Cindy's Love Of Books

In My Mailbox/Mailbox Monday

cindysloveofbooksarc@gmail.com (Cindy) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 14:05:00 +0000

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme that is hosted by Kristi and you can check out her blog on Sundays when she posts what she got in the mail the past week.

Mailbox Monday is a weekly meme that is hosted by Marcia and you can check out her blog on Mondays when she posts what she got in the mail the past week.

This is one of my favorite memes of all time. I love to share with you what I got in the mail this past week as well as snooping into others post about what they got this past week.

DISCLAIMER: This could lead to excessive book buying.

This is what I got the past week:

Michael actually had a really good In My Mailbox/Mailbox Monday week this past week. This is the goodies that showed up for him:

Scholastic Canada sent:

-Stick Man by Julia Donaldson (Illustrator) Axel Scheffler

-On this Special Night by Claire Freedman (Illustrator) Simon Mendez

-The Christmas Magic byLauren Thompson (Illustrator) John J. Muth

Thank You Scholastic Canada for sending these beautiful picture books our way. Beautiful holiday books.

Chronicle Books sent

-Vehicles (Stereobook) by Ben Grossblatt

-Little Pea, Little Hoot and Little Oink by Amy Krouse Rosenthal (Illustrator) Jen Corace

Thanks Chronicle for sending this. Michael loves the Vehicle book.

I got:

-Sins of the Flesh by Caridad Pineiro. Thanks Anna for sending this to me.

-Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl. Thanks Little Brown. Look for my review of this book in January 2010 when its released in stores.

This is what I got, how about you?

I have to apologize for not having pictures this week. I am trying to get a bunch of post scheduled for the week just in case I have to go to Ottawa. My cousin is in the hospital in critical care. Aparently his family was called in Friday informing them that they have done all they can and its just a matter of time. He is only in his early 30's so its a shock to the family.

Books Bought # 25

cindysloveofbooksarc@gmail.com (Cindy) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 01:30:00 +0000

Books Bought is a meme that I am hosting right here on Cindy's Love of Books.

In this meme you share with everyone the books you recently bought. If you want to take part its easy grab this logo and make your post on your blog and link back to me letting me know you took part.

Disclaimer: This could lead to excessive book buying.

This is the books I bought this week.

For Myself:
-Good Girls by Laura Ruby
-Play Me by Laura Ruby

For Michael:
The Spiderwick Chronicles series:
-Book 2 The Seeing Stone
-Book 3 Lucinda's Secret
-Book 4 The Ironwood Tree
-Book 5 The Wrath of Mulgarath

This is what I bought this week, what did you buy? Have you read any of these books yet?

The Good Neighbors Book Two: Kith Review

cindysloveofbooksarc@gmail.com (Cindy) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 12:52:00 +0000

TITLE: The Good Neighbors-Book Two: Kith
AUTHOR: Holly Black
ILLUSTRATOR: Ted Naifeh
PUB DATE: October 1, 2009

ABOUT THE BOOK:
Rue Silver’s life is not what it appears to be. Her mother is a faerie, and has been taken back to the faerie realm. As Rue goes to bring her back, she must travel deep into an inhuman world. At the same time, the faerie realm is venturing into our world too, and taking its toll on those Rue loves.

MY THOUGHTS:

I found out that this is going to be a trilogy which I am super excited about it. I was trying to find out online when Book Three would be done and couldn't find anything.

Rue discovers that her father is human and her mother is a faery and that Rue is trying to get use to this new way of life. Trying to live in both worlds.

Rue's world is so out of control and things are changing. Dale, Lucy and Justin have changed. Everything that Rue knows is changing.

When Rue discovers that the world as she knows it is about to change for the worst she decides she has to save it and that it all lies in her hands. In order to do that she has to go back to the faery world and resist the temptation to stay there. Will she be able to resist the urge? Will she be able to save her mother and the world?

The illustrations in this book were just as fantastic as the first one and done in the same way. This was another quick read at 115 pages. I can't wait for the last book to come out.

This book was provided for review by myself. I bought this book when I found out that Holly Black was coming to town.

The Good Neighbors Book One: Kin Review

cindysloveofbooksarc@gmail.com (Cindy) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 23:56:00 +0000

TITLE: The Good Neighbors-Book One: Kin
AUTHOR: Holly Black
ILLUSTRATOR: Ted Naifeh
PUB DATE: October 1, 2008 (Hardcover) October 1, 2009 (Trade)

ABOUT THE BOOK:
Rue Silver is about to discover that her life isn't at all what it appears to be. She returns home one day to find her mother missing -- and her father blamed for her disappearance. Did he commit murder? Or is there another truth beneath it all?

As she did so masterfully in The Spiderwick Chronicles and her novels Tithe, Valiant, and Ironside, Holly Black creates a mysterious, dark world full of threat, romance, and illusion this time matched by the amazing imagination of graphic artist Ted Naifeh.

MY THOUGHTS:

This is the first time I have ever read a graphic novel. The closest I have ever come to this was comic books when I was a kid. I know that is nothing like this but after reading The Good Neighbors I have to say that I think I have found another genre of books that I am interested in reading and discovering.

I really enjoyed reading book one. It was a quick read (117 pages) and the illustrations were amazing. Even though the cover is in color the illustrations in the book are done in black and white.

Looking at Rue you realize she is a regular teenager (on the outside). She lives at home with her parents (her dad is a professor and her mother is your typical stay at home mom), goes to school, doesn't have a care in the world,

"I don't sweat stuff. Worrying just gives you wrinkle lines or stress hives or
an acid stomach you can't soothe with a whole box of Tums."

and dates Dale, the lead singer of a rock band. When they aren't in school Rue, Dale, her friend Lucy and Justin, Lucy’s boyfriend have a weekend tradition of spending their time drinking coffee and then breaking into abandoned buildings that have a history and taking pictures.

She puts on a brave face and lets everyone things nothing bothers her, but then suddenly when her mother up and goes missing for three weeks Rue can't handle it and begins to crack. Rue has always been different and could never really explain it but thinks she is loosing her mind. Rue sees and hears things. At first they use to be just be out of the corner of her eye, but lately Rue has noticed it happening more and more and right out in the open. Is she imaging things or is it really happening?

On the night they are out breaking into a building they go up to the roof and spot police cars at Rue's house apparently one of her father’s college students has been found dead and the Police believe Rue's dad killed her.

When her dad is arrest Amanda, who is a family friend offers to stays with her while her father is in custody. She tells Rue that everything will be okay. Rue knows that everything won't be okay and she is determined to find out the truth about everything. She soon discovers that in uncovering the truth that it will change her whole world as she knows it.

Is Rue's dad really a killer? What will Rue do when she discovers that her whole life isn't what she thought it would be?

This book was provided for review by myself. I bought this book when I heard Holly Black was coming to town.

Three Great YA Authors In One Evening

cindysloveofbooksarc@gmail.com (Cindy) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 23:59:00 +0000

Last night, Chapters (Pointe-Claire) brought in three amazing Young Adult authors: Cassandra Clare, Holly Black and Scott Westerfeld.

I have to thank Linda for letting us know about this event. Unfortunately Linda couldn't come to the event with Donna and I because she was studying for mid terms. Avis was going to come too but she had a prior commitment. Hopefully there will be an event where we will all be able to attend.

In case you don't know who they are here is the books they have written:
Cassandra Clare the author of The Mortal Instruments: Book 1-City of Bones, Book 2-City of Ashes and Book 3- City of Glass.
http://cassandraclare.com/cms/home

Holly Black the author of Tithe, Valiant, Ironside, 5 book series of Spiderwick Chronicles, The Poison Eaters and Other Stories, Good Neighbors Bk 1 & 2 (graphic novels), Beyond the Spiderwick (another series) plus numerous other books.
http://www.blackholly.com/

Scott Westerfeld the author of Uglies, Extras, Peeps, Specials, Pretties, The Risen Empire, The Midnighters Series, Last Days, So Yesterday, Evolution’s Darling, Fine Prey, Polymorph, and his newest book Leviathan.
http://scottwesterfeld.com/blog/

Scott started out the evening talking about Leviathan. He actually begin it with the trailer for Leviathan.

Has anyone else seen this trailer? I really need to read the book now.

He showed us a slide show and this is the US cover of Uglies on the left hand side and the other is I believe Japan's version of it. Please correct me if I am wrong.

Then Scott spoke up the illustrations in Leviathan and that they were done by Keith Thompson. A Canadian! You can check out Keith's website http://keiththompsonart.com/ . His work is truly amazing.

Sadly I couldn't get many more pictures of everyone because of where we were standing. Every time I had a really good shot of them the girls in front of us would move just as I snapped the picture.

Holly and Cassandra spoke about renting a villa in Mexico and writing their books. The briefly talked about their upcoming books. Which sound really good.

The next part of the evening was Question and Answer period where they answered questions from the audience. Alot of the questions were centered around their books and if they would be turned into movies.

We also discovered that Scott's wife is author Justine Larbalestier (Liar and How to ditch your Fairy) http://justinelarbalestier.com/

Did you know that Cassandra knows some french? Yes she does and admits she only knows a little bit but what she did speak she did it very well.

They wrapped up the Q&A and began to sign their books for everyone that was there. It was a long line of people. I know when we left the store at about 9:45pm (EST) there was still a little line left. It was really nice to see that they stayed to sign every one's books.

