200th Post Giveaway!!!

My last post (the review of The Unseen) has put me at a grand total of 200 posts since starting my blog in March of this year. Wow!

In honor of my 200th post, I want to host a giveaway. :)
I am willing to part with my gently read copy of The Unseen. Since it was the topic of my 200th post, it seems only fitting to give it away. The book is too good to keep to myself!

Here are the rules:

1. Leave a comment on this post with your email address, so that I may get in touch with the winner. (For one entry).

2. For 2 entries, let me know that you are a Follower of my blog, or become a Follower of my blog.

3. For 3 entries, blog about this giveaway on your blog (in the sidebar is fine) or Tweet about it on Twitter.

This giveaway is open to US/Canada only. If I had a little more money, I could open it to everyone...sorry. Maybe next time!

This contest ends on July 22, 2009. (That's my Dad's birthday, btw!) I will draw a winner using random.org and announce the winner on July 23, 2009.

Good Luck to everyone!

~Book Review~ The Unseen by T.L. Hines

I have a new favorite author. His name is T.L. Hines. He is an incredible author! I have read only one of his books (I am ordering his others) and I can honestly say that his writing is awesome.

The Unseen grabbed me from the first page and didn't let me go until the very end. Hine's story flows evenly. There are no disjointed paragraphs or chapters. I was able to keep all of the characters straight and not get lost along the way. Although the story is very straightforward, there are many twists and turns. It is a gripping story from start to finish!

From the back cover:
Lucas is a loner, but he's never alone. From secret hiding places, he peers into the lives of others - watching them while they work, while they commute, while they sip their morning coffee. He is a master at remaining silent and unseen in his carefully constructed world as an invisible observer.
But when a chance encounter turns the tables, the watcher becomes the watched. Caught up in an escalating series of events he is powerless to stop, Lucas discovers an underground organization with a chilling mission.
Anyone can be watched. No one is safe. And the most terrifying secrets of all remain unseen. Until now.

FIVE STARS
Thomas Nelson (2008), Hardcover, 400 pages
ISBN1595544526 / 9781595544520



A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
T.L. Hines writes "Noir Bizarre" stories, mixing mysteries with oddities in books such as WAKING LAZARUS and THE DEAD WHISPER ON. His work has won recognitions ranging from the Maryland Writers Association novel contest to LIBRARY JOURNAL'S "25 Best Genre Fiction Books of the Year" award.
He lives in Montana with his wife and daughter, where he defends an undefeated 3-0 record in air guitar competitions.

~Teaser Tuesday~ 6-30-09

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:* Grab your current read* Open to a random page* Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! ;)

Here is mine:

"I hurt for my parents, who have been forced to surrender half their heart. I hurt for all of them and I hurt for me, because I miss every one of these tortured people whom I love and whom I've left behind, broken and bleeding." Page 88, The Late, Lamented Molly Marx by Sally Koslow

What's YOUR teaser today?

~The Humane Award~

I have been given The Humane Award by Cathy at One Eyed Stuffed Bunny. Thank you so much Cathy! What a sweet award!

"The Humane Award is in order to honor certain bloggers that I feel are kindhearted individuals. They regularly take part in my blog and always leave the sweetest comments. If it wasn’t for them, my site would just be an ordinary book review blog. Their blogs are also amazing and are tastefully done on a daily basis. I thank them and look forward to our growing friendships through the blog world.”

I nominate the following blogs:

Dar at Peeking Between The Pages
Blodeuedd at Book Girl of Mur-y-Castell
Julie at Midlife Jobhunter

There are many more of you who visit my page often and leave lovely comments....I appreciate each and every one!

~Mailbox Monday~ 6/29/09

What a week last week! I was gone on vacation, and while I was gone, I received a bunch of books!

FROM PAPERBACKSWAP.COM I received:


The Girls by Amy Goldman Koss
*Dreamland by Sarah Dessen
*Just Listen by Sarah Dessen
*This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen
*That Summer by Sarah Dessen
**These are for the Sarah Dessen Challenge that I am participtating in.

