The books they gave me

The Books They Gave me
by Jen Adams

Book Info:

THE GIFT OF A BOOK BECOMES PART OF THE STORY OF YOUR LIFE. Perhaps it came with a note as simple as “This made me think of you,” but it takes up residence in your heart and your home. The Books They Gave Me is a mixtape of stories behind books given and received. Some of the stories are poignant, some snarky, some romantic, some disastrous—but all are illuminating. Jen Adams collected nearly two hundred of the most provocative stories submitted to the tumblr blog TheBooksTheyGaveMe.com to capture the many ways books can change our lives and loves, revealing volumes about the relationships that inspired the gifts. These stories are, by turns, romantic, cynical, funny, dark, and hopeful. There’s the poorly thought out gift of Lolita from a thirty-year-old man to a teenage girl. There’s the couple who tried to read Ulysses together over the course of their long-distance relationship and never finished it. There’s the girl whose school library wouldn’t allow her to check out Fahrenheit 451, but who received it at Christmas with the note, “Little Sister: Read everything you can. Subvert Authority! Love always, your big brother.” These are stories of people falling in love, regretting mistakes, and finding hope. Together they constitute a love letter to the book as physical object and inspiration. Illustrated in full color with the jackets of beloved editions, The Books They Gave Me is, above all, an uplifting testament to the power of literature.

My review:
I was disappointed with this book. I thought it was going to be about books the author received and she would write about how they affected her life but it was about books random people received and why how they recieved them. The writing was not very good on some of these (yes I understand that they are not all authors). As a book lover though I found this book very dissapointing, I thought I would learn some good recommedations for books and that this book would celebrate a love of books but some of the people said that they were not even readers! I would not recommend this book.

I would like to thank the people from Gallery for letting me read and review this book!

Karen Duvall Spotlight Blog Tour

Today im participating in a blog tour for Karen Duval. She will also be stopping by my blog to make a guest post. So I would like to thank her and welcome her to my blog!

 

Author Bio: Karen Duvall

About Me

Where to start… Bios are always difficult for me. I don't want to say too much and bore people, or not enough, which is almost as boring.

I was born in Hollywood, California. Sound glamorous? Maybe it might have turned out that way if my mother hadn't given me up for adoption. Or that's what I used to fantasize about when I was a child. Nevertheless, I was very fortunate to have had the best adoptive parents in the world. If you're curious to read more about this part of my life story, I wrote about it for my blog. http://karenduvall.blogspot.com/2012/01/lets-get-personal.html and http://karenduvall.blogspot.com/2012/01/secrets-revealed-and-secrets-kept.html

I've always been a writer, even before I knew how to make my letters. At the age of three, I used to tell stories to my mom so she could write them down and I could draw the pictures. I still draw pictures, however I've replaced the crayons in favor of computer graphics. I've been a professional graphic artist for over thirty years after graduating from the Art Institute of Colorado in 1978.

I started out writing short stories because the thought of writing a book was too intimidating. Then I read an amazing series by Armistead Maupin and was so intrigued by his excellent characters that I knew I had to give it a try. After that, I was hooked. Writing books became my thing.

I joined Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers http://www.rmfw.org about 20 years ago, and that's how I learned how to write. I owe this amazing organization so much! Such a fabulous group of warm, helpful and supportive writers. I feel blessed to have discovered them and highly recommend their annual conference to any writer serious about becoming a published author. It's an amazing event attended by some of the best agents and editors in the industry. Even though I don't live in Colorado anymore, I return for the conference every year.

Now I live in Bend, Oregon, with my husband Jim, an over-zealous border-bully dog named Kinsey, and three spoiled cats that run our household. When I'm not writing, I freelance as a graphic designer. If you'd like to see some of my work, please visit my design website. http://www.duvalldesign.wordpress.com

Writing Awards: (Optional)

2008 PASIC (Published Authors Special Interest Chapter of RWA) – KNIGHT'S CURSE, 2^nd Place

2009 Romance Through the Ages (Hearts Through History Chapter of RWA) – MYSTIC TAXI, 1^st Place

2012 Reveal Your Inner Vixen Contest (Maryland Romance Writers) – MIRROR READER, 2^nd Place

2012 Suzannah Contest (NOLA Stars Chapter of RWA) – MIRROR READER, Finalist http://nolastars.com/contest/ (winner to be announced in March 2013

