Wednesday, March 30, 2011

The Mountains Bow Down, by Sibella Giorello







Paperback: 384 pages

Publisher: Thomas Nelson; 1 edition (March 1, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1595545352
ISBN-13: 978-1595545350
Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 1.3 inches

{Click to purchase book}








ABOUT THE BOOK:

Everything's going to work out. Time away always makes things better . . ..

That's what FBI Special Agent Raleigh Harmon believes as she boards a cruise to Alaska. A land of mountains and gems and minerals, The Last Frontier is a dream destination for this forensic geologist who's hoping to leave behind a hectic work schedule and an engagement drained of romance.

But when a passenger goes missing and winds up dead, Raleigh's vacation suddenly gets lost at sea. The ship's security chief tries to rule the death a suicide, but Raleigh's forensics background points to a much darker conclusion: Somewhere on board, a ruthless murderer walks free.

Engulfed by one of her toughest cases yet, Raleigh requests assistance from the FBI and receives her nemesis-perpetual ladies man Special Agent Jack Stephanson. As the cruise ship sails through the Inside Passage, Raleigh has five days to solve a high-profile murder, provide consultation for a movie filming on board, and figure out her increasingly complicated feelings for Jack-who might not be such a jerk after all.

And that's only her work life. Family offers even more challenges. Joined on the cruise by her mother and aunt, Raleigh watches helplessly as disturbing rifts splinter her family.

Like the scenery that surrounds the cruise ship, Raleigh discovers a situation so steep and so complex that even the mountains might bow down.

MY THOUGHTS:

I really enjoyed the book. It kept me intrigued from the beginning to the end. At first I did not realize that it was the fourth book in the Raleigh Harmon series, but after finding out, it has made me want to read the rest of them. Sibella Giorello's style of writing had me visualizing everything while I was reading. It actually felt as though I was there. I am not one who tends to read mystery type books, but was glad I was able to read this one.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
















Sibella Giorello grew up in Alaska and majored in geology at Mount Holyoke College. After riding a motorcycle across the country, she worked as a features writer for the Richmond Times-Dispatch. Her stories have won state and national awards, including two nominations for the Pulitzer Prize. She now lives in Washington state with her husband and sons. Find out more about Sibella and her other books at her website. http://www.sibellagiorello.com/

Sibella’s celebrating the release of The Mountains Bow Down by giving away a Cruise prize pack worth over $500.00!

One Grand Prize winner will receive:

A $500 gift certificate toward the cruise of their choice from Vacations To Go.

The entire set of the Raleigh Harmon series.


Then tell your friends. And enter soon - the giveaway ends on 4/1! The winner will be announced at Sibella’s Raleigh Harmon Book Club Party on FB April 5th, 2011! Don’t miss the fun – prizes, books and gab!

Thanks goes to Litfuse Publicity for providing me with my complimentary review copy.





Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Lily Hates Goodbyes, by Jerilyn Marler



Paperback: 32 pages
Publisher: CreateSpace (March 8, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 146096070X
ISBN-13: 978-1460960707
Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 8.2 x 0.1 inches






Do you have a child who has to deal with a parent coming and going because of a job? Whether it is because they are a Truck Driver, in the Military, or an Airplane Pilot, they have gaps in being at home. Does your son or daughter have a hard time dealing with it? Well, if so, I have the perfect book for them. Lily Hates Goodbyes, by Jerilyn Marler and illustrated by Nathan Stoltenberg is about a little girl who has to deal with her father being gone all the time.

Lily is a little girl who doesn't quite know how to deal with the fact that her father isn't always around. Sometimes she gets angry and sometimes she is just plain sad. Because he is in the military, he isn't able to be at home with them like she wants him to. So, she has to learn different ways to deal with all her feelings. For instance, she draws pictures for him, punches pillows to get her frustrations out, keeps track of how long it will take him to come home with a calendar/sticker project, and creates songs for him on their piano.

This book was created to help your child realize that having these feelings is okay and that there are different ways of dealing with them. It also shows the parent how to use the book in order to help the particular child deal with their feelings.

