Where I share my love of books with reviews, features, giveaways and memes. Family and needlepoint are thrown in from time to time.
Showing posts with label Sourcebooks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sourcebooks. Show all posts

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Review: If I Tell by Janet Gurtler

It I Tell
by Janet Gurtler

Raised by her grandparents, seventeen-year-old Jasmine, the result of a biracial one night stand, has never met her father but has a good relationship with her mother until she sees her mother's boyfriend kissing Jaz's best friend...


If only. . . if only I hadn't gone to that party.  I never would have seen what I did.  Jackson wouldn't have driven me home.  I wouldn't have started to fall for a guy just out of reform school.  I could go back to pretending everything was normal.  I wouldn't be keeping a secret from my mom that could blow our family apart. . .



My thoughts: I really enjoyed this young adult book.  Jaz has had an unusually upbringing.  I won't say it was terrible because she had grandparents who loved her and raised her.  Her mother had gotten pregnant as a teenager and hadn't been able to deal with the idea of being a mother - but she is still a part of her daughter's life.  Her father took off and never looked back.  She is also biracial - which is a minority (nonexistant) in the town she lives in, so she has never really felt like she belonged.  Because of an incident that happened in elementary school, she has closed herself off and can count the number of friends she has on one hand.  They are somewhat misfits like herself, but she is happy to have them.  Unfortunately when she sees one of them kissing her mom's boyfriend, well, let's just say it hurts to lose one of the few friends she has.  

I liked the relationship between Jaz and Jackson that develops - how they each discover they have things in common.  Things that go beyond what the eyes can see.  I think that Jaz does a lot of growing in this book.  She deals with some difficult truths and learns how to trust - both herself and others.  This is my first Janet Gurtler book, and I would definitely recommend it - especially to my daughters.


Purchase Links: 







About the author:  Janet Gurtler lives in Calgary, Canada, deliciously close to the Canadian Rockies, with her husband, son, and the memories of a sweet little dog named Meeko.  Janet does not live in an igloo or play hockey, but she does love maple syrup and says "eh" a lot. 

Author Links:

Tuesday, August 6, 2013

What Did You Wear? Tweet a picture of your wedding dress to win!

Jade Lee’s anticipated release, What the Bride Wore, a PW Top Ten Romance Pick for Fall 2013, will be released on August 6th! And we want to know…WHAT DID YOU WEAR? We want to see your wedding dress! We want to see the good, the bad and the questionable… J
On Tuesday August 6th, please tweet a picture of your wedding dress using the hash tag #WhatTheBrideWore
We will be picking winners every hour and giving away lots of prizes throughout the day! We will also be re-tweeting some of the best ones from the @SourcebooksCasa Twitter account!

This hot new series is set in a daring, high-energy Regency world where deep longings, secret scandals, and the competition for social stature are all set against the glittering weddings of the season. Grant Benton, Earl of Crowle, finally has the funds he always pretended to have, and what he wants now is a woman. That woman is Lady Irene Knopp, who spends her days helping debutantes plan their weddings. A recent widow, Irene longs for love again, but she’s afraid to risk her heart, especially to the notorious Earl.

Monday, July 29, 2013

Meet Me at the Cupcake Cafe by Jenny Colgan - Giveaway!

The Meet Me at the Cupcake Café Sugary Sweet Spotlight!

It is no wonder that the flirty and frothy food-themed novel, Meet Me at the Cupcake Café by Jenny Colgan is an international success: with relatable characters and scrumptious recipes at the start of each chapter, Meet Me at the Cupcake Café is pure delight to women’s fiction readers everywhere. This summer, Colgan is bringing her hilarious and heartfelt stories—with a dash of deliciousness—to the United States! To celebrate, Sourcebooks is giving away copies of this book ALL MONTH LONG!


Each day this month, look for opportunities to win a print copy of Meet Me at the Cupcake Café with bloggers all over the book blogging community. Additionally, there will be a few guest blogs and interviews with Jenny sprinkled throughout—a great way to get to know a new author! 



Meet Me at the Cupcake Cafe
by Jenny Colgan

Baking is in Issy Randall’s blood. Growing up above her grandfather’s bakery taught Issy that a delicious pastry could make any day better. So when she’s laid off from her desk job—by the man she thought was her boyfriend, no less—Issy knows now is the time to start her own little café.

