Giveaway: "The Gate House" by Nelson DeMille

From the Publisher's Website:

"#1 New York Times bestselling author Nelson DeMille delivers the long-awaited follow-up to his classic novel The Gold Coast. When John Sutter's aristocratic wife killed her mafia don lover, John left America and set out in his sailboat on a three-year journey around the world, eventually settling in London. Now, ten years later, he has come home to the Gold Coast, that stretch of land on the North Shore of Long Island that once held the greatest concentration of wealth and power in America, to attend the imminent funeral of an old family servant."

Thanks to the Hachette Book Group I have five copies of The Gate House by Nelson DeMille to give away. To enter:

1. Comment on this post and include your e-mail address so that I can contact you if you are the winner.

2. *Bonus Entry* Become a follower of this blog and let me know in a seperate post that you are now following. Current followers are also eligible- just leave me a comment letting me know that you already follow.

3. *Bonus Entry* Spread the word about this contest in some way. Facebook it, Tweet it, Blog about it, post it on your sidebar, do whatever- just let me know in a seperate comment what you've done.

This contest runs until December 5, 2009 at midnight with winners being selected on December 6. This contest is open to both Canadian and US residents, no PO Boxes please! Good luck!

2009 Holiday Reading Challenge

I have lofty plans for reading challenges in 2010. There are three year-long challenges that I am planning to join, although I have not signed up for them yet (I will, though, I will!). I'm frothing at the bit to get started with those, although they don't start until 2010, so what better way to warm up than to participate in the 2009 Holiday Reading Challenge? This challenge is hosted by Nely and here are the rules (from Nely's site):

1- Challenge will start Friday, November 20 and will end Thursday, December 31.

2- You can read anywhere from 1 to 5 books for the challenge and, of course, if you're like me, you are more than welcome to surpass that number.

3- And now, here's the clincher... they must be holiday related books. That's right, the holiday doesn't really matter, but it would be more "jolly" if your choices were Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, etc.

4- The size of the book does not matter, nor does the genre. It is also okay for the book to overlap with other challenges. The only thing I ask is that they are not children's books. YA is okay. And so are re-reads. I for one tend to read the same books every Christmas - they are tradition.

5- To sign up - leave a link back to your challenge post. There will also be a post for review links as well as one for challenge wrap-ups.

6- And.... there will be goodies. That's right, we'll call them presents. At the end of every week that the challenge is running I will choose one winner from the review links and I will allow them to pick a book of their choosing (of course, I will provide a list). Meaning the more books you read, review and link up, the more chances you have at winning a "present".

Since I have four Christmas books on my shelves just begging to be read, I think that I will stick with reading and reviewing four for this challenge. My choices are:

1. Matchless by Gregory Maguire

2. Wishin' and Hopin' by Wally Lamb

3. The Gift by Cecelia Ahern

4. Knit the Season by Kate Jacobs

If you would like to join this challenge (and come on, I know that you do) the sign up page is here.

Review: "The Opposite of Love" by Julie Buxbaum

After reading (and loving) Julie Buxbaum's latest, After You, I decided to go back and read her debut novel, The Opposite of Love. I'll admit that I initially had my doubts, because I loved After You so much I was afraid that I wouldn't love this one as much. Luckily my fears were unfounded, as I loved her first novel almost as much as (if not more) than After You.

Emily Hexby is a successful attorney who seems to have it all. She has a great job, and a Doctor boyfriend, Andrew, who is about to propose. When she senses that Andrew is getting close to popping the big question she abruptly breaks it off with him, and can't even explain to people why. The best explaination that she can come up with, and this she only admits to herself, is that inside she is a mess, and she has nothing of herself to give in a marriage with Andrew. After she breaks it off with him, things go rapidly downhill for her. Her beloved Grandpa Jack, the glue who holds their family together, falls ill. Her scumbag of a boss hits on her while she's away at a conference with him. Her father is even more distant than usual. When she comes to the conclusion that she's made a mistake with Andrew and begs him to take her back, he tells her to stop contacting him- forever. Heartbroken, Emily must begin to pick up the pieces of her life and put it, as well as herself, back together.

I loved this book, and even cried towards the end (I rarely cry when reading books, but this particular scene was so darn touching!). I liked that when Emily realizes that she made a mistake in breaking things off with Andrew he doesn't jump to take her back, forcing Emily to take a hard look at her life and begin to put things back together without him to fall back on. It is in this process that Emily finally finds herself and without Andrew's rejection this would not have happened. I loved the characters in the book and wanted to be friends with all of them, especially with the feisty yet comforting Ruth, a friend of the family's. Julie Buxbaum is one heck of a talented writer, and I, for one, can't wait to read what she comes up with next.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

It's Monday! What are you reading? is hosted by J.Kaye over at J.Kaye's book blog. Each week we share what we read last week, and what we hope to read this week.

Books I Finished Last Week:

24 Hours London by Marsha Moore: This book was a completely unique guide to London, England, filled with fascinating tidbits and places to visit. It will definitely be coming along with me if I ever get to travel to London.

Girl Trouble by Holly Goddard Jones: This book of short stories absolutely captivated me. Each one was raw and real and I look forward to Goddard Jones' future novels.

The Opposite of Love by Julie Buxbaum (review to come): After reading and loving Buxbaum's latest novel, After You, I figured that I would give this one a try. I'm glad that I did, as I absolutely loved it. Buxbaum is one heck of a talented author.

Books I Plan To Read This Week:

A Little Distellery in Nowgong by Ashok Mathur: I love reading fiction set in the Middle Eastern countries, so I'm sure that I will enjoy this one.

