Happy 1st year Anniversary to MVBClub! Here’s to many more fabulous years of blogging! Cheers!

It’s almost hard to believe that a year has past since the Man Vs Books Club went live in 2012. It has been a fun, scary adventure blogging. I couldn’t have done it without the support of my team. They are ones that made this blog the cool experience that it is. Each one has contributed to it in their own special ways. The Man Vs Books Club is a true reflection of our teamwork.

A special thanks to everyone that has guest blogged for us. We sincerely appreciate it. We can wait for more future collaborations.

Lastly now that 2013 is here, we are going to post more great book reviews, interviews, and giveaways. Hope that you will continue to support us.

Remember Reading is Sexy

DP~MVBCLUB

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Stuck on Murder(A Decoupage Mystery) by Lucy Lawrence

Stuck on Murder (A Decoupage Mystery) is the first book in the series by Lucy Lawrence. Set in a New England town, the main character Brenna Miller is a recent transplant to the town. She teaches decoupage classes at Tenley’s (her former college roommate) store- Vintage Papers. The town is a perfect place to help Brenna forget a troubling incident from her past- as it’s small and sleepy. However, the small-town charms are questionable when the mayor asks Brenna for help in talking to her landlord, Nate, about selling some of his lake front property to a developer- which will in turn benefit the town. With relunctance, Brenna mentions this to Nate- which starts a feud with mayor when Nate refuses to sell. The situation escalates- then Brenna finds the mayor’s body stuffed into a trunk.

Did Nate kill the mayor to save the land? Or is someone taking advantage of the fact that Nate and the mayor have been seen arguing publicly? Could it be the hungry for fame newpaper editor? Or maybe another disgruntled citizen of the town?

Stuck on Murder is a lovely start to the series. Brenna’s a nice character-and the town and the other characters are great backdrops. The book also has the beginnings of a romance- however, be prepared for another twist in that department. For fans of decoupage- there are also tips.

Recommended.

Literary Friday ya’ll…

Today is a beautiful day. Bright sunshine after a couple of days of dreary rain- temp is in high 60’s/70’s and it’s #literaryfriday!

1. Deep South Magazine will have 2 author chats in the upcoming weeks- so please check back at @deepsouthmag or Deep South Magazine’s Facebook page for more information on that. In other #literaryfriday news, a picture of F.Scott Fitzgerald in drag, a list of 12 Gay Book Characters Turned Straight for Movies ( can you guess who they are?), Pulpwood Queen talk about their upcoming Girlfriend Weekend (Kimberly Brock, The River Witch, will be there!) and much more.

2. What are you reading for #fridayreads? I’m reading Stuck on Murder by Lucy Lawrence ( this will be my 3rd book in goal of 13 for Cruisin Thru the Cozies Reading Challenge 2013).

3. In case you missed the announcement earlier this week, She Reads January Book Club pick is The Art Forger by B.A.Shapiro. Here are some links that you might find interesting.

Literary First Love: B.A Shapiro

B.A. Shapiro on Why She Wrote The Art Forger

January Book Club Selection

The Art Forger: Review by Traveling With T

4. Traveling With T took the plunge and made a Facebook page- facebook.com/TravelingWithT

So come over to Facebook and give Traveling With T a “like”. Blog posts will be posted to the facebook page- but not to worry- if you don’t do the facebook thing, feel free to stick around the blog- I’ll be blogging, commenting, posting pictures and recommending books here as well as there.

5. Want to help a soon to be published author? Read Julie Kibler’s tips- Julie’s debut book is Calling Me Home (release date is Feb 12, 2013). Her book has already been getting some advance praise- hopefully will get much more!

6. Excuse my while my inner child squeals- but on Wednesday Jan 16 at 5:30 pm (EST), Scholastic is hosting a BabySitters Club meeting- talk with Ann M. Martin and test your BSC knowledge! Grab the Kid Kits, find some junk food in Claudia’s room (unless you are Stacey or Dawn) and get ready for a great meeting- and don’t be late or Kristy will give you THE LOOK. Follow @scholastic and use the hashtag #BSCMeeting to join in.

