Month: April 2012

(Review & Tour) Portal

Posted on by Cindy

Title: Portal :Portal Chronicles
Author: Imogen Rose
Pages: 344
Publisher: self published
Pub Date: January 2010

Source: I recieved a ebook for review from Bewitching Book Tours for my participation in the tour.

Blurb:

Come Find Me Two Years Ago…

Six words that propelled ice hockey playing tomboy, Arizona, into an alternate dimension.

She suddenly found herself in the past. In one moment she went from being an ice hockey playing teenager in New Jersey to a glamorous cheerleader in California. She found herself transported from a happy life with her dad, Dillard, to a new, strange one living with her mother whom she hates. Apparently it’s a life she’s always lived in.

Everyone knows her as Arizona Darley, but she isn’t. She is Arizona Stevens.

As she struggles to find answers she is certain of one thing- that her mother Olivia, a brilliant physicist, is somehow responsible…

PORTAL is the story of the repercussions of Olivia Darley’s attempt at creating a perfect world for herself and her children. Arizona’s quest for answers threatens to undermine the seemingly perfect world that her mother has so carefully constructed.

PORTAL is the first book of the Portal Chronicles. Fans of time travel, romance, and the supernatural will enjoy Arizona’s quest for answers.

Meet Imogen Rose

Imogen Rose is the author of the bestselling YA series, the Portal Chronicles. She was born in a small town in Sweden and moved to London in her twenties. After obtaining a PhD in immunology from Imperial College, she moved with her family to New Jersey, where she’s been based for the past ten years.

For as long as she can remember, Imogen has dreamt stories. Stories that continued from night to night, from dream to dream. So, even as a child, going to bed was never an issue, just an anticipation of the story to come.

PORTAL, Imogen’s first novel, would have remained in her imagination, to be shared only with her daughter, Lauren, had her eight-year-old not insisted that she write it down. In the course of a month, Imogen typed while Lauren waited eagerly by the printer for the pages to appear, and a novel took shape.

The warm reception PORTAL received encouraged her to continue with the story and the Portal Chronicles. The Bonfire Chronicles is Imogen’s new YA paranormal series.

Imogen is a self-confessed Hermès addict who enjoys shopping, traveling, watching movies and playing with her dog, Tallulah.

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Bewitching Book Tours is fantastic with the selection of books they have on tour and I have managed to find some pretty good ones recently. What is nice about the books they have on tour is that they aren’t something I would probably pick up on my own since I don’t read alot of ebooks but from the ones I do find I always seem to enjoy them and this one was no exception. They are always the little hidden gem books which I love.

I really enjoyed it and this is the first book in a series. The other books in the series are: Equilibrium (2)Quantum (3) and Momentum (4). The fifth book Fusion is scheduled to release this summer.

I have to say that I was surprised that I enjoyed the book because its a sci fi romance and if you know me you know I don’t read sci fi. I think it was the storyline, the characters and the fact that there was time traveling and a alternative dimensions that drew me into the book and there was always something happening that kept my interest.

The book is told in alternating points of view.

The story begins with the main character, Arizona’s mother (Olivia)seventeen years ago. She is at a bar and meets a mysterious man in black. This mysterious man has got her mother infatuated with him. Hasn’t that happen to us all at one point?

Here is where the book got really good and I had to read more because her mother was told to find him “Two years ago”. What does that mean and is that supposed to mean anything?

Well of course it does because during the novel the mystery of those three words are slowly unraveled. I enjoyed how it was slowly raveled. It was enough to keep you interested in the book.

As for Arizona she is thrown from one world to the next without any recognition of she could be in one place one minute and then in another place the next moment. At first Arizona believes she is dreaming and I have to say Imogen describes it like it is a dream world. For Arizona she travels from the present to the past.

Now for the romance part of the book. Arizona finds herself a boyfriend. They had a cute relationship and he seemed like a sweet guy for her but the only thing I didn’t like was that he was very protective of her and I thought at times it was a little too much.

