The Winners of My Recent Giveaways!

Congratulations to nfmgirl, Sammie, Sandi@the WhistleStop Cafe, Rebecca Reid and Priya who have all won a copy of "Julie & Julia" by Julie Powell!

Congratulations as well to Jess, Marie, tashiana, ChristyJan, and Anita Yancey who won a copy of "Off Season" by Anne Rivers Siddons!

All of the winners have been sent an e-mail, and if I receive no response I will be re-drawing winners on July 31st. Congratulations again and stay posted for more great giveaways!!

Yes: I Gave In, I Tweet

I resisted twitter for the longest time for no particular reason other than that I have enough going on online without obsessively needing to check my tweets (come on, I already obsessively check my Facebook and my blog, LOL- no need to add something new to the mix!) But, curiosity killed the cat and I went online to check out a fellow blogger's tweets and darn it if it didn't look fascinating! So, I bit the bullet and signed myself up.

Okay, now I need your help! I'm already following the celebrities and whatnot, but I would love to follow my fellow bloggers as they tweet away! Please leave in the comments after this post how I can find you on Twitter and I'll start following you. If you would like to follow me you can find me at twitter.com/jonitabookchick . Have a great day and happy tweeting, LOL!

Review: "Julie & Julia" by Julie Powell

Julie Powell is vaguely dissatisfied with her life. She's living in New York with her adorable husband Eric but she hates her government agency temp job and dreads getting up in the morning. She isn't in love with her apartment, and her biological clock is ticking steadily towards 30 with no baby in sight. She's unsure what to do to change the direction things are going in when she comes up with the idea that she should cook all 524 recipes in Julia Child's "Mastering the Art of French Cooking"- but that she should do it within a year. Her husband supports her idea because she already loves to cook and he takes things one step further by suggesting that she blog about it. Now this was a couple of years ago when everyone didn't have a blog. They were far more rare (although definitely out there) so although Julie is a little skeptical, she takes the plunge and begins to cook and write.

What follows is the often amusing story of what it is like trying to cook 524 French recipes in a year. Julie gains 20 lbs from eating recipes containing an entire stick of butter, learns how to boil a lobster and flip a crepe, and finds out things along the way about herself, her marriage and about her friends.

I found "Julie & Julia" amusing and somewhat comforting. Her attempts to try cooking things that didn't even sound remotely appealing to me were amusing- I cheered when she succeeded and I could relate when things didn't go that well (lately I've had issues with flipping eggs- I've never had that problem before, so go figure!) Fellow book blogger Alaine wrote a great review about this book and said that it made her hungry, but I found that the opposite was true for me. The odd recipe got my stomach rumbling, but overall the foods being cooked didn't appeal to me. What I found comforting is that Julie Powell was just a regular woman doing something a little off-beat and people responded to it. I love regular people, and I love reading about them. Famous people are great, but regular old people are interesting too.

Overall, this was an interesting book about an interesting experiment. If I get a chance, I'll probably pick up her latest book when it comes out (it chronicles her new adventures- as a butcher's assistant!) Her writing style was a tiny bit confusing at times (it would jump from past to present, from Julia to Julie with no warning) but I managed to figure it all out.

Thanks to the Hachette Book Group for sending me this review copy! From their website you can also read an excerpt for a taste of "Julie & Julia".

Reminder: Two Great Giveaways Ending Tonight!

Hey everyone! Just a reminder that I have two great giveaways going on that are ending tonight at midnight, EST. If you haven't entered yet, you still have time!

The first giveaway if for one of five copies of "Julie and Julia" by Julie Powell. I just finished this one and will be posting the review shortly! The details for the contest are here.

The second giveaway is for one of five copies of "Off Season" by Anne Rivers Siddons. This one is currently languishing in my towering TBR pile, but it looks great, and I can't wait to read it! The details and rules of the giveaway can be found here.

That's all from me for now, but don't miss your chance to win one of these great books! Good luck everyone!

