It’s Monday…What Are You Reading? (6.11.12)

It’s Monday What Are you Reading , hosted by Sheila, isthe perfect way for me to begin my week and allows me to focus on what needs to be read and to see what I have or have not accomplished the previous week. I also enjoy discovering new books by visiting other participants blogs. This past week I participated in Armchair BEA for the first time. It was great to…

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Stacking the Shelves (4) 6.10.12

Tynga of Tynga’s Reviews is starting a new meme to spotlight the books we receive each week.  Here’s what I got: From the Library: Wallflower in Bloom by Claire Cook This is Claire Cook’s newest book and I cannot wait to read it!                  Purchased:     Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel   I’ve heard a lot about this book lately (maybe because the sequel…

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Review: The Last Boyfriend by Nora Roberts

First line: A fat winter moon poured light over the old stone and brick of the inn on The Square. Summary from Goodreads: Owen is the organizer of the Montgomery clan, running the family’s construction business with an iron fist – and an even less flexible spreadsheet. And though his brothers bust on his compulsive list-making, the Inn BoonsBoro is about to open right on schedule. The only thing Owen…

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Armchair BEA 2012: Ask the Experts

Today is day 5 at Armchair BEA and here’s the prompt for the day: Today’s topic is Ask The Experts. In your post, ask the visitors to your blog for blogging advice. What did you always want to know about blogging but were afraid to ask? Now is the time! So, I ask you…what, if anything, would you like me to change on my blog? Is there anything you’d like…

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Armchair BEA 2012: Beyond Your Blog

Today is day 4 at Armchair BEA and here’s the prompt for the day: Today we’d love you to share your top tips for getting beyond your blog! Have you done any freelance writing? Are you monetizing your blog and how so? How do you make connections outside the book blog community on the internet? If none of these apply we’d love for you to share a fun aspect about…

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Blog Tour & Review: The Secret Keeper: A Novel of Kateryn Parr by Sandra Byrd

First line: Her voice sounded by turns pleased and then pleading, her laughter scaled from bass enjoyment to treble fear. From the back cover: What she sees in secret, she may not tell. Mistress Juliana St. John is the lovely, forthright daughter of a prosperous knight’s family. Though all expect her to marry the son of her late father’s business partner, time and chance interrupt, sending her to the sumptuous…

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Armchair BEA 2012: Networking in Real Life

Today is day 3 at Armchair BEA and we have been asked to share a positive “real life” experience with books and/or bloggers.   I have one experience that I can share. There is an independent bookstore near me, called Books and Greetings, in Montvale, NJ that has author visits. I’ve had the opportunity to go to a few. The first one was for Jane O’Connor, the author of the…

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Review: 11th Hour by James Patterson

First line: A good-looking man in his forties sat in the back row of the auditorium at the exclusive Morton Academy of Music. From the inside cover: Detective Lindsay Boxer is pregnant – and investigating the discovery of severed heads in a movie stars garden. YOUR BEST FRIEND  Lindsay Boxer is pregnant at last! But her work doesn’t slow for a second. When millionaire Chaz Smith is mercilessly gunned down,…

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Armchair BEA 2012: Best of 2012

Today is day two of Armchair BEA and we’re talking about the best books we’ve read in 2012. I want to share a few of my favorite reads this year. I don’t always read brand new books, so to me, I am taking this to mean books that I’ve read in 2012 that I’ve loved but may or may not have been published in 2012. Here are some of my…

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Armchair BEA 2012: Introductions

Today is Day One of Armchair BEA.  This is my first time participating and I’m very excited. Day One is all about introductions and getting to know fellow book bloggers.  So here is a little bit about me: Please tell us a little bit about yourself: Who are you? How long have you been blogging? Why did you get into blogging? My name is Kristin and I am an avid…

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It’s Monday…What Are You Reading? (6.4.12)

It’s Monday What Are you Reading , hosted by Sheila, isthe perfect way for me to begin my week and allows me to focus on what needs to be read and to see what I have or have not accomplished the previous week. I also enjoy discovering new books by visiting other participants blogs. This past weekend was the annual Back-to-the-Beach book sale at one of the local churches. I’ve…

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Stacking the Shelves (3) 6.3.12

Tynga of Tynga’s Reviews is starting a new meme to spotlight the books we receive each week.  Here’s what I got: From a Library Booksale: Lady Killer (audio) by Lisa Scottoline I saw this and couldn’t resist…I’ve heard really good things about Lisa Scottoline and am excited to listen this.                   From the Library     Three to Get Deadly (audio) by Janet Evanovich…

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Blog Tour, Author Interview: Brandy Purdy (and Giveaway, too!)

