GIVEAWAY & REVIEW: Awkward Family Pet Photos by Mike Bender & Doug Chernack

Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2011

The authors of the New York Times bestseller Awkward Family Photos are back with a hilarious tribute to the unbreakable and sometimes uncomfortable bond between people and their pets.
There are few things more rewarding than having a pet. They love us unconditionally, shower us with attention, and because of them, we actually live longer. So, what can possibly be awkward about our animal BFFs? Well . . . nothing. In fact, we’re the awkward ones. We adore our pets, but let’s face it—sometimes L-O-V-E makes us go a little overboard. Like giving them middle names, throwing them elaborate birthday parties, and making them a Christmas sweater to match with the rest of the family. Truth is, what they cherish most is our companionship. And maybe that’s the reason we care about them so much—because for such simple pleasures, they allow us to be as awkward as we want.

About the Authors

Mike Bender is a screenwriter whose credits include "Not Another Teen Movie" and the MTV Movie Awards. He created the hit website AwkwardFamilyPhotos.com with childhood friend Doug Chernack in May 2009 after seeing an awkward vacation photo hung in his parent's house.

Doug Chernack is a professional screenwriter and producer living in Los Angeles who has created and produced shows for E!, Fox Sports, and The Golf Channel. 

Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Three Rivers Press; Original edition (November 1, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0307888126
• ISBN-13: 978-0307888129

SOURCE:  PUBLISHER
MY THOUGHTS
ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT


THIS BOOK CURED MY HEADACHE.

It also made me laugh uncontrollably.   And, seriously, I did have a terrible headache when I started to read this one, but by the time I finished, I was laughing so hard that I completely forgot that my head hurt.

The overall concept of the book is pretty simple, take some family photos from the earlier decades and pair them with funny captions.  The majority of them really made me laugh and they even included some chickens with a family.  For some reason, people taking pictures with their chickens (ok, there were a few roosters in there too), just seemed horribly funny to me at the time.  There is a section devoted to birds, cats, dogs, farm animals and reptiles.  Interspersed between the pictures are little essays from a vet and from the picture subjects explaining the photograph.  This would make an excellent gift for any pet lover who has a skewed sense of humor.

WANT TO WIN THIS BOOK?

 Contest is open to anyone over 13 years old with a US mailing address (sorry, no PO Boxes).
This ends 11.17.11 midnight Pacific Time and the winner will be chosen by Random.org on 11.18.11.
Winner will have 48 hours to respond to email or a new winner will be chosen
This giveaway is sponsored by Three Rivers Press for ONE WINNER.


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GUEST POST! Either / Or by Quinn Barrett

Either/Or

by Quinn Barrett

www.quinnbarrett.com / www.invisiblesnow.com

We all have favorites, but lately I've wondered if we've become a society built around either/or questions?  Let's try a few:

Conservative or Liberal?

Lover or Fighter?

Football or Baseball?

Night Owl or Early Bird?

Sneakers or Sandals?

Beatles or Elvis?

Roses or Sunflowers?

Spender or Saver?

Fiction or Non-Fiction?

I'm not suggesting these are mutually exclusive ideas, but for most of us, one of the words, names or ideas resonates more than the other.

As a lover of fiction, I never understood the exponential growth in popularity of non-fiction.  I do understand what fuels it—the self-help market—but is our society so desperate for a quick fix that we are unwilling to commit to the greatest self-help lessons contained within the pages of classic literature as well as contemporary fiction?

I have long believed that fiction is the best type of self-help book, but non-fiction can be developed, written, edited and sold faster.  Most businesses are looking to make a quick buck and the publishing industry is no exception.  Authors also propel the gap between fiction and non-fiction sales by hoping to become the next big self-help guru and using books to achieve self-proclaimed expert status.

Readers, too, want something for their effort.  The notion of reading for itself seems terribly out-of-date.  People gravitate toward non-fiction in the hopes that their effort will be rewarded with new ideas which will enhance their life and livelihood.

