Reading, Reviewing, Guest Authors, Giveaways and more.
I don’t know who to personally thank for this one, but I surely needed an extra day to get caught up on some things!!!! Twenty-four extra hours, WooHoo!! Fantastic!! Isn’t this wonderful news???!!! lol What are you going to do with your bonus day?
Hosted by Miz B at Should Be Reading
What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
Hosted by Miz B at Should Be Reading
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!
He held the phone to his ear hating how Anita cared about him like he was good. He told her he had to go. He said he was sorry.
Kindle 9%
FEBRUARY 27th to MARCH 12th, 2012
THE BLOOD SUGAR SOLUTION
by MARK HYMAN, M.D.
*GIVEAWAY ENDS MARCH 12th AT 6PM EST*
DISCLAIMER / RULES
YOUR JAVA SCRIPT MAY NEED TO BE UPDATED
IF YOU AR EXPERIENCING DIFFICULTY
USING THE RAFFLECOPTER ENTRY FORM
Continue reading “GIVEAWAY ENTRY PAGE “THE BLOOD SUGAR SOLUTION” by Mark Hyman, M.D. ENDED“
Hosted by Miz B at Should Be Reading
Today’s question:
• Do you read books that are part of a series?
• Do you collect all the books in the series before starting? What if the series is brand new, and the only book that’s been published so far is Book one? As subsequent books in the series are published, do you go back and re-read the preceding books?
My answer:
In the past, I have read some books that have been part of a series. The first that comes to mind is The Left Behind Series, which consisted of 13 books. My bff had the complete set so I was able to start with the first book and she would give me 3-5 books at a time. My sons would tease me and ask if either they were all the same or how many were there, was it like an encyclopedia? I have to tell you, those 13 books were read in a matter of 2-3 weeks. By far, my overall best read books in my lifetime.
I have read other books that were part of a series and always have to start with the first one unless it can also be read as a stand alone novel. This year, I signed up for a challenge of just this type. I have some books on my TBR shelves that are “series” books that I have won plus, my friend, Gina from Hott Books enjoys J.D. Robb, so I thought I would also try that series. I would never buy the whole series prior to reading one just in case, it turned out that it was something that I did’t enjoy.
What about you? Do you read series? Any favorites?
February is being hosted by Metro Reader
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.”
Author The Hachette Book Group
SCROLL DOWN FOR DAILY POSTINGS.
This is a sticky post for Read-A-Thon progress.
Book: The Second Time We Met by Leila Cobo
02/24 Friday Pages Read: 127/361
*Musing–I am reading/reviewing this book for The Hachette Book Group. Once my review is posted, Brianne from Hachette has kindly offered for me to host a 3 book giveaway. For a debut novel, it is well written and holding my attention.
02/25 Saturday Pages Read: 182
Subtotal: 308/361
*Musing—ohh so close to finishing the book but sleep won.
02/26 Sunday Pages Read: 53
Subtotal: 361/361
*Musing–Finished The Second Time We Met by Leila Cobo. Will be writing my review today and starting another book
Didn’t get much reading in. Between doing things around the house and computer to-dos the day flew by.
Started Book The Ninth Step by Barbara Taylor Sissel
02/27 Monday Pages Read: Kindle 9%
Subtotal: 1 book/ 9% 2nd book
Musing: Going to be hard keeping track of pages read since Kindle does it by %s, one of the negatives I have with owning a Kindle.
02/28 Tuesday Pages Read: Kindle : another 9%
Subtotal: Kindle: 18%
Musing: not too much time spent reading. Errands, doctor appointment (and wouldn’t you know it) I thought great, I’ll be able to get some reading done in waiting room..was taken right on time lol. I still haven’t learned all the gadgets w/the Kindle..is there a way to find out page numbers instead of the % read?
02/29 Wednesday Pages Read: 0%
Musing: Unfortunately I didn’t even open a book. Due to RL commitments, which I knew ahead of time, I knew that I would probably not get much reading in.
03/01 Thursday Pages Read: 32%
Total: 50%
Wrap Up: Finished The Second Time We Met by Leila Cobo
1/2 through- The Ninth Step by Barbara Taylor Sissel
I was hoping to get at least 2 books read and started on a third during this read-a-thon, however, I also knew when, I signed up that I had obligations that were going to interfere. But knowing that I was participating, was an incentive to try and pick up my book as often as I could.
Thank you Stephanie from Once Upon a Chapter for hosting.