FROM CONTEST WINS:


The Night Gardener by George Pelecanos received from JustJenniferReading!
The Well and the Mine by Gin Phillips received from ReadingGroupChoices.com!

FOR REVIEW:



Planet of the Dogs by Robert J. McCarty - This is the first book in the Planet of the Dog series for children and dog lovers of all ages. It was sent to me by the author for review! Thanks, Robert!
For more information on the book, please go to www.planetofthedogs.net and blog http://barkingplanet.typepad.com.

What did you receive in YOUR mailbox?

~More 1972~

Gov. George C. Wallace of Alabama is shot by Arthur H. Bremer at Laurel, Md., political rally (May 15).


Five men are apprehended by police in attempt to bug Democratic National Committee headquarters in Washington, D.C.'s Watergate complex start of the Watergate scandal (June 17).


US GDP (1998 dollars): $1,237.30 billion
Federal spending: $230.68 billion
Federal debt: $435.9 billion
Median Household Income
(current dollars): $9,697
Consumer Price Index: 41.8
Unemployment: 5.9%
Cost of a first-class stamp: $0.08

Events:
Time Inc. transmits HBO, the first pay cable network.
Women dominate the 1971 Grammy Awards, taking all four top categories. Carole King won Record, Album and Song of the Year, while Carly Simon takes the Best New Artist award.
The National Institute of Mental Health and the surgeon general issue a report that claims exposure to violence on television fosters aggression in children.
Gloria Steinem's Ms magazine debuts.
M*A*S*H premieres on CBS.
Atari introduces the arcade version of Pong, the first video game. The home version comes out in 1974.

Movies:
The Godfather, Deliverance, Cabaret, Sleuth, The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie

Books:
John Ashberry, Three Poems
John Gardner, The Sunlight Dialogues
Maxine Kumin, Up Country
James Merrill, Braving the Elements
Eudora Welty, The Optimist's Daughter
Science
Nobel Prizes in Science
Chemistry

~Flashback Saturday~ 1972~

I had to pick this song for 1972...it was absolutely one of my favorites! Also, my Dad, who was the band director at my school, chose this song for the band to play that year. It is funny too, because since I joined Facebook, some old students that played in my Dad's band in the seventies have messaged me and said "Everytime I hear "Brandy" I think of your Dad". :)

~In 1972 I was eight years old and we moved from our house in Eastchester to Mount Vernon, New York. We were watching All In The Family and Hawaii Five-0, and my Dad bought a bright yellow VW Beetle for himself.~

I'm Back!

Well, vacation time is over! It always goes too fast. We had a great time at the beach. The weather was good...sunny and in the 80's. The stretch of beach that we were at this summer was very crowded...I couldn't believe how many people were there! If we didn't get down to the beach before 10:00 am, we actually had a difficult time locating a place to put our chairs and umbrella! Just think of that....ridiculous! By the third day that we were there, I figured out what was going on, and it infuriated me. People would go down to the beach around 8 or 9 and would put up their umbrellas, or tents (so many people had these huge tents like something you would put in your back yard) and then leave....they were "saving" beach space for themselves. . It was crazy. At the resort where my cousin was staying, there was a big sign out at the pool that read "No Saving Chairs". She said people were doing it anyway....taking their beach towels down and draping them over chairs, then disappearing for two hours...probably eating breakfast. What is this world coming to? I just don't understand.......

Anyway, enough of my grumbling. We had a great time. I read one book while I was there (and what a GREAT book it was!) The Unseen by T.L. Hines. I highly recommend this book...it was intense...a real page turner!

Now that I am home, I need to catch up on so many things! At least I have one more day to relax before heading back to work tomorrow.

I hope that everyone has a great day today, and I am glad to be back....I missed everybody!

~Mailbox Monday~

This is what I received in the mail last week:

The Boys Of My Youth by Jo Ann Beard
From the back cover: Cousins, mothers, sisters, dolls, dogs, best friends: these are the fixed points in Jo Ann Beard's universe, the constants that remain when the boys of her youth - and the men that replace them - are gone. This widely praised collection of autobiographical essays summons back, with astonishing grace and power, moments of childhood epiphany as well as the cataclysms of adult life: betrayal, divorce, death. It is a book that heralds the arrival of an immensely gifted and original writer.
This book was received from PBS.