I had a love/hate relationship with Olivia and it showed when I would mutter under my breath at her. She made so many bad mistakes and you could see over the course of the book all that she is done and yes we are all human and we make mistakes but sometimes we need to think long term before doing anything.

Thanks Bewitching Book Tours for allowing me to be on this book tour.

copyright 2010, Cindy (Cindy’s Love Of Books)
If you are reading this on a blog or website other than Cindy’s Love Of Books or via a feedreader, this content has been stolen and used without permission.

A Super Proud Mom

Posted on by Cindy
If  you are a friend on my facebook page, you know by now that I am a hockey mom. I have to admit at times I honestly thought that they were expecting alot out of the kids. When Michael was initially signed up I figured since they were 7-8-9 year olds that we would have practices on the weekend and games here and there, well low and behold that wasn’t the case.

Reality quickly set in when we had weekend practices and 7am (yes you read that right) and before long there was 4pm practices during the week. Thankfully I am a stay at home mom so after school practices were never an issue.

If you are a facebook friend you will know that I kept everyone up to date on the games (I apologize for those who might have gotten annoyed with my constant updates) and I am proud to say that Michael’s team played 18 games (won 14, lost 2 and tied 2) this past season. That is a huge accomplishment considering half the team are brand new players having not played before this year and Michael is included in this.

They played amazing and they ended up not only being number one in our city (our little town we live in) but number one in the whole Novice C under our hockey league. In doing so that qualified us to play in regionals. They made it all the way to semi finals before loosing (and they took it really hard), and they made it all the way to the play offs coming in second.

This past month we took part in a tournament and we were hoping that we could end the season with a bang. We won both the games so that brought us to the finals and guess what?

They won the tournament so they went out with a bang.

Michael was also the Assistant Captain in this game. A roll he has played before. What was nice was that no one was always a captain or the assistant. All the kids had a turn being in each position.

Michael ended the season with 5 goals total and I am not sure how many assists he got and will only find that out on April 28th at the team party. He played amazing. I am super proud of him and yes I was even crying today.

Way to go Kings!

copyright 2010, Cindy (Cindy’s Love Of Books)
If you are reading this on a blog or website other than Cindy’s Love Of Books or via a feedreader, this content has been stolen and used without permission.

(Review) The Secret Me Book

Posted on by Cindy

Title: The Secret Me Book: A Journal to celebrate what makes you, you
Author: Rachel Kempster and Meg Leder
Pub Date: April 2012
Pages: 208
Publisher: Soourcebooks

Source: I recieved a copy of this book for review

About the book:
Discover what makes you, you…

What makes you tick and hum?
What quirks and habits are yours and yours alone?
who do you wish you could be?
who are you now?

The answers make up your “secret me,” your soul’s fingerprint.

Packed with creative and quirky prompts, ideas, and activities, The Secret Me Book gives you an inspiring way to get to know this core part of you.

Scribble thoughts, make lists, paste pictures, and doodle—all tapping into the real you.

What would you do if you won the lottery?
Is there a movie that defines you?
What’s your secret talent?

Here’s your secret me book—it’s time to celebrate what you’re made of.

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I liked this book and I am sure anyone would love this book. It was like that book by Kerri Smith called Wreck This Journal.  What I loved about the book was that it was guide with instructions on what to do but you didn’t have to follow it in order, you could do what you wanted and how you wanted.

This is one of those books that you can sit and do as much or as little as you want. I know for awhile it was in my purse and I would take it out while I was waiting for my son to come out of school or while he was on the ice at hockey practices.

There is all kinds of fun things to do with the book and I really enjoyed it. I love being creative and this was one place I was care free and don’t have to follow any rules and rack my brain for the answers.

I know the authors have another book out called The Happy Book that I will have to look into getting.

Thanks Sourcebooks for sending a copy to me.

copyright 2010, Cindy (Cindy’s Love Of Books)
If you are reading this on a blog or website other than Cindy’s Love Of Books or via a feedreader, this content has been stolen and used without permission.

