Monday, September 29, 2014

"ANNOUNCEMENT!" You asked for it, you've GOT IT! Now you can "FOLLOW ME BY EMAIL!"



Lately I have had so many, many requests from you WONDERFUL followers of mine to be able to follow my blog by EMAIL
I was not able to provide that option for NEW subscriptions because something broke with my Feedburner Feed for 'new' subscribers. I did some long and hard work to find out why, figure out how to fix it, and that was the hard part! Now it is fixed, so . . . come one, come all and sign up! 

FOLLOW ME BY EMAIL!

Is located in the RIGHT SIDE COLUMN under Google+!
Fill out your email address! 
After, 
GO TO YOUR EMAIL BOX TO VERIFY YOUR SUBSCRIPTION TO MY BLOG! 
I see many of you did sign up to follow by email before, but you did not verify the subscription, so you are not going to get the emails if you don't VERIFY the subscription!

IN THE PAST - IF YOU HAVE SIGNED UP TO FOLLOW ME BY EMAIL BUT ARE NOT GETTING THEM, YOU'LL HAVE TO SIGN-UP AGAIN, AND VERIFY THE SUBSCRIPTION! If you are running into problems with this, keep reading.

If you have never verified the subscription and still cannot sign up after you have done a search for the verification email in your email box, please let me know at laurieisreading at gmail dot com and I will go in manually remove your unverified email address so you can sign back up again.

I can see everyone who does follow me by email, for those of you who are currently following, THANK YOU! However, there are A LOT of you who have NOT VERIFIED THE SUBSCRIPTION! You won't get the emails if you don't verify the subscription, in case you wondered why you never received them. Also, there are a LOT of misspelled email addresses, and I can recognize some of you, but not all, so if you are wondering "why" you are not getting the emails, your email address is wrong. You will have to sign up again as this is something I cannot do for you.

I would like to THANK EVERY ONE OF YOU who has asked me for this feature! It is such a compliment you requested this, and I'm glad I was finally able to have figured out how to fix this feature so you can follow by email and I am able to offer it once again! (It was quite the confusing process to fix it! Wow!) 

"IF" by chance you do NOT receive ANY emails even after verifying, PLEASE LET ME KNOW! That would be the ONLY way I will know it is not working, and it would be extremely helpful. Thank you!

FOLLOW ME BY EMAIL NOW
In the RIGHT SIDE column under Google+!

Sunday, September 28, 2014

The #NYTImes Top 15 (20) #Bestsellers for the week ending September 28, 2014 + Blog Updates!


Welcome, everyone! I hope you had a great week of reading! This post is always up by NOON every Sunday, and usually earlier than that depending on how  my Saturday is going!

Well, it looks like the New York Times shortened their list of bestsellers down to 20 in ALL genres. This is the 2nd week in a row they are only showing 20 bestsellers. I'm not happy about this, but do "WE" get a say-so? No. Gee, this is kind of like politics at work here! I guess the only thing we can do is to write to the New York Times and complain. Grrrr! 

I 'just' finished earlier today the book, "Bones Never Lie" by Kathy Reichs, (a TV show has been made from this series of books based very loosely on them called "Bones". It runs on Fox right now on Thursday nights this Fall! Last week was the first show of the season, and if any of you die-hard fans missed this show, I'm sorry, but I'm going to tell a spoiler here - Sweets was shot! He's DEAD! No!!!! I cried! Can you tell this is one of my FAVORITE shows!) and this was an excellent book! HIGHLY recommended! This book is not as 'sciency' as her books seemed to be before, but very readable! I believe since Reichs writes ALL of the scripts for this show on TV that Reichs is writing targets a much broader audience now than she ever used to before! Character development! She's become a PRO at that! I HIGHLY suggest this book to 'anyone' who loves mysteries will LOVE this book! I'll have my review up later this week! Reichs is also one of my favorite authors!


What's going on at the blog?

*SEPTEMBER'S #Kindle #Fire HDX #Giveaway or #Amazon GC or #PayPal #CASH (winner's choice) runs until the end of the month! See the LEFT side column!