Social Media Links for Karen Duvall

Website: http://www.karenduvallauthor.com

Other blogs: http://www.karenduvall.blogspot.com

Twitter: @KarenDuvall

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/karen.duvall2

Book Covers and Buy Links

Knight's Curse Buy Links:

BARNES & NOBLE:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/knights-curse-karen-duvall/1102081941?ean=9780373803408

AMAZON:

http://www.amazon.com/Knights-Curse-Books-Karen-Duvall/dp/0373803400/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1335369108&sr=8-1

Darkest Knight Buy Links:

BARNES & NOBLE:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/darkest-knight-karen-duvall/1105680724?ean=9780373803446

AMAZON:

http://www.amazon.com/Darkest-Knight-Books-Karen-Duvall/dp/0373803443/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1335369159&sr=1-1

'TIL THE WORLD ENDS Buy Links:

BARNES & NOBLE:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/til-the-world-ends-julie-kagawa/1112126273?ean=9780373803491

AMAZON:

http://www.amazon.com/Til-World-Ends-Eden%5CThistle-Thorne%5CSun/dp/0373803494/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1351526747&sr=1-1&keywords=til+the+world+ends

The Violinist Thumb

The Violinist's Thumb
by Sam Kean

Book Info:
In The Disappearing Spoon, bestselling author Sam Kean unlocked the mysteries of the periodic table. In THE VIOLINIST'S THUMB, he explores the wonders of the magical building block of life: DNA.

There are genes to explain crazy cat ladies, why other people have no fingerprints, and why some people survive nuclear bombs. Genes illuminate everything from JFK's bronze skin (it wasn't a tan) to Einstein's genius. They prove that Neanderthals and humans bred thousands of years more recently than any of us would feel comfortable thinking. They can even allow some people, because of the exceptional flexibility of their thumbs and fingers, to become truly singular violinists.

Kean's vibrant storytelling once again makes science entertaining, explaining human history and whimsy while showing how DNA will influence our species' future.

Author Info:
Sam Kean spent years collecting mercury from broken thermometers as a kid, and now he's a writer in in Washington, DC. His work has appeared in the New York Times Magazine, Mental Floss, Slate, and Science, and has been featured on NPR's "Radiolab" and "All Things Considered." The Disappearing Spoon, his first book, was a New York Times national bestseller. Read excerpts at http://www.samkean.com.
Sam Kean gets called Sean once a month. He grew up in South Dakota, which means more to him than it probably should. He's a fast reader but a very slow eater. He went to college in Minnesota and studied physics and English. He taught for a few years at an experimental charter school in St. Paul, where the kids showed up at night. After that, he tried to move to Spain (it didn't take) and ended up in Washington, D.C. He has a master's degree in library science he will probably never use. He wishes he had a sports team he was passionate about, but doesn't, though he does love track & field.

My review:
This book was a nonfiction book it wasnt to bad. It was writting in an interesting way and you dont get really bored reading it. Its just some of it was a bit over my head and this was not my kind of book. I would recommend it though because it is educational and I know some people would like this book alot.

The Book of Why

The Book of Why
by Nicholas Montemarano
Book Info:

A novel that asks if love ever really has to die

The power to solve your problems is within you-with the right sense of belief, the mind's ability to create success, happiness, and health is limitless.

At least that's the philosophy of self-help author Eric Newborn, whose books and lectures have spawned a legion of devoted followers who swear that his ideas have pulled their lives from the brink. But after the traumatic loss of his wife, Eric is left to face the darker side of his own teachings, living as a recluse in the home they shared on Martha's Vineyard, struggling to reconcile his worldview with the pain he has suffered. It's a fundamental question that haunts him: why?

When a fan with questions forces Eric to face the world once again, he's put on a path that might lead him towards the closure he seeks, but in astounding ways he could never begin to dream.

At once a stirring portrait of a soul laid bare by grief and a celebration of coincidence and the magic of real connection, The Book of Why explores the deep powers of the heart and mind to shape the world around us, blurring the lines between loss and love, fate and free will, and despair and joy.