(Review) The Smiley Book of Colors

Posted on by Cindy
Title: The Smiley Book of Colors

Author: Ruth Kaiser
Pub Date: March 2012
Publisher: Random House (Golden Books)
Pages: 32

Source: I received a copy of this book for my participation in the WOW tour.

About the book:
The Smiley Book of Colors contains verse written to get parents talking to their children about optimism, specifically about choosing happiness. The photo illustrations–arranged by color–are “Smileys” found hidden in fire trucks, flowers, clouds, even mommy’s latte. Although it is a children’s picture book, A Smiley Book of Colors is really for anyone who needs a burst of happiness in their day.

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When I saw this book being advertised in an WOW email that I got I knew I wanted to read and review this for Cindy’s Love of Books. I knew my son would love this.

This book was super cute and I am sure it would delight the young and the old. Looking through this book you can’t help but smile.

I loved as soon as you opened the book you saw a bunch of photos and you basically had to guess what they were and funny enough what I thought they were, they weren’t. The answers were on the back and once you saw them you were like “yea that’s right”

The colors of the photos are very vivid and eye popping.

I loved that there was a little theme to the book and one that was quickly picked up by my son and that was to smile and look around you because one smile leads to another and that they are all around us if we just look we will see it.

The book is told in verse and its easy to read that I am sure kids will be reading it on their own. Michael read the book on his own with no problem. Plus there is smiley pictures to accompany the colored verse.

Thanks so much WOW for hosting the tour and to the author for sending me the book and stopping by for a Q&A with me today.

I will definitely be looking for copies of this book to share with the school and friends.

copyright 2010, Cindy (Cindy’s Love Of Books)
If you are reading this on a blog or website other than Cindy’s Love Of Books or via a feedreader, this content has been stolen and used without permission.

(Q&A) Author Ruth Kaiser

Posted on by Cindy

Title: The Smiley Book of Colors
Author: Ruth Kaiser
Publisher: Random House (Golden Books)
Pages: 32
Pub Date: March 2012

About the book:
The Smiley Book of Colors contains verse written to get parents talking to their children about optimism, specifically about choosing happiness. The photo illustrations–arranged by color–are “Smileys” found hidden in fire trucks, flowers, clouds, even mommy’s latte. Although it is a children’s picture book, A Smiley Book of Colors is really for anyone who needs a burst of happiness in their day.

I am super excited to be an the blog tour for The Smiley Book of Colors by Ruth Kaiser. Not only was I able to review the book (review to come later) but I got the chance to do a Q&A with Ruth. So please help me welcome Ruth to the blog.

Cindy: How did you become involved with Operation Smile?

Spontaneous Smiley started in 2008. By 2009 it was
clear that a community of enthusiastic, happy people
had grown up around the fun of finding Smiley Faces
in everyday objects. It seemed like a “no brainer” to
see if the community could connect with a charity. I
looked around to find a charity where our focus of
SMILING could align with their focus. Operation Smile
was a perfect fit.

Cindy: How did you come up with http://www.spontaneoussmiley.com/abouttheproject.htm?

I had been seeing Smileys my whole life. Along came
the digital camera. With it I could take a picture and
crop it so that anyone could see the Smiley I was
seeing. About this same time I discovered Facebook
and posting my Smileys there was a perfect fit.

Cindy:  After looking through The Smiley book of Colors I was amazed at how often a face would appear, are you still amazed when they pop up for you?

YES! Amazed and delighted. Having the Spontaneous
Smiley concept in the back of your mind means that at
least a couple times a day you get the gift of
discovering a Smiley when you least expect it. It’s a
wonderful tool for a happier life. It is also a gift that
you can give to your child and to your friends. Tell
them about SpontaneousSmiley.com and their world
becomes a little happier!

Imagine how I felt driving down the road to work and
seeing this Smiley Bush in front of this house! Joyous?
Yes, joyous!

Cindy:  Are you surprised at the photos that are sent to you?

Always. I am surprised on a couple of fronts. First
when Smileys are uploaded with captions in a
different language, I am delighted to think that people
of all cultures are embracing the Smiley idea: Be
porous, not Teflon! Soak up every wonderful, beautiful
moment!

