Category: Books Read-2010

(Review) The Starlet

Posted on by Cindy


TITLE: The Starlet
AUTHOR: Mary McNamara
PUB DATE: June 2010
PAGES: 320
PUBLISHER: Simon & Schuster
SOURCE: I received an advance readers copy of The Starlet from Leigh at Regal Literary. Thank You for contacting me with the request to review this.

ABOUT THE BOOK
It’s a not-so-well-respected rule in Hollywood that what happens on location stays on location. But when a hot young leading man winds up dead in his Rome hotel room, his costar’s life is about to go off the rails in a very public way—even by celeb standards.

At the tender age of twenty-three, Mercy Talbot has won an Oscar, battled addiction, wrecked more than her share of cars, and burned down her house. Her look-alike mother keeps her on a tight leash (and fueled with an endless supply of OxyContin and cocaine) and her producers demand a grueling schedule. By the time she stumbles across Juliette Greyson, a Hollywood insider on a much-needed vacation, Mercy is surrounded by photographers and about to emerge drunk, high, and naked from a public fountain. Whisking her away to an idyllic Tuscan ‘retreat,’ Juliette is about to discover another rule of Hollywood: wherever the starlet may go, the drama will follow.

MY THOUGHTS
I have to say that I really love the cover of the finished copy. I just love how the “S” is done compared to the ARC version. Very smoky-ish. (Is that even a word?)

As I was reading this for some reason I kept thinking of all the Hollywood starlets that have been making the news headlines ie Lindsey and I could almost picture Mercy as her. The reason I say this is because what Mercy did. Lindsey basically did too so I found it made the character really believable. Granted there was times I would have reached into the book to strangle her because of the things she was doing.

Another great element in the book was the deaths of the characters such has Mercy’s boyfriend Lloyd, who is found dead. Was it a suicide? Perhaps a drug overdoes? Murder? So many things lead to each one and I have to admit I was curious to find out because the books opens with Lloyd being dead.

Lloyd’s death isn’t the only one we see another one happening. This was appears to be accidental but we quickly find out that perhaps it was being at the wrong place and the wrong time. Just when you think you might have it figured out Mary throws a twist into the story.

Publishers Weekly describe this book as “sexy, scandalous and suspenseful” and I have to say that this is exactly what this book is.

Mercy is only 23 years old and strung out on all kinds of illegal substance. She is grieving the lost of her boyfriends death. She is in Italy filming a movie. Mercy is so strung out of her mind that she doesn’t realize what she is doing and has jumped from the top of King Triton into a famous Roman fountain. So being a famous celebrity the paparazzi capture this whole event. Thankfully Juliette sees all this and jumps to Mercy’s rescue.

Juliette is use to celebrities and their behavoirs because she is a PR who works in a very posh LA hotel. She knows how to handle these kinds of celebrities. What we quickly discover about Juliette is that she is also a recovering addict and she has left LA behind her to get her bearings back and she is at the family estate in Cerreta. The estate is a two-hundred acre family farm near Siena that she and her cousin, Gabe, have inherited from their families.

Will Juliette be able to save Mercy or will it be too late?

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) Sea

Posted on by Cindy


TITLE: Sea
AUTHOR: Heidi R Kling
PUB ADTE: June 2010
PUBLISHER: Putnam Juvenile
PAGES: 336
AGES: 12 and Up

Source: I obtained this galley from Vimala from Penguin Canada.

ABOUT THE BOOK
Still haunted by nightmares of her mother’s death, fifteen-year-old Sienna Jones reluctantly travels to Indonesia with her father’s relief team to help tsunami orphans with their post traumatic stress disorder—something Sienna knows a lot about. Since her mother’s plane went missing over the Indian Ocean three years before, Sienna doesn’t do anything if it involves the ocean or planes, so this trip is a big step forward.

But the last thing she expects is to fall for Deni, a brooding Indonesian boy who lives at the orphanage, and just so happens to be HOT. When Deni hears a rumor that his father may be alive, Sienna doesn’t think twice about running away with him to the epicenter of the disaster. Unfortunately, what they find there could break both their hearts.

MY THOUGHTS

As you can see I was reading my copy of Sea not near the sea but actually the St Lawerence River near the Canoe Club in my area. The day I was reading this Michael was in a boat paddling around so I took the opportunity to read.

