Bookworms Carnival: MEMOIRS

Welcome to the 18th edition of the Bookworms Carnival which features many different types of memoirs. Thanks so much to all of you who sent in submissions. I really enjoyed reading through all of the interesting opinions and reviews about memoirs and I’ve got quite a few additions to my reading wish list!

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*edit: I would like to dedicate this edition of the Booksworms Carnival to the memory of the founder and organizer of the Bookworms Carnival, Dewey of The Hidden Side of the Leaf, who passed away last week. Dewey was an incredibly active and dedicated member of the blogging community and her presence will surely be missed by all. My condolences go out to her family - they are in my thoughts and prayers.

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To start us off, Ali has written a general post about memoirs that discusses the increasing popularity of the memoir and what makes a memoir successful

Nigel also has a general post about memoirs, which contemplates the controversies over Memoir Hoaxes caused by Publishers Favouring ‘Fact’ over Fiction

FAMILY MATTERS

Sarah reviews The Sky Isn't Visible From Here by Felicia Sullivan, which tells the story of a hard upbringing with a mother who was an unstable and selfish drug-addict, alternating between the author’s childhood and adult years

Carrie reviews The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls, the heartbreaking story of how the author grew up in a dysfunctional family and poverty and yet never resented them for any of her hardships and was determined to make something of herself

Adventures in Reading reviews The Sum of Our Days by Isabel Allende, is uniquely written as if it were a letter to her dead daughter Paula and centers on the theme of family with hints of her political and metaphysical beliefs

Dawn reviews Beautiful Boy: A Father’s Journey Through His Son’s Addiction by David Sheff, an account of the other’s response to his son’s addiction to methamphetamines and the challenges and hopes that accompany the loved one of a drug addict

Ana reviews Elegy for Iris by John Bayley, a story of the author’s experience with his wife’s battle with Alzheimer’s as well as their lifetimes together

Kathy reviews The Longest Trip Home by John Grogan, in which the author discusses his upbringing in a wonderful family and his coming of age stories

Within this topic there are the popular memoirs (two reviews for the price of one ; )

Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs - The story follows the childhood of Augusten Burroughs, whose mother gives him away to be raised by her psychiatrist and his crazy dysfunctional family

Lightheaded’s review of Running with Scissors
Michele’s review of Running with Scissors

An Exact Replica of A Figment of My Imagination by Elizabeth McCracken - Elizabeth McCracken’s memoir talks of the loss of her child in her ninth month of pregnancy and how she dealt with her grief

Wendy’s review of An Exact Replica of A Figment of My Imagination
Shana’s review of An Exact Replica of a Figment of My Imagination

Hurry Down Sunshine by Michael Greenberg - Michael Greenberg shares the events of his teenage daughter’s psychotic breakdown due to bipolar disorder, which typically only arises in early adulthood

Nicole’s review of Hurry Down Sunshine
Dawn’s review of Hurry Down Sunshine

TALES FROM ABROAD

Lightheaded reviews A Hundred and One Days: A Baghdad Journal by Asne Seierstad, in which the author, a journalist, tells the story of her stay in Iraq before the war as well as the heartfelt stories of the Iraqi people

Lightheaded also has a review of Dispatches from the Edge by Anderson Cooper, which centers around the author’s pain of losing his father at a young age combined with his personal and professional experiences of war and natural disasters that he has encountered

Another review by Lightheaded, Hello to All That: A Memoir of War, Zoloft and Peace by John Falk, about the war in Bosnia but also about the author’s personal war against himself and his depression

Shana reviews Monique and the Mango Rains by Kris Holloway, about the years the author stayed in Mali, West Africa volunteering for the Peace Corps and the people and country that has a profound effect upon her

Shana also has a review of In the Land of Invisible Women by Qanta A. Ahmed, MD, who spent two years working as an ICU doctor in Saudi Arabia and offers an insider’s account of the restrictive society and the challenges faced

Wendy reviews Laughing Without An Accent by Firoozeh Dumas, which is a funny and insightful memoir about an Iranian being raised in America

Ali reviews My Father's Paradise by Ariel Sabar, a story chronicling a father’s journey traveled from Zakho to Jerusalem and the related history behind it

Gautami reviews The Dark Child by Camara Laye, a memoir that reads like a novel and focuses on the author’s life in French Guinea, with its rituals and traditions, while being faced with the dilemma of wanting to achieve academic success far away from home

HISTORY & SOCIOLOGY

Gautami reviews Booth's Sister by Jane Singer, a book about Asia Booth Clark, the sister of Abraham Lincoln’s assassinator John Wilkes Booth, and the shameful legacy she was forced to carry with her

