Review "A Winter Discovery" by Michael Baron

CMash December 7, 2011 4 Comments

A WINTER DISCOVERY by Michael Baron
Published by The Story Plant

ISBN: 9781611880274

At the request of The Story Plant in partnership with Spread The Word Initiative, a Digital Edition was supplied, at no cost to me, for my honest opinion.

Synopsis (borrowed from NetGalley): Returning to the characters of his first novel, When You Went Away, Baron takes us again into the world of Gerry Rubato, a man who has been marked by loss and revived by love, and his son Reese, now five, who celebrates life at a remarkable level but is only now starting to understand that he was robbed of the chance of ever knowing his mother. Reese is old enough now to get caught up in the excitement of the Christmas season and he throws himself into it with abandon. His sense of celebration takes on entirely new levels of meaning, though, when it leads him to an unexpected and most remarkable discovery.

At once buoyant and poignant, and filled with irrepressible spirit, A Winter Discovery is a story of that will take you to new places in your heart.

My Thoughts and Opinion: As the synopsis states, this is a sequel to When You Went Away, and you may have seen that I just posted my review of that book, however, I tend to disagree a little. This is a novella that has the same characters returning and focusing on the six year old child who was an infant when his mother died. It can definitely stand alone and will tug at every heart string. It’s a Christmas story for adults that will warm and touch you so deeply that it’s magical. No spoilers given but will tell you that there will be a few sniffles. A perfect gift for a teacher, a neighbor, mail person who delivers our books year round, etc etc. It is a fast read, only 60 pages, but it is full of emotion, love, sentiment, feeling and tenderness that this book should be on every one’s book shelf to reread at this time of year. Highly recommend!!

DISCLAIMER

I received a copy of this book, at no charge to me,

in exchange for my honest review.

No items that I receive

are ever sold…they are kept by me,

or given to family and/or friends.

W.W.W. Wednesdays

CMash December 7, 2011 1 Comment

Hosted by Miz B at Should Be Reading

What are you currently reading?

What did you recently finish reading?

What do you think you’ll read next?

Winners

And the winners are

CMash December 6, 2011 3 Comments

of HOW THE MISTAKES WERE MADE by Tyler McMahon

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

2   10   6   17   13

Timestamp: 2011-12-06 23:44:47 UTC

Maureen said…I follow on GFC 2

Marjorie/cenya2 said…I follow by google as Marjorie/cenya2.10

Gigi Ann said…I always liked “Alabama” I think they became famous in the 80s. 6

degood said…I follow you on twitter as kmayans 17

Valerie Taylor Mabrey said…Cheap trick 13

An email has been sent to the winners and they have 48 hours to respond with their mailing address or another winner will be chosen. Thank you to all that entered.

Guest Author

Guest Author Catherine Larose

CMash December 6, 2011 4 Comments

Today the ladies of WOW Tours are stopping by, and once again, introducing us to one amazing woman. A world traveler and now an author. Since I did read her book, I can say, it may be her debut book, but put her on your radar because I doubt this will be her only novel. Sp please help me welcome Cat Larose and the ladies of WOW!!!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Catherine is one part hot blooded Latin and one part wild eyed Celt. Shes the oldest of seven children raised in a large Irish/Italian family Catholic, of course. But family and friends think of her as the gypsy. Shes spent her life studying, living, and working all over the place. Cat is forever destined to wander incessantly as a person currently without country(CWC), or with no fixed address(NFA). Blessing or curse? Grandma V had her pegged long before she ever left Clevleand, Ohio when she gave her red-headed Italian granddaughter this advice , All you need is a place to hang your hat.

As she was traveling the world, Cat managed to acquire a husband. A rather beige husband. Not a good match considering the fact that Cat sells color for a living. What does that mean? When you go to a home improvement store and to choose a paint color, those little color chips are made by Cats company. They produce color chips for the automotive industry, cosmetic industry and of course your local Home Depot. While in Paris on business, Cat decided that life was too short to be beige. Her memoir is a record of her escape from the beige tinge of her marriage to the wild colors of singlehood.

