeing them on the shelf and being able to take it off the shelf and look at it, read it is something you can't get from a square electronic box. Kids today are definitely missing out!

It doesn't matter what new fangled electronic they come out with, I will always collect books, paper and hardcover!!

Love this question and curious to see what others say.

This next meme is created by Reading Between Pages

Theme Thursdays is a fun weekly event that will be open from one thursday to the next. Anyone can participate in it. The rules are simple:

A theme will be posted each week (on Thursday’s)
Select a conversation/snippet/sentence from the current book you are reading
Mention the author and the title of the book along with your post
It is important that the theme is conveyed in the sentence (you don’t necessarily need to have the word)
Ex: If the theme is KISS; your sentence can have “They kissed so gently” or “Their lips touched each other” or “The smooch was so passionate”

This will give us a wonderful opportunity to explore and understand different writing styles and descriptive approaches adopted by authors.
The randomly selected theme for this week is suggested by Sharon from Books to the Ceiling.

This weeks theme is : EMOTION!

Mine comes from the book Deed So by Katharine A. Russell. If you loved To Kill A Mockingbird you will love this one!

"I should have realized Ed took the lighter and the fluid, I should have checked." Tears poured down my face. "They'd be alive."
I slammed my hand against the chair back. "He got away from me, and I didn't tell anyone. Not his mother. Not you."

I am enjoying this read!

Hope you all have a wonderful Thursday!

Mailbox Monday - What Are You Reading Monday!

2011-04-04T12:33:00.000-07:00

It's Monday, What Are You Reading is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey

Finished : Ghellow Road by T. H. Waters. Very good book by the way!
Review soon.

Currently Reading : Deed So by Katharine A. Russell -Love southern fiction!

Up Next: A Walk For Sunshine by Jeff Alt

No Cure For The Broken Heart by Kenneth Rosenberg

Tuck Your Skirt In Your Panties and Run by Lucy Adams

Hello, My Name is James by R. M. Hamilton

The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen

Mailbox Monday

Mailbox Monday was created by The Printed Page

and is now hosted by different blogs each month. This months its hosted by Passages to the Past.

My mailbox brought:

The Journey by Wanda E. Brunstetter

Wrecker by Summer Wood

The Peach Keeper

- Amazon Vine book by Sarah Addison Allen

Can't wait to read!

What does Kitty say? Mew Mew

It's Time For A First Wild Card Tour - No Safe Haven By Kimberley Woodhouse & Kayla R Woodhouse

2011-03-31T10:43:00.000-07:00

It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old...or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!

You never know when I might play a wild card on you!

Today's Wild Card author is:

Kimberley Woodhouse

and

Kayla R. Woodhouse

and the book:

No Safe Haven

B&H Books (March 15, 2011)

***Special thanks to Julie Gwinn, Trade Book Marketing, B&H Publishing Group for sending me a review copy.***

This was an awesome read. Action packed, highly entertaining with a great message. A+++

ABOUT THE AUTHORS:

Kimberley Woodhouse is a wife, mother, writer, and musician approaching life with a positive outlook despite difficult circumstances. Her previous book,Welcome Home: Our Family’s Journey to Extreme Joy, chronicles her daughter’s extremely rare health issues and how the Woodhouses received an amazing gift through the ABC television program Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.

Kim and her husband have two children and live in Colorado.

Kayla Woodhouse is a teenage author whose life-altering medical condition (a nerve disorder that prevents the body from regulating its temperature or sensing pain) has not stopped her love for swimming. She is home schooled and has an adventure blog called Dragon Claws, Dog Paws, Swimming Laws.

Visit the Kim's website.

Visit the Kayla's blog.

SHORT BOOK DESCRIPTION:

A young widow and her physically challenged daughter survive a plane crash in the Alaskan mountains but must puzzle together how it relates to the recent death of their husband and father.

Product Details:

List Price: $14.99
Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: B&H Books (March 15, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1433671166
ISBN-13: 978-1433671166

AND NOW...THE FIRST CHAPTER:

JENNA

The plane dropped like a 3000 pound stone.

Jenna Tikaani-Gray braced herself with one hand, and held a warm, foam cup away from her body with the other as they jostled along. These pockets of air were turning the flight into a wild ride at the fair. Good thing she loved those rides almost as much as she loved flying, because they were dropping again. Down, then up, then down again, until the sky turned to silk and the plane sailed along.

At least the turbulence hadn’t spilled the coffee.

