Friday, August 31, 2012

Back to the Books Giveaway Hop! Sept 1st to Sept 7th, 2012 till 11:59pm!


HUGE thanks to I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and Buried in Books!! Thank you for hosting this hop! 

Come on over to see what I am giving away! Click  ------> HERE to enter!  

Book Blogger Hop! 8-31 to 9-6-12

Thanks to Jen at Crazy-For-Books.com

This week's question:
What is the one book or series you are dying to see turned into a movie or tv series?

I would LOVE to see Colleen Hoover's books Slammed and Point of Retreat turned into a movie! I LOVED both those books SO much! I think a movie would be awesome! I already have my favorite author, Kathy Reichs, with a series, Bones! LOVE that show!!! It looks like tonight, Friday, 8-31-12 has a NEW show starting!! Woo-hoo!
CORRECTION: The NEXT series originally starts on September 17th, 2012! YES!
Kathy Reichs has a NEW RELEASE out NOW! It's called: Bones Are Forever (Temperance Brennan)

 


Thanks for reading this week's question! See you next week!

Thursday, August 30, 2012

The Evelyn Project by Kfir Luzzato





Pump Up Your Book Virtual Book Tours Presents

"The Evelyn Project" by Kfir Luzzatto  
Tour Dates : July 2 thru August 31st

Summary of The Evelyn Project:
A loving father's cry for help gets into the wrong hands, and a hundred years later things get out of control.Evelyn's father did everything in his power to save his dying daughter, black magic included. But when a century later his plea for help gets into the wrong hands, all hell breaks loose. Caught in the slippery battlefield between the Vatican and a cult that wants to change the past, a young Italian professor and a beautiful French actress are too busy running away from murder and conspiracy to let physical attraction develop into love, and it further complicates things when Her Majesty's Secret Service decides to take an interest in what everyone else is doing to pull some strings of its own. Love that lasts through the veils of time, a mystery, and a race to end a conspiracy, "The Evelyn Project" is a story that will stir both your heart and your intellect.


My Take:
"3 Stars"
If your child was dying from Tuberculosis back in 1894, what would you do?  Anything! This book turns to black magic to cure her, which is where the Paranormal or Time Travel fits in.  
This book takes you on an adventure all over the world, flip-flopping back and forth between the people involved, including the characters from 1894 coming to the future searching for that cure to one woman who may hold it, yet she does not even know it.
There were a lot of characters involved in this story, and at times it was hard to keep track of who the character were, if they were a good guy versus a bad guy. Also, who could you trust in general?
The main character, Franco, was first approached in his home by a couple of people who held information about an adventure they wanted Franco to go on. This left him with a lot of decision making to do once he finally gets going around the world trying to figure out who was good and bad while figuring out what to do, where to go, and who to trust. Trust was a huge issue. He also did not know that this journey he was about to embark on involved Black Magic. In the beginning, I felt Franco was kind of a push-over as a character as he could have said 'no' to this entire project, but instead allowed these secretive people he knew nothing about talk him into, or, rather pushing him into doing something for them. He did not make a decision, he just went along with what they told him to do. I felt this character should have been much stronger and perhaps questioned this journey more, but he did not.
Once this story finally gets going, there is so much more that goes on in this book that at times it is hard to keep track of who is who and what and where they are, and who was after what. Thankfully the chapters were labeled at the top as to where the story was taking place at, then the first paragraph told us who the character was.
The first thing I want to say is that Book Reviews are done for a variety of people to read books and ask their opinions of them, and I am going to tell you mine. This was a story that I had a difficult time keeping my interest in. I am an honest reviewer, and will not sugar coat the story and tell you it was amazing. I had a hard time reading and getting into it, and a hard time finishing it. I got to 20% on my Kindle, and had I not been asked to read this book, I would have stopped reading it sooner than this. For me, it was taking too long for the actual story to start. It might just be that this book is not 'my' cup of tea? I couldn't put my finger on it.
There are very few reviews written on this book, and yes, I read them, but the ones I did read all seemed to like this book. There was one other reviewer that rated this book the same as I have. I believe I am the only one who is admitting I did not like the story very much, however it was mentioned by a couple other reviewers that they, too, had to get used to the dialogue of this story. Perhaps this was the problem I had with this story? 
I had a hard time transitioning to the pattern of speech. Perhaps it could be from the translation of this story? 
The author is a colorful writer in painting a very thorough explanation of the surroundings they are in in each place, including his own home, which to me I could have done without and just gotten on with the story. I wanted the action to get going that I read in the reviews of this book!
I highly suggest reading all the reviews that have been written about this book in addition to mine to get a better idea to see if this book is a fit for you instead of just my review alone. Read all the reviews to make your decision to see if this is a book you want to read. Don't base your decision only on one review, and this goes for ALL books. I did not find any spoilers in the other reviews, so you won't ruin your reading experience by reading them, and this is as of today's date in which there are 10 other reviews. 
I am glad I had the opportunity to review this book. It was neat to be in Europe going around to all the different places this story took us to. It was nice to finally read this authors work, too, as I see him on Twitter a lot! It's nice now to see him and be able to put the story to his face! So getting to read this book was a nice change of pace.
I received this book for FREE from the Author, and then joined in on the Pump Up Your Book Tours to read this book and write an honest review about it.  It is NOT required for this review to be either positive or negative, but, of my own honest opinion. “Free” means I was NOT provided with ANY MONIES to read this book nor to write this review, but to enjoy the pure pleasure of reading the book. I am disclosing this information in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html
Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.




