A Bit Of Me

Good morning all!!  As you know, the eastern United States is preparing for a very unwelcome visitor, named Irene.  Some have already been affected and others, like my family, are preparing for this storm.  To those affected, please stay safe!!!  As far as us, we are in the direct path and have been told we could be without power for days due to the high winds and downed power lines.  So if you don't see me online, you know why.  We are supposed to get the worse part sometime tomorrow but can get the outer ring rains starting later tonight.

On a better note, I think I have finally figured out the glitch in Sunday's Shining Star.  So my question to you, since next week is labor day and many have end of summer cookouts, plans with family and friends, should I restart the event on September 11th or start it next week?  Again, though it will depend if I have access to my laptop.

Also today is the last day for A Bit Of Me and I do love my memes.  Does anyone know of any other memes for Saturdays that I haven't come across yet? Suggestions will be appreciated.

Again, to all blogging buddies in the path of Irene, please stay safe, have your book, book lights, candles EReaders charged, I know I do.  There are priorities for a reader lol. 



Hosted by Danielle at There's A Book

From Danielle's blog:
We all leave our “footprint” on the world, in one way or another. We each, individually, do something or are someone that makes the world a little better just by being here. I created this weekly meme to get to know the blogging community I love just a bit better. To know what makes them tick, outside of books, that is. Each week I will post a question to be answered in the following week’s “A Bit of Me(Me)”. Check back each Saturday to get the info for next week’s post and link up with your current post right here.
This week's question: 

the Last Question for A Bit of Me(Me) at least for awhile: What’s been the best part of participating and/or do you have a favorite question you loved answering?Read more: http://www.theresabook.com/2011/08/a-bit-of-meme-its-beginning-to-look-a-lot-like/#ixzz1VZ8q2dPE

As you can see by today's question, this will be the final week of A Bit Of Me.  And true to form, Danielle has asked what has been the best part.  I have teased her since participating in her weekly meme how she always asks to "name one" or "the favorite", etc.   And every week, I never played by the rules and answered with more than one answer.  But today I will follow her rules.  

The best part: being a part of the Saturday A Bit Of Me Weekly Meme.

Danielle, you have been a fantastic host.  It amazed me at the variety of questions you asked week after week.  I enjoyed trying to find the images to go along with the questions then hopping around to see those who participated and seeing their answers and images.  I will miss these Saturday morning visits but I also understand how much time it takes to host.  So a BIG thank you for all of your hard work!!!!!!

And the winners are............

...........for REPAIRING RAINBOWS by Lynda Fishman

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

53	3

Timestamp: 2011-08-27 12:51:42 UTC



Anonymous said... 53 I would love to read this inspiring tale! My name is Holly Bowen , 

Gigi Ann said... 3 I would like to read the book, because my father died when I was 4 years old, and my mother was left to finish raising 8 children ages 4-17. However, she managed and I wonder if they faced any of the same problems we did. Which in my young eyes were few.

An email has been sent to the winners and they have 48 hours to respond with their mailing address or another winner will be chosen.  Thank you for all that entered.
 

Friday Memes

Hosted by An Island Life

From An Island Life:
In Hawaii, Aloha Friday is the day that we take it easy and look forward to the weekend. So I thought that on Fridays I would take it easy on posting, too. Therefore, I’ll ask a simple question for you to answer. Nothing that requires a lengthy response.
If you’d like to participate, visit An Island Life answer the question and then post your own question on your blog and leave your link below. Don’t forget to visit the other participants! It’s a great way to make new bloggy friends!

MY QUESTION:

Be honest....Do you text while driving?

MY ANSWER:

No.

Hosted by Jennifer from CRAZY FOR BOOKS

In the spirit of the Twitter Friday Follow, the Book Blogger Hop is a place just for book bloggers and readers to connect and find new book-related blogs that we may be missing out on! This weekly BOOK PARTY is an awesome opportunity for book bloggers to connect with other book lovers, make new friends, support each other, and generally just share our love of books! It will also give blog readers a chance to find other book blogs that they may not know existed! So, grab the logo, post about the Hop on your blog, and start HOPPING through the list of blogs that are posted in the Linky list below!!
Your blog should have content related to books, including, but not limited to book reviews.
This week's question:

“Non-book-related this week!! Do you have pets?”

My Answer:

This is the first time in my life that I have been pet-less.  At this stage in our life we have decided that now that we are empty nesters, no more pets.  We can come and go as we please, go on vacations and not worry about boarding and because of the last dog who shared our house, I think we will continue to be pet-less.  My son decided that he wanted a dog..."his dog" while he was still living here except he forgot that he was a full time college student and also working a full time job and decided to choose a high energy breed who tends to have separation anxiety and becomes spiteful when that happens.  Bronx (named because my son is a HUGE NY Yankees fan) is an absolutely beautiful Weimaraner but we had a mutual dislike for each other.  I laugh now that Paul has moved out,bought his 1st house and listen to all that Bronx has been up to.  WTG Bronx!!!