After a long, slow sip, Jenna released a sigh as their small de Havilland DHC-2 Beaver, left the bowl of Anchorage, Alaska, and lifted into the clear blue sky above. The mountains around Anchorage always produced a bumpy ride, but she’d managed to pass coffee to Hank and their other passenger without mishap.

Only one more leg of the journey and they’d be home.

A beautiful hand reached across the seat, welcoming her embrace, and she smiled at her twelve-year-old daughter, Andrea. Such a sweet kid. Jenna had definitely been blessed from above with her only child. Andrea had been through such trial and heartache, yet faced the world smiling.

Jenna squeezed her daughter’s hand as the radio buzzed and crackled.

“Juliet Kilo 3-2-6 November”--Departure Control came through the channel loud and clear.--“I’m getting no mode C on your transponder. Squawk 2-3-7-5 i-dent.”

Hank, the pilot, replied, “Roger. Juliet Kilo 3-2-6 November i-dent…”

“Negative radar contact. Maintain VFR. Do you have another transponder?”

“Roger. I’ll switch to backup.”

Jenna leaned over the side of her seat watching Hank flip the switch from transponder A to B. She waited for word from Departure Control.

“Still negative radar contact. Can you maintain VFR?”

“Roger that, Control. No problem.”

That was strange. How could both transponders be malfunctioning? She furrowed her brow. When they returned to North Pole, she’d have to get it checked out. Good thing Hank was an experienced pilot. Since Marc’s death, Jenna had hired him to pilot their plane, and knew he could handle whatever might happen.

Andie pulled on her arm, bringing Jenna’s attention from the cockpit back to her daughter.

“Mom?”

“Yeah, sweetie?”

“What does VFR mean?” Andie’s fascination was clear on her face.

Jenna felt the tension ease from her own features as she leaned close to Andie, a little thrill rippling through her body. How she loved talking about flying. “Visual Flight Rules. Hank filed an IFR flight plan—Instrument Flight Rules—but the transponders must be malfunctioning, so the tower is instructing him to fly VFR, meaning visually. If we didn’t have a clear day, that would make flying VFR trickier, sometimes impossible.”

“Is it safe to fly VFR?”

Andie must have noted her reaction earlier. Jenna had never been good at hiding things from her inquisitive child.

Jenna noticed the other passenger glance back at them from his seat next to the pilot, and she held back a frown. The rough flight could explain the man’s lack of a smile, but what caused the fierce look he shot them? Jenna cocked her head, questioning the man with her silent stare. A poke from Andie brought her back to the question.

“Yes, sweetie. It’s perfectly safe.”

“Just checkin’.” Andie giggled, squeezed Jenna’s hand, and turned to look out the tiny window next to her seat.

The man watched Jenna as she faced forward once again. Something in his intense gaze pulled at her, but she couldn’t discern what. She’d been so excited about going home that she hadn’t paid attention when they were introduced. His first name was . . . Cole? Ugh. Good job remembering the details, Jenna. Marc had taught her better than that.

Well, whether she could remember his name or not, something about this guy bothered her. She just couldn’t put her finger on what.

Forcing herself to break the connection, she slid her chin left and tried to focus on the scenery beneath them. Greens and blues melded with the white of melting snow. This was her favorite part of flying. Watching the beauty of God’s handiwork skim below her.

The two men up front spoke in hushed tones, bringing her attention back to their puzzling guest. Hank approached her before the flight asking if they could take another passenger, and she didn’t mind since the added income would be to her benefit. But who was this guy? And why, if he were just another tourist, was he so serious?

Closing her eyes, Jenna attempted to dispel her concerns. Think about the amazing news from Andie’s neurosurgeon instead. The results were far beyond her expectations, and for the first time in many years Jenna allowed herself to dream big for her precious child. So much tragedy and hurt could now be replaced with hope. The future was brighter than ever.

Instinctively, she reached for the dog tags around her neck. If only Marc could’ve been there. He’d been distraught when, as a toddler, their daughter was first diagnosed. But the additional diagnosis two years ago just about broke the man. He’d never quite recovered, and his demeanor had forever changed. The once crazy adventurer—a man full of life and laughter—closed himself behind a stone wall of protection.

She’d fought long and hard to penetrate his defenses, but taking care of Andie had become their focus, taken all their energy. When their daughter went in for brain surgery a year ago, the walls between them finally fell as they cried and held one another in the surgical waiting room. But Jenna never had the chance to discover what drove her husband to such emotional extremes. The accident happened before Andie was released from the hospital.