If you are a frequent visitor, today’s guest may sound familiar. He was here back in May of 2011 when he stopped by to talk about his novel Dead of Wynter, which I had stated to put him on your radar. So when Erin and Kate, from The Book Trib, contacted me to review his latest novel, be part of his tour and scavenger hunt, it was a definite yes. So please help me welcome back, Mr. Spencer Seidel.
ABOUT SPENCER SEIDEL
Spencer Seidel’s love of reading and writing began as a child after he discovered Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. His first novel, Dead of Wynter, was published in 2011 and was well-received by critics and readers alike. When he’s not writing novels, Spencer enjoys playing loud rock guitar, something he’s been doing for over twenty-five years.
You can connect with Spencer Seidel at his website, Facebook, Twitter and Author Page at The Book Trib
GUEST POST
The Terrifying World of a Writer
By Spencer Seidel
Ask anyone who knows me, and they’ll tell you that I can be overly scheduled, neurotic, a tad eccentric . . . Well, I won’t go on. You get the picture. Let’s just say that sometimes I’m not real good with going with the flow.
Show me a writer who isn’t a little strange, and I’ll show you a mediocre writer. Writers throughout history have been weird. Hemingway was weird. Same goes for F. Scott Fitzgerald. Do I even have to mention Truman Capote?
I think there’s a simple reason for this.
For those of you who don’t write, let me describe the concept with an analogy. Suppose you woke up one day with a sense of smell as keen as a bloodhound. Can you imagine how awful that would be? You’d smell everything vividly. Every cleaning product on every surface, your own BO, or worse, everyone else’s BO. And I won’t even mention that cat box or God forbid, the old cat herself. And that’s just the beginning. What about the garbage, the laundry hamper, or the week-old milk in the fridge? Even sex would be a challenge. You’d go mental.
But there’s a flip side. Imagine how wonderful freshly baked cinnamon rolls would smell. Or bacon in the morning. No wonder dogs are always begging around for food or dying to get outside. The complex and sometimes overwhelming smells must drive them nuts.
Being a writer is a lot like that, except instead of smells, it’s motivations, emotion, and possibilities. When I get into the car to drive to work every morning, it isn’t hard for me to make my writer voice say things like, “His last day on earth began just like any other.” Yikes! Even on that short drive to my day job, I’m always seeing possibilities. Things that could happen, little things that change lives forever, events that books are made of, like a dropped cellphone on the passenger-side floor that makes someone stray into oncoming traffic, or a blown tire. The more complex the situation, the worse this effect gets. I think this can make writers a little crazy and regimented in their ways as they seek to control their environments.
But, like with our newly found bloodhound senses, there is a flip side. Although some can be extremely introverted, writers are very good at sniffing out people’s angles and motivations. I contend that this makes writers very difficult to lie to. Think your writer spouse could never find out that you’re having an affair? I’ll bet she already knows. Or suspects, anyway. We can be hypersensitive and detect subtle verbal clues and facial expressions people aren’t even aware they’re using. We do that because that’s in part what makes good characterization. That’s a powerful thing.
People are always telling me I would have made a great psychologist. I’ll bet that’s true of most writers. That’s because you really need to understand people at a gut level to make believable characters.
That also gets a little hairy. You can’t just think about all the good things people do, although there is plenty of that around, despite what you hear on the news. Sometimes you have to live inside the head of a killer or rapist or worse, trying to understand how a character like that would think. It can be frightening.
I mean, what if I find out I sort of like it in there? Damn, there I go again.
SCAVENGER HUNT
Next Stop: http://www.myatlantamommy.com
She’d fallen in love with 227 Cumberland Avenue immediately upon seeing it one snowy day in January a few years ago. She’d gotten damn tired of the scrum-dum one bedroom apartment she’d lived in for years over in Parkside and decided to trade up. She didn’t own and didn’t want to. She was a busy woman and had no time to spend fixing things or waiting for someone else to come and fix things. Here, she had a landlord for that. That cold January day, he’d explained that some young guy was moving out after less than a year there for business reasons. The hardwood floors, the exposed brick in the hallway leading to her bedroom, wrought-iron chandeliers, two full baths, brand new appliances, twelve foot ceilings, absolute quiet, and two entrances, front and back, had worked their magic in a matter of a minute or two. She signed the lease that very visit.
