
Denise, I have emailed you, please respond with your mailing address and full name by Thursday February 4th to claim your book!
Thanks!
Every so often that story comes along that reminds us of what it’s like to experience love for the first time—against the odds, when you least expect it, and with such passion that it completely changes you forever.
An unexpected discovery takes eighty-four-year-old Lily Davis Woodward to 1945, and the five days that forever changed her life. Married for only a week before her husband was sent to fight in WWII, Lily is anxious for his return, and the chance to begin their life together. In honor of the soldiers' homecoming, the small Georgia town of Toccoa plans a big celebration. And Jake Russo, a handsome Italian immigrant, also back from war, is responsible for the elaborate fireworks display the town commissioned. But after a chance encounter in a star-lit field, he steals Lily's heart and soul--and fulfills her in ways her socially-minded, upper-class family cannot. Now, torn by duty to society and her husband--and the poor, passionate man who might be her only true love--Lily must choose between a commitment she's already made and a love she’s never known before.
Fireworks Over Toccoa takes us to a moment in time that will resonate with readers long after the book’s unforgettable conclusion. A devastating and poignant story, this debut novel will resonate with anyone who believes in love.
Her friends once thought she was perfect. Now she must face the mirror--and herself--to discover what true beauty is.
A. A sense of humor.
B. A therapist on 24-hour call.
C. A large bank balance.
D. All of the above.
Getting In is the roller-coaster story of five very different Los Angeles families united by a single obsession: acceptance at a top college, preferably one that makes their friends and neighbors green with envy. At an elite private school and a nearby public school, families devote themselves to getting their seniors into the perfect school--even if the odds are stacked against them, even if they can't afford the $50,000 annual price tag, even if the effort requires a level of deceit, and even if the object of all this attention wants to go somewhere else.
Getting In is a delightfully smart comedy of class and entitlement, of love and ambition, set in a world where a fat envelope from a top school matters more than anything . . . almost.
Released March 16th 2010Ramiro Lopez and Jake Upthegrove don't appear to have much in common. Ram lives in the Mexican-American working-class barrio of El Paso called "Dizzy Land." His brother is sinking into a world of drugs, wreaking havoc in their household. Jake is a rich West Side white boy who has developed a problem managing his anger. An only child, he is a misfit in his mother's shallow and materialistic world. But Ram and Jake do have one thing in common: They are lost boys who have never met their fathers. This sad fact has left both of them undeniably scarred and obsessed with the men who abandoned them. As Jake and Ram overcome their suspicions of each other, they begin to move away from their loner existences and realize that they are capable of reaching out beyond their wounds and the neighborhoods that they grew up in. Their friendship becomes a healing in a world of hurt.
San Antonio Express-News wrote, "Benjamin Alire Sáenz exquisitely captures the mood and voice of a community, a culture, and a generation"; that is proven again in this beautifully crafted novel.
I think both of these covers miss the mark. Especially the hardcover which to me looks very post-apocalyptic. And the paperback doesn't really talk about these two boys and their friendships and futures, it's very stuck in the past. I do prefer the paperback's look more though.
Hardcover or Paperback?
Have you spotted a Hardcover vs. Paperback you would like to contribute? Send me an email!
One look at former high school hunk chief of police Ben Lawson and Molly is back in business. The town gossip is buzzing at her door and, worse still, a stalker seems to be watching her every move. Thankfully, her very own lawman has taken to coming over, often. The only problem now is that Molly may have to let the cat out of the bag about her chosen profession, and straitlaced Ben will definitely not approve.…
Let me start by saying this is only the second romance novel I have ever read, and the first contemporary romance. So I am not sure if I am reacting to elements from the genre or this book itself.
I liked how fun this the book was. You knew no matter what happened Molly and Ben would end up together! Molly was pretty easy going and didn't really get too whiny about anything. She did have a pretty one track mind about things that got a little old after awhile. I liked when she hung out with her friend Lori (whom I believe Start Me Up is about). And I liked Ben and how he was also pretty easy going and never rude to Molly without reason. He was a nice guy! I loved that they had this history from their childhood, it made their attraction instantly realistic.
I didn't so much like the stalker plot but did like that there was a mystery involved in the story. I wish there had been more secondary plots, Molly hanging out more with Lori more or hanging out with her brother Quinn at all, or maybe Ben hanging out with Quinn instead of just talking on the phone.
I will stay though I read this book in probably a day and a half over the weekend, which I basically I never do with any book. So it definitely kept me hooked! I've wondered what the different was between Chick Lit or Women's Fiction and Contemporary Romance and from this book I'll say I noticed less secondary plots with more focus on the relationship at hand and definitely more naughty interludes!
I'm definitely going to continue to explore this genre and this author's work!
