Author: Cindy

Montreal Book Bloggers Meet Up Again

Posted on by Cindy
Yesterday, (October 1st, 2011) I got to meet up once again with a huge group of Montreal Book Bloggers. The last time I seen most of this group was at our last meet up this summer and this time two other bloggers joined our group.
I will start off by sharing a group shot of us. Sadly Cindy B from Tynga’s Reviews , Cat from Beyond Books and Tina from Bookshipper were unable to join us this time. We missed you guys and hopefully the next time we meet up they will be able to join us.

Those that showed up were: (front row)  Lucy from Moon Light Gleam, me, Amanda from Tales and Treats , and  Ilana from From Smiler, with love.

If you haven’t checked out their blogs you really should they are a great group of ladies.

I have to say that first off Donna and I agreed to meet up and go together and what an adventure we had. We arrived at the commuter train station and proceeded to wait for what seemed like forever only to discover that our train was MIA. It never showed up but thankfully we quickly decided to use public transit (the bus) and we didn’t have to wait very long for it to come.

Although I think of all the buses we could have taken we took the bus that did a scenic route that goes around and to the airport here. Wow I knew the airport was huge but I never realized it was that big. Once the scenic route was over we managed to finally get to the bus stop that would take us into down town Montreal.

The rest of the trip was uneventful, thankfully!!! We finally made it to our restaurant.

After the trip we had it was so nice to see the restaurant. We were lucky and had a great spot upstairs. We pretty much had the section to ourselves apart from a group of Chinese tourists behind us. I think we overwhelmed them.

So it was great to sit down and say hi to everyone and to meet the two new comers. We exchanged some books amongst everyone and I came home with a few great titles which you will find out about very soon. So not only did we talk about books (what we are currently reading etc), we talked about ereaders (there was plenty on hand such as Kobo, Kindle, Sony and an iPad) of course lately I have been having trouble with my Kobo with it being very slow to turn on and to turn pages.

Lunch was fantastic and I loved seeing the great selection of food everyone ordered. I went with what i thought would be a small meal (Chicken Cesar Salad) but it was huge and then after that Laura and I shared this yummy cheesecake called a MooMoo Cheesecake but it tasted more like a mousse and it was so good.

I just has to share with you another picture from the restaurant and it was the lighting. Isn’t that pretty? And yes that would be bottles of wine.

So after lunch was over a few of the group slowly started to leave but the rest of us hit the local Indigo (which is part of the Chapters big book chain). Once in the store we all sort of seemed to spread out. Lucy and I hit the upstairs to check out the magazines and YA section. We slowly met up with everyone else and wandered around and talked about books what we read, what was good etc. I did really good and bough only one.
It was a fantastic day and it was so nice to see everyone and I actually got a chance to talk with Melissa, Lisa, Jennifer and PK more then I did the last time we met up.

So this is the book goodies that came home with me:

In the front is a clear plastic wrap that you can put on your books (this is about the size of a trade paperback) and you can reuse it over and over to save your books) and Donna so graciously brought one for everyone. You just fit the book into the sleeves.

From Natalia I got Dark Lover (bk1) and Lover Eternal (bk 3)by J.R Ward. I have been hearing amazing things about this author from Lucy and Cindy B.

I bought Lover Awakened (bk 2) by J.R Ward at Indigo. So that when I start reading them I have the first three. I will probably be on the look out for the other books in the series.

From Jennifer I got Pale Demon by Kim Harrison. Another author I have been dying to read.

From Amanda I got An Abundance of Katherine’s.

From Lisa I got Mystify by Artist Arthur and Silver Phoenix by Cindy Pon.

Thanks so much everyone for the books and I can’t wait to read them all.

It was great to see everyone once again and I can’t wait for our next meet up in November.

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.

Banned Book Week

Posted on by Cindy

As you know from reading blogs around the blogosphere the week of September 24th to October 1st is Banned Book Week in the US. If you want to know more please check out ALA to find out more about it.

The  Canadian Banned Book Week will be February 26th to March 3rd 2012. I plan on taking part in this one too.