I enjoyed the book and I was pleasantly surprised at how it ended.

The book opens up with the chapter title called four weeks later. From that page I was curious to see who this girl was, what happened to the boy she loved and why she was on the other side of the world.

On the next page it begins with everything that happened four weeks before that. We are introduced to Sienna who just turned fifteen years old. Her father gives her a birthday present that she never expected in her whole life. Its a plane ticket to Indonesian. Her father wants her to go with him for two weeks to help him at a orphanage because they were the worst hit from the tsunami.

Sienna is torn between her fear of flying and we find out why and we find out why and I think I would be two and certainly would think twice about. Its only after seeing a video of the kids from the orphanage that makes her rethink her decision about going.

Leaving behind her friends and a possible boyfriend, Spider, Sienna decides that she will go. Just like most typical fifteen year olds the boy at home gets quickly forgotten when she spots Deni who lives at the orphanage and is labelled as the bad but but we quickly realize that he isn’t. Deni is just trying to cope with loosing his whole life, home, and family.

Sienna and Deni are instantly drawn to each other and she will do anything to see that Deni is happy even if it means loosing him in the end and Deni will do anything to see Sienna happy even if it means breaking a few rules.

I absolutely enjoyed the book and I have to stay there was always an element that happened that kept me turning the pages to find out what was going on.

Thanks again to Vimala for sending me this great book.

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 & Tour) Motorcycles, Sushi & One Strange Book First Wild Card Tour

Posted on by Cindy

It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old…or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!

You never know when I might play a wild card on you!

Today’s Wild Card author is:

and the book:

Motorcycles, Sushi, & One Strange Book

Zondervan (April 16, 2010)

***Special thanks to Pam Mettler of Zondervan for sending me a review copy.***

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:


Nancy Rue has written over 100 books for girls, is the editor of the Faithgirlz Bible, and is a popular speaker and radio guest with her expertise in tween and teen issues. She and husband Jim have raised a daughter of their own and now live in Tennessee.

Visit the author’s website.

Product Details:

List Price: $9.99
Reading level: Young Adult
Paperback: 224 pages
Publisher: Zondervan (April 16, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0310714842
ISBN-13: 978-0310714842

Press the browse button to view the first chapter:

MY THOUGHTS

I want to thank Pam from Zondervan for sending me this book. I really enjoyed reading this one and Boyfriends, Burritos & An Ocean of Trouble. I am looking forward to reading the upcoming books in this series.

The next book in the series is scheduled to be released in September 2010.

I just want to say that you don’t have to read these books in order because the only thing that is the same in each book is the book of Real Life that appears when the main character needs some guidance. Now with the being said for some reason I am s serial reader and I know that the books are in a series I tend to read them in order. Anyone else like that?

I really enjoyed reading Motorcycles, Sushi & One Strange Book alot. The storyline was real and believable and I think its one that I think teens could relate to.

Jessie is your typical fifteen year old girl who thinks she has a normal life unlike that of her friends who she thinks has weird lives. Her two best friends Chelsea and Marcus now very little about her because Jessie doesn’t tell them the whole truth about herself. (They don’t know that she is in a special class, or anything about her mother’s mental state etc)

The reason that Jessie thinks that Chelsea and Marcus’s lives are weird is because Chelsea’s parents have been married for 20 years and they sit down for dinner every night as a family, they eat weird food (green beans a la mode). As for Marcus his family takes a two week summer vacation together every year staying in hotels and eating out. I guess when you don’t experience this you think everything is weird. Her normal is not everyone elses normal.

When I began to read Motorcycles, Sushi & One Strange Book I could tell right away that Jessie’s life was far from normal that she seemed to think it was. Chelsea suffers from ADHD and her mother also has some mental issues. Her mother goes through periods of being in bed for days at end and then other days where she is obbessed with cleaning the house and basically going as far as using a toothbrush to clean with.

Chelsea has no idea who her father is because her mother never really said anything about him. As you can tell her father has never been in the picture until one day a man (lou) calls her saying he is her father and wants to see her. She is unsure at first and basically has to wait until her mother is in one of her not in bed stages to question her.

What will happen when Chelsea finally meets her dad? Will seeing Lou bring what Jessie thinks her normal life is to a halt and make her re-evoluate her life? Will Lou’s appearance be the breaking point in her mothers life or will it cause her to go off the deep end?

