8/31/12

GIVEAWAY Back to the Books WIN The Gap Year + The Yoga Club






Welcome to the Last Days of Summer Giveaway Hop! 

This hop is hosted by: 
I Am a Reader, Not a Writer (HERE
Buried in Books (HERE)

There are over two hundred blogs participating and each has their own entry rules and geographic limits, so be sure to read the rules for each one.  This hop starts September 1st and and ends on September 7th,  midnight. 




HERE IS WHAT I HAVE FOR ONE LUCKY WINNER:




WANT TO WIN THESE NEW BOOKS?

Contest is open to anyone over 13 years old with a reliable mailing address
Contest ends on 9.7.12 Winner will be chosen by Random.org 
Winner will have 48 hours to respond to email or a new winner will be chosen.
Duplicate entries will be deleted.  Void where prohibited.
This giveaway is sponsored by me and ONE book is available.

Complete the below form 

Follow Me

Extra Entries
+1 Follow me on Twitter HERE 
+1 Like BookHounds on Facebook HERE 
+1 Be my Friend on Goodreads HERE

Friday PhoDOGraphy BLUE MOON @AlysonNoel

Yep, you guessed it!  Tonight it is a BLUE MOON! 



Don't forget to check out FRIDAYS WITH FRED


8/30/12

Q+A with SPENCER QUINN author of A FISTFULL OF COLLARS @atriabooks @ChetTheDog GIVEAWAY






Please welcome SPENCER QUINN, author of the Chet and Bernie mystery series to BookHounds!


About the Author

Spencer Quinn is the author of four previous books, all of them New York Times bestsellers. He lives on Cape Cod with his dog, Audrey. Visit ChetTheDog.com.



1. What is the first book you remember reading by yourself as a child?
“Four Bad Hens and Other Stories” by Muriel Fyfe

2. What are you reading right now?
“Alfred Hitchcock: A Life in Darkness and Light” by Patrick McGilligan


3. How does your garden grow?
Robustly, if I remember to water it.

4. What is the last thing you Googled?

Gardening.


5. What makes you cringe?
Cruelty to animals or children.

And .... to get you in the mood for the release of A FISTFULL OF COLLARS...I am giving away his last book:



WANT TO WIN A COPY OF THIS BOOK? 
Complete the below form 
Contest is open to anyone over 13 years old with reliable mailing address 
(PO Boxes OK!) Void where prohibited.
Contest ends on 9.15.12 Winner will be chosen by Random.org 
Winner will have 48 hours to respond to email or a new winner will be chosen.
Only one winner per mailing address.  Multiple entries will be deleted. 
This giveaway is sponsored by ME and ONE BOOK is available.

Follow Me
Extra Entries
+1 Follow me on Twitter HERE 
+1 Like BookHounds on Facebook HERE 
+1 Like Win a Book on Facebook HERE
+1 Be my friend on Goodreads HERE
+1 for social networking this giveaway and leave me a link once daily per site
+1 Comment, you can do this daily, just leave an email address.



8/29/12

Waiting on Wednesday THE CASUAL VACANCY by JK ROWLING @littlebrown


"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:




Book Description

September 27, 2012
When Barry Fairbrother dies unexpectedly in his early forties, the little town of Pagford is left in shock. Pagford is, seemingly, an English idyll, with a cobbled market square and an ancient abbey, but what lies behind the pretty façade is a town at war. Rich at war with poor, teenagers at war with their parents, wives at war with their husbands, teachers at war with their pupils…. Pagford is not what it first seems. And the empty seat left by Barry on the town’s council soon becomes the catalyst for the biggest war the town has yet seen. Who will triumph in an election fraught with passion, duplicity and unexpected revelations? Blackly comic, thought-provoking and constantly surprising, The Casual Vacancy is J.K. Rowling’s first novel for adults.



