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If you are a hockey fan you probably know all about Chris Nilan. So this book signing might be of interest to you.

I know I would love to go and bring Michael but I am sure it will be crazy so perhaps we will avoid it. The event is happening this weekend, Saturday November 16th at 2pm at Indigo Place Montreal.

I do believe that Chris still lives in Montreal. Perhaps if he hears about this post he will contact me because I am sure my son would get a kick out of seeing him and meeting him again.

One of hockey”s most feared enforcers reveals his off-ice battles with heroin and depression.

Chris Nilan, who grew up in the tough and gritty Irish enclavein Boston, was a feared enforcer for the Montreal Canadiens, Boston Bruins and New York Rangers, and a Stanley Cup champion never afraid to go into the corners or take off his gloves. He was a valued teammate whose very presence on the ice affected the way the game was played. Always a colourful character, Nilan was married for many years to the daughter of the longtime girlfriend of Boston mob figure Whitey Bulger, among the most notorious, ruthless and murderous gangsters in American history-almost all of his Habs teammates attended the wedding. As an enforcer and as a teammate, Nilan ranks among the greatest of all time.

When the cheering stopped, however, Chris Nilan did not do well. The same qualities-his aggressiveness and high-emotion style-that proved so valuable on the ice did not serve him well when his career ended. Nilan turned to drugs and alcohol to dull his pain, and nearly died from an overdose. Nilan”s story is a fascinating and troubling exposé of the booze, bills and drugs that destroy so many athletes after their careers are over. But it”s also a story of triumph-Nilan has been the victor in his fight against his demons.

Today I was lucky enough to attend another local signing with two awesome authors.

 Catherine McKenzie contacted me earlier to let me know that she was going to be doing a signing at my local library in October but I was sadly unable to attend at the last minute. I was disappointed because I would have loved to hear her talk about her book in that kind of setting but I honestly was okay because I knew she was coming to my local Chapters a few weeks later.

When I walked into Chapters at first I have to admit that I had a bit of hard time finding the table. I thought that perhaps I got my dates wrong or that it was cancelled at the last minute but as I was walking around I spotted them in a little cubby hole in the store.

It was nice to see Catherine again and I was telling her that her books seem to be my vacation books because I just read her newest book Hidden on my vacation this summer. My review for that will be up in December when I will be apart of Catherine’s book tour. I am excited for that.

I also got to me another local author, Isabelle LaFleche who is also a Montreal author. It was really nice to meet her finally. I was invited to her book launch of J’adore Paris earlier in the summer by Tina http://bookshipper.blogspot.ca/ but of course I was unable to attend.

You can read about that event that Tina posted on her blog by CLICKING ON THIS TEXT

Then when I was in Hungary I was invited to another event that was being hosted by Harper Collins Canada that had both Catherine and Isabelle in attendace CLICKING ON THIS TEXT (this is a post that Tina wrote on her blog).

Just before leaving the signing Catherine and Isabelle got their table moved into a better location and I hope their signing was a success.

It was so much fun talking to both Catherine and Isabelle and I got my copy of Hidden signed by Catherine. Isabelle signed both her both her books J’Adore New York and J’adore Paris for me. I am super excited to read both Isabelle’s books because Tina has spoken very highly of Isabelle and her books.

Just before I left Catherine and Isabelle graciously allowed me to get pictures. And yes that is two bowls of candy on the table.

Title: Lost in London
Author: Cindy Callaghan
Pub Date: October 15, 2013
Publisher: Aladdin (Simon & Schuster Children)
Pages: 240
Genre: Middle Grade

When I was sent the email to ask if I would be interested in reviewing Lost In London I quickly jumped at the chance to read this because it sounded like a great book.

London is a city I would love to visit one day (hopefully soon). I was lucky enough to fly into Heathrowe airport when we went to Hungary this past summer and I got to see some amazing things from the sky but my dream is to actually visit the city and do some sight seeing.

This was a super quick read and I managed to read it within a few hours. I really enjoyed the book and I will actually be passing it on to my son’s school library as I am sure the girls in the school would love to read it.

Jordan is your typical 13 year old girl who is fed up with being bored all the time and she just wants to live life a little bit. I remember when I was 13 feeling the same way and just wanting to have a little fun and excitement because I had friends in school who got to travel and see places and for me the extent of that involved spending the summer in Montreal with my grandparents. It was fun and I cherish those memories but I always longed for more.

I love the cover of the book and its so nice to see many incorporated into such as the red double decker bus, the red phone booths, and Big Ben in the back ground. I think girls will be drawn to the cover and the book.

When Jordan discovers that her school is taking part in exchange program she knows that this will de-bored-ified her life and bring a change that she needs. She quickly brings this to her parents attention who say yes she can go with exceptions she must get a A on her report or she will be stuck doing chores to pay for the trip.