Armed with her grandfather’s tried and true recipes, as well as her own new dishes, Issy’s new dream job should be a piece-of-cake, right? But managing a café, delivering products on time and trying to have a new love life aren’t exactly going as Issy planned. And when her ex comes back into the picture, perhaps with his own motives, Issy’s search for the perfect pastry and a groundbreaking idea to save her café are much more than she bargained for… 


ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Jenny Colgan was a fussy eater as a child and didn’t even begin to learn to cook until she was 21, when her then boyfriend tried to teach her a few basics purely out of exasperation. While she is now able to make a variety of good, wholesome food for her family, she still can’t make scones. A former columnist for The Guardian, Jenny contributes regularly to national BBC radio and is the bestselling author of more than eleven novels, including The Loveliest Chocolate Shop in Paris (coming out in the US in early 2014). She is married with three children and lives in London and France. For more information, please visit http://www.jennycolgan.com/ and follow her on Twitter, @JennyColgan.





Follow along all month long for a chance to win a copy of this highly-anticipated and deliciously delightful new novel!

7/1         Book Girl of Mur-y-Castell
7/2         Celtic Lady’s Reviews
7/3         Books-N-Kisses
7/3         Chick Lit Central INTERVIEW
7/4         A Bookworm's World
7/5         Delighted Reader
Weekend            
7/8         Beth Fish Reads
7/9         Booking Mama
7/9         The Bookish Dame INTERVIEW
7/10       The Book Binge
7/11       Simply Ali
7/12       Debbie's Book Bag
Weekend            
7/15       The Bookish Babe
7/16       The Reading Café
7/17       Book Hounds
7/17       Cocktails and Books INTERVIEW
7/18       Peeking Between the Pages
7/18       Fresh Fiction GUEST BLOG
7/19       Jenny Loves to Read
Weekend            
7/22       Anna's Book Blog
7/23       Ramblings from This Chick
7/24       Books and Quilts
7/24       A Bookish Affair
7/25       Broken TeePee
7/26       Thoughts in Progress
Weekend            
7/29       Books and Needlepoint
7/30       The Reading Reviewer
7/31       Reading Between the Wines

BONUS GIVEAWAYS IN AUGUST!!!
8/1         Book of Secrets
8/2         Luxury Reading
Weekend            
8/5         Radiant Light
8/6         Ruby’s Reads
8/7         Caffeinated Book Review
8/8         The Romance Dish
8/9         My Book Addiction and More 


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Friday, June 21, 2013

Midsummer's Eve Giveaway Hop: If He Had Been With Me by Laura Nowlin (U.S./Canada only)


Midsummer's Eve Giveaway Hop is hosted by I am a Reader, Not a Writer. 


if he had been with me
by Laura Nowlin

If he had been with me, he wouldn't have died.

Throughout their whole childhood, Finn and Autumn were inseparable—they finished each other's sentences, they knew just what to say when the other person was hurting. But one incident in middle school puts them in separate social worlds come high school, and Autumn has been happily dating James for the last 2 years. But she's always wondered what if...

The night she's about to get the answer is also one of terrible tragedy.

See what others are saying about If He Had Been With Me, and then enter to win your own copy!

Friendship, love, secrets, hope and regret…this book has it all! . . . If He Had Been With Me by Laura Nowlin is a page-turner that you won’t be able to put down.” – Girls’ Life Book Club

It’s lovely and so beautifully written — I just wish I had a smidgeon of her talent. And the writing. Oh, the writing. So perfect and poetic. I couldn’t help but allow myself to be swept away by Autumn and Finn’s story. I enjoyed If He had Been With Me so much that I’m adding Laura Nowlin to my auto-read list. Her writing, you guys, is just that sublime. Definitely take a chance on this story — allow yourselves to be caught up in Autumn and Finn’s lives and to root for two childhood best friends to fall in love.Rather Be Reading

Booklist is calling If He Had Been With Me a “sweet, authentic love story…  First-time author Nowlin keeps the story real and fast paced, avoiding the melodramatic.”

