After watching the new Twilight trailer too many times to mention here without embarrassing myself (and if you missed it, check it out here) I came across Twilight Moms, a site dedicated to 30 something married women (with our without children) who love all things Twilight. Created by Lisa Hansen, the site includes interviews with some of the cast of the movie, a forum where you can discuss the books and movie and a Cafe Press store where you can buy merchandise with the Twilight Moms logo. Hey Nicole and Tracy, should we buy a few of these when we head out to see the movie in December?

 

When I first started collecting books for the Once Upon a Time Challenge, The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale was one of the first on my list. Not only had I read lots of glowing reviews for her book, I also had read and enjoyed her adult novel, Austenland.

The Goose Girl is the story of Anidori-Kiladra Talianna Isilee, Ani for short, who is the Crown Princess of Kildenree. She was born with the gift of animal-speaking, and with the help of her Aunt, learns how to talk with the swans surrounding a nearby pond. Her mother, the Queen, doesn’t believe in the old folklore of animal-speaking and decides to marry off Ani to a prince in a neighboring kingdom, Bayern, to avoid war. On her almost three month journey to Bayern, her lady-in-waiting Selia and some of her guards attempt to assassinate Ani. After narrowly escaping, she realizes that Selia has planned to take Ani’s place as the new Princess in Bayern and to hide her secret, will declare war on Kilendree.

In the meantime, Ani needs to earn money in order to take the long journey back home to warn her Mother about the impending war. She begins working as the Goose Girl, in which of course she is naturally inclined and quickly learns to speak to the geese. She also begins to realize that even nature has a language all it’s own.

Ani sat under the beech and listened to the wind. It sought out trees, running around their trunks and weaving through their branches, the way a cat arches under a hand, seeking a good scratch. When it touched her skin, she could feel the rumbling, wispy voice that let images of its wanderings whisper out into sound. Not speaking to her, but just speaking, its existence alone a language.

The Goose Girl was a delightful read. I really enjoyed how Hale developed the character of Ani so well. She matures from a shy little girl at the beginning of the book, to a strong woman, ready to lead a kingdom. The supporting characters were also strong, adding immensely to the book.

Hale writes in the Q&A at the back of the book the following “I’m so impressed with writers who grip the reader from the very beginning, but I can’t seem to do it. I’m cursed to have to build a story slowly, it seems.” This would be my only minor quibble with The Goose Girl, the fact that it took me a while to really get into the story. Once I got through the first quarter though, I was totally hooked. The second in the series, Enna Burning, will definitely be on my TBR list.

Above image copied from here.

First I just want to say “thank you” to everyone who left a comment on my giveaway. I am thrilled that so many of you entered the contest! After using a handy dandy numbers generator, I came up with the five winners. Of course, I wish I had ninety tote bags to mail out to everyone, but alas there are only five.

The winners of the Comfort Food canvas tote bags are:

Donna of Tales from the Hulu Mama Life with a Side of Adoption

Shannon from Some Fine Taters

Tara at taracasper(at)yahoo(dot)com

Abookworm from A Book Blogger’s Diary

Mary from Bookfan Mary

Congratulations ladies! Special congrats go to Mary who will also be receiving a copy of the book, Comfort Food by Kate Jacobs, along with her tote! Make sure to e-mail me at wordblog(at)verizon(dot)net with your addresses so I can get these special packages out to you guys.

Don’t forget to check back here often, as I will be reviewing The Goose Girl and The Secret History of the Pink Carnation, writing about all the great books I’ve recently found around the blogsphere and even post about one of my favorite children’s picture books.

If you haven’t had a chance to check out Carl’s blog recently, stop by today to read this post all about unusual and beautiful book storage. Pretty neat, huh? It reminded me of Kid’s Republic, a bookstore in Beijing China for children.

Yep, that’s it above! As you can see, it’s just Incredible! I had every intention of visiting this bookstore while in Beijing last July, but with only two short days in the city and a full itinerary including The Great Wall and The Forbidden City, we never had the chance to go. Oh well, maybe we will make it back there one day.

Now, on to the first Weekly Geek post! Dewey asked us to visit five new blogs and to write about what we found. I had been to quite a few of them in the past, but found a few new gems to post about.

