Current Read and a Teaser: My Jane Austen Summer

Wow! It has been a while since I last participated in Teaser Tuesday. Thought I would start it up again now that I have some books to share with you all. 
I am currently reading My Jane Austen Summer: A Season in Mansfield Park by Cindy Jones which I will be posting a review of on April 21st, the last stop on the TLC Book Tour. I am enjoying it so far. Very different than my previous read. 
Anyway, here's a bit to tease you with:

"I sensed a gothic villain on my trail and quickened my pace, passing Tolstoy, Wharton, and Zola. Frida Kahlo's eyebrow glared at me from a poster on the end of the stack." page 14, paperback.

My Jane Austen Summer was released April 1st. 

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 (I am usually not so random)
• 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!

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FTC Disclosure: Clicking on title and image links will lead you to my Amazon Affiliate page.

April brings books!

Another book for the little girl and two for her mommy to review. Hopefully she gives me some time to read them! 

Moo Cow Book by Sandra Boynton
This cute little book was picked up by yours truly for the little girl yesterday on her first trip to Kepler's in Menlo Park. She loves it. Those horns are perfect for gnawing.




Gone with A Handsomer Man by Michael Lee West
From the publisher for review. Look for my review later this month. Release date is April 12, 2011.





Ghellow Road By T H Waters
From the author for review.






This month, the Mailbox Monday Blog Tour is hosted by Amy of Passages To The Past . Next month, you will find it here, at MariReads.
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FTC Disclosure: Clicking on title and image links will lead you to my Amazon Affiliate page.

Book Review: Horns by Joe Hill

Horns by Joe Hill

The author of Heart-Shaped Box and son of Stephen King has just released a new novel. I went in expecting thrills and chills but instead got something a little different. Horns is more of a dark comedy and a sort of study on good and evil.

Ig Perrish wakes up one morning after a night of hard drinking and finds that he has grown a set of horns and instead of the reaction he thought they would get from people, they instead cause others to confess their sins and share their deepest desires. No one seems immune and Ig uses this new found power to help discover who murdered his girlfriend a year prior to the day the horns protruded from his head.

We then get to see, through flashbacks, Ig's life from a teen to adulthood. How he met and fell for his girlfriend, their relationship with the murderer and the affect of her death on the community and Ig's family. At the beginning of the novel you learn that they all suspect Ig of her death despite the lack of evidence, the flashbacks make it much more obvious as to who was actually the murderer. Perhaps it's the teacher in me. Seeing the signs early on that will evolve into more when kids grow up.

A truly original and imaginative plot, interesting characters and some hilarious situations make this a great, fun read. Instead of being scared, I found myself laughing at the crazy thoughts and secrets people share with Ig. Not what I expected, but very enjoyable.

4/5
Source: Review book for TLC Book Tour. Thanks, Trish.

The first 1000 people to preorder Joe’s latest novel and then email joehill@harpercollins.com with proof of purchase will receive a specialized bookplate from Joe – he’s been signing and doodling all sorts of creations on bookplates for days now! For more information on this giveaway and the rest of Joe’s books, visit www.joehillfiction.com and follow Joe on Twitter @joe_hill.

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FTC Disclosure: Clicking on title and image links will lead you to my Amazon Affiliate page.

Mailbox Monday

My pile of review books keeps growing! I really need to find time to read all these! Once the little one is sleeping in her roomand in her crib- reading in bed before going to sleep will be back in my daily routine. Working on naps in crib right now.
So, books in the mail this week:
Ada: Legend of A Healer by R.A. McDonald
This one is for review. YA fantasy novel. Look for my review this summer.






And one for the babe:
Top 100 Baby Purees by Annabel Karmel
Thinking I will try making baby food for the little one. Recipes are easy and sound good. Need to start on these soon. Emma is probably ready for something other than rice cereal.







This month, the Mailbox Monday Blog Tour is hosted by Laura of I'm Booking It. Next month,  Amy of Passages To The Past will be hosting._________________________________________

FTC Disclosure: Clicking on title and image links will lead you to my Amazon Affiliate page.

Coming in faster than I can read

Quick post to show new books in the house. The little girl is playing in the crib. She will get antsy soon and need me to go get her.Here is what I have this week:

My Jane Austen Summer: A Season in Mansfield Park by Cindy Jones (TLC Book Tours)

Midnight Riot by Ben Aaronovitch (Library Thing's Early Reviewers)
This month, the Mailbox Monday Blog Tour is hosted by Laura of I'm Booking It. 
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FTC Disclosure: Clicking on title and image links will lead you to my Amazon Affiliate page.