And the winners are.......

............for SEX ON THE MOON by Ben Mezrich

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

15	61

Timestamp: 2011-08-26 10:58:53 UTC

 

Maureen said... 15 There are many places in the world I haven't seen yet that have plentiful supplies of oxygen so I don't think I would go to the moon.
Shari said... 61 I am following you on twitter as @shariklyn

An email has been sent to the winners and they have 48 hours to respond with their mailing address or another winner will be chosen.  Thank you to all that entered.

Review "Mini Skirts and Laughter Lines" by Carol Wyer

MINI SKIRTS AND LAUGHTER LINES by Carol Wyer

Published by Carol E Wyer at Smashwords
ISBN: (borrowed from B&N)
ISBN-13: 9781908481818

ISBN: 1908481811

At the request of the author, an ARC PDF edition was sent, at no cost to me, for my honest opinion.

  Synopsis (borrowed from B&N):  Amanda Wilson can't decide between murder, insanity and another glass of red wine. Facing 50 and all that it entails is problematic enough. What's the point in minking your eyes, when your husband would rather watch 'Russia Today' than admire you, strutting in front of the television in only thigh boots and a thong?

 

Her son has managed to perform yet another magical disappearing act. Could he actually be buried under the mountain of festering washing which is strewn on his bedroom floor? He'll certainly be buried somewhere when she next gets her hands on him.

At least her mother knows how to enjoy herself. She's partying her twilight years away in Cyprus. Queen of the Twister mat, she now has a toy boy in tow.

 

She really shouldn't have pressed that send button. The past always catches up with you sooner or later. Still, her colourful past is a welcome relief to her monochrome present; especially when it comes in the shape of provocative Todd Bradshaw, her first true love.

Soon Mandy has a difficult decision to make; one that will require more than a few glasses of Chianti.

  My Thoughts and Opinion:  During a blog hop that I participated in, I stumbled upon a blog that was not the kind that I usually follow, which are book related, however, the theme was based more on real life and I found it to be quite funny and became a follower.  Then approximately a month ago I received an email, knowing it was for a request to review a book because of the form I use on my site.  The difference being is that the email began as follows:

"Hello from 'Facing 50 with Humour'!
You very kindly gave me my very first award when I started my blog months ago and now I have a favour to request.
My debut novel, Mini Skirts and Laughter Lines, humorous of course, has been published as an eBook and will be out in print in 4-6 weeks.
I am hosting a huge book launch party on September 16th at my blog and would be so grateful if you could review my work for it."

From visiting her blog and already knowing her writing style and sense of humor from her blog, I said yes.  I needed something light and fun to read.

The book is set up to read as if you are actually reading a typical blog along with comments that have been posted.  I could relate to "the postings" as they pertained to the daily life of a 50 year old woman and dealing with relationships of her husband, son, mother, and/or aquaintances.   In my opinion, the author has a dry sense of humor and finds amusement in everyday events.  Her writing style allows you to visualize the scene, which becomes even funnier.  Without giving away spoilers, events such as her goal to get fit and taking up jogging and other exercise regimes, her husband's grocery shopping trips and her's, her son's room, her Mum's weekly phone calls, her husband's escapade with the smoke detector and so many more.  Again, without giving away spoilers, the last 100 pages or so, were even funnier but also held many surprises.  Surprises that reminded the reader that there is truly a human being sitting behind the screen of that blog.  A woman who is now an author of a light and funny book but who also faces life's ups and downs but with a great attitude and humor.  A good read when you need to add some more laugh lines.

DISCLAIMER

I received a copy of this book, at no charge to me,

in exchange for my honest review.

No items that I receive

are ever sold...they are kept by me,

or given to family and/or friends.

Booking Through Thursday

http://btt2.wordpress.com/

Today's question:

Sometimes I feel like the only person I know who finds reading history fascinating. It’s so full of amazing-yet-true stories of people driven to the edge and how they reacted to it. I keep telling friends that a good history book (as opposed to some of those textbooks in school that are all lists and dates) does everything a good novel does–it grips you with real characters doing amazing things.
Am I REALLY the only person who feels this way? When is the last time you read a history book? Historical biography? You know, something that took place in the past but was REAL
My answer:
Ironically I commented on a blogging buddy's post yesterday regarding her love of this genre and how much I respected her.  I, for one do not enjoy reading books of this period.  The dialogue is hard for me to understand and it reminds me of when I was in school and it was mandatory reading.  Maybe someday when I get caught up...lol...with my tbr bookcase....I just might try reading one from that era again and I know exactly who I will go to for advice.  And that will be Bev from My Reader's Block 

And the winners are.........