Opening her eyes, she blinked back the tears threatening to spill down her cheeks. Stop it! This is no time for tears. It’s a happy day.

They would move on from here.

She turned to gaze out the window. How long had she been lost in her memories? And, for that matter…where were they? Leaning closer to the glass, she searched for familiar landmarks. The scenery wasn’t right.

Before she could open her mouth to speak to Hank, brisk movement in the cockpit drew her attention to the two men up front. Seeing a tangle of arms shoved her heart into her throat.

Hank was fighting the passenger!

The man grabbed Hank’s arm and—a gun! Hank had a gun!

Before Jenna could move, Hank jerked his arm free, took aim, and shot the radio. Glancing at Andie, she ripped open her seatbelt. Her daughter’s eyes widened and her mouth hung open as Jenna yanked the belt off her and shoved her over the seat toward the rear of the plane. She climbed after her frightened child, signaling her to crouch in the floor. As Jenna hunched over her sweet daughter, she hugged her tight, whispering calming words in an attempt to shield her from the horror of the scene unfolding in front of them.

The plane plunged and veered to the west.

Heart thundering, Jenna monitored the scuffle through a crack between the seats and prayed for wisdom and safety. What was happening? And why? Arms wrestled and tangled—the passenger pushed upward, almost hovering over the pilot. What if he killed Hank?

As the plane teetered and shuddered, Jenna felt the panic rise in her throat. Surely God wasn’t going to let Andie die, not after all she’d survived already.

The man rammed a fist into the pilot’s face. Though Hank tried to fight back, he soon crumpled under the intense blows. Hank wore an evil smirk as he croaked out the awful words: “You’ll…never make…it…alive…”

The same fear that stole her breath rushed into the passenger’s face. What did Hank mean? Was it a threat to the passenger? Or to them all?

Determination stretched taut over the man’s rugged features as he threw Hank to the floor behind him, and climbed into the pilot’s seat. “Tie his hands!” He tossed a small cord to Jenna.

He fought to level off the plane, then glanced back in her direction. His breaths were ragged and his eyes bore a glassy sheen. He looked different… unfocused. Dare she depend on him? After Hank’s words, Jenna wasn’t sure about anything. It was all happening too fast.

Grabbing Andie, she hauled herself back over the seat and fumbled with the cording. It was a good thing Hank was unconscious, as her knots needed work. She darted a glance toward the cockpit, and decided to strap Hank back in. Their landing could be really rough if this guy didn’t know what he was doing, and she wanted their former pilot to be in decent condition to go to jail.

“Leave him!” Even though his upper lip was sweaty and he looked slightly green, his glare could burn a hole through steel. “You two buckle up!” He turned back to the controls.

Minutes passed.

Jenna bowed her head in prayer.

“This may be bumpy, I don’t know…what they did to…your plane…” The man’s words grew more and more slurred. “I’m not feeling…so… hhhoo…”

In a matter of seconds, he slid down his seat and slumped over the yoke, arms limp at his sides.

Time stood still. She could hear her lungs taking in air, watched Andie’s eyes widen in fear, felt the plane dive forward, but Jenna couldn’t move. God, Help me! Spare my daughter, please Lord!

Andie screamed. “Mom!”

In a split-second, Jenna’s survival instinct kicked in. Bolting up, she grabbed Andie. “It’s going to be okay, baby.” She slid a hand down Andie’s cheek. “I need you to help me move this guy, and then I want you to grab Hank’s headset and buckle up in the co-pilot’s seat. Can you do that?”

Without waiting for an answer, she squeezed Andie’s shoulder and climbed over seats into the cockpit. Adrenaline pumped pure strength through Jenna’s veins as she moved the bulk of the man who had tried to save them.

Or kill them.

She shook her head and shoved his solid, muscled frame over the seat. Jenna motioned for Andie to help strap him into another seat. Hank was sprawled, with his legs at an odd angle, but she had bigger concerns at the moment. Like landing the plane.

Andie grabbed Hank’s headset, dashed back to the front, and climbed into the seat next to her. .

Jenna took a deep breath and turned to the controls as Andie buckled in. She looked through the windshield--and gasped.

Denali—“the high one”—the tallest mountain in North America, loomed before her. They shouldn’t be anywhere near the Alaska Range, and yet here they were—flying straight into the South Face.

“Your seatbelt, Mom!”

Jenna’s hands gripped the yoke tighter. No time for a seatbelt. She needed control of this plane.

“Mom!”