Hmm curious to know well then you will have to pick up this great book/

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.

Prom Girls Review

Posted on by Cindy


TITLE: Prom Girls: A North American Right Of Passage
AUTHOR: Lesley Fletcher
PUB DATE: February 2010
PUBLISHER: Inspiration Import
PAGES: 94
SOURCE: I bought this book at the author signing.

ABOUT THE BOOK

PROM GIRLS is full of surprises and adventure captured in the language of today’s youth. Encompassing four distinct paths, with focus on the year of being seventeen and graduating from High School, the reader is lured in all the glory, fun and realism of the celebration of youth. While reading the stories, it is inevitable that the reader will be at once inspired by memories of the past and anticipation of the future. In Prom Girls, the celebration of High School graduation is visited from the beginning of the final high school year until the Grand Event, with snippets of past events, multi-cultural references and some of the author’s personal encounters. It is written in a way that addresses questions and speaks directly to the reader. From the nostalgic, faceless characters of over fifty original water colour images to the realistic exploits and escapades of Prom Night , Lesley Fletcher captures the imagination and hearts of the very young and the very old. The memories that are gained at seventeen years old last a lifetime.

MY THOUGHTS
Recently when I visited my local Chapters to pick up some books for Michael I was given a book mark that was announcing a Prom Girls book signing happening that weekend. So Lesley being a local author I decided that I was going to go and pick up the book and support my local author.

I got to speak with Lesley for a bit and she was handing out pink carnations and blue daisies I believe that’s what the blue flowers were. As you can see I got the pink carnation. She said that once I read the book I would understand why she was giving those particular colors out.

Prom Girls was a quick read and I have to say that I really enjoyed it. I am not sure if Prom is a big deal in other parts of the world but here in Montreal it is. I am sure planning of prom starts the year every one is in grade 11 and preparing to graduate.

I enjoyed reading the book because it allowed me to get a glimpse of what its like to have a prom here in Montreal. I have only heard about them so it was really nice to see what happens on prom night.

At the begining of the book it says that all characters are fictional but they were so believable. Baller reminded me of so many of the guys that I went to school with and knew as was the character of Pink. I think I was more interested in Baller because he sort of reminded me of my prom date.

One thing I noticed that it doesn’t matter if a prom just happened or if it was 20 years ago (like mine was) we all had the same concerns and plans for prom. Also that there will always be a prom committee to make sure that prom night is magical and memorable.

This was a great read that brought back alot of memories.

The illustrations were all perfect and suited the book. Lesley did them all.

Sadly I never had my prom here in Quebec and couldn’t really relate because my prom was in New Brunswick. Prom for me happened in grade 12 and it was held in our high school cafeteria and we didn’t really have fancy and formal dresses like they do today. I had a simple off white dress with a purple bow in the back. You can see the below photo. My date for the evening was a friend who sadly spent a good part of the evening with his friends. How I wish I could redo that again.

Also I should let you know that I also had a prom in grade 9 and that was a little more formal and the pink dress was one I came up with and had made. The photo is include as well. It was held in our school cafeteria as well. Can I just say that I never made it to that prom. My date was with my best friends (at the time) boyfriends friend. Aparently the day of prom the boyfriends friend told the boyfriend he didn’t want to go but I found out there was a mix of confusion and that he did want to go to the prom but didn’t want to date or anything. So I missed out on going.


It was great to meet you Lesley. Thanks to Donna at Books Bound for taking this picture.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Lesley Fletcher is an author with stories to tell using more than merely words. Her illustrations illuminate the way, not only to writing but to spiritual fulfilment and immense pleasure. She loves to laugh, listen to music, dance, exercise, travel and delve deeper into humanity and religion. Whether it is a five star hotel or a sleeping bag on the ground, Lesley will easily adjust to and enjoy the moment. Lesley is currently living in the West Island suburbs of Montreal where she continues to write, attend art classes and create art. Her involvement with Habitat for Humanity, Literacy Unlimited and her quest for truth and learning on an International level feeds the woman, artist and writer in her soul.

If you would like to buy Prom Girls you can do so through Amazon.