About the Author
J.K. Rowling is the author of the bestselling Harry Potter series of seven books, published between 1997 and 2007, which have sold more than 450 million copies worldwide, are distributed in more than 200 territories, translated into 74 languages, and have been turned into eight blockbuster films. She has also written two small volumes, which appear as the titles of Harry’s schoolbooks within the novels. Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them and Quidditch Through The Ages were published by Scholastic Bloomsbury Children’s Books in March 2001 in aid of Comic Relief. In December 2008, The Tales of Beedle the Bard was published in aid of the Children’s High Level Group, and quickly became the fastest selling book of the year.
As well as an OBE for services to children’s literature, J.K. Rowling is the recipient of numerous awards and honorary degrees including the Prince of Asturias Award for Concord, France’s Légion d’honneur, and the Hans Christian Andersen Literature Award, and she has been a Commencement Speaker at Harvard University. She supports a wide number of charitable causes through her charitable trust Volant, and is the founder of Lumos, a charity working to transform the lives of disadvantaged children.


Details

  • Hardcover: 512 pages
  • Publisher: Little, Brown and Company (September 27, 2012)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0316228532
  • ISBN-13: 978-0316228534








8/28/12

Giveaway + Review WHAT IN GOD'S NAME by Simon Rich @littlebrown


Book Description

August 7, 2012
Welcome to Heaven, Inc., the grossly mismanaged corporation in the sky. For as long as anyone can remember, the founder and CEO (known in some circles as "God") has been phoning it in. Lately, he's been spending most of his time on the golf course. And when he does show up at work, it's not to resolve wars or end famines, but to Google himself and read what humans have been blogging about him.

When God decides to retire (to pursue his lifelong dream of opening an Asian Fusion restaurant), he also decides to destroy Earth. His employees take the news in stride, except for Craig and Eliza, two underpaid angels in the lowly Department of Miracles. Unlike their boss, Craig and Eliza love their jobs - uncapping city fire hydrants on hot days, revealing lost keys in snow banks - and they refuse to accept that earth is going under.

The angels manage to strike a deal with their boss. He'll call off his Armageddon, if they can solve their toughest miracle yet: getting the two most socially awkward humans on the planet to fall in love. With doomsday fast approaching, and the humans ignoring every chance for happiness thrown their way, Craig and Eliza must move heaven and earth to rescue them - and the rest of us, too.


About the Author
Simon Rich "is still the freshest, funniest new writer today," according to the Chicago Sun-Times. He has written comedy for the New Yorker, Pixar, Saturday Night Live, the Believer, and various movie studios. He's the author of two collections, Free-Range Chickens and Ant Farm. His first novel, Elliot Allagash, was optioned for a film by Jason Reitman. Rich lives in Brooklyn.

Details

  • Hardcover: 240 pages
  • Publisher: Reagan Arthur Books (August 7, 2012)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0316133736
  • ISBN-13: 978-0316133739

SOURCE: PUBLISHER
MY THOUGHTS
LOVED IT

Heaven is a cube farm, where the newly departed work for forty years and then retire to a heavenly life that sounds a bit like a Google campus with trendy restaurants, free bikes and all the cappuccino you can drink.  Although you get those benefits while you work your five hour days in departments like answering prayers or miracles.  The only problem is that God is bored with his job.  He enjoys Earth and the humans that inhabit it, especially Nascar since the drivers always praise him but they serve no real purpose.  He would much rather be playing golf.  
When Eliza is promoted to Miracles from Prayer, she is mentored by Craig, who tries to show her the ropes.  Of course, Craig develops feeling for Eliza, but they are both so socially awkward, that not much really happens there.  Well, until Eliza begins to realize that God has lost his way.  She demands a meeting with him and he tells her that he just wants to do away with Earth and the humans.  She of course, makes a deal with him, to preform a mircle where she can make two geeky humans at least date and kiss within 30 days. If she can accomplish this miracle with the help of Craig, Earth will be saved from destruction.
There are so many laugh out loud funny moments in this book that is really absurd.  Both seem to be as awkwardly shy as the couple they have adopted to save the Earth.  So, the story is a bit hokey and predictable, but it is full of fun.  There are plenty of Heaven jokes and you really wonder if it can all be true.  Also, guest appearance by Regis Philben and my favorite character, Raoul, who is one of those guys that stands by the freeway and proclaims the end of the world is coming.  God actually speaks to him and of course, he is completely sane but seen as crazy.  Overall, fans of Douglas Adams and Christopher Moore should adore this one.