Cassandra was the first author I got to talk to and we spoke about twitter (I spoke to her briefly that morning) blogging and books. She signed City of Bones and City of Ashes for me and she signed Linda's copy of City of Bones.

The next author was Scott. We spoke briefly about his books and I admitted that I have yet to read them but I am planning on it now. Especially since seeing the trailer of Leviathan. He graciously signed my copy of Leviathan and Uglies. He was curious when I handed him Linda's book and I explained that she was unable to come because of mid terms and he wanted to me to wish you good luck on them Linda.

Finally it was my turn to speak with Holly. She was so amazingly funny. We spoke about the books I had read The Good Neighbors (1 & 2) and how I was reading Spiderwick Chonicles to Michael. She hoped that Michael would enjoy them. I told her that after seeing her that I planned on reading her other books.

So after all the books were signed Donna and I went up to Starbucks for a much needed cold drink. After we were done our drinks we briefly walked around and looked at books. I can honestly tell you that I walked out of the store without buying a single book.

This is a picture of all the signed books. Thank you Donna for getting all the Spiderwick Chronicles signed for me.

Okay I have a riddle for you all and perhaps you will know the answer to it. "What belongs to you, but others use it more than you do?" The reason I am asking is because this morning when I looked through all the books Holly had put that in my copy of Tithe.

I managed to get this card today when I went to chapters and last night I managed to snag these three buttons. I was so excited to get them because yesterday afternoon Simon Pulse tweeted about them. Don't the buttons look cute?

I also was given these by Holly and Cassandra.

Holly Black's White Cat is her newest upcoming novel and this is only chapter one of it. The book is scheduled to be released May 2010. I am so excited and can't wait to read it. I also found that that Holly is working with Scott's wife Justine Larbalestier on a book called Zombies vs Unicorns and that is coming out in September 2010.

Cassandra Clare's The Infernal Devices is her newest upcoming novel and this is only chapter one of it. I am not sure when this is going to be released. She is also coming out with The Clockwork Angel and that will be released in September 2010.

It was another fun author meet up.

I have to thank Debbie at Chapters for taking the pictures of me with the authors. Donna for getting the Spiderwick Chronicles signed for me. Simon and Schuster & Chapters for the buttons and bringing Cassandra, Holly and Scott to Pointe Claire. Thank you Cassandra, Holly and Scott for coming to Pointe Claire and signing all our books. It was a pleasure to meet you and to get the chance to speak with you. Thank You to Linda for letting us know that they were coming to Pointe Claire.

The Spiderwick Chronicles: The Field Guide Book 1

cindysloveofbooksarc@gmail.com (Cindy) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:46:00 +0000

TITLE: The Spiderwick Chronicles: Book 1 The Field Guide
AUTHORS: Holly Black & Tony DiTerlizzi (author/illustrator)
PUB DATE: May 2003

ABOUT THE BOOK:
The first book in a beautifully produced series of five, The Field Guide sets up the story of the Grace children--13-year-old Mallory and 9-year-old twins Jared and Simon--who with their mother move into the dilapidated Spiderwick Estate only to quickly find themselves sucked into a dark and fascinating world of faeries.

Superficially, the Spiderwick Chronicles smack of Lemony Snicket, with its "true story" setup and breathless warnings ("Go away/close the book/put it down/do not look"). But Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black owe no one for the intensely absorbing world they've created. Black certainly showed fey promise in her slightly freaky debut and DiTerlizzi has weird cred to spare, from his zany Jimmy Zangwow to countless credits for the Magic: The Gathering card game.

MY THOUGHTS:

I have to admit that I have never heard of Holly Black until I heard she was coming to town on November 4th to the Chapters in Pointe Claire for a three author book signing. She is coming with Scott Westerfeld and Cassandra Clare.

With that being said I went to Chapters to see if I could find her books that I could buy and get her to sign. I managed to pick up The Good Neighbors book 1 and 2 (my reviews are to come tomorrow and Saturday). I also picked up Tithe and that review will be coming up soon.

I have to admit that I really enjoyed this book and I am sure Michael will to as its almost in his age group. I ended up reading this in one sitting as it was a quick read (107 pages). I loved the illustrations that accompanied the book. Tony DiTerlizzi did the illustrations for the book. They added to the story I find.

This is book one in a five book series.

The book opens up with Jared, his twin brother Simon, older sister Mallory and mother Helen moving into his great aunt Lucinda's dilapidated Victorian mansion. Their father has recently left the family. We also find out that for the very first time Jared got into serious trouble at school he broke another kids nose.

I loved how Jared describes the house upon seeing it for the first time:

“like a dozen shacks had been piled on top of one another”

Its not long that they are in the house when funny things start to happen. Such as strange noises coming from behind the wall. They think its a a squirrel. When they rip the wall apart the think they have found a squirrels nest. Still hearing the noise from what they think is a squirrel the kids continue to look around. The kids quickly discover that the house has a dumbwaiter. Jared climbs in that Mallory controls the cables. Jared discovers of a hidden library.

During the night both Mallory and Simon come under attack their mother quickly jumps to the conclusion that Jared is behind the pranks and believes that Jared is still angry and acting out because the father left.

Jared has to enlist the aid of his siblings if he is going to reveal their mystery attacker who may not be human… or animal and prove to everyone that he isn't behind the attacks on his sister and brother.

Who and what could it be? Will Jared uncover the truth?

I am really looking forward to picking up the other books in this series as I am sure Michael would love them and I will to

This book was provided for review by myself. I bought this book because Holly Black is coming to town and I wanted to get it signed by her.

Wordless Wednesday

cindysloveofbooksarc@gmail.com (Cindy) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 22:23:00 +0000

This was taken this weekend in our front yard. As you can see someone loves playing in the leaves.

I am Neurotic (and so are you) Review

cindysloveofbooksarc@gmail.com (Cindy) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 14:05:00 +0000

TITLE: I am Neurotic (and so are you)
AUTHOR: Lianna Kong
PUB DATE: May 2009

ABOUT THE BOOK:
Based on the popular, hilarious website of the same name, I am Neurotic is a smorgasbord of anonymous confessions and wacky photographs that reveal people’s deepest neuroses. Author Lianna Kong has collected the best neuroses from the blog, as well as previously unreleased submissions, demonstrating how neurotic behavior is highly amusing, shocking at times, and ultimately a great human equalizer.

Did you wash your hands?
Set the alarm clock?
Lock the front door?

Better yet: Do you like even numbers? Do you fold all of your trash neatly into squares? Do you count steps? Do you carry a bottle of hand sanitizer with you at all times? Everyone has his or her own neuroses. On a routine trip to the office bathroom, Lianna Kong discovered one of hers: "How could I possibly pee with my coworker sitting right next to me doing her business?" And, in that quiet moment of panic, iamneurotic.com was born.

i am neurotic (and so are you) is a smorgasbord of anonymous confessions that reveal people's deepest, strangest, and funniest compulsions—quirks that are triggered in the boardroom, the bedroom, and everywhere in between.

MY THOUGHTS:

I had to laugh when I received this book as it came with a travel sized bottle of Purell. Which I have to admit has come in handy recently with H1N1 and flu season upon us.

I have to say I loved this book. Its filled with annonymous confessions of real life people. There is photos to accompany each confession and that was done by Matthew Stacey.

Admit it we all have some strange and funny and perhaps weird quirks we do in our daily lives? I know I do and you might be surprised to know some of mine. As I was going through this very quick read/book I realized that others do share them with me or at least one other person in this world.

Here are some of my quirks, what are yours? Do you share the same ones?

-I have a think about numbers that has to end in zero. Mainly when I am pumping gas. If it stops at $38.45 I continue to pump until its at $40.00

-I wait until right before i got out the door before putting on my pants and then as soon as I get home I take them off because I can't get comfortable lounging with them. Needless to say I wear pj bottoms all the time.

-Everytime I go into the bathroom and the shower curtain is closed I have to punch it to make sure no one is behind it.

-I can't fall asleep if my closet door is open even if its a little bit. I feel as though I am being watched.

-When I mail letters in the mailbox I have to check it at least 3-4 times before walking away from it.

-If I eat smarties or M&Ms I always have to check the color before I eat it and no I don't eat the red ones last.

Those are just a few of mine that are similiar to the book.

The book is divided into ten sections. All the annonymous confessions are grouped according the the title. Some of the section titles are: can't touch this, wiped, law and order, jedi mind tricks and it's not you, it's me.

If you are neurotic or know someone who is this would make a great book to give them. It was funny and entertaining to read them.

You can also check out the website at www.iamneurotic.com

To see the photographers site you can see it at www.matthewstacey.com

This book was provided for review by Harper Studio (Harper Collins). Thank you for sending me this great book to read and review. I really enjoyed it.

Favorite Recipe for Medina Hill

cindysloveofbooksarc@gmail.com (Cindy) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 14:14:00 +0000

This is my favorite recipe of all time and I would love to share it with Marlo Walker the character in the book Medina Hill.

Roast Pork and Apple Dinner in a Pan

Ingredients:
4 pork chops about 1/2" thick
1 onion chopped
2 cups of mushrooms sliced
2 tablespoons of balsamic vinaigrette dressing
1 1/2 cups Minute Rice uncooked
1 can of condensed Chicken Broth (10 fl.oz/284ml)
1 broth can of water
2 red apples chopped
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

Directions:
-Spray large nonstick frying pan with cooking spray. Add the pork chops and cook until browned. Make sure you use a big enough pan because you will be putting all ingredients in it. I also try to make sure the pork chop is throughly cooked.

