Fearless Young Adult Book Tour and Kindle Give It Away

Fearless by Tawdra Kandle

Tasmyn Vaughn didn't expect much when her dad’s job moved them to a small town in Florida; it was just another new school. But there is more to King than meets the eye, and soon Tasmyn’s ability to hear other’s thoughts is the least of her worries. Entangled in a web of first love, quirky and secretive townsfolk, magic and blood rituals, she discovers the town’s secrets aren’t just bizarre, they’re deadly.

Buy it HERE

What People are Saying about Fearless

"Tawdra's debut novel enthralled me from the start. She captures the struggles and fears of the high school journey perfectly- with a paranormal twist. Tasmyn and Michael will have you adding them to your "favorite couples" list! I was sad to see this book end, and look forward to reading more by Tawdra soon!" Sarah M. Ross Young Adult Writer

"Fearless is a fantastic read. It is appropriate for both young adult and older readers with its charming storyline of a young lady learning to use her supernatural gift for the greater good. The characters are relatable, something that every reader can appreciate. I can’t wait to see where the rest of the series takes Tasmyn, Michael and their friends." Marcie Bridges, reviewer

"Fearless is a great read for young and old alike. It perfectly
intertwines the magic of first love with the twists and turns of a
thrilling plot that pulls the reader in. When I finished the final
chapter, I could not wait until my next "trip" to King to visit with Tasmyn and Michael!" --Devyn Prado, Reviewer Taking Time for Mommy

Not ONLY is Author Tawdra T. Kandle having a Giveaway for a KINDLE but everyone that signs up for her newsletter will get her 2nd book BREATHLESS as soon as it comes out in March & 25 entries for the Kindle Giveway!

Now for the Kindle Giveaway!! Fill out the Form below

One Hundred and One Nights + Queen Of America Book Give It Away #NYNR2012

Enter to win a paperback copy of One Hundred and One Nights by Benjamin Buchholz AND a Hardcover copy of Queen of America by Luis Alberto Urrea. They're both really, really fantastic reads by relatively new authors. Check out my full review of One Hundred and One Nights here and Queen of America here.

You don't want to miss the PHOTO giveaway, either!  

Easy Rafflecopter Entry after the jump

Digital Photography: A Basic Manual Book Give It Away #NYNR2012

AS Part of the New Year, New Reads event, I've put together two pretty great prize packs - Photo and Fiction.

Enter to win a paperback copy of Digital Photography: A Basic Manual by Henry Horenstein. It's a fantastic guide to getting the most out of your camera. The best part is that it's written in real language - not jargon! What a breath of fresh air! Check out my full review of the book here

Don't forget to enter the Fiction Pack, too!

Easy Rafflecopter Entry after the jump

New Year, New Reads Book Give It Away Event #nynr2012

 

Welcome to the New Year, New Reads Giveaway Hop!

Sponsored by HowardComputers.com

Hosted by Formula Mom, Tales From the Nursery, & ShePromotes

Welcome to the New Year, New Reads Giveaway Hop! It will end on January 23rd and there are hundreds of dollars in prizes available across all of the participating blogs! Enter at each blog and don't forget to the enter the New Year, New Reads Grand Prize Giveaway! Huge thanks for HowardComputers.com and the blogs sponsoring the grand prize giveaway!

There are 3 chances to win in the Grand Prize Giveaway:

• 1 lucky winner will win a Kindle Fire from HowardComputers.com & a $50 Amazon Gift Card
• 2 other winners will each receive a $25 Amazon Gift Card

Click here to enter the Grand Prize Giveaway!

When you enter, be sure to say that I (HWYD!) referred you!

One Hundred and One Nights - A Book Review

It isn’t very often, after reading a novel, that I want to know more about the person who wrote the story. In this case, I’m not sure which was more interesting - the book or the author. In writing this review, I snooped around the internet for a little background info on Ben Buchholz, the author of the book, One Hundred and One Nights. He was schooled to be a Foreign Affairs Officer, which brought him and his family to Oman in the Middle East.

Queen Of America Book - Happy New Year Give It Away Event - US/CAN

Welcome to the  Happy New Year 2012 Giveaway Hop!  This is brought to you by I am a Reader, Not a Writer and Bab's Book Bistro.

All the prizes are book-related or things an avid reader would like.  I'm giving away a hardcover copy of Queen of America.  It's a good read, and perfect for hunkering down during the winter!  Check out my review here. 

Enter in the easy Rafflecopter form below.