About the Author:


Kfir Luzzatto was born and raised in Italy, and moved to Israel as a teenager. He acquired the love for the English language from his father, a former U.S. soldier, a voracious reader and a prolific writer. Kfir has a PhD in chemical engineering and works as a patent attorney.

He lives in Omer, Israel, with his full-time partner, Esther, their four children, Michal, Lilach, Tamar and Yonatan, and the dog Elvis. He has won numerous awards for his writing.

Contact him:
Twitter: @KfirLuzzatto

Author’s Website:  http://kfirluzzatto.com











Sunday, August 26, 2012

New York Times Top 15 Best Seller List for the week ending Sunday, August 26th, 2012

Welcome! To this week's Top 15 Best Seller List!
Here we go!

1. Fifty Shades of Grey: Book One of the Fifty Shades Trilogy by E L James
Print Book: $9.57
Ebook:       $9.99

 

2. Fifty Shades Darker (Fifty Shades, Book 2) by E L James
Print Book: $9.57
Ebook:       $9.99

 

3. Fifty Shades Freed: Book Three of the Fifty Shades Trilogy by E L James
Print Book: $9.57
Ebook:       $9.99

 

4. Gone Girl: A Novel by Gillian Flynn
Print Book: $13.94
Ebook:       $12.99

 

5. The Inn at Rose Harbor: A Novel by Debbie Macomber
Print Book: $15.29
Ebook:       $12.99

 

6. Bared to You: A Crossfire Novel by Sylvia Day
Print Book: $9.00
Ebook:       $7.99

 

7. Where We Belong by Emily Giffin
Print Book: $16.94
Ebook:       $12.99

 

8. The Kingmaker's Daughter (The Cousins' War) by Phillippa Gregory
Print Book: $17.50
Ebook:       $12.99

 

9. Black List: A Thriller by Brad Thor
Print Book: $18.15
Ebook:       $12.99

 

10. This Is Where I Leave You: A Novel by Jonathan Tropper
Print Book: $10.20
Ebook:       $12.99
Go figure on the price difference, huh?

 

11. The Light Between Oceans: A Novel by M L Stedman
Print Book: $15.00
Ebook:       $11.99

 

12. The Best of Me by Nicholas Sparks
Print Book: $10.19
Ebook:       $ 9.99

 

13. Beautiful Disaster: A Novel by Jamie McGuire
Print Book: $10.20
Ebook:       $ 7.99

 

14. Seducing Cinderella by Gina L Maxwell
This is ONLY AVAILABLE as an ebook.
Kindle Price: $2.99
This will be an author to watch! She has made it to the NYT Best Seller list and is an Independent Author! Hooray for her! We'll have to see how much more she does!