Talk Me Down was released on January 1st 2009
With Violet again by her side, both girls get a second chance at life. And as the sisters soon discover, they have two more dresses-and two more wishes left. But magic can't solve everything, and Olivia is forced to confront her ghosts to learn how to laugh, love, and live again.
In a breathtaking debut from Alexandra Bullen, WISH asks the question: If you could have anything, what would you wish for?
Wish took the idea of losing a sibling (a twin) and turned it on it's head with a few magical dresses. What if you could wish your sister back after she had died, had her by your side as a ghost all the time? Olivia gets this wish and it allows her to find her own place in the world outside of her sister's shadow.
The story gave an honest depiction of a family trying to find itself and stay together and happy after losing a daughter. It was not fun at home for anyone, so luckily Olivia had school and new friends to escape to. I wanted more of her friend Miles and his sister Bowie (who was awesome) not the more popular kids she begun to hang out with later in the book, they were nice enough just not as interesting.
I also (surprisingly for me) wanted more about the dresses and the magical dressmaker. For most of the story the dresses were only mentioned in passing and I would have loved more attention paid to the ritual of putting it on and it being a special moment.
I think this is a good twist on the death of a sibling for someone that is looking for a lighter book on the subject.
Fresh from finding out she is a demon princess and meeting her father for the first time, Nikki Donovan is looking forward to getting back to her regular high school life. But then Rhys, the handsome teenage king of the faery realm, enrolls at her school as a “foreign exchange student.” Her conflicted feelings for Rhys and her boyfriend are getting in the way of her new relationship with the Shadow-creature Michael. But this love triangle from hell isn’t even Nikki’s biggest problem: There’s a new prophecy that claims she will destroy all the demon and human worlds. Her best friend Melinda just might be a demon-slayer-in-training. Throw in a field trip to none other than the Underworld itself . . . and Nikki’s going to be hoping for a rain check on more than just her homework!
In the Frederick Douglass Project where DeShawn lives, daily life is ruled by drugs and gang violence. Many teenagers drop out of school and join gangs, and every kid knows someone who died. Gunshots ring out on a regular basis.
DeShawn is smart enough to know he should stay in school and keep away from the gangs. But while his friends have drug money to buy fancy sneakers and big-screen TVs, DeShawn's family can barely afford food for the month. How can he stick to his principles when his family is hungry?
In this gritty novel about growing up in the inner city, award-winning author Todd Strasser opens a window into the life of a teenager struggling with right and wrong under the ever-present shadow of gangs.
Join Lonely Hearts Club author Elizabeth Eulberg and Amy of MyFriendAmy for a Twitter party Wednesday, January 20, between 8:30 and 9:30 p.m. EST!
Each story unfolds quickly and features characters that run the gamut: joke-writing sisters gone awry, a wandering sleepwalker, a pearl with curious properties, an elusive coughing neighbor, a wide-eyed girl of questionable appeal, even a storm drain. Whether animate or inanimate, sweet or monstrous, Lilli has the ability to infuse them all with pathos, humanity, and humor.
I first saw some of Lilli Carre's work on the cover of The Best American Comics 2006 and reading an excerpt of her book Tales of Woodsman Pete within its pages. I went on to read Tales of Woodsman Pete in its entirety and I think it is my favorite of her full length pieces. Last year I read The Lagoon and never shared my thoughts on it because I'm not sure I completely understood it. So I was excited to see what Carre had come up with in Nine Ways to Disappear and I'm pleased to say it's pretty great!
Nine Ways to Disappear is an assortment of long and short stories told frame by frame, some with words others without. I loved that they all carried the theme of disappearing but it completely different ways. One of my favorite stories was Wide Eyes, about a man that ends up hiding between his girlfriend's eyes to get a break from her. I also liked The Pearl, which is about the journey of the pearl and who finds it, takes it, becomes one with it...
Let's talk about the format, the book is a little square that is pretty thick with pages. Because of that and the way it's bound it's pretty hard to keep those tiny little pages open so I had to fight the book to keep it open since I wasn't about to try and crack the spine.
Overall these are some clever little stories with a strangely awesome sense of humor!
This edition of Alice′s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, one of the most popular works of children′s literature of all time, follows in the track of a recent successful Collins Design title: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button by F. Scott Fitzgerald, illustrated by Calef Brown and published in sync with the release of David Fincher′s film starring Cate Blanchett and Brad Pitt.
This new edition of Carroll′s cult classic, designed in a compelling package and priced affordably, will publish in sync with the release of one of 2010′s major Hollywood films. According to Variety, Tim Burton′s forthcoming movie is generating a lot of buzz as one of the year′s biggest. And it′s got an all-star cast to draw in audiences and position our book nicely in the market: Johnny Depp (Mad Hatter), Alan Rickman (Caterpillar), Helena Bonham-Carter (Red Queen), Anne Hathaway (White Queen), Michael Sheen (White Rabbit), Crispin Glover (Knave of Hearts) and Australian actress Mia Wasikoska (Alice).