Gautami also reviews Once Upon a Time When We Were Coloured by Clifton L. Taulbert, about the author’s life in Mississippi, the community and family and the difficulty of segregation between Black and White people

Kathy reviews See You in a Hundred Years: Four Seasons in Forgotten America by Logan Ward, the story of Logan and Heather Ward who felt like they didn’t have time for anything anymore and consequently decided on a year-long experiment where they would live like Americans did in the year 1900, without electricity, cars, or any other modern conveniences

Rebecca reviews Why Women Should Rule the World by Dee Dee Myers, which is more than a memoir because it is also the examination of the state of women in general and in positions of leadership worldwide

POP CULTURE

Dawn reviews Admit One: A Journey Into Film by Emmett James, which tells the story of the events in the author’s life with a specific film as a metaphor in each chapters, such as Star Wars, The Wizard of Oz and E.T.

Bluzica features an interest excerpt from My Autobiography by Charlie Chaplin

SPIRITUALITY

Jennifer reviews Same Kind of Different As Me by Ron Hall, Denver Moore and Lynn Vincent, an unusual autobiography of the lives of a wealthy art dealer and an angry homeless man and the unlikely woman whose love of God brought them together

FOR THE LITTLE ONES

Teddy reviews Tabasco the Saucy Raccoon by Lyn Hancock, an adorable story of a raccoon raised by the author nearly 30 years ago, intended for ages 9-12, but suitable for anyone young at heart

WHEN WORDS ALONE WON’T DO

Alyce reviews Persepolis 2 by Marjane Satrapi, a sequel about main character, Marjane’s escape to Vienna from the war in Iraq and the consequences of her eventual return to her homeland


Dewey talks about Maus and Maus II by Art Spiegelman, in which the author interviews his father about his experiences during the Holocaust


Dawn reviews When Wanderers Cease to Roam by Vivian Swift, a beautifully written and illustrated book following the author’s travels around the world and then her appreciation for her home and staying in one place

Well that concludes this edition of the Bookworms Carnival. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading about all these interesting and different personal stories!!

The next Bookworms Carnival editions:

Edition 19 hosted by: Jackie at Literary Escapism

Deadline for submission: December 12, 2008

Theme: historical fiction

To submit a post, email: myjaxon at gmail dot com

Edition 20 hosted by: Marcia

Deadline for submission: December 26, 2008

Theme: Guilty Pleasures

To submit a post, email: woodbear97 at yahoo dot com

KIMBOOKS

In honor of the movement to buy books for the holidays, I'd like to introduce KIMBOOKS - "the world’s largest non-profit bookstore". They sell nearly 2 million products and ship to anywhere in the world!

From their website: "Our name stands for Knowledge, Information and Measurement, which we believe are fundamental to individuals, societies, and the ever challenging world. All of our products are sold and shipped at cost to promote reading"

Please support independent bookstore owners and especially non-profit bookstores like KIMBOOKS and buy books for the holidays!!

Book Review: The Gifted Gabaldon Sisters by Lorraine Lopez

BIG THANKS to Miriam and Hachette Book Group for this book!

“The Gifted Gabaldon Sisters” by Lorraine Lopez

Published by Grand Central Publishing, a division of Hachette Book Group

Rating: 3.75 stars

“The Gifted Gabaldon Sisters” is about four sisters who were taken care of by a mysterious elderly woman named Fermina. Upon Fermina’s death, the girls all seek to discover the special gifts Fermina claimed to have left for them. Each chapter skips ahead a couple of years and the story takes readers from childhood to adulthood. The story is told by each of the sisters in alternating chapters with varying points of view, from first person to second person to third person.

This book was nothing like I expected. Most of the chapters reveal devastating and sometimes difficult hardships that the sisters faced, with little pause for comic relief. I was expecting a tale of magic and intrigue, but the primary plot left no room for mystery because the secret the sisters were searching for throughout the novel was revealed earlier on to the reader.

Having said that, I really did enjoy Lorraine Lopez’s writing itself. Her unique use of different perspectives was refreshing and kept my attention. Lopez’s strength definitely lies in her vivid descriptions because each character and setting managed to come alive for me, which perhaps was what made some parts of the book so incredibly heartbreaking.

“The Gifted Gabaldon Sisters” is a worthwhile read, despite its lack of suspense and melancholy themes. Lorraine Lopez is a talented writer and I look forward to reading more from her in the future.