You can visit Catherine at her website here .

GUEST POST

AnyColor but Beige: Living Life in Color

By Catherine Larose

In her memoir, Any Color but Beige: Living Life in Color, author and colormarketer Cat Larose finally comes to the realization that the picture-perfectlife she created was missing something essential – color. Once she identified what was wrong, Cat foundhappiness by living life in color. Use the quiz below to determine if you needto add more color to your life.

Start by answering“yes” or “no” for each question.

1. Can youname the last time you felt a rush of happiness?

2. Do you liketo try new things?

3. Is there atleast one person, place or activity you are passionate about?

4. Do youindulge in that passion often?

5. Can youlaugh at yourself?

6. Do you havea short bucket list?

7. Have youdone something spontaneous in the last week?

8. Have youlaughed or shared a laugh in the last day?

9. Do yousmile for no reason?

10. Do you havea curious mind and an open spirit?

11. Do you makeyourself a priority?

12. Do you knowyour favorite color and indulge in it?

13. Do youenjoy your own company?

14. Do youtreat yourself to little (or big) things on occasion?

15. Do you haveone true friend you can turn to in joy or despair?

16. Do younurture your spiritual side?

17. Do you giveback, even in just a small way?

18. Do you livein the moment?

19. Are you awork in progress, learning and growing with every experience?

20. Do you have a personal mantra, motto orspecial book or song that defines you?

Scoring

For each “yes” response, give yourself five points. For each “no” response, subtract one point. Add up the points to reveal your color score.

Color Lost: less than 25 color points
Oops! Looks like you’ve misplaced your color compass. A little Meditation Mauve (from the Any Color but Beige color palettes) would serve you well as a starting point to get back on track. Leonardo da Vinci believed that meditating in a purple light increased effectiveness tenfold. Hang a purple crystal in your window and bask in its beams. Now that is a mood swing for the better!

Color Roadblock: 26 – 50 color points

Time for a makeover – just add color. You are eyeing that box of crayons, poised and ready to choose your signature color. Who would have thought such a bold, marvelous creature was hiding behind all that sensible beige? Try adding some Marvelous Darling (from the Any Color But Beige color palettes) with clothing or accessories, to get moving again.

Flying Down the Highway: 51 – 75 color points
You are officially on Adventure Road. If color were a country, you would have a passport! Whether it’s from around the corner or around the world, you collect colorful souvenirs and use them to decorate your inner and outer space. Seize opportunities to bring colorful pieces of your travels and adventures home. Who says you can’t take it with you?

End of the Rainbow: 76 – 100 color points
Congratulations, you have a rainbow in your pocket! Your life encompasses a full spectrum of color experiences. Time to take all that Zenergy (from the Any Color but Beige color palettes) and share it with others. Start a blog, write your memoir or just find time to share colorful experiences with others. Keep focused on living life in color to continue to reap the benefits.

Cat’s Top 10 Tips for Living Life in Color:

Take time for pit stops of happiness. Pull off the road every now and then and be good to yourself. Even if it is just for a quiet moment of coffee.
Add discipline–it provides proportional returns. What you get out of anything is equal to what you put in.
Realize that advice is just a validation of the decision you are about to make.
Ask, “Would I rather be right or happy?” If you want to be happy, then be willing to change your mind.
Accept the consequences of your decisions and move on.
Live (temporarily) with your fear, guilt or embarrassment until you get over it–and you will get over it.
Overcome analysis/paralysis.
Ask the right question–not “why” (blame) but “how” (action).
You do not have to be an expert. Just be honest with yourself.
Take advantage of new opportunities. If not now, when?

ABOUT THE BOOK

Synopsis:

After years of living a beige existence, Cat Larose, international color marketing expert, finally added a little color to her own life. All it took was a Paris sunset and a little red suitcase.

Everyone wanted Cat’s life. She had a handsome husband, a stylish home and a fascinating career as an international color marketing consultant. Work took Cat to some of the world’s most beautiful cities but something was missing: ironically, it was color. One day she found herself in Paris watching a sunset and, in a moment of clarity, she caught a glimpse of her sepia-toned future.