You can also check out the Prom Girls website to read an excerpt, to see the art work and to find out how you can get $2 off the book when you order through Amazon.

Also Lesley has two books that are coming out very soon.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Myriam has only one wish this holiday season: To enjoy a decorated Christmas tree in her Muslim household. As Myriam sets about convincing her family to allow her to have her wish for a Christmas tree, readers find themselves rooting for Myriam, and her best friend, Alexa, as the young girls promote intricate immersion and acceptance in a multicultural world.

All I Want for Christmas Is a Wishmas Tree is a story of tradition, grace and sensitivity.

This is coming out in August 2010.

Angel is coming out in late 2010. (Sorry I don’t have a cover for this one.)

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.

Num8ers Review

Posted on by Cindy


TITLE: Num8ers
AUTHOR: Rachel Ward
PUB DATE: February 2010
PAGES: 336
PUBLISHER: Scholastic

Source: I received this book from Nikole at Scholastic Canada.

ABOUT THE BOOK
Whenever Jem meets someone new, no matter who, as soon as she looks into their eyes, a number pops into her head. That number is a date: the date they will die. Burdened with such an awful awareness, Jem avoids relationships. Until she meets Spider, another outsider, and takes a chance. But while they’re waiting to ride the Eye Ferris wheel, Jem notices that all the other tourists in line flash the same number. Today’s number. Today’s date. Terrorists are going to attack London. Jem’s world is about to explode!

MY THOUGHTS
Thank you Nikole for sending me this book.

This is Rachel Ward’s debut novel and the first of a possible three book series. After reading Num8ers I have to say that I will be picking up her future books. Num8ers was originally published in the UK.

What would you do if you had a secret that was so terrifying and it forced you not to get close to anyone because you knew exactly when they were going to die?

This is exactly what Num8ers is about. Jem is a fifteen year old girl and she has the ability to look into someones eyes and know exactly when they will die. She is living with a foster mother because when she was a young girl she discovered one morning that her mother died from a drug overdose.

Jem attends a school that is basically for problem kids. There are days that she skips school because she just doesn’t want to deal with the problem of feeling and being like an outcast. Its on one of these days that she has skipped school that she runs into a fellow student in her class named Spider. Spider is the last person she wants to see. At first she pushes him away and wants nothing to do with him. Over a short period of time he quickly makes her change her mind. Spider is just like her an outcast. I think this is what bonds them.

After an incident at school both Spider and Jem are suspended from school and decide that they will spend the day together. Its when they go to London Eye Ferris Wheel that life for Jem and Spider are about to change and not for the better. Spider and Jem must run to save there lives before its too late.

I had to keep reading this and pretty much finished this in one sitting because I had to find out how Spider would end up dying and I have to say it wasn’t what I had expected.

As you can tell I did enjoy reading this book and after checking out Rachel Ward’s site I just discovered that book 2 in the Num8ers series called The Chaos is already out in the UK. I looked around and I don’t see a US/Canadian release date. Rachel is currently working on book 3 which just might be the last one in the series.

Here is the book trailer for you to check out:

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.

Last Dance Book 8 Carter House Girls Review

Posted on by Cindy


TITLE: Last Dance Book 8 Carter House Girls Series
AUTHOR: Melody Carlson
PUB DATE: May 2010
PUBLISHER: Zondervan
PAGES: 207

SOURCE: Tina from Bookshipper passed this book on to me.

ABOUT THE BOOK

In the final book of bestselling author Melody Carlson’s Carter House Girls series, the Carter House girls are making prom plans and competing for boyfriends, as well as fighting for the limelight in a Mother’s Day fashion show. With graduation and last good-byes around the corner, will they resolve old differences or part ways as enemies?

With graduation looming, the Carter House girls are struggling with college visits, prom dress warfare, and boyfriend situations that are going from bad to worse. Mrs. Carter ups the stress level by planning a typical over-the-top Mother’s Day fashion show, and things get tense when the designer favors certain models. Through it all, surprises are in store for each girl as their time at Carter House comes to an end. As final good-byes approach, some friendships will deepen while others crumble. Will the girls resolve old differences or part ways as enemies?

MY THOUGHTS
Well this is the final book in the Carter House series. When Tina offered the book to me I was super excited to read it because it was the final book and I was curious to see how Melody would wrap it all up.