WANT TO WIN A COPY OF THIS BOOK? 
Complete the below form 
Contest is open to anyone over 13 years old with a US or Canadian mailing address (Sorry - NO PO Boxes!) Void where prohibited.
Contest ends on 9.14.12 Winner will be chosen by Random.org 
Winner will have 48 hours to respond to email or a new winner will be chosen.
Only one winner per mailing address.  Multiple entries will be deleted. 
This giveaway is sponsored by the Little Brown and ONE BOOK is available.

Follow Me
Extra Entries
+1 Follow me on Twitter HERE 
+1 Like BookHounds on Facebook HERE 
+1 Like Win a Book on Facebook HERE
+1 Be my friend on Goodreads HERE
+1 for social networking this giveaway and leave me a link once daily per site
+1 Comment, you can do this daily, just leave an email address.


Free Excerpt BLAZE OF WINTER by ELISABETH BARRETT @SueGrimshaw @ebarrettwrites

BLAZE OF WINTER by Elisabeth Barrett

Free Excerpt UNTIL THERE WAS YOU by JESSICA SCOTT @SueGrimshaw @JessicaScott09

UNTIL THERE WAS YOU by Jessica Scott, Excerpt

Book Trailer UGGIE - My Story @simonbooks @simonschuster



Book Description

October 16, 2012

Dear Reader: Wow! Bow wow! It’s been a wild ride—wilder even than learning to water-ski or skateboard. I’m so famous now that The New York Times plugged my autobiography. “Uggie will bark all in a memoir,” it announced. Well, I’ve certainly had a lot to bark about lately.

Even before The Artist stunned us all by hitting the big time and winning five Oscars, inside I knew (as did my wonderful acting coach Omar) that I was an artist. I may have been merely a pound-bound hound when I joined Omar’s troupe, and certain species-ist quarters have contended that I mindlessly do tricks for treats, but it’s not true. I was milking a crowd as a young street performer when my canine companions and I were doing gigs for biscuit money. Yes, I’ve always been a bit of an attention-seeker, but aren’t all great actors?

Expect some real treats. Perhaps not quite as tasty as pizza, but still lip-smackingly good. Not just the stories of how I got into showbiz or why I fell nose over paws in love with my divine Miss W (that’s Reese Witherspoon to the rest of you), but also the dirty doggie truth about Cat-Gate. And, well, a few more youthful misdemeanors . . .such as Zebra-Gate and Cockatoo-Gate and the truly shameful Binge-Gate.

I’m fond of a good romp, and this candid canine tell-all zips along with revealing tales of celebrity encounters and how I cope with fame. Of course there’s some sad stuff too, including the health problems that forced me into early retirement. I’ve given my all in this honest-to-dog Hollywood memoir, because that’s what I always do. I hope you’ll gobble up every word, just like I wolf down sausages.

Love and licks,

Uggie


8/27/12

Giveaway GROWING UP BRAVE by DONNA PINCUS PhD @DonnaPincus @littlebrown




Book Description

August 28, 2012
With social and academic pressures at an all-time high, one in five children today suffers from a diagnosed anxiety disorder and many others go undiagnosed. More children than ever are being prescribed psychotropic drugs. In GROWING UP BRAVE, nationally recognized childhood anxiety expert Dr. Donna Pincus demonstrates that excessive anxiety is manageable and even preventable when parents learn how to identify and understand it and respond by using convenient and simple parenting techniques. The book's effective tools teach parents how to promote a warm, secure attachment with their child in only five minutes a day, develop routines that help ward off anxiety, implement Dr. Pincus's "bravery ladder," and much more. 

GROWING UP BRAVE is an empowering and valuable guide that will leave parents equipped to help their child regain confidence and happiness.

About the Author
Dr. Donna Pincus is the Director of the Child and Adolescent Fear and Anxiety Treatment Program at Boston University. She has appeared on The Today Show, Good Morning America, 20/20, and more. She lives outside Boston, MA.

