Give Books NOT Roses Giveaway January 31 - February 14

  Books For Your Valentine!!

One Lucky Valentine will receive TWO books and a chocolate bar!!

Best of Luck!!  

USA Entries Only

Enter HERE

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Dear  Reader:

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner! The crisp, cool air feels a little sweeter and stores are filling their shelves with greeting cards and candies. But instead of sharing the usual gifts, the way to someone’s heart can be through a story (and maybe a little bit of chocolate). 

Hachette Book Group is offering a “Give Books, Not Roses” Valentine’s Day giveaway for those of you who want to express your admiration for friends, family, and loved ones.

Love Gently Falling written by Melody Carlson is a romantic novella about the power of Valentine’s Day and how one woman discovers love while at the same time saving her family’s business. Successful hairstylist to the stars Rita Jensen returns to her hometown in Chicago after receiving news that her mother has suffered a stroke. Though Rita must come up with a plan to save her mother’s salon, the oncoming holiday and her undeniable feelings for an old classmate become quite a distraction.

Keys of Heaven is the second book in Adina Senft’s Healing Grace trilogy. Amish widow Sarah Yoder helps her community by creating teas and tinctures from the herbs she grows. She struggles to find love with an Amish man, and she doesn’t know what to do about her attraction to her friend Henry Byler, who has turned away from her beliefs. Sarah’s story will show anyone that romantic love is not the only love that matters.

Valentine’s Day is an internationally celebrated day of romance, dating back to the 5th Century. But today, love touches our lives in so many different ways. Whether you are dedicating the day to your good friends or your life partner, treat them to these wonderful stories of courage, kindness, and love.

Sincerely,  


Christina Boys
Editor of LOVE GENTLY FALLING and KEYS OF HEAVEN 

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Love Gently Falling by Melody Carlson

 

Rita Jansen is living her dream in Hollywood when her father calls with news that her mother is sick. When she gets home to Chicago, Rita finds her mother is facing a long recovery and could lose the family-owned salon. As Rita takes her mother's place at work, she also finds herself renewing a friendship with her classmate Johnny and is surprised by how far he will go to help her.

Keys of Heaven by Adina Senft

Sarah Yoder is learning to help the people in her Amish community as a Dokterfraa, creating teas and tinctures from the herbs she grows. But her latest patient seems to have a problem that can't be resolved. Meanwhile, Sarah's relatives attempt a little matchmaking between her and a new visitor. This is the second book in the Healing Grace series (the first, Herb of Grace, received a 4 stars from RT Book Reviews!).

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You can buy either book at the sites below:

LOVE GENTLY FALLING

Books-A-Million:  http://bit.ly/1xu5YKK

Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1xX5cWD

ChristianBook.com: http://bit.ly/1yuAhiW

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1F7LXvY

KEYS OF HEAVEN

Barnes & Noble:http://bit.ly/13yw0BI

Books-A-Million: http://bit.ly/1uTtqMg

Amazon:http://amzn.to/1uGiYJ9

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The 11 Types Of People You Meet In Book Club - Courtesy of Bustle.com

When I found this article on Bette Lee Crosby's Site, I just had to share.

What type are you?  Find out here.

I think I qualify as The Quiet Kind.  I read every book but don't have much to say.  I just listen.  :)

Book Image Courtesy of:

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/that-old-book-smell-is-a-mix-of-grass-and-vanilla-710038/?no-ist

 

Winter, Winter, Winter

Snow has arrived in Pittsburgh, but nothing compared to what New York and other Northeastern states are going to get.

Stay safe if you are affected.

Here are two shots.  One out of my front door and one out of the back door.  I love seeing the bushes and trees covered.

This may cool off anyone who is having hot temperatures.  :)

Are you getting any snow?


 

Spotlight and Giveaway of LOST AND FOUND IN PRAGUE by Kelly Jones

Praise for Kelly Jones:

“Kelly Jones is a wonderful writer, and definitely one to watch.”

—Nicholas Sparks

On January 6,  2015, Berkley is thrilled to publish LOST AND FOUND IN PRAGUE by Kelly Jones. 

Kelly Jones, the author of The Woman Who Heard Color transports readers to a dreary Good Friday in Prague, where a mysterious death sets off a tangled chain of events that inexorably draws three strangers together—and forever changes their lives…

Just after the fall of the Berlin Wall, aspiring journalist Dana Pierson joined the hordes of young people traveling to Eastern Europe to be a part of history. There, she and her best friend were swept up in the excitement of the revolution. Twenty years later, Dana returns to the city of her youthful rebellion to reconnect with her old confidant, who never left the city. But the visit that was reserved for healing intimacies and giddy reminiscences is marred by a strange death in one of Prague’s most famous churches—and an even more peculiar mystery surrounding it…

In a city where the past is never far from the present, Dana must work with a conflicted Italian priest and a world-weary Czech investigator to unlock dark secrets hidden in Prague’s twisted streets. But the key to solving the puzzle may lie in memories of Dana’s long-ago visit, even as she is forced to face the reality of a more recent loss… 

Please complete this form to enter the giveaway.