7. Check in with Cozy Mystery Book Reviews– they are giving away books for the month of January!

8. Peeking Between the Pages is giving away a copy of Allison Winn Scotch The Song Remains the Same– check in with that blog for the rules and details.

Happy Reading!

What are your reading goals for 2013?

With all the fesitivies and resolutions of the new year- you may have not been thinking too much about reading goals. But, now that we are a few days into the 2013 year- perhaps it’s time to begin considering some potential reading goals.

My reading goals for 2013:

– Read 115 books in the Goodreads Reading Challenge. for 2012- I challenged myself to originally 100- then I changed it to 110. I ended 2012 with 111 books read.

– Reading at least 13 cozies in the Cruisin Thru the Cozies Reading Challenge 2013. 13 books will earn me the title of Super Sleuth. Currently, I’m on book 3 in the challenge. I’m anticipating reading some cozies that people have given me over the years that I had not read- as well as continuing with my favorite cozy authors.

– To read 1 or 2 classics- I read Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen and The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald in 2012. I anticipate reading another Jane Austen- and trying to decide on another classic.

– To read at least 5 books that have been sitting on my “to be read”shelf for some time. I buy books, people give books, books come in for review. And the new ones always catch my attention- so the ones that are on my shelf sit and patiently wait. I need to be more fair to them- it’s time for them to have some time in the spotlight.

– While it’s not a reading goal, exactly, I resolve to keep my Goodreads shelves updated and my real bookshelves organized and nice looking.

Fingers crossed that at the end of 2013- I’ll have met or exceeded my original goals.

Looking for more ideas for reading goals? She Reads has several! And they want to know “What are you reading goals for 2013”? Is it to read more of a particular author? Read the books on your TBR shelf? Try audio? Maybe e-books? Whatever your reading goal- it’s a worthy one- so drop back by and share!

The joy of reviewing books…

Reviewing books. Ultimate dream for a book lover- at least in my opinion. The joy of seeing a book that could possibly make best-sellers list before the majority of the general public sees it- be still my heart. Getting to read a book before others is a treat that is almost hard to describe- it’s just a good feeling- especially when the book is great!

Being a member of the She Reads Blog Network has given me chances to review books that I might not have read- they’ve expanded my reading selection. Reviewing books for other publishers has also been a treat. Through reviewing, while I may not make a major impact in the publishing world, just knowing there is potential- is enough for me.

Want to help a soon to be published author? Read!

I forget exactly where I read this, but I read somewhere that a new author has like 6 weeks to make an impression once book is published (I think I have that figure and statement right!) Here’s the important thing: With as many books that are being published daily- it’s the newcomers to the field that need the help, the extra attention. Think of them like the kindergarten kids- they just need a little extra help to boost them through the ranks. Sadly, some writers don’t get the attention they need- maybe it’s because the book was just not right, or too many other good books out at the same time. Maybe the author doesn’t have the support team. Who knows- a million things can go right or wrong in the process- and sometimes hard work is just not enough.

Soon to be published author, Julie Kibler, has written this as advice to help a soon to be published author. The tips are great- really informative and very easy to do (if you are so inclined!)

As I read over the tips- I dubbed them (in my head) The Good Karma Rules of Literary Folks. If you’re lucky enough to get ARC copies- read and tell your thoughts. Book cover is giving you a good feeling? Pre-order that book! Going to the book signing, but already have the book? Consider buying the book for a friend. Ask for it at the library. Tweet. Facebook. Blog. Instagram. Like something about the book? Tweet the author!

Julie Kibler’s book, Calling Me Home, will be released on Feb 12 2013. Read over her tips to help her (and other soon to be published authors).

A Deal to Die For (Good Buy Girls) by Josie Belle

A Deal to Die For is book #2 in Cruisin Thru the Cozies 2013 Reading Challenge.