-Add the onion, mushrooms and dressing and cook for a few minutes. I usually remove the pork chops before adding them and when they are cooked I add the pork chops back to the pan.

-Stir in the rice, broth, water, apples and thyme. Let boil and then reduce heat to med-low and simmer until the rice is cooked.

Enjoy.

Medina Hill Review and Tour & Give Away

cindysloveofbooksarc@gmail.com (Cindy) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 13:04:00 +0000

PUB DATE: October 13 2009

This is day two of the Medina Hill/Tundra Book Tour.

ABOUT THE BOOK:
In the grimy London of 1935, eleven-year-old Dominic Walker has lost his voice. His mother is sick and his father’s unemployed. Rescue comes in the form of his Uncle Roo, who arrives to take him and his young sister, Marlo, to Cornwall. There, in a boarding house populated by eccentric residents, Marlo, who keeps a death grip on her copy of The New Art of Cooking, and Dominic, armed with Incredible Adventures for Boys: Colonel Lawrence and the Revolt in the Desert, find a way of life unlike any they have known. Dominic’s passion for Lawrence of Arabia is tested when he finds himself embroiled in a village uprising against a band of travelers who face expulsion. In defending the vulnerable, Dominic learns what it truly means to have a voice.

Trilby Kent brilliantly handles a far-off time and place to present a story of up-to-the-minute relevance.

MY THOUGHTS:
I love discovering new authors especially debut authors and Trilby Kent fits right into this category. This is her debut YA novel. She is from Toronto but currently resides in London, England.

I have to admit that when I picked the book up to read I discovered that it was a historical fiction book which really hasn't been a genre of interest for me but I admit I was pleasantly surprised once I began to read it. The book takes place in England in the 1930s.

Medina Hill is about two siblings, a brother (Dominic) and sister (Marlo) and their summer vacation at their Uncle Roo's in Cornwall. Their uncle suggests that the kids go with him to Cornwall so that their mother can rest since she is sick and their father will be working and there is no one there to take care of them.

I enjoyed reading about Marlo she is a quirky girl. She uses her mothers cookbook to distract herself because her mother is very sick. Although she never cooks anything from the cookbook right away she reads it.

Dominic is very nervous around people he doesn't know and that is evident in the book because whenever someone speaks to him he clams up. Nothing can make him speak in their presence. Even with some people that he does know he is still very nervous around them, I wonder why?

While they are waiting for the train to come Dominic and Uncle Roo walk around and stumble upon a bookstore. Its there that Dominic picks up Incredible Adventures for Boys: Colonel Lawrence and the Revolt in the Desert. Its not until he is at his uncle's that he starts to read the book.

At their uncle's boarding house they quickly discover that the group of people living there are all quite unique and different. There is Otto, Reverend Cleary and Birdie. Dominic quickly discovers that there is a connection between the Reverend and the book he is reading. Will be able to figure out what the Reverend knows?

There is alot of characters and alot going on in this book and I thought it was too bad that the other characters couldn't have been explored more. I would have loved to know their story and why they were there.

I have to admit it was nice to see that Dominic made the connection with Sancha and that relationship was explored. It was nice to see that he felt comfortable around her to speak finally. He stepped out of his comfort zone to help her out in the end which was really nice.

Over all I was really impressed and looking forward to reading more by Trilby in the future.

I have to say that I really liked the cover of the book with the picture of the boy sitting on a suitcase and then the picture at the bottom that is in all black of a traveling family.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Trilby Kent was born in Toronto, Ontario, and grew up in cities on both sides of the Atlantic. After completing degrees at Oxford University and The London School of Economics, she worked in the rare books department at a prominent auction house before turning to writing feature articles for publication in Europe and North America. She now lives in London, England. Medina Hill is Trilby Kent’s first novel.

These blogs are on the tour schedule today:
Kerry from http://www.shelfelf.wordpress.com
Melissa from http://www.librarianbyday.blogspot.com
Melanie from http://www.melanies--musings.blogspot.com
Lauren from http://www.laurenscrammedbookshelf.blogspot.com

CONTEST TIME:
If this book sounds interesting and you would like the chance to win a copy I have been given the opportunity to give away 1 book to one of my lucky readers. Please note that you must have a valid mailing address. Sorry NO PO Boxes. Make sure when you comment that you leave your email address so that I have a way to contact you should you be a winner.

Thanks to Sylvia for asking me to read and review this book and for allowing me to be a part of the first ever Tundra Book Tour. Looking forward to being a part of future Tundra Book Tours.

This book was provided for review by Tundra Books.

All About Us #5 Tidings of Great Boys First Wild Card Tour

cindysloveofbooksarc@gmail.com (Cindy) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 09:22:00 +0000

It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old...or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!

You never know when I might play a wild card on you!

Today's Wild Card author is:

Shelley Adina

and the book:

All About Us #5: Tidings of Great Boys

FaithWords; 1 edition (September 8, 2009)

***Special thanks to Miriam Parker of the Hachette Book Group for sending me a review copy.***

CONTEST! For a chance to win one of two prizes: a Tiffany's Bracelet OR an All About Us T-shirt, go to Camy Tang's Blog and leave a comment on her FIRST Wild Card Tour for Tidings of Great Boys, and you will be placed into a drawing for a bracelet or T-shirt that look similar to the pictures below.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Award-winning author Shelley Adina wrote her first teen novel when she was 13. It was rejected by the literary publisher to whom she sent it, but he did say she knew how to tell a story. That was enough to keep her going through the rest of her adolescence, a career, a move to another country, a B.A. in Literature, an M.A. in Writing Popular Fiction, and countless manuscript pages. Shelley is a world traveler and pop culture junkie with an incurable addiction to designer handbags. She writes books about fun and faith--with a side of glamour. Between books, Shelley loves traveling, playing the piano and Celtic harp, watching movies, and making period costumes.

Visit the author's website.

Product Details:

List Price: $9.99
Reading level: Young Adult
Paperback: 256 pages
Publisher: FaithWords; 1 edition (September 8, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0446179639
ISBN-13: 978-0446179638

AND NOW...THE FIRST CHAPTER:

SOME PEOPLE ARE born with the gift of friendship. Some achieve it. And then you have people like me, who have friendship thrust upon them.

Believe me, there’s no one happier about that than I am—in fact, I probably wouldn’t be alive right now without it—but it wasn’t always that way. My name is Lindsay Margaret Eithne MacPhail, and because my dad is a Scottish earl, that makes my mother a countess and me, a lady.

I know. Stop laughing.

To my friends I’m simply Mac. If you call me Lady Lindsay, I’ll think you’re (1) being pretentious or (2) announcing me at a court ball, and since none of my friends are likely to do either, let’s keep it Mac between us, all right?

On the night it all began, I was sitting in the dark, deserted computer lab, waiting for the digital clock on the monitor to click over: 11:00.

“Carrie?” I settled the headphones more comfortably and leaned toward the microphone pickup.

“All right?” Her familiar voice came over Skype and I smiled, even though she couldn’t see it. She sounded like sleepovers and mischief and long walks through the woods and heath. Like rain and mist and Marmite on toast. She sounded like home.

“Yeah.” I swallowed the lump in my throat. I’d chosen to come to Spencer Academy for the fall term instead of going back to St. Cecelia’s. I’d hounded my mother and, when that didn’t work, my dad, so I had no business being homesick. Besides, being all weepy just wasted precious minutes. Carrie had to leave for school, and I had to sneak back up to the third floor without the future Mrs. Milsom, our dorm mistress, catching me after lights-out.

“Only two weeks to go until you’re home,” Carrie said. “I’m already planning all the things we’re goin’ tae do. Anna Grange has a new flat in Edinburgh and she says we can come crash anytime we like. Gordon and Terrell canna wait to see you—they want to take us to a new club. And—”

“Hang on.” How to put this? “I haven’t actually decided what I’m doing over the holidays. There’s a lot going on here.”

Silence crackled in my headset. “Don’t talk rubbish. You always come home. Holidays are the only time I ever get tae see you—not tae mention all your friends. What do you mean, a lot going on?”

“Things to do, people to see,” I said, trying to soften the blow. “Mum wants me in London, of course, since she hasn’t had me for nearly three months. And I have invitations to Los Angeles and New York.”

“From who?”

“A couple of the girls here.”

The quality of the silence changed. “And these girls—they wouldna be the ones splashed all over Hello! last month, would they? At some Hollywood premiere or other?”

“As it happens, yes. I told you all about it when that issue came out.”

She made a noise in her throat that could have been disgust or sheer disparagement of my taste. “That’s fine, then. If you’d rather spend your vay-cay-shun wi’ your Hollywood friends, it’s nowt to do wi’ me.”

“Carrie, I haven’t said I’d go. I just haven’t made up my mind.”

As changeable as a sea wind, her temper veered. “You’ve got tae come. We’re all dying to see you. I saw your dad in the village and he invited all of us over as soon as you got home.”

“Did he?”

“I know. I didna think he’d even remember who I was, but he stopped me in the door of the chip shop and told me I was tae come. He sounded so excited.”

This did not sound like my dad, who wasn’t exactly a recluse, but wasn’t in the habit of accosting random teenagers in chip shops, either, and inviting them up to the house. She was probably having me on. I had a lot of practice in peering behind Carrie’s words for what she really wanted. In this case, it was simple. She was my friend, and friends wanted to be with each other.

