AAAAHHH!!! Books out the ears!!

Well, I have won 2 free books this week and I am so ready to read and review! I won Nothing But Ghosts by Beth Kephart and The Night Gardener by George Pelecanos. Click on the titles to go to Amazon to see descriptions, reviews, or even buy the book!

This is so exciting, but so crazy! I haven't entered a new review post, because I don't even know which book to choose next.

I do know you will see reviews of the 2 above soon as well as:

Holly's Inbox by Holly Denham
The Shack by William P. Young
Almost Human Trilogy by Melanie Nowak

That will keep me busy for awhile!

Now, if I can just get people to actually visit me. LOL

Nothing But Ghosts by Beth Kephart

So, I haven't read this yet, but I am certainly adding it to my list. I have read nothing but good reviews. Here's a link to a review to entice.... http://www.myfriendamysblog.com/2009/06/review-nothing-but-ghosts-by-beth.html

Free Book Give Away from Booking Mama

Click here to Win The Art of Racing In the Rain from Booking Mama. I haven't read it yet, but it is on my list!

Review: Magic Kingdom For Sale - Sold Terry Brooks

A Kingdom For Sale

Landover was a genuine, out-of-this-world magic kingdom, complete with fairy folk and wizardry, just as the advertisement had promised. But after he purchased it for a million dollars, Ben Holiday discovered that there were a few details the ad had failed to mention.
The kingdom was falling into ruin. Taxes hadn't been collected in years. The Barons refused to recognize a king and the peasants were without hope. The dragon Strabo was laying waste the countryside and the evil witch Nightshade was plotting to destroy everything. Generally, things were a total mess.
Ben's only followers were the incompetent Court Magician, Questar Thews, and Abernathy, the talking dog who served as Court Scribe. For servants, all he had were a pair of kobolds. The Paladin, legendary champion of the Kings of Landover, seemed to be only a myth and an empty suit of armor.
Of course, there was the lovely and devoted Willow--but she had a habit of putting down roots in the moonlight and turning into a tree.
To put the final touch on the whole affair, Ben soon learned that the Iron Mark, ugly and terrible lord of the demons, had challenged all prospective Kings of Landover to a duel to the death--a duel which no human could hope to win.
The task of proving his right to be King seemed hopeless. But Ben Holiday was stubborn.

Here in his first non-Shannara novel, Terry Brooks has written a gripping story of mystery, magic, and adventure--sure to delight fantasy readers everywhere.
http://www.terrybrooks.net/novels/landover/kingdom.html

I am a kindle owner and this book was advertised as a free book for at least the month of June. I am all about the free book so I picked it up. Not being a big reader of fantasy books, I had no idea that this was a New York Times Bestseller in 1986. As I started reading I was so impressed by the writing and the descriptive images that I started googling the novel to learn more about it. Silly me, Terry Brooks is well-known in this genre. This is just one of his many.

Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed this. It revolves around Ben Holiday, a very depressed and lonely lawyer, who wants out of his life. He has lost his wife and unborn child to a tragic accident and feels unfulfilled and let down in his law career. He finds an ad for a magic kingdom in the holiday wishbook and decides to purchase it to try and find something worth living for or to just get away from it all. The writing is high caliber and even though you are clearly reading fiction you are completely drawn in to it. You find yourself cheering for Ben when he succeeds and afraid for him as he faces one challenge after another.

The descriptions are wonderful. Over and over again I felt like -if I were any kind of artist- I could draw exactly what he was writing. I actually felt like I was watching the movie in my head while reading it. FYI-the movie rights have been sold to this book, but as of yet nothing has been done.

All of the supporting characters in the book develop very individual personalities. Brooks does a wonderful job of keeping those traits throughout the book and creating very dimensional and believable characters. Each character played a pivotal role in the story. They all had a part in helping Ben discover his strengths and work through his depression.

This book was not only fantasy, but also a story about a man who is coming to terms with his life after loss. He must look within himself to find the strength to not only run Landover, but to move forward with his life after tragedy. It is through his friendships and through believing in himself and his ability to make a difference that he is finally able to become the King that Landover needs.

I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys fantasy or just a good story. This is the first book in a series. The 6th book of the Landover series will be out in August 2009. If you are a kindle owner pick it up for free while you can. The kindle version does have typos, but they are easy to work through.

Review: The Last Lecture

We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand.” —Randy Pausch
A lot of professors give talks titled “The Last Lecture.” Professors are asked to consider their demise and to ruminate on what matters most to them. And while they speak, audiences can’t help but mull the same question: What wisdom would we impart to the world if we knew it was our last chance? If we had to vanish tomorrow, what would we want as our legacy?
When Randy Pausch, a computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon, was asked to give such a lecture, he didn’t have to imagine it as his last, since he had recently been diagnosed with terminal cancer. But the lecture he gave—“Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams”—wasn’t about dying. It was about the importance of overcoming obstacles, of enabling the dreams of others, of seizing every moment (because “time is all you have...and you may find one day that you have less than you think”). It was a summation of everything Randy had come to believe. It was about living.
In this book, Randy Pausch has combined the humor, inspiration and intelligence that made his lecture such a phenomenon and given it an indelible form. It is a book that will be shared for generations to come. www.thelastlecture.com

