Teaser Tuesday

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! ;)

Today's teaser comes from Night Road by Kristin Hannah:

~She'd watched from a distance as her immature, coltish boy had become a man. Grief had shattered him, fatherhood had put him back together.~ pg. 307

What's YOUR teaser today????

WE HAVE WINNERS!

First of all, I must apologize if I sound a little shaky...I have crawled from the depths of my sick bed to announce my giveaway winners this evening!!! (Did that sound dramatic? :) ) Seriously, I am suffering from a nasty stomach bug, but seem to be on the mend, thank goodness!

The winner of my GRATITUDE GIVEAWAY of the three books by Alyson Noel is:

TIFFERZ19

Congratulations Tiffany!! I have sent Tiffany an email. If she does not respond in 72 hours, another winner will be chosen.


The winners of my 300 FOLLOWERS GIVEAWAY are:

bookloversdiary
tarter95
natashajennex

The three winners will each get a $10.00 Gift Card from Amazon.com! I have emailed the winners and all have 72 hours to respond. If I don't hear back, other winners will be chosen.

I want to thank ALL of you for joining in these Giveaways, and being loyal followers of my blog.

I hope that all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday, and wish all of you Happy Holidays ahead, filled with family, friends, shopping and reading!

XOXOXO

~Sweetie~ by Kathryn Magendie

Over-weight, bespectacled twelve-year-old Melissa is captivated by wild-mountain-girl Sweetie. As the two friends explore the Western North Carolina mountains where Sweetie lives, they learn about friendship and family, loss and love, loyalty and betrayal. Before the tragedy that changes their lives, and causes Melissa to lose her friend to the mountain spirits, the two become friends, blood sisters, confidants, and caretakers of secrets. At the end of that summer, Sweetie makes a sacrifice that only twelve-year-old Sweetie could make for her mother, and alternatively, Melissa makes a selfish decision, then can only stand by and watch as her friend is there, then gone.


My Thoughts:

I loved every minute of this story. A beautiful coming-of-age tale set in Appalachia in the 1970's, tells the story of Melissa and Sweetie; Shy, overweight Melissa, and brash, outspoken Sweetie, who become fast friends. It is a story of a summertime friendship, spent roaming the Smoky Mountains of North Carolina's Haywood County. Two friends who become "bound sisters" for life, each needing something from the other. Author Kathryn Magendie lives and works in the very same area where this story takes place. Her love for the mountains shines through in her story, with beautiful details of the flowers, rocks and creeks where the girls play. This book is now one of my top favorite Coming-of-Age stories (which include Roseflower Creek by J.L. Miles, Prayers and Lies by Sherri Wood Emmons, Walking Through Shadows by Bev Marshall, Where the Woodbine Twines by Sherry Austin, The Star Lite Drive In by Marjorie Reynolds, Summer of the Redeemers by Carolyn Haines...Just to name a few!) "Sweetie" is a character that I will never forget~

A West Virginia native, Kat Magendie came home to Maggie Valley via South Louisiana, where she reclusively writes and co-edits/publishes The Rose & Thorn online journal. Visit her at www.kathrynmagendie.com


**Many thanks to Deborah Smith at Bell Bridge Books for the opportunity to read and review "Sweetie"**

What are YOU Waiting for Today??

Waiting On Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine.


My Waiting On Wednesday pick for today is But I Love Him by Amanda Grace.

From Goodreads:

Tonight was so much worse than anything before it.
Tonight he didn't stop after the first slap.

At the beginning of senior year, Ann was a smiling, straight-A student and track star with friends and a future. Then she met a haunted young man named Connor. Only she can heal his emotional scars; only he could make her feel so loved-and needed. Ann can't recall the pivotal moment it all changed, when she surrendered everything to be with him, but by graduation, her life has become a dangerous high wire act. Just one mistake could trigger Connor's rage, a senseless storm of cruel words and violence damaging everything-and everyone-in its path.