Keeping The Moon by Sarah Dessen
This is the first Sarah Dessen book that I will read for The Sarah Dessen Challenge that I am participating in! I received the book from PBS.
From the back cover: Fifteen year old Colie has never fit in. First, it was because she was fat. Then, after she lost the weight, it was because of a reputation that she didn't deserve. So when she's sent to stay with her eccentric aunt Mira for the summer, Colie doesn't expect too much. After all, why would anyone in Colby, North Carolina, want to bother with her when no one back home does?
But Colby turns out to be a nice surprise of Colie. Almost without trying, she lands herself a job at the Last Chance Bar and Grill. There she meets fellow waitresses Morgan and Isabel - two best friends who teach her what friendship is all about, and help her learn to appreciate who she really is.

What was in YOUR mailbox today?

~More 1971~

US GDP (1998 dollars): $1,125.40 billion
Federal spending: $210.17 billion
Federal debt: $408.2 billion
Median Household Income
(current dollars): $9,028
Consumer Price Index: 40.5
Unemployment: 4.9%
Cost of a first-class stamp: $0.06 ($0.08 as of 5/16/71)

Events:
All in the Family debuts on CBS and introduces a trend in socially conscious programming.
Jim Morrison dies in Paris at age 27. (July 3).
The Allman Brothers' Duane Allman dies in a motorcycle accident at age 24. (Oct. 29).
The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts opens in Washington, D.C. with the premiere of Leonard Bernstein's Mass.

Movies:
A Clockwork Orange, The French Connection, The Last Picture Show, Fiddler on the Roof, McCabe & Mrs. Miller

Books:
E.M. Forster, Maurice
John Hawkes, Blood Oranges
Frank O'Hara, The Collected Poems
Bernard Malamud, The Tenants
Cynthia Ozick, The Pagan Rabbi and Other Stories
Wallace Stegner, Angle of Repose

~Flashback Saturday~ 1971~

The Monkees! I loved them...never missed an episode. Who was your favorite Monkee?
Mine was Micky....he was always so funny and cute! All of my other friends loved Davy...EVERYBODY loved Davy! This was one of my favorite songs, Saturday's Child.

~In 1971 I was seven years old and listened to The Monkees on my tiny turntable record player!

~What were YOU doing in 1971?~

~Vacation Time!~

Hubby and I are leaving for North Myrtle Beach SC on Saturday...along with our 2 Chihuahua's and our Frenchie Daisy. We are going for a week for some much needed rest and relaxation!

My computer time will be very limited...we are staying in a private condo, so I will not have access to WiFi. We may go to Starbucks a few mornings and I can update my blog then. If we don't get a chance, then I will resume blogging on Saturday, June 27th, the day we return home.

I am taking a stack of books with me, so hopefully I will get in a lot of reading time! I look forward to it!

In the meantime, everyone please take care! Talk to you when I get back! :)

~THE FRIDAY 56~

The Friday 56 is hosted by Tonya at Storytime With Tonya and Friends.
Rules:
* Grab the book nearest you. Right now.
* Turn to page 56.
* Find the fifth sentence.
* Post that sentence (plus one or two others if you like) along with these instructions on your blog or (if you do not have your own blog) in the comments section of this blog.
*Post a link along with your post back to this blog.
* Don't dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.

You are not stupid, Colie. Don't let anyone make you think you are. Okay?
~Keeping The Moon by Sarah Dessen

~Friday Finds~

Austin and Emily by Frank Turner Hollon
From Amazon.com:
The last thing that canned ham salesman Austin MacAdoo expected to find when he took a seat in a strip joint in Tampa, Florida was love. The last thing that 23-year-old stripper Emily Dooley predicted on an average night was to walk away from her job and run off with a 347 pound stranger who was drinking milk punch at the bar. And yet, that’s exactly what happens. Armed with a trunk full of ham, two odd cats, and a stowaway whose most precious possession is a coat of human hair, they set off on a trip with the destination of a wedding on Julia Robert’s star on the Sunset Strip in Hollywood, California.