And then there’s the surprise that comes from Smileys
found in an object I’d never thought to look at. It’s a
moment of Discovery! I had that feeling when I first
saw a Strawberry Smiley. Duh, strawberries are filled
with Smileys!Doubt that it’s true? Do a little research!
Slice up a basket of strawberries and you’re sure to
find at least one!

Cindy: How can people get involved?

The absolute easiest way is to simply slow down in
your daily life, enough to take in the incredible
wonder that surrounds you. Looking at your world is a
great way to pull yourself out of habitual reliving the
past and worrying about the future! make a point of
looking around, of looking for Smileys. They really are
everywhere!

Cindy: Do you have any future projects/books in the work that you can share with us?

YES! I think of A SMILEY BOOK OF COLORS as a child’s
book of optimism. I have written and am just about to
send off to Random House (my publisher) A SMILEY
BOOK OF NUMBERS, a child’s book of gratitude (as in
count your blessings!).

Cindy: What made you decide to write The Smiley Book of Colors?

I’m a teacher. I always tell my students and parents
that my curriculum is kindness. The Smiley Project is
all about living in a happier, kinder way. I LOVE the
idea of helping parents and children talk about
choosing their behavior and outlook. It really is a
choice. Let’s work together to help kids choose to live
happily!

Thanks so much Ruth for taking the time out of your busy schedule to do this for me and my readers. I am looking forward to sharing this book in the library at my son’s school.

About the Author:
   
Ruth  is proud to be a self-proclaimed, happy-go-lucky, cockeyed optimist! She  is mom to three of the greatest kids ever who, even though they are all  out in the world pretending to be grown-ups, will always be her babies.  Ruth owns a small chain of  preschools called TOT DROP where for 18 years she has been known and  loved as “Teacher Ruth” by hundreds of preschoolers and their parents.  To quote one of her mommies, “Everyone should have a ‘Teacher Ruth’ in  their life!”

Although completely allergic to cats, she is also  completely enamored with them. So Philbert, Noodle, Rooster, and Mr.  Simon have the run of the house and Ruth sits on a plastic chair and  washes her hands a hundred times a day. 

Ruth studied art at the  University of California at Berkeley, but really believes that everyone  is an artist. With excitement she proclaims, “How cool is it that the  Internet has given us all an avenue to share our art!”

Find out more about Ruth by visiting her online:
Website: http://www.spontaneoussmiley.com/
Blog: http://blog.spontaneoussmiley.com/?cat=4

Treasure Hunt Time!

Now it’s time to start searching for Smileys in your neighborhood! When you find one snap a pic and upload it to Spontaneous Smiley (http://spontaneoussmiley.com/) on the “Share Your Smiley” page (http://spontaneoussmiley.com/shareyoursmileys.php) using “WOW” in your Smiley title.

Just one Smiley makes you a Smiley Captain! Not only will you brighten people’s day with your Smiley AND help raise money for Operation Smile, a non-profit organization that helps children with facial deformity receive the surgery they need, but you’ll be entered in a contest just for Ruth’s WOW friends to win a copy of The Smiley Book of Colors. The winner will be announced on Tuesday, April 17! Now grab your camera and start searching for Smileys!

Be sure to check out where Ruth has recently visited:

April 2 at Classic Children’s Books http://familyliteracy2.blogspot.com/ Review and Giveaway

April 5 at Laurie Here www.lauriehere.blogspot.com Interview

April 10 at Laurie Here www.lauriehere.blogspot.com Review

April 11 at White Elephants http://www.seethewhiteelephants.com/ Review by four young readers!

With every Smiley uploaded, the community of enthusiastic Smiley contributors donates $1 to Operation Smile. So far we’ve funded 17 surgeries, one Smiley at a time. You can help. Donate and help us keep the $1 a Smiley pledge alive!