When my daughter got home from school and saw this book, she immediately picked it up and started to read it. She didn't put it down until she was done. I asked her what she thought about the book and she told me that she really liked it. She actually sat there and told me what the book was about, from beginning to end. I honestly believe the simplicity of the storyline and the great illustrations kept her engaged in it.

If you have a child who doesn't quite understand how to deal with a parent's infrequent absents, then Lily Hates Goodbyes is the book for them.

I thank Jerilyn Marler and Bostick Communications for giving me the opportunity to review this book.

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Music Videos and Performances From The Twilight Saga Soundtrack: Vol. 1



Can I say AWESOME!? I don't know if that is politically correct when writing a review, but that is the word that comes to mind when thinking about the Music Videos and Performances From The Twilight Saga Soundtrack: Vol. 1 DVD that I was given the opportunity to review. I never thought that I would jump on any part of the "Twilight" bandwagon, but I guess I have. Does that make me a Twilighter? Probably not, which is fine. I guess you can say that I have jumped on the Twilight music bandwagon, if they have one.

To have a DVD that focuses mainly on the music/musician of a film is ingenious. I hadn't heard half of the songs on this DVD, so it was purely musical for me. I got to enjoy them for who they were and what they brought to the films vs. enjoying them for the sake of the films. I also liked how most of the performers set their songs against backgrounds that had something to do with the films instead of having clips of the films all throughout their videos. I felt like this made it easier to focus on the artists themselves rather than focusing on the clips from the films.

There are twenty different songs collected from the three Twilight Saga soundtracks and two bonus songs. My all-time favorite song would have to be "What Part of Forever" by Cee Lo Green. Coming in close would be "Eclipse (All Yours)" by Metric. Some of the other songs that I like were, "Solar Midnite" - Lupe Fiasco, "The Violet Hour" - Sea Wolf, and "All I Believe In" - The Magic Numbers & Amadou & Mariam, just to name a few. The DVD is approximately 100 minutes long and has a special feature that lets you continuously play it repeatedly like a regular CD.

Yes, I think that everyone should own this DVD. Even if you are not a Twilight fan, you will still enjoy it. I highly enjoyed it the first time I listened to it (listening to it right now) and will continue to enjoy it every time I put it in my DVD player. So I implore everyone to go out and purchase Music Videos and Performances From The Twilight Saga Soundtracks: Vol. 1 for their collection. Trust me you will not regret it.

I thank Shelby K. (42West) for giving me the opportunity to review this DVD.

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

What The Heart Sees, by Kathleen Fuller














I am a really big Kathleen Fuller fan. So when I was given the chance to review her book What the Heart Sees, I was truly thrilled. Not only do I get to read one story written by her, but also I get to read three all in one book. In this book, she has put a collection of Amish romance stories together.

The first story, A Miracle for Miriam, is about a girl who is young and in love and then has it all taken away from her. That is what happens to Miriam. As a child she has a crush on Seth who one day humiliates her and causes her to harden her heart when it comes to men. As time goes by, Seth moves away and spends time with some English friends. While there, he gets involved in an accident, which causes him to change mentally and physically. When Miriam sees him years later, she notices the changes. But is it good enough for her to let go of the past and move forward with him?

The second story, A Place of His Own, is about two good friends and on tragic moment. Josiah moves away without saying good-bye to Amanda. Years later, he returns to the community a different person. Amanda wonders what has happened to her friend from years ago. Why is he so bitter? Then a barn fire erupts and the community comes together, which has Josiah come to a realization about them.

The third and final story, What the Heart Sees, is about a man name Christopher who is angry from the accident that left him all alone and without a fiance. And after a downward spiral, he enters into a five-year bann. Later he decides to go home where he is reunited with Ellie, who was left blind from an accident of her own. Can they let go of the pains from the past and move forward into the future?

The book also has a couple of Amish recipes in the back that you can try. Can I say Cream Cheese Brownies?

What the Heart Sees is a really great book and if you love Amish books, you will really love this one. Kathleen Fuller is a really great writer and I think everyone should read it.

I thank Thomas Nelson for the opportunity to read and review this book.