I was a little disappointed when I realized that there wasn’t going to be a tour of the book as there was with the previous seven books in the series.

Sadly its very rare that I don’t like a book as you probably can tell from my reviews. I am not sure if its because I only read books that I am interested in or what but I can honestly count on one hand the number of books I have not liked and I have to say that this way is now included in the list.

For some reason I felt as though the book was written for the sake of wrapping up the series. In the previous books I would have devoured them from cover to cover in a few hours to find out what was going to happen, not this one I found I was forcing myself to finish it.

Anyways about the book, the girls are all getting ready for the prom and a mother’s day fashion show. The girls are also anxiously awaiting college letters to find out where they are going.

As in previous books its never smooth sailing and it seems this time Casey is struggling with a heavy issue. What will she do? Will she go through with it or have a change of heart? For me I was interested in this because I was curious to see how it was going to play out and I was a little surprised.

Eliza is also in a bind as she is running for prom queen and it seems like someone is determined not to let that happen and they won’t stop at anything even if it means ruining her prom dress.

Will old rivals become 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.

The Summer of Skinny Dipping Review

Posted on by Cindy


TITLE: The Summer Of Skinny Dipping
AUTHOR: Amanda Howells
PUB DATE: June 2010
PAGES: 295
PUBLISHER: Sourcebooks Fire

SOURCE: I received this copy from Sourcebooks Fire for review.

ABOUT THE BOOK
Sometimes I still wake up shivering in the early hours of the morning, drowning in dreams of being out there in the ocean that summer, of looking up at the moon and feeling as invisible and free as a fish. But I’m jumping ahead, and to tell the story right I have to go back to the very beginning. To a place called Indigo Beach. To a boy with pale skin that glowed against the dark waves. To the start of something neither of us could have predicted, and which would mark us forever, making everything that came after and before seem like it belonged to another life. My name is Mia Gordon: I was sixteen years old, and I remember everything.

MY THOUGHTS

When I first heard about this book I knew I wanted to read it for three reasons:
-this is Amanda Howells debut original YA novel (Did you know she was the ghost writer for the Sweet Valley High books? No neither did I until I heard about this book)
-Amanda lives near the ocean and she grew up on a small bay on the Atlantic Ocean (very similar to me where I grew up)
-The Summer of Skinny Dipping sounded like a fun read

I pretty much devoured this book in one sitting. For me this was the perfect book to start off the summer season. As I am reading this it brought back memories to when I was Mia’s age (16 years old) and a summer filled with romance and of course drama.

Mia is heading on family vacation from Georgia to the Hampton’s to visit with her aunt, uncle and cousins. She is excited to spend time with her cousins but quickly realizes that alot has changed since she last saw them. In my opinion they came off as spoiled rich brats. Mia tries to fit in but quickly realizes she doesn’t but she stays true to herself and makes it a point to never change herself.

To help Mia get through the summer she decides to sneak out at night and walk the beach because that is were she feels most comfortable. Its during these walks late at night that she meets Simon. The furthest thing from her mind is a summer romance because she is still getting over a broken heart from her ex cheating boyfriend.

It wasn’t long before Simon swept Mia of her feet and she began to trust again. This was the summer romance. We all know that some summer romances don’t last and that is exactly what happens here. Its a summer romance that has ended too soon. Its a summer that Mia will never forget.

My favorite part of the book is on page 95:

I’d always held back from boys. I didn’t fall for them the way my friends did. While Kristin and Lacey hooked up with different guys and had crushes that were returned or rejected or fizzled, I just waited. Sometimes I wondered if the boy I was waiting for even existed. Until Jake came to our school. Then I knew. Except I never thought he’d even look at me. He was far too cool and far too cute to notice a shy, ordinary girl in a sea of admirers. And yet here he was, my queen of hearts in his hand.

When I read that I instantly thought that Amanda spoke to me. Where was she when I need her some 25 years ago? That above quote was something I thought and felt alot about back then. So if you think you are shy and ordinary let me say you will stand out in a sea of admirers. It will happen trust me.

I want to send out a huge thank you to Carrie at Sourcebooks Fire for sending me this great debut novel to read. I really enjoyed it and I have to say it brought back alot of memories of my first summer romance when I was starting high school. He was my Simon in the book and will always have the little piece of my heart.

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.