Valentina’s Room- I knew I had to add this site once I read through some of Valentina’s excellent reviews of A Book of a Thousand Days, The Thirteenth Tale and The Spiderwick Chronicles.

Reader Rabbit - Again with the Shannon Hale reviews!

Books & Other Thoughts- First, I have to say that I love the header (and wish I was sitting in a hammok under a palm tree right now)! She also seems to review a lot of books I haven’t ever heard of, including ones that she reads to her daughter (who is close in age to mine). This site is a great find!

Lost in a Good Story - Joanna’s blog caught my eye when I saw reviews for The Boy in the Striped Pajamas and The Thirteenth Tale, both favorite reads of mine. Plus, she’s been to Paris recently, which has always been a dream for me - lucky girl!

Bookworms and Tea Lovers - How can you not like a blog with that title! 

 

Angel is a beaten down, jaded prostitute of eighteen in the midst of the California Gold Rush of the 1850’s. She was the illegitimate child of a wealthy man who never acknowledged her and a mother who loved her, but never quite enough. Sold into the life of prostitution at the age of eight after her mother’s death, Angel is preyed upon by brothel owner Duke. After escaping Duke and heading to California, Angel ends up in another brothel run by The Dutchess and her brutal bodyguard Magowan. Angel has given up all hope, has no belief in a higher power, and has resigned herself to just surviving.

When Michael Hosea enters Angel’s life, he brings with him hope for the future. Michael claims that God has told him to take Angel as his wife, but Angel has no interest in believing this stranger. He is, as Angel has come to believe with her life experiences, just like any other man. Micheal decides to prove himself worthy and takes her, after a near death beating by Magowan, as his wife to his cabin in the woods. But Angel is not a simple girl and can’t comprehend Micheal’s devotion to God and his love for her. When she starts develop feelings for Micheal, she runs away, scared of her own feelings.

Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers is the book picked by my book club to discuss in April. Labeled as Christian fiction, the book is loosely based upon the biblical story of Hosea and Gomer.

To be honest, I was not all that enthusiastic to read this book, as I have never read any Christian fiction books previously (of course, I suppose that this is the whole point of a book club, to read out of your normal comfort zone). After reading the last few pages of Redeeming Love, I was sure glad that this book was the one chosen. In fact, I would venture to say that this is one of the best books I’ve read this year.

It turns out that the book was an extremely satisfying read. I found that the author explored the human condition quite thoroughly and I loved the fact that all of the characters were flawed, which made it so much more realistic. They were also well developed, especially Angel. There were many times while reading that I became frustrated with Angel and the choices she made, although I was able to understand her reactions since her feelings played out so well on the page.  

Even though this book is Christian fiction, I didn’t find it to be at all preachy like another novel I read recently. In fact, I think it is kind of unfortunate that Redeeming Love is labeled Christian fiction, since many people might shy away from this well written book based upon its label. Probably my only beef with the book was that it sometimes was a bit melodramatic for my tastes.

In the end, the books message is not only about God’s unconditional love, but it also is a story of survival and one woman’s struggle to live the life that she, as a human being, deserves. All of this makes compelling fiction.

For other interesting reviews of Redeeming Love, check out the blogs Book Escape and Grasping for the Wind.

Also, if you haven’t already done so, make sure to enter my giveaway - you have until Wednesday night to win!

One of the most fun aspects of book blogging is to be able to participate in and/or host book giveaways. Is there anything more wonderful for a reader to open their mailbox and find a free book inside?

So when a gentleman from Penguin Group e-mailed me with an offer to send me an ARC of Comfort Food by Kate Jacobs and a bunch of cute canvas tote bags for a giveaway, how could I resist?

Comfort Food is the new book from Jacobs. I read her debut book, The Friday Night Knitting Club (you can read my review here) for my book club and we were even able to chat with Jacobs during our meeting. She was a most gracious person, answering all of our questions about her book while looking for her lost luggage at the airport! I was really happy to get her newest book, Comfort Food, from her publisher and dived right in.

Comfort Food is the story of Augusta Simpson, Gus for short, who’s been the host of “Cooking with Gusto” on the CookingChannel for twelve years. Her show has been steadily loosing viewers and as a last ditch effort by the President of the channel to save the program, Gus ends up having to share her show with the new “Foodie Queen” and former Miss Spain, Carmen Vega. New to the food television world, Carmen is not too pleased to be a co-host and not have her own show, while Gus feels that the show will lose integrity with the new live format.  