 

My review:

I was disappointed with this book so my review is going to be a little harsh here. Im not sure if this author could decide if he wanted to write a ficton novel or a self help book here so he wrote both which was really annoying and hard to read. The style in which this book was written was odd too, it seemed very choppy to me, which made it hard to read and enjoy. The sad thing is I think this book had alot of potential but didnt hit the mark. I would not recomend it, however there maybe some out there how would enjoy it. Overall this book left me wondering why.

 

The Tramp

Title: The Tramp
Author: L. Ron Hubbard
Narattor: Muticast Performance, Jim Meskimen, Bob Caso, Lori Jablons, Tamra Meskimen, R.F. Daley
Publisher: Galaxy Press
Pub. Date: Oct. 28, 2011
Length: 2 hours

Audio book Info:
Down-on-his-luck tramp Doughface Jack has been shot while trying to escape from a cop and a train brakeman—causing him to fall from the train and crush his skull. A local doctor performs emergency surgery to save Doughface's life, patching up and stitching together the two halves of his brain and then sealing the cranium with a silver bowl.

While Doughface miraculously survives, he also acquires phenomenal mental powers: he can instantaneously heal or kill, or make the old young. Terrified of his newfound abilities, Doughface flees the university where he was being kept for examination, only to cross paths with a vengeful and beautiful woman bound to reach the ultimate seat of power—using Jack to destroy anything that gets in her way!

Author Info:

With 19 New York Times bestsellers and more than 230 million copies of his works in circulation, L. Ron Hubbard is among the most acclaimed and widely read authors of our time. As a leading light of American Pulp Fiction through the 1930s and '40s, he is further among the most influential authors of the modern age. Indeed, from Ray Bradbury to Stephen King, there is scarcely a master of imaginative tales who has not paid tribute to L. Ron Hubbard.

My review:

I loved, loved, loved this audio book! The story was great and really pulled you in! The characters and plot were very well written. I really cared about what happened to Doughface and the Doctor in this story and was really rooting for both of them. Also I could see what was going on or imagine what was going on in my head because the story telling was just that great!

The narration was great fully animated each character had their own voice and personality as it should be in stories like this. The sound effects were also very good and placed perfectly as well as the music.

Now on this audio book there was only one story unlike others I have listened to on Galaxy Press but im still glad I got to listen to it even if there werent extra stories its still worth a listen! The only things I had qualms about with this audio book is the ending (I wasnt a big fan of how it ended) and the cover of the audio book box im not sure that it really fit with this story.


Overall I would highly recommend this audio book! Its worth a listen and is fun to listen to as well!
I would like to thank Julie from Galaxy Press for letting me listen to and review this audio book!
 

Forbidden Sister (Giveaway)

Forbidden Sister by V.C. Andrews
I will be posting my review of this book soon. For right now though I will be hosting a giveaway!

Book Info:
When Emmie Wilcox was seven years old, her father, frustrated with his older daughter Roxanne's defiance, threw her out. So, at seventeen, Roxy left and Norton Wilcox forbade her name ever to be mentioned again. He even refused to call the police to find her. Nearly eight years later, Emmie learns that her sister has become a high-priced New York call girl, staying in a fancy hotel only a dozen blocks from where they live. She sets out to spy on her sister and learn more about her life—triggering a series of events and adventures that could destroy her fragile family for good.

FORBIDDEN SISTER will have readers trapped from start to finish, eager to follow along with Emmie and her quest to discover her forbidden sister.

About V.C. Andrews^®:

One of the most popular authors of all time, V.C. Andrews has been a bestselling phenomenon since the publication of her spellbinding classicFlowers in the Attic. That blockbuster novel began her renowned Dollanganger family saga, which includesPetals on the Wind, If There Be Thorns, Seeds of Yesterday, andGarden of Shadows. Since then, readers have been captivated by more than sixty novels in V.C. Andrews’s bestselling series.The Daughter of Light and The Daughter of Darkness are her recent novels set in the vampire world. V.C. Andrews’s novels have sold more than 106 million copies and have been translated into 22 foreign languages.

 

Giveaway: Details of my giveaway can be found at the bottom of my blog!