When Cat got home, she did what she’d longed to do for years. She decided to paint her bedroom a magnificent Bordeaux red and put an end to her beige existence and her marriage. That was the beginning of a new life.

Any Color but Beige is a bright, funny, genuine account of one woman’s search for love in the deep end of the dating pool. None of the self-help books prepared Cat for the often funny, occasionally puzzling, sometimes sad but always colorful dating adventures with an international cast of frogs, princes and players. Cat makes the classic female mistake of thinking that love is a life preserver. Until one day she learns to swim.

Just Thought You Should Know:

At the end of her WOW Blog Tour, Cat Larose will be awarding a special Book Club Prize which includes 10 copies of her memoir Any Color But Beige, a guide on how your book club can enjoy Any Color But Beige, any several other surprises. If your readers want to enter this contest tell them to leave a comment at your site with the words Book Club Contest in the message. If youll be giving away a copy of Any Color But Beige, have your followers leave two messages: one to enter your blogs contests and one to enter the Book Club Contest.

On Monday,December 19 at the end of her WOW Blog Tour, Cat Larose will be awarding a special Book Club Prize ! The prize includes 10 copies of her memoir Any Color But Beige, a guide on how your book club can enjoy Any Color But Beige, a virtual visit from Cat Larose, and several other surprises. If you want to enter this contest just leave a comment after this post with the words “Book Club Contest” in the message. You can enter to win both the individual contest for one copy of Any Color But Beige and the Book Club Contest but you have to leave two different comments. Don’t forget to tell everyone who belongs to your Book Club to enter the contest!

Watch the trailer:

THANKS TO AUTHOR, CATHERINE LAROSE,

AND THE LADIES AT WOW, I HAVE ONE (1)

COPY OF THIS MEMOIR TO GIVE AWAY.

CLICK HERE TO BRING YOU TO

THE GIVEAWAY ENTRY PAGE.

DISCLAIMER

I received a copy of this book, at no charge to me,

in exchange for my honest review.

No items that I receive

are ever sold…they are kept by me,

or given to family and/or friends.

Giveaway

GIVEAWAY ENTRY PAGE "ANY COLOR BUT BEIGE" BY CATHERINE LAROSE ENDED

CMash December 6, 2011 33 Comments

DECEMBER 6th to DECEMBER 20th, 2011

ANY COLOR BUT BEIGE

by CATHERINE LAROSE

SYNOPSIS:

After years of living a beige existence, Cat Larose, international color marketing expert, finally added a little color to her own life. All it took was a Paris sunset and a little red suitcase.
Everyone wanted Cat’s life. She had a handsome husband, a stylish home and a fascinating career as an international color marketing consultant. Work took Cat to some of the world’s most beautiful cities but something was missing: ironically, it was color. One day she found herself in Paris watching a sunset and, in a moment of clarity, she caught a glimpse of her sepia-toned future.
When Cat got home, she did what she’d longed to do for years. She decided to paint her bedroom a magnificent Bordeaux red and put an end to her beige existence and her marriage. That was the beginning of a new life.
Any Color but Beige is a bright, funny, genuine account of one woman’s search for love in the deep end of the dating pool. None of the self-help books prepared Cat for the often funny, occasionally puzzling, sometimes sad but always colorful dating adventures with an international cast of frogs, princes and players. Cat makes the classic female mistake of thinking that love is a life preserver. Until one day she learns to swim.

THANKS TO AUTHOR, CATHERINE LAROSE,
AND THE LADIES AT WOW

I HAVE ONE ( 1 ) COPY OF THIS
MEMOIR TO GIVE AWAY.
HERE IS WHAT YOU NEED TO DO TO WIN.