More Lookalikes

Two very compelling covers of blue-eyed sad looking children (with only one eye showing). Ironically enough both books are award winners!

What Was Lost by Catherine O'Flynn

Carry Me Down by M. J. Hyland

Book Review: Click by Bill Tancer

I requested this book from Mini Book Expo – BIG THANKS to Lex and Hyperion!

“Click” by Bill Tancer

Published by Hyperion

Rating: 4 stars

“Click” follows in the tradition of Malcolm Gladwell and the “Freakonomics” duo, by analyzing modern-day trends and extracting meaning behind society’s behavior through the use of data and statistics. There a number of different topics discussed including politics, entertainment, and consumer behavior. What makes “Click” unique is that all of Tancer’s findings are based upon search engine data and all his conclusions are drawn from how Americans spend their time on the internet.

My goal in reading “Click” was to learn more about online behavior and to see a different view of the internet’s role in our society. In that respect, I can say that I’m satisfied with the book. I was introduced to some unique information and learned some interesting facts. The downside is that because Tancer covers a lot of ground, he also chooses to focus on very specific examples and doesn’t always provide enough of the bigger picture. I also didn’t feel that there was sufficient cohesion among the different chapters, which I would have liked.

What I really appreciated about the book was Tancer’s “love of data” and passion for numbers. His anecdotes about the conferences he has attended and his ability to produce data charts in no time were pretty humorous. I only wish there would have been more content on his personal experiences with his research and less on publicizing the company he works for and what they do.

Overall I enjoyed “Click” and would recommend it for anyone who is curious about how online data can teach us about our society as a whole and in some cases why it fails to lead to accurate conclusions. Bill Tancer certainly convinced me that “we are what we click”!

Brenda Janowitz's Great Holiday Giveaway

Brenda Janowitz, author of "Scot on the Rocks" and "Jack with a Twist", is hosting an amazing SIX book giveaway on her blog - to see the great, not to mention SIGNED, books that are up for grabs click here

Instructions: Email brenda@brendajanowitz.com and write “Holiday book giveaway” in the subject line.

(Note: You must be a subscriber of the http://www.brendajanowitz.com/ mailing list to enter)

For extra entries blog about the giveaway and/or email five friends about it. For each blog entry and each email you send out, you'll get another entry to win!

Winners will be announced on November 25.

Calling for submissions: BOOKWORMS CARNIVAL

I'm happy to announce that I'll be hosting the 18th edition of the Booksworms Carnival!

Theme: MEMOIRS

Deadline: November 28th, 2008

Please send your submissions to:
preferred.stock at gmail dot com

For anyone who isn't familiar with the Booksworms Carnival, here's what it says on Dewey at The Hidden Side of a Leaf 's Information Page: The aim of the Bookworms Carnival is to build the community of book bloggers. You don’t have to have a books blog to participate, though; bloggers are welcome to submit any post relevant to the current theme from any blog.

To get a better idea of what it's all about check out examples of past bookworms carnivals:

Edition 17 held on: November 19, 2008
Host: Dewey at The Hidden Side of a Leaf
Theme: Graphic Novels
Permalink: Booksworms Carnival Edition 17

Edition 16 held on: October 20, 2008
Host: Becky at Becky’s Book Reviews
Theme: classic/literary gothic
Permalink: Bookworms Carnival Edition 16

Edition 15 held on: September 27, 2008
Host: Darcie
Theme: Authors New to Me
Permalink: Bookworms Carnival Edition 15

Future Carnivals:

The 19th edition will be hosted by: Jackie at Literary Escapism
Deadline for submission: December 12, 2008
Theme: historical fiction
To submit a post, email: myjaxon at gmail dot com

Live Interview with Marie Phillips, author of Gods Behaving Badly

Little, Brown and Company, a division of Hachette Book Group, will be hosting a 45 minute live interview with Marie Phillips - author of Gods Behaving Badly - on Blog Talk Radio, Dec 1st at 1pm EST.




Please submit questions for Marie Phillips to: miriam.parker@hbgusa.com, then call in to (646) 378-0040 on Dec 1st at 1pm EST.

Click here to listen online or sign up for a reminder!

And the winnerS for The Debs are.....

CONGRATULATIONS to :

Daisy
Fbartlett
Wanda of queenieslittlekingdom

Yes, that's right - winnerS! Once Susan McBride heard how many entries there were, she sent me 2 more signed copies of The Debs to give away (talk about generous.....)!

ASSOCIATION OF JEWISH LIBRARIES LAUNCHES PODCAST plus giveaway

The Association of Jewish Libraries is launching a new podcast and hosting a giveaway in association with the ever generous people of Hachette Book Group!

