Hosted by Miz B at Should Be Reading

This week’s question:
What are you currently reading? And, is it better, as good as, or worse than your last read?

My answer:
I currently have 2 books going but finding I am reading one more than another.  Guess I am still a one book at a time person.

It’s The Lifeboat by Charlotte Rogan, which is also a current giveaway if you are interested…check out sidebar.  I am enjoying it and being the month of The Titanic Anniversary it seems fitting to be reading it now.

Compared to my last book?  Quite different.  This is fiction whereas my last read was a memoir.   The book is RagDoll Redeemed:  Growing Up In the Shadow of Marilyn Monroe by Dawn Novotny.   Amazing!!  Powerful!!  Sad!!  Inspirational!!  I read the book in 2 sittings, it was that good.  Could not put it down!!  Even though 2 different genre books, I would have to say, the memoir was better.  It was a read that touched me to the core and will stay with me for a very long time.  FYI..I read this book at the request of WOW and Ms. Novotny will be a Guest Author here on June 7th.   Mark it on your calendar as there will also be a 2 book giveaway that you WILL want to enter.  I have written my review and will post it then, but will tell you I rated it a 5+.

April is being hosted by Cindy’s Love of Books 

Mailbox Monday was created by Marcia of A girl and her books and is now on tour.

According to Marcia, “Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week. Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.”

        

  The Hachette Book Group      Author                    Author

    WITH  A    

Author…Fiction Studio (a division of  The Story Plant)

Facebook link

Hi  to everyone this glorious Sunday, hope you had a wonderful week.   I didn’t post last week due to Easter so I have a lot of bookish thoughts this week.  So let’s get started…….

Reading:  I read a phenomenal, captivating memoir that I highly recommend, RagDoll Redeemed by Dawn Novotny.  And I have another 2 books that I am reading,  something I never thought I would do and that is to read 2 at a time.  More on that in a bit.  The 2 books are The Lifeboat by Charlotte Rogan and The Whipping Club by Deborah Henry.

Back to reading in general…..Not sure why, but lately my reading habits and genres have changed.  Example… reading 2 books at a time, I never thought I could or even would consider trying to give my attention to 2 books.  I often wondered how others could do it and now I am.  Maybe it’s that I couldn’t decide what to read next so started perusing my 2 current reads and then found myself reading both.  Has this happened to you?  Do you read more than one book at a time?  And another change I have noticed is genres.  I have always been a staunch mystery/suspense reader but lately have been reading memoirs and books with a lot of relationship dynamics.  Again, maybe it’s just because I just finished some great books, one book by a favorite author, Diane Chamberlain, and 2 of which were by another author, Barbara Taylor Sissel, who is also now on my favorite authors list.  Again, highly recommend all 3.

Blogging:  Spent quite a lot of time at the computer this week, which is one of the reasons I only read one book.  Due to some unexpected plans that left me being away from home for an overnight stay in the hospital.  Plus the fact that I am currently over seeing 5 tours with Partners In Crime Tours (more on that in a bit) and getting ready for a planned vacation, I tried to get a lot of posts drafted up in advance.  I also updated my LT account, which I haven’t done in many months, but have a question.  I have reached my 200 book and I can’t add any more without an upgrade.  I know there must be many of you that have more books than that.  Do you pay the yearly fee?  Or do you keep your account maxed at 200 and use GR instead?

If you are stopping by for the first time, welcome.  I would like to extend an invitation to you and to those who might be interested.  I am a partner in a virtual PR company, Partners In Crime Tours, for authors of mystery, suspense and crime novels.  There are so many new book blogs out in cyberspace now, I am afraid I might miss some.  If you enjoy reading the genre of mystery/suspense and would like to become a host/reviewer for our group, please email me at CMash@Partnersincrimetours.net and I will email you with the details or answer any questions you may have.  Hope you sign on.  Our site is www.Partnersincrimetours.net where you can see our past, current and upcoming tours and read our testimonials.