Mennonite in a Little Black Dress by Rhoda Janzen: I can't wait to read what I think will be a hilarious memoir.

In a Perfect World by Laura Kasischke: I've heard great things about this one lately and can't wait to read it. I don't think that I'll have a chance to start it this week, although I plan on trying. Little Distillery is a big book and I think that it will take me a bit.

That's it for me for this week- what are you reading?

Mailbox Monday

Mailbox Monday is hosted by Marcia over at The Printed Page. Each week we share which books have found their way into our mailbox last week!

Last week brought one new addition to my TBR pile: Mennonite in a Little Black Dress by Rhoda Janzen (ARC) courtesy of the publisher. From the publisher's website:

"Not long after Rhoda Janzen turned forty, her world turned upside down. It was bad enough that her brilliant husband of fifteen years left her for Bob, a guy he met on Gay.com, but that same week a car accident left her with serious injuries. What was a gal to do? Rhoda packed her bags and went home. This wasn’t just any home, though. This was a Mennonite home. While Rhoda had long ventured out on her own spiritual path, the conservative community welcomed her back with open arms and offbeat advice. (Rhoda’s good-natured mother suggested she date her first cousin—he owned a tractor, see.) It is in this safe place that Rhoda can come to terms with her failed marriage; her desire, as a young woman, to leave her sheltered world behind; and the choices that both freed and entrapped her.

Written with wry humor and huge personality—and tackling faith, love, family, and aging—Mennonite in a Little Black Dress is an immensely moving memoir of healing, certain to touch anyone who has ever had to look homeward in order to move ahead."

What was in your mailbox last week?

Review: "Girl Trouble" by Holly Goddard Jones

Lately I've been trying new genres on for size in an attempt to broaden my book-reading horizons. One that I've been exploring has been short stories- bite-sized glimpses into the world of another. I was so excited to read Holly Goddard Jones' new book of short stories because I was able to read a preview back in the summer. The story I previewed, Life Expectancy, was about a high school student who gets pregnant by her basketball coach, and was a good indication of what I could expect from the rest of this book.

The stories in Girl Trouble take place in the fictional small town of Roma, Kentucky and they cover a wide range of topics from murder and rape to finding love after a spouse dies. There are stories about a parents' love for a child, stories about moving on and many stories about deep loss. Parts focuses on the loss that a mother feels after her child is raped and brutally murdered. Proof of God is the story of this girl's accused murdered, and the facts of what happened in the moments leading up to this horrible crime. An Upright Man is the story of two friends who grow apart after one life-changing event rocks both of their worlds. My favourite story was Retrospective, the story of an older woman reflecting on events of her past and how things could have been different for her. One line in particular I loved:

"There were moments no one told you about in a marriage: how proximity and time eventually added up to meanness. How two decent people could eventually bring out the worst in each other, simply because the odds were in favour of it." (Page 241)

I love this line because it dives straight for the truth of the matter. This truth is representative of this book in general. There are hard truths and unpleasantness throughout, because this is the stuff that we deal with on a daily basis. Life is not always easy, and sometimes there are hard decisions to be made. These decisions, if the right ones are not made, can change life as you know it forever.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book of short stories. The subject matter was not always pleasant, but it was always necessary. Holly Goddard Jones writes so that the reader is immersed in the story from the beginning, and sad to see it end. Thank-you to Deanna at HarperCollins Canada for this review copy. If you'd like to read a little of the book you can browse inside of it here.

Review: "24 Hours London" by Marsha Moore

I'll start by confessing that I don't usually review travel guides. With three young children under the age of 10 all of our travelling is usually done within Ontario, and we don't even do that very often. However, when Marsha Moore, the author of the new travel guide 24 Hours London contacted me asking if I would be interested in reviewing her book, I was immediately interested. I've always wanted to visit London, England: in fact, if I could only visit one place in the entire world it would be London. I have hopes of travelling there when the kids are older. I thought that this would give me a chance to "explore" it before I had a chance to get there in person. Add to this the fact that Marsha Moore is originally from Canada (Halifax, Nova Scotia, where I have been) and I was hooked.

Marsha Moore's new London guide is not your average travel guide. It is divided into 24 sections, one for each hour, each of which has several suggestions for things that can be done at that time. Looking for an early breakfast at 7:00 am? This guide tells you where to go. Want to party at 2 am? There's a place for that too. Looking for breakfast before you go to bed after a long night partying? Yup, there's a place for that too. This guide is also home to the most interesting and unique things that you can do while in London, taking you off of the beaten tourist track. There's an activity for the most avid ghost hunters, a description of where to find one of London's original phone booths (you know, the red ones that are in every movie set in London) and even a place to view preserved genitals (yes, you read that right, preserved genitals!). There are places to eat, places to dance, and a place where you can work out at 3 am if the need arises. There are descriptions and information about great sites and hot restaurants (be warned: if you want to eat in Gordon Ramsay's restaurant you have to book two years in advance!). I thoroughly enjoyed visiting London through the power of the written word and when I eventually get there, I hope to visit some of these places in person. I should note as well that after each place description there are icons that tell you if the place has varied or seasonal opening hours, is a restaurant or food outlet, or is especially suitable for families. These will help if you're in London with the kiddies or just absolutely starving.

Marsha Moore's new book is available in Canada at select bookstores and is also available on Amazon. You can also order the book from the publisher, Prospera Publishing, with free shipping from the UK. Interested in touring London from your own home? Check out the book trailer (with some beautiful shots of London) here. Thank-you to Marsha Moore for kindly sending me a copy of this fascinating book. (And stay tuned: Marsha Moore explores Paris, France next!)