"The Act of Devotion" Giveaway

Samantha Bruce-Benjamin and I have been in contact about her new novel The Art of Devotion, and have partnered together to create a TNBBC sidebar group read for the month of September. It has been creating quite a buzz on Goodreads - with an average rating of 4.1 - and has been read by a few of our TNBBCer's already. Are you ready to read what everyone is talking about?

Samantha has agreed to give away 10 copies of her book!!

The Goodreads description is simple:

"A girl summers in the Mediterranean with her beautiful aunt, who hides secrets that could destroy everything she holds dear."

In order to win a copy of this novel:

1- You must post a comment to this thread including your email address so we can contact you if you win.

2- You must agree to participate in a group read book discussion that will run during the month of September over at TNBBC on Goodreads. Samantha has agreed to participate in the discussion and will be available to answer any questions you may have for her.

3 - You must be one of the first 10 people to comment. Yup, that's right. It's first come first serve! By commenting, you are agreeing to read the book and join the group discussion at TNBBC on Goodreads (the thread for the discussion will be emailed to you at the first of the month).

This giveaway is available to residents of the US and Canada only (Sorry folks, the books are not being shipped by me), and will remain open until the 10th copy has been claimed. Upon it's close, I will email the winners and announce them here on my blog. Good Luck!!

In the meantime, please check out Samantha Bruce-Benjamin's website, and the Art of Devotion book trailer.

"My Formerly Hot Life" Winners

Congratulations to the following Formerly's

Suzanne - Formerly Fearless

John - Formerly Champion Debater

KRSTRPP - Formerly Firm

They shared some wonderfully honest and interesting stories about their former selves. To check them out, please read the comments on the blog's contest as well as the comments over at the goodreads group.

The winners have been notified via email or PM and must contact me with their shipping addresses in order to receive their copies!

For more information on My Former Hot Life, check out the following links:

Your Ass Needs A Bra (author video)

Formerly Hot (author website)

No Longer Ogled By Strange Men (NY Times article)

Thanks to everyone who participated and made this giveaway possible!

It's a Book

Hooray for this awesome little book trailer!

I managed to snag the adorable book tote for this at this years BEA in NYC.

You can see a photo of it on my sidebar.

Light Boxes

Read 8/10/10 - 8/15/10

5 Stars - Highly Recommended

Pgs:146

Shane Jones is awe inspiring. His words taste like honey and smoke. His sentences read like lucid dreams. His book melts in your hands, soaks into your skin, and nestles inside your lungs until you are breathing snow and ice.

He mindfucks you so gently you aren't even aware he is doing it.

Ok, that last one might have been a bit drastic.

What we have here is the dreadful fairy tale-like story of a month that has decided to take up permanent residence in an unnamed town. February has settled in and will not be moved. A tricky god-like entity that sits among the heavy clouds in the dark gray sky, he destroys every effort the townspeople make to end winter. He kidnaps the children and declared the end of flight. Hot air balloons, birds... They all lie stationary and still on the snow covered ground. Some of the residents become depressed, and confused. Many die.

Yet there is hope in the shape of a man named Thaddeus, who has lost his wife and daughter to February. He and a group of men who wear bird masks and dub themselves The Solution create a War Effort to bring an end to February and all his tricks.

Throughout all of this, Shane Jones stuffs his words with emotion and heartbreak and then twists and wrings them above the pages. You can feel every syllable take shape in your mouth. And hear them whispering in your ear.

A story that showcases perseverance, willpower, and the strength of many men against an unseen enemy.

99 Problems

Read 8/4/10

4 Stars - Strongly Recommended

eBook

I have to be careful. I know what you guys are thinking. You are thinking I have a thing for this guy, don't you? Yeah... Go ahead. Admit it. The second you saw this review was for Ben Tanzer and his newest release, you rolled your eyes. Didn't you? Don't deny it! I saw you!

Well. You know what? I don't care. Think what you want. The man knows how to write. You would review everything he wrote too, if you downloaded some of his stuff. CCLaP, his e-publisher, makes it so easy to do. Why don't you take a look. Go ahead, it's ok. I'll wait. No, really... go ahead. I will just sit here, I don't mind.