“It’s okay, honey. Calm down.”

“But, Mom…” Andie gripped the headset. “Can you save us?”

Two weeks of flight ground school and one lesson didn’t quite give Jenna the know-how she needed to get out of this alive. “I’m gonna try, Sweetie.” Oh, God! Show me what to do!

Pulling up on the yoke, she tried to level out the small aircraft. “Honey, I need you to set those four dials on the radio controls to 1-2-1-5. That’s the emergency frequency. 1-2-1-5. Okay?”

Andie nodded and didn’t hesitate to obey. The kid had been through brain surgery and a lifetime dealing with a rare physical condition. Her hands shook as she sucked in a deep breath and started turning the knobs. “Okay, Mom.” Nervous blue eyes met hers as she handed over the headset. “It’s set.”

Slamming the headset onto her head, Jenna winced. Careful. Breathe. Andie’s relying on you. “Mayday! Mayday! Juliet Kilo 3-2-6 November needs emergency assistance. We have no pilot aboard capable of flying this plane. Mayday! Mayday!”

Crackling, hissing, static, and then silence.

“Mayday, mayday! Juliet Kilo 3-2-6 November requesting emergency assistance!”

Nothing.

Andie’s sweet voice filled the cabin as reality set in. “Mom, the radio’s dead. Hank shot it. Why would he do that, Mom?” Tears quietly streamed down her daughter’s face.

“Baby, I don’t know, but I have to try to land this plane. Put your head between your knees right now and cover your head with your arms.”

Her brave little trooper obeyed, and Jenna prayed for guidance. Taking a firm grip on the yoke, she tried to turn the plane. The rudder barely responded. Something was wrong with the ailerons. What had she forgotten?

Okay, Jenna, think. Cut your descent. Flaps down. What else can I do? Oh, God, help me remember! Help me think. There was no avoiding it: they were going to crash. She needed to strap herself in. Fumbling with one hand made it all the more difficult. “Andie, help me with the buckle.”

She had to steer away from Denali. Sultana stood to her left, towering in all her glory. If she could just get close to Kahiltna glacier, she might be able to land there. But they were too high on the mountain. She’d have to find a different place and soon. With all her might, she worked the yoke to turn west, but the mountain face rushed toward her at a terrifying pace.

Not much time left.

Lifting the nose up, she prayed for the snow to be deep enough to cushion their landing. It was all she could do. The plane barely responded to her attempts to turn it, and they raced toward the steep mountain side.

With one last cry for help, Jenna lurched as the plane dove toward the side of the mountain. Letting go of the yoke, she flung her arms over her daughter’s body inhaling Andie’s sweet scent: Citrus shampoo and a sweetness all her daughter. But she couldn’t tear her eyes away from the scene.

Metal crunched. Glass shattered and peppered her arms. The plane creaked and groaned as they impacted Sultana’s unyielding side. The sound of screaming metal surrounded them, and Jenna knew. The mountain had ripped the wings from the fuselage. Her breaths seemed hours apart as the plane pummeled the snow-packed earth underneath them.

Another desperate prayer formed in her mind—only to be blotted out when everything went from the brilliant white of the snow to deep black.

ANDIE

What’s that?

Air crossed my face like someone breathing beside me. Then something rustled next to my hand.

Wind. I feel wind. My thoughts began to clear. Why would I feel the wind inside an airplane? Memories flooded my head and chills raced up my spine. Something wasn’t right. I tried to shake off the foreboding, but the slight movement sent piercing pain screaming through my head.

Ow! Okay, that’s weird. I wasn’t used to feeling pain.

I placed a hand on my head and put slight pressure to it. Slowly, I opened my eyes.

Oh! Bright light. Wiggling within the tight confines of my seatbelt, I just about conked my head on some sort of thingy hanging in the air above me. Everything was a blur and I felt like I was spinning. Why am I spinning? The sun shone bright, and I rubbed my eyes. The spinning stopped.

Weird.

The seat belt straps were cutting off the circulation on my shoulders and squeezing the living daylights out of my stomach. I fumbled with the straps and wrestled with the buckles. Finally, I managed to unlatch them—and fell, landing on my shoulder.

Ow.

I was on the ceiling of the plane. Hanging . . . upside down? No wonder my head hurt. I was just glad I didn’t land on it.

I rubbed the sides of my head to try and clear my fuzzy mind, then climbed on my hands and knees through a hole that at one time must have been the windshield. Moving only made my dizziness worse.