*The OCTOBER #Kindle #Fire HDX #Giveaway or #Amazon GC or #PayPal #CASH (winner's choice) will be coming out this week, too! Watch the LEFT column!

(The LEFT column always has the giveaways listed in it!)

Next Giveaway Hop is the Spooktacular Giveaway Hop! Starts October 15th to the 31st! It's just right around the corner! I'm getting excited for that one!

REVIEWS coming this week:
Bones Never Lies by Kathy Reichs
The Last Breath by Kimberly Belle

PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT telling us what YOU are reading!

Okay! On to the books! All links go to the ebook. If you are looking for a different version, then while you are at the link, just click on the version you want to purchase!

FICTION: COMBINED PRINT AND EBOOK
UPDATE: We are BACK to the Top 25 best sellers! Woo-hoo!

1.  Edge of Eternity by Ken Follett
ebook: $11.99
print:   $20.72



2.  Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
ebook: $7.99
print:   $8.97



3. Personal by Lee Child
ebook: $10.99  
print:   $16.45



4. Outlander by Diane Gabaldon
ebook: $4.99
print:   $6.63



5. The Alchemist by Paulo Coehlo
ebook: $5.99
print:   $8.98



6. Take Down by Fern Michaels
ebook only: $2.51



7. Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty
ebook: $10.99
print:   $16.16



8. Somewhere Safe with Somebody Good
ebook: $10.99
print:   $16.77



9. Festive in Death by J D Robb
ebook: $11.99
print:   $ 7.19



10. The Best of Me by Nicholas Sparks
ebook: $7.99
print:   $7.20



11. Dragonfly in Amber by Diane Gabaldon
ebook: $4.99
print:   $6.04



12. The Golem of Hollywood by Jonathan and Jesse Kellerman
ebook: $11.99
print:   $20.48



13. This is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper
ebook: $7.99
print:   $9.00



14. Sycamore Row by John Grisham
ebook: $6.87
print:   $7.23



15. Private Down Under by James Patterson and Michael White
ebook only: $6.49


Thanks for coming by! And . . . here are the rest!
  
  • ORPHAN TRAIN, by Christina Baker Kline (Morrow/HarperCollins)
  • RAGING HEAT, by Richard Castle (Kingswell)
  • HEMY, by Victoria Ashley (Victoria Ashley)
  • ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE, by Anthony Doerr (Scribner)
  • THE PAYING GUESTS, by Sarah Waters (Riverhead)
  • Tuesday, September 23, 2014

    #REVIEW - The Art of Arranging Flowers by Lynne Branard


    Description
    A moving and eloquent novel about love, grief, renewal—and the powerful language of flowers.
    Ruby Jewell knows flowers. In her twenty years as a florist she has stood behind the counter at the Flower Shoppe with her faithful dog, Clementine, resting at her feet. A customer can walk in, and with just a glance or a few words, Ruby can throw together the perfect arrangement for any occasion.
    Whether intended to rekindle a romance, mark a celebration, offer sympathy, or heal a broken heart, her expressive floral designs mark the moments and milestones in the lives of her neighbors. It’s as though she knows just what they want to say, just what they need.

    Yet Ruby’s own heart’s desires have gone ignored since the death of her beloved sister. It will take an invitation from a man who’s flown to the moon, the arrival of a unique little boy, and concern from a charming veterinarian to reawaken her wounded spirit. Any life can be derailed, but the healing power of community can put it right again.