...............for CONFESSIONS OF AN IMPROPER BRIDE by Jennifer Haymore

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

4	39	86

Timestamp: 2011-08-24 23:54:39 UTC



Kaye said... 4 GFC follower
ann said... 39 No I would not want to be a twin. To much competition especially when older
Anonymous said... 86 i follow you on twitter@JCoyne1031

An email has been sent to the winners and they have 48 hours to respond with their mailing address or another winner will be chosen.  Thank you to all that entered!!

W.W.W. Wednesday

Hosted by Miz B at Should Be Reading

What are you currently reading?

What did you recently finish reading?

What do you think you’ll read next?

Guest Author Lisa Becker

When I receive an email from an independent author asking me to review their novel, to me, it is such an honor, but there are just not enough hours in the day to read all these wonderful books.  But I can share them with you in hopes that you may have some time.  So please help me welcome Ms. Lisa Becker to the CMash blog!!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Lisa Becker had endured her share of hilarious and heinous cyber dates, many of which inspired Click: An Online Love Story. She is now happily married to a wonderful man she met online and lives in Manhattan Beach with him and their two daughters. So, if it happened for her, there’s hope for you!
You can visit with Lisa on Facebook and post comments.

GUEST POST

What’s With All of the Email?!? By Lisa Becker OF

Since my novel, Click: An Online Love Story first published, I’ve been asked a myriad of times, “why did you write the book entirely in emails?” Well, many years ago, I read a book called e by Matthew Beaumont which tells the story of a fictitious ad agency vying for a big account, with the story all told in emails. I remember it distinctly, because I was on an airplane from Los Angeles to New York laughing out loud and getting wildly strange looks from my fellow passengers.

After my husband and I married (we met on a popular online dating site), I was recalling some of the hilarious experiences that I had with both traditional and online dating. I decided to capture some of them in writing and from there, a novel emerged. I remembered how much I had enjoyed e and thought that narrative style would work really well for the story I wanted to tell about the online dating world. It was a modern way of storytelling that fit the topic and the times.

Click: An Online Love Story is loosely based on my real-life dating experiences, as well as stories friends have shared with me. In some cases, things are written as they actually occurred. Honestly, how could I forget a date with Pete who started every story (no joke!) with “My buddies and I were out drinking one night”?

In some cases, I’ve drawn on characteristics of people in my personal life to add depth and humor. For example, Shelly’s hilarious habit of giving nicknames to her “man du jour” was inspired by a childhood friend of mine who had a nickname for a guy in college that she admired from across the dorm cafeteria. She called him Maverick because he looked like Tom Cruise in Top Gun. Much like Shelley, she is a self-confident, gorgeous, lovely gal and it wasn't long before they met and dated for a spell.

And finally, other Click scenarios are exaggerated for comedic affect or are completely fictionalized.

But, the result is – I hope – a fun book for anyone who has ever been in love, been dumped, been on a bad date or is searching for the one. And, as I’ve said many times before, if it happened for me, there’s hope for you.
To download a sample of Click: An Online Love Story, visit here.
 

ABOUT THE BOOK

SYNOPSIS:

Fast approaching her 30th birthday and finding herself not married, dating, with a prospect or even a house full of cats, Renee Greene reluctantly joins her best guy pal on a journey to find love online in Los Angeles. The story unfolds through a series of emails between Renee and her best friends (anal-retentive Mark, the overly-judgmental Gretchen and the sexed-up Shelly) as well as the gentlemen suitors she meets online. From the guy who starts every story with "My buddies and I were out drinking one night," to the egotistical B celebrity looking for someone to stroke his ego, Renee endures her share of hilarious and heinous cyber dates. Fraught with BCC's, FWD's and inadvertent Reply to All's, readers will root for Renee to "click" with the right man.  

THANKS TO AUTHOR, LISA BECKER

I HAVE TWO (2) EBOOK EDITIONS

THIS CHICK LIT NOVEL TO GIVE AWAY.

 

CLICK HERE TO BRING YOU TO

THE GIVEAWAY ENTRY PAGE.

 

DISCLAIMER

Giveaway copies are supplied and shipped to winners

via publisher, agent and/or author. This blog hosts

the giveaway on behalf of the above.

No items that I receive

are ever sold...they are kept by me,

or given to family and/or friends.