Jordan is a little disappointed when she arrives in London because her host family isn’t there to meet her and they have sent their driver to pick her up. Although she likes the idea of being driven around.

When she arrives she meets Caroline who would rather go shopping then sight seeing with Jordan. So upon arrival Caroline convinces Jordan to go with her and her friends (Ellie, Gordo and Sam) shopping. They are headed to one of the biggest department stores in London, Daphnes.

I knew right away that something was going to happen during this shopping trip, I wasn’t quite sure what it would be but I have to say I was a little excited when I was reading it because it was always a dream of mine and I am sure I am not alone in this dream. Can you guess what it was?

Don’t worry I won’t spoil it for you but I will say that what happened lead to a string of events that pointed to a British girl and an American girl being behind it. But were they really or is it just made to look like it?

I have to say that I was surprised and had no clue who was behind what was going on because you think its one person because the evidence points that way which makes for a great mystery.

Will Jordan be able to see the sights of London or will Caroline have other plans for her?

I really enjoyed the book and I think alot of girls will as well. I love the terms used in the book that are typical terms you would use in London which made me long to go there and visit. Have you ever been to London?

About Cindy Callaghan: Cindy grew up in New Jersey and attended college at the University of Southern California before earning her BA in English and French, and MBA from the University of Delaware. She recently exited corporate America after nearly twenty years, and is now fully entrenched in business consulting, writing, and family. She is very involved with her children’s activities, including coaching the occasional soccer team. Cindy lives, works and writes in Wilmington, Delaware with her family and numerous rescued pets.

I am super excited for this upcoming author event. The event is happening Saturday, November 9th at 2pm. The event is happening at Chapters Pointe Claire.

I was suppose to attend an event at my local library that was having a wine & cheese with Catherine McKenzie but I was unable to attend because my mother had fallen again and broke her right shoulder.

When I discovered I would be unable to attend that one I quickly remembered that Catherine was going to be at Chapters with Isabelle LaFleche. As you know both authors are local (Montreal) authors. I have been lucky enough to meet Catherine three times already. This will be the first time meeting Isabelle.

I am super excited, do you plan on attending if you are local?

When a married man suffers a sudden fatal accident, two women are shattered-his wife and someone else”s-and past secrets, desires and regrets are brought to light.

While walking home from work one evening, Jeff Manning is struck by a car and killed. Not one but two women fall to pieces at the news: his wife, Claire, and his co-worker Tish. Reeling from her loss, Claire must comfort her grieving son and contend with funeral arrangements, well-meaning family members and the arrival of Jeff”s estranged brother-her ex-boyfriend-Tim.

With Tish”s co-workers in the dark about her connection to Jeff outside the workplace, she volunteers to attend the funeral on the company”s behalf, but only she knows the true risk of inserting herself into the wreckage of Jeff”s life. Told through the three voices of Jeff, Tish and Claire, Hidden explores the complexity of relationships, our personal choices and the responsibilities we have to the ones we love.

This is Catherine’s fourth book. Her previous books are Spin, Forgotten and Arranged.

An exhilarating journey through high fashion (real and counterfeit), the war against fake consumer goods, and the irresistible realm of Parisian luxury, from the author of the bestselling J”adore New York

When chic Parisian lawyer Catherine Lambert lands her dream job as intellectual property director for Christian Dior, she is on top of the world. She”s prepared to embark on the ride of her life in the world of fashion, fighting high-profile legal battles against international counterfeiters. She”ll also be reunited with colleague-turned-boyfriend Antoine in her beloved hometown.

But Catherine”s visions of front-row seats at the couture shows and strolling the Champs-Élysées hand in hand with the love of her life are soon displaced by the realities of dingy police vans and threatening anonymous phone calls. The code of ethics that she knew from mergers and acquisitions does not seem to apply in the nefarious counterfeiting underworld, and Catherine finds her life turned upside-down by surprise meetings in dark alleys and an unexpected degree of notoriety among the criminal element. Will Catherine and her loyal assistant, Rikash, manage to outsmart even the most crooked of characters and come out on top?

This is Isabelle’s second book. Her first book is called J’Adore New York.

I am hoping that Isabelle will sign both her books for me. I am looking forward to reading them as they said really good.

I know I always say this, but I really mean it, one of the best things about being a book blogger is getting to discover new books that you might not normally hear about and discovering new authors as well.

I was thrilled when I was contacted by Karen Avivi telling me up the signing she was doing with Alexa Nazzaro. They were both new to me authors and they are local authors in my area. Who doesn’t love to support local authors? I know I sure do.

It was so nice to meet both Alexa and Karen and finding out about their books. I really enjoyed talking with them both and we even spoke about BEA and I told them that if they could go that they really should go and experience it.

I bought both of their books and they graciously signed them for me. I can’t wait to read them and hoping I can crack them open very soon. Just finishing up the two books I am currently in the process of reading now.

They were even kind enough to pose for a picture (or several) for me.

This is their books.