Mt. TBR Keeps Growing

Click above photo to see larger version...If you are an author, publicist, publisher, etc. who has asked me to review a book, please be patient. The stack above, shown in no particular order represents promised reviews and borrowed books which need to be sent on their way.  My Kindle tops the stack to represent the ebooks I promised to review, followed by my Molskine notebook to represent that there are multiple eBooks waiting in line... the rest, well, those books are real... and I will get to the reviews as soon as I possibly can.  Thank you for understanding.

Addendum: May 17, 2012  While the books shown above have been read and mostly reviewed, the stack by my bed side is still every bit as large, just with different content... The hurrieder I go, the behinder I get.

Still Sucks To Be Me Launch Contest - (Now Over)

Oh Coolness! Kimberly Pauley's new book is coming out on May 11 and you can win a copy! That's right, You can win a copy of Still Sucks To Be Me, signed by the author. But that's not all.  Kim has put together prize packages containing both of her fantastic books and other cool stuff. See the details and enter the contest on Kim's author website: http://www.kimberlypauley.com/2010/05/03/still-sucks-to-be-me-launch-including-epic-contest/.  Don't forget to come back here and read my review of Still Sucks To Be Me, which I expect to post on Sunday May 9th... but I'm not going to commit to an exact posting time.

Sucks to Be Me: The All-True Confessions of Mina Hamilton, Teen Vampire (maybe)
By Kimberly Pauley
Mirrorstone (26 Aug 2008) Hardcover, 294 pages
Mirrorstone (11 Aug 2009) Paperback, 304 pages
Mirrorstone (26 Jan 2010) Kindle edition
Rated 5 Stars

"...I'll have to say, my only regret is that it had to end... Who would have known that a vampire story doesn't have to be scary?Yes, Sucks to Be Me is a vampire story, but nothing like you've ever read before... so throw all your old notions and pre-conceived ideas about vampires out the window because that's not what you'll find in Kim's new book. What you will find is a barrel of fun... vampire style." Read the rest of my review of Sucks To Be Me

Still Sucks to Be Me: The All-true Confessions of Mina Smith, Teen Vampire
By Kimberly Pauley
Mirrorstone (11 May, 2010), Hardcover, 384 pages

Coming soon... and every bit as good as her first book. Kimberly Pauley has done it again... and yes, I can say that because I'm one of the lucky recipients of an advance copy, which arrived in my possession on May 6 and which I've almost finished reading already. Kimberly writes in a fast, easy-breezy style that will charm you and keep you turning the pages to see what happens next. Aimed at the young adult market, Mrs. Pauley's books also appeal to the teens inside the adults we've become. 

Something For Everyone

Treasury of Christmas Crafts & Foods
Joan Cravens and Judith Veeder (Editors)
George De Gennaro and William Hopkins (Photographers)
Hardcover: 384 pages
Publisher: Better Homes & Gardens Books (August 1980)
Rated 5 Stars of 5 Possible

This is an unusual book, every page full of instructions for beautiful crafts or mouth-watering holiday recipes, as well as many pages containing gorgeous photos of either the finished craft projects or the ready-to-eat food that looks as good as it tastes. The recipes are mostly for the average cook, but some are easier and some a bit more difficult to prepare.

While I've had my copy of this book approximately two decades, I find it as interesting to read now as I did then; a timeless and wonderful book to peruse during the holidays. Something for everyone can be found within these pages. Although this book does contain many different nativity scene projects done with different techniques, and requiring different skill levels to complete, there are an abundance of other craft projects so that nobody need feel left out.

Amazon.com no longer sells this new, however many third party sellers have copies available in any condition, including new, most of them at very reasonable prices. If you love crafts and cooking, this is the book for you.

A Seasonal Ghost Story

A Christmas Carol in Prose, Being a Ghost Story of Christmas
by Charles Dickens
Project Gutenberg e-book edition
based on J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY edition (1915, printed in England)
Illustrated by Arthur Rackham
Approximately 148 pages
Rated: 4.0 of 5 stars possible

I chose to re-read A Christmas Carol at this time of year (2008) for several reasons.  First, because of the seasonal nature of the story, and second because I was feeling in need of the "lesson" learned by Scrooge.; also to study the illustrations. There are (at minimum) three illustrated editions of this novella, each done by a different artist; the illustrations accompanying each version are quite different than the illustrations for the other versions. Mr. Rackham's style is simple, comical and comfortable... some illustrations are merely line drawings while others are a little more complex and in full color.  They add an incredible amount of enjoyment to reading this book, but are not distracting as some illustrations can be.

Dickens' prose stands out - as usual - partly because of the Victorian phrasing and cadence, partly because of the differences between British English and American English. For a modern-day American scholar, this makes Dickens a challenge to comprehend, but none-the-less an enjoyable challenge. A Christmas Carol deals with two themes which you see frequently occurring in Dickens' work: social injustice and poverty. There's an abundance of symbolism employed in this tale of Christmas, enough so that analysis of the short text is not quick and easy to accomplish. On another level, A Christmas Carol can simply be enjoyed for the excellent tale it is - which is what I wound up doing despite my original intentions.  Deeper analysis will have to wait for another day - and probably not one close to the season depicted in the story.

Sucks To Be Me Launch Party (Now Over)

Sucks to Be Me
The All-True Confessions of Mina Hamilton, Teen Vampire (Maybe)
by Kimberly Pauley
Sucks to Be Me Launch Party
Hardcover: 294 pages
Publisher: Mirrorstone (August 26, 2008)

Hey, Ya'all!  My good friend, Kimberly Pauley just published her new book, Sucks to Be Me. Sure, it's a vampire story, but nothing like you've ever read before... so throw all your old notions and pre-conceived ideas about vampires out the window because that's not what you'll find in Kim's new book. What I'm sure you will find, is a barrel of fun... vampire style.

Like the snail I can sometimes be, I haven't read Sucks to Be Me yet, but at least I do have a copy in my possession.  It looks like Sucks to Be Me is next on my to be read list, and there WILL be a review here someday... hopefully soon.  In the meantime, why not join the party on Kim's website. There are tons of cool prizes to be had by some lucky grand prize winner, and there are other, smaller prizes too that you can enter to win. 

What you need to know:
September 11th will be the final entry day for the grand prize pack. The grand prize contest closes on September 21st.

So yeah, why are ya'all hangin' out here with me when Kim has something much better going on at her place?  Oh, and, if you're still here reading this... you can get an extra entry into the drawing for that big prize package Kim is giving away... just tell her you read my blog and point back to this entry. Now, on with ya! Click the link to Kim's site at the top of this entry and join the fun!