And Kirkus Reviews says “the finely drawn characters capture readers’ attention in this debut…Autumn’s coming-of-age is sensitively chronicled, with a wide range of experiences and events shaping her character.”

If He Had Been With Me by Laura Nowlin was such a beautiful story to experience. - Chapter by Chapter

Laura can write! - Novels on the Run


a Rafflecopter giveaway









Monday, April 22, 2013

From the Kitchen of Half Truth by Maria Goodin (Book Review)

Title: From the Kitchen of Half Truth
Author: Maria Goodin
Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark

About the Book: If your mother can't seem to tell the truth. . . how true is your life?

Scientist Meg May can't remember her childhood, but that's just fine, because her cooking-obsessed, head-in-the-clouds mother has told her everything:  Meg's father was a French chef who died in a tragic pastry accident; her mom dipped a younger Meg's toes in coffee because they were so sweet.  Meg used to love these stories, but as she spends one last elegiac summer with her dying mother, savoring the fleeting days and absorbing cooking lessons, she longs to know the truth.  However, her mother is in denial about their past, as well as about her health, and Meg may not have the chance to discover who they are in time.

A delicious debut, full of quirky humor and depth of feeling, From the Kitchen of Half Truth explores the lies we tell ourselves in order to create the life we want.

Purchase Links


My thoughts: I enjoyed reading this book very much.  It was like curling up under a blanket on a rainy day.  When I had to put it down, I couldn't wait to start reading it again and the words just flowed beautifully.  

The stories that Meg's mother, Valerie, tells her about her childhood all reflect cooking or food in some way.  This makes sense as Valerie's passion is cooking.  She has filled Meg's head with wonderful stories and created this fantastical world where the scar on her head is from a bite from a crabcake; that they once had a spaghetti plant growing in their windowbox; that one summer the runner beans that they had picked all got up and ran away.  It is that last story about the runner beans that makes Meg realize at the age of 8, that maybe everything her mother tells her isn't the truth.  She decides that she is done with make believe and from there on out everything has to have it's basis in fact. Unfortunately, she has already been labeled as a 'liar' and kind of nutty for believing these stories and so her life growing up is a lonely one.  

When she is 21 she goes back to spend the summer with her mother as her mother is dying.  She is still full of spirit though and greets each day as if nothing is wrong.  Meg tries to get her mother to tell her about her childhood, as well as face the fact that she is dying, but her mother continues to spin her fanciful tales and avoids the truth.  The gardener that Valerie has hired, Ewan, is very taken with Valerie and shares his own tales with her.  Try as she might, Meg just doesn't have the same connection to her mother that Ewan does - or maybe we should say the same acceptance that Ewan does.  She continues to dig for anything that might tell her something about her childhood.  

I will say it again, I really enjoyed reading this book and was sorry to see it end.  It had lots of little bits of wisdom tucked into the quirky tales - some of which were quite humorous.  I loved the relationship that Meg had with her mother, even if she wasn't quite as satisfied with it as she felt she should be.  Even though she wanted answers to her questions, she also wanted to protect her mother as anything to do with her past seemed to upset her.  

I think this would be a good book for a reading club- lots of stuff to discuss about relationships - those between mother and daughter; best friends; spouses or potential spouses.  There is also the big question that they raise in the synopsis - what kind of tales will we spin to give us the lives that we want?

~I received a complimentary copy of From the Kitchen of Half Truth from Sourcebooks in exchange for my unbiased review.~

Check out some other reviews:
FROM THE KITCHEN OF HALF TRUTH – BLOG TOUR

April 1 – Luxury Reading
April 2 – Laura’s Reviews
April 4 – A Bookish Affair
April 8 – Cocktails and Books
April 10  - Broken Teepee
April 11 – Dew on the Kudzu
April 12 – Raging Bibliomania
April 15 - Daystarz
April 16 – Chick Lit Plus
April 22 – Books and Needlepoint
April 23 – Write Meg
April 26 – Bookmagnet


About the author:  Maria Goodin is the author of From the Kitchen of Half Truth. She trained to be a teacher and therapist before working as a counselor. Based on her award-winning short story, From the Kitchen of Half Truth was inspired by her interest in psychological defenses. Maria lives in Hertfordshire, England with her husband, son and cat. This is her first novel.