Details

  • Hardcover: 288 pages
  • Publisher: Little, Brown and Company (August 28, 2012)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0316125601
  • ISBN-13: 978-0316125604



WANT TO WIN A COPY OF THIS BOOK? 
Complete the below form 
Contest is open to anyone over 13 years old with a US or Canadian mailing address (Sorry - NO PO Boxes!) Void where prohibited.
Contest ends on 9.12.12 Winner will be chosen by Random.org 
Winner will have 48 hours to respond to email or a new winner will be chosen.
Only one winner per mailing address.  Multiple entries will be deleted. 
This giveaway is sponsored by the Little Brown and ONE BOOK is available.

Follow Me
Extra Entries
+1 Follow me on Twitter HERE 
+1 Like BookHounds on Facebook HERE 
+1 Like Win a Book on Facebook HERE
+1 Be my friend on Goodreads HERE
+1 for social networking this giveaway and leave me a link once daily per site
+1 Comment, you can do this daily, just leave an email address.

Giveaway + Review BLAME IT ON TEXAS by CHRISTIE CRAIG @Christie_Craig @ForeverRomance






Book Description

August 28, 2012 Hotter in Texas (Book 2)
Zoe Adams has always been content with her quiet nights at home, watching TV alone-until her life turns into a real-life episode of Unsolved Mystery Hunters. The story of a kidnapped girl triggers unexplained memories, and Zoe is dead-set on figuring out why. Her search leads her to one of the Lone Star State's richest families-and to sexy PI Tyler Lopez.

Tyler has sworn off women, especially redheads with killer curves who poke their noses into his clients' private lives. Still, he can't deny the attraction any more than he can deny that some of Zoe's crazy story makes sense. But when she becomes a hit man's target, this cold case starts heating up. Suddenly, Tyler will do anything to protect Zoe-even risk his heart.

About the Author
New York Times bestselling author Christie Craig grew up in Alabama, where she caught lightning bugs, ran barefoot, and regularly rescued potential princes, in the form of bullfrogs, from her brothers. Today, she's still fascinated with lightning bugs and mostly wears shoes, but focuses on rescuing mammals and hasn't kissed a frog in years. She now lives in Texas with her four rescued cats, one dog-who has a bad habit of eating furniture-a son, and a prince of a husband who swears he's not, and never was, a frog.

If Christie isn't writing, she's reading or just enjoying laughter with her friends and family. As a freelance writer, Christie also writes nonfiction books, including the humorous self-help/relationship book Wild, Wicked & Wanton: 101 Ways to Love Like You're in a Romance Novel, as well as paranormal young adult romances under the pen name C. C. Hunter.

You can learn more at:
Christie-Craig.com
Twitter @christie_craig
Facebook.com/ChristieCraigBooks

Details

  • Mass Market Paperback: 464 pages
  • Publisher: Forever (August 28, 2012)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0446582832
  • ISBN-13: 978-0446582834


SOURCE:  PUBLISHER

MY THOUGHTS
LOVED IT

Since Zoe Adams adores her Unsolved Mystery Hunter television show, she can't believe the current installment triggers some undeniable parallels in her own life.  When she discovered that she is adopted and she is the heir to a fortune in Texas.  She enlists the help of hunky Tyler Lopez, former policeman and now a private investigator.  After a series of disturbing and threatening phone calls, Tyler helps her uncover the truth behind her biological family.  Of course, he doesn't believe her at first and wants nothing to do with women at this point in life, but can't help be drawn to her.  SWOON!  

Told in alternating voices of both Zoe and Tyler is the perfect way to unfold this romantic tale.  There are so many wonderful quips filled with humor that really made me laugh.  As Tyler and Zoe get closer to the truth, the more they find themselves in danger.  There is just enough suspense and mystery to balance out the humor that keeps the story quite fast paced.  