“Ouchy!” My head started to hurt. Really hurt. What was the weird, zinging pain? Wait…pain? Fear swirled through me like a hurricane. The last time I felt pain, they told me I needed brain surgery. Tears slid down my icy cheeks before I could stop them. Lord, please no! No. No. Not again, God I can’t handle this, it’s too much.

Panic bubbled up inside of me. Stumbling, forcing one foot in front of the other, I kept going. I wiped away the tiny droplets feeling grit and dirt covering my face. I looked down at my upturned palms. They were covered in dirt—

And blood.

Lots of blood.

Oh, great. Spots danced in front of my eyes as the dizziness overwhelmed me.

And then there was nothing.

The stinging on the back of my head made my eyes pop open. The sky loomed above me, and if I hadn’t known better I would have said it looked threatening. How long was I out? The pain was still there, but at least my brain wasn’t so fuzzy.

Ok, Andrea, do something. Those words seemed to help me push myself to a sitting position. I took deep breaths to calm the shaking that had taken over my body. One more breath, then I reached my left hand back under my long black hair to touch the scar on the back of my neck to see if it was intact. The familiar bumpy groove greeted my fingers. I pulled my hand back with a sigh, but avoided looking at it. I didn’t feel the stickiness of blood…well, not on that hand. That must mean no blood or wounds were on my scar. But my sticky right hand haunted me, as if something fierce--like a giant, abominable snowman--lay on top of the blood, waiting to gobble me up.

The fainting happens every time. I hate blood!

Ok, Andie, just don’t think about it.

My surroundings came into focus. Snow, more snow, boulders, glass, the airplane… Uh-oh. The airplane. Hadn’t I been in the airplane? Or had I dreamed that? I glanced around—then wished I hadn’t.

Some sort of big, metal part was smashed against a rock face and the tail-rudder-thingamabob had completely fallen off and lay on the other side of the crash. There was no sign of the wings and the windshield was shattered in a million pieces that lay sparkling on the snow as they reflected the sun’s light. And lying in the middle of it all . . .

Mom!

I ran over to her. She was under one of the wings. Well, partly under one of the wings, covered in blood. Lots of blood. All over her legs. Her jacket was torn and had blood on it too.

“Mom! You have to wake up, Mom!” I shook her shoulder in an attempt to wake her. It didn’t work.

The blood… I pulled in air, then looked away before I threw up, and almost passed out again. That’s when I saw the man who fought Hank.

More blood.

Again, I jerked away, my stomach churning. Too much. Too much fear. Too much loneliness. Too much blood. I couldn’t do it. Walking away, I trudged through the snow, and sat—well more accurately, fell—on the ground. Tears spilled down my now soggy face, quickly turning to ice and sparkling on the snow as a scratchy voice inside my head said the most awful truth.

They’re dead. You’re all alone.

Book Spotlight : Hello, My Name is James by R. M. Hamilton

2011-03-26T13:20:00.000-07:00

Hello My Name is James by

R. M. Hamilton

From the back of the book:

James Schilling is a twenty-something man trying to find his way in life. The one thing in his life is his best friend Frank. He has his back in any situation. James wants more out of his boring ordinary life. When a situation arises at work, he decides to make more outof his current life to be someone. While searchig for his life's true calling a family issue unfolds. He decides to track down his estranged father who had left him when he was ten years old. James must decide tofix his past or let it be. He struggles with work, his family, and a possible new relationship at thesame time tryign to figure out where his life will lead him. Will he find love? Can he track down the man who had left him at an early age? Most of all will James discover who he is truly meant to be in his life?

Sounds like an interesting read! Cannot wait to dig in.

About the author:

R.M. Hamilton is a lifelong resident of the Chicagoland metropolitan area. In 1994, he graduated from Fremd High School in Palatine, Illinois. R.M. has worked in the printing industry for over 15 years. He currently resides in the western suburbs of Chicago.

R.M. realized his lifelong passion for writing, for which he has a natural creative talent, and wants to share his gift with others. R.M. wrote his debut dark fantasy novel Unscarred that was self-published in 2006. He also has written short stories and poems for anthologies and magazines. In June 2007, he won the first place prize for FOX TV's "On the Lot" for a writing contest. Hello, my name is James is his second novel and is published by Blue Planet Publishing. R.M.'s latest release Chupacabra Visions is published by Living Dead Press. R.M. doesn't like to stick with writing a particular genre so every book he writes will be completely different than the previous works. He is currently working on his next book, which is a YA Fantasy, that he will submit to literary agents in order to possibly make his hobby a full time career.