From the Kitchen of Half Truth
Publisher/Publication Date: Sourcebooks Landmark, April 1, 2013
ISBN:  978-1-4022-7948-5
339 pages

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

The Blue-Ribbon Jalapeno Society Jubilee by Carolyn Brown (Book Review and Interview)

Title: The Blue-Ribbon Jalapeno Society Jubilee
Author: Carolyn Brown
Publisher: Sourcebooks

About the Book:
You Are Cordially Invited...Come early, eat until your buttons pop, and dance until you drop!
Miss Clawdy's Cafe has won the Jubilee blue ribbon every year since the dawn of time.  This year, town matron Violet Prscott is going after that ribbon with an iron-clad determination only thinly disguised by her perfect coiffure and flawless manners, bless her heart.

It's time for cafe owners Cathy and Marty and their best friend Trixie to pull out their secret weapon. And this is where a lifetime of friendship, combined with just the right recipe at just the right time, might carry the day -- or blow everything to smithereens.

Welcome to Cadillac, Texas, where the jalapenos are hot, the gossip is even hotter, and at the end of the day, it's the priceless friendships that are left standing. . .



My thoughts: I didn't want to put this book down to go to work (and I work in a library, so that's saying something - lol).  I loved the relationship that the three main women had - Cathy and Marty and twin's, and admit that they are two halves of a whole - opposite in everyway - and Trixie has been their best friend since they were little.  Their momma's were best friends before them.  They will stand up to anyone and anything to have each other's back, but at the same time they give each other enough space to make the right decision before stepping in.  Notice I said "right" decision?  Because if they don't make the right one - you can be sure they are gonna hear about it!  

They share most of life's victories and secrets with each other - each holding a little something back that they have not shared with anyone.  But like in any small town, usually someone knows something about it.  There is much gossip here - some true, most not - but all of it sure to bring a smile to your face. 

I had recently watched parts of an old movie "Something to Talk About" with Julia Roberts, Kyra Sedgewick and Dennis Quaid.  I couldn't help but picture Julia and Kyra in the role of the twins in this book. (But after reading her cast of characters in her interview, I like them much better.  And I love Shirley MacLaine as Aunt Agnes!)  It would make a great series on T.V. as you know when you put the book down that the gossip in town isn't going to end! 

Like they say, everything is big in Texas, and they go over the top with it all  - good food, gossip, politicians, cheating husbands, loyalty, family, friendship.  This was a feel good book for me and I look forward to reading more by Carolyn in this new genre for her!  Great job!


Praise for The Blue-Ribbon Jalapeño Society Jubilee

“Brown brings her cowboy-romance writing talents to bear on this hilarious tale of women in a gossipy small town… Fast-paced, the intertwined tales collide along a bumpy road toward a surprising calamity at the jalapeño jubilee. A high-spirited, romantic page turner.” —Kirkus

 

“Humor and down-home charm make this a first-place prize winner. All the character quirks and small-town appeal are used to the fullest advantage.” —RT Book Reviews, 4 Stars

 

“An excellent book. I loved every bit of it...” —FreshFiction.com

 
~I received a complimentary copy of this book from Sourcebooks in exchange for my unbiased review.~
 
Thanks to Sourcebooks, I also have a copy to giveaway!  Please see the giveaway post to enter!
 
 

About the author: Carolyn Brown is a bestselling and award-winning author with more than forty books published, and credits her eclectic family for her humor and writing ideas. Born in Texas and raised in southern Oklahoma, Carolyn and her husband now make their home in the town of Davis, Oklahoma, where she is working on her next cowboy romance, Billion Dollar Cowboy, which will be in stores in June 2013. The Blue-Ribbon Jalapeño Society Jubilee is Carolyn’s first fiction novel, and there are more to come, including The Red-Hot Chili Cook-Off (April 2014)! For more information, please visit http://carolynlbrown.com/.
 
 
Carolyn was kind enough to take some time to answer some questions for me!  Please enjoy the interview below.
 
 
 
Thank you so much for letting me stop by your site on my blog tour for The Blue-Ribbon Jalapeno Society Jubilee. It’s been out a couple of weeks now and the response has been awesome from reviewers and fans.
 