 

15. The Marriage Bargain (Marriage to a Billionaire) by Jennifer Probst
Print Book: $8.98
Ebook:       $7.99

  

I did my review on "Slammed" by Colleen Hoover yesterday, which you can access it at here: http://www.lauriehere.blogspot.com/2012/08/slammed-by-colleen-hoover-book-review.html. Simon and Schuster has bought both of her books out, Slammed and Point of Retreat. These books WERE BOTH on the Best Seller list, and now that Simon and Schuster has bought them outright, they are gone? I know there was a lag time for the paperback to be reprinted under their format and name, but I can't see such a phenomenal book just disappear like this? Hmmm? Is it the LACK of Social Media? I know Colleen Hoover did a bang-up job of advertising these two books! I think this just MIGHT be the answer! Perhaps the big publishing houses are going to have to get MORE into Social Networking! I don't know? I can't answer this one. I CAN say to still purchase and read these! You will LOVE them!
I am SO happy to see that the NEW RELEASES ARE STAYING AT THE PRICE-POINT OF $12.99!!! VERY happy! I HOPE they continue to keep them at this FAIR price! ALL the complaining I had been doing, perhaps it worked? I "still stand in my position"! ANYTHING priced OVER $12.99 for an ebook (and actually I wait until the books DROP to $10, I REFUSE to purchase as an ebook! I will FOREVER stay at this price point no matter WHAT! I've gone over the reasons before, but once again, it''s a COMPUTER FILE! I can't touch it, I can't share it, I can't hold it! And on, and on, and on! So let's keep hoping the Publishing Houses HAVE HEARD US!!!
What are YOU reading now? PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW! I would LOVE to discuss books with you!
Until next week with the NYT Best Seller list, enjoy your week of READING!
Here' to the BOOKS!
Laurie

Saturday, August 25, 2012

Slammed by Colleen Hoover - Book Review


My rating: "5 stars!!" Masterpiece!