The problem was, I had more friends now than I used to. Besides the ones at Strathcairn and in London, there were the ones here at Spencer. And lately, Carly, Shani, Lissa, and Gillian were turning out to be solid—moreso than any friends I’d had before.

Awkward.

“I’ll let you know as soon as I figure out what I’m doing,” I told Carrie. “I’ve got to go. The Iron Maiden stalks the halls.”

Carrie laughed. “Love the pic you sent wi’ yer camera phone. What a horror. Who would marry her?”

“The bio prof, apparently. The wedding’s set for New Year’s Eve to take advantage of some tax benefit or other.”

“How bleedin’ romantic.”

There was another Christmas wedding in the works, but I hadn’t heard much about it lately. Carly Aragon’s mum was supposed to marry some lad she’d met on a cruise ship, much to Carly’s disgust. I could relate, a little. If my mother was going to marry a man who looked like a relic from an eighties pop band, I’d be a little upset, too. So far Carly was refusing to be a bridesmaid, and the big day was sneaking up on her fast.

“I’ll call you over the weekend.”

“I might be busy.”

“Then I’ll call Gordon and Terrell. I know they love me.”

She blew me a raspberry and signed off. Still smiling, I laid the headphones on the desk and got up.

And froze as a thin, dark shape moved in the doorway. The lights flipped on.

I blinked and squinted as Ms. Tobin stared me down. “I thought I heard voices. Is someone here with you?” I shook my head. “You do realize, Lady Lindsay, that lights-out is ten o’clock? And it is now twenty after eleven?”

“I’ll take your word for it.”

“What are you doing in here?”

“Calling home.”

She scanned the rows of silent computers. Not a telephone to be seen. “And you can’t do that from the privacy of your own room?”

“It’s eleven twenty and my roommates are asleep,” I pointed out helpfully. “But it’s seven twenty in the morning in Scotland. I use Skype so there are no long distance charges.”

She rolled her eyes up, as if doing the math. “Calling Scotland? Your family?”

If I didn’t actually answer, I wouldn’t be lying. Instead, I let the smile falter. “I get homesick.”

Ms. Tobin pinned me with her gaze like a butterfly on a board. “I sympathize, but you still broke a school rule. A demerit will be added to your record. Again.”

Oh, please. Who cared about demerits when I needed to talk to Carrie? “I’m sorry, Ms. Tobin.”

“Come along. I’ll escort you to your room.”

And she did, like a bad-tempered Dementor floating along beside me. Only compared to that dreadful brown tweed skirt and round-toed oxfords, the Dementors were turned out in haute couture. Did the woman actually have on knee-high stockings?

“Good night, Lady Lindsay.”

I shuddered and shut the door on her, locking it for good measure.

“Mac?” Carly’s sleepy voice came from the direction of her bed, muffled by a quilt. “Who’s that with you?”

“I called home and got caught,” I whispered. “Ms. Tobin marched me up here.”

Carly groaned and subsided.

I undressed and crawled into bed. The three of us had to make do in a room designed for two. I have to admit, it was kind of fun rooming with Carly and Shani Hanna. Since her debacle with the heir to the Lion Throne last month, Shani has lost a little of her attitude. She doesn’t look at people with scornful eyes like she used to, and when she talks, it’s to you and not at you.

Or maybe it’s just me.

I returned to the problem at hand. With two weeks left to go before the holidays, what was I to do? Home or here? Old or new? Family or friends? And really, what was the difference?

I blinked and stiffened on my goosedown pillow.

That was it. There was no difference. My family and my friends all belonged together. With me. At home.

“Carly?” I whispered. “Are you awake?”

“Guhhhm.”

“Do you think everyone would like to come to Scotland with me for Christmas?”

* * *

“DEFINE EVERYONE.” Gillian leaned across her dish of oatmeal and took a tangerine out of the bowl on the table.

I swallowed a spoonful of yogurt before I answered. I hadn’t put a single molecule of porridge near my mouth since I’d arrived in the States. I’d had sixteen years of it, thank you very much, and there was no one here to make me eat the stuff.

Lissa dived into my hesitation. “You don’t really mean that, do you? All of us? At Strathcairn?”

“I do mean it. We have fourteen bedrooms, not counting the old nurseries and the staff floor. Those are closed off, anyway. The beds might be a little dusty, but if I let my dad know right away, he can get some of the ladies from the village to come and tidy things up. There’s plenty of room and tons of things to do.”

“Like what?” Carly put away oatmeal at a scary rate. I shuddered.

“Like skating on the pond and cross-country skiing. And parties.” I saw the Strathcairn of ten years ago, when Mummy had been the most spectacular hostess the old pile had seen in generations. “Lots of parties and balls and live bands and whatever we want.”

“Don’t tell me,” Shani said. “You’re going to teach us Sir Roger de Coverley, aren’t you?”

“No, that’s for babies,” I said scornfully. What did she know about country dances? “I’ll teach you Strip the Willow before we go so you don’t make utter fools of yourselves.”

“Whatever. Doesn’t sound like my thing.” She looked into her fruit cup and fished out the last blueberry.

Something in her face told me what the real problem was. “If you’re worried about the money, don’t. We’ll work it out.”

“How are you gonna do that?” Her dark eyes looked guarded. She may have been dumped by her parents for refusing to go through with an arranged marriage, but her pride wasn’t dented one bit.

“You don’t have to touch your nest egg. My allowance ought to cover a plane ticket. First class, of course.”

“Hmph.” Shani crossed her arms over her chest and looked away.

I knew she had a cool two million socked away in the San Francisco branch of the Formosa-Pacific Bank, and that one of Gillian’s dozens of cousins was her personal investment advisor. But she treated that money like it was two hundred instead of two million, watching over it with sharp eyes that didn’t let a single cent escape without accounting for itself.

Lissa glanced at Carly, who was eating and not talking, like she hoped we wouldn’t notice her. She’s a master of the art of the personal fade. “And mine can cover Carly’s,” she said.

“Let’s throw mine in and split two fares three ways,” Gillian said. “Easy peasy.”

“For you, maybe,” Carly mumbled. “Brett’s already asked me to spend Christmas with his family. Consequently my dad didn’t just blow a fuse. He totally blew out the power grid.”

“What is with your dad?” I demanded. “I’ve never seen anyone so protective. I’d die if I were smothered like that.”

“She isn’t smothered,” Shani said with a glance across the table at Carly. “Between my dad and hers, I’d take hers any day. At least he cares.”

“Is it guilt talking?” Lissa wanted to know. “The whole ‘I’m out of town ninety percent of the time, so we have to spend every minute of the ten percent together’ thing?”

“I guess.” Carly sipped her honey latte. “So if he had that kind of fit about me spending Christmas sixty miles away, guess what he’d say about going to another continent?”

“Good point.” I refused to take no for an answer, though. “But what about you, personally?” Never mind. I answered the obvious myself. “I guess if you had the choice, you’d pick Brett.”

“Not necessarily.” She smiled at me, that warm Carly smile that makes puppies and old people and prickly Scots love her. “His house is nice, but it’s no castle.”

Lissa laughed. “I bet it has central heating, though.”

“Strathcairn has central heating.” I tried not to sound defensive. “In the new part, and the kitchen. And there are fires in every room.”

“I’m not putting wood on a fire and getting smoke in all my clothes.” Lissa held up a “stop it right there” hand.

“Not a wood fire, ye numpty, a gas fire.” I looked at them all. “In the bedrooms, at least. There are real fireplaces downstairs, in the sitting room and library. Honestly, what else has she been telling you?”

“Just that it was cold,” Gillian offered. “Forty degrees, I think she said. Inside.”

I pretended to glare at Lissa, maligning my house behind my back. “If you all came, the place would be at its best—I promise. You’ll love it. And if your parents give you static, tell them to come, too.”

“Ewww.” Gillian looked appalled, and Shani, who has stayed in New York with Gillian’s family before, buried her snort of laughter in her tall glass of pomegranate juice.

“Wait a second.” Lissa looked as if she’d just figured out a new way to ace a bio exam. She flipped out her phone and pressed a button. “Hey, Dad, it’s me. Fine. No, nothing’s wrong and no, I don’t need a favor.” She rolled her eyes at us. “When is the UK premiere of The Middle Window? Yes. Wow, you’re kidding. That’s perfect. So you’re going over.” She mimed smacking her forehead. “Never mind, dumb question. What about Mom? Oh.” She was silent for several seconds, blinking her contacts into place as her eyes filled. She gulped, then cleared her throat. “Well, I doubt it, but I’ll try. Okay. Thanks. Yeah, I’m at breakfast. Finals this week. Need lots of protein and antioxidants and stuff to make the brain retain, you know? Love you two times. ’Bye.”

All round us, the dining room rattled and silverware clashed on plates and people talked incessantly. But at our table, several pairs of eyes watched silently as Lissa tapped her phone off and put it in her glossy Kate Spade tote.

“Are you okay?” Gillian was the only one with the nerve to ask. But then, she and Lissa room together, so they probably share a lot we don’t know about.

Lissa smoothed one hand over her blond hair, making sure her Stacey Lapidus hairband with its little rhinestone love knot was still in place. “Recovering,” she said. “Stand by for reboot.”

Anyone else would have said, “Give me a minute,” but Lissa isn’t like anyone else. None of these girls are. It’s a bit weird that we’ve all found each other here, frankly. Or maybe not weird. Maybe inevitable. There’s the Christian thing, of course. I used to think it wasn’t my cup of tea at all, having quite a horror of Bible-thumpers and mad-eyed conviction. But these girls aren’t like that at all.