Real Life:  I mentioned that I had an unexpected trip to the hospital, that was definitely not part of my plans this past week.  And to make matters worse, it was THE FIRST time I ever left my house without a book!!!!  Last Saturday while in the process of taking my prescribed morning meds, I started to cough and accidentally aspirated a pill into my trachea.  From there I started having signs of fever, wheezing and shortness of breath.  Knowing that we have a vacation coming up, I called my doc thinking that an x-ray would be taken and antibiotics prescribed.  Easy but NO!!  They said to come right in (that’s when I forgot my book).  From the doctor’s office, a rescue was called and I was rushed to the hospital ER (6 hours….NO BOOK).  Chest x-ray done and was fine.  Gave me a breathing treatment (great!!!…I can go home…..but NO!!!)  After the treatment, I became worse with wheezing to the point where the doc could audibly hear me from the desk and came running into my cubicle.  Rushed to CTscan (Admitted!!…NO BOOK).  Hubby finally rescued me and brought me a book.  Stayed overnight for IV antibiotics, steroids and more breathing treatments.  Discharged next day.  Had severe lung broncho spasms due to the aspiration.  Good news, I had my book and we can go on our planned vacation.  Will have more tests after our get away.  I learned 2 valuable lessons…NEVER leave house without book and not to cough when taking medication.  Feeling better now!!!

So how was your week?  Any great reads, finds, recommendations?  And if this was your first time stopping by, thank you.  Check  out the sidebars for current giveaways!!

*USE THE RAFFLECOPTER FORM BELOW
IN ORDER TO BE INCLUDED IN THE GIVEAWAY*
BE SURE TO INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL

ADDRESS IN THE RAFFLECOPTER FORM
SO THAT I CAN CONTACT YOU IF YOU WIN
*LEAVE COMMENT: WHAT EMOTIONS DO YOU

THINK YOU WOULD BE FEELING IN THIS SITUATION?

DO YOU THINK YOU WOULD  BE ABLE TO SURVIVE?*

*U.S. AND CANADA RESIDENTS ONLY*

*NO P.O. BOXES*

**PER PUBLISHER**
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.

YOUR JAVA SCRIPT MAY NEED TO BE UPDATED
IF YOU AR EXPERIENCING DIFFICULTY
USING THE RAFFLECOPTER ENTRY FORM

Continue reading “GIVEAWAY ENTRY PAGE “THE LIFEBOAT” by Charlotte Rogan” →

……of Redemption Day by Steve O’Brien

24 Ed Nemmers Leave a Blog Post Comment

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

Hosted by An Island Life 

From An Island Life:
In Hawaii, Aloha Friday is the day that we take it easy and look forward to the weekend. So I thought that on Fridays I would take it easy on posting, too. Therefore, I’ll ask a simple question for you to answer. Nothing that requires a lengthy response.
If you’d like to participate, visit An Island Life answer the question and then post your own question on your blog and leave your link below. Don’t forget to visit the other participants! It’s a great way to make new bloggy friends!

MY QUESTION:
What is the one thing that makes you smile
no matter what type of mood you are in?
MY ANSWER:
My 2 wonderful and funny sons!!

*USE THE RAFFLECOPTER FORM BELOW
IN ORDER TO BE INCLUDED IN THE GIVEAWAY*
BE SURE TO INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL

ADDRESS IN THE RAFFLECOPTER FORM
SO THAT I CAN CONTACT YOU IF YOU WIN
*LEAVE COMMENT: FROM READING THE SYNOPSIS,
WHAT MAKES YOU WANT TO READ THIS BOOK?  IS IT

THE MYSTERY, THE TIME PERIOD, THE MEDICAL, ETC?*

*U.S. AND CANADA RESIDENTS ONLY*

*NO P.O. BOXES*

**PER PUBLISHER**

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.

YOUR JAVA SCRIPT MAY NEED TO BE UPDATED
IF YOU AR EXPERIENCING DIFFICULTY
USING THE RAFFLECOPTER ENTRY FORM

Continue reading “GIVEAWAY ENTRY PAGE “THE BOOK OF MADNESS AND CURES” ENDED“ →

http://btt2.wordpress.com

This week’s question:
A while ago, I interviewed my readers for a change, and my final question was, “What question have I NOT asked at BTT that you’d love me to ask?” I got some great responses and will be picking out some of the questions from time to time to ask the rest of you. Like now.
Bookish Sarah asks:
What book took you the longest to read, and do you feel it was the content or just the length that made it so?
My answer:
It has been quite a while that this has happened to me.  So far, all the books I have read this year have been so good that it takes me a matter of days to finish unless I have RL issues that take me away from my reading time.