Oh, did I mention that they offer different ways to download it? It's available in PDF for both US and EU laser printers, and there's an EPUB version for most eReaders. There is even an payment option (yes, free is an option. No strings, I swear).

Did you know Ben is a runner? Yup. He likes to run. Every day. No matter where he is or what he is doing. It helps him get his thoughts together. It's like a drug. He pushes himself. Hard. He times himself. He likes to feel the burn. And the ache. I wonder if he is a masochist. He gets itchy and cranky when he's all cooped up. He can't function. He panics. He throws temper tantrums.

Well, ok. Maybe not temper tantrums.

I was trying to build suspense. You know? Trying to get your attention. But I let it get out of hand. Here, let me try this again.

99 Problems is a collection of essays that Ben wrote about his own experiences with running and writing during the winter of 2009, and how intricately entwined the two processes are for him. As his feet hit the pavement all across the country, Ben's thoughts wander to the book he is currently writing. Or the passing of his father 9 years ago. Or the fact that he is no longer as young as he used to be, and needs to step up his game. Or the time when he watched his buddy chat up a chick he knew in high school.

His writing is lovely. The words run across the page, smooth and effortless. They flow together so naturally. His transitions almost hypnotize you... Look at my words. You are getting sleepy, You want to put on a pair of running shoes. You want to go for a run outside, You want to run like the wind.

I'm no runner. Not a big fan of the running. Pumping the legs. Wearing the sneakers. Making the sweat. I'm the girl who was left panting and gasping on the outer edge of the track in gym class, clutching her side, while all the other kids ran laps around me.

But Ben manages to make me wish I was a runner. His essays make me think I am missing something by not running. They make me think I should run out to Sneaker King and purchase a pair of running shoes.

This is Ben. A story teller. An influencer. A glutton for punishment.

This is Ben wearing his heart, like his Ipod, on his sleeve.

This is Ben cranking up the volume on Jay-Z, and running the words of his next story out of his head, down into his arm, and storing them in his fingers until he makes his way home to write them out.

So. Did you check 99 Problems out, like I asked? Well, hang on. Watch this. I am going to attach a link for you look at. Jason from CCLaP put together this really cool interactive google map that showcases one of Ben's essays by tracing the actual path he ran in "The Long Haul". It's complete with photos of the places he mentions in the essay as well.

Tell me that isn't the coolest thing you have ever seen!

Happy e-publication day Ben! May your running paths always be clear, the weather always be perfect, and the stories continue to flow through your fingers, my friend!

A Dirty Old Man Would Have Grown Older...

I stumbled across Charles Bukowski nearly a decade after he had passed away. After experiencing his writing, I wondered how I had managed to go so long without. It is raunchy and raw. Rough and ragged. He holds no punches and finds poetry in everything. He was a genius and put dirty old men on the map.



The saddest part of finding him so late is the fact that I will never get to see him read his poetry. The best part - He has published so many books and collections that I have years worth of reading to catch up on!

In honor of his birthday

- He would have been 90 today -

I want to celebrate a different side of Hank. The painter, the artist.

To see a list of what he has written click here; or to view the individual paintings you see up above click here. Which painting is your favorite? What book or poetry collection is your favorite?

33 A.D.

Read 8/3/10 - 8/10/10

2.5 Stars - Recommended lightly to readers familiar with genre/Not as an introduction to genre

Pgs:276

There are times when I get my hands on a copy of a novel, and begin to wonder if I'm reading the same version everyone else is reading. You know, that one novel that was love at first sentence... that rocked your socks... that blew your mind... only to see that everyone else reviewed it with one or two stars? Where you are left staring at the computer screen at a loss for words, wondering what the heck is wrong with everyone, flabbergasted at how they didn't see what you saw in that novel?

Well, earlier this week, I was sitting on the opposite end of the book, wondering what everyone else saw that I just didn't see when they read David McAfee's vampire novel 33.A.D.

The book seemed right up my alley, in so many ways: Vampires and Christian Conspiracy! Blood and Gore! Secrecy and Revenge! It's Indie! and rather unknown!