But I'm an eternal optimist.  I refuse to believe that fiction is a dying art form.  Digital publishing is revitalizing fiction in the way that Napster, Rhapsody, and iTunes has for music.  Virtually anyone can publish a book now; and while this may create a quantity-over-quality issue, websites like Goodreads, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn are great equalizers.  Avid readers are also avid reviewers and word-of-mouth marketers, which is more important than any single advertising dollar writers may spend.

Social media sites drive independent book sales.  Book lovers congregate in these online communities and spread the gospel of fiction.  More fiction is being written than ever before and that's a good thing.  Amazon may have started the digital book phenomena with the introduction of Kindle, but lovers of good old-fashion fiction are joining and creating new fiction-centric communities in droves which are literally changing the landscape of how fiction is created, marketed and shared.

The Internet's endless virtual bookshelf allows us to broaden our interests now more than ever.  We don't have to be as selective as we used to be.  The average digital book costs less than $9.99.  Some independent authors are making a name for themselves by selling $0.99 novels.  The digital era allow us to expand our horizons beyond our typical interests and genres.  Let's test a few more either or scenarios:

Reader or Writer?

Print or Digital?

Commercial or Independent?

Mystery or Romance?

Fantasy or Chick Lit?

Sci-Fi or Historical?

How about all of the above?  It's time we embrace fiction again and get back to the concept of reading for art's sake.  Thanks to the digital book revolution, our choices are more plentiful, cost-effective, and easier to buy.  The days of either/or are diminishing as fiction continues to surge in popularity once again.  Let's do our part and support small presses and independent authors.

© Quinn Barrett 2011

Buy on Amazon HERE

Description

Kate Snow married the wrong man for the wrong reasons. Paul Delacroix was smitten with Kate the first time he laid eyes on her and was willing to do anything to have her. She was raised in a large, impoverished family near the slopes of Sun Valley, Idaho. He was the sole heir to his family’s Los Angeles-based multibillion-dollar corporation. It should have been a fairy tale romance, but it wasn’t.

Kate’s marriage unravels when she discovers a mysterious safe room which harbors her husband’s darkest secrets. The legacy of the family business is at stake, but power is not always about money. Their showdown results in a shocking twist of fate—a destiny Kate never saw coming.

Invisible Snow is a classic family drama about wealth, power, greed, and redemption. Marriage is a delicate dance of power between lovers, but Kate and Paul Delacroix are strangers caught in a disparate union somewhere between betrayal and truth. Confronting their true selves for the first time results in an epic clash of wills where only one will prevail. 

About the Author

Quinn Barrett is a native of Southern California, currently residing in the West Los Angeles area. After graduating from UCLA with a degree in English, she worked as a corporate business development strategist specializing in emerging growth technology, software and Internet companies.

She is married and raising a teenage son. Her hobbies include reading, walking, golf, cooking, and travel.

Invisible Snow is her first novel.

You can find more wonderful writing by Quinn on her website at www.quinnbarrett.com 

Twitter:   @quinnbarrett

Quinn Barrett's YouTube

Facebook for Quinn :  www.facebook.com/quinnbarrett

Facebook for Invisible Snowwww.facebook.com/invisiblesnow

 

AND THE WINNER IS: Spooktacular Giveaway Hop

KATI 




 Be sure to stop by her blog ROMANCING RAKES !  here 

Here is what she won:

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!