Even though this is the second book in the series, I think it can easily stand alone.  Nikki (Zoe's BFF) and Dallas from the first book are present, so there is some continuity of characters.  Also, there is a bit of a second plot going on with Rick and Ellen that also started in Blame It On Texas, which was really pleasant.  If you enjoy Jill Shalvis and her Lucky Harbor series, you will love this series as well!



WANT TO WIN A COPY OF THIS BOOK?



Contest is open to anyone over age 13 with a US or Canadian mailing address 
(no PO Boxes)
Contest Ends on 9.10.12. Void where prohibited. Winner will be drawn by Random.org.  Void where prohibited. Duplicate entries deleted.
Winner will have 48 hours to respond to email or a new winner will be chosen.
This giveaway is sponsored by Forever Romance and ONE copy is available.
Only one winner per household/mailing address!

+1 Complete the below form
+1 Follow Me
+1 Be my friend on GoodReads HERE
+1 Follow me on Twitter HERE
+1 Like the BookHounds Facebook Page HERE 
More extra entries for Christie Craig
+1 Follow the KILLER FICTION blog HERE
+1 Fan on GoodReads HERE
+1 Follow on Twitter HERE
+1 Like on Facebook HERE

And now, for those extra entries you can do each day:

+1 Leave a comment!  I love comments! Just be sure to leave an email address so I can contact you.

 +1 for each post on twitter, a social networking site, blog (3 entries), sidebar, etc., just be sure to leave a link.

8/26/12

BookHounds STACKING THE SHELVES August 26, 2012 IMM


Stacking the Shelves is a weekly post by TYNGA'S REVIEWS showcasing your new books!

Links go to Goodreads!



For Review:




by 




by 



by  







If you are pre-ordering or ordering anything from Amazon, please consider using one of my links to start your shopping and support BookHounds. I get a small percentage of any purchase made which helps me pay for more giveaways!

8/25/12

Book Review FATHOMLESS by JACKSON PEARCE @lbkids @JacksonPearce


Book Description

September 4, 2012
Celia Reynolds is the youngest in a set of triplets and the one with the least valuable power. Anne can see the future, and Jane can see the present, but all Celia can see is the past. And the past seems so insignificant -- until Celia meets Lo.

Lo doesn't know who she is. Or who she was. Once a human, she is now almost entirely a creature of the sea -- a nymph, an ocean girl, a mermaid -- all terms too pretty for the soulless monster she knows she's becoming. Lo clings to shreds of her former self, fighting to remember her past, even as she's tempted to embrace her dark immortality.

When a handsome boy named Jude falls off a pier and into the ocean, Celia and Lo work together to rescue him from the waves. The two form a friendship, but soon they find themselves competing for Jude's affection. Lo wants more than that, though. According to the ocean girls, there's only one way for Lo to earn back her humanity. She must persuade a mortal to love her . . . and steal his soul.

About the Author
Jackson Pearce is the author of Sisters Red, Sweetly, Purity, and As You Wish. She lives in Atlanta, Georgia.

SOURCE:  AROUND THE WORLD ARC TOURS
MY THOUGHTS
LOVED IT

Celia, Anne and Jane are triplets abandon in a boarding school that they never leave because there mother has died and their father is a victim of Alzheimer's.  Anne can see the future, Jane can see the present but all Celia can do is visit the past.  Together they form a scam, getting rich boys to buy them things and take them to dinner at the beach side resort they live near. Since her power is the least useful, Celia tends to stay away from her sisters' antics  One night while she is staring into the sea, a local minstrel (ok, cool singer-songwriter dude), falls into the ocean and just as he is about to go under for the third time, Celia races in to save him but is caught short by another naked girl who got to him first.  She does give him mouth-to-mouth and Jude (cool guitar dude) thinks it is Celia who rescues him, not realizing that there is a second girl helping out.  

The two begin to spend much time together, but Jude remembers singing that has now inspired him to write that hit song he has always just missed.  Celia goes back to the beach and meets Lo, the girl from the sea who has helped save him. They bond as Celia helps Lo remember her past life and almost finds a purpose to her own life.  Creepy.  For some reason this seems to turn into a creature feature with soulless sirens with blood lust.  The sirens/mermaids/ocean girls sense their humanness disappearing to the extent that they no longer remember their human names.  Some try to cling to the shred of their humanity but more often than not, they go numb and mindless - just existing until they become "angels".  THAT becomes a real twist in the story when Lo discovers exactly what that means.  Creepy. 