If a book takes me a long time to read it means that it’s due to the fact that the content, writing and plot is not grabbing me.  It is not the type of book where I can’t wait to pick it up.  However, I have learned from past experiences with certain books, that if by page 50 I am not enjoying it, I put it into the DNF pile.  I have noticed that when this happens, if I don’t put it aside and try to push through it, I get into a reader’s slump.  So since past behavior predicts future behavior, I now don’t feel guilty about finishing a book because every book is not for everyone.

Has this happened to you?  Can you recall what book took you a long time to finish or are you like me, and put it in the DNF pile?

FRIDAY the 13th FREE Kindle Event - 13 Books From 13 Mystery Authors

Visit the Amazon Listmania list at http://www.amazon.com/lm/RXUK7UVMTPUOH/ref=cm_lm_pthnk_view?ie=UTF8&lm_bb=for another way to browse the books. 

Date: April 13, 2012

Event: Add some good luck to your Friday the 13th (April 13, 2012) with this special FREE promotion from a group of mystery authors with a publishing history that includes Dutton, William Morrow, Dell, Avon, MIRA Books, St. Martin's Minotaur, and Mainly Murder Press. Readers will discover mystery, suspense, romance and paranormal in settings that range from small town  U.S.A., to Singapore and Indochina, to a mysterious island, to the world of reality TV. Among the accomplishments of the listed authors are New York Times bestselling, Amazon bestselling, Edgar-nominated, Agatha-nominated, winner of the St. Martin's Press/Malice Domestic Best First Traditional Novel, finalist in the Mary Higgins Clark Mystery Magazine National Short Story Contest, and recipients of the Premier Book Awards Mystery/Thriller of the Year Award, and a Writer's Digest Writing Award, to name just a few. Don't miss this one-day, Kindle exclusive opportunity, in which all of the books on the list will be free, to discover these 13 new authors and brighten your Friday the 13th.

1. Darker By Degree by Susan Branham and Keri Knutson – A missing girl. A mysterious break-in. A brutal murder. Actress Maddie Pryce is looking for her big break, but finds herself at the center of a series of seemingly unrelated crimes. Soon she’s tangled up with a persistent detective, a driven director, a playboy producer, and an unstable ingenue. Can Maddie unravel the clues before her next role is as a serial killer’s victim?
ASIN: B0059IWOVG
http://www.amazon.com/Darker-Degree-Maddie-Mystery-ebook/dp/B0059IWOVG/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1332869914&sr=1-

2.  Diary of Murder by Jean Henry Mead –  Dana Logan’s wealthy sister, Georgi, dies and Georgi’s husband claims it was suicide. Dana knows her sister would never take her own life and sets out to prove it was murder, with her friend, Sarah Cafferty. During their investigation, they stumble over more bodies and place their own lives in jeopardy when they encounter a vicious drug ring.
ASIN: B005JFRROI
http://www.amazon.com/Murder-Cafferty-Mystery-Suspense-ebook/dp/B005JFRROI/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1332869942&sr=1-1

3. Ghost Island by Bonnie Hearn Hill - Is Aaron a dream, or is he something much more deadly? Livia Hinson has just begun a Seminar at Sea when a storm hits their boat. Now, she is stranded with the other students on an island off the coast of California. Far away from her foster home and her heartbreak, Livia finds Aaron, the perfect love. But the only way they can be together is in her dreams.
ASIN: B005K019AK
http://www.amazon.com/Ghost-Island-ebook/dp/B005K019AK/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1332869966&sr=1-1

4. Kiki Lowenstein and the Purple Passion: A Kiki Lowenstein Short Story by Joanna Campbell Slan – When a customer’s daughter is falsely accused, Kiki Lowenstein foils a nasty plan to ruin the girl’s reputation. Mystery, crafts, recipes, humor, romance/short story. ASIN: B007P0OKOK
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007P0OKOK

5. One Small Victory by Maryann Miller - the story of one woman's courage. Suspense novel by Maryann Miller, based on a true story of a woman who infiltrated a drug ring and helped bring down a major distributor in her small Texas town. Don't discount what a mother can do to protect her children. First published in hardback, now available as an e-book and as a trade paperback. ASIN: B0040GJI3K http://www.amazon.com/ONE-SMALL-VICTORY-ebook/dp/B0040GJI3K/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1332869600&sr=1-1