Queen of America - Book Review

After his wildly popular novel, The Hummingbird’s Daughter (2005), Luis Alberto Urrea’s second novel, Queen of America, is an epic tale in its own right. Queen of America begins its journey where The Hummingbird’s Daughter’s tale ends.

Based loosely on his own family history, Urrea’s central character is Teresita Urrea, a young girl who has been raped, died, and risen from her own funeral to become the “Saint of Cabora;” a healer, medicine woman, and beloved by those surrounding her.

In 1892, she escapes from the Catholic Church (who shunned her shaman gifts) and Mexican Government when she is 16, leaving with her father to the border towns of Arizona and New Mexico. But she is followed by assassins from the Mexican government - driving the pair far into the United States.

During their journey, Teresita and her father travel from San Francisco to New York and even St. Louis, meeting all sorts of people - those in need of her healing, European royalty, millionaires and beauty queens.

From Kirkus Reviews:

“Mixing religious mysticism, a panoramic view of history, a Dickensian cast of minor characters, and political breast beating, Urreas’ sprawling yet minutely detailed saga both awes and exhausts.”

Although I didn’t read his first novel, there are differing viewpoints as to whether there is a need to read his books in the order written. Queen of America is a great story of the Americas at the turn of the century; its industrialization and spectacle given in immense detail. Urrea has done his homework, and delivered another great story.

Title: Queen of America
Author: Luis Alberto Urrea
Publisher: Hachette Group
Price: $25.99 US/$28.99 Canada

Digital Photography: A Basic Manual - Review

Are you getting a new camera for Christmas?  Maybe you have someone on your list that’s really into photography?  Perhaps you just want to take better pictures of your everyday life.  If so, Digital Photography – A Basic Manual by Henry Horenstein is the book to get!  

Outlaw Album by Daniel Woodrell Book Review

For those who loved Winter’s Bone, Ozarks author Daniel Woodrell has followed it up with a collection of short stories entitled The Outlaw Album.  The book contains tales of desperate acts, desperate thoughts and desperate lives without hope.

The first story, “The Echo of neighborly Bones,” is about a man who has killed his neighbor - and continues to kill his corpse, even after death.  He is angry for the man killing his wife’s dog, his apparent wealth, for his new house, and at the government and all those that came before the neighbor that took the family’s land.

In another,  a man returns to the vacation place of his youth and purchases a campground, trying to regain those feelings of joy and abandon.  But he finds that the campground is now populated with Meth addicts, and they steal and threaten other campers.

In Twin Forks, a niece has become the caretaker for her rapist-uncle, after she has split his head open with an ax, and he is a vegetable.  As she cares for her ‘200 pound baby,’ she realizes that he is on the mend, and having thoughts again, and gaining the strength to act on them.

His writing is crisp - he makes you feel his character’s pain, and the effect of their deeds on their lives and families.  I’ve spent some time in the Ozarks, and I can easily visualize his characters and settings.  His stories are oddly off-putting, but his characters draw you in - like Florianne’s father, who has been searching for her killer for 17 years in the faces of his neighbors. 

Sewing a Friendship by Natalie Tinti - Children's Book Review

Sewing a Friendship is an award-winning book about making new friends.   Meeka, Sokron, Jonsy, and Nina (the fab four, per me!)are best friends with a fun-filled summer planned.  Sleepovers, fashion shows, and more.  When Kiki Shaver, the meanest girl that the Fab Four girls have ever known, gets involved, everything changes.  Will Kiki ruin the summer?  Why is Kiki so mean?  What will happen with the fab four? 

Along Came You - Children's Book Review

Along Came You is a fantastic children’s book.  Geared more towards adults, but enjoyable by everyone, Along Came You tells the story of a life before children compared and contrasted with a life after children.  There are verses that every mother (and the dads, too!) can relate to – like “Before you, I traveled light.  After you, every outing is a big event.”   Ain’t that the truth?!?

Raise a Reader - Guest Post

Article submitted by Kathleen Thomas on behalf of Primrose Schools

Raising a child who reads well and avidly is something almost any parent would find desirable. There is a lot of evidence to support that reading experience early on - both reading and being read to – is strongly related to successful academic performance later on. The question of when to start reading to and with children thus arises. The general answer to this seems to be that the enjoyment and conceptualization of reading seems to occur in infancy or even prenatally. This essentially means that the literary bent can certainly be nurtured from the baby’s earliest life onward and may even be a trait that is naturally inherited.