USA ONLY.

Best of luck to all entrants. 

January 20 through January 27

Book Stairs - What Book/Books Would You Put On Yours?

I am sure everyone has seen this, but wanted to share it.  I found the photo on Facebook.

This was the accompanying text from Facebook:

A Mighty Girl 

Love this amazing idea for transforming a staircase into an art space showcasing your favorite books!

Which beloved books would you include on your own book staircase?

Be sure to see the books I would choose.  They are at the bottom of the post.

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If you're new to A Mighty Girl and are looking for high-quality, girl-empowering stories to introduce to your children, you can find over 2,000 titles - ranging from fairy tales to biographies to puberty guides - for both children and teens in our book collection. 

By mousing over the "Books" link on our main menu bar, you'll open our book directory and quickly be able to visit the categories that most interest you. You can also sort any section on A Mighty Girl by recommended age using the age filter on the left menu.

To start exploring our girl-empowering book collection, visit A Mighty Girl at http://www.amightygirl.com/books

For more incredible book art or for creative ideas on how to store and display children's books, visit our "Book Art & Display" board on Pinterest at http://pinterest.com/amightygirl/book-art-display

The location of the stairs on the left is unknown; the stairs on the right are located in the The Magic House, St. Louis Children's Museum.

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The two books without links were pre-blogging days and have no review, but let the books speak for themselves if you have read them.

I would add these books to my staircase:

Shadow of the Wind
The Forgotten Garden
The Island House
The Wife, The Maid, and The Mistress 
The Wishing Tide
What The Lady Wants
The Forgotten Seamstress
Delicious
The Lavender Garden
The House of Serenades
The Twelfth Child
The Paris Architect

Not sure what order I would put the books in, but it wouldn't matter because it would be awesome to see the titles EVERY day as I climbed the stairs. 

It is difficult to choose isn't it? 

What would you choose whether you have stairs or no stairs?
 

Twelve New ATRIA Titles For 2015 and For YOU!!

Get excited: a brand new year means more books for ATRIA to release and for you to devour! 

Here are just 12 of the many books ATRIA is excited about this year, presented in chronological order.

There are a few here that I would like to read.  How about YOU?

LEAVING BERLIN by Joe Kanon

Pub Date: March 3, 2015 / See LEAVING BERLIN’s catalog page here

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CONFESS by Colleen Hoover

Pub Date: March 10, 2015 / See CONFESS’ catalog page here

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THE WITCH OF PAINTED SORROWS by M.J. Rose

Pub Date: March 17, 2015 / See THE WITCH OF PAINTED SORROWS’ catalog page here

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WHISPERING SHADOWS by Jan-Philipp Sendker

Pub Date: April 14, 2015 / See WHISPERING SHADOWS’ catalog page here

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BLACK IRIS by Leah Raeder

Pub Date: April 28, 2015 / See BLACK IRIS’ catalog page here

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THE THIRD WIFE by Lisa Jewell

Pub Date: June 9, 2015 / See THE THIRD WIFE’s catalog page  here

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MY GRANDMOTHER ASKED ME TO TELL YOU SHE’S SORRY by Fredrik Backman

Pub Date: June 16, 2015 / See MY GRANDMOTHER ASKED ME TO TELL YOU SHE’S SORRY’s catalog page here

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WHEN YOU’RE BACK by Abbi Glines

Pub Date: June 30, 2015 / See WHEN YOU’RE BACK’s catalog page here

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CODE OF CONDUCT by Brad Thor

Pub Date: July 7, 2015 / See CODE OF CONDUCT’s catalog page here

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SCENTS AND SENSIBILITY by Spencer Quinn

Pub Date: July 28, 2015 / See SCENTS AND SENSIBILITY’s catalog page here

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THE YEAR OF THE LOCUST by Terry Hayes

Pub Date: September 1, 2015 / See THE YEAR OF THE LOCUST’s catalog page here

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THE SURVIVOR by Vince Flynn and Kyle Mills

Pub Date: October 6, 2015 / See THE SURVIVOR’s catalog page here

**Be sure to also watch out for new novels by Paul Cleave, John Lescroart, and John Connolly!**

 

The Secret of Magic by Deborah Johnson

A year-old murder, a book paralleling events and characters, and the South in the 1940's after WWII.