*ALL COMMENTS TO BE SEPARATE*
AND INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS
SO THAT I CAN CONTACT YOU IF YOU WIN
*LEAVE COMMENT: HAVE YOU EVER COMPARED
YOUR LIFE TO A COLOR, IF SO WHICH COLOR?*

*EXTRA ENTRIES*

*LEAVE SEPARATE COMMENT IF YOU PUBLICLY FOLLOW THIS
BLOG (IF NOT, GOOGLE FRIEND CONNECT ON RIGHT SIDE).
*LEAVE SEPARATE COMMENT IF YOU FOLLOW ME ON FACEBOOK.
*LEAVE SEPARATE COMMENT IF YOU FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER.
*REMEMBER TO INCLUDE EMAIL ADDRESS FOR ALL ENTRIES.

*U.S. AND CANADA RESIDENTS ONLY*
*NO P.O. BOXES*
**HONOR SYSTEM**
ONE WINNING BOOK PER HOUSEHOLD
PLEASE NOTIFY ME IF YOU HAVE
WON THIS BOOK FROM ANOTHER
SITE, SO THAT SOMEONE ELSE MAY
HAVE THE CHANCE TO WIN
AND READ THIS BOOK.
THANK YOU.

*GIVEAWAY ENDS DECEMBER 20th AT 6PM EST*

WINNER WILL BE CHOSEN BY RANDOM.ORG AND NOTIFIED
VIA EMAIL AND WILL HAVE 48 HOURS TO RESPOND
OR ANOTHER NAME WILL BE CHOSEN

DISCLAIMER / RULES

Giveaway copies are supplied and shipped to winners via publisher,
the giveaway on behalf of the
above. I received a copy of this book, at no charge to me, in
exchange for my honest review. No items that I receive are
ever sold…they are kept by me, or given to family and/or friends.

I am not responsible for lost or damaged books that are shipped
from agents. I reserve the right to disqualify/delete any entries
if rules of giveaway are not followed

Giveaway

GIVEAWAY ENTRY PAGE "ANY COLOR BUT BEIGE" BY CATHERINE LAROSE

CMash December 6, 2011 Leave a Comment

DECEMBER 6th to DECEMBER 20th, 2011

ANY COLOR BUT BEIGE

by CATHERINE LAROSE

SYNOPSIS:

THANKS TO AUTHOR, CATHERINE LAROSE,
AND THE LADIES AT WOW

I HAVE ONE ( 1 ) COPY OF THIS
MEMOIR TO GIVE AWAY.
HERE IS WHAT YOU NEED TO DO TO WIN.

*ALL COMMENTS TO BE SEPARATE*
AND INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS
SO THAT I CAN CONTACT YOU IF YOU WIN
*LEAVE COMMENT: HAVE YOU EVER COMPARED
YOUR LIFE TO A COLOR, IF SO WHICH COLOR?*

*EXTRA ENTRIES*

*GIVEAWAY ENDS DECEMBER 20th AT 6PM EST*

WINNER WILL BE CHOSEN BY RANDOM.ORG AND NOTIFIED
VIA EMAIL AND WILL HAVE 48 HOURS TO RESPOND
OR ANOTHER NAME WILL BE CHOSEN

DISCLAIMER / RULES

I am not responsible for lost or damaged books that are shipped
from agents. I reserve the right to disqualify/delete any entries
if rules of giveaway are not followed

Book Review

Review "When You Went Away" by Michael Baron

CMash December 5, 2011 3 Comments

WHEN YOU WENT AWAY by Michael Baron

Published by The Story Plant

ISBN-10: 0981956807

ISBN-13: 978-0981956800

This Kindle Edition is owned by me and was a personal choice of reading, that I downloaded via Amazon, during a special that was being offered.

Synopsis (from Amazon): Baron’s carefully crafted debut tale, the Story Plant’s first mass market original, is too true-to-life to be interesting. Gerry Rubato’s wife has died and his teenage daughter has run away from home, leaving him alone to raise an infant son. Despite the recent tragedies, the focus of the novel is on rather ordinary non-events, such as Gerry’s work at a catalogue company, opinions about the Yankees and tedious descriptions of food. As Gerry struggles to confront his runaway child, he chronicles his emotional reactions in a series of journal entries. A romantic subplot involving a colleague provides predictable conflict. Buried in the minutiae is an earnest tale of a man’s emotional awakening and grief, but a too-easy resolution makes this more of a tour through Gerry’s processing than a story.