As you can see it doesn’t matter where you live because no matter how much we have freedom of speech there seems to be people out there who think that its okay to have books banned.

To clear up challenged and banned books:

A challenge is an attempt to remove or restrict materials, based upon the objections of a person or group.  A banning is the removal of those materials.  Challenges do not simply involve a person expressing a point of view; rather, they are an attempt to remove material from the curriculum or library, thereby restricting the access of others.  Due to the commitment of librarians, teachers, parents, students and other concerned citizens, most challenges are unsuccessful and most materials are retained in the school curriculum or library collection.

Here is the top 10 challenged books for 2010

  1. And Tango Makes Three, by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson
    Reasons: homosexuality, religious viewpoint, and unsuited to age group
  2. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie
    Reasons: offensive language, racism, sex education, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group, and violence
  3. Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley
    Reasons: insensitivity, offensive language, racism, and sexually explicit
  4. Crank, by Ellen Hopkins
    Reasons: drugs, offensive language, and sexually explicit
  5. The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins
    Reasons: sexually explicit, unsuited to age group, and violence
  6. Lush, by Natasha Friend
    Reasons: drugs, offensive language, sexually explicit, and unsuited to age group
  7. What My Mother Doesn’t Know, by Sonya Sones
    Reasons: sexism, sexually explicit, and unsuited to age group
  8. Nickel and Dimed, by Barbara Ehrenreich
    Reasons: drugs, inaccurate, offensive language, political viewpoint, and religious viewpoint
  9. Revolutionary Voices, edited by Amy Sonnie
    Reasons:  homosexuality and sexually explicit
  10. Twilight, by Stephenie Meyer
    Reasons: religious viewpoint and violence

I believe in the freedom to read and not have someone tell me what I can and can’t read. So during this very important week I am going to attempt to read a challenged/banned book.

I am still pondering which one I want to read. Do I want to go with a 2010 one or something earlier?

I have to admit when I was looking at all the challenged books I realized that I have quite a few of those books and I plan to make it a point to read more of them.

So I think this week one I am going to attempt to read is:

TTYL (along with the other books in the series, TTFN, L8R, etc.) by Lauren Myracle was the 3rd most challenged book of 2008 for the following reasons:

offensive language, sexually explicit, and unsuited to age group

I have had this in my TBR pile for quite some time so I think this is the perfect book to read. I will be reading this and posting my review and thoughts on this book sometime this week. Perhaps if time permits I will attempt to read another book.

Happy reading everyone
Don’t forget to make it a point to read a banned or challenged book this week.

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.

The 2nd Annual Celebration of Authors & Readers

Posted on by Cindy

As you may recall I was recently asked to take part in this great event. This is my first year doing this and I am super excited to have been asked. Thanks so much for asking me.

So no great event can go on without a little help so I was kindly asked if i could share this with you.

We welcome you to donate print books (ARC’s, paperbacks, hard covers, audio
books, etc.), book swag (book marks, book flyers/sell sheets, book plates,
trading cards, etc.) to the Nurture Your BOOKS, 2nd Annual Celebration of
Authors & Reads Worldwide. We’re happy to accept book and book swag
donations until October 15th, 2011 — any donations that are received after
that time will be kept for the 3rd Annual Celebration, to be held next year.
Please mail all donations to the address below:
Nurture Your BOOKS, 2nd Annual
Attn: Bobbie Crawford-McCoy
1-780-594-5599
P.O. Box 5866 Stn. Forces
Cold Lake, Alberta
T9M 2C4
CANADA

To donate eBooks, please fill-in and
submit this form to us .

About the Nurture Your BOOKS, 2nd Annual Celebration of Authors & Reads
Worldwide:
We nurture the symbiotic author/reader relationship and to encourage the
bond with fun, related events, contests and giveaways. We also believe very
strongly in educating minds and promoting literacy on a global scale.
You can join the Celebration and help us promote Global Literacy from
November 1st – December 31st, 2011! There will be numerous Contests, Book
Giveaways & Prizes for Readers, Contests & Prizes for Authors – free
services &  gift certificates and more! There will be hundreds of eBooks &
nearly 100 print books to be won along with the Get It Write Online Forum
Discussions, Twitter contests & prizes, Sponsored Virtual Author Visits and
much, much more!