In addition to her career worries, Gus also feels that she still needs to be mother hen for her two twenty something daughters, wants to help her former tennis star turned recluse neighbor Hannah and now begins to have feelings for her new culinary producer Oliver.

As I found with Jacobs first novel, Comfort Food has a great array of characters. At first Gus comes off as a snobby Martha Stewart-ish control freak and her new co-host as a whiny “what’s in it for me” beauty queen, but as with her other book, Jacobs develops these characters well and I really enjoyed how each women matured and changed within the story. Often times funny and sometimes touching, Comfort Food is all together a really well written book. Unlike The Friday Night Knitting Club, this book didn’t have the shocking ending that the first one had (just figured I would mention that Eva, as I know you weren’t too happy with that)! Already her first novel has been optioned for a movie and I wouldn’t be surprised if Comfort Food follows in its footsteps. 

I also love the fact that the author has hit upon two of my favorite things - knitting and cooking! I wonder what’s next (dare I hope a novel about book blogging)?

Now for the giveaway: All you have to do is leave a comment here by midnight EST time on Wednesday, April 30th and you will be automatically entered to be one of five people to win a cute canvas tote bag (click on the image to view larger). Just think of all the books you could fit in one of these when you head to the used book sale at your local library! In addition, one of those five people will also get the advance reader copy of Comfort Food!  For an even better chance to win, post about this contest on your own blog (linking back to this post) and your name will be entered twice! If you aren’t one of the lucky winners, then make sure to get a copy of Comfort Food at your local bookstore once it is released on May 6th. Good luck!

I also want to mention that Dewey is hosting a weekly blogging challenge called Weekly Geeks. Already there are a bunch of participants signed up (myself included). Stop by and take a peek!

Oftentimes when I need a break from the humdrum of regular life, I head over to the bookstore. There’s nothing quite like browsing the stacks and discovering that a favorite author has a new book out, or randomly picking a book off the shelves and finding a gem. For a compulsive book buyer like me, the bookstore can also be a dangerous place. It’s too easy, staring at all the possible wondrous stories around you, not to buy just one book.

So I guess this is my own version of those cool book coveting posts over at Dewey’s blog. Everyone once in a while I’ll write about the books I find intriguing, kind of an online log of books to be read one day.

Recently when I was at the store I found two really cool books while browsing the children’s section. The first one was The Mysterious Benidict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart. Initially drawn to the cover art, I was immediately interested in the story and was surprised when I found that Sassymonkey was already in the middle of it. Described by the School Library Journal: After Reynie Muldoon responds to an advertisement recruiting “gifted children looking for special opportunities,” he finds himself in a world of mystery and adventure. The 11-year-old orphan is one of four children to complete a series of challenging and creative tasks, and he, Kate, Constance, and Sticky become the Mysterious Benedict Society. After being trained by Mr. Benedict and his assistants, the four travel to an isolated school where children are being trained by a criminal mastermind to participate in his schemes to take over the world. The young investigators need to use their special talents and abilities in order to discover Mr. Curtain’s secrets, and their only chance to defeat him is through working together. Readers will challenge their own abilities as they work with the Society members to solve clues and put together the pieces of Mr. Curtain’s plan. In spite of a variety of coincidences, Stewart’s unusual characters, threatening villains, and dramatic plot twists will grab and hold readers’ attention. Fans of Roald Dahl or Blue Balliett will find a familiar blend of kid power, clues, and adventure in Society, though its length may daunt reluctant or less-secure readers. Underlying themes about the power of media messages and the value of education add to this book’s appeal, and a happy ending with hints of more adventures to come make this first-time author one to remember. 