From the moment they meet, fate collides with reality and sets the couple on a course across the country to explore more than they ever imagined could exist in this world, leading us to conclude that perhaps the greatest misconception is the belief we must understand anything of true importance in this life, especially love. Funny and surprisingly tender, Austin and Emily is an old fashioned story about contemporary love, from the author The God File and Life is a Strange Place.


The Gerbil Farmer's Daughter: A Memoir by Holly Robinson
From Booklist
Robinson’s traditional military-brat upbringing is upended by her father’s sudden and inexplicable fascination with gerbils. As she details the family’s dedication to this new project, her mother’s grudging tolerance, and the machinations required to keep the gerbils secret from the navy (which would frown upon such kitschy weirdness), Robinson makes her family seem ordinary in spite of this one bit of strangeness. And her father was no rodent dilettante, as evident in her chronicling of his years of research into using gerbils in lab experiments and his careful business plan. What keeps this surprising memoir from becoming a Lucille Ball/Henry Fonda parody is, sadly, the sudden death of Robinson’s younger sister from cystic fibrosis, a disease her father hopes can be cured through scientific inquiry. Suddenly gerbil farming isn’t so silly after all. Robinson writes with humor and honesty, creating a charming story, a reminder of how all the love and care in the world may not be enough, and a moving tribute to a father who, nonetheless, never stopped trying. --Colleen Mondor

Poisoned Heart: I married Dee Dee Ramone by Vera Ramone King
Often regarded as the first punk-rock group ever, named one of Rolling Stone magazine’s Top 50 Bands of All Time, with all members having been inducted into the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame, The Ramones are nothing if not legendary. “Waking up the neighbors” and setting the U.S. music scene on fire in the 1970s and through the ’80s, The Ramones’ story is tragic and raw, sentiments that could also describe the band’s songwriter, bass player, and unsung genius, Dee Dee. A wild ride into the heart and soul of New York City, Poisoned Heart is Vera Ramones King’s last testament to her former husband, who shocked the world when he died in 2002 of a drug overdose despite having been clean for years.
Dee Dee defined the punk-rock lifestyle. He was a rash, often violent, heroin addict, and no one better understood his twisted mentality, or insanity, than faithful wife Vera. But Vera, herself a less destructive “Nancy” to Dee Dee’s “Sid,” also came to know the Dee Dee that music fans worldwide held near and dear: a generous, loving man who had a soft-spot for bums, who grew up in the tough streets of Queens, who never stopped working, writing, and performing, who often treated his wife like a Punk Rock Princess, and whose greatest joy was the look on his fans’ faces as he played them a song.
For true fans of The Ramones, those who remember the 1970s as a time of music innovation and inspired creativity, groupies, wannabes, and true music-lovers everywhere, Poisoned Heart is destined to become a literary—and rock—classic.

Identical by Ellen Hopkins

Kaeleigh and Raeanne are identical down to the dimple. As daughters of a district-court judge father and a politician mother, they are an all-American family -- on the surface. Behind the facade each sister has her own dark secret, and that's where their differences begin.

For Kaeleigh, she's the misplaced focus of Daddy's love, intended for a mother whose presence on the campaign trail means absence at home. All that Raeanne sees is Daddy playing a game of favorites -- and she is losing. If she has to lose, she will do it on her own terms, so she chooses drugs, alcohol, and sex.

Secrets like the ones the twins are harboring are not meant to be kept -- from each other or anyone else. Pretty soon it's obvious that neither sister can handle it alone, and one sister must step up to save the other, but the question is -- who?

All of the above books have been added to my Wish List on Amazon.com.

What did YOU find today?

~Wordless Wednesday~ 6/17/09

~Cover Attraction~

Cover Attraction is hosted by Marcia at The Printed Page. She says "I'm a very visual person and love beautiful or interesting cover art. It entices, and invites me to stop and take a peek, instead of walking right on by.

This cover grabbed my attention while browsing on Amazon. The house looks eery. It makes you wonder what is going on inside.....a murder? Robbery?