    MY TAKE:
    4 Stars
    I thought this book was a very detailed, beautiful love story all about a woman in her late thirties named Ruby, who blooms along the way with the beautiful flowers she arranges for the townspeople she loves . The townspeople love her just as much, too, and they do little things for her to show it. Ruby goes so far for them as to add extra special flowers to their floral arrangements to help people along, too, such as a sprig of this to fall in love, or a special twig of that to help them heal, just adding that special touch with flowers to the arrangements to try to help her friends she loves along the way. It's pretty neat how she tucks these in floral arrangements she makes. The people have no clue, but it sets Ruby's heart aflutter to know that just she might be helping them along.
    Ruby doesn't know what love is like for herself yet. She's denied allowing herself the opportunity to open her heart to anyone because of the loss in her heart for her dear sister who has passed. She still grieves dearly for her and still dedicates her time to visiting her at the cemetery. Ruby feels like everyone she has ever loved in her life has always been taken away from her since the time she was a little girl, and it has. Ruby does not want to open her heart to have another person she does love to be taken away from her again. Ruby is afraid that death will take them. Little does Ruby know it, but along comes a little boy who loses his mother and he ends up teaching her about love, a dying astronaut teaches her what love is like, what it should feel like, what it could be and how wonderful it is to live and to have love, and living life without love is not living life at all. Not only that, but a special someone has done a few arrangements of their own to help Ruby along so she does finally get that chance at love, the love that without question, will last her a lifetime.
    This truly was a beautiful book to read. I really enjoyed watching Ruby blooming along with her flowers she loves so much when she finally gets that chance at love. You'll be surprised at how it happens, the order it happens in, and the special someone who kind of sets it up for her with a few suggestions for a few people. This is a touching story you will never forget. I highly suggest reading this book. I received this book for FREE from the Publisher, Penguin Group and NetGalley, in exchange to read and write a review about it. "Free" means I was provided with ZERO MONIES to do so, but to enjoy the pure pleasure of reading it and giving my own honest opinion no matter whether it is positive or negative. I am disclosing this information in accordance with the law set here: http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html., The Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255, 16 CFR 255, Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising Federal Acquisition Regulation.

    Sunday, September 21, 2014

    BANNED BOOKS WEEK #GIVEAWAY #HOP! NOW to 9-27-14!

                              
                             Thanks to our Sponsors, I Am A Reader and Bookhounds

    Welcome! Here is a GREAT list of Banned Books! This is an excellent article about banned book HERE! and at the next link, I had a good laugh at some of them! Read it HERE! That link lists the Top 10 Banned Books for each year! But first, fill out the form below to win the following!

    INTERNATIONAL wherever Amazon allows delivery of Gift Cards OR ebooks!

    1 Winner 

    1 $10 Amazon Gift Card for any Banned Book!

    Just fill out this form and then HOP to the NEXT blog!


    OVER OVER OVER OVER OVER


    Make sure to enter the STUCK IN BOOKS GIVEAWAY HOP HERE!

    then,

    HOP on over to all the rest of these blogs! Happy Hopping!



    The New York Times 20 Best Sellers for the week ending Sept 21st, 2014! Plus, Blog Updates!