It was recommended to me anonymously on Goodreads, and after reading the blurb, and seeing the great reviews it was accumulating, I contacted David and asked if he would send me a copy for review. Which he very graciously did. (Thank you David.)

Even though it sounded like it was a perfect match for me and my tastes, I just could not get into the writing. It began rather rough for me and just never got any better.

David creates an alternate Roman history in which Vampires walk the world unnoticed by humans. Secretly, they have a separate authority that they answer to, and kill for. And when one of their own breaks the rules and betrays the society of vamps in order to join Jesus and his followers - all hell breaks loose. It's humans against Vampires in the sneakiest, bloodiest battle Jerusalem has ever seen.

In order for this very ambitious story to work, David had to make some adjustments to the history of Jesus and the events leading up to his crucifixion. Now, alright, don't get me wrong, I'm not religious by any means, and I certainly do not claim to have read or remember much of what takes place in the bible, but there are just certain things that should never ever be touched, and I suppose I have to draw the line at the deception and crucifixion of Jesus. He rewrote history to illuminate the fact that vampires were the ones who actually set Jesus' downfall into motion.

The vampires do not represent traditional vamps - big fangs, blood sucking, feeding off humans. Rather, they kill more often than not with swords and super long extendable claws. Due to the lack of vampiric behavior and David's unaggressive way of describing characters, I had to keep reminding myself that the novel contained actual vampires for the first 100 pages or so.

Some of the conversations that took place happened during "fight scenes" where two vampires were attempting to kill each other, or a vampire and a human were locked in combat, and came off as forced and awkward. I am certain that if I were clashing swords with a vampire, I would not be talking to him about anything. period. I would be swinging that sword like hell or running for my life. And then pleading for my life when he caught me. And then most certainly dying a horrible, bloody death. the end.

There were a few points throughout the book where I found myself engaged with it and anticipating what was coming next. But more often than not, I was putting the book down and focusing on other things, putting some distance between myself and it. The urge to pick it back up again, sadly, was not very strong.

I admit, once I hit the half way point, to struggling with the idea of setting the novel down permanently. But I am not the type to leave a book half finished. So I kept picking it back up until suddenly, I was reading the final page.

I would be lying if I said a little sigh of relief did not escape my mouth. God, that sounds harsh as I write it. But it was a mix of so many different things for me. I was disappointed. I was craving a real honest-to-goodness vampire novel - especially after reading the dud "Fangland" - and it just did not deliver.

Here's to hoping that I find the perfect vampire novel for me. And here's to hoping that this becomes a favorite vampire novel for someone else. Perhaps for you?

Harper Perennial Author Book Tours for August

Hi everyone! I am back again spreading the love for Harper Perennial and their authors who are hitting the road to promote their new books. Grab yourself a copy and join the party -

(please note that the book descriptions have been taken from Goodreads.com)

First up is Katrina Little and her novel " The Blessings of the Animals" - a wry and moving story of forgiveness, flexibility, happiness, and the art of moving on.

She will be touring on:
8/10 Schuler Books and Music, Grand Rapids MI
8/11 Schuler Books and Music, Lansing MI
8/12 Saturn Booksellers, Gaylord MI
8/17 Next Chapter, Mequon WI
8/18 Books and CO, Oconomowoc WI
8/24 Joseph Beth, Cleveland OH
8/25 Joseph Beth, Cincinnati OH

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Rachel Shukert will be out promoting her new book "Everything is Going to Be Great" - in which she bounces through complicated relationships, drunken mishaps, miscommunication, and the reality-adjusting culture shock that every twentysomething faces when sent off to negotiate "the real world"—whatever that may be.

She will be touring on:
8/25 Happy Ending Reading Series, New York NY
8/28 Bookworm, Omaha NE
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Go out and show your support for these lovely Harper Perennial authors by picking up their books and joining them on their book tour! If you attend, please send pictures and share the experience here. I'd love to hear about it!

Twitter Wordle Weirdness

During my daily perusal of Twitter, I ran across @literalicious and her blog - where she posted a Wordle - it's an app that Twitter uses to analyze your tweets, showing you the words you tweet most often.