My Thoughts and Opinion: Once again Michael Baron pulls on the heart strings from the opening sentence to the very last page. A poignant, tender, emotional, romantic, softhearted and moving love story through the eyes of a male written by a male. A story of love on different levels and in different states of the main character’s life. Gerry has everything, a wife, which is the love of his life, a teenage daughter, a brand new baby boy and then his world collapses. His daughter runs away, his wife dies suddenly, he becomes an instant single parent, and even though there is so much grief, he has to go on.

I have read many books by this author and every time I do, I have to remind myself that it is written by a male author. The soft, compassionate, moving and touching words that the author conveys in his writing, tugs on the heart strings and allows the reader to see and feel from that of a male perspective. Ladies, I wish, all of this could be bottled and made into a vaccine for the male species, if you know what I mean. Another plus with this book was that the main character is a huge Yankees fan. When his son was just an infant, they would spend their evenings together on the couch, watching a game, while he explained the art of baseball, knowing that his son probably had no clue what he was talking about. This brought back memories. I would do the same thing, not about baseball but while I was cooking. And another plus, my oldest son is a HUGE Yankees fan, naming is dog after the team and even has a tattoo. So in my book….that gets extra points. Overall….a phenomenal poignant read!!! A grand slam!!!

2012 Challenges

While I was away……

CMash December 5, 2011 4 Comments

………….I had to pass the time. And with just a few weeks left, I figured I might as well take advantage of all the free time that I had in between reading and writing some reviews. And the best part was it didn’t cost me a penny!!!!!

I found myself 3 more challenges!!!!!! What can I say? Except I realized I have one more addiction!! Not only to reading, reading challenges, reading challenge buttons but also to blogging. I was lost this weekend without my blog so I joined some more challenges. The only problem I see is this, there are a couple of others that I am waiting for lol. But here are the ones I added:

Challenge Details

• Timeline: 01 Jan 2012 – 31 Dec 2012

• Rules: To read TWELVE (12) mystery & suspense novels in 2011 (12 is the minimum but you can read more if you wish!)

• You don’t have to select your books ahead of time, you can just add them as you go. Also if you do list them upfront you can change them, nothing is set in stone! The books you choose can crossover into other challenges you have on the go.

• You can join at anytime. All books read in 2012 count towards the challenge regardless of when you sign up.

• At the beginning of Jan 2012, you will find a link to specific month to add your reviews.

• Audiobooks do not count, but all other formats are accepted.

• At the beginning of Jan 2012, you will find a link to add your reviews.

• You don’t have to have a blog to join in – for those without a blog just FILL IN THIS FORM and I will add you to the list – just join the discussion in the comments section to let us know when you’ve read a book and what you thought of it! 🙂

• You can choose from the numerous sub-genres of mystery and suspense, from cosy mysteries such as Agatha Christie to the more hard-boiled kind like V I Warshawski by Sara Paretsky, or romantic suspense written by the likes of Linda Howard, forensic crime such as those written by Kathy Reichs and even paranormal/supernatural suspense such as Kelley Armstrong. I’m sure this challenge will have something for everyone! 🙂

Free Reads 2012 Reading Challenge

HOSTED BY BOOKISH ARDOUR http://bookishardour.com/free-reads/

January 1, 2012 – December 31, 2012

Free Reads is a new challenge we’re starting this year and we hope it does as well as our other ones.

What It’s All About

Are you one of those book lovers who receive lots of books for presents? Have unread books lying around that you won in giveaways, received as ARCs, were given second hand, or even found lying around in the street! Then you might want to join in this challenge because we’re aiming to read all those unread books received as freebies in some form.

