Booking Through Thursday

CMash December 8, 2011 10 Comments

http://btt2.wordpress.com

Today’s question:

All things being equal, which would you prefer–a mystery? Or a love story?

My response:

I didn’t even need a cup of coffee to think about this answer, well maybe a few sips. If you follow me, then you know it’s hands down, a mystery. But I won’t pass up a romantic suspense if that counts.

I was thinking somewhere along these lines the other day. I have always been drawn to books with suspense. Next would be chick lit. But why? I am usually wrong about the whodunit and/or surprised about the ending. So why am I drawn to these type of books. Is it the fast pace? The can’t put down, need to read another page type of read?

I have signed up for a ~~couple~~, ~~few~~, ok, many challenges for 2012. And was thinking maybe I should do a little personal challenge and that is to step a little outside of my comfort reading zone and try to read a few books that fall under different categories. Any recommendations and/or suggestions of a 5 star from a different genre? Would love to hear your suggestions, plus, lol it would go towards one of my challenges lol. Seriously, I feel I need to broaden my reading genres. Thanks for the help!!!

2012 Challenges

What’s one or two or more more?

CMash December 7, 2011 6 Comments

Challenges, so much fun!! It’s like being a kid again. Or maybe it isn’t and I am just plain addicted!! But it is FUN!!! I know a lot of them I probably wont complete but I will try my darnedest. Some of them are just fun to see my progress throughout the year.

I participated last year, didn’t complete it, but it was fun!!! So I’m doing it again.
It was great to see all the places I visited, without having to pack, or the cost of a flight and hotel room. Want to travel with me? Then here’s all the info:

Sign Up Time: 2012 WHERE Are You Reading Challenge

Posted on December 6, 2011 by Sheila (Book Journey)

Wow where did the year go? Here we are in December already and its time to post this challenge again. I started this one in 2011 and had so much fun with it. You can see my 2011 map here.

So what is the point of this challenge? It is to try to read in each of the 50 States between January 1 2012 – December 31, 2012.

So how do you decide what state a book is categorized under?

1. In a fiction read it would be the State or Country that the book spends the most time in. (Ie. If your main character is from Wisconsin but the book is all about his/her time in college in California – the books should categorize under California….)

2. Non fiction reads categorize in whatever State or Country it is about (Ie…. a book about fly fishing in Colorado is a Colorado point, and a book about women in Afghanistan is an Afghanistan point.

3. If the book goes from one state to another… go with the state that most of the time is spent.

How to get started

Set up a map under Google Maps. It is easy to do! Every time you read a book in 2012, upload a cover picture to Picasa Web Albums (there may be other sites to use, feel free to use what works best for you).

Grab the challenge button here for your posts and sidebar:

Questions?

Do you have to have a blog to participate? No. You can do everything on the map above without linking the book to a review.

Do I have to have my post up by January 1st, 2012? No, but I would think you would want to get started right away at the beginning of the year. However, you will be able to sign up throughout January as well.

How will people see my map? There are a couple of possibilities. On your original challenge post you should have a link to your map. You could also put it on your side bar to draw interest to it (see mine on my left side bar) I will be linking my map to every review I will also set up a monthly link here to post updates if you wish.

I dont get it – I cant figure out how to use Google maps but I really want to participate! No worries! You are welcome to create a challenge post that lists the 50 states (as well as bonus out of USA spots) and then fill them in as you read in the areas.

Do audio books count? ABSOLUTELY!

Once you are ready and have your map set up please create a blog post (those who have blogs) using the Challenge picture of the map I provided above as well as link to this post so others may join in. Then come back and link that post here to Mr Linky (below) so I as well as other participants know that you are participating and we can pop in throughout the year to check out your map and how we are all doing.

This is actually a fun and easy challenge as all books you read qualify and it will be fun to see where you generally read books from as well as searching out books to fill in areas that you need.

For those who have covered the 50 states by the end of 2012, they will go into a drawing for a $25 gift card to Barnes and Noble or to Amazon. ** All other areas beyond the 50 states are bonus points and we will have a drawing using random.org for those who read 10 or more books throughout 2012 in that category.

You can see my map I worked on in 2011 here to see what the map looks like and how the pictures link to the reviews. (If you zoom in you will see the individual areas I read in and clicking on the blue pins will show you what book it was and clicking on the picture will take you to the post!

That’s it! Any questions – please leave them in the comments section below.

I can’t wait to see WHERE You Are Reading!

And then I was visiting Yvonne’s place Socrates ‘Book Reviews,and saw this new challenge, which looked like fun and has a great looking button, SO, well at least I won’t be out causing trouble, right? lol I’ll be too busy!!! Want to join me?

A-Z Challenge 2012 Hosted by Lindsey http://www.babiesbooksandsigns.com/p/z-challenge-2012.html

In 2011, I challenged myself to read a book starting with each letter of the alphabet. Well, I failed, but just barely. So I’ve decided to re-challenge myself in 2012, and invite all of you along! So here goes.

Technical Stuff

This challenge will run from January 1st, 2012 until December 31st, 2012.

You can join anytime.

If you are blogger, leave the link to your actual post about this challenge.

If you are not a blogger, leave a link to where you will be keeping track of this challenge.

So there are two different ways you can set up your own A-Z challenge.

A – Make a list now of 26 books, picking one for each letter of the alphabet. For example: A – Atonement B- Black Beauty C – The Count of Monte Cristo D – Dances with Dragons etc.

B – The lazy way (how I do it) : Make a list on your blog from A-Z. Throughout the year, as you go along, add the books you are reading to the list. Hope that by the end of the year you have read one book for each letter. Towards the end of the year, you can check and see which letters you are missing and find books to fit.

Each month, I will add another challenge to this main challenge. It might to read a book with both A and Z in the title or to read a book with 3 words that all start with the same letter. I might host a few random giveaways too for good measure.

So to join along….
1. Write a blog post about this challenge and whether you are going go with A or B.
2. Add the button to your blog.
3. Attach yourself to the linky.
4. Follow my blog so that you can see when I post the monthly challenge!

hmmmm…approx 3 more weeks until January. I’m guessing you will be seeing a few more posts just like this one!!!!

Book Review

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