This evocative slideshow of flashbacks reveals a heartbreaking story of love gone terribly wrong.

This title will be released on May 8, 2011.

What are YOU waiting for today????

Teaser Tuesday

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! ;)

My teaser today comes from Almost Perfect by Brian Katcher:

~In the strange world of male bonding, questioning someone's sexuality and hygiene was a way to demonstrate friendship and camaraderie. Unfortunately for Chad, I was overly sensitive about my sexual identity that day.~ pg. 115

What's YOUR teaser today?????

~Mailbox Monday~

I had a great haul last week. I got a few books from PBS, and it was my birthday on Saturday! Thanks to my husband, I received 4 new books from him, from my wish list!

The Tension of Opposites by Kristina McBride:

It’s been two years since Noelle disappeared. Two years since her bike was discovered, sprawled on a sidewalk. Two years of silence, of worry, of fear.

For those two long years, her best friend Tessa has waited, living her own life in a state of suspended animation. Because how can she allow herself to enjoy a normal high school life if Noelle can’t? How dare she have other friends, go to dances, date boys, without knowing what happened to the girl she thought she would share everything with?

And then one day, someone calls Noelle’s house. She’s alive.

A haunting psychological thriller taken straight from the headlines, The Tension of Opposites is a striking debut that explores the emotional aftermath of a kidnapping on the victim, and on the people she left behind.

Tragedy at Tin Can Holler by Rozetta Mowery:

"Tragedy in Tin Can Holler" is a captivating must read true story of a family's past transgressions revealing a serial killer during the great depression, incest and child abuse, lies and betrayals and domestic violence buried for decades! The vicious murder of the author's mother haunted her for 48 years, but discovering the truth about her mother's murder was just the tip of the iceberg. Her story is spell-bounding as she unveils the hidden secrets that shocked the residents of 3 counties in southeast Tennessee.

The Daily Coyote by Shreve Stockton:

Developed from her tremendously popular blog, writer and photographer Shreve Stockton presents an inspiring journal of her experiences raising an orphaned coyote as a beloved pet.

Horns by Joe Hill:

Ignatius Perrish spent the night drunk and doing terrible things. He woke up the next morning with a pair of horns growing from his temples.

At first, Ig thought the horns were a hallucination, the product of a mind damaged by rage and grief. He had spent the last year in a lonely, private purgatory, following the death of his beloved, Merrin Williams, who had been raped and murdered under inexplicable circumstances. A mental breakdown would have been the most natural thing in the world. But there was nothing natural about the horns, which were all too real.

Once, the righteous Ig had enjoyed the life of the blessed. But Merrin's death damned all that. The only suspect in the crime, Ig was never charged or tried. And he was never cleared. Nothing Ig can do or say matters. Everyone it seems, including God, has abandoned him. Everyone that is, but the devil inside. . . .

Now Ig is possessed of a terrible new power—a macabre talent he intends to use to find the monster who killed Merrin and destroyed his life. It's time for a little revenge . . . it's time the devil had his due . . .

What was in YOUR mailbox????

Feathered by Laura Kasischke

Afterward, Terri will tell everyone that, from the beginning, she knew something terrible was going to happen on spring break.

Something bad was going to happen.

She knew.

It was supposed to be the perfect vacation: hot guys, impeccable tans, and no parents. But for two high school seniors, an innocent car ride will drive them into the heart of their worst nightmare.

Feathered is a provocative and eerie tale that flies readers from safe, predictable suburbia to the sun-kissed beaches of Cancún, Mexico, and into mysterious Mayan ruins, where ancient myths flirt dangerously with present realities.

Feathered by Laura Kasischke

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Three friends travel to Cancun for Spring Break, and the unthinkable happens.

This was a good story that seemed all too real. I noticed that it was published after Natalee Holloway's disappearance, and the story was eerily similar.