ABOUT THE BOOK
Synopsis (borrowed from Amazon): Late one night out on the Eastern Promenade Trail in Portland, Maine, the police discover an incoherent teenager sitting in a pool of blood, holding the body of his best friend and the murder weapon. The girl they both love has been missing for weeks.
The kid’s jealousy clearly drove him to murder. He says the missing girl is the love of his life. She also happens to be the girlfriend of the murder victim.
It’s an open and shut case, or so most of Portland thinks.
Dr. Lisa Boyers, forensic psychologist, receives a call from an old friend, a connection to her troubled past. Attorney Rudy Swaner wants her to interview the young killer Paul Ducharme, who is claiming he doesn’t remember the events leading up to the murder.
In her jailhouse interviews, Lisa helps Paul to recover his memories. But something about Paul’s disturbing love story shakes Lisa to the very core of her being. To understand Paul, she is forced to confront her own ugly violent secrets.
Media attention mounts. Reporters stream into Portland. All eyes turn to the psychologist who seems intent on exonerating the vicious teen killer. Soon Lisa finds herself the focus of an over-zealous reporter with a knack for digging up dirty secrets.
But the killer who has Lisa in the crosshairs already knows them all.
See my review here.
THANKS TO ERIN AND KATE FROM
THE BOOK TRIB, I HAVE ONE (1) COPY
OF THIS THRILLER 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.
LOVESICK
by SPENCER SEIDEL
*GIVEAWAY ENDS MARCH 10th AT 6PM EST*
DISCLAIMER / RULES
Continue reading “GIVEAWAY ENTRY PAGE “LOVESICK” by SPENCER SEIDEL ENDED“
LOVESICK by Spencer Seidel
Published by Publishing Works, Inc.
ISBN-13: 978-1-935557-20-3
ISBN-978-1-935557-51-7
At the request of Meryl L. Moss Media, an ARC TPB was sent, at no cost to me, for my honest opinion.
Synopsis (borrowed from Amazon): Late one night out on the Eastern Promenade Trail in Portland, Maine, the police discover an incoherent teenager sitting in a pool of blood, holding the body of his best friend and the murder weapon. The girl they both love has been missing for weeks.
The kid’s jealousy clearly drove him to murder. He says the missing girl is the love of his life. She also happens to be the girlfriend of the murder victim.
It’s an open and shut case, or so most of Portland thinks.
Dr. Lisa Boyers, forensic psychologist, receives a call from an old friend, a connection to her troubled past. Attorney Rudy Swaner wants her to interview the young killer Paul Ducharme, who is claiming he doesn’t remember the events leading up to the murder.
In her jailhouse interviews, Lisa helps Paul to recover his memories. But something about Paul’s disturbing love story shakes Lisa to the very core of her being. To understand Paul, she is forced to confront her own ugly violent secrets.
Media attention mounts. Reporters stream into Portland. All eyes turn to the psychologist who seems intent on exonerating the vicious teen killer. Soon Lisa finds herself the focus of an over-zealous reporter with a knack for digging up dirty secrets.
But the killer who has Lisa in the crosshairs already knows them all.
My Thoughts and Opinion: I was introduced to this author in May of 2011 with his debut novel, Dead of Wynter, in which I had stated at the time to put this author on your radar. So when I was approached to read his latest novel to read and review, I jumped at the chance. There is always a bit of skepticism, I find, when the debut book is extraordinary, is the 2nd one going to be too? Or was it a one hit wonder.
Lovesick draws you in from the first few pages. A deep, dark psychological thriller with a cast of characters that are interwoven with each other, having their own secret demons, in which they were all trying to live a normal life. Even those that were in positions of trying to investigate a murder of a teenage boy, his missing girlfriend and a best friend found at the murder scene but who doesn’t remember anything. So many parallels between those investigating the case and those that were the victims.
Engrossing!! Spencer Seidel’s writing style transports you right into the book. To the point that a few times, I would be reading while waiting to pick up my husband after he got out of work and I was so absorbed, that I did not see nor hear him approach the car and when he knocked on the window, I let out a scream. Definitely a white knuckle, thriller read!!! Even though I had figured out the “whodunit”, the details surrounding the why’s, what’s, details, and secrets of the other characters were surprising. This was a couldn’t put down book. Looking forward to Mr. Seidel’s future works.
(2012 Challenges: Romantic Suspense, ARC, Mystery/Suspense, Off The Shelf, Serial Killers, Free Reads, Where Are You?, A-Z, Merely Myster, I want More, 52 in 52, Outdo Yourself, 100+)