When: November 1st – December 31st, 2011 – 24/7

Where:
Nuture Your Books Ning -Online/Worldwide

Follow us on Twitter:
http://twitter.com/#!/NYBCelebration

Contact Us: info@nurtureyourbooks.com

So mark your calendar and get ready for this extraordinary celebration! 🙂

This sounds like its going to be a fun event I hope you will take part. If you are able to donate prizes please contact Bobbi.

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.

An awesome opportunity for Canadians

Posted on by Cindy

The noise between Patch and Nora is gone. They’ve overcome the secrets riddled in Patch’s dark past…bridged two irreconcilable worlds…faced heart-wrenching tests of betrayal, loyalty, and trust…and all for a love that will transcend the boundary between heaven and earth. Armed with nothing but their absolute faith in each other, Patch and Nora enter a desperate fight to stop a villain who holds the power to shatter everything they’ve worked for—and their love—forever.

I was recently contacted by the awesome Simon & Schuster Canada to share this with you my Canadian readers. I am so honored to have been asked.

This is the third book in the series. The previous books are Hush Hush and Crescendo.

Are you anxiously awaiting the third book? I know I am dying to read it. I have loved all the covers to date but I have to say my favorite so far has been Hush Hush. What about you?

To enter this awesome give away please click here. Oh how I wish I lived in Toronto because I would love to go and see Becca in person but perhaps one day she will come to Montreal!

One of the things I love about S&S Canada is that not only are they having this awesome give away but there is so many other great things they have come up with to go along with the books. If you are a fan of Patch you can actually add your image to a picture on facebook by following this link and if you click here you can have a Patch and you story.

I was going to add the countdown widget but once I did I realized that you can hear the ocean, so I removed it but if you would like to add it to your blog, facebook etc you can click here .

Good luck everyone.

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.

(Guest Post) MacKenzie Cadenhead

Posted on by Cindy

Today I am truly honored to have MacKenzie Cadenhead stop by to do a guest post for me.

I was give then chance to have MacKenzie do a guest post for me and I have to admit the first thing that popped into my head was “Why did you write Sally’s Bones and why should you read it?” because I absolutely loved it and this is what MacKenzie had to say:

Why I wrote Sally’s Bones and why you should read it!

Sally’s Bones started with an image. I can’t remember if it was from a dream or daydream, but I suddenly had this picture of a gawky, dark-haired girl with big eyes and dangly limbs smiling down at a super spirited skeleton dog. She was giggling and the dog was grinning. The image stayed in my head for months. I knew there was a story in that picture but I was editing comic books at the time and was far too busy to write anything myself. (And if you’re ever looking for the best career out there, editing comic books is it! Best job I ever had – next to this one.)
     
Cut to five years later. I had left comics to pursue writing picture books and I immediately returned to that giggling girl and her perished pup. I tried for weeks to write a picture book manuscript about their adventures but the story kept getting longer and longer with plot twists and middle school melodrama to spare. Pretty soon I realized this kid and her dog weren’t interested in a picture book for younger readers – they wanted a chapter book for middle graders all to themselves!
     
Though the mystery in Sally’s Bones is key (and was sooooo much fun to write), what really interested me were those larger themes of adolescence – those often difficult rites of passage that I can’t ever forget (try as I might) and that the image of Sally called to mind so clearly. Wanting to fit in (and not always succeeding at it); dealing with bullies (especially the ones everyone else liked); lunchroom tragedies and after-school triumphs; the horror of dodge ball and the ability to dig down deep and find the strength to show my face at school the day after the girl I thought was my best friend told me she didn’t want to hang out anymore. Too specific? Or do you know exactly what I’m talking about?
    
 To me, Sally’s Bones is about all those things but above all it’s about the hope that if you stick it out long enough you’ll find the thing that makes all the tough times worthwhile; the thing – be it a person, a puppy, profession, principle, or purpose –  that you’ll forever fight for.
     