    Welcome! To another week of GREAT books! This post is always up by NOON every Sunday and sometimes earlier! 
    I hope you had a GREAT week of reading! I did! The weather here is starting to cool off very quickly now, to the point where we have been getting 'freeze' warnings at night, and the furnace has been turning on at night. The days have been in the upper 50's and lower 60's, which is very early. This gave me the push to get some things ordered to have a more comfortable Fall and Winter!
    This week I spent a LOT of time ordering some new things for our living room, replacing items that had wore out and/or broke. I also bought a new set of thermal draperies, along with a new quilt throw, too! I am also getting ready for the cold weather such as ordering that plastic film that insulates the windows, new blinds, some new furniture pieces such as lamps and end tables, and other weather related items such as insulating items for the doors. Can you tell I am tired of freezing through the winter?! The items were needed, and it was a LOT of fun, too! 
    I shopped at some of the stores HGTV uses and advertises, too, such as Joss and Main, Wayfair, and you can see a lot of what I found on my personal Facebook page and on Pinterest! (On Pinterest under Shabby Chic) They are not a lot, but some nice pieces. I was afraid they would be so expensive, but if you watch carefully, you'll find some very affordable pieces, and beautiful at that! Our living room is not all shabby chic, but more contemporary. I couldn't help but to love some of the shabby chic items, though!
    I also shopped at Destination Lighting as both of our lamps are broken, and the the lampshades have seen much better days! The switches do not work and are broken. One doesn't even turn on anymore unless you plug and unplug it! I think it's time! We've never bought some of these items ourselves anyway as these have all been hand-me-downs, so it feels great to see these beautiful items that are OURS! The BEST part is my new lamps will now MATCH! I bought a trio, two table lamps and one floor lamp, and a twin set for our bedroom. So I really shopped! It was kind of nice shopping for everything online and from home because all I had to do was sit here with the measuring tape so I could get an idea of what sizes things would be! I LOVED it! I also shopped at Amazon, too, and I have a nice, large metal scrollwork plaque with a large "C" in the middle of it for our last name coming, too! That will go on the wall in the living room!  
    Here is an energy saving and lighting tip for you. You know those CFL (compact florescent light bulbs)? I have been using them for a few years now, and I LOVE the money saving aspect on our electric bills! Yes, there is a huge difference in savings and it SHOWS the savings when you compare each month to the previous year, so my wallet FEELS the savings! The less than desirable effect is the kind of light we can get. With that being said, I happened to do some research to learn more about these light bulbs so I could understand them better and get the brightest bulbs I could. I found an excellent website, and I want to share it with you! The article is HERE and it explains everything you could want to know about these bulbs and more. It shows a nice visual chart for the 'type' of light we want, too.
    We want the brightest, whitest light possible, and I didn't know how to get it. I kept getting stuck with low lighting, and I googled this article which explains HOW to choose the right lighting for you prefer! It talks about 'lumens'. Check it out! I did what they said, and hubby and I are ecstatic! We like the bright white/daylight color! I got the bulbs already, put them in the old lamps until the new ones come, and we LOVE the lighting! Also, when you choose the Bright White or Daylight happens to be the best, it helps to fight SAD - Seasonal Affective Disorder! It's scientifically proven to work! I'm excited about that! Our living room faces the north, so we don't get the sunlight here in the living room, but with these bulbs, they CAN help us feel better in the fall/winter/spring days until we get longer days. 
    One more tip - ALWAYS purchase items with the ENERGY STAR EMBLEM ON IT! It makes a HUGE difference! My computer has that sticker on it! You will also find REBATES at the website I gave you up above, too! Another way to save money! Most products are eligible for savings until December 2015!
    One tip I did not see there: make sure you know what bulbs your lamps take, in particular, if it is a 3-way switch or not, and also make sure the bulb you purchase not a dimmer as there are special bulbs for those. I purchased an equivalent of 60 watts for our lamps, and I wish I had bought 100 watts. Oh, well. I'll just have to pick up another package!
    (These bulbs have improved so much over the years, even since the last time I bought them. They are now Instant On, but I still think they need time to warm up even though it says they do not, and there is no hum to the bulbs, either.)
    After saving so much money over time, you'll have more money to buy more books with! See! There IS a method to my madness of saving money! LOL! Good luck! 

    Remember last week when the Bestseller list was ONLY 20 books? I have searched and searched on Google and other search engines for an answer as to why they changed the listed bestsellers from 25 down to 20, and I cannot find an answer. Frustrating! I think this is wrong. We've had the Top 25 for so long, and now only 20? I'm sure the authors are not happy with this, either. So I apologize, but every type of search I have tried to do ends up nowhere. Sorry about that. I really tried hard. The +The New York Times is just NOT giving us an answer no matter what type of search I do. Grrrrr! All we can do is go with it.
    If any of YOU might know the answer to this, please let me know!
    Thanks!

    Events here at the blog this upcoming week! (Giveaways are always listed in the LEFT side column!)

    *Stuck in Books Giveaway HopNOW to 9-25! Click HERE to enter!

    *Banned Books Week Giveaway Hop starts MONDAY, the 22nd! Make sure to come back!

    *September KINDLE FIRE GIVEAWAY! To 9-30! Click HERE to enter!

    *REVIEW - The Secret Place by Tana French HERE!

    *Upcoming Reviews:  (always subject to change)
    Bones Never Lie by Kathy Reichs on Release Day, Tuesday, Sept 23rd (reading)
    The Art of Arranging Flowers by Lynne Branard on Wednesday, Sept 24th (read)

    Okay! Le's get to the bestsellers!

