I was supposed to post this on the 18th, please forgive my tardiness.
Well, it’s a big day – The White Queen by Phillipa Gregory is out in stores TODAY.
As a fun release day treat, check out this great widget full of exclusive videos and more book content!
Of course, I have my copy. And its delicious!
Kate Burkholder grew up in the Amish community of Painters Mill. At the age of 14 a violent act shattered her world and the actions of her family led to a troubled life that ended up taking her away from the community and only life she knew and into the world of law enforcement. Her appointment as Chief of Police of Painters Mill is a based on the fact she is a woman and Amish, not necessarily because she is the best candidate for the job. Her Amish background however, does not bridge the two worlds since she is under the bann for not joining the church, but her knowledge of the Amish, their language and customs, makes things easier.
When a serial killer, whose spree sixteen years before was dubbed The Slaughterhouse Murders, returns with spectacular violence, Kate is determined to catch him. At the same time she is keeping a secret from her past, she believes she knows who the Slaughterhouse murderer and the act of violence was his attack and her killing him in self-defense. So how could he have returned?
In Kate’s desperation to conceal the past and protect her family, she makes mistakes, combined with the ‘assistance’ of a washed out, alcoholic agent from the BCI, sent in attempt by his superiors to get rid of him, it appears the killer will never be caught. (Holy run-on sentence Batman!) This is a killer that appears to kill for the pure thrill of killing. When Kate realizes who it is, he moves in to eliminate her as a threat.
This book moves from Kate’s point of view to third person, I have noticed this is a very popular way of writing. When done skillfully, as it is here, I feel it adds to a story, makes for a more enjoyable read. In this case it adds to the suspense, since you are with Kate when the killer comes after her, and at the same time, you know what efforts others are making in her behalf. Ms. Castillo keeps the action moving in this book, her vivid descriptions of the ice and snow, the characters feeling the cold through their layers makes you feel like you are there. If I had not peeked at the ending, (bad habit I know) the killer would have come as a surprise, but the methods used to find him were fascinating. This book kept my interest, the murder scenes were vivid but not gory. I would recommend this book to thriller fans.
If you would like this book, send me an e-mail with the name of the book in the subject line and your name and mailing address in the body of the e-mail. The first person who e-mails will receive my copy of this book. It is a hardbound book in excellent condition.
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The two people who have won a copy of Dying for Mercy by Mary Jane Clark are:
Wanda and Mil ~ Congratulations!
Now I just need them to send me their mailing information by e-mail. When I receive it I will forward that information on to the publisher and your book will sent out. Please advise me by e-mail when the book arrives. To e-mail me, click on the button below. Enjoy your books!
As I said in the rules, if I don’t hear from you by Monday, August 17, 2009, I will draw a new winner. So e-mail me! Today!
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So far I have 44 entries to win this book and the contest is not even half over. I just got my review copy today and I haven’t opened it, I am waiting until I get my two current books done, ’cause I don’t want to start peeking at it before I can read it. Hopefully, I will have a review before the contest is over and can give all of you my thoughts on the book.
Another serial killer is stalking Savannah, this one kills his victims by drugging them then putting them in a coffin with another already dead body and burying them alive. He so enjoys his work that he places a microphone in the casket and tape records their dying screams. The second book with police detective Pierce Reed and his partner, this book also goes deeper into the history of reporter Nikki Gillette, who sees these murders as her ticket to the big city and a job with a prestigious newspaper, until the murderer strikes too close to home and targets her loved ones and herself.
Once again we have a killer with a vendetta, on a mission as it were, calling himself The Survivor and being dubbed by Nikki Gillette, ‘the Grave Robber’. This book has many twists and turns. The biggest one being who the murderer is and his reasons for killing. Without spoiling the book, Jackson gives a clue all along with a question the characters keep asking, although I didn’t realize this until the end when the murderer was revealed. Jackson is gifted at taking a ‘plot’ I have read a ‘million’ times before and giving it a new spin. That is why I keep coming back.
~ Suspense/Thriller ~ finished 8/7/2009
The 2009 Support Your Local Library Challenge
After looking at some of the comments made on my blog, I realized I needed to clarify something. In the two giveaways I am having, the books are being shipped out by the publisher, so when I said “I have 2 copies of the book to give away” I didn’t mean that I “own” two copies of the book but the publisher has told me I can have two winners and they ship the books out. That is why sometimes the entrants are restricted to the US and Canada or just the US. I will be making an adjustment in any future giveaways I have.
I also want to explain why I post the winners name instead of e-mail them. This first is that I am kind of lazy. I don’t want to copy and paste or re-type the e-mail. The second is I know that some people don’t want to put their e-mail out where everyone can see it. That is also why I have opened this blog up to Anonymous commenters. To make sure you get notified when I post the winners you can subscribe to receive my blog posts by e-mail. To do this, in my right column is box that says “GET BLOG UPDATES BY E-MAIL.” Inside this box is a spot to enter your e-mail address. It is that easy. Your e-mail address goes to a feed, it does not get posted. I’m not even sure I can see it, there might be a way but I don’t know what it is.
Lastly, a little bit of courtesy (well that’s what I think it is), if you win a book, please let me know (by e-mail preferably) when you get it. That’s all. Thanks and happy reading.
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I usually run my giveaways back to back but I am so excited about this one I just couldn’t wait. I hope I don’t get hopelessly confused. So it is starting now and running for two weeks. Not only do I have 2 copies of the book to give away, but I am also getting a book to review.