As Lo and Celia discover what is missing from each other's lives, they both try to deal with what they are dealt.  For Celia, that means adjusting to her powers of people finding their past, while Lo must face the inevitable.  This story, based in part on the Little Mermaid, is not warm and fuzzy but dark and creepy.  I did enjoy it but this was not my favorite Jackson Pearce story since it really had a melancholy feel to the whole story.  Everyone just seemed sad until the end.  There wasn't much objectionable to the story, some kissing, a bit of language and a mention of alcohol.  This is a must read for Pearce fans since she always has a unique twist to beloved fairy tales. 

 Details

  • Hardcover: 304 pages
  • Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (September 4, 2012)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0316207780
  • ISBN-13: 978-0316207782

BOOK WINNERS @foxdelivers @VettekLisa @Mtw1tter


AND THE WINNER IS:




Kelly

Rebecca

LAST DAYS OF SUMMER -- Nancy Gideon Prize Pack 

Lisa

THE VIOLINIST'S THUMB BY SAM KEAN

Michael

Grace




An email has been sent to the lucky person named above
The winner has 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen.
Thanks to all who entered. 
PLEASE CHECK YOUR SPAM FOR THE EMAIL FROM BOOKHOUNDS @ HOTMAIL REQUESTING YOUR MAILING ADDRESS!

Didn’t win? 
If you are considering ordering any of these books, please use my Amazon links to start your shopping.  BookHounds receives a small percentage of any purchase you make using one of my links!  

8/24/12

FREE Kindle Book UNDER BY TREATY by KAYLA STONOR Only on 8.25.12

Under By Treaty

 -- EXPLICIT CONTENT WARNING -

I cross into the sci-fi/fantasy genre in my second book in the Surrender Series, a building collection of erotic romance novellas. I love this genre because it allows the imagination to fly. In Under By Treaty, General Jaden has no idea what is in store for him when he first confronts Sonil, Ambassador for the Qui Galactic Empire. Jaden has devoted his life to holding off the enemy that invaded Earth thirty years ago. He is a thorn in the Qui's side and Sonil has a plan to remove him. She doesn't intend to hold back with the weapons at her disposal, either. Only General Jaden's total surrender can save Earth.
UNDER BY TREATY published through Amazon KDP will be on a free promotion on Amazon on the 25th August!
General Jaden is a thorn in the Qui’s side. Ambassador Sonil is on Earth to extract him by treaty. When Jaden is stripped naked then caged, he gets a taste of how far she will go to ensure he is worthy of serving the Qui ruler. Her training is ruthless and alien rules apply. Failure is not an option; saving Earth from annihilation requires Jaden’s complete surrender. But Sonil demands more than obedience. She wants his devotion.
Author’s Note: See warnings on Amazon product details.
UNDER BY DURESS published through Amazon KDP will be on a free promotion on Amazon on the 1st September.
Tahima has escaped to the Blue Ridge Mountains following a devastating break up from her ex dom. When a Mafia heir wanted for murder crashes into her life, she determines to turn him in. Her only option is to force him down the mountain. It is a mission fraught with danger. Rossini is a dom who promises to be uncooperative. She will have to switch roles.
Author’s Note: See warnings on Amazon product details.
If you would like to review my books on Amazon, your blog site, or a review website, I would be delighted. Let me know where I can find your review–I continually want to improve my stories and writing and so welcome all feedback honestly given.

Friday PhoDOGraphy - Bucket List





Schatze's Bucket List of things to catch:

Worm
Spider
Fly
Butterfly
Grasshopper
Bird
Mouse 
Squirrel
Duck
Bunny
Cat



I have never been so glad to see a pile of leaves. I hope that means the hot summer will soon be over! 





Don't forget to stop by FRIDAYS WITH FRED over at Mina Burrows blog HERE