Then there was Here by Monsters by Alan Snow. Again from the School Library Journal: Here by Monsters is a fantasy based in Ratbridge, a town populated by a variety of odd creatures and equally unusual humans. Underlings, including boxtrolls (shy trolls that wear boxes) and cabbageheads (they worship cabbage and wear them tied to their heads), live in tunnels and caves beneath the city. A boy named Arthur emerges from his subterraneous home and discovers an evil plot. The shady members of the Cheese Guild, led by an unpleasant fellow called Snatcher, are kidnapping underlings and plotting to take over the town. Arthur’s allies against the Guild include underlings, a man in iron socks, and the pirates and rats who run the Nautical Laundry. There’s a great deal of inspired silliness throughout, which may appeal to fans of Roald Dahl and Lemony Snicket. Although the characters are not particularly well developed through words, numerous high-quality, black-and-white illustrations bring Ratbridge and its citizens to life, accentuating the comical tone and helping to pace the tale. The action is clearly played for laughs rather than suspense, as when the heroes repulse an attack on their ship by firing balls of bilge-pump gunk using catapults made of knickers. Some readers might lose interest in the sometimes-rambling series of events, but the short chapters, intriguing creatures, quirky humor, and engaging art make this book a good choice for youngsters who enjoy lengthy and lighthearted fantasy. 

Don’t they just sound utterly charming? Of course, I could always save these books for my daughter after I read them, somehow making the purchases justified. Am I right?

Lastly I came upon Then We Came to the End by Joshua Ferris. Recently reviewed over at Books I Done Read and Baby Got Books, the book jacket says: This wickedly funny, big-hearted novel about life in the office signals the arrival of a gloriously talented new writer. The characters in Then We Came To The End cope with a business downturn in the time-honored way: through gossip, secret romance, elaborate pranks, and increasingly frequent coffee breaks. By day they compete for the best office furniture left behind and try to make sense of the mysterious pro-bono ad campaign that is their only remaining “work.”

Having happily left Corporate America when I had my first child, I think this might be a great book to remind me of what I left behind. Oh, and spend a bit of time on the book website, which is cleverly set up as an office blueprint where you can click on the individual cubicles to read about each character. 

Oh, to be able to buy every book that tickles my fancy!

In the meantime, I just finished Shannon Hale’s The Goose Girl (which I will review soon). I also have a couple more reviews in my drafts just itching to be published and will be hosting a giveaway very soon which will include five prizes! So stick around, there’s plenty more blogging to come (and maybe more posts like these)!

When I’m in need for a read that doesn’t require mass amounts of brain power, but is still entertaining, I turn to The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants YA series by Ann Brashares.

I picked up the first book while browsing through Target last year (note to self - steer clear of the Target book section) and was even able to somehow sneak in some reading time on the second installment while traveling through China last summer (which reminds me - if I had time to read on a bus, in the middle of a foreign country, with a nine month old and a five year old who subsequently barfed all over me, well then there is no excuse for all those people who claim “I don’t have time to read” - just saying).

As with the first two books, Girls in Pants: The Third Summer of the Sisterhood follows four girls (Tibby, Carmen, Lena and Bee) now recently graduated from high school, while they navigate life and love their last summer before college. As in the first two books, the jeans (which magically fit all four girls even though they have very different body types) are shared through the summer and provide a clever plot device to link their stories together. All the characters have grown emotionally since the first and second book, in particular the one motherless girl of the bunch who is no longer a reckless teenager when it comes to matters of the heart. Even though I still believe the first book to be the strongest of the bunch, I did find it fun to return to the same characters.     

I was pschyed the other day when I saw the fourth book, Forever in Blue: The Fourth Summer of the Sisterhood out in paperback (again, the evil which is Target). I think I’ll finish the series within the next month, since I would like to see the movie The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 (click here to see the trailer), which is a mix of the second, third and fourth books and will be out this August. I watched the first movie after finishing the first book and was surprised, even though the screenwriter took great liberties with one of the story lines, how much I enjoyed it.

Each book, which can literally be read in a couple days, are as comforting as a well worn pair of jeans.

I have surrounded myself with readers. This certainly isn’t a bad thing, especially when I’m in need of a book recommendation. Usually our conversations starts with ”so, what are you reading now?” I get some of the most wonderful recommendations from my friends and am happy to share a good book I’ve found with them.

Having said that, recently when my girlfriend (who is also a member of my book club) stopped by, our conversation naturally turned to books. I had received The Venetian Mask by Rosalind Laker from Three Rivers Press not too long ago and gave it to Nicole to read. She even agreed to write a review for my blog, which you can see below. She has also started her own book blog, having written only a couple posts so far. It would be wonderful if you guys could stop by her blog Book Escape and give her a nice welcome and also let her know what you think makes a good book review on a book blog. Thanks!