I said they were solid, and what they believe is part of it. When I first met them, I used to try to catch them out. Get them to make a mistake, blow up, whatever. But I never could—at least, not that they’d let me see. No matter how badly I treated them—and I can get pretty bad, as anyone will tell you—they didn’t dish it back. Oh, they said a few things. No one is that good, especially considering the provocation. But we slowly became friends, and I slowly got drawn into their circle.

Which isn’t a bad place to be, since they’re what’s considered the A-list round here. Oh, you have your Vanessas and your Danis and your DeLaynes, but they’re more bark than bite. They orbit in a different universe—as a matter of fact, they’ve sort of gone off orbit since Vanessa started going round with the Prince of Yasir. What do you call it when planets lose their center of gravity and start drifting off into space? That clique is like that now.

Lissa took a deep breath and I focused on her. Recovery, evidently, was complete.

“Thing one: Dad says that the UK premiere is on December 19. Term ends on the eighteenth. Thing two: he’s going over for it, and the production team at Leavesden Studios, as well as the people from Scotland, are all invited. Thing three: both your mom and your dad are invited, too, Mac.” I blinked in surprise. Dad hadn’t said a word about it, and I’d gotten an e-mail from him that morning. “And thing four: my mother says she’s not going. Dad wants me to talk her into it. What do you think my chances are?”

The hope in her eyes was almost painful. I knew all about hope. Been there, done that, threw away the T-shirt.

“I guess that means at least you’re coming, then,” I said briskly. “Because of course you’ll talk your mother round. And once you do, your parents are coming to Strathcairn afterward for Christmas. I insist.”

Because if Lissa could talk her mother into coming, then I could talk mine into it as well. For the first time since the divorce.

This was going to be the best, most unforgettable Christmas ever. I’d make certain of it.

Please note that I didn't request this book from First Wild Card Tours, I did get this book from Miriam@ Hachette Books earlier this year. This series sounds like its really good so I just wanted to promote this tour and book on my blog. Please look for my week of reviews of this series in the upcoming months.

Ripley's Believe It or Not Seeing is Believing Review

cindysloveofbooksarc@gmail.com (Cindy) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 05:59:00 +0000

PUB DATE: August 2009

ABOUT THE BOOK:
This all new 6th title in the best selling Ripley’s Believe It or Not! annual series, is a compendium of incredible bizarre facts, stories, interviews and features all presented in a stunning bright new design.

This year’s book also features icons that guide readers to astounding video clips on our new fully-integrated website, where they can see some of our subjects in action. Also, a dramatic eight-page gatefold section presents some extraordinary performers of the past, and additional black and white Ripley archive photographs feature throughout the book.

Be amazed at the dentist with no arms, the snake that swallowed a wallaby, an
underwater sculptor and a four-eared cat! For the legions of dedicated Ripley’s fans, and anyone else on the planet who loves unbelievable facts and jaw-dropping images, the latest annual in this successful series is a feast of delights.

MY THOUGHTS:

I remember when I use to work at Coles book store that I loved the day that the shipments for Ripley's would come in. Myself and the rest of the staff would go through this book from front to back during our shifts. We always would put a little display of this on the cash.

Although I haven't worked at Coles in many years I would always try to get to Chapters and look through the book. Now I actually have my own copy and I enjoyed looking and reading through this book. Michael enjoyed looking at the pictures too.

I didn't realize that Ripley's had 31 museums around the world. They are located in England (2), New York and 18 other locations in the US, 2 in Canada ( I have been to the one in Cavendish PEI several years ago), Australia, India, Denmark, Malaysia, Mexico (2), Thailand and Kuwait. Have you been to one?

The book is divided into twelve sections: Strange but True, Extreme Earth, Incredible feats, Unusual Customs, Crazy Creatures, Travel Tales, Fanatastic Food, Body Oddity, Strange Sites, Artistic License, Amazing Science and Beyond Belief. All filled with great facts and pictures.

I have to say that the Artistic license was my favorite section of the whole book. There is a Georgian artist who takes old books and seals them and then turns them into works of art. They are truly beautiful works of art. Michael enjoyed the pictures of the balloon art. We also enjoyed the light graffiti which you can see here: http://ripleybooks.com/annuals/2010/extras/187

There is so many great facts throughout the book and so many amazing and strange people in the world. One of the strange things is that in India they use leeches to cure a variety of aliments including blood and immunity disorders. Another thing is there is a dentist in Indonesia who has no formal training and has learned from what he has read and he has no hands. Yea that will be one dentist I won't go to. The guy in the picture actually looks scared. I would be too.

There is so much in this book that I could blog about it all day but I can't so if you are curious then I have to say go and pick up this book so you can see for youself. This would make a great Christmas gift.

www.ripleys.com and you can see some amazing pictures and videos here: http://www.ripleybooks.com/

Thanks to Carolina at Wellons Communication for sending this great book to me.

This book was provided for review by Ripley Publishing (Wellons Communication) .

In My Mailbox/Mailbox Monday

cindysloveofbooksarc@gmail.com (Cindy) — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 08:01:00 +0000

This is one of the weekly meme's that I love doing, taking part in and snooping to see what others have gotten this past week in their mailboxes.

In My Mailbox (IMM) is a weekly Sunday meme hosted by Kristi-The Story Siren and on Monday its hosted by Marcia-Printed Page.

To see that they and others got go check out those great blogs.

This is what came to my door this week:

The Amish Cook's Baking Book by Lovina Eicher w/ Kevin Williams. PUB DATE: Oct 2009 Thanks to Andrews McMeel.

Soul Catcher by Leigh Bridger PUB DATE: Oct 2009 This was sent from the Belle Books. It was a win from BBAW.

Ripley's Believe It or Not! Seeing is believing. PUB DATE: July 2009. This was sent from the publisher.

What did you get this week?

Books Bought # 24

cindysloveofbooksarc@gmail.com (Cindy) — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 00:10:00 +0000

Books Bought is a meme that I am hosting here on Cindy's Love of Books.

If you want to take part in this meme all you have to do is grab the logo for your blog and make a post about the books you have bought. It must ba books that you have physically bought and paid for no matter the source.

Then leave a comment here in this post telling me you took part and I will go and check it out.

Please note that this may lead to excess book buying in the end.

This is what I bought this past week even though I said I was not going to buy anything.

Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld. I got this at Costco for nearly half the price had I bought it at a regular bookstore. This is going to get signed on Nov 4th when Scott will be in town.

What books did you buy this week?

Happy Halloween

cindysloveofbooksarc@gmail.com (Cindy) — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 10:52:00 +0000

Happy Halloween to all my readers.

Last Breath First Wild Card Tour

cindysloveofbooksarc@gmail.com (Cindy) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 17:17:00 +0000

Today's Wild Card author is:

Brandilyn & Amberly Collins

and the book:

Last Breath (Rayne Series #2)

Zondervan; 1 edition (October 1, 2009)

***Special thanks to Lindsey Rodarmer of ZONDERKIDZ for sending me a review copy.***

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Brandilyn and Amberly Collins are a mother/daughter team from northern California. Brandilyn is a bestselling novelist, known for her trademarked "Seatbelt Suspense". Amberly is a college student in southern California. She and her mom love attending concerts together.

Visit the author's website.

Here's a video about the first book in the Rayne Series:

Product Details:

List Price: $9.99
Reading level: Young Adult
Paperback: 240 pages
Publisher: Zondervan; 1 edition (October 1, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0310715407
ISBN-13: 978-0310715405

AND NOW...THE FIRST CHAPTER:

Your father sent me.

The last words of a dying man, whispered in my ear.

Were they true? What did they mean?

Your father sent me. The stunning claim drilled through my head, louder than the crowd’s screams.

Guitars blasted the last chord of Rayne’s hit song, Ever Alone, as Mom’s voice echoed through the Pepsi Center in Denver. The heavy drum beat thumped in my chest. With a final smash of cymbals the rock song ended. Multicolored laser lights swept the stadium, signaling the thirty-minute intermission.

Wild shrieks from thousands of fans rang in my ears.

I rose from my chair backstage. Tiredly, I smiled at the famous Rayne O’Connor as she strode toward me on high red heels. In the lights her sequined top shimmered and her blonde hair shone. She walked with confidence and grace, the picture of a rock star—until she stepped from her fans’ sight. Then her posture slumped, weariness creasing her beautiful face. Mom’s intense blue eyes usually glimmered with the excitement of performing, but now I saw only the wash of grief and exhaustion. How she’d managed to perform tonight, I’d never know. Except that she’s strong. A real fighter.

Me? I had to keep fighting too, even if my legs still trembled and I’d probably have nightmares for weeks.

Your father sent me.

I had to find out what those words meant.

“You’re a very brave young lady,” a Denver detective had told me just a few hours ago. I didn’t feel brave then or now.

“You okay, Shaley?” Mom had to shout over the screams as she hugged me.

I nodded against her shoulder, hanging on tightly until she pulled back.

The crowd’s applause died down. A heavy hum of voices and footsteps filtered from the stadium as thousands of people headed for concessions and bathrooms during the break.

Kim, the band’s keyboard player and alto to my mom’s lead vocals, stopped to lay a darkly tanned hand on my head. A strand of her bleached white-blonde hair was stuck to the gloss on her pink lips. She brushed it away. “You’re an amazing sixteen-year-old.”

I shrugged, embarrassed. “Thanks.”