The Deets

The Main Rule: Read books you’ve received without purchasing, gifts, ARCs, prizes (not library books), that you haven’t read yet.
Running Dates: 1st of January – 31st of December 2012
When Can I Sign Up: All the way up to the last two weeks of December!
Crossover Genres: Anything! As long as they were free when you got them, it doesn’t matter..
Mr Linky: To use the Mr Linky you’ll need to click on the graphic then enter your link. These will be updated and posted into this page every couple of weeks or so.
Further Details: Crossover challenges are fine, you can change levels at any time, this is eBook, short story, and graphic novel friendly, and you don’t need a blog to join in (read further for details).

The How To

Choose Your Level: These are listed further down and you can change levels at any time.
Grab The Badge: Place it somewhere on your blog, profile, or in a signature where possible and link back (main page or this page, it’s up to you).
Sign Up Post: Create a post on your blog, in a group, or on a forum (only if allowed) to let others see what you’re aiming for (a predefined list of books is optional).
Link Up: Grab the direct URL to your sign up post, not your blog, click the Mr Linky graphic and enter your link!
Blogless? Don’t worry, you can sign up with your social network profile (YouTube, Twitter, GoodReads, Shelfari included), just make sure you link to your review list, shelf, tweet, or category. If you don’t have any of those feel free to comment!

Afterwards

Your Reviews: Reviewing is optional! But if you do review we’d love for you to share them by submitting them on the Review Page (including social networks).
Finished: When you’re done it’s completion post time and you can share these on the Completion Post page!

Challenge Levels

For Me? – Choose 5 books to read
On The Cheap – Choose 15 books to read
Bargain – Choose 30 books to read
Presents – Choose 50 books to read
So Free – Choose 75 books to read
Gift Addict – Choose between 76-135 books to read
Speechless – Choose between 136-200 books to read

Extra Challenges

If you feel like that extra kick to your reading challenges here’s a couple you can choose from.

World: Choose a country as your theme, reading only books from that country or where it’s the setting. For how high you go you can choose more than one country;
- Level For Me? and On The Cheap: Choose one country
- Level Bargain and Presents: Choose two countries
- Level So Free to end of Gift Addict: Choose three countries
- Level Speechless: Choose four countries.
Gender Battle: Read books only by female or male authors. Another alternative is to read equal amounts of both.

I have signed up for this one for the past 2 years and someday, some year my goal is to complete it!!!!

Sign-Up: 100+ Books In A Year Reading Challenge 2012!

from Book Chick City by Book Chick City

http://www.bookchickcity.com/2011/12/sign-up-100-books-in-year-reading.html

Book Chick City’s
100+ Books In A Year Reading Challenge 2012!

Welcome to the 100+ Books In A Year Challenge 2012! I haven’t done too badly with this challenge, but I still failed. At present I’m on book 72 and I imagine I will add another few before the year is out. This is the second year I haven’t reached my personal goal of 100, so I’m hoping 2012 will be my year! I hope you will join in too! For more details see below.

Sign Up

To sign up you MUST make a post on your blog about participating in the challenge – you then use the DIRECT URL of the post to sign up to the challenge by adding it to Mr Linky below. DO NOT just add your blog URL – this will be deleted.

You must add the button to your sidebar – make sure that it links back to this post so others can join the challenge if they wish. Easiest way to do this is to copy and paste the code displayed below!

Challenge Details

• Timeline: 01 Jan 2012 – 31 Dec 2012

• Rules: Read 100+ books in 2012 (any genre)

• You can join at anytime. All books read in 2012 count towards the challenge regardless of when you sign up.

• At the beginning of Jan 2012, you will find a link to specific month to add your reviews.

• Audiobooks do not count, but all other formats are accepted.

• Only fiction, no non-fiction.

• This challenge can crossover to other challenges.

Please add your DIRECT URL link, not just your blog link. If you have trouble adding your URL link below, just fill out the form above and I will add it for you.

So to date, I have 16 and 2 perpetuals. Have you decided are any more? Have you found any new ones? Now that I lost my google reader, I’m afraid I might miss some, so if you see one in your travels and it has a great button, please let me know lol.