Josie Belle (aka Jenn McKinlay) has a cute series on her hands with the Good Buy Girls! In book 2, A Deal to Die For, Maggie and the Good Buy Girls have their eyes on things for the opening of Maggie’s new second-hand shop. They decide to go to a flea market where Vera Madison will be selling some of her couture- and Maggie is only too excited to look over and purchase some pieces. Unfortunately, so is Summer- so after an incident, Maggie decides to go and check on Vera who is at the doctor’s clinic. However, when Maggie arrives, Vera is dead. And the good Dr. Franklin becomes a person of interest.

Maggie and the Good Buy Girls have to work together to help clear Dr. Franklin, keep the vintage couture out of Summer’s hands and find out what skeletons were hanging in Vera Madison’s closet along with the fabulous vintage clothing. To top it off, Maggie finds herself having caught the eye of 2 local, eligible men. Which one will she choose?

The Art Forger by B.A. Shapiro (She Reads January Book Club Pick)

It’s January- and She Reads is back in business after taking some time off for the holidays. And boy- have they picked a great book to start the 2013 year off with a POP! The Art Forger by B.A. Shapiro has it all- love, lust, double-crossing, intrigue, mystery and art!

This is a book where the reader can’t take characters at face-value- with each page turned, a bit more of the story is revealed and the characters true nature is shown. It takes the reader on a wild ride, a heart pounding ride!

Thanks to Algonquin Books, She Reads is able to give 10 copies of The Art Forger away to some very lucky people!

To enter to win a copy of The Art Forger, check out She Reads. My review of The Art Forger has also been posted. For fans of Twitter, look for #srblog- She Reads Blog Network will be chattering away all month about The Art Forger!

The Art Forger by B.A.Shapiro

Love, lust, lies, betrayal, trust, and double crossing- all in a day of the art world.

Claire- a young artist that has been blackballed by the artist community and given the nickname “Great Pretender” is approached by Aiden Markel, owner of Markel G, a studio in town. Aiden makes a visit to Claire’s studio apartment with a proposition – one might even call it a deal with the devil. Everyone in the world knows about the art theft at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum- a theft that has never been solved.

Aiden and Claire make a deal- Claire will paint a copy of Degas “After the Bath”, Aiden will sell the copy to his buyer, the buyer will think he’s bought the original, and the original will return to the Gardner museum where it rightfully belongs. Aiden talks of things of “the greater good’ and righting wrongs- Claire decides that she can live with that and the money she’ll make. As Claire begins the process of copying the Degas painting- she begins to suspect something is wrong. Did Aiden have the original or was he double-crossed? Can Claire trust Aiden or is he using her past to set her up? Because of Claire’s past as “The Great Pretender” she has insights into this potential problem that no other artist has.

This story tells the story in 3 different phases: the time when After the Baths was painted, 3 years ago and current time. All 3 sections interweave to tell a story that is brilliant, interesting, and mysterious. In this story- the reader can never be 100% sure of who is telling the truth, who is looking to double cross someone, and who is innocent. A fabulous tale of love, lust, intrigue, and betrayal in the art world.

Literary Friday ya’ll….

It’s the first Friday of 2013! How are your resolutions going? What fantastic books have you found to read? Seeing a lot of chatter about Me Before You– anyone reading that? I’m wanting to read The One I Left Behind by Jennifer McMahon- anyone picked that book to read yet?

1. Deep South Magazine is back after a holiday break from #literaryfriday- so be sure to check out the news about upcoming Twitter chats, Nicholas Sparks and John Grisham make a certain list of bestsellers, and literary insults (among other things!)

2. Cozy Mystery Book Reviews is hosting 31 days of giveaways- be sure and check them out each day for a new book to win!

3.My #fridayreads is A Deal to Die For (Good Buy Girls) by Josie Belle (aka Jenn McKinlay). It’ll be the 2nd book I’m reading in the Cruisin’ Thru The Cozies Reading Challenge 2013.

4. The first book I read in 2013 is Mobbed by Carol Higgins Clark.

So, what books are you reading this weekend? What book is being released soon that you are just too excited to read? (Mine is Kinsey and Me by Sue Grafton!)

Happy Reading!