The charm of the South as well as its deep-seated prejudices comes forth in THE SECRET OF MAGIC as Regina Robichard travels from New York City to Revere, Mississippi, to investigate the murder of a young black man just returning from the war.

Regina hits brick walls right from the start even though she was invited by M. P. Calhoun, a powerful woman and author of a book also titled The Secret of Magic, to investigate the murder.

THE SECRET OF MAGIC has characters that are authentic and very likeable...well most of them are likeable. Some of them are down right mean and hateful.  You will LOVE Willie, Willie because of his strength and determination. 

THE SECRET OF MAGIC was a bit slow at first, but once Regina got to Mississippi and started her investigation, the interest picked up as we follow her through her investigation.  You will become part of her activities and part of the laws of Post-WWII South.

You will become part of finding out the ways of and the secrets of the South, the secrets of how the town of Revere, Mississippi, is run, and the secrets of powerful Southern families.  They will be secrets that aren’t pleasant.

You will melt into the pages and the comfort of Southern living, but you will also need to be prepared to shed some tears and feel fear for some of the characters.

THE SECRET OF MAGIC has beautiful, descriptive writing that pulls you in and keeps you turning the pages.  Ms. Johnson is a master with words.

If you like Southern fiction, you won’t want to miss THE SECRET OF MAGIC.  It is a marvelous read.  4/5

Passing Through Perfect by Bette Lee Crosby

PASSING THROUGH PERFECT is another perfectly wonderful novel by Bette Lee Crosby.  Ms. Crosby is a master storyteller.

Her books grab your attention, reel you in, and won't let you go.  Her books are always ones that are difficult to put down.  PASSING THROUGH PERFECT is no exception.  Ms. Crosby's books always have a cozy feeling, always remind you of what is important in life, and always have something to ponder.

The main characters in PASSING THROUGH PERFECT, Benjamin and Delia, are hard-working farmers even though Delia thinks Benjamin can do better. We follow Benjamin and Delia from their giddy, in-love young years to their mature love and are with them as they endure the hardships of being black and living in the South in the 1940's.

Ms. Crosby's characters ooze with authenticity in this book and all of her books. The characters in PASSING THROUGH PERFECT are all lovable and warm. You will share their sorrows and their joys as they experience them. You will be drawn into their lives and into the story and will be living the story along with the characters.  You will cry along with the characters, and you will also be happy for them when they are happy.

Don't miss reading yet another marvelous book by Ms. Crosby.  5/5

This book was given to me free of charge and without compensation by Ms. Crosby in return for an honest review.

Giveaway of The Rosie Project AND The Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion

 

 The Giveaway Has Ended

And

The Winners Are:

The Rosie Project - Lisa #17

The Rosie Effect - Melinda #15

CONGRATS!!

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THE ROSIE EFFECT arrived in stores on December 30, 2014, and you can win a copy of The Rosie Effect AND The Rosie Project.

The Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion is the highly anticipated sequel to The Rosie Project, otherwise known as the quirky little Australian romantic comedy about a socially inept genetics professor, Don Tillman, and his free spirited girlfriend, Rosie Jarman, that has captured the hearts of nearly 2 million readers around the world.

Visit www.RosieBooks.com for videos, excerpts, and reading group guides from both The Rosie Project and The Rosie Effect.

Graeme Simsion imbued The Rosie Project with such heart that saying goodbye to Don and Rosie on the last page felt bittersweet. In The Rosie Effect, we get to reconnect with the couple as they relocate to New York City and prepare to welcome an unplanned addition to their family.  If the fundamental illogic of falling in love befuddled Don, wait until you see what impending fatherhood does to him.  Once again, people around you will wonder what has set you off into fits of laughter as you turn the pages.

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 Join in the fun, and enter both giveaways sponsored by Simon & Schuster.  Entry links are below.

There will be TWO lucky winners, but only one book of each will be given away.

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Sign up for the giveaway of The Rosie Effect here and sign up  for the giveaway of The Rosie Project here.

USA Entries only 

January 5 through January 12.

Best of luck to all those who enter the contest.

First Book Of The Year - 2015

 

Join Shelia from Book Journey and fellow book bloggers as we feature our first book read in 2015.

My first book of the year is THE SECRETS OF MIDWIVES by Sally Hepworth.

I still have my Christmas sweater on for the photo. :) 

And I get older looking every year.  LOL!!

2014 has been a bad year, and I think the stress shows.  Even my hair is having a bad year.

Here's to 2015 and a healthy, stress-free new year!!

Happy New Year AND Happy Reading!!

 *Happy New Year Banner courtesy of:  

http://happynewyearimages2015.in/