I am pleased to welcome Brandy Purdy, who wrote The Queen’s Pleasure to Always With a Book.  You can read my review of her book here. About the author:Brandy Purdy (Emily Purdy in the UK) is the author of the historical novels The Confession of Piers Gaveston, The Boleyn Wife (The Tudor Wife), The Tudor Throne (Mary & Elizabeth), and The Queen’s Pleasure (A Court Affair). An ardent book lover…

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Month in Review: May 2012

Here are my reading stats for May! Books read:  9 Books I read (reviewed ones have * and link to review; books not yet reviewed will be linked up once review is posted.) Babyville* by Jane Green So Pretty It Hurts* by Kate White The Good Father* by Diane Chamberlain 11th Hour* by James Patterson The Last Boyfriend* by Nora Roberts Home Front* by Kristin Hannah The Queen’s Pleasure* by…

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Review: So Pretty It Hurts by Kate White

First line: An old geezer of a reporter I used to work with once said that I had a rotten habit of biting off my nose to spite my face. From the inside cover: Bailey Weggins, the Manhattan-based thirty-something true crime journalist, is in a good place. She’s enjoying her regular gig at Buzz, a leading celebrity magazine, getting freelance work, and hoping her first book will garner attention. In…

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Blog Tour and Review: The Queen’s Pleasure by Brandy Purdy

First line: I told Kat to fetch a chair and be my dragon, to sit outside my bedchamber door and guard my lair after I was gone. Synopsis: When young Robert Dudley, an earl’s son, meets squire’s daughter Amy Robsart, it is love at first sight. They marry despite parental misgivings, but their passion quickly fades, and the ambitious Dudley returns to court. Swept up in the turmoil of Tudor…

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Review: Babyville by Jane Green (audio book)

From the back of the audio case: The amusing little inborn device known as the biological clock tolls for three women; two of them heed its compelling tones, while the third tries to ignore them. Fixated with fertility rituals and medical advice, Julia is determined to conceive with her uninterested boyfriend; she hopes that the arrival of new life will save their relationship. Samantha, happily married and eager for the…

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It’s Monday…What Are You Reading (5.28.12)

It’s Monday What Are you Reading , hosted by Sheila, isthe perfect way for me to begin my week and allows me to focus on what needs to be read and to see what I have or have not accomplished the previous week. I also enjoy discovering new books by visiting other participants blogs Books Completed last week:  The Queen’s Pleasure by Brandy Purdy (review book) Knock Out by Catherine…

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Stacking the Shelves (2) 5.27.12

Tynga of Tynga’s Reviews is starting a new meme to spotlight the books we receive each week.  Here’s what I got: For Review: The Queen’s Vow by C.W. Gortner This is for a blog tour coming up in July and I am looking forward to reading it.               Summer Nights by Susan Mallery   This is the latest in Susan Mallery’s Fools Gold series. I haven’t…

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Book Beginnings Friday: The Queen’s Pleasure

Please join Rose City Reader every Friday to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires.  Please remember to include the title of the book and the author.  I’m reading The Queen’s Pleasure by Brandy Purdy: I told Kat to fetch a chair and be my dragon, to…

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Review: One for the Money by Janet Evanovich

First line: There are some men who enter a woman’s life and screw it up forever. From the back cover: Trenton native Stephanie Plum is out of work, out of money, and her car’s in repo-hell. So who does a hardly working girl turn to when the going gets tough? Meet cousin Vinnie, bail bondsman. Stephanie figures it’s nice work if you can get it – shagging bail jumpers for…

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Book Blogger Confessions #10 (5.21.12)

Book Blogger Confessions is a new blog meme hosted by Tiger of All Consuming Books and Karen of For What It’s Worth. The meme will run on the 1st and 3rd Mondays of every month  to discuss some of the frustrations that are unique to book bloggers. You can read the introductory post here. Here’s this week’s question:  Memes. Love em or hate em? How many do you participate in? Which…

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It’s Monday…What Are You Reading? (5.21.12)

It’s Monday What Are you Reading , hosted by Sheila, isthe perfect way for me to begin my week and allows me to focus on what needs to be read and to see what I have or have not accomplished the previous week. I also enjoy discovering new books by visiting other participants blogs How is it already Monday??? I don’t know where last week went and as you can…

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Review: Barefoot Season by Susan Mallery

First line: I’m going off to war tomorrow.” From the back cover: Michelle Sanderson may appear to be a strong independent woman, but on the inside, she’s still the wounded girl who fled home years ago. A young army vet, Michelle returns to the quaint Blackberry Island Inn to claim her inheritance and recover from the perils of war. Instead, she finds the owner’s suite occupied by the last person…

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Giveaway Reminder

Don’t forget to enter: The Good Father by Diane Chamberlain – 1 copy available; open US/Canada. Ends May 18th.    