Of course, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to create one of my own. Take a peek :

(Click on photo to enlarge)

Yup. That seems about right! Want to create one of your own? Follow the directions on @literalicious's blog, and share the results with me. What words do you tweet most often?

The Diary of a Disappointed Book

Do yourself a favor and watch this!

It's the most adorable short film you will see this year.

I promise.

The Diary of a Disappointed Book from Studiocanoe on Vimeo.

It Truly is the Little Things

I'm not going to lie. Nothing makes me happier than coming home to a beautiful new book waiting patiently for me in the mailbox or on the doorstep.

Well. Hang on. Nothing makes me happier than coming home to a beautiful new book that is signed by the author and waiting patiently for me...

Ok. Wait. Nothing makes me happier than a beautiful new book that is signed by the author and accompanied by a personalized card, and bookmark, and other little trinkets of affection!

Ann Mauren is a great example of this.

Not only was her book signed, but she attached a coin - which has some significance to the main character in the novel - a bloggers pamphlet, a couple of cool bookmark cards, and a personalized note thanking me for my interest and letting me know the book is undergoing some minor changes, so she will be sending me out a new copy when it's ready.

Antonia Banyard, while not signing the book, sent along a bookmark and a personalized card that depicts one of the locations from her book.

The little extras go a long way with this book blogger! It shows me that the author appreciates the fact that I accepted their book for review. It not only catches my attention, but it also ensures that I will remember those authors. It's one of the reasons I enjoy working directly with the authors.

What puts a smile on your face? Which authors shower you with extra little gifts to entice you to read their novels?

Editing a Manuscript, You Say?

Why, yes, actually, I am.

Jason Pettus of CCLaP emailed me earlier in the week and asked if I, among a few hand-selected others, would be interested in helping him proofread the final version of Ben Tanzer's latest collection of essays detailing the relationship between running and writing - "99 Problems".

Now, it should go without saying that I am big fan of Ben. He's been a huge supporter of TNBBC - writing a guest post about love, signing a copy of his novel for a TNBBC giveaway, agreeing to be interviewed - and wrote two amazing books that I was thrilled to have read and reviewed.

Of course, I jumped at the chance to participate in the final proofing of his manuscript, which will be released digitally, in all it's edited glory, on August 9th. Not only is this an amazing opportunity, but it is also immensely flattering to have been asked.

Now, where is that red pen hiding??? I have a deadline to meet!

I'm Prolific...

Or, at least that is what Ashley over at Books From Bleh to Basically Amazing thinks!

The award claims that

"A prolific blogger is one who is intellectually productive, keeping up an active blog with enjoyable content. After accepting this award, recipients are asked to pass it forward to seven other deserving blogs."

I am very flattered to add this wonderful blog award to my collection and to also share it with other bloggers that take an active interest in keeping things fresh, informative, and enjoyable!

I pass this award on to:

1.Dead White Guys - she keeps the classics fresh

2.Tri'ing To Make A Difference - I sit in awe of this woman and the things she accomplishes

3.Mandy the Bookworm - she pulls off some of the best interviews I have ever seen.

4.The Book Whisperer - ARC queen and official mystery convention press!

5.The Reading Ape - pulls no punches and lays it all out on the line.

Fangland

Read 7/29/10 - 8/3/10

3 Stars - Recommended to readers familiar with genre

Pgs:385

Another sleeper. Slow to get going, content to tread water for as long as humanly possibly, almost to the point of exhausting the reader... and terminates in a less than satisfactory finale.

That sounds kind of harsh, doesn't it? I apologize. I do. But I want to be honest and up front with you, fellow book lovers. I don't want you to go into this with the wrong set of expectations. You will thank me for it. I promise.

Strangely enough, this is the second book I have read in a row that was praised by Audrey Niffenegger (The other was Your Presence Is Requested At Suvanto) which received a less than raving review from me. I say it is strange because I have enjoyed both of Niffenegger's own novels immensely, and find it surprising that she and I don't share similar opinions of the books we read. But that is really neither here nor there.

Fangland begs you to believe that the novel is about vampires. Look at the cover - see those winged animals circling the city's skyline? See the blood splattered across the moon? Hell, even the leading line on the back cover asks "Are the New York offices of The Hour being taken over by a vampire?" Allow me to answer that question for you. No, they are not. Whatever is planning to take over the offices of The Hour is no vampire. At least, no vampire I have ever read about.