Review by Nicole: I was at my friend Stephanie’s house the other day talking about books (something we do a lot). I told her I was on an historical fiction kick and she offered me her copy of The Venetian Mask by Rosalind Laker. The only catch was that I had to write a review of the book for her blog (I know, not much of a catch for a free book to read)!

After dropping my little ones off at school, setting the kitchen timer so I wouldn’t forget to pick them up from school on time and getting comfortable on my couch, I looked at the back cover of the book to get an idea about the content. The Venetian Mask takes place in Venice during the 18th century where two girls, Marietta and Elena, meet in a music school for orphaned girls. They become the best of friends but once they reach marrying age, they end up marrying archenemies. This book is the story of these two young women’s lives in Venice. Sounds pretty good, right?

As I started reading the first chapter though, my eyes grew heavy. The book just didn’t grab me like I hoped. I barely made it through the first chapter before dosing off. Next thing I know, the timer is going off and I have to get my kids from school. Clearly not a good start…

But, have no fear, once Marietta made it to Venice and started her life at the music school, I got hooked. I really liked Marietta’s character as well as her friend Elena. I felt all the characters in the book were very well described and I cared about the two girls. I hated the bad guys and loved the good ones.

Descriptions of Venice during Carnival and later during Bonaparte’s occupation were phenomenal. I could picture the colorful masks and costumes, the beautiful architecture and elegant parties. It was easy to be drawn into the scene.

The story included all the aspects of a good book - romance, intrigue, mystery, good versus evil, loyalty and friendship. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes historical fiction, just make sure to get through the slow first chapter!  

 

What if you could live forever? This is not the sort of question that ever crossed ten year old Winifred Foster’s mind before she met the Tuck family. All Winnie was looking for when she entered the woods behind her house early one morning was a little adventure. What she found was a family of four who hadn’t aged in over eighty years and a hidden spring by a large tree that holds the promise of eternal life.

Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbit is a slim novel for children between 9 and 12 years old that asks the age old question - if you had the chance to live forever, would you take it? Winnie is an altogether lovely little girl faced with some hefty choices. Is it a good idea to keep the Tuck’s secret, even from her own family? Should she, when she is a bit older, drink from the spring herself?   

I was immediately impressed by Babbitt’s writing style as soon as I had read the first beautiful paragraph:

The first week of August hangs at the very top of summer, the top of the live-long year, like the highest seat of a Ferris wheel when it pauses in its turning. The weeks that come before are only a climb from balmy spring, and those that follow a drop to the chill of autumn, but the first week of August is motionless, and hot. It is curiously silent, too, with blank white dawns and glaring noons, and sunsets smeared with too much color. Often at night there is lightning, but it quivers all alone. There is no thunder, no relieving rain. These are strange and breathless days, the dog days, when people are led to do things they are sure to be sorry for after.

Tuck Everlasting is described perfectly by The Chicago Sun-Times: ”With its serious intentions and light touch, the story is, like the Tucks, timeless.” This book, albeit a short one, is wonderfully inventive and really makes you think about your own mortality and what living is really all about. Published in the early 1970’s, Tuck Everlasting is at times whimsical and sweet, other times serious and sad and altogether a perfect little gem of a book. My only disappointment with the book was that it was entirely too short!

I would highly recommend it and am so glad to have started off my Once Upon a Time Challenge with Tuck Everlasting. I just wish that I actually read it when I was a child, since I am sure that it would have been one of my favorites.

The movie version of Tuck Everlasting was released in 2002 and so after finishing the book I figured it would be nice to see how it translated to film.

Unfortunately, the movie didn’t capture the same feeling I had while reading the book and I found myself dozing off after a half hour - never a good beginning to a film! I finally decided to call it a night and have not felt the desire to watch the rest of the movie since. Oh well, at least the book was enjoyable!

On another note, I just wanted to point out that the book cover for Tuck Everlasting is so much more attractive than the film poster. The books faded photograph and beautiful typography really evokes a certain mystery, while the movie poster is pure Hollywood fluff. Which do you prefer?