Friday Meme's!!

2011-03-25T12:57:00.000-07:00

To join the fun and make now book blogger friends, just follow these simple rules:

(Required) Follow the Follow My Book Blog Friday Host { Parajunkee.com } and any one else you want to follow on the list
(Required) Follow our Featured Bloggers - http://readingwithrebecca.blogspot.com/
Put your Blog name & URL in the Linky thing.
Grab the button up there and place it in a post, this post is for people to find a place to say hi in your comments
Follow Follow Follow as many as you can, as many as you want, or just follow a few. The whole point is to make new friends and find new blogs. Also, don't just follow, comment and say hi. Another blogger might not know you are a new follower if you don't say "HI"
If someone comments and says they are following you, be a dear and follow back. Spread the Love...and the followers
If you're new to the follow friday hop, comment and let me know, so I can stop by and check out your blog!

Your blog should have content related to books, including, but not limited to book reviews.

1. Enter your book blog link in the Linky List below, including the genre that you review!

In your link, please state the main genre that you review: eclectic, contemp. fiction, ya, paranormal, mystery, non-fiction, etc.

Example: Crazy-for-Books (contemp. adult fiction)

2. Post about the Hop on your blog. Spread the word about the book party! The more the merrier! In your blog post, answer the following question (new question each week!).

If you have a suggestion for a future HOP question, click here to fill out the form! Thanks!

This week's question comes from Mina who blogs at Mina Burrows:

"If you could physically put yourself into a book or series…which one would it be and why?"

Oh my goodness! That is a very hard question. Hmmm , umm a couple of my favorites, Dan Browns Davinci Code - To be in Paris, following clues? Ya! Patrica Cornwells series - I would love to be her forensic pathologist side kick - Barbara Kingsolvers The Poisonwood Bible -Those are just a few.

What a great question and looking forward to reading other answers!

That's it for now!!

Booking Through Thursday!

2011-03-24T11:52:00.000-07:00

Booking Through Thursday asks:

Series? Or Stand-alone books?

I love a good series! I would probably read a series over a stand alone. Couple I have enjoyed, Beverly Lewis, Left Behind series. I don't know if Patricia Cornwells Scarpetta are considered actual series but I love her books. I also have in my tbr stack the Twilight series! I loved the movies so I'm hoping the books are better!

What do you prefer??

Mailbox Monday on Tuesday!

2011-03-22T13:55:00.000-07:00

http://funniez.net

Mailbox Monday was created by

The Printed Page

and is now hosted by different blogs each month. This month its hosted by I'm Booking It.

For Christmas, I received a Christianbook.com gift certificate and this is what I got:

The Shack - Read and heard so many mixed reviews. Sounds interesting.

Ted Dekker's Kiss

Ted Dekker's BoneMan's Daughter's I have heard this were really good!

Seek Me With All Your Heart by Beth Wiseman Had to get an Amish book.

There's my eclectic pick!

Yes! I'm still here!!

2011-03-19T12:33:00.000-07:00

I had to take a break blogging and reading. There is so much to do and I just don't have as much time as I used to!

I've been on a movie kick lately. I have to admit, I'm a fan of the Twilight movies. I have never read the books but I definitely will. I watched Eclipse a couple of weeks ago and can't wait for the next one! The next Twilight saga is Breaking Dawn due in theaters I believe November 2011.
Other movies I've watched lately are Rango, which was a very cute movie, Whats Eating Gilbert Grape , awesome movie, love love Johnny Depp, The Kings Speach, enjoyed it but boring in some parts.

Currently reading No Safe Haven and Ghellow Road, both outstanding and hard to put down.

If your one of my Facebook friends, you already know about my babies, can't quit talking about them!
I have 3 kittens and they are so adorable.
They are about 4wks. old now.

That's about it. Not much to tell, kind of boring I know! Oh, something else that I was excited about! I received an email from Amazon inviting me into the Vine program. It made my day.

So what's your week been like?

A Day Late Teaser Tuesday! A Walk For Sunshine by Jeff Alt

2011-03-09T07:44:00.000-08:00

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

A Walk For Sunshine - A 2,160 mile expedition for charity on the Appalachian Trail.

