Counting the days……

CMash December 17, 2011 3 Comments

I asked for help last week and have been patiently waiting for Dr. Drew and the Intervention team to knock at my door. I am guessing I was out doing errands lol. What can I say. I tried….I really did try and then my friend Marce tempted me. Yup!! You guessed it. Another challenge!!! Justification: I signed up for this challenge in 2011 and only read 1 book (sadly shaking my head in embarrassment). So since I am being optimistic that 2012 HAS to be better, I am going to try again. Anybody buying the justification? lol Here’s all the information, details and sign up so you can come and play along:

I Want More Challenge 2012 (2nd Year)

Welcome to Tea Time with Marce

http://teawithmarce.blogspot.com/2011/12/i-want-more-challenge-2012-2nd-year.html

I Want More Book Challenge 2012:

There are so many amazing authors but sometimes we get caught up in reading all the debut authors we forget about the authors that have already impressed us, excited us, gave us what all readers want, a great read, that wow moment, so this Challenge is to show all the authors that have pleased us already how thankful we are by reading more of their literary works.

Have you read 1book by an author and at the end said you must read more? Then this Challenge is for you.

Details:

* Challenge Dates: January 1, 2012 – December 31, 2012

* All Genres are Welcome

* This challenge does NOT include Series, only stand alone

* See Levels below, you can change at any time if increasing, you cannot decrease once signed up.

* All forms of books will count – eBooks, Audiobooks, etc

* You do not have to list the chosen books ahead of time and your choices can crossover into other challenges you have joined. In your post or comments here, give us an idea of what authors impressed you so now You Want More.

* If you participate in this challenge please signup below. Either post and link back here with your direct link to your intro challenge post or put Challenge Button on sidebar linking back here please.

* A Surprise Giveaway during the year (only for those that have reviews posted)

Level of Participation

Waited too long: 2 – 4 books

Give me more: 5 – 8 books

Never too much: 9 – 12 books

Book Review, Guest Author

Guest Author and Review A Whisper To A Scream by Karen Wojcik Berner

CMash December 16, 2011 1 Comment

I know I keep repeating myself, but it’s true, those ladies over at WOW, truly have been introducing me, and I hope you too, to some very talented authors. Today’s guest is a prime example. You will understand when you read my review later in this posting, but first, please help me welcome our guest today so we can get to know her a little bit better because you will want to keep her on your radar. Welcome Ms. Karen Wojcik Berner!!!!!

KAREN WOJCIK BERNER

Karen Wojcik Berner lives a provincial life tucked away with her family in the Chicago suburbs. If it was good enough for Jane Austen, right? However, dear Miss Austen had the good fortune of being born amid the glorious English countryside, something Karen unabashedly covets, so much so that she majored in English and communications at Dominican University. Like the magnificent Miss Austen, Karen could not help but write about the Society that surrounds her.

A booklover since she could hold one in her chubby little toddler hands, Karen wanted to announce to the world just how much she loves the written word. She considered getting a bibliophile tattoo but instead decided to write about the lives of the members of a suburban Classics Book Club. The series is called, of course, The Bibliophiles.”) When she isn’t reading, writing, or spending her time wishing she was Jane Austen, Karen spends her time can be found sipping tea or wine, whichever is more appropriate that day, and watching Tim Burton movies or “Chopped,” her favorite foodie TV show.

Karen Berners website:

http://www.karenberner.com/index.html

GUEST POST

Five Ways to Beat Holiday Stress

By Karen Wojcik Berner

Thank you so much for inviting me to guest post on your blog. Iam very excited to be here.

Are you feeling it yet? That terrible gnawing in the pit of yourstomach, the fluttery anxiety only the holidays can bring?

This is supposed to be fun, right?

In my novel, A Whisper to aScream (The Bibliophiles: Book One), overwhelmed stay-at-home mother SarahAnderson dreams of orchestrating an elaborate Christmas Day, complete with acrown roast of pork, her husband playing carols on the piano he has not touchedsince 1985, and her two-year-old uttering “God bless us, everyone,” even ifAlex can barely say his own name yet. Then, her older son comes down with a102°F and a bronchial infection on the night of December 22.

We have all been there. The expectations. The demands. Theconstant running around like chickens with our heads cut off.

Over the years, I have learned a few tricks I would like to sharewith you today, coping mechanisms, if you will, to aid in making the holidays alittle more enjoyable.

1. Makea list.

I cannot do anything without a list. Writing one whittles downthe seemingly humungous tasks ahead into manageable, daily accomplishments.Remember not to make your list unrealistically large, or you will add morestress, rather than alleviate it.

2. Forgetabout perfect.

Believe me, I tried for years to create the perfect holiday.There is no such thing. Your relatives will not notice if the glassware in thechina cabinet sparkles. If it doesn’t have a one-inch layer of dust, it is goodenough.