Review: "The Doomsday Key" by James Rollins

I don't normally read action/adventure novels; I normally stick to reading fiction or women's fiction. In the case of James Rollins, I make an exception. His fast-paced novels draw you in and before you know it you're at the end of another one of his exciting books! "The Doomsday Key" is no exception to the James Rollins rule.

The book begins eerily enough- it is Spring of 1086 and a small group of the King's confidantes have been dispatched to a small town to investigate what it is that has killed all of them suddenly. When they arrive it is as if everyone has simply died where they have fallen, for no other reason than starvation. Yet when a primitive form of autopsy is conducted, it is found that the bellies of the deceased are full. How is it that one can starve with a full belly?

The story shifts to present day, and we meet up with the Sigma team again, who have been assigned to investigate several seemingly unconnected events around the world. A field growing genetically modified experimental corn has been burned to the ground and the village members murdered. A senator's son was killed in the tragedy and the senator is demanding answers. Rachel, Gray's former lover, has asked Gray to come to Rome to help her investigate why her uncle, a priest, was almost killed in a blast in his church. Seichan, a woman with a past full of double-crossing has appeared in Rome and either wants to help or to hurt Sigma, although Gray isn't sure which one yet. The CEO of Viatus, the company that has engineered and funded the GM corn fields is worried about the demand for food outstripping the supply as the population continues to boom, and he will do just about anything to get his message across. The action just keeps getting better as these stories come together and Sigma searches for 'The Doomsday Key" before it is too late- for them and for the world.

Rollins certainly knows how to write an action-packed novel. There wasn't a dull moment and Rollins, as always, certainly knows how to incorporate eerie facts into his books. He manages to leave his readers with something to think about long after the last page has been read. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves action/suspense novels, or to someone like myself who is just looking for a different read.

Thank you to HarperCollins Canada for this review copy. You can also browse inside the first pages of the book here.

Review: "Let the Great World Spin" by Colum McCann

It's funny: I thought for some reason that I would have a lot of time to read and blog this summer. That statement couldn't have been further from the truth! Although I am off of work for the summer, my three little boys are, of course, off too and demand constant entertainment. We've been to our nearby beach several times, as well as the park, the duck pond, the waterpark and friends houses! All of this running around has kept me busy, and although I always have a book with me, a lot of reading doesn't always get done! To be fair, though, I have re-read two of my favourites this summer ("Something Borrowed" and "Something Blue"- both by Emily Giffin) as well as a book that I haven't read before ("The Lovely Bones") which was wonderful, but I didn't get a chance to review. So, I guess that I been reading, just not blogging about everything!

I recently read a book, though, which I couldn't possibly think about not reviewing! Colum McCann's latest "Let The Great World Spin" has been glowingly reviewed by many sources and has made its way onto Oprah's "Must Read Summer Books" list. After having a chance to read this myself, it's not hard to see why. McCann's latest begins as onlookers in New York in 1974 stop to gawk as a man begins a tightrope walk on a wire strung between the Twin Towers. The onlookers quickly realize that this tightrope walker intends to walk all the way across with no hidden wires or supports- a death wish if the onlookers have ever seen one. As the walker begins his perilous journey from one side to the other, a collection of stories unfolds on the ground below. A priest from Ireland has a soft spot in his heart for the hookers of New York and struggles spiritually as he falls head over heels in love with a local nurse. An aged hooker and her daughter with two young children of her own work the streets and search for their next high. A rich woman mourns the loss of her son in war while a black woman in the projects mourns the death of both her marriages and her sons. An artist attempts to escape from her hard-partying past, which eventually led to the death of two people. These stories intricately intertwine, giving us a varied snapshot of the people of New York, from the bottom to the top. Throughout, the tightrope walker continues his precarious walk on the wire.

This was a beautiful book, a triumph of stories brought together and made to fit with one another like a puzzle. Throughout the book I would gasp (literally out loud) when a new connection was made between people who seemingly had nothing to do with one another. Poetic throughout (I would cite examples, but there are just too many to choose from), the writing was beautiful, even when the subject matter was not. It was a reflection on what it is like to be a human being. All life on earth has value, regardless of how it first appears.