1.       How do you typically write?  Do you plot it all out beforehand or do you just let the story pour out?
CB: Plotting is something I TRY to do but it only works for about the first two chapters for me. Then the characters hijack my brain and we begin to really tell the story the way it happened.
2.       Do you have a favorite place to write or “must haves” while writing?
CB: I’m not picky. I can write in my office, in the bedroom with notes scattered all over the bed, in the living room with two cats curled up around my feet or in a motel room. If my characters are in a chatty mood, I find a place and time to write.
3.       Do you have much say in the title or covers of you books?
CB:  Titles are a joint effort between me, my awesome editor and the Sourcebooks staff. Sometimes I hit upon one that sticks; sometimes not. I haven’t been disappointed in a single one no matter who comes up with it. Covers are most usually a surprise. Happy squeals bring out the neighbors. They have quit calling the police, thank goodness. That was embarrassing! I especially LOVE the title and the cover for The Blue Ribbon Jalapeno Society Jubilee. The cover is vibrant and eye catching, just in time for spring when we’re all so very tired of this long, cold winter; the title is so southern.
4.       Is there anything that has surprised you about writing, publishing or touring with your books?
CB: Everything surprised me and continues to do so but I love surprises. Just this morning a fan wrote to say that she was writing a book and wanted to know if she could use my name in her book since her character’s favorite author was Carolyn Brown. All the wonderful people I’ve met, those who’ve taken me under their wing and answered my eight million questions have surprised me with their kindness. The list goes on and on!
5.       Do you have a favorite author/book or one that you always recommend?
CB: I’m an eclectic reader who enjoys everything from Faulkner to the nutrition facts on the back of the cereal boxes. Today’s favorite author is different from yesterdays or tomorrows but right now this minute, I’d recommend Mary Kay Andrews, Carl Hiaason, Susanna Kearsley and Jill Mansell.
6.       Was there anything (or anyone) while growing up which helped you decide you wanted to be a writer?
CB: My sister!
7.       Do you have a job outside of being an author?
CB: I’m fortunate enough to be a full time author with no day job.
8.       What would you tell a beginning writer?
CB: WRITE…don’t WHINE! You will get rejections and when you do, you can have fifteen minutes to whine and then it’s time to go right back to writing. Whining robs you of writing time and you can’t ever sell if you don’t write. Set a daily goal, a weekly goal and a monthly goal. And don’t ever give up!
9.       What were your favorite books growing up?
CB: I read everything I could get my hands on and can’t begin to remember a favorite.
10.   Do you have any books on your nightstand right now?
CB: Cowboy Tough by Joanne Kennedy and a Christmas novella by Carolyn Hughey.
11.   If you could meet one person who has died, who would that be?
CB: Margaret Mitchell.
12.   If you could co-author a book with anyone, who would it be?
CB:  I'm such a lone wolf that I don’t think I could ever co-author. The authors who do that have my utmost respect.
13.   Do you have a favorite quote?
CB: This, too, shall pass.
14.   In one sentence, why should we read your book?
CB: It will make you laugh until your sides ache, wipe a few tears from your eyes and fire up mad before you finish it!
15.   What is something people would be surprised to know about you?
CB: I wrote a prize winning newspaper column for fourteen years.
16.   What do you come up with first when creating your character- the back story, the plot, the characteristics?
CB: Back story, every time. Got to know the past to understand the future.
17.   What do you do in your spare time?
CB: Write!
18.   What does a day in your life look like?
CB: I like to write a thousand words before breakfast. That sets the mood for the day, then after breakfast another two thousand before lunch. Then all I have to do in the afternoon is two more thousand to make my goal. Sometimes grandkids, Husband and a bright shiny warm day get in the way but that’s a normal day.
19.   What does a day look like in the life of your main character?
CB: In The Blue-Ribbon Jalapeno Society Jubilee, there are five friends. A day in Trixie, Marty and Cathy’s life is running Miss Clawdy’s Café; Jack is a policeman in Cadillac so he could be working or he might be in the garage behind Miss Clawdy’s with Marty working on her vintage Cadillac ; a day in Darla Jean’s life is getting ready for her church services.