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It’s Monday…What Are You Reading? (5.14.12)

It’s Monday What Are you Reading , hosted by Sheila, isthe perfect way for me to begin my week and allows me to focus on what needs to be read and to see what I have or have not accomplished the previous week. I also enjoy discovering new books by visiting other participants blogs Well, I had great intentions to catch up on some reading, but life just seems to…

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Stacking the Shelves (1) 5.13.12

Tynga of Tynga’s Reviews is starting a new meme to spotlight the books we receive each week.  Here’s what I got: For Review: The Secret Keeper: A Novel of Kateryn Parr by Sandra Byrd This is for a blog tour coming up next month and I am looking forward to reading it. Purchased: 11th Hour by James Patterson This is the latest in James Patterson’s Women’s Murder Club series. It came out…

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Book Beginnings Friday: 11th Hour

Please join Rose City Reader every Friday to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires.  Please remember to include the title of the book and the author.  I’m reading 11th Hour by James Patterson: A good-looking man in his forties sat in the back row of the…

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Review: The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen (audio book)

From the back of the audio case: Twenty-seven-year-old Josey Cirrini is sure of three things: winter in her North Carolina hometown is her favorite season, she’s a sorry excuse for a Southern belle, and sweets are best eaten in the privacy of her hidden closet. For while Josey has settled into an uneventful life in her mother’s house, her one consolation is the stockpile of sugary treats and paperback romances…

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Blog Tour, Review & Giveaway: The Good Father by Diane Chamberlain (CLOSED)

If you’re coming from the blog tour, welcome! Below you’ll find the next piece of The Good Father excerpt and the link to tomorrow’s piece as well. Be sure to enter the giveaway at the end of this post to win a copy of the book. If this is your first stop on the tour, you’ll need to start from the beginning to get the whole excerpt. Go here, to see…

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Review: What Doesn’t Kill You by Iris Johansen

First line: “Where the hell are they?” From the inside cover: It’s the deadliest poison known to man. He’s the only one who knows its true power. She’s the only one who can stop the evil. The chase is on… Catherine Ling was abandoned on the streets of Hong Kong at age four. Schooled in the art of survival, she traded in the only commodity she had: information. As a…

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Book Blogger Confessions #9 (5.7.12)

Book Blogger Confession is a new blog meme hosted by Tiger of All Consuming Books and Karen of For What It’s Worth. The meme will run on the 1st and 3rd Mondays of every month  to discuss some of the frustrations that are unique to book bloggers. You can read the introductory post here. Here’s this week’s question:  Comments. The holy grail of blogging success! What type of posts do you…

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It’s Monday…What Are You Reading? (4.7.12)

It’s Monday What Are you Reading , hosted by Sheila, isthe perfect way for me to begin my week and allows me to focus on what needs to be read and to see what I have or have not accomplished the previous week. I also enjoy discovering new books by visiting other participants blogs Last week was bit of a slow week for me – I had a lot of…

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Review: The Shoemaker’s Wife by Adriana Trigiani

First line: The scalloped hem of Caterina Lazzari’s blue velvet coat grazed the fresh-fallen snow, leaving a pale pink path on the bricks as she walked across the empty piazza. From the inside cover: The majestic and haunting beauty of the Italian Alps at the turn of the twentieth century is the setting of the first meeting of Enza and Ciro, who meet as teenagers despite growing up in villages…

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Book Beginnings Friday: So Pretty It Hurts

Please join Rose City Reader every Friday to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires.  Please remember to include the title of the book and the author.  I’m reading So Pretty It Hurts by Kate White: An old geezer of a reporter I used to work with…

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Review: The Hot Flash Club by Nancy Thayer (audio book)

From the back of the audio case: Ordinarily, a coming-of-age novel is about a young person on the brink of  adulthood. Nancy Thayer has written a coming-of-age novel about four women on the brink of menopause – the “Hot Flash Club.” These women have skills, smarts, and secrets, but they’re all feeling over the hill and generally in a bad way. By chance, however, they meet, and not only do…

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Review: Alex Cross’s Trial by James Patterson

First line: A few months after I hunted a vicious killer named the Tiger halfway around the world, I began to think seriously about a book I had been wanting to write for years. From the inside cover: The irresistible story – passed down through the generations – of a courageous fight for freedom by one of Alex Cross’s ancestors. SEPARATED BY TIME From his grandmother, Alex Cross has heard…