Jeff Alt takes you along every step of his 2,160-mile Appalachian Trail adventure. This entertaining journey includes bears, bugs, blisters and captivating characters, skunk bedmates, and hilarious food cravings. Alt walked more than 5 million steps in tribute to his brother, who has cerebral palsy and lives in a home called Sunshine. This trail adventure has inspired an annual event that has raised more than $200,000 for Sunshine. It includes hiking tips for the whole family. Walk alongside Alt and experience the joy of turning dreams into goals and then achieving them. His lessons from the trail celebrate family, stewardship of the earth, good health, and the American spirit.

This book deserves 2 teasers! The first is from page 20:

" I wanted to dedicate my journey to Aaron out of love, but I also wanted to give back to the home for all that it has done for our family and Aaron."

Page 118:

"The temperature dropped to freezing by mid-afternoon, and the rain was now sleet. My lips were purple, my cheeks red; my body wet, and my mind was drifting-typical symptoms of hypothermia."

(sounds miserable!)

The book sounds amazing and I'm looking forward to reading it and watch the video!

Book Review: Little Princes: One Man's Promise to Bring Home The Lost Children of Nepal by Conor Grennan

2011-03-08T13:44:00.000-08:00

Little Princes: Once Man's Promise to Bring Home the Lost Children of Nepal

{{{sigh}}} sniff sniff... I will always remember this story! (blowing nose).

It's an amazing, compelling journey of a brave, determined young man, Conor Grennan, set out to do whatever he could to save the children of Nepal.

I sigh because I am still reeling over it. I would love to do what this man did. He had so much determination and will to walk, hike across the dangerous land to get to the homes of the saved children, to tell the parents their child are safe and alive. He doesn't stop there, he starts a non profit organization called Next Generation Nepal (click the link to take you to the website). From absolutely nothing, he had not a dime, he manages to raise enough money to start a home to save children. To save children from being sold and then left to be a slave or worse, to die of cold and starvation.

An amazing, inspirational story that I highly recommend!

About the book:

About to turn thirty, Conor Grennan planned a year-long trip around the world. He started his trip with a three-month stint volunteering in the Little Princes Orphanage in war-torn Nepal. What was supposed to be just a three-month experience changed Conor’s life, and the lives of countless others.While playing on the roof of the orphanage, Conor was approached by a woman who would turn out to be the mother of two of the wards. Over hours of conversations with her, Conor learned the truth about the kids he’d come to love. Many of the little princes were not orphans but rather had been taken from their homes and families by child traffickers. In addition to losing two of her boys, this woman, while under the control of a human trafficker, was doing her best to keep seven other terrified kids alive in her mud hut. Conor’s life changed in those moments, as he decided to commit himself to these kids. After securing spots in an orphanage for all seven and arranging for an excellent local staff to run the Little Princes orphanage, Conor escaped Nepal, one day before revolution erupted in Kathmandu, with the King’s police shooting protestors in the streets.

After arriving home, Conor received a devastating email reporting that the seven kids had disappeared, snatched once again by the same trafficker. Soon he was back in Kathmandu, riding through the chaotic streets on the back of a local’s motorcycle, searching for his kids, seven needles in a corrupt haystack. And that is where Conor’s story begins.

Conor pledged to not only start a new orphanage for these seven but to start an entire new program dedicated to reuniting kids with their lost families in remote villages in the Nepalese hills, a four-day walk at best through war-torn precincts with no roads.

Conor’s organization, Next Generation Nepal, has reconnected almost 300 families with children they feared were lost to them forever. Website

A passage from the book:

" I felt something else, too: respect. For the children. Because after all the rage and revolution that had clawed at Nepal for years, after being forcibly marched through mountains, after being taken from their parents and watching volunteers leave them just when their country was imploding, these kids were still laughing, still studying, and still showing off. They were survivors. That's how kids are in Nepal."

Wow!!

About Conor Grennan:

Conor Grennan, author of the memoir Little Princes, spent eight years at the EastWest Institute (EWI), both in Prague and the EU Office in Brussels, where he served as Deputy Director for the Security and Governance Program.

At the East/West Institute, Conor developed and managed a wide variety of projects focusing on issues such as peace and reconciliation in the Balkans, community development in Central Eastern Europe, and harmonizing anti-trafficking policy at the highest levels government in the European Union and the former Yugoslavia.

Conor left EWI in 2004 to travel the world and volunteer in Nepal. He would eventually return to Nepal and found Next Generation Nepal, an organization dedicated to reconnecting trafficked children with their families and combating the root causes of child trafficking in rural villages in Nepal. He was based in the capital of Kathmandu until September 2007 where he was the Executive Director of Next Generation Nepal.