Simply Celebrate Giveaway YAY - US

Simply Celebrate is a fun book for treating everyday like it's something special. The cover says 101 simple ways to turn ordinary days into an extraordinary life and that pretty much describes the book to a t. Most are simple ideas that we seem to forget to take joy in, while other ideas are not so everyday and seem a little out there.

Feeding The Dragon Cookbook - Review

Title: Feeding the Dragon
Author: Mary Kate Tate & Nate Tate
Publisher: Andrews McMeel
Price: $24.99 US/$28.99 Canada


Feeding the Dragon is an amazing book. The tagline states “A culinary travelogue through China with Recipes.” I’ve never seen something designed to sell a product that was more fitting. Originating from the blog Feeding the Dragon, American siblings Nate and Mary Kate Tate (I love their names! Makes me smile every time I say them!!) travelled through China eating, photographing, and living among the locals.

Feeding the Dragon covers all regions of China, not just Szechuan province, as we’re used to. In fact, it seems that they covered the entire continent of Eastern Asia, including Tibet and Mongolia. Sections are based on the Tates’ travels to various regions (Beijing, Macao, Hong Kong, etc.) Sections are then broken down by neighborhoods in those regions. In each section, there are great stories about their travels and sometimes, travails, in the region. The easy to prepare recipes also have great stories regarding their origins, history, and the sibling’s ingredient swaps.

See Mix Drink - A Cocktail Guide - Giveaway

A few days ago I told you about a fantastic guide to making cocktails called See Mix Drink.  Now you have a chance to win a copy of your own! 

This book really is a fantastic addition to your cookbook library.  Or your general bookshelf.  See Mix Drink would also make a great gift for that young professional bachelor or for a housewarming. 

Easy rafflecopter entry after the jump

See Mix Drink - A Cocktail Guide

 A couple months ago, I was asked to tend bar at an event.  Not that I'm a celebrity or anything like that, I was just asked to tend bar.  I told them I gladly would, but I had no idea how to mix any kind of drink. 

Recently See Mix Drink came into my life.  Where was this book when I needed it?!?  See Mix Drink is a simple, well-illustrated guide to creating just about any cocktail you could want.   There's also a section devoted to what you need to have a swingin' bar, whether at home or setting up a business.  Don't know the difference between a rocks glass and a highball?  How about a muddler from a stirring spoon?  This guide has you covered!

Perhaps you need to make a liquor store run before a party?   See Mix Drink even has a guide to various spirits that includes how it's produced, popular brands, alcohol content and variations of the booze.

And in case you think you can't make mixed drinks at home, you can!!  There are very detailed, very visual illustrations that show exactly what you need.  Each ingredient is shown in a different color and items like lemons or mint are shown as pictures.  So, if you want to make a mojito, there's an illustration of a lime wedge & mint leaves, along with the rum, simple syrup, and club soda.  There's also a calorie count, for those trying to watch their waistline. 

This is a book that everyone should have on their shelf!  I think a lot of bars should have a copy, too. 

I received a copy for review.  I received no other compensation.

Dracula in Love by Karen Essex - Review

Dracula in Love is Karen Essex's retold tale of the true relationship between The Count Dracula and Mina, his schoolteacher lover/soulmate.

Mina is haunted her entire life by a mystery man/protector who keeps watch over her until her wedding.  At that point, they become re-acquainted.  The mystery man sabotages her impending marriage.  He whisks her away to safety and their doomed future.  Although he's waited several lifetimes for their relationship, he'll have to wait another.

This book had a really slow start as Essex felt it necessary to introduce so many characters from the original Dracula, by Bram Stoker.  Once she got down to the relationship between Mina and the Count, it was a good read, and moved swiftly.  Unfortunately, it took 200 pages to get there.  Her version of their relationship was interesting and believeable; I would have like to read more about them.  The supporting characters were uninteresting and without depth, for the most part.

Personally, I felt that Essex was angling for a movie deal with all the various unimportant characters and details.

I'd rate this 2/5

One Call Away by Brenda Warner Book Review

 

One Call Away is a fairly honest memoir of Brenda Warner. Her somewhat fairytale story is told conversationally and draws you in immediately. While the book is marketed towards the Christian/religion, I found it to be rather engaging without being overly religious. 


From a child that became special needs due to a household accident to a divorce, financial issues, and tragically losing her parents,Warner managed to maintain an upbeat attitude through it all.   

A fantastical marriage to NFL star Kurt Warner, 5 more kids, and a whirlwind lifestyle seems to have eased some of the hurt.  Active in various charities,this couple gives back with both their time and their money. 


I rate this book 3.75/5

I received a free copy from Booksneeze to facilitate my review.  All opinions are mine.