Wow! Oh my GOSH, WOW! What a book! I am STILL 'SINGING THE PRAISES' of  this book! This book is on my TOP 12 List for the BEST OF 2012 BOOKS! 
Even though this book is in the Young Adult/New Adult genre, ALL AGES CAN READ and SHOULD READ this AWESOME LOVE STORY! You will enjoy this book IMMENSELY! Even older adults will enjoy this book immensely! (I am 45 and LOVED this book!) You can feel the emotions of this couple, OH, SO GOOD! 
This book has stayed with me, and I don't think I will forget this book ANY time soon! This is one of those very rare books I would read over again in a heartbeat, and DO plan to in the future!
I don't know if my Review of this book will even do this book ANY justice, but I'll try and give a little of what I thought of it - OUTSTANDING!
I had seen this book on other blogs, and it looked interesting and I heard nothing but GREAT things about it from others who have read it! Not to mention how FAST it climbed the charts! WOW! I wanted to read it, and it was in my mental 'to read list', so one day I just bought it and did read it. Wow! I was literally BLOWN AWAY by how GREAT THIS BOOK IS! I am STILL blown away! 
Wow! WHAT TALENT! In my opinion, this author knew 'exactly' what she wanted to write, and exactly 'how' she wanted to write this book and the sequel. The ideas and probably even the entire outline of the books was  probably rolling around in her head for quite some time. She already had this book written, it was just stuck in her head as she could not YET get the time to write it down, in my opinion! She has younger children, who are NOT conducive to writing! We ALL know this! My thoughts are while she could not write this book, literally, she was still planning and writing this story in her head all along! Plain and simple as that. She just needed the opportunity to get some time away from everyone to be able to write it. In this book she thanks her family - her husband and her children, for allowing her to shut herself in her bedroom for a month and just write until she was done. Thus, this book was born! KOODLES TO COLLEEN HOOVER! Thank you for getting the words OUT of your head and onto paper!
Every Sunday, I watch the New York Times Top 15 Best Seller list, and I just watched this book climb higher and higher to inside of the Top 10! The sequel, "Point of Retreat', is also climbing the charts! 
This author did such a wonderful job of writing this book as an Independent Author, that Simon and Schuster Publishing House has now purchased these books from her, and have published their own copies of it! 
CONGRATULATIONS to Colleen Hoover, the author!!!!! See! An Indie Authors CAN made it BIG! Koodles to Indie Authors!
Okay - what else made me want to read this book? Intrigue! What was between the two covers of this book that has everyone gobbling up this book? I HAD to know! Also, just what IS 'Slam Poetry'? I  have never heard of it before. I must find out! So, I did. Boy am I glad I did!
What really intrigued me the most about this book was learning about SLAM Poetry! As I said, I had never even 'heard of it' until this book! This was definitely something I did not learn when I went to High School! All I had ever known about Poetry was plain 'ole poetry. After learning what Slam Poetry is, now I would love to do it! You need to read the book to find out what I'm talking about if you don't know what SLAM Poetry is.
What is this book about? The book starts off with Lake, and her brother Kel, having to follow along with their mother's decision to move to Michigan where they have relatives close by. Since their father's recent death, this left them alone in Texas where they were living, and their mother felt it would be much better to be living near their relatives given the situation. No one was really looking forward to moving to Michigan, but they did it.
However, when they get to their new house, Lake meets a young man who lives across the street from her, named Will. They are strongly attracted to each other from the moment they first meet, and you can feel the attraction between the two of them, too. If you ask me, they are in love already. It might sound like lust at first, but when these two are out on dates and finishing each other's sentences, well . . . It's as if they have been together forever already! They continue to date, to learn more and more about each other, and now they have another thing in common. Both of their young nine year old brothers have quickly become best friends, and are inseparable! Both of their houses are a revolving doors for the boys. It's as if these boys are brothers! 
As we are reading along, Lake and Will's attraction is SO strong you can feel it. This is what really hooked me into this book and turning the pages as fast as I could! Oh my! Love in the first stages yet it feels like they've been together forever and are perfect for one another! The emotions it stirs inside of you are so many different ones! In one moment you feel like this, in another you feel like that, and in another you want Lake and Will's relationship to go further than what it is. I found myself cheering them on! OH MY! 
Ah! Lake and Will's relationship is going strong. Very strong.  
School starts. Lake is in her senior year. One last year of High School then on to college.
Lake and her brother find out their mother has had a secret she had been holding back from them, and it is revealed, bringing with it a HOST of other problems. 
Life changes drastically.
This is it! This is ALL I can tell you without giving spoilers and you don't want those! You MUST read this book! I read it in ONE SITTING! The Author writes SO well, she keeps you glued to the pages, flipping them one after the other! I finished this book after 4:00am! 314 pages FLEW BY! You CANNOT put this book down! I am not just saying this, either. Many people say this about books, but I am honestly telling you the TRUTH! I could NOT stop reading this book! 
Dizzying LOVE! Butterflies in the stomach! The BEST kind!
You MUST READ THIS BOOK! 
*If you read ONLY 'one' book this year, THIS IS "THE BOOK" TO READ!*
I hope you enjoy this book as much as I did!
I purchased this book for myself to read for my own personal enjoyment. I read this because "I wanted to read it!" It met and exceeded ALL of my expectations! 
This book was "Butterflying AMAZING!" To understand what I mean by that, you must read the sequel, "Point of Retreat"!
This Author's muse: The Avett Brothers
Trhoughout the book, at the beginning of every Chapter, there is a quote from one of their songs. She LOVES the Avett Brothers, and they inspired her to write this novel. WAY COOL!





Here's the sequel, too! You're going to WANT IT RIGHT AWAY!




Book Blogger Hop! Week of Friday, August 24th, 2012

Blogging Question: What is your favorite thing about blogging?