I can’t say you should read Sally’s Bones – it’s not going to cure cancer or help you ace your math test – but I hope that if you do read it it’ll give you a laugh when you want one, a cry when you really need to get one out, and a friendly reminder that if you’re true to yourself and fight for what you believe in things can turn out more than a little bit right.

Thanks so much MacKenzie for stopping by to write this for me.

Sally’s Bones is now available to buy in your local bookstore.

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) Sally’s Bones

Posted on by Cindy

Title: Sally’s Bones
Author: MacKenzie Cadenhead
Illustrator: T.S Spookytooth
Pub Date: September 2011
Pages: 176
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky

Source: I received an ARC of this book from the publisher for my honest review.

About the Book:

2 Months, 28 Days, 9 Hours, and 12 minutes earlier…

Sally Simplesmith’s life changed forever. She came face-to-face with death – a delightful, dearly departed little dog she lovingly calls Bones. But when the cadaverous canine is accused of a crime he didn’t commit, Sally decides to solve the case herself!

Does Sally have what it takes to fetch a thief?

Sally’s Bones is the impossibly possible tale of a girl, a crime, and a lovably lifeless, decidedly dead dog.

Oh my gosh what I can say about this book?

All I can really say is that I absolutely loved it and have since read it twice since I wrote my review of Sally’s Bones. It was fun, light, mysterious, and it kept me glued to the pages. I actually read this in one sitting because I just couldn’t put it down and when I did it was quickly picked up again. Michael is actually in the process of reading this now and he wasn’t sure at first because he thought it was scary and the cover is misleading.

I loved Sally and Bones. Although Bones is just a skelton of the dog you can’t help but wonder what kind of dog he would have been in real life. I love how the friendship grew between Sally and Bones and she loved Bones for who he was and not what he looked like. I think I fell in love with Bones just as much as Sally did.

Sally is still grieving the loss of her mother and visits her gravesite regularly. Sally is feeling alone in the world and who can blame her when it seems like her father is there but really isn’t there and she has no friends. On this one particular day she goes to visit her mother she begs for her own death. I have to admit that this part made me really sad that a sweet girl like Sally was so lonely and unwanted that she would wish for his. I want to reach into the book to hug her but someone greater was listening to Sally because they sent Bones to her. Bones became the friend that she so dearly wished and dreamed for.

You can read my review of Sally’s Bones here.

MacKenzie did a fantastic job in writing this book and for her debut novel she did an awesome job and I am looking forward to reading more of MacKenzie’s work.

Sally’s Bones is now available to buy.

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.

(Author Event) P.J Bracegirdle

Posted on by Cindy

Tonight I was lucky enough to be invited to the launch party of a local (new to me author and series of books) P.J Bracegirdle. Thanks Simon & Schuster for the invite.

You truly never realize how huge a city like Montreal is until you get invited out. I have been to the NDG area several times and not once I have noticed this cafe where the event was taking place.

This was the cutest cafe with some amazing food and it was reasonably priced. The food was delicious and the staff was fantastic.

I went with Lucy from Moonlight Gleam’s Bookshelf. We agreed to go together and decided at the last minute that we should meet earlier and go for dinner so that we could talk. Even though we live in the same city I haven’t seen Lucy since the booksale and we talk almost daily via emails so it was nice to meet up with her and talk.

The event was fantastic and alot of fun. We were one of the first few people to introduce ourselves to him and get our books signed.

These are the newest covers of the books.
I saw this and it was in paperback so I had to nab this at the signing to get signed. Isn’t it pretty?
This is the book marks that were being handed out.
It was so nice as the evening progressed more and more people showed up for the event. It was a full house. He also decided to do a reading so here is a clip of that:


P.J is reading from Chapter 3 in his newest book Sinister Scenes. Sorry my camera stopped abruptly so I couldnt’ get any more. I can’t wait to read the second and third book now. I will probably start them very soon.

After he graciously signed our books (all seven of them) he posed for pictures. The lady behind us was so nice to do that for us not once by twice.

Thanks so very much P.J you are truly an awesome author who has written a great series of books. You were kind and gracious with us and your time. If you ever want to stop by and do a Q&A or guest post I am cool with that. Hope to see you at your next book launch.

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.