Ion Torgu is a notorious Eastern European crime boss. Rumors abound that the man might not truly exist. Evangeline Harker (no, no relation to the famed Jonathan Harker of the classic Dracula story) is sent to Romania to try to get some information on Torgu's whereabouts, and if she can play her cards right, land an exclusive interview with him for her producers over at The Hour.

And oh does she play them right! Torgu picks her up at her hotel and escorts her to his secluded creepy hotel in the middle of the Transylvanian woods (sounds like Dracula, looks like Dracula, even feels like Dracula, but make no mistake, it is not like Dracula), where he tells her they will enter into private negotiations until they agree to the terms of the interview.

He drinks wine with her, he eats chicken and garlic with her, he admires her necklace - a crucifix dangling from a silver chain, he shows her his rancid collection of religious "art", he has a reflection in the mirror they pass when he shows her to her room for the night....

Hmm.

Strange things begin to take place within the hotel... Evangeline is locked up tight in her room during daylight hours, she is not allowed to place phone calls or send emails to anyone, she is upsetting Torgu by asking too many questions and being a tad bit too stubborn. She attempts to escape - each time seeing things she is not meant to see, and each time finding herself back in her room, worse for the wear. Weeks pass....

Back in the offices of The Hour, while investigating Evangeline's disappearance, strange tapes appear that show nothing more than hours of an empty chair. Mysterious crates arrive that contain "archeological artifacts" and put the T.V. station's employees on edge. There is an unmistakeable white noise and whispering that pollutes the entire twentieth floor, seeping into everyone's head, invading their dreams and affecting their waking lives.

And suddenly, months later, Evangeline reappears. She is found in a convent, unable to talk about what she survived, barely aware of who she is, yet determined to return to her position at The Hours.

Is she prepared for the changes that have taken place in the office? Does she know what is trying to take over? More importantly, does she know how to stop it?

Once you come to terms with the story, and realize that this is not a tale of blood sucking vampires with fangs, the book actually has quite a few things going for it. The author tells the story through emails, journals, first person accounts, and third person narratives which allows the reader an opportunity to experience everything that is taking place. The different character perspectives added additional depth, though at times this technique seemed to slow the pace of the novel even further.

Chalk this one up as another novel that failed to meet my expectations. I know I would have enjoyed it more had I not been waiting more than 3/4 of the book for the author to show me the vampires. I know, I know... I need to just get over it.

It's such a shame though.

Because there is no explanation of what really WAS trying to take over the T.V. station.

If there is anyone out there who is going to give this novel a go, or has already read it, feel free to comment here and let me know what you thought. Were you are confused as I was?

"My Formerly Hot Life " Giveaway

TNBBC is featuring another cool interactive book giveaway for a chance to win a copy of

"My Formerly Hot Life "!

This is an International contest, so everyone can enter.

The number of copies available all depends on the number of entries we have,

so the more entries we have, the more books I can giveaway!

Stephanie Dolgoff, author of "My Formerly Hot Life", runs a fun, informative blog on her website, and also has a pretty funny book trailer that hits home a little more than I would like to admit!

Stephanie and her novel "My Formerly Hot Life" asks us no-longer-young-but-not-yet-old people "What's Our Formerly"? What did you used to be that you aren't any more? What did you used to do that you just don't anymore?

And that is what TNBBC would like to you ask you.

Here are the Rules:

1- Enter here, or at TNBBC on Goodreads, by posting a comment that tells your Formerly story through a photo (holding a sign that says Formerly _____) or through words. (See Steph's book trailer to get an idea of what the photo's look like).

ex: Formerly went to nightclubs - or - Formerly Fashionable - or- Formerly Single.

2- The more honest the comment, the better your chances to win! C'mon guys and gals, I know you have some great Formerly stories to share with us!

3 - Contest will remain open until August 17th. Winners will be announced on the 17th. Remember, the more entries we have, the more books I can give away!

4- Be sure to include to your email address in your comment so that I can contact you if you win!