The rules are as follows:
If you don’t want to wait to win the book, which is going on sale August 18th, click on the purple button to preorder the book RIGHT NOW!!
Book description:
Philippa Gregory, “the queen of royal fiction” (USA Today) Presents the first of a new series set amid the deadly feuds of England known as the Wars of the Roses.
Brother turns on brother to win the ultimate prize, the throne of England, in this dazzling account of the wars of the Plantagenets. They are the claimants and kings who ruled England before the Tudors, and now Philippa Gregory brings them to life through the dramatic and intimate stories of the secret players: the indomitable women, starting with Elizabeth Woodville, the White Queen.
The White Queen tells the story of a woman of extraordinary beauty and ambition who, catching the eye of the newly crowned boy king, marries him in secret and ascends to royalty. While Elizabeth rises to the demands of her exalted position and fights for the success of her family, her two sons become central figures in a mystery that has confounded historians for centuries: the missing princes in the Tower of London whose fate is still unknown. From her uniquely qualified perspective, Philippa Gregory explores this most famous unsolved mystery of English history, informed by impeccable research and framed by her inimitable storytelling skills.
With The White Queen, Philippa Gregory brings the artistry and intellect of a master writer and storyteller to a new era in history and begins what is sure to be another bestselling classic series from this beloved author.
Click here to read an excerpt from the book.
Trailer for The White Queen
About the author
Philippa Gregory is the New York Times bestselling author of several books, including The Other Boleyn Girl and The Boleyn Inheritance. A writer and broadcaster for radio and television, she lives in England. She welcomes visitors and messages at her website, www.philippagregory.com.
What better way to pay homage than by having a reading challenge in 2009? Since we are all different, there will be three sizes of challenges.
You decide which one of the three challenges is best for you. My goal is 25 books.
Click on the picture above to enter the challenge.
Beautiful antiques expert Beth Denison is living in fear, for herself and her daughter. With good reason, she is being stalked by a killer. Neil Sheridan gave up his FBI shield five years ago, but his best friend Rick, a cop, pulls him in as a consultant on a case involving a serial killer who is eerily similar to a murderer Neil encountered in the past. The investigation leads Neil to Beth’s doorstep, and he is certain she isn’t telling him the truth, that she knows who the killer is. Chevy Bankes is the killer, he is a master of disguise and out of prison and he is linked to Beth, sending her antique dolls after he makes his victims look like them, all the time plotting to exact his revenge on her. To catch this killer Neil needs to get through Beth’s defenses and find out the truth, who this killer is and what else she knows about him.
When I first started reading this book and Neil met Beth, I was prepared to hate her. The one thing I hate in a ‘good’ character is stupidity and selfishness and at first I though she was one or the other or both. However, as I got to know her, I realized she wasn’t either, she had a jerk for a first husband. She did make a rather big mistake, but she tried to correct it, however, she was outsmarted by Chevy Bankes. There was one plot ‘twist’ that I saw coming from the very beginning of the book, it could be because I have read so many of these books and watched so many crime shows, that it was obvious to me. Even though you know who the killer is and are privy to what he is doing, this book still had a lot of suspense in it. If I were to compare this to a rollercoaster ride, I would say that you could see most of the twists and turns coming, but every once and a while there would come an unexpected bump.
My only complaints were my usual, the synopsis had mistakes in it and the romance. How come when someone is stalking you, trying to kill you, that you stop to fall in love? It doesn’t make sense to me!
I did like this book and I would recommend it to people who like suspense, thriller with a little bit of romance thrown in.
2009 eBook Reading Challenge
I seem to be reading a lot of books where the main character has a parent die. Maybe that makes for good plot lines. Wait Until Twilight is described as a coming of age story and it is. The story starts a year after sixteen-year-old Samuel’s mother has died and right away you get an idea of the effect this has had on his family. He studies hard and wants to ace his classes because when he is studying hard he doesn’t think of other things and feels ‘normal’. While working on a class video project, his friend takes him to a house where he sees a set of deformed triplets. The mother says, ‘There is nothing wrong with them, they are my miracles.’
The story takes you through Samuel’s life at school, his relationships with his friends versus his family, his growing obsession with these triplets and trying to not be killed by the triplets brother. He determines that he needs to save these babies from their brother. In doing so he learns more about himself and develops his personality from a boy to a young man.
I liked the pace of this novel. The way the author took you through Samuel’s day and the good behavior/bad behavior common to most teenage boys. I almost could feel the fear he was experiencing, first with regard to himself, second when he realized the babies were in danger. When he decides to save them, you know he has reached the point where he can move past his mother’s death and get on with his life.
Young Adult Fiction
Advanced reader copy for review
If you would like this book, send me an e-mail with the name of the book in the subject line and your name and mailing address in the body of the e-mail. The first person who e-mails will receive my advanced reader copy of this book. It is a trade paperback in excellent condition.
The book has been claimed. Congratulations to A___! I will be mailing the book out tomorrow.
I look good in black and white.
I am reading the Bible, books, magazines, online newspaper articles, blogs, jokes on candy wrappers, ads on the subway, billboards, backs of food boxes, lists of ingredients and recipes, cleaning directions, sayings on shirts, then I write and write. When I'm not reading, I'm experiencing life, trying out new restaurants and getting massages. I write about those places here, take a look, you might find something you like.
city girl drinking craft beer 