New PodcastAuthor talks, lectures on Jewish literature, panel discussions, and workshops are among the offerings of the newly launched Association of Jewish Libraries Podcast. Available at www.jewishlibraries.org/podcast, the program provides audio that enhances and enriches the listener's appreciation of Jewish book culture.

The podcast will include material recorded at the Association of Jewish Libraries annual convention, as well as recordings of Jewish literary events across North America. A wide range of topics will be covered, from the academic to the hands-on, from children's literature to technology.

"Jews are book lovers, and Jewish librarians even more so," says Susan Dubin, President of the Association of Jewish Libraries. "The AJL Podcast gives us a way to share our enthusiasm with others, without geographical or scheduling restrictions. Now everyone can learn and enjoy!"

New podcast episodes will be posted every few weeks. Listeners can hear the show online at www.jewishlibraries.org/podcast, subscribe via iTunes or other feed readers (using the feed http://feeds.feedburner.com/ajlpodcast), receive episodes by email via FeedBlitz, or listen by phone at (651) 925-2538.

To celebrate the launch of the podcast, AJL is offering a Jewish book giveaway. Forward this press release or post its contents on a blog or web page to be entered into a drawing for five Jewish interest books from Hachette Book Group. Be sure to CC jewishlibraries@gmail.com on any forwarded messages or to email us about any posts. Complete contest rules and information about the give-away titles can be seen here. Deadline for entry is December 12, 2008

Book Worm Award Meme

Cindy of cindysloveofbooks has tagged me for the Book Worm Award! Thanks Cindy!

Here are the rules:

Open the closest book to you—not your favourite or most intellectual book, but the book closest to you at the moment. Turn to page 56 and write out the fifth sentence as well as the next two to five sentences.Pass this on to five blogging friends.

The book nearest to me is the one I'm currently reading called "Queen of the Road" by Doreen Orion:

"As I turned off the bedroom lights (the better for Shula and I to cower), lightning struck. I remembered the large extension cord plugging the bus into an outside outlet, allowing us the electricity to run our air conditioning, lights, appliances, computer, etc. Might we be electrocuted before we were even submerged? It seemed as if Sunnydale's Hellmouth (yet another favorite teen drama - Buffy the Vampire Slayer) had opened a franchise in Van Buren, Arkansas, trying to reclaim a lost member to the fold - our very own Hellbus. Unto every generation, a pathetic Princess who listens to her husband's idiotic plan is born. Oh, Buffy, where are you when I need you?"

For those who've already been tagged, feel free to ignore this :)

Alea of Pop Culture Junkie

Stacey of book:thirty

Tina of Bookshipper

Katherine of A Girl Walks Into a Bookstore

S. Krishna of S. Krishna's Books

Book Review: Stick to Drawing Comics, Monkey Brain! by Scott Adams

I got this book from MiniBookExpo - BIG THANKS to Lex and Penguin!

“Stick to Drawing Comics, Monkey Brain” by Scott Adams

Published by Penguin Group Canada

Rating: 3.5 stars

Scott Adams is the creator of the infamous Dilbert comics, which I must admit to never having read. If anything though, not being a Dilbert groupie makes me an unbiased reviewer. The title of Scott Adam’s latest book is pretty reflective of its contents: funny, silly, self-deprecating and slightly offensive. The book contains over 150 short pieces which are not so much stories as they are random musings on human behavior, dating, sports, travel, dieting and everything in between (and some topics that I could definitely have lived without, such as Chinese striptease funerals). Adams also includes some Dilbert comic strips and provides some background explanation and commentary on them, which I found pretty interesting.

Adams is a good writer and there were quite a few times when he did make a good point or provided some interesting insight. Then I would question my opinion after reading on to a crazy comment, such as the idea of the asterisk being the most obscene letter in the English language (I wasn’t aware that it was a letter…hmmm). But to be fair Adams adds that “the asterisk protects you from seeing naked cuss words that would otherwise blind you and put you on the slippery slope to porn addiction”. Thanks for clearing that one up Mr. Adams :)

On a serious note, this book cannot nor should not be taken too seriously. It’s intended to make people laugh and so it succeeds. There were some sections I loved, others I liked, some I found offensive and others just left me dumbfounded - but for the most part, still laughing. No matter what my specific reaction was though, I think the point is that I did react. It made me think. It made me laugh. It made me blush.

It is my understanding that all of the pieces in the book originated from Adams’ blog which would explain the over all offbeat nature of the writing topics, which definitely