Being creative and helpful writing the review for the people who read them! Seeing how the review looks on the page after I've done all of this ---->
BEING CREATIVE with the arranging the cover of the book, putting the review in, writing about the author with a photo of them if available, and arranging it all the way I like it to look, similar to what Jen likes!
My FAVORITE, yet sometimes the HARDEST part of all, though, is to actually 'write' the review! I LOVE it! It can be stressful, though, because I want to make SURE that I have covered everything that the possible reader would want to know about, yet at the same time, not to give away too much info and definitely NOT spoilers! This can be tricky at times!
I also like to include a link so anyone can click on it and purchase the book from Amazon! I LOVE when ALL of us do this as it makes it WAY easier to get TO the book! 'ONE' click! Plus, when we purchase the book from the blog we are at, it helps to support that blog by purchasing the books from their websites! When we ALL do this, it's a GREAT way to help each other out thus supporting each others' blogs! Karma!

Okay - this is a HOP! To go to the other BLOGS that are participating in this HOP, please click on this LINK: http://crazy-for-books.com/2012/08/book-blogger-hop-my-favorite-thing-about-blogging-is-august-24-30.html  
You will see ALL the other blogs that have answered this very same question! It's a GREAT way to meet other people's blogs, too! Try it out! You'll LOVE to read ALL the variations! Have fun!
Laurie



Sunday, August 19, 2012

New York Times Top 15 Best Seller List for the week ending August 19th, 2012

Welcome to our weekly Best Seller List!

Hope you had a wonderful week of reading BLISS! Here are some MORE books you might find enjoyable as we do the Top 15 books of this last week!
EVERY Sunday by NOON! 

You may click on the title of the book or on the photo to go directly to Amazon to purchase the book in your choice of format! 
ANY and ALL purchases for "anything", clothing, electronics, or a toaster made directly from this or ANY participating blog does generate a small earnings which goes directly to help support the blogs. It does NOT affect you at all, meaning there is NO cost for you to go through a blog, which is called an  affiliate. PLEASE always go through blogs to help support them! We ALL graciously thank you!

Click on THIS link to go to the Fall Preview of BOOKS available for PRE-ORDER, too! You DON'T want to miss this! See what's up and coming!

COMBINED PRINT AND EBOOKS - FICTION
        Week ending Sunday, August 19th, 2012

1. Fifty Shades of Grey: Book One of the Fifty Shades Trilogy by E L James
Print Book: $9.57
Ebook:       $9.99

 

2. Fifty Shades Darker (Fifty Shades, Book 2) by E L James
Print Book: $9.57
Ebook:       $9.99

  

3.Fifty Shades Freed: Book Three of the Fifty Shades Trilogy by E L James
Print Book: $9.57
Ebook:       $9.99

 

4. Gone Girl: A Novel by Gillian Flynn This book is being made into a movie! Personally, I am DYING to read this book, and have been since it came out! I WILL before the end of this year, AT LEAST!
Print Book: $13.94
Ebook:       $12.99

 

5. Bared to You: A Crossfire Novel by Sylvia Day
Print Book: $9.00
Ebook:       $7.99

 

6. Sweet Talk by Julie Garwood
Print Book: $15.90
Ebook:       $12.99

 

7. Where We Belong by Emily Giffin
Print Book: $15.39
Ebook:       $12.99

 

8. Stygian's Honor (Breeds) by Lora Leigh
Print Book: $7.99
Ebook:       $7.99

 

9. Time Untime (Dark-Hunters) by Sherrilyn Kenyon
Print Book: $15.33
Ebook:       $12.99

 

10. Slammed by the AWESOME AUTHOR, COLLEEN HOOVER!!! 
I LOVE HER!!! SHE is AWESOME!!! Okay - her TWO books she 'self-published' have been bought out by Simon and Schuster!! If that tells you anything about these books! WOW!!! So, right now the paperback is NOT available, BUT, if you click on the PHOTO OF THE BOOKS to PRE-ORDER the paperback NOW to get it shipped to you ASAP when   it comes out as the Simon and Schuster version!
The KINDLE (EBOOK) VERSION IS STILL AVAILABLE "NOW" for purchase! You do NOT have to wait! DON'T WAIT! BUY IT NOW! You don't know what you are missing!!!!!!!
So, Simon and Schuster are making 'their' version of these "BUTTERFLYING AMAZING BOOKS"! 
Which brings me to book 2!