First I would like to acknowledge www.bookingmama.blogspot.com for the idea of putting the official book description at the top of my reviews. I liked it so much I followed the idea...hope you don't mind...
I recently finished The Last Lecture for another online book club and really found it refreshing and special. It isn't often that you pick up a book about someone's final days due to a terminal illness and don't spend the entire time crying. Mr. Pausch wrote - with the help of Jeff Zaslow- a touching legacy to leave his children. Upon learning of his terminal diagnosis he wanted to know that his kids would have something tangible to remember and get to know their father. This book will do exactly that. They will learn that he was full of life and joy and believed everyone should not only have dreams but should try to fulfill them. It is full of those cliches that everyone says all the time and never really thinks about. It breaks them down so you can understand just why they matter and what you should be doing with the knowledge. I have to admit that every once in awhile I found him to come across a bit arrogant, but I felt okay about it. This was a book for his children to know all he accomplished by pursuing dreams and to know the depth of his love. So, if it sometimes came across as a book to list those things then it did exactly what it was supposed to. He took all of those realized dreams and the times he had a true friend or mentor "put him in his place" and found a way to take a part in raising his children even when he is gone.
I found the writing to be easy to follow. It is a book I would like to encourage my teenage daughter to read, because I would like her to learn these lessons before she is out on her own in this world.

In The Beginning....

Books Have Always Brought Me Joy

I don't remember a time in my life that I didn't enjoy reading. In fact, I had a great childhood full of friends and good times, but I still think back on all my books and feel warm and cozy inside. I read so many books during the summer and took any class in high school or college that I thought would give me a grade just for reading a book. What could be easier?!

These days my friends tease that I read so much and most can't figure out how I finish so many books with all the other things on my plate. It's simple...you make time for what's important...friends, family, faith...and a good book!!

Lately I have been enjoying many book blogs so I thought I would create one of my own. Anyone who knows me knows that I certainly love to give my opinion - but I also love to hear yours.

I am the mother of 2 wonderful kids that are 9 years apart in age. You would think this would curb sibling fighting but it definitely does not. Anytime I am not spent reading and blogging is most likely spent toting them around to their various activities. My boyfriend and I have lived together for years and he also has 2 wonderful kids that we see weekly. I consider them bonuses in my life. All the kids make for a very busy life!

BOOKS...where else can you travel the world from the comfort of your home...

My Wish List

Coming Soon!

Reviews Alphabetically

My Reviews Alphabetically by Author

Adams, Jane, Sugar Time
Brindley, Ariion Kathleen, The Elephant Girl
Brooks, Terry, Magic Kingdom for Sale- Sold
Burns, Dan E., Saving Ben
Cope, Pam, Jantsen's Gift
Deedy, Carmen Agra (with Wilson Kimeli Naiyomah), 14 Cows for America
Denham, Holly, Holly's Inbox
DiRosso, Lisa Baird, He Who Sings Last
Fischer, Libby, Doubleback
Foster, Melissa, Megan's Way
Gilbert-Lurie, Leslie, Bending Toward the Sun
Grandhi, Preetham, A Circle of Souls
Harris, E. Lynn, Mama Dearest
Hilderbrand, Elin, A Summer Affair
Kephart, Beth, Nothing But Ghosts
LaZebnik, Claire, The Smart One and the Pretty One
McDonough, Yona Zeldis, Breaking the Bank
Melucci, Guilia, I Loved, I Lost, I Made Spaghetti
Nicholson, Shelly, Jake the Snake and the Stupid Time Out Chair
Nicholson, Shelly, A Stinky Surprise for Jake the Snake
Oates, Joyce Carol, Little Bird of Heaven
Paretsky, Sara, Hardball
Pausch, Randy, The Last Lecture
Pelecanos, George, The Night Gardener
Powell, Julie, Julie and Julia
Robuck, Erika, Receive Me Falling
Sandell, Laurie, The Imposter's Daughter
Tolfield, Simon, Simon's Cat

Review Policy

I love just about any kind of book and would love to post a review for you. I do tend to stray away from non-fiction. An exception is that I really enjoy a memoir that focuses on personal growth.

When posting a review it will represent my honest opinion of what I read. Upon agreeing to write a review for you I promise to treat you and your work with the utmost respect and will not be disrespectful regardless of my personal like or dislike of the book. For my view on how an author and book review should be treated please read my previous post.

Any information I post in a review is written solely by me unless otherwise specified. This material may not be copied without proper credit.

My reviews will be posted on my blog, at Amazon, at Barnes and Noble, and any other place you specifically request. I typically tweet about them as well, and they are linked to my facebook page. I will contact the author and/or publisher upon completion of the review.

If you would be interested in having me review your work please contact me at alipet813@gmail.com. I am also a memeber of Book Blogs and GoodReads.

twitter id: Alipet813
Facebook: Alison Petersen Rotich (my blog is networked)

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Alison

Spotlight

In this area I like to highlight blog tours, author interviews, and guest bloggers.



Shelly Nicholson, author of the Jake the Snake Series stopped by to guest post during her blog tour September 2009





Melissa Foster, author of Megan's Way stopped by for her blog tour and answered some questions

Here is THE SPOT for finding my current GIVEAWAYS! Click on the link provided and comment on the actual giveaway posting.

It's looking kind of sparse here right now. Check back soon because I will add more books!!

Angels: A Pop-Up Book by Chuck Fischer until November 15th - 1 copy