6. Rock & Roll Homicide by RJ McDonnell – The 1^st novel in the Rock & Roll Mystery Series finds PI Jason Duffy helping the widow of a slain rock star after she climbs to #1 in the police suspect charts. Duffy, an inexperienced former club musician, sorts through suspects ranging from band members to the Russian Mafia in this rocking whodunit. 4.67 Star Average. ASIN: B002E19JLY http://www.amazon.com/Rock-Roll-Homicide-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B002E19JLY/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1332870107&sr=1-1

7. Sink or Swim by Stacy Juba After starring on a hit game show set aboard a Tall Ship, personal trainer Cassidy Novak discovers that she has attracted a stalker. Can she trust Zach Gallagher, the gorgeous newspaper photographer assigned to follow her for a local series? As things heat up with the stalker and with Zach, soon Cassidy will need to call SOS for real. “Easy read and extremely well written.” Stephenie LaGrossa, Survivor;  “I could not put this book down.” Book Club Queen ASIN: B004GHN6CW http://www.amazon.com/Sink-or-Swim-ebook/dp/B004GHN6CW/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1332870149&sr=1-1

8. Southeast Asian Quartet by William S. Shepard – Mystery, suspense and murder in Southeast Asia in the style of Somerset Maugham, these four tales evoke Singapore, Borneo, Malaya and Indochina. Perhaps you’ll solve the disappearance of Jim Thompson, the Thai Silk King, missing for 35 years. Draw up a chair at the Raffles Bar and join us! ASIN: B0075X8Q1K http://www.amazon.com/Southeast-Asian-Quartet-Stories-ebook/dp/B0075X8Q1K/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1332870617&sr=1-1

9. Taken by Debra Lee –  Welcome to the fictitious little town of Watery, Pennsylvania where the district attorney’s personal secretary, Mary Murray never planned to become a single mom or a suspect in her infant’s disappearance, but she plans to find Jena before she suffers the same fate Mary’s younger brother had when he was taken twelve years earlier. ASIN: B0040SXVYA http://www.amazon.com/Taken-ebook/dp/B0040SXVYA/ref=sr_1_3?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1332870679&sr=1-3

10. The Four Last Things by Timothy Hallinan – Hired to follow a young woman, private eye Simeon Grist becomes mired in murder and a million-dollar religious scam in The Four Last Things, the first in a series of highly-praised LA private-eye novels written in the 1990s by 2011 Edgar nominee Timothy Hallinan. The Drood Review called it “One of the 10 best books of the year.” Publisher’s Weekly: “Very satisfying;” Booklist: “a sure winner.”  ASIN: B003UHVTXW http://www.amazon.com/Things-Simeon-Grist-Mystery-ebook/dp/B003UHVTXW/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1332870737&sr=1-1

11. When a Man Loves a Woman: Enhanced Multimedia Edition by Alina Adams – Can a man and woman ever truly be just friends?  What about if one of them is married?  What if one of them suddenly isn’t anymore?  Originally published as a paperback by Dell in 2000, the 2011 e-book re-release multimedia edition now features all the text of the original, plus a bonus musical soundtrack to compliment the story! A romance from mystery author Alina Adams. ASIN: B005NSDVO6 http://www.amazon.com/When-Man-Loves-Woman-ebook/dp/B005NSDVO6/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1332870816&sr=1-1

12.  Willowtree by Mike Bove – Bruce DelRano, retired postman, golf and food nut, finds a body near the golf course. He believes the murder is connected to others and involves his Apache friend.  Together, they stay a step ahead of the police in trying to solve the cases. They uncover dark secrets of a close knit group of friends in the town of Willowtree, Arizona. This is a fun read with some interesting characters. ASIN: B005DNYFZK http://www.amazon.com/Willowtree-ebook/dp/B005DNYFZK/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1332870877&sr=1-1

13. Whispering by Gerrie Ferris Finger– Will Cleo Snow admit to making love with charming World War I fly-boy Graham Henry to clear him in the disappearance of an island woman who claims he plans to marry her? Will Graham compromise Cleo to clear himself? With her spirit firmed by deceit, Cleo vows to uncover the truth and keep her secret.
ASIN: B006GWO4EY
http://www.amazon.com/WHISPERING-ebook/dp/B006GWO4EY/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1332870947&sr=1-1

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