Here in Canada we have smiletrain.org and recently Michael’s school raised $650 towards this fantastic organization and they were able to provide two kids with this much deserved operation. So  this is something worth while. So if you happen to see a picture of a smiley while you are out and about please make sure you download it to  http://spontaneoussmiley.com/shareyoursmileys.php every little bit helps.

copyright 2010, Cindy (Cindy’s Love Of Books)
If you are reading this on a blog or website other than Cindy’s Love Of Books or via a feedreader, this content has been stolen and used without permission.

(Q&A) Devan Sipher

Posted on by Cindy

Title: The Wedding Beat
Author: Devan Sipher
Publisher: New American Library (Penguin)
Pages:256
Pub Date: April 2012

About the book:
Sometimes the best man isn”t even in the wedding party…

Gavin Greene is a hopeless romantic. He”s also a professional one: he writes the wedding column for a Pulitzer Prize-winning newspaper, covering spectacular parties from coast to coast. But there”s a thin line between being a hotshot reporter on assignment…and being a single guy alone on a Saturday night at someone else”s wedding.

Everything changes on New Year”s when Gavin meets Melinda, a travel writer with enchanting dimples. A moonlit stroll across a Manhattan rooftop seals the deal. Until an Aussie with attitude swoops in and whisks her away before Gavin gets her number.

Gavin crisscrosses New York City to find her again. And he learns that there”s something worse than losing the woman of his dreams: Having to write an article about her wedding.

I am excited to share this amazing book and author with you. I got asked to review this book and I loved the description given about the book that I quickly accepted it (please note my review will be posted later this morning) and I was lucky enough to do a Q&A with Devan Sipher which I was excited about. So please let me introduce you to Devan Sipher the author of The Wedding Beat.

Cindy: If The Wedding Beat was to be made into a movie, who could you see playing Gavin and Melinda?

In my mind, I see Paul Rudd or Jason Segel as Gavin. Melinda’s harder. As I wrote the book, I pictured Sarah Jessica Parker, but that’s because I’ve had a crush on her since I was about 12. If Emmy Rossum was older, she’d be ideal. And Anne Hathaway can do no wrong in my eyes – plus she’s got Melinda’s smile.

Cindy: Oh those are great choices. Although I could see Paul Rudd and Anne Hatheway being them. Having written about weddings for the New York Times, what was one of your absolute favorite weddings that you covered?

Weddings are like children. I try not to choose favorites. But one that stands out a bit from the rest took place in a candy store. The bride walked down an aisle lined with lollipop trees and wore a dress made of chocolate wrappers designed for Project Runway (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/26/fashion/weddings/26VOWS.html).

Cindy: That must have been an amazing wedding. You must see all kinds of weddings? How long was the writing process for The Wedding Beat?

I wrote the book in over the course of a year and a half, writing six days a week, 12 to 15 hours a day. I didn’t think it was possible to work more hours than I did at The New York Times, but I was wrong.

Cindy: What would be the one spot you would recommend a person see in NYC that is a hidden gem?

I recommend taking the Roosevelt Island tram. It’s a Swiss gondola that carries commuters from Manhattan to a small adjacent island. It also offers one of the most romantic views of the city, especially at night.

Cindy: I will have to look into that as it looks like a great way to see some of the city. What is the next writing project you’re working on?

I’m working on another romantic comedy for my publisher. I’m not supposed to say a lot about it, but I can say that it’s about a couple who make a lot of wrong turns on the way to finding each other. The tagline is “Sometimes love at first sight can take a lifetime.”

Cindy: Oh it sounds really good. I will have to keep my eye out for that.  If you were to give Gavin a theme song what would it be and why?

There’s a song by the group Angels & Airwaves called “Everything’s Magic” that really was Gavin’s theme song as I wrote the book. The song has a strong, driving beat with lyrics that are life-affirming and hopeful. And that’s what I consider the essence of Gavin. The other song that comes to mind is much better known (and a bit corny). But I’d say Gavin’s theme song could also be “Don’t Stop Believin’.” Because he never does.