Mick and Wendell, Mom’s two remaining bodyguards, approached without a word. I gave a self-conscious smile to Wendell, and he nodded back, sadness flicking across his face. His deep-set eyes were clouded, and the long scar across his chin seemed harder, more shiny. At five-eleven, Wendell is short for a bodyguard but every bit as muscled. Tonight his two-inch black hair, usually gelled straight up, stuck out in various directions. He hadn’t bothered to fix it since the life and death chase he was involved in just a few hours ago. Seeing that messed-up hair sent a stab through me. Wendell was usually so finicky about it.

Mick, Mom’s main personal bodyguard, folded his huge arms and stood back, waiting. Mick is in his forties, ex-military and tall, with a thick neck and block-shaped head. I’ve rarely seen emotion on his face, but I saw glimpses of it now. He and Wendell had been good friends with Bruce, Mom’s third bodyguard.

Bruce had been killed hours ago. Shot.

And he’d been trying to guard me.

My vision blurred. I blinked hard and looked at the floor.

“Come on.” Mom nudged my arm. “We’re all meeting in my dressing room.”

Mick and Bruce flanked her as she walked away.

Usually we don’t have to be so careful backstage. It’s a heavily guarded area anyway. But tonight nothing was the same.

Kim and I followed Mom down a long hall to her dressing room. Morrey, Kim’s boyfriend and Rayne’s drummer, caught up with us. He put a tattoo-covered arm around Kim, her head only reaching his shoulders. Morrey looked at me and winked, but I saw no happiness in it.

Ross Blanke, the band’s tour production manager, hustled up alongside us, trailed by Stan, lead guitarist, and Rich, Rayne’s bass player. “Hey.” Ross put a pudgy hand on Mom’s shoulder. “You’re doing great.” He waved an arm, indicating everyone. “All of you, you’re just doing great.”

“You do what you have to,” Stan said grimly. His black face shone with sweat.

Narrowing single file, we trudged into the dressing room. Mick and Wendell took up places on each side of the door.

Marshall, the makeup and hair stylist, started handing out water bottles. In his thirties, Marshall has buggy eyes and curly dark hair. His fingers are long and narrow, deft with his makeup tools. But until two days ago, he’d been second to Mom’s main stylist, Tom.

“Thanks.” I took a bottle from Marshall and tried to smile. Didn’t work. Just looking at him sent pangs of grief through me, because his presence reminded me of Tom’s absence.

Tom, my closest friend on tour, had been murdered two days ago.

Mom, Ross, Rich and I sank down on the blue couch—one of the furniture pieces Mom requested in every dressing room. Denver’s version was extra large, with a high back and overstuffed arms. To our left stood a table with plenty of catered food, but no one was hungry. I’d hardly eaten in the last day and a half and knew I should have something. But no way, not now.

Maybe after the concert.

Stan, Morrey and Kim drew up chairs to form a haphazard circle.

“All right.” Ross sat with his short, fat legs apart, hands on his jeaned thighs. The huge diamond ring on his right hand was skewed to one side. He straightened it with his pinky finger. “I’ve checked outside past the guarded area. The zoo’s double what it usually is. The news has already hit and every reporter and his brother are waiting for us. Some paparazzi are already there, and others have probably hopped planes and will show up by the time we leave.”

Is Cat here? I shuddered at the thought of the slinky, effeminate photographer who’d bothered us so much in the last two days. He’d even pulled a fire alarm in our San Jose hotel the night before just to force us out of our rooms. Now by police order he wasn’t supposed to get within five hundred feet of us. I doubted he’d care.

My eyes burned, and my muscles felt like water. Little food, no sleep, and plenty of shock. Bad combination. I slumped down in the couch and laid my head back.

Ross ran a hand through his scraggly brown hair. “Now at intermission folks out there”—he jabbed a thumb toward the arena—“are gonna start hearing things. Rayne, you might want to say a little something when you get back on stage.”

Mom sighed, as if wondering where she’d find the energy to do the second half of the concert. “Yeah.”

I squeezed her knee. If only the two of us could hide from the world for a week or two.

Make that a whole year.

Rich frowned as he moved his shaved head from one side to the other, stretching his neck muscles. His piercing gray eyes landed on me, and his face softened. I looked away.

Everyone was so caring and concerned about me. I was grateful for that. Really, I was. But it’s a little hard to know you’ve been the cause of three deaths. Under all their smiles, did the band members blame me?

Ross scratched his hanging jowl. “We got extra coverage from Denver police at the hotel tonight. Tomorrow we’re supposed to head out for Albuquerque. It’s close enough for Vance to drive the main bus without a switch-off driver, and the next two venues are close enough as well. But that’s just logistics. We’ve all been through a lot. Question is—can you all keep performing?” He looked around, eyebrows raised.

“Man.” Morrey shook back his shoulder-length black hair. “If three deaths in two days isn’t enough to make us quit …” His full lips pressed.

I glanced hopefully at Mom. Yeah, let’s go home! I could sleep in my own bed, hide from the paparazzi and reporters, hang out with Brittany, my best friend—who was supposed to be here with me right now.

But canceling concerts would mean losing a lot of money. The Rayne tour was supposed to continue another four weeks.

Mom hunched forward, elbows on her knees and one hand to her cheek. Her long red fingernails matched the color of her lips. “I almost lost my daughter tonight.” Her voice was tight. “I don’t care if I never tour again—Shaley’s got to be protected, that’s the number one thing.”

I want you protected too, Mom.

“I agree with that a hundred percent,” Morrey said, “but at least the threat to Shaley is gone now that Jerry’s dead.

Jerry, one of our bus drivers—and a man I’d thought was my friend—killed Tom and Bruce, and then came after me earlier that night. A cop ended up shooting him.

Kim spread her hands. “I don’t know what to say. I’m still reeling. We’ve barely had time to talk about any of this tonight before getting on stage. I feel like my mind’s gonna explode. And Tom …”

She teared up, and that made me cry. Kim had been like a mother to Tom. Crazy, funny Tom. It was just so hard to believe he was gone.

I wiped my eyes and looked at my lap.

“Anyway.” Kim steadied her voice. “It’s so much to deal with. I don’t know how we’re going to keep up this pace for another month.”

Mom looked at Ross. “We can’t keep going very long with only Vance to drive the main bus.”

Ross nodded. “Until Thursday. I’d have to replace him by then.”

“With who?” Mom’s voice edged.

“I don’t know. I’ll have to jump on it.”

“You can’t just ‘jump on it.’ We need time to thoroughly check the new driver out.”

“Rayne.” Ross threw her a look. “I did check Jerry out. Completely. He had a false ID, remember? That’s what the police said. I couldn’t have known that.”

“You might have known if you’d checked harder.”

Ross’s face flushed. “I did—”

“No you didn’t! Or if you did it wasn’t good enough!” Mom pushed to her feet and paced a few steps. “Something’s mighty wrong if we can’t even find out a guy’s a convicted felon!”

What? I stiffened. “How do you know that?”

Mom waved a hand in the air. “The police told me just before we left the hotel.”

We’d huddled in the manager’s office after the policeman killed Jerry.

I stared at Mom. “When was he in jail?”

Mom threw a hard look at Ross. “He’d barely gotten out when we hired him.”

Heat flushed through my veins. I snapped my gaze toward the floor, Jerry’s last words ringing in my head.

Your father sent me.

How could my father have sent Jerry if he was in jail?

“Rayne,” Ross snapped, “I’ve told you I’m sorry a dozen times—”

“Sorry isn’t enough!” Mom whirled on him. “My daughter was taken hostage. She could have been killed!”

Rich jumped up and put his arms around her. “Come on, Rayne, it’s okay now.”

She leaned against him, eyes closed. The anger on her face melted into exhaustion. “It’s not okay.” Mom shook her head. “Tom’s dead, Bruce is dead. And Shaley—”

Her words broke off. Mom pulled away from Rich and hurried back to the couch. She sank down next to me, a hand on my knee. “Shaley, you’re the one who’s been through the most. What do you want to do?”

My throat nearly swelled shut. Go home! I wanted to yell. But I couldn’t. It wouldn’t be fair. This wasn’t my tour. I didn’t have to pay the bills.

I glanced around at all the band members. Morrey was holding Kim’s hand. Stan and Rich watched me, waiting. A canceled tour wouldn’t just affect them. Rayne had three back-up singers, one of them Carly, who’d been such a help to me. Plus all the techs and roadies. They’d all lose money.

Wait—maybe Mom would let me go home and stay with Brittany. Now that Tom’s and Bruce’s killer was dead …

“Shaley?” Mom tapped my leg.

“I don’t … I can’t stop the tour.”

Ross exhaled. “Rayne?”

Mom looked at the wall clock and pushed to her feet. “We can’t decide this now. It’s only fifteen minutes before we have to be back on stage. I still need to change.”

Stan stood. “I say we figure on doing Albuquerque, and then we can decide about the rest.”

“Yeah, me too.” Rich got up, along with everyone else. I could see the business-like attitude settle on all their faces, including Mom’s. Soon they had to perform again. Every other concern must be pushed aside. In the entertainment world the saying was true: the show must go on.

Within a minute everyone had left except Mom, Marshall and me. Mom threw herself into a chair by the bright mirrors so Marshall could adjust her makeup. When he left she changed into a steel blue top and skinny-legged black pants.

I sat numbly on the couch, four words running through my mind. Words, I sensed, that would change my life.

Your father sent me.