BLOG TOUR & REVIEW: A Novel Seduction by Gwyn Cready

Description

From the old steel mills of Pittsburgh to the picturesque hills of Scotland, romance novels save the day in RITA Award–winning author Gwyn Cready’s fun and sensuous take on literature and modern-day love.When snobbish book critic Ellery Sharpe screws up at Vanity Place magazine, her boss assigns her the ultimate punishment: write an ode to romance novels, a genre she considers the literary equivalent of word search puzzles. To make matters worse, he hires her sexy former party boy ex, Axel Mackenzie, to shoot the photos. Axel really wants the project to succeed. For one, the magazine will double his fee if he convinces strong-willed Ellery to write a story no woman can resist. Besides, getting Ellery to fall for romance novels might be just the push she needs to believe people can change . . . even him. At his sister’s advice, Axel gives Ellery a copy of Kiltlander, a much-adored romance whose warrior hero is utterly irresistible. To her dismay, Ellery finds herself secretly falling in love with the story—and with Axel, who’s drawing his own lessons from the book’s compelling hero. With her carefully crafted image of herself crumbling and her dream job on the line, will Ellery risk it all to make the leap from tight-lipped literati to happily-ever-after heroine?

About the Author

GWYN CREADY is the recipient of the 2009 RITA Award for Best Paranormal Romance and the author of Tumbling Through Time, Seducing Mr. Darcy, Flirting with Forever and Aching for Always. She has been called "the master of time travel romance." A Novel Seduction is her first foray into contemporary romance as well as men in kilts, and she found both eminently satisfying. She lives in Pittsburgh with her family.

Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Pocket Star; Original edition (October 25, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1451612648
• ISBN-13: 978-1451612646

SOURCE:  PUBLISHER

MY THOUGHTS
LOVED IT

Ellery sticks her literary foot in her mouth when she writes a review dumping on the latest it book about vampires and romance in general.  The biggest problem is that her boss and editor is having an affair with the author of the vamp book she just lambasted.   He ex hottie, photographer Axel, takes up her boss on a dare (and a bit of cash) tries to convince Ellery to write a postive article on romance and girlfriend, he can't turn it down.  Ellery thinks romances are best used for kindling.  So, when Ellery starts to research her article on romance, she becomes swept away into the historical world she is creating in deciding to write her own. 

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this whole story line!  The humor woven through is enough to keep my snark happy and well, the chemistry between Ellery and Axel just sparks.  If you enjoyed the Outlander series, you will be thrilled at the references and sly nods that Cready slips in with Kiltlander book that Ellery decides to read and get swept up in.   There are also many pointed references to the vampire threads that are so immensely popular right now that I couldn't help but think, "how true".  Overall. this is a wonderful contemporary romance with a good dose of humor that is completely believable.  YAY!

Waiting on Wednesday: Arcadia by Lauren Groff

"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:

Description

In the fields of western New York State in the 1970s, a few dozen idealists set out to live off the land, founding what would become a commune centered on the grounds of a decaying mansion called Arcadia House. Arcadia follows this rollicking, tragic dream from its hopeful start through its heyday and beyond. What unfolds is an astonishingly beautiful novel about happiness and the impossible dream of perfection.

Arcadia’s inhabitants include Handy, a musician and the group’s charismatic leader; Astrid, a midwife; Abe, a master carpenter; Hannah, a baker and historian; and Abe and Hannah’s only child, the book’s protagonist, known as Bit, who is born soon after the commune is created.

While Arcadia rises and falls, Bit, too, ages and changes. If he remains in love with the peaceful agrarian life in Arcadia and deeply attached to its residents, including Handy and Astrid’s lithe and deeply troubled daughter Helle, how can Bit become his own man? How does he, a sensitive person, make his way through life and through the world outside of Arcadia where he must eventually live?

About the Author

Lauren Groff was born in Cooperstown, New York, which is the model for "Templeton", her novel's setting. Groff's short stories have appeared in publications including "The Atlantic Monthly", "Ploughshares" and "The Best American Short Stories" and "Pushcart Prize" anthologies. She lives in Gainesville, Florida.

 

Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Voice (March 13, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1401340873
• ISBN-13: 978-1401340872

And there is that PUSHCART PRIZE notice again.  I really connect with that prize!  I adored Monsters of Templeton and I hope this one is just as good.  

Cool Authors, Haute Dogs: HOLLI PFAU author of PURE GOLD

Daisy, Chatter and Holly

 PLEASE WELCOME HOLLI WITH DAISY AND CHATTER!