From Amazon.com:
Product Description
The Homicide Department is upside down—Richard Christie is in the hospital, Artie Dolan is headed away on vacation, John Potocki’s life is falling apart, and Colleen Greer is so worried about her boss’s health, she can hardly think. A young boy in Pittsburgh’s North Side neighborhood dies of a suspicious overdose. The Narcotics police are working on tips and they draft Colleen and Potocki to help them. In this same neighborhood, four young kids have been abandoned and are living on their own. The Philips kids, brainy in school, are reluctant to compromise themselves. But they need cash. Connecting these people and their stories is Nick Banks, just out of prison and working off a debt to an old acquaintance involved in the drug trade. Nick is a charmer, a gentle fellow who’s had a lot of trouble in his life. One day he gives free food to the Philips kids, little guessing how connected their lives are about to become.

Kathleen George’s latest work pushes the edge—a spectacularly original crime novel.

~Waiting On Wednesday~

I used to read Jeffrey Deaver a lot. My favorite novel of his was The Coffin Dancer. This one caught my eye...It sounds creepy and full of suspense! I am definitely going to add this to my ever-growing wish list! The book is due to be released July 1, 2009.

Waiting on Wednesday is a meme hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine.


From Booklist
Deaver is bound to slip up sometime. But not this time. This novel, which follows on the heels of Sleeping Doll (2007), again stars California Bureau of Investigation agent Kathryn Dance and, like its predecessor, is tightly constructed with a suspenseful story and plenty of plot twists. Deaver, perhaps more than any other crime writer, is able to fool even the most experienced readers with his right-angle turns, and this story of a serial killer who uses social networks to find his prey is full of them. Deaver’s investigators are very good at their jobs, and in order to fool them (and us), he must be exceedingly clever, as well as just a little bit deceitful (having characters say things that turn out not to be true, for example, even though they believed the things when they said them). So far Deaver has avoided accidentally telegraphing a plot twist in advance, but someday, surely, he’ll out-clever himself. Or maybe he won’t. This is an excellent entry in what promises to be a series as popular as the author’s Lincoln Rhyme novels. --David Pitt --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

• Publisher: Center Point Pub; Lrg edition (July 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1602854963

My Book Review Policy ~June 2009~

Authors and Publishers:

I love reading and reviewing books, which is the reason why I created my blog. It is a hobby for me for which I have become very addicted to! I work full time so my reading time is limited. When I receive books for review I usually try to get them read and reviewed in a timely manner. My time log for reading and reviewing ARC's and other books is about 2-3 months out right now. In other words, if I receive an ARC copy to review today, I would plan to have it read and reviewed by the 16th of August. I appreciate each and every offer that I receive!

The genres that I am willing to review are Contemporary Fiction (including coming-of-age), Biographies and Memoirs, YA Fiction, Southern Fiction, Thrillers, Horror and Suspense. I do not read Historical Fiction or Romance Novels. I would be interested in conducting author interviews and guest bloggers on my blog. I am unable to accept ebooks for review at this time.

If you are not in too much of a rush to have your book read and reviewed, then I would be very happy to do so! Please contact me with any questions: k9kutter64@yahoo.com.

~Award Time~

Susan at A Southern Daydreamer Reads has presented me with the One Lovely Blog Award. Thank you so much Susan! ***Smiling!***. Pop on over to her blog and visit her...she's a sweetie!

Here are the rules:

1. Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award, and his or her blog link.
2. Pass the award to other blogs….
3. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

I am passing this award on to these bloggers:

1. Susie at My Guilty Pleasures
2. Kim at The Book Butterfly
3. Katie at My Life In Books
4. Caspette at The Narrative Causuality
5. Monie at Reading With Monie

~Tuesday Teaser~

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:* Grab your current read* Open to a random page* Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! ;)

"Julia clenched the tissues in her hand until she thought her fingers might never open again. Until she felt the warmth of her own blood as it seeped through her fingers, where her nails had dug into the soft flesh." ~Plea of Insanity by Jilliane Hoffman Pg. 253.

What is YOUR teaser today?