You can create a delicious dinner without making everything fromscratch. That’s what Whole Foods is for. Make the dishes you enjoy cooking andbuy the rest.

3. Askyour family for help.

Now is not the time for martyrdom. While you set the table, askyour husband and kids to clean the house. Even the youngest of children candust, and you will be teaching one of the most valuable life lessons — Mom isnot the maid. Everyone is responsible for helping out around the house.

4. Getout of the mall.

I get a headache and an urgent need to flee after I have been ina mall for longer than two hours. Must be all that canned air. Get out of thereand shop on a real street in your closest city or downtown. Grab a yourfavorite hot holiday beverage. Hum a seasonal tune. It just feels more festive.

5. Maketime for fun.

Whether it is a few minutes of quiet for yourself to read orfamily time playing games together, make sure to schedule things you enjoy.Life is too short to mire yourself in drudgery. You do not have to do the samething every year all in the name of tradition. Mix it up a bit.

Happy Holidays!

MY REVIEW

A WHISPER TO A SCREAM by Karen Wojcik Berner

Published by CreateSpace

ISBN-10: 145659365X
ISBN-13: 978-1456593650

Genre: Women’s Fiction

At the request of the author, Karen Wojcik Berner, and WOW Tours, a digital edition was sent, at no cost to me, for my honest opinion.

Synopsis (from WOW tours): Annie Jacobs has dreamed of the day she would become a mother since the first time she held her Baby Tenderlove doll. Unfortunately, biology has not cooperated with her plan, and she finds herself dealing with a diagnosis of unexplained infertility instead of picking out baby names.
Across town, stay-at-home mom Sarah Anderson is just trying to make it through the grocery store without her toddler hurling a box of rice at a fellow shopper. She is exhausted from managing the house, a first grader and a toddler, all without any help from her work-obsessed, absentee husband.
A Whisper to a Scream is the story of two women on opposite ends of the child-bearing spectrum who come to realize the grass is not necessarily greener on the other side of the fence. A vivid portrayal of contemporary marriage and its problems, the novel speaks to a longing in all of us, a yearning that might start as a vague notion, but eventually grows into an unbearable, vociferous cry.

My Thoughts and Opinion: I apologize in advance because I feel I need to start this review off with a caveat. I received this request during the period of my tornado of personal issues. I vaguely remember reading the synopsis, accepted to be a part of the tour but explained that I was not sure when I would be able to read and review the book. I was also told that this was the 1st book of what was going to be a series. When things settled down a bit, I picked up my Kindle, not remembering the premise of the book (one of the negatives of the Kindle-no back cover to read), but the title grabbed me thinking it was going to be a good suspense.

I was wrong. However, what pulled me in were the characters. Sarah and Annie, the 2 main women that the story revolved around became life like from the start. The author’s description of their lives, their emotions, their families was written in such a style that this reader could actually empathize with some of their situations. I also liked and thought was a plus, especially from an avid book reader’s opinion, was what and how brought these 2 ladies, from different backgrounds, 2 total strangers together and that it was a Book Club. This is the type of book where you get so engrossed with the characters’ lives that you feel you become part of “the friendship”. It was not a mystery, but the story held me captive due to circumstances in Annie and Sarah’s lives and I needed to know what the outcome would be. I truly enjoyed this read and look forward to the next in this series.

Just Thought You Should Know:

A Whisper to a Scream is Book One of a series called The Bibliophiles. The second book in the series will be released in February 2012. Stay tuned!

THANKS TO AUTHOR, KAREN WOJCIK BERNER, AND THE LADIES

AT WOW, I HAVE ONE (1) COPY OF THIS BOOK 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 "A WHISPER TO A SCREAM" by Karen Wojcik Berner

CMash December 16, 2011 59 Comments

DECEMBER 16th to DECEMBER 30th, 2011

A WHISPER TO A SCREAM

by KAREN WOJCIK BERNER

SYNOPSIS:

Annie Jacobs has dreamed of the day she would become a mother since the first time she held her Baby Tenderlove doll. Unfortunately, biology has not cooperated with her plan, and she finds herself dealing with a diagnosis of unexplained infertility instead of picking out baby names.
Across town, stay-at-home mom Sarah Anderson is just trying to make it through the grocery store without her toddler hurling a box of rice at a fellow shopper. She is exhausted from managing the house, a first grader and a toddler, all without any help from her work-obsessed, absentee husband.
A Whisper to a Scream is the story of two women on opposite ends of the child-bearing spectrum who come to realize the grass is not necessarily greener on the other side of the fence. A vivid portrayal
of contemporary marriage and its problems, the novel speaks to a longing in all of us, a yearning that might start as a vague notion, but eventually grows into an unbearable, vociferous cry.