Web Address:  www.puregoldbook.com

Do you have another book in the works?   

Several!  The next will be a collection of remarkable rescued dog stories – I get to hear so many, and I’m eager to showcase the dogs with their people and tell the stories of their partnerships.  Then I plan to do a series of children’s books, each featuring one of the dogs in Pure Gold.  First will be Nikki, The Hospital Dog, then Bodie in the Wilderness, and so on, showing each dog’s special gift.

What are you reading right now?   

A wonderfully researched and fascinating non-fiction account of the least populated counties in the West and the people who live there called Miles from Nowhere by Dayton Duncan, who has partnered with Ken Burns on so many documentary productions.

How many books a year do you read?   

It varies greatly, depending on my schedule, activities, and the seasons.  Probably 25 or so, and a heavy winter will find me hunkered down with more books and more knitting.

What does your dog like to do while you write or read?  They’re both disappointed to see me settle at my desk.  They jockey for space and curl up with sighs of resignation under my feet.  But if I’m reading in the living room on a snowy afternoon, they love to stretch out in front of the fire.

What is your dog’s favorite activity?   

Daisy’s type A personality fuels her obsession with chipmunks, and she can chase, dig and perseverate for hours while the critters taunt and tease her, skittering from one rock pile to the next.

Chatter would rather swim than breathe, and if a tennis ball is involved, too, she’s in heaven.  Rivers, lakes, streams, mud puddles – they all qualify as water with Chatter.

Description

Inspired by the lives, antics and talents of her six rescued or second-hand golden retrievers, Holli Pfau has written Pure Gold to support the efforts of Golden Retriever Rescue and other dog rescue and adoption programs. Holli's dogs guided her to a new career in animal-assisted therapy, deeper into wilderness adventures, and to relocation in the Rocky Mountains. Along the way, she added rally obedience and dog agility to her compendium of canine activities. In every case, the dogs led the way. Pure Gold is a tale of unexpected adventures and the richness of life with rescued dogs.

 

Holli Pfau is a captivating writer who charms her readers with engaging storytelling and a warm message. Written with sensitivity and insight, Pure Gold tells the inspiring story of the important roles our pets play in our lives and the lives of others. A simply delightful book. --Will Gray, former Vice President of the National Geographic Society and Director of the Book Division

The true champions those defenders of rescue like author Holli Pfau are my heroes, as I find myself moved by their compassion and emotional resilience. This wonderfully written and captivating book reveals the importance of these special Golden souls, life made pure by their presence. As Holli s life has been so enriched by her six Golden Rescues, let s hope more will follow her lead to securing long and happy lives for our homeless dogs in need. --Rochelle Lesser, School Psychologist & Founder, Land of PureGold Foundation, Inc.

Pure Gold shares the love and joy Holli has with several outstanding representatives of the golden retriever breed. Her intelligent prose and sensitive insight into the soul of these dogs guides us to a broader understanding of this incredible species. Holli reminds us how fortunate we are to share this earth with these wondrous creatures. --Julie Paige, Certified Pet Dog Trainer, Association of Pet Dog Trainers

About the Author

Blessed with the animal-loving gene, Holli shared her early years with a menagerie in southern California. So after an 18-year career in marketing, it s no surprise that she returned to her roots, inspired by her first golden retriever, Nikki. Credentialed by her second college degree, in therapeutic recreation, she co-founded PAT at Huntington, a program of animal-assisted therapy that became a national model. But the Rocky Mountains lured, and she now lives with her husband in Colorado. Holli continues to be humbled, challenged, charmed and entertained by two frisky golden retrievers, Daisy and Chatter.

To purchase PURE GOLD from Amazon click HERE

BOOK TRAILER TUESDAY: The Lorax by Dr. Seuss MOVIE

Does anyone know the name of the song?  I know it but can't place it or the artist.  GRRRR--my brain is so frustrating some times....