20.   How does your family feel about having a writer in the family? Do they read your books?
CB: Oh, yes and those who have read The Blue-Ribbon Jalapeno Society Jubilee have declared it the best book I have ever written and are clamoring that they should read the next one, The Red Hot Chili Cook-Off before it even goes to press. (It won’t happen but it makes me happy to know they want to read the next one.)
21.   What time of day do you like to write?
CB:  Until my goal is met, I write any time of day or night.
22.   Where/when do you brainstorm best?
CB: I get the best ideas when I’m riding down the road on a trip. It’s amazing how much of a story line will come to me inside a car.
23.   How long do you think about a story before starting to write the book?
CB: Depends…ten minutes? Ten days?
24.   What is the most you have written in one day?
CB: Ten thousand words. I was on a roll.
25.   What themes do you love to read or write about?
CB: People and their quirks.
26.   What book fairs or events do you attend?
CBL: The RWA  National Conference is a highlight of my year.
27.   What is your favorite way to promote a book?
CB: Word of mouth…if people are talking about it and liking it, others will buy it.
28.   If you gave one of your characters an opportunity to speak for themselves, what would they say?
CB: Lord have mercy, Carolyn Brown is a slave driver. She makes us go into that office every morning and tell her what happened next and then she drills us like an interrogation officer to get it right.
29. What book would you like to read again?
CB: It is time to read Gone With the Wind again. I like to read it at least every ten years and am always amazed at which character I’m most impressed with since the last time I read it.
30.   If your book was made into a TV series or movie, what actors would you like to see playing your characters? Feel free to add pics.  
CB: Katherine Heigl could play the part of Cathy and Marty. Ashley Judd is Trixie. Michael Weatherly is Jack. Shirley MacLaine is Aunt Agnes.  Darla Jean is Daniela Ruah.
31.   Favorite childhood memory?
CB: Momma’s Sunday dinner…fried chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans and her famous hot biscuits with cobbler (peach or blackberry) for dessert.
Silly questions –
1.       If you could have a superpower, what would it be?
CB: Write faster and better.
2.       Do you have any hidden talents?
CB:  Several and I would tell you but then…well, you know!
3.       Night owl or early bird?
CB: Early bird…I was a robin in a previous life and I like to get the worm.
4.       Favorite season?
CB: Spring.
5.       If someone wrote a book about your life, what would the title be?
CB: Oh My God!
6.       Favorite sport?
CB: Reading…it’s going to be an Olympic sport before long. I’ve put in the paper work. It’s just a matter of time before it is recognized.
7.       Favorite music?
CB: County music.
8.       Talk or text?
CB:  Talk!
9.       Cat or dog?
CB: Cats…have two. Boots and Chester.
10.   Guilty pleasure tv show?
CB: Justified.
11.   Sweet or salty snacks?
CB: Both!
12.   Coffee or tea?
CB: Coffee!
13.   Favorite holiday destination?
CB: Florida for Christmas with just Husband and me on the sand.
14.   Do you have a literary crush?
CB: Don’t think so.
15.   If you could live in a literary world  - what world would that be and why?
CB: I love living in the world I’m in. I can’t image living anywhere else.
16.   Most embarrassing moment?
CB: That would be like taking one needle from a mountain sized stack of needles. The one that comes to mind right now was backing my little red truck into a highway patrolman!
17.   Favorite gadget?
CB: Can opener.
18.   If you could travel forward or backward in time, where would you go and why?
CB:  Backward to visit with Scarlet O’Hara for one day. After that I’d want to come home to air conditioning and indoor plumbing.
19.   If your book were made into a movie who would the play the main characters?  What would the theme song be?
CB:  The theme song would be The Yellow Rose of Texas. Characters are listed above! And you can see me dancing a jig under the red light on Main Street the day that I sign papers for a movie to be made about The Blue-Ribbon Jalapeno Society Jubilee.
20.   Most __________ in High School?
CB: FEARLESS!
21.   Ebooks, paperbacks or hardcovers?
CB: All of the above with emphasis on paperbacks!
 
Wow!  Thank you so much for taking the time to answer ALL of my questions!  Completely unexpected, but loved your answers!   I am also looking forward to reading The Red-Hot Chili-Cookoff next year!! 
 
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