Cindy: I have never heard of Angels and Airwaves. They sound amazing and I love that song. As for Journey its not corny. Its one of my favorite songs of all time and this is where I have to admit that I had a little crush on Steve Perry. What inspired you to write The Wedding Beat?

For five years, I was a single guy writing the Vows wedding column for The New York Times. “Always a wedding columnist, never a groom” was how The New York Observer put it. I could either look at that as being depressing or the basis of a romantic comedy. I chose the latter. Or maybe it chose me.

http://www.devansipher.com/

copyright 2010, Cindy (Cindy’s Love Of Books)
If you are reading this on a blog or website other than Cindy’s Love Of Books or via a feedreader, this content has been stolen and used without permission.

(Review) Rae of Hope

Posted on by Cindy

Title: Rae of Hope (THE CHRONICLES OF KERRIGAN)
Author: W. J. May
Publisher: Mitchell Morris Publishing, Inc
Pages 248
Pub Date: November 2011

About the Book

How hard do you have to shake a family tree to find out the truth about the past?

Fifteen-year-old Rae Kerrigan never questioned her family’s history. That is until she accepted a scholarship to Guilder Boarding School in England. Guilder is an exclusive, gifted school. Rae has no idea what she is getting herself into or that her family’s past is going to come back and taunt her.

She learns she is part of an unparalleled group of individuals who become inked with a unique tattoo (tatu) on their sixteenth birthday. The tatu enables them to have supernatural powers particular to the shape of their ink-art. Both of her parents where inked, though Rae never knew, as they passed away when she was young. Learning about her family’s past, her evil father and sacrificial mother, Rae needs to decide if there is a ray of hope in her own life.

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The first thing that drew me in about this book is the beautiful cover. I love it and the second thing was the author. When I discovered that she was a Canadian writer I knew I had to read this one.

I loved the book and can’t wait for the sequel,  DARK NEBULA to come out in August 2012. I will definitely be buying it and book three, HOUSE OF CARDS will come out in 2013.

I managed to read this in almost one day. It was a pretty quick read although for me it was a little longer only because I wasn’t able to download it onto my Kobo (because I am currently having issues with downloading books onto it) so I basically had to read this on the computer but that didn’t stop me from enjoying the book.

Rae is not your typical 15 year old girl. She has experienced more in her short life then anyone should. Her parents died in a horrific way leaving her an orphan at the age of 6. She is then sent to live with her aunt and uncle. For the past ten years she has been living in The United States.

Now shortly before turning 16 she is being whisked back to Britain to attend a very elite school called Guilder Boarding School. She has no idea why her aunt and uncle are sending her back but she is very apprehensive about going.

You can tell Rae is out of her element but quickly makes friends. One of them being her roommate, Molly. I have to say that I really liked Molly even though she was a little nosey for my liking. For me I kind of thought the friendship between both girls was like Anne of Green Gables, Diana and Anne. Kindred spirits.

Its not long before Molly tells Rae the real reason she is at Guilder along with everyone else. Rae will soon have special powers. Rae realizes that she was brought to the school for that reason alone. How will she handle all this when she finds out?

I would have loved to seen the tattoo that Rae got on her 16th birthday that magically appeared. It sounded amazing. Rae realizes that this tattoo holds so many secrets from her past (father). I think she was a little shocked and who could blame her.

This was were I got a little frustrated because everyone knew about Rae and her story except Rae. She had no idea what was going on and I felt for her because wouldn’t want to know this before everyone else did?

Of course no book would be complete without some love interests for Rae. I have to say that I loved Andy because I loved his interactions with Rae. He was very flirty and aggressive. I just loved him. (Its been awhile since I have gushed over a guy character.) As for Devon, I have to say he wasn’t my favorite. He reminded me of that bad boy we are warned about.

I am so happy that I got to read this book and I can’t wait to read the next one in the series. I am dying to know what happens next.

Thanks Bewitching Book Tours for allowing me to be on this tour.

copyright 2010, Cindy (Cindy’s Love Of Books)
If you are reading this on a blog or website other than Cindy’s Love Of Books or via a feedreader, this content has been stolen and used without permission.