Book Review- Electric Barracuda by Tim Dorsey

Electric Barracuda by Tim Dorsey
Everyone is blogging these days, including Serge, the lovable serial killer of Tim Dorsey's  novel, Electric Barracuda. Serge has an idea - a tourist romp through Florida as a fugitive. a In the process of "researching" for his website, he finds himself along with his sidekick, Coleman, truly on the run as Mahoney and some other bumbling detectives try to catch him. 

A fun and hilarious book which, it turns out, is part of a long running series. Who knew? Well, many people did except for me. This is the first book I have read- number 13 in the Serge A. Storms series- and I am surprised I hadn't heard of them before now.  Having not read the previous books I was not as familiar with the characters as I should be. The story revolves around Serge and Coleman and knowing them would help immensely in understanding them, their relationship and appeal, as well as the detectives chasing them. 
Having said that, I still really enjoyed this tour of Florida through the characters' criminal eyes and I look forward to getting my hands on books 1-12. Here is the list of books for everyone else interested in reading this fun series:
Florida RoadkillHammerhead Ranch Motel Orange Crush Triggerfish TwistThe Stingray ShuffleCadillac BeachTorpedo JuiceThe Big BambooHurricane PunchAtomic LobsterNuclear JellyfishGator A-Go-Go Electric Barracuda 
3.5/5
Source: ARC for TLC Book Tours. Thanks, Trish.


Check out the links below for more info on the books and Tim Dorsey:

• His website
• Facebook
• Twitter: @Tim_Dorsey
• Book trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASFYnVBStq4

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Book Review- Children's Board Books by Martine Perrin

 

Look Who's There and What Do You See? by Martine Perrin
I am a new fan of this author's wonderful board books for young kids. I just found them recently at the Marin Headlands Visitor Center and couldn't leave without purchasing them. 
I was completely impressed with the colors, patterns and peek-a-boo style pages that are sure to capture the interest of kids of many ages. They kept my 5.5 month old entertained until she decided they would be better in her mouth and I know if I was still teaching, the 4 year olds would love them as well. 
5/5
Source: purchased

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FTC Disclosure: Clicking on title and image links will lead you to my Amazon Affiliate page.

Mailbox Monday: For the Baby

Last weekend, we took the little girl for a hike in the Marin Headlands. It was a beautiful, clear day but a little windy since a storm was going to come in that night. When blocked by the hills, Emma enjoyed being outdoors for a walk a little different than our usual one through Golden Gate Park, but once that wind hit her face she was not happy. So, unfortunately, she did not get to enjoy her first time at the beach. 
To make up for this, I bought her a couple books in the Visitor Center. She quite liked them, I think. She tried to put them in her mouth. Mommy didn't let her, though. :)

Look Who's There by Martine Perrin

What Do You See? by Martine Perrin



This month, the Mailbox Monday Blog Tour is hosted by Laura of I'm Booking It. _________________________________________

FTC Disclosure: Clicking on title and image links will lead you to my Amazon Affiliate page.

TSS: Time flies

Wow! Time really flies with a little one in the house. It is hard to believe that our little Emma will be 6 months old on the 14th. She is growing up so fast. She is a lot less fussy, her silly personality is coming out, she grabs for everything and has started eating rice cereal. Loving it. She is still not sleeping all that long at night. 2-3 hrs at a time is the norm. She does take a couple 1-2 hour naps during the day which is nice. I have been napping then, too. Today, though, I am getting some posts written.

 
My reading time is still pretty limited, but having a deadline for reviews has helped. March 10th I will be posting my review of Electric Barracuda by Tim Dorsey. Be sure to stop by and check it out. It is part of a blog tour for TLC Book Tours. Click on the link to see a list of other stops.
On March 31st I will be posting a review of Horns by Joe Hill. Another stop for TLC Book Tours. Again, click the link to see the list of other stops on the blog tour. 
Happy Sunday! _________________________________________

41 Reasons to Plant a Tree for your Book

Eco-Libris is celebrating this years Earth Day by asking readers an important question:
 "Why do you believe planting trees for your books is a good idea?"
Go to their website and check out their 41 Reasons to Plant a Tree for your Book campaign and then email them your response for your chance to win some great prizes. It begins March 13th and lasts through March 22nd. 

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