    FICTION - COMBINED PRINT AND EBOOKS
    All titles and photos of the books are linked directly TO Amazon for the ebook - just click on either one. If you are interested in a different type of book, while you are there such as the paperback or hardcover, just click on it and it will take you there. Enjoy!
         
    1. Festive in Death by J D Robb
    ebook: $11.99
    print:   $ 7.99



    2.  Personal by Lee Child
    ebook: $10.99
    print:   $16.45




    3. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
    ebook: $7.99
    print:   $8.97



    4. The Witch With No Name by Kim Harrison
    ebook: $12.99
    print:   $20.52




    5. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
    ebook: $5.99
    print:   $8.98



    6. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
    ebook: $5.99
    print:   $6.63



    7. Mean Streak by Sandra Brown
    ebook: $12.99
    print:   $23.40



    8. Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty
    ebook: $10.99
    print:   $16.16



    9. Somewhere Safe with Somebody Good by Jan Karon
    ebook: $11.99
    print:   $16.77



    10. The King's Curse by Philippa Gregory
    ebook: $12.74
    print:   $20.71



    11. The Children Act by Ian McEwan
    ebook: $10.99
    print:   $15.00



    12. Robert B Parker's Blind Spot by Reed Farrel Coleman
    ebook: $10.99
    print:   $18.84



    13. Sycamore Row by John Grisham
    ebook: $6.80
    print:   $7.23



    14. Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline
    ebook: $6.99
    print:   $8.99



    15. Private Down Under by James Patterson and Michael White
    ebook: $  6.49
    print:   $11.84


    And the 5 out of 20 remaining books are: 

    DRAGONFLY IN AMBER, by Diana Gabaldon (Dell)
    THE EYE OF HEAVEN, by Clive Cussler and Russell Blake (Putnam)
    IGNITED, by J. Kenner (Bantam)
    THE BEST OF ME, by Nicholas Sparks (Grand Central)
    THE GOLDFINCH, by Donna Tartt (Little, Brown)

    Thanks for stopping by today! Don't forget to scroll back up and enter into the Hop that is going on NOW and the one that starts tomorrow!
    There is also the Kindle Fire HDX to enter into as well!
    Come back this week to read reviews, and if you would LOVE TO COMMENT, please do so!
    Have a GREAT week till I see you next time!
    Laurie

    Friday, September 19, 2014

    Stuck in Books Giveaway Hop! NOW to 9-25 at midnight!

      Thanks to our Sponsors, I Am A Reader and Stuck In Books! Thank you!

    This Hop runs from Saturday, September 20th to Thursday, September 25th!




    OVER OVER OVER OVER

    INTERNATIONAL  

    1 Winner

    $10 in ebooks - your choice from the link below! You will get to choose away!

    YOUR CHOICE OF EBOOKS FROM: The Big Deal: Kindle Books Up to 85% Off - limit of $10 in total.

    Don't worry about choosing now. The winner will choose after the Hop! They will get to choose from EVERY genre out there, and could essentially win 10 books! It's YOUR choice!

    How to enter?
    Fill out the form below!


    OVER OVER OVER OVER

    While you are here, why not enter to win a KINDLE FIRE HDX! ENTER HERE!

    Now, go on to HOP to all the rest of the blogs! Happy Hopping!



    Monday, September 15, 2014

    #REVIEW - The Secret Place by Tana French

    Description:
    The sensational new novel from “one of the most talented crime writers alive” (The Washington Post)
    The photo on the card shows a boy who was found murdered, a year ago, on the grounds of a girls’ boarding school in the leafy suburbs of Dublin. The caption saysI KNOW WHO KILLED HIM.
    Detective Stephen Moran has been waiting for his chance to get a foot in the door of Dublin’s Murder Squad—and one morning, sixteen-year-old Holly Mackey brings him this photo. “The Secret Place,” a board where the girls at St. Kilda’s School can pin up their secrets anonymously, is normally a mishmash of gossip and covert cruelty, but today someone has used it to reignite the stalled investigation into the murder of handsome, popular Chris Harper. Stephen joins forces with the abrasive Detective Antoinette Conway to find out who and why.
    But everything they discover leads them back to Holly’s close-knit group of friends and their fierce enemies, a rival clique—and to the tangled web of relationships
    that bound all the girls to Chris Harper. Every step in their direction turns up the pressure. Antoinette Conway is already suspicious of Stephen’s links to the Mackey family. St. Kilda’s will go a long way to keep murder outside their walls. Holly’s father, Detective Frank Mackey, is circling, ready to pounce if any of the new evidence points toward his daughter. And the private underworld of teenage girls can be more mysterious and more dangerous than either of the detectives imagined.