Conor now serves on the Board of Next Generation Nepal, together with his wife, Liz. He is a 2010 graduate of the NYU Stern School of Business, where he was the President of the Student Body. He lives in Connecticut with his wife and son, Finn, and a soon-to-be baby girl.

I wanted to add that a portion of the sales is donated to Next Generation Nepal and you
can always make a donation here.

It's Monday - Still Reading .... Mailbox Monday

2011-03-01T08:44:00.000-08:00

I haven't had much time to read lately. Life has become crazy! I was able to go back home a couple of weeks ago and had a nice visit with my boss and my parents. It was nice to be home and hopefully if everything goes right, I'll be back behind the desk at work this summer!

It's Monday, What Are You Reading is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey

I'm still working on the same books, see my last week post HERE .

Currently reading Little Princes - If you are looking for a book to read or to buy I highly recommend this one. The author adds a little humor to his serious and life changing story. I am enjoying it immensely!

Mailbox Monday was created by The Printed Page

and is now hosted by different blogs each month. This months its hosted by http://libraryofcleanreads.blogspot.com/.

I received some awesome books!

A Walk For Sunshine by Jeff Alt with a video. An amazing story of his adventure on the Appalachian trail. Can't wait to read it and watch the video.

No Safe Haven by Kimberley Woodhouse & Kayla R Woodhouse. First WildCard Tour March 28th.

Hello My Name Is James by R. M. Hamilton. I'll be doing a book spotlight on this one!

The Book Inn

Sunday Salon .... Summers Finally Here!

The Sunday Salon

TGIF!! Join in on the Friday meme's...

1. Post about the Hop on your blog (feel free to grab the logo at the top of the post!)

Spread the word about the book party! The more the merrier!

In your blog post, answer the following question (new question each week!).

“When did you realize reading was your passion and a truly important part of your life?”

It's not something I all of the sudden realized. It has been a growing obsession.

2. Enter your book blog link in the Linky List below.

In your description, please state the main genre that you review – Example: Crazy-for-Books (contemp. adult fiction)

3. Visit other blogs in the Linky List!

Friday 56 is hosted by Freda's Voice

Rules: *Grab a book, any book. *Turn to page 56. *Find any sentence that grabs you. *Post it. *Add your (url) post below in Linky. It's that simple.

Mine comes from the book No Cure For The Broken Hearted by Kenneth Rosenberg.

"A small army of security guards held back the riff raff and the paparazzi. It was like arriving at some sort of movie premier, yet Nick hadn't even told Katherine what the occasion was."

If you like fun romance books, I highly recommend this one!

It's Monday What Are You Reading?

Teaser Tuesday! No Cure For The Broken Hearted by Kenneth Rosenberg

Whats In My Mailbox....

Product Description

Product Description

TGIF!! Join in on the Friday meme's....

“Who is the ONE author that you are DYING to meet?

Oh, that's easy. Not just one tho. Faye Kellerman, Kathy Reichs, oh Laurel Rain Snow, Craig Lancaster, umm there are so many!!

2. Enter your book blog link in the Linky List below.

In your description, please state the main genre that you review – Example: Crazy-for-Books (contemp. adult fiction)

3. Visit other blogs in the Linky List!

Book Review : Tuck Your Skirt in Your Panties and Run by Lucy Adams

Product Description -(Amazon)

Deed So by Katharine A. Russell - Book Review

Product Description from Amazon:

Banana Blog Hop - Book Blogger Hop - Friday 56 - Friday Friday!!

ThrillerFest VI - Will You Be Going?

Sunday Salon

You know what day it is? Yep! Its Friday Meme Day!!

Ghellow Road by T.H. Waters A Book Review

Thursday Meme's!!

Mailbox Monday - What Are You Reading Monday!

It's Time For A First Wild Card Tour - No Safe Haven By Kimberley Woodhouse & Kayla R Woodhouse

Book Spotlight : Hello, My Name is James by R. M. Hamilton

Friday Meme's!!

Booking Through Thursday!

Mailbox Monday on Tuesday!

Yes! I'm still here!!

A Day Late Teaser Tuesday! A Walk For Sunshine by Jeff Alt

Book Review: Little Princes: One Man's Promise to Bring Home The Lost Children of Nepal by Conor Grennan

It's Monday - Still Reading .... Mailbox Monday

Rules:
Grab a book, any book.
Turn to page 56.
Find any sentence that grabs you.
Post it.
*Add your (url) post below in Linky.

It's that simple.