I can only recommend that every reader out there picks up a copy of this book for themself (you can browse inside of it here). It will be one of the most talked about books of this year, I can guarantee it. Thank-you to Deanna at HarperCollins for sending me this ARC! If you've had the chance to read this book, I would love to know what you thought of it, so leave me a comment!

Review: "The Castaways" Elin Hildebrand

On the surface "The Castaways" are a group of 4 couples living year-round in Nantucket who share a special bond. Their group of eight work together, play together, vacation together, and are raising their kids together. When Tess and Greg, two of their group of eight, die tragically while on a sailboat trip on their 12th wedding anniversary, the group quickly begins to fall apart, revealing cracks in their relationships with each other and in themselves that were there all along, yet hidden. While the remaining 6 try to deal with their grief about the accident and try to decide what to do with Greg and Tess' 8- year-old twins, they must also try to deal with the newly revealed parts of themselves and eachother that have remained secret until that point. Together they must work towards trying to heal.

The Castaways sucks you in. Not only is it an intriguing read (essential information about Tess and Greg's lives and deaths are revealed bit by tantalizing bit), but the character developments were outstanding. Usually I read a book and feel connected to only one, or possibly two characters, by Elin Hildebrand presented her characters in such a way that I was rooting for a happy ending for all of them.

Scandalous, mysterious, yet heartwarming as well, this is a fabulous summer book for anyone looking for a little depth in their reading material. Thanks to Miriam at the Hachette Book Group for the review copy! For more reviews visit:

A Bookworm's World

Cindy's Love of Books

Chick With Books

Giveaway: "Julie & Julia" by Julie Powell

My second July giveaway coincides with the premiere of the movie "Julie & Julia". Before it was a movie, it was a book (and I ALWAYS try to read the book first!). Here's your chance to win 1 of 5 copies: leave me a comment here with your e-mail address so that I have a way to contact you if you win OR you can e-mail me at jonitathebookchick@gmail.com if you prefer. This contest is open to Canadian and US residents, no PO Boxes please. This contest goes until July 28, 2009 and winners will be contacted on July 29th. If I receive no response by July 31st, new winners will be drawn on August 1.

For more on the book, please visit the publisher's website or browse inside. Thank you to the Hachette Book Group for making this giveaway possible and good luck!

Giveaway: "Off Season" by Anne Rivers Siddons

Nothing compliments the sunshine and beaches and BBQ's quite like a brand-new, never-been-opened summer book. I have to say that there is just something that can't be duplicated about a brand new book, and it's a high that gets me through some particularly frustrating days! I'd like to do my part to set you up with a great summer read, so I'm thrilled to be hosting two giveaways in July, both courtesy of the Hachette Book Group. The first giveaway is for a copy of "Off Season" by Anne Rivers Siddons.

From the publisher's website:

Acclaimed novelist Anne Rivers Siddons's new novel is a stunning tale of love and loss.

For as long as she can remember, they were Cam and Lilly- happily married, totally in love with each other, parents of a beautiful family, and partners in life. Then, after decades of marriage, it ended as every great love story does...in loss. After Cam's death, Lilly takes a lone road trip to her and Cam's favourite spot on the remote coast of Maine, the place where they fell in love over and over again, where their ghosts still dance. There, she looks hard to their past- to a first love that ended in tragedy; to falling in love with Cam; to a marriage filled with exuberance, sheer life, and safety- to try to figure out her future.

It is a journey begun with tender memories and culminating in a revelation that will make Lilly re-evaluate everything she thought was true about her husband and her marriage.

(And don't you just love the cover? It makes me want to curl up in THAT chair with THIS book!)

The rules are simple: there are five copies to be won. You must be a Canadian or US resident to win, no PO Boxes please. To enter you can either leave me a comment with your e-mail address so that I have a way to contact you if you win, OR you can send an e-mail to jonitathebookchick@gmail.com. This contest runs until July 28, 2009. Winners will be contacted on July 29th, 2009 and if one of the winners fails to respond by July 31, a new winner will be drawn. Good luck!