THANKS TO AUTHOR, KAREN WOJCIK BERNER,
AND THE TERRIFIC LADIES AT WOW

I HAVE ONE ( 1 ) COPY OF THIS
CAPTIVATING BOOK 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 BEEN, ARE YOU, OR
HAVE YOU CONSIDERED BEING PART OF A BOOK CLUB?*

*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 30th 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

Aloha Friday

CMash December 16, 2011 9 Comments

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:

Do you do most of your holiday shopping online?

MY ANSWER:

Yes. But this year, it was 50/50.

Winners

And the winners are……

CMash December 15, 2011 2 Comments

…….of QUEEN OF AMERICA by Luis Alberto Urrea

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

13 16 7

Timestamp: 2011-12-16 00:10:36 UTC

rj7777 said…I follow you on twitter. rjs7777 13

degood said…I follow you on twitter as kmayans.16

mamabunny13 said…I follow on fb-mamabunny shelor7

An email has been sent o 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.

Booking Thru Thursday

Booking Through Thursday

CMash December 15, 2011 5 Comments

Hi everyone!! Before getting to today’s memes, I thought I would let you know about a few things that have been going on, besides me signing up for challenges lol, oh but don’t fret, that will be posted in a couple of days lol.

GiGi Ann from Ann’s Reading Corner, had sent me an email and asked how Steve was doing and that there hadn’t been an update in a while. I realized I hadn’t posted about his recovery, being so excited about the 2012 challenges and I apologize for that. We went to the doctor’s this past Friday and he got the ok to start working from home. His facility shuts down before Christmas until the first of the year and at that time he can start working on site as tolerated. He was thrilled. He is still experiencing focal seizures but still no answers as to if and/or when this will be a permanent residual effect of the surgery. The not so good news is that he is still not allowed to drive until he is seen again in February. Thank you everyone for the support, concern, caring and prayers you showed us throughout this time.

As some of you know, I had some blogger issues for the past few weeks, my blog went missing, then back online, my gmail account was supposedly deleted, by who, I don’t know, but yesterday I received an email that that too has reappeared along with all the documents that I thought I lost for Partners In Crime Tours. And for the past 2 weeks all the time I put into trying to retrieve as much as I could, was now time wasted. Because of this experience and talking to other bloggers who have had similar problems on and off, after the New Year I will be moving to WordPress. Gina from Hott Books, has put everything in place, she is phenomenal when it comes to computers. Thank you Gina. Nothing has changed, it looks identical to this one, only different platform. I will let you know more as the time gets closer. I am just trying to learn to navigate and feel comfortable with it before I move. Also I hope to bring back Sunday’s Shining Star once I get settled.

Partners In Crime Tours has 2 books that I booked for the beginning of the new year and still have some slots opened for reviewers. The books are Gods and Fathers by James LePore and Voices of the Dead by Peter Leonard (my current read). You can read the details and synopsis at our site (ww.Partnersincrimetours.net). If you are interested in either book or both, fill out the host submission form or email me @ CMash@Partnersincrimetours.net. Even those who post their reviews on GoodReads and LibraryThing are welcome to host also.

And one final thing….Christmas is right around the corner. Is your shopping completed? Looking for that last minute gift? An old friend contacted me, Bill Walker, author of A Note from an Old Acquaintance, (check out my review) is having a Holiday Special on the Nook Version of his book. A great read for $0.99….can’t beat that.

BY BILL WALKER

LINK TO PURCHASE @ B&N

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-note-from-an-old-acquaintance-bill-walker/1017034033?ean=2940012526328&itm=1&usri=a+note+from+an+old+acquaintance

I do not have any affiliation with Amazon.com,

Barnes & Noble and/or any other retail/wholesale

outlets either online and/or elsewhere.

I am providing this link solely for visitors

that may be interested in purchasing this Book/EBook.

I do not receive any monetary compensation from any parties

http://btt2.wordpress.com

Today’s question:

What’s more important to you? Real, three-dimensional, fleshed-out fascinating characters? Or an amazing, page-turning plot?
(Yes, I know, they are both important. But if you had to pick one as being more important than the other?

My answer:

Oh this is a toughie today and I haven’t had my coffee yet lol. I am going with the amazing plot. Yes, as the questions states, they are both important, but if there isn’t a plot that keeps me engrossed or wanting to go back and pick up the book to see what happens, the characters, no matter how well they are defined is going to keep my interest. I feel that the plot, the premise, the story line is the bottom line for how we choose a book. Its’ the first thing, I usually look at, the synopsis, the back of the book or jacket to see what the story is about. So I would definitely say the plot.

Winners

And the winner is……

CMash December 14, 2011 1 Comment

…..of THE SNOWMAN’S REVENGE by Mark Smythe

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

Timestamp: 2011-12-15 01:32:28 UTC

Xmas Dolly said…Two years ago with my granddaughter and I put the face on. hehehehe 2

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