She Reads

Interviews, Giveaways, and Happy Pub Days!

Today’s a day where several books are released- and it’s got Twitter and Facebook a-buzz with the excitement. Out of the 5 books that I know that were released today- I’ve read 3- so buckle up for the wild ride through interviews, reviews and giveaways!

Happy Pub Day to Gods of Mischief by George Rowe, The Next Time You See Me by Holly Goddard Jones, Calling Me Home  by Julie Kibler, The House Girl by Tara Conklin, and The Comfort of Lies by Randy Susan Meyers!

Giveaways:

She Reads is giving away a copy of The Comfort of Lies by Randy Susan Meyers. Just comment on She Reads post for a chance to win!

Women’s Fiction Writers is giving away a homemade bracelet to celebrate Julie Kibler’s pub day of Calling Me Home. They also have an interview with Julie Kibler for your reading delight. Read the post, follow the directions, and good luck to you for the bracelet!

Interviews:

Bookmagnet interviews Tara Conklin, author of The House Girl.

Bookmagnet also interviewed Julie Kibler, author of Calling Me Home.

Book Reviews:

Katherine Scott Jones reviews Gods of Mischief by George Rowe

Bookmagnet (aka Jaime Boler) reviews The House Girl by Tara Conklin.

Bookmagnet reviews Calling Me Home by Julie Kibler.

And lastly I (Traveling With T) review:

Calling Me Home by Julie Kibler

The Next Time You See Me by Holly Goddard Jones

Gods of Mischief: My Undercover Vendetta to Take Down the Vagos Outlaw Motorcycle Gang by George Rowe

It’s a good day book lovers- a really good day!

 

 

Wednesday: Giveaways, Julie Kibler, and more

1. You may have noticed tons of tweets and things about Julie Kibler. Her debut novel, Calling Me Home, is She Reads Feb Book Club pick. And judging from the tweets and reviews- it seems that everyone in the #srblog group enjoyed the book. If you want to read about Julie Kibler is creating her best and most creative ideas- stop by She Reads today!

2. Tonight from 8-9PM CST chat with Erika Robuck about Hemingway’s Girl.  Use #gr8books to join in!

3. More #giveaway news: Great New Books is giving away The Aviator’s Wife by Melanie Benjamin. Stop by Great New Books and comment for a chance to win from Wed Feb 6 to Fri Feb 8th (by midnight EST time).

4. Like motorcycles? Non-fiction? Want to read a book about the take down of an outlaw motorcycle gang? Read my review of Gods of Mischief by George Rowe. Out in stores Feb 12!

 

 

Giveaways, Twitter chats and more!

1.Erika Robuck chats about Hemingway’s Girl on Twitter Wed Feb 6th from 8-9 pm CST! Use #gr8books to join in! Great Thoughts ( a blog) is hosting the chat- stop by her page and see some of the questions that will be discussed!

2. Elin Hilderbrand’s book The Castaways is $2.99 for e-books today only!

3. She Reads has a copy of The Girl’s Guide to Love and Supper Clubs to give to a lucky commenter! Go read Tell Me Something True- A Visit with Dana Bate, comment and maybe win! Also get a chuckle out of Dana’s story- it involves a Pyrex dish, explosion, and a 2 lessons she learned that night!

4. Be Your Own Valentine Giveaway- check Amy Hatvany website for details! Chocolates, signed galley, and Sephora- it’s a good #giveaway!

5. Win a copy of Joanne Fluke’s Red Velvet Cupcake Murder on Goodreads! Go there and follow the directions- fingers crossed for a win!

6. If you are not following #srblog hashtag on Twitter, you are missing out on so much. Reviews about books that are GREAT, good conversation with ladies who love to read, and much more!

7. The Next Time You See Me by Holly Goddard Jones- my review will be posted this week. Entertaining, though!

 

 

 

Calling Me Home by Julie Kibler- She Reads Feb Book Club Pick!

Looking for a good book to read? Calling Me Home by Julie Kibler is She Reads Feb Book Club pick!

Here’s my review of Calling Me Home

This month is my debut as the She Reads Online Book Club Leader- I’m excited, nervous and more- but ready for the challenge! The discussion will take place on shereads.org! Come by on Monday, February 25th to participate in the discussion- and don’t worry: It’ll be going on all week so there’ll be plenty of time to participate!

 

 

List-style Thursday

A round-up of different things on blogs or upcoming events that I have been meaning to post about:

1. The Making of a Writer by B.A Shapiro

2.A Life-Long Love Affair With Books by Karen White

3. Tell Me Something True: A Visit With Lisa O’Donnell

4. Literary First Love by B.A. Shapiro

5. Have You Ever Stood at the Barre?

All the above post can be found at She Reads

To prepare for #literaryfriday, don’t forget that Deep South Mag will be hosting a Twitter chat Friday, Jan 18 2-3 pm EST. Deep South Mag has posted an interview with Attica Locke- but please join in the chat if at all possible. Use hashtag #southernlit to join in.

 

What goes better together than books and chocolate? Wine & Books!

Picture this: You’re sitting at home and have plans for a reading night. Maybe you have a cozy warm blanket nearby or candles lit (if you are like me- I have a pillow to lay my head on, blankets nearby to stay warm and cozy, and usually a mug of hot chocolate to drink). But there are nights when the hot chocolate is not enough- sometimes I want a glass of wine to sip and savor as my mind enjoys a literary treat. For me, this means wishing and hoping I still have a bottle of wine somewhere; anywhere or can make it to the store to buy one.

But what if you picked a bottle of wine based on the book you were reading- and not on just whatever you had in the house or the cheapest bottle you find at the store? This is what today’s post at She Reads is all about: pairing bottles of wine with books!

Be sure and check back at She Reads often- as Caitlin will be picking the perfect bottle of wine to make the She Reads monthly book pick even more enjoyable- Think along the lines of “C’est Magnifique”- which I hope is all you say “it’s magnificient” (side note: it’s times like this that I really wish I had the foresight to master at least 2 other languages- besides the New Orleans style langauge that I wished I spoke!)

 

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 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.