Mom didn’t know what Jerry had whispered to me as he died. I needed to tell her.

But how? Like me, she was running on empty. It would be one more shock, another scare. I wasn’t sure she could take anymore and still perform.

Had Jerry told me the truth? Had the father I’d never known—the man my mother refused to talk about—purposely sent a killer to join our tour?

I needed to know. I needed to find out. Because if it was true—the danger was far from over.

PLEASE NOTE MY REVIEW IS TO COME.

Halloween in my neighborhood

cindysloveofbooksarc@gmail.com (Cindy) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 13:50:00 +0000

Every year the week or two before Halloween there is this one house in my area that decorates for Halloween.

We actually got to know them over the years from the time Michael was very little. They are a great family and Michael got to know their youngest daughter really well. Although she is double Michael's age he really likes her. She is a great friend to Michael.

These pictures were taken in the day time as you can see only because I haven't been able to go over in the evening. Hoping to do another post on Halloween night with the night pictures.

They are brothers Brad and Brent that decorate the front of Brent's yard and its called the Smitheman Family Haunted Yard. They have been doing it for the past 5 years. (Although I thought it was longer)

Every year through the Haunted Yard they raise money for the Montreal Chapter of the Starlight Children's Foundation. They have raised as much as $12,000.

I have to tell you the pictures don't do it justice they have all kinds of creepy and spooky things in the yard. To let you know how creepy and scary it is last year on Halloween night Michael actually went into the yard and half way up the front stairs to get a Halloween treat. The first year he wouldn't even go past the picture #3's fence and gradually he has made his way.

The funny part is that Michael knows whats in the yard because he has helped them out and he knows who everyone is.

If you are in the Montreal area and want to check this out its 116 Maywood in Pointe Claire.

Wanted to share this

cindysloveofbooksarc@gmail.com (Cindy) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 13:50:00 +0000

This comic was in the Sunday Montreal Gazette paper.

Evening out at the local library

cindysloveofbooksarc@gmail.com (Cindy) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 01:02:00 +0000

Well its a Wednesday night and that means another night out with Donna. This is something that we have been anxiously awaiting for since September when the schedule of library events was announced.

Tonight we got to listen to Bill Haugland the author of his debut novel Mobile 9. Bill spoke about all his years working as a news anchorman with a local tv station here in Montreal. At the time it was CFCF but now its CTV Montreal. Bill was very entertaining and had us laughing at some of his stories. He read a passage from his book and then he did a Q&A.

He was exactly like he was on tv. It was a pleasure to meet him after watching him for so long doing the news.

As for another book there might be one in the works but nothing he could confirm tonight.

ABOUT BILL:
Bill Haugland was a television news anchorman for CFCF-TV in Montreal, Quebec.

A native of Montreal, Haugland studied at Ryerson University and Concordia University. He joined CFCF-TV in 1961, when that station signed on for the first time.

As a reporter, Haugland covered many key events in Montreal and Quebec, including Expo 67 and the October Crisis in 1970.

Haugland became an anchor for CFCF's nightly newscast, Pulse, in 1977 (later renamed CFCF News and later, CTV News). After becoming an anchor for Pulse, Haugland relocated from Montreal to Vermont; he commuted back and forth across the international border to anchor CFCF's newscast.[1] He was also a host of CFCF's public affairs program, As It Is, for sixteen years, along with a similar program, On Assignment.

Haugland retired on November 30, 2006 after being associated with CFCF-TV for 45 years.

ABOUT MOBILE 9:
A page-turning mystery set in Montreal of the 60s.

In 1969, a call for revolution and an explosion at the home of Montreal Mayor Jean Drapeau draws Ty Davis, a young television reporter, into the realm of underworld chaos and violence. A colleague is accused of a crime he did not commit. What follows exposes a city’s dark side and ensnares Davis, his family and friends in a web of drug smuggling and murder. Lives and livelihoods hang in the balance.

Advance praise for Mobile 9:

“Mobile 9 is a TV reporter’s compelling snapshot of a city’s mean streets. The late sixties clash of cultures in Quebec! The battle for underworld dominance in Montreal! It was a time when Montreal TV viewers were on the edge of their seats, faced with exploding bombs, the city’s police strike and escalating political turmoil. This novel covers it all. Mobile 9 still has time for romance, corporate intrigue and evolving careers, in an industry I know and love. It is gritty and jam-packed with plot twists and turns.” –Mike Duffy

“It’s a page-turner that transports the reader back in time, to the seedier side of a big city many of us remember only from the news.” –Mutsumi Takahashi

PUB DATE: Canadian date was May 2009 and September 2009 US.

Check back here next Wednesday when I will talk about our next evening out with Scott Westerfeld, Cassandra Clare and Holly Black. I am hoping to get a ton of pictures and video for that post.

This might be our last author evening out for awhile as I haven't heard about anyone else coming as of yet.

Make Ahead Meals For Busy Moms Review

cindysloveofbooksarc@gmail.com (Cindy) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 12:43:00 +0000

Title: Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms
AUTHOR: Jane Doiron
PUB DATE: September 2009

Thanks to Pump Up Your Book Promotion for allowing me to take part in this virtual tour of this great cookbook.

ABOUT THE BOOK:
Make-Ahead Meals for Busy Moms Cookbook consists of 140 family-favorite make-ahead recipes, which are recipes that can be frozen ahead, assembled ahead, or cooked ahead and reheated. The cookbook’s recipes are a combination of all three.

The Make-Ahead Meals for Busy Moms cookbook includes recipes for freezable meals like Spaghetti Sauce with Meatballs, Sloppy Joe’s, Chicken Noodle Soup and Hearty Chili. Recipes for frozen marinated meats such as Teriyaki Chicken, Thai Chicken and Taco Meat allow for quick meals on busy nights. The make-ahead strategy assures that with a freezer stocked with make-ahead meals, busy moms will spend less time at the grocery store and less money on unhealthy prepared or take-out food.

Jane Doiron’s goal was to seek out main dish, family-favorite recipes that could be modified into make ahead meals without sacrificing the food’s taste and texture by freezing. After years of home-testing recipes, Jane has compiled this must-have cookbook with specific make-ahead directions. In addition, Jane includes her best recipes for clever side dishes, flavorful appetizers and luscious desserts. Imagine opening your freezer to pick out a family-favorite appetizer, main dish, or dessert, and all you have to do is thaw and heat it!

By making meals in advance, when time does permit, busy moms will be rewarded with quick home-cooked meals, appetizers, or desserts, when they really need them.

MY THOUGHTS:
I am going to go on record and say I love reviewing cookbooks. I usually don't buy cookbooks because they are expensive but when given the chance to review them I am all over it and can't wait to get them.

I was so excited to get this one because this one says I could save time, money, effort and still have delicious meals. I love trying new recipes because it takes something ordinary like chicken, pork etc and turn it into something new and exciting.

Honestly if you are like me you get tired of the same foods and are looking for something new well this is the cookbook for you or even to give as a gift.

Not only does this book offer 140 recipes but also there are some helpful tips and measurement equivalents. Jane also breaks the recipes down into what you can make ahead of time and how you can freeze it.

Another great thing about the cookbook is the ingredients are all easy to find and if your store doesn't have that extact brand or type you can easily substitute for something similiar.

The only down side of the cookbook was there was no pictures to accompany the recipes apart from the front and back covers. With that being said just reading the recipes you could picture them in your mind.

Jane as included recipes for appetizers, breakfast & brunch, desserts, soups, side and main dishes. I have tried several recipes and looking forward to the holidays when we have company over to try some of the appetizers.

To date from the cookbook I have made:

- Bruschetta (we loved this recipe)
- Banana Bread, Bran Muffins,
- Hawaiian Bread (for this I ended up substituting macadamia nuts for walnuts as I had everything on had apart from the macadamia nuts, it was still very good)
-Mini Banana Chocolate chip Muffins (although I made these in regular muffin tins)
-Strawberry bread, Chocolate Fudge (this recipe is very similar to the one I make every Christmas)
-Oatmeal Cookies,
-Chicken Parmesan,
-Meat Pies,
-Mini Meatloaves,
-Sloppy Joes (this was great to see in the book as we love Sloppy Joes and I can only find the cans in NB and in Ontario so I usually stock up when I got but now I can make it from scratch)

I am looking forward to trying many more recipes from this great cookbook.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Jane Doiron is a busy working mom of two boys. She is an Elementary School teacher with a passion for cooking and experimenting with recipes. With her busy schedule, Jane has found that make-ahead meals (meals prepared in advance) are time-savers, money-savers and are the best alternatives to eating “take-out”, which is not usually a healthy meal choice. Jane’s cookbook is the result of her years of seeking out new recipes, experimenting with family-favorite recipes, and turning them into make-ahead meals.

For more information visit: www.makeaheadmealsforbusymoms.com

This book was provided for review by OUTSKIRTS PRESS .

In My Mailbox/Mailbox Monday

cindysloveofbooksarc@gmail.com (Cindy) — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 13:36:00 +0000

In My Mailbox and Mailbox Monday are weekly memes that I love taking part in. I love to see what great books everyone got the past week.

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi and she posts In My Mailbox (IMM) on Sundays and most of the time Kristi does a vlog for it. Mailbox Monday is hosted by Marcia and she posts hers on Monday's.

This is what came to my door last week. What new books found a home at your house?

-From the author Jason Barger, he sent me a signed copy of his book Step Away From the Baggage Claim. Thisis for an upcoming tour of his book.