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Month in Review: April 2012

Here are my reading stats for April! Books read:  13 Books I read (reviewed ones have * and link to review; books not yet reviewed will be linked up once review is posted.) Raising Wild Ginger by Tara Woolpy Paradise Valley* by Robyn Carr The Sumerton Women* by DL Bogdan The Girl Who Chased the Moon* by Sarah Addison Allen The Undomestic Goddess* by Sophie Kinsella Alex Cross’s Trial* by…

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It’s Monday…What Are You Reading? (4.30.12)

It’s Monday What Are you Reading , hosted by Sheila, isthe perfect way for me to begin my week and allows me to focus on what needs to be read and to see what I have or have not accomplished the previous week. I also enjoy discovering new books by visiting other participants blogs I received the nicest card in the mail this week – a thank you from an…

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Review: The Girl Who Chased the Moon by Sarah Addison Allen

First line: It took a moment for Emily to realize the car had come to a stop. From the back cover: Emily Benedict has come to Mullaby, North Carolina, hoping to solve at least some of the riddles surrounding her mother’s life. But the moment Emily enters the house where her mother grew up and meets the grandfather she never knew, she realizes that mysteries aren’t solved in Mullaby, they’re…

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Book Beginnings Friday: Barefoot Season

Please join Rose City Reader every Friday to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires.  Please remember to include the title of the book and the author.  I’m reading Barefoot Season by Susan Mallery: “I’m going off to war tomorrow. I might not make it back.” This…

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Review: The Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella (audio book)

From the back of the audio case: Workaholic attorney Samantha Sweeting has just done the unthinkable. She’s made a mistake so huge, it’ll wreck any chance of a partnership. Going into utter meltdown, she walks out of her London office, gets on a train, and ends up in the middle of nowhere. Asking for directions at a big, beautiful house, she’s mistaken for an interviewee and finds herself being offered…

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Guest Post: Elizabeth Loupas

Please join me in welcoming Elizabeth Loupas, author of the new book, The Flower Reader to Always With a Book! If you missed my review, you can read it here. Today Elizabeth talks about the how she was able to write like Nostradamus. WRITING LIKE NOSTRADAMUS by Elizabeth Loupas It’s hard to write about European courts in the sixteenth century without at least some reference to Michel de Nostredame—Nostradamus. His…

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Blog Tour and Review: The Flower Reader by Elizabeth Loupas

First line: I hated the queen, hated her down to the deepest marrow of my bones. From the back cover: With her dying breath, the queen regent of Scotland entrusts a silver casket to half-Scots, half-French seventeen-year-old Rinette Leslie of Granmuir, who possesses the ancient gift of using flowers to divine the future. Inside the casket, and meant only for young Mary, Queen of Scots, are the darkest secrets of…

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It’s Monday…What Are You Reading? (4.23.12)

It’s Monday What Are you Reading , hosted by Sheila, isthe perfect way for me to begin my week and allows me to focus on what needs to be read and to see what I have or have not accomplished the previous week. I also enjoy discovering new books by visiting other participants blogs Thanks to all who shared advice on how to get audio books from library to ipod…

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2012 Audio Book Challenge – Better late than never!!!

The Audio Book Challenge is hosted by Teresa’s Reading Corner, and it goes from January 1, 2012 through December 31, 2012.I participated in this challenge last year and ended up surpassing my first goal (listen to 6 audio books) and second goal (20 or more) – I ended the year having listened to 23 audio books. I’m joining at the Lover level, which means I need to listen to at…

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In My Mailbox (91) 4.22.12

In My Mailbox (IMM) is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi @ The Story Siren. Every week I’ll post what books I’ve received either by mailbox/library/store.  From the Library: What Doesn’t Kill You by Iris Johansen This is Iris Johansen’s newest book, part of what FictFact is calling the Catherine Ling series. As soon as it was in the library system, I reserved it. It came in this past week…

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Review: Paradise Valley by Robyn Carr (e-book)

First line: Walt Booth was feeling lonely. Synopsis from B&N: Marine corporal Rick Sudder is home early from Iraq—his tour ended abruptly on the battlefield. The carefree boy is gone, replaced by a man who believes his future is as bleak as his mirror image. But can the passion and commitment of a young woman who has never given up on him mend his broken body and shattered heart? As…

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Save the Date: Audio Book Week

Jen fromDevourer of Bookshas announced the dates for 2012 Audiobook Week – June 25 – 29. This is a fun week that celebrates audiobooks. There will be discussion posts, reviews, and giveaways!!! Will you be participating?

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Book Beginnings on Friday: The Flower Reader

Please join Rose City Reader every Friday to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires.  Please remember to include the title of the book and the author.  I’m reading The Flower Reader by Elizabeth Loupas: I hated the queen, hated her down to the deepest marrow of…

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