Point of Retreat (Volume 2)

You'll see the photo of this book below book '1''! Isn't this WONDERFUL! A self-published author has written what "I" call one of the best, if not THE BEST BOOK OF 2012! OH MY GOSH!!!!!! THIS BOOK ROCKS!!!!! You MUST read these books!
Print Book: $15.00
Ebook:       $  7.99


By clicking on both of the photos of these books, these are the links that will take you to the place where you can PRE-ORDER these Paperbacks! Remember, the KINDLE/EBOOK versions are STILL AVAILABLE "NOW" for purchase IMMEDIATELY! NO WAITING!

What? NO E-READER? That's okay! Here's HOW!
DOWNLOAD FOR "FREE" 'ANY' OF AMAZON'S READING APPS FOR "ANY" TYPE OF DEVICE YOU MAY OWN TO BE ABLE TO READ THESE AND OTHER BOOKS BY CLICKING ON THESE WORDS!



11. Black List: A Thriller by Brad Thor
Print Book: $16.79
Ebook:       $12.99

 

12. The Light Between Oceans: A Novel by M L Stedman
Print Book: $15.99
Ebook:       $11.99

 

13. Dream Lake (Friday Harbor) by Lisa Kleypas
Print Book: $10.19
Ebook:       $  9.99

 

14. You Don't Want To Know by Lisa Jackson
Print Book: $14.70
Ebook:       $  9.46

15. I, Michael Bennett by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge
Print Book: $18.47
Ebook:       $  0.00 - Be CAREFUL! You ONLY get so many chapters of this book, then  toread the rest after they have you hooked into the story, you MUST pays FULL PRICE, after they get you hooked into the story! So let's say they give you 22 chapters for FREE, IF you like the book, then you pay full price for the Kindle book.

 

I hope you enjoyed this Post this week! If you have, PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT! I would LOVE to hear them!
Have a GREAT WEEK AHEAD!
Laurie

Friday, August 17, 2012

Last Days of Freedom Giveaway Hop! Aug 17th to Aug 22nd!


A HUGE "THANK YOU" TO I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and The Elliott Review for sponsoring this Giveaway Hop!

To enter this Giveaway, please click HERE! 

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Mrs Tuesday's Departure by Suzanne Anderson $100 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway - August 14th to Augest 21st!


Mrs Tuesday's Departure:
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for…
Hungary's fragile alliance with Germany kept Natalie, a renowned children’s book author, and her family out of harm's way for most of the war. Now as the Führer's desperation grows during the waning years of the conflict, so does its threat. Natalie's younger sister, Ilona, married a Jewish man, putting both her and her young daughter, Mila, in peril; Natalie's twin sister, Anna, is losing her already tenuous hold on reality. As the streets of Budapest thrum with the pounding boots of Nazi soldiers, danger creeps to the doorstep where Natalie shields them all.
Ilona and her husband take the last two tickets to safety for themselves, abandoning Natalie to protect Anna and Mila from the encroaching danger. Anna's paranoid explosion at a university where was once a professor, sparked by delusions over an imagined love triangle, threatens their only other chance for escape. Ultimately, Natalie is presented with a choice no one should ever have to make; which of her family will she save?
An inspirational story of faith and family, strength and weakness, and the ultimate triumph of love over hate. Mrs. Tuesday’s Departure demonstrates the power of faith to light even the most harrowing darkness.
... faith is the evidence of things not seen.



 Meet Author Suzanne Anderson



     I was born in Fort Lauderdale, attended the University of Michigan on an athletic scholarship for swimming and then worked on Wall Street. I left the bright lights of the big city fifteen years ago and traveled the world. I now live in the mountains of Colorado, where I pursue my dream of writing novels.

LINKS:
Website: http://www.suzanneanderson.net/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Suzanne-Anderson-Author-Page/201662786512944
Twitter: https://twitter.com/seakiev


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