EBOOK-INTERNATIONAL GIVEAWAY ENTRY PAGE "CLICK: AN ONLINE LOVE STORY" ENDED

AUGUST 23rd to SEPTEMBER 6th, 2011

CLICK:  AN ONLINE LOVE STORY

by LISA BECKER

SYNOPSIS:

Fast approaching her 30th birthday and finding herself not married, dating, with a prospect or even a house full of cats, Renee Greene reluctantly joins her best guy pal on a journey to find love online in Los Angeles. The story unfolds through a series of emails between Renee and her best friends (anal-retentive Mark, the overly-judgmental Gretchen and the sexed-up Shelly) as well as the gentlemen suitors she meets online. From the guy who starts every story with "My buddies and I were out drinking one night," to the egotistical B celebrity looking for someone to stroke his ego, Renee endures her share of hilarious and heinous cyber dates. Fraught with BCC's, FWD's and inadvertent Reply to All's, readers will root for Renee to "click" with the right man.

THANKS TO AUTHOR, LISA BECKWITH

 I HAVE TWO (2) EBOOK EDITIONS OF THIS

CHICK LIT NOVEL TO GIVE AWAY.

HERE IS WHAT YOU NEED TO DO TO WIN.

*ALL COMMENTS TO BE SEPARATE*

AND INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS

SO THAT I CAN CONTACT YOU IF YOU WIN

*LEAVE COMMENT: WHAT ARE YOUR

THOUGHTS ON ONLINE DATING?*

*EXTRA ENTRIES*

*LEAVE SEPARATE COMMENT IF YOU PUBLICLY FOLLOW THIS
  BLOG (IF NOT, GOOGLE FRIEND CONNECT ON RIGHT SIDE).

*LEAVE SEPARATE COMMENT IF YOU FOLLOW ME ON FACEBOOK.

*LEAVE SEPARATE COMMENT IF YOU FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER.

*DON'T FORGET TO LEAVE EMAIL ADDRESS WITH EACH ENTRY.

*EBOOK EDITION--INTERNATIONAL*

**HONOR SYSTEM**

ONE WINNING BOOK PER HOUSEHOLD

PLEASE NOTIFY ME IF YOU HAVE

WON THIS BOOK FROM ANOTHER

SITE, SO THAT SOMEONE ELSE MAY

HAVE THE CHANCE TO WIN

AND READ THIS BOOK.

THANK YOU.

*GIVEAWAY ENDS SEPTEMBER 6th AT 6PM EST*

WINNER WILL BE CHOSEN BY RANDOM.ORG AND NOTIFIED

VIA EMAIL AND WILL HAVE 48 HOURS TO RESPOND

OR ANOTHER NAME WILL BE CHOSEN

DISCLAIMER / RULES

Giveaway copies are supplied and shipped to winners via publisher,

agent and/or author. This blog hosts the giveaway on behalf of the

above. I received a copy of this book, at no charge to me, in

exchange for my honest review. No items that I receive are

ever sold...they are kept by me, or given to family and/or friends.

I am not responsible for lost or damaged books that are shipped

from agents. I reserve the right to disqualify/delete any entries

if rules of giveaway are not followed



And the winners are.............

.............for THE THINGS WE CHERISHED by Pam Jenoff

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

55	25

Timestamp: 2011-08-23 10:40:08 UTC



nfmgirl said... 55 I follow on Twitter: nfmgirl
rj7777 said... 25 The word brings back history of horrible acts commited against the Jews and involving Hitlers crazy rein.  

An email has been sent to the winners and they have 48 hours to respond with their mailing address or another winner will be chosen.  Thank you to all that entered.



08/23/11

Due to a previous win from another site, another name was chosen via Random.Org.  Thank you nfmgirl for notifying me.

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

42

Timestamp: 2011-08-23 21:40:32 UTC

ellie said... 42 I follow you on Twitter @eswright18
An email has been sent and Ellie has 48 hours to respond or another name will be chosen.

Monday Memes

Hosted by Miz B at Should Be Reading

Today's question:
Do you prefer character-driven stories, or plot-driven stories?

My Answer:
I would say both, however, the characters have to be life like and believable first and foremost no matter what the plot is.  Especially if it is a story line of relationship dynamics.  But then if a book does have the elements of characters that one can relate to, but the plot  goes nowhere, what good are these life like characters.  I have read a couple of these books recently and even though I understood what the author was trying to convey with their characters, the books' plot was flat and I struggled through them.  So I think they have to be of equal proportion. 

What about you?  What do you think?  Characters or plots?

August is being hosted by Staci from Life in the Thumb

Mailbox Monday was created by Marcia of A girl and her books and is now on tour.

According to Marcia, “Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week. Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.”

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