I am neurotic and so are you by Lianna Kong. This was from Harper Studios and it came with a small bottle of Purell.

-Lessons in French by Laura Kinsale. Thanks Danielle at Sourcebooks for sending me this. Look for my review of this in February 2010.

Norman Rockwell: Behind the Camera by Ron Schick. Thanks to Anna at HBG for sending this.

-Beg, Borrow Steal :A writer's life by Michael Greenberg

-Primitive by Mark Nykanen. This was a win from BBAW.

-Fallen by Lauren Kate. Thanks to Delacorte Press for sending me this ARC. Look for my review of this book in December.

-Your Family Constitution by Scott Gale. This was sent to me by the author.

-Ansel Adams In Color. Thanks to Anna at HBG for sending me this.

-Angels by Chuck Fischer. Thanks to Anna at HBG for sending me this.

-Perfect Snow by Barbara Reid. Thanks to Scholastic Canada for sending us this book. You can see my review on htttp://booksuponaweeonesshelf.com

-Rachael Ray's Book of 10: More then 300 recipes to cook every day by Rachael Ray. Thanks to Random House Canada for sending me this great cookbook. I love Rachael Ray.

If you are a regular reader of my blog you will notice that I am posting this early and I will probably will be posting this more on Sundays. I have a jammed week of reviews being scheduled to post this week. Enjoy.

Unplanned Outing Today

cindysloveofbooksarc@gmail.com (Cindy) — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 01:13:00 +0000

Today I had an unplanned outing with Donna. When I say unplanned I mean unplanned. I only saw this yesterday in our local paper. I mentioned it to Donna at lunch yesterday about Geronimo Stilton coming to Babar bookstore in the Pointe Claire Village and that I was thinking of going and bringing Michael.

It was only when we were at La Book-tique and found book 1 Lost Treasure of The Emerald Eye (in perfect condition) that I think we said okay sure lets meet up and go.

Yesterday after school I asked Michael if he would like to go and he was super excited and wanted to go. We started to read the book and he was enjoying it. Then this morning Michael decided that he didn't want to go because his cousin is in this weekend visiting from Chicago and he got presented what aparently was a better offer of going bowling. Needless to say Michael went bowling and I went to get his book signed.

I dropped them off at bowling and went to Donna's store to meet up with her. The store is so cute. They have quite a selection of books and I can honestly say that I walked out without buying anything.

We had no clue who or what was going to be at Babar. Would it be the character or the real writer? This is what we found when we walked into Babar.

This guy (mouse) was a hoot. Donna and I did not stop laughing the whole time we were there. He was very polite and when he would sign the book he would always end with "Ton Ami Geronimo Stilton". It was so funny and he did this every time he signed a book.

The above is a clip where he says at the end Ton Ami, Geronimo Stilton. Hope it will work.

I got an autograph cheese card, I got two signed books for Michael and I even got a cheese card signed for my nephew.

Sorry Donna I got your hand in the above picture.

This is me with Geronimo Stilton.

Geronimo if you are reading this it was great meeting you today. Really looking forward to reading the rest of the books in this series.

Geronimo also told us his sister Thea Stilton has started to write and has a couple of books out.

Books Bought # 23

cindysloveofbooksarc@gmail.com (Cindy) — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 01:09:00 +0000

Books Bought is a meme that I am hosting here on Cindy's Love of Books. As my readers already know I am a huge book buyer and more so since I have begun to review books.

Books Bought is a meme where you share with your readers the books you have bought. It can be weekly, monthly etc just as long as they are books that bought for whatever source. (online, store, sales etc)

If you would like to take part in the Books Bought Meme all you have to do is snag the logo and post about it on your blog and link back letting me know you have done so and I will stop by and check what goodies you bought.

Please note that Books Bought might lead to more books on your next visit to a bookstore.

This is what I bought this week past week, even though I said I wouldn't but I couldn't resist.

-Good Neighbors Book 1 & 2 by Holly Black (graphic novels)
-Tithe by Holly Black
I ended up buying these because Holly Black is coming to Chapters in Pointe Claire on Nov 4th along with Cassandra Clare and Scott Westerfeld.

-Magic Tree House 1 & 2 by Mary Pope Osborne
These are for Michael because he is starting to enjoy chapter books and our friend at Chapters recommended these for him.

This is another book for Michael that I bought him. With all the is going on in my area with two attempted kidnappings I really wanted Michael to know what was going on. We have borrowed this several times from the library and I figured we should own our own copy.

Another thing I bought at chapters which isn't shown is Ready, Set, Go: Travel Set. It was on the bargain table and it consists of two passport wallets, and four coordinated luggage tags. The are beige plaid with brown trim and blue plaid with brown trim. I thought this would be great for when I go to NY.

Friday after having lunch with Donna we decided to head to La Book-tique to look around well needless to say some books managed to fall into my hands. Here is what I picked up there:

-Making Your Mind Up by Jill Mansell
-Iggie's house by Judy Blume (never heard of this before.)
-Then again maybe I won't by Judy Blume (never heard of this one either)
-BK 1 Lost Treasure of the Emerald Eye by Geronimo Stilton (I bought this one because he was at a children's bookstore today.)
-The Spiderwick Chronicles BK 1: The Field Guide by Holly Black (This one I spotted on the counter and picked it up because she is coming to town.)

Then today at Babar Books for the Geronimo Stilton signing I bought Book #2 The Curse of the Cheese Pyramid.

This is what I bought, what did you buy?

After The Moment Review

cindysloveofbooksarc@gmail.com (Cindy) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 17:21:00 +0000

PUB DATE: May 2009

PUBLISHER: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children

ABOUT THE BOOK:

After the Moment is a novel about boys, love, and violence. Leigh Hunter and Maia Morland meet at a dinner party four years after their high school romance ended in bloodshed, legal charges, and parental meddling. During the party, Leigh remembers how and why he fell in love with Maia, who liked to describe herself as an anorexic, self-cutting “train-wreck”. The novel explores how love transforms us, and how failing to meet its complicated demands helps to shape the adults both Leigh and Maia become.

MY THOUGHTS:

This is the first time I have heard of Garret Freymann-Weyr and read any of her books.

After the moment is about a person's first love. We all remember our first love and its always a special relationship that we hold deep in our hearts.

Its also about perseverance, strength and loyalty, but also of betrayal, pain, and disappointment.
When I first picked up After the Moment I thought it was a girl story but quickly realized that it was about a guy, Leigh. I have to admit as I was reading it I kept picturing Leigh as a girl and that had to do with the spelling of the name.

Leigh is your typical perfect guy if there is such a thing. He is attractive, athletic, smart, and selfless. A girls dream guy to say the least. He is leading the good life and things are going great he is looking forward to senior year, his girlfriend Astra, and what the future might hold for him beyond high school.

Leigh is your typical teenager who worries about finding a summer job that would look good on his college applications, where to apply and other things.

Things are good until one day something tragic happens to make Leigh question his life.

It was nice to read Leigh being total unselfish and turning his back on his life to be there and help his little sister, Millie out. Even though it meant moving to live with her and leaving his life behind in New York. He wants to be there for Millie and to help her cope and get over her loss.

Leigh's plan is to take care of Millie and be loyal to his girlfriend back home but that doesn't happen as he begins to fall in love with the sweet and a little bit odd Maia Morland. Maia's life is basically a train wreck waiting to happen. She is dealing with an eating disorder, a father who is in jail and a few other issues.

I enjoyed reading the book and I have to send a big thank you to TLC tours for allowing me to be a part of this tour and for introducing me to a new author. I am looking forward to reading her other books,

This book was provided for review by Houghton Mifflin Books for Children.

After The Moment Tour

cindysloveofbooksarc@gmail.com (Cindy) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 17:07:00 +0000

TITLE: After the Moment by Garret Freymann-Weyr

PUB DATE: May 2009

ABOUT THE BOOK:

After the Moment is a novel about boys, love, and violence. Leigh Hunter and Maia Morland meet at a dinner party four years after their high school romance ended in bloodshed, legal charges, and parental meddling. During the party, Leigh remembers how and why he fell in love with Maia, who liked to describe herself as an anorexic, self-cutting “train-wreck”. The novel explores how love transforms us, and how failing to meet its complicated demands helps to shape the adults both Leigh and Maia become.

“…an expertly crafted story about a complicated first love.”— Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)

“After the Moment is a story of first love, but it’s so much more. It’s a story of perseverance, strength and loyalty, but also of betrayal, pain, and disappointment. It’s a story every reader who has loved and lost can relate to, which is the very reason it’s not one to be missed.”- teensreadtoo.com

“Fluid and filled with dramatic pathos, Freymann-Weyr’s book does a terrific job of establishing young love and what happens when it doesn’t go according to plan. Written with great heart, this book caters to readers young and old.”- Romantic Times Book Reviews

“…An engaging male-coming-of-age tale that explores notions of violence, devotion, and trust against a thought-provoking backdrop of love and war.”- The Horn Book

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Garret Freymann-Weyr (née Weyr) was born and raised in New York City. She inexplicably went to college in North Carolina (UNC-Chapel Hill) and, just as inexplicably, got an MFA in film (NYU). She now lives outside Washington, D.C. with her husband. She has written five books for young adults, one of which, somewhat inexplicably, won a Printz honor. Her work has been sold to countries including the Netherlands, Germany, Japan, and China. Her next book, French Ducks in Venice, is a picture book for a younger audience.

http://www.freymann-weyr.com/index.html