Two of the three girls decide to tour the Mayan Ruins with an older man, who is not a certified Tour Guide. Their friend stays behind at the hotel to party with some other kids that she has met. What transpires is a nightmare that is all too real.

The book kept me guessing right up until the end - it did not disappoint. Great read!



View all my reviews

300 FOLLOWERS GIVEAWAY!

Happy Friday!

So much is going on in Blog Land right now ~ Lots of Giveaways and Holiday Cheer ~ So....I'm going to add ANOTHER GIVEAWAY into the mix~

This one is all my own.....and......it is because of you, my followers. I have now reached over three hundred followers, and I'm thrilled. Now, I know a lot of my newest followers have joined me because of my Gratitude Giveaway contest....and that's fine. I hope that you all will continue to follow Missy's Book Nook even after the contest is over.

Now, for my Three Hundred Follower Giveaway! Three lucky followers will each win a $10.00 Amazon Gift Card! To enter, just leave me a comment:

Old Follwer +2 extra entries
New Follower +1 extra entry
Friend on Goodreads +2 extra entries

Add 'em up for me, and please be sure to give me your email address, so that I may notify you if you win. This contest will run from November 20th through November 27th, 2010. The winner will be announced the week after Thanksgiving. All winners will have 72 hours (3 days) to respond. If I do not hear back from you, another winner will be chosen.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone, and thanks a bunch for following "Lil' ol' ME! XOXO!"

Prayers and Lies by Sherri Wood Emmons

From Amazon:

When seven-year-old Bethany meets her six-year-old cousin Reana Mae, it's the beginning of a kinship of misfits that saves both from a bone-deep loneliness. Every summer, Bethany and her family leave Indianapolis for West Virginia's Coal River Valley. For Bethany's mother, the trips are a reminder of the coalmines and grinding poverty of her childhood, of a place she'd hoped to escape. But her loving relatives, and Bethany's friendship with Reana Mae, keep them coming back.

But as Bethany grows older, she realizes that life in this small, close-knit community is not as simple as she once thought. . .that the riverside cabins that hold so much of her family's history also teem with scandalous whispers. . .and that those closest to her harbor unimaginable secrets. Amid the dense woods and quiet beauty of the valley, these secrets are coming to light at last, with a force devastating enough to shatter lives, faith, and the bond that Bethany once thought would last forever.

Spanning four decades, Sherri Wood Emmons' debut is a haunting, captivating novel about the unexpected, sometimes shocking events that thrust us into adulthood--and the connections that keep us tethered, always, to our pasts.


My Thoughts:

You know that feeling that you get when you first start reading a book and you quickly fall in love with the main character? You hang on to their every word and feel the same emotions that they are feeling? That's how it was between me and Bethany Wylie. Bethany and her parents and her three sisters spend every summer on the Coal River in West Virginia. Her parents were born and raised there, and there were numerous aunts, uncles and cousins to visit with. Bethany forms a special bond with one of her cousins when she is seven years old. Reana Mae is six, and they become sisters and soul mates. What transpires over the next four decades between the two of them and their families range from poetic to painful...unimaginable and unbelievable. It had me wondering ~ Could their friendship remain strong?

I was in Wendy's yesterday, eating a salad while reading this book, and my mouth literally dropped open during one chapter. I lost a little lettuce and blue cheese, but I tell you, it was well worth it.

Prayers and Lies made me laugh, cry, and yearn to crawl into the pages to be with Bethany and Reana Mae, to hug them and tell them that everything will be okay.

Sherri Wood Emmons has written a beautiful coming - of - age novel that has now earned a spot in my favorite Top Ten Reads ever. I certainly hope that she is working on her next novel...I'll be waiting for it~

Visit Sherri's website at www.sherriwoodemmons.com

It's Giveaway Time!

It's that time of year again...to give thanks for everything that we have.....family, health, friends and BLOG FOLLOWERS!