The style of Camille Rose Garcia′s work has a dark yet Disneyesque sensibility that strongly recalls Burton′s aesthetic, so book buyers and readers will both readily make that visual connection, which should help both buy-in and sell-through.
Think Alice goes Goth, and you′ve got the magic of this special book.
Released February 2nd 2010
With Violet again by her side, both girls get a second chance at life. And as the sisters soon discover, they have two more dresses-and two more wishes left. But magic can't solve everything, and Olivia is forced to confront her ghosts to learn how to laugh, love, and live again.
In a breathtaking debut from Alexandra Bullen, WISH asks the question: If you could have anything, what would you wish for?
Book Trailer and Author Video:
Here are some fun links to learn more!
Wish Official Website
Alexandra Bullen on Twitter
Alexandra Bullen's Blog
Here's how to enter to win one of three copies of Wish!
Fill out the giveaway entry form here.
The giveaway is open to addresses within the U.S.
The giveaway will end January 26th at 6:59 pm Central Time.
**Copies provided by the publisher**
Alexandra’s next stop is at The Reading Zone on January 13, where she’ll be doing a guest blog about the many jobs she’s had in the past and how they’ve influenced her writing!
Sage starts dieting and exercising. She gets blond highlights and throws away all of her black clothes. Bit by bit she transforms herself. This is deeply troubling to her best friend, Vern, who is secretly in love with Sage just the way she is. But the boyfriend Sage wants -- the popular jock Roger -- suddenly notices her. And when they start dating, Sage thinks her life is turning around.
So why isn't Sage happier? Yes, Roger is a little too controlling and pushy, but isn't that what boys are like when you date them? What is it about the image Sage has created that just doesn't fit?
Smart, honest, and tough, Sage is a teen with more going for her than she thinks, but she still has a lot to learn.
Paperback PAPERBACK! I honestly thought for the longest time this was a middle grade book, just because of the hardcover, that looks like a middle grade student. I had even read the book summary and forgotten! The paperback is awesome. I think it balances the new life aspects with the more serious aspects where as the hardcover is pretty fun, at least I think. The paperback is just the kind of design I like as well, beautiful photography, beautiful colors, type and accents! This paperback is going on my wishlist!
Hardcover or Paperback?
Charlie Healey thinks Harmony Falls is the beginning of a whole new life. Middle school was brutal. But high school is Charlie’s big chance to start over and stay out of drama, except that on her first day she runs into Will, her ex–best friend, who had moved away. Now a varsity athlete and hotter than Charlie remembered, Will hangs with the crowd running the school. But Charlie doesn’t understand their power until an innocent delivery guy falls victim to a near-deadly hazing prank.
Torn between doing what’s right and her secret feelings for Will, Charlie must decide whether to turn in her very best friend or live with the guilt of knowing what he did.
Rosalind Wiseman’s first novel for young adults is a fresh, funny, and juicy read about friendship, betrayal, and how far some will go to be accepted.
When I heard Rosalind Wiseman was making her fiction debut for teens I just had to read it. I knew her non-fiction book, Queen Bees and Wannabes was the inspiration for the movie Mean Girls and knew this had to have some of that same spirit and it definitely did.
I love how in Charlie's past is a realization that mean girls walked all over her and she stood by and let them hurt people. She realized what had gone down, left the situation and those so called friends behind to start high school with that behind her. She thought she would be able to face off with any mean girls at her new school and do the right thing but she doesn't realize that even though you've been through it once you might not be an old pro by the second time. And this time the situation is different, it's mean boys that have never been stopped but will Charlie be the one to stop them?
I really liked the balance in this story, there are friends (new & old), family, school, and a little romance. It's all there and it just sucked me in. It's funny, it's serious, it's tender and real, it's awesome.
GREETINGS, EARTHLINGS!
MENO AND FRIEND YAMAGOO WANT FRIEND TRIO. YES, WE DO!
Tony DiTerlizzi is the #1 New York Times bestselling author and illustrator of the Spiderwick Chronicles, Kenny & the Dragon, and the 2003 Caldecott Honor Book The Spider and the Fly. He is also a #1 husband and father. Here he teams with wife and partner in publishing, Angela, to make sure every child gets his or her wish, especially if that wish is for a WET FRIEND!
This is the second in the Meno series and to me it's as great as the last. Sure there aren't many pages, not much content and it really shouldn't be used as reading tool for young children but for an adult with the right sense of humor and an appreciation for the illustration style this is definitely a series to be collected.
How can it be only for children when there is a David Hasselhoff joke! I think this is a case of the book being mis-marketed. I mean sure children CAN read it but I really think this is more for the adults. At first I thought it the series could be enjoyed by children and adults equally, but after reading others reactions and thinking about it, I think they are right that this isn't spot on for children. I think this is a group of adults out there (me included) that could really get a kick out of these though.