    The Secret Place is a powerful, haunting exploration of friendship and loyalty, and a gripping addition to the Dublin Murder Squad series.

    My Take:
    4 Stars
    People who love fictional crime procedurals, police investigation, cold cases turning up new evidence, a detective in cold  cases who would love to move back into murder, etc., are going to love this book. You are either going to love this book, or you are going to dislike this book very much. I saw this in other reviews too. I just did not like it all that much because I didn't have one or two centralized characters I could hold onto like I'm used to. I did read and finish this entire 529 page new release (Sept 2nd) which took me over an entire WEEK to read because I did not want to pick the book up. There was nothing demanding I pick this one up to read.
    I'm the type of reader who needs character development, personal interaction between other characters, I need to hear each other talking and giggling to each other on a personal level, not flashbacks like these were between the girls in the boarding school. I wanted to know someone's likes and dislikes are, you know, that character development that takes place in the usual way it does. We do not get that in this book at all, IMO.
    I really, really, really wanted to love this book, too! I really did! I just couldn't. 'It' was not there for me.
    This book had a lot of British/Irish slang to it I had to look up as I was lost! LOL! Thankfully there is the slang dictionary!
    As for Detective Conway, the leader of the bunch in this investigation, she was MEAN!!! She had zero personality on the scale of zero. She just ran around accusing whoever it was at the moment and I wouldn't want to get near her to know her. No one can be THAT mean in real life ALL the time, (or can they?) spinning out her tires like she does every time. She was so crude, I didn't like reading the parts she was in. 
    Frank Mackey, a Detective in Cold Cases gets to move back into murder like he's wanted to for a while now because of the new evidence in a cold case his daughter brings to light. He was the lead investigator of this case that happened over a year ago now, and here is his time to shine and maybe stay in Murder again? His daughter, Holly, a boarder in the Girl's school found a card on a private bulletin board, called "The Secret Place", where any of the girls can put anything they want to on this board and 'get it off their chest'. Last year, a boy from the boys school was murdered, and Holly knew him. Chris Harper. Murdered, and the case never solved, now cold. Holly spots this index card with the admission that someone knows something about what happened, grabs it carefully so no one sees her doing it, and she gives it to her father. Next thing we know is Detective Conway is hauling Holly's behind into the police department trying to frame HER for the murder of Chris for over the next 24 hours!
    I can say one thing about Tana French. She is very long winded. I felt some of these scenes could have been cut out or shortened. It only felt like it made the book longer.
    This story is told in a series of the girls' flashbacks. I thought I knew who did it, BUT had there been more character development with these characters then maybe I could have read into it better than what I did because I completely got it wrong. When the girls had the flashbacks, there was something huge missing in the writing in this book. I needed to learn who these girls were on a personal level in order for myself to try to guess who the murderer was, and the author doesn't give us a lot to work with except for very long scenes. I did not guess correctly.
    Yes, this book is going to be praised, oogled over, aah'ed over, it will be a book of the month club read, and anything else it can be, but in MY honest opinion, a regular woman who loves mysteries, loves psychological thrillers, loves women's fiction, loves some new adult, historical, this book was just not for me. I've read a ton of psychological thrillers, which I have LOVED, but I still hated this book. It was written very criminological, to the point of 'matter of fact', and I was not prepared for that. 
    So for myself who enjoys and needs more than what was offered in this book in the way of character development, even though there was a LOT to this book, it still made it to Number 4 on the NY Times Bestseller list! The other thing that made it extremely difficult to read was all of the british slang. I had one heck of a time understanding it. Thankfully I had my Paperwhite and I could look up what the slang meant. The bummer part was when I had my regular Kindle, I was not able to look up what the different sayings were, and I was lost. 
    Before I get to the end here, I have read in other reviews, IF YOU HAVE NOT READ TANA FRENCH BEFORE, THIS IS NOT THE FIRST BOOK TO START WITH, AND I AGREE! Now that I have read this book, I don't want to read another of her books! A book was mentioned, but I can't remember which one it was, and I really don't care to go back and find out. Whatever the other 'better' book was would have to be pretty exceptional in order for me to even want to try it.
    I received this book for FREE from the Publisher,  and NetGalley, in exchange to read and write a review about it. "Free" means I was provided with ZERO MONIES to do so, but to enjoy the pure pleasure of reading it and giving my own honest opinion no matter whether it is positive or negative. I am disclosing this information in accordance with the law set here: http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html., The Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255, 16 CFR 255, Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising Federal Acquisition Regulation.

    Sunday, September 14, 2014

    The #NYTimes Top 15 (20) #Bestsellers for the week ending Sept 10 PLUS Blog Updates!


    Welcome! I hope you all have had another GREAT week of reading! 
    This post is up every Sunday by NOON and sometimes earlier! 

    PLEASE READ WHAT I HAVE TO SAY AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS POST. You may be JUST as SHOCKED as I was about this list. We have LOST 20% of this list, which is why this post is LATE! Such a SAD thing to lose.

    Okay! How was your week of reading? I hope GREAT! I did not have an enjoyable week of reading this week. I always usually read two books a week almost all the time unless life throws in a curve ball! You all know those types of weeks!, and by Sunday, I am generally ready to start a new one, except not this week. I only read one book this week, and I was having to twist my own arm to read it, to pick it up, to finish it, but it was not enjoyable reading 'for myself' at all. I was forcing myself to get to the end. I did succeed in finishing it. I only continued on to the end because I felt I had to since I got this book from NetGalley, from the publisher. I really try hard to post reviews on the release dates for the books, but it didn't happen this time. 
    This was my first Tana French book, and I was really looking forward to reading this book. I had heard she was one of the best mystery writers, but after I stared reading this book, I SOON started to dread reading this book. Something was missing from this book for me, and it's simple, really. She never gave me a character I cared about. If the author could have just taken one little step further for me and added a way I could connect with just ONE of the characters, I really think I could have LOVED this book. However, this author did not bring that most important factor into this book, which in my opinion is the MOST vital for ANY book. The personal touch. A character to care about, a character you can relate to, a character who made you want to pick this book back up and keep reading about them. 
    What was the book? "The Secret Place" by Tana French. 
    It made #5 on the Bestseller list this week, too! SHOCK! Although, then again, given a her name, alone, it is no surprise to me. 
    I read a few reviews on Amazon, and it sounds like either you are going to love this book or not, and if you are new to this author like I was, this is NOT the book to start with, so the Reviewers said. You'll get to read about it my review when I write it.  



    I have the review almost completely written, and I'll post it on Monday evening. You'll see why I did not like the book and why it was so hard to read - for myself. I probably should have put it down and just picked up a new book instead of hanging on and trying to finish this one. It's going to be a 50/50 thing with this book. You will love it, or hate it. Wow! The author is long-winded, or so it seemed, but then again who am I to say because "I" am long-winded, too! LOL!!!

    Are women the BEST crime writers? Check out this interesting article HERE! 

    Now I'm reading "The Art of Arranging Flowers" by Lynne Brenard. LOOK at this cover!! I LOVE it! It matches my blog! Now this one, it's a CHARM! I NEEDED a book like this one! It truly is a simple, beautiful and enjoyable book which I need now after reading a really heavy one!



    GIVEAWAYS

    *Check out the KINDLE FIRE HDX #GIVEAWAY in the LEFT SIDE COLUMN!

    *Next Saturday, September 20th, starts the "Stuck in Books Giveaway Hop!" It runs until the 25th, so it's a short one! Don't miss it!

    Now, let's get to the books!

    FICTION: COMBINED PRINT AND EBOOK
    All books link directly to the book. When you click on the title or the photo of the book, it will take you directly to the book! From there, if you prefer print, you can click on the print version, or whatever version you prefer!

    1.  Personal by Lee Child
    ebook $10.99
    print:  $16.45



    2. Somewhere Safe with Somebody Good by Jan Karon
    ebook: $11.99
    print:   $16.77



    3. The Eye of Heaven by Clive Cussler and Russell Brooke
    ebook: $11.99
    print:   $18.42



    4. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
    ebook: $7.99
    print:   $8.97



    5. The Secret Place by Tana French
    ebook: $11.99
    print:   $16.77



    6. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
    ebook: $4.99
    print:   $7.08



    7. Mean Streak by Sandra Brown
    ebook: $12.99
    print:   $23.40



    8. Dark Blood by Christine Freehan
    ebook: $10.99
    print:   $16.04



    9. Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty
    ebook: $10.99
    print:   $16.16



    10. The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell
    ebook: $10.99
    print:   $18.00



    11. One More Chance by Abbi Glines
    ebook: $7.59
    print:   $9.49



    12. Son of No One by Sherrilyn Kenyon
    ebook: $12.99
    print:   $ 7.19



    13. Countdown by Fern Michaels
    ebook: $2.51
    No print edition available



    14. The Best of Me by Nicholas Sparks
    ebook: $7.99
    print:   $7.20



    15. Sycamore Row by John Grisham
    ebook: $7.80
    print:   $7.23



    Wow!! The New York Times has CHANGED the TOP bestseller list now! Now they ONLY show the Top 20 books/authors! No more Top 25! This is a HUGE CHANGE! I feel like I've just been punched in the stomach when I look at this list now. I guess you aren't good enough now unless you are among the top 20 authors??? UGH! I'm EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTED at the New York Times' decision to do this. WHY? I feel this is VERY WRONG, and I, as a Reader, want to know WHY???
    This list CHANGES EVERYTHING! Are they now telling us an author is ONLY a good author if you are among the Top 20 books now? Looks that way. 
    There are SO MANY GREAT BOOKS OUT THERE, but this NEW list is going to CUT THE CHANCES OF THOSE GREAT BOOKS EVER HAVING A CHANCE TO MAKE THIS LIST by a whopping 20%!! This change is dramatic! I am feeling the ONLY thing this list stands for now is SALES and sales ONLY because even if it is only 5 LESS BOOKS, 5 LESS AUTHORS, this list is now only a NUMBERS GAME. Yes, it was before, too, but authors has MORE of a chance of hitting this list than they EVER do now! 
    5 less books/authors out of 25 is HUGE! We lost 20% of NEW books/authors! Are authors now less prestigious more than ever now since this list dropped by 20% LAST WEEK and you ONLY hit the top twenty books in sales now? This change is A HUGE DETRIMENT TO AUTHORS! 
    IMO, 'This list' used to be "THE LIST AUTHORS STRIVED TO MAKE IT ON"! It was to show the world YOU have done something HUGE! Not anymore! I have just LOST ALL RESPECT FOR THIS LIST. This list means NOTHING to me because the ONLY authors who we are going to see on this list will be the everyday, run of the mill LARGE NAMED AUTHORS who we expect to be on it week after week in the first place.
    SUCH A LOSS, SUCH A LOSS.

    This list almost makes me want to reconsider writing this Post week after week now, especially since we probably won't see the NEW up and coming authors like we have in the past. 20% is a HUGE number.

    A 20% loss is sad!

    Well, here are the last 5 books/authors (which used to be 10) for THIS week. You have a GREAT week ahead! Please don't forget to come back by! Wishing you the BEST reading ahead!
    Thanks for reading this week!
    Laurie


  • MURDER 101, by Faye Kellerman (Morrow)
  • SHIFTING SHADOWS, by Patricia Briggs (Ace)
  • DRAGONFLY IN AMBER, by Diana Gabaldon (Dell)
  • THE GOLDFINCH, by Donna Tartt (Little, Brown)
  • ORPHAN TRAIN, by Christina Baker Kline (Morrow/HarperCollins)