The Gratitude Giveaway was kindly put together by Kathy (Inspired Reader) iamareadernotawriter, in honor of our followers to show our appreciation to you all! Over 170 blogs are participating in this awesome giveaway! Here's your chance to find some fabulous new blogs to add to your list to follow, to visit your old friends, and enter some very enticing giveaways, all book-related. It is truly a time to be thankful! Please visit the Gratitude Giveaway Link to see all participating blogs and enter their giveaways!

I'm giving away 3 books, all to one lucky winner!

Radiance
Evermore
Shadowland
All by Alyson Noel!!

I want to keep it simple, so to enter the giveaway, please only comment ONE TIME.

Please let me know if you are a NEW FOLLOWER. If you are new, you get one extra entry.

If you are an OLD FOLLOWER, you will get two extra entries.

If you are my friend on GOODREADS you will get one extra entry.

In your comment PLEASE LEAVE AN EMAIL ADDRESS WHERE I CAN REACH YOU IF YOU WIN.

The winner will be announced on November 29th, 2010.

Thanks to everyone: New and old followers alike; Have a Blessed Thanksgiving and Good Luck!

Thanks for being a faithful follower of Missy's Book Nook! XOXO

Teaser Tuesday

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! ;)

My teaser this week comes from Prayers and Lies by Sherri Wood Emmons:

~Sitting in the mud on that muggy day, I found my real sister. I was seven, Reana Mae was six, and I had no way of knowing just how intertwined our lives would become. Pg. 9~

What's YOUR teaser today???

The Compound by S.A. Bodeen; A Real Page-Turner!

From Goodreads:

Eli and his family have lived in the underground Compound for six years. The world they knew is gone, and they've become accustomed to their new life. Accustomed, but not happy. For Eli, no amount of luxury can stifle the dull routine of living in the same place. with only his two sisters, only his father and mother, doing the same thing day after day after day. As problems with their carefully planned existence threaten to destroy their sanctuary - and their sanity - Eli can't help but wonder if he's rather take his chances outside. Eli's father built the Compound to keep them safe. But are they safe - or sorry?

My Thoughts:

I loved it! It was so neat to envision The Compound, filled with all of the luxuries that the wealthy Yanakakis family was accustomed to in their "real" home above ground, before the nuclear attack. Rex, the family patriarch, filled their underground space with movies, music, and even a gym. The family is "kept in the dark" so to speak, for 6 long years. Until their son Eli becomes suspicious of his father, and attempts some sneaking around behind his father's back. What he stumbles across is shocking...not only to him, but to the rest of his family as well. This was a fast-paced page turner that I highly recommend.

Very Good!

Reading level: Young Adult
Paperback: 272 pages
Publisher: Square Fish; First Edition edition (September 1, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0312578601
ISBN-13: 978-0312578602

My Thoughts on Wrong Number by Rachelle Christensen

When Aubree Stewart receives a mysterious phone call on her way to work, she doesn't know what to think. At first she assumes it's some kind of prank. But the call isn't a practical joke, and Aubree soon finds herself swept up in a world of danger, intrigue, and murder. With help from the FBI, Aubree races to protect herself and what's left of her family, but the one thing she forgets to protect is her own heart.

My Thoughts:

Quick, enjoyable thriller with romance included. The mystery kept me on the edge of my seat, and the puzzle pieces didn't fit together until the very end. The characters were totally likable, and I especially enjoyed the relationship between Aubree and Wyatt, the park ranger. I fell in love with Aubree's baby, Scarlett, and feared for their safety while they were on the run.

I think this novel was very well written, and will be looking for more by Rachelle Christensen. Stop by Rachelle's blog at www.rachellewrites.blogspot.com or visit her website at www.rachellechristensen.com.



Very Good!

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Bonneville Books; 1st edition (March 8, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1599553643
• ISBN-13: 978-1599553641

My Thoughts on The Help by Kathryn Stockett

From Goodreads:

Three ordinary women are about to take one extraordinary step. Twenty-two-year-old Skeeter has just returned home after graduating from Ole Miss. She may have a degree, but it is 1962, Mississippi, and her mother will not be happy till Skeeter has a ring on her finger.

Skeeter would normally find solace with her beloved maid Constantine, the woman who raised her, but Constantine has disappeared and no one will tell Skeeter where she has gone.

Aibileen is a black maid, a wise, regal woman raising her seventeenth white child. Something has shifted inside her after the loss of her own son, who died while his bosses looked the other way. She is devoted to the little girl she looks after, though she knows both their hearts may be broken.

Minny, Aibileen’s best friend, is short, fat, and perhaps the sassiest woman in Mississippi. She can cook like nobody’s business, but she can’t mind her tongue, so she’s lost yet another job. Minny finally finds a position working for someone too new to town to know her reputation. But her new boss has secrets of her own.

Seemingly as different from one another as can be, these women will nonetheless come together for a clandestine project that will put them all at risk. And why? Because they are suffocating within the lines that define their town and their times. And sometimes lines are made to be crossed.

In pitch-perfect voices, Kathryn Stockett creates three extraordinary women whose determination to start a movement of their own forever changes a town, and the way women — mothers, daughters, caregivers, friends — view one another.

A deeply moving novel filled with poignancy, humor, and hope, The Help is a timeless and universal story about the lines we abide by, and the ones we don’t.

My Thoughts:

There aren't enough words to express how much I loved this book. I waited so long to read it, too...just because I usually do not read hyped-up New York Times Bestsellers. Was I ever wrong. This story opened my eyes to what was happening in the early 1960's, right around the time I was born. I fell in love with Aibileen, Minny and Miss Skeeter. When you love the characters in a book it's such a wonderful feeling; although I did not care one bit for Miss Hilly. LOL!

For anyone who HAS NOT yet read The Help....what are you waiting for? Yes....it is that good. Go out and buy a copy for yourself....and several others to give as gifts for the holidays. You will not be disappointed!

Sunday Reflections

I've been a bad book blogger. (Hand Slap, please!) I never ever thought that I would be as neglectful of my blog as I have been lately. It seems that I am in a sort of "funk" that won't lift. My reading time is non-existent as of late. The household is in a sort of upheaval at the moment.

My husband has been having to work late every night and every Saturday to get a project finished in time for a deadline. Our dinner schedule is thrown off, which means we're eating late, things are being done at odd hours....evenings have always been my reading time....at least 2 hours before I go to bed. If I'm not reading, well, then I feel I've got nothing to blog about. I have still been keeping up with my Teaser Tuesdays, but that is about it. I have missed being able to browse everyone's blogs and see what you all have been up to.

Which is what prompted me to post this reflection this morning. I was crushed when I visited Dar's blog this morning and learned of Buddy's passing. It felt like a punch in the stomach.

Since I started this blog, I have come to think of all of you as friends as well as fellow book lovers. Dar was one of my first friends when I started this blog and made me feel very welcome here. It is difficult to realize that in the time that I have been away from my blog, things happen...some terrible, some good. I just know that in the past, when I have gone through many a similar situation, that all of my blog friends have been there for me, and I appreciate every loving thought and comment that I receive.

Blogging is hard work and takes a lot of dedication....which so many of you have. I love visiting and reading your blogs and please know that you are appreciated, even if I don't have time to comment. And to Dar.....I'm so so sorry for your loss. To Cecile: whom I haven't been in contact with for months, who Friday sent me the longest email catching me up with what's been going on in her life. To all of you.....I promise I haven't forgotten what you mean to me. You're in my thoughts daily.

Teaser Tuesday

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! ;)

My teaser today comes once again from The Help by Kathryn Stockett:

~I saw that dress four days ago and I knew it looked hussified - of course she had to pick the one with the low neckline - but I had no idea what would happen when she stuffed herself inside it. She's popping out like a corn cob in Crisco."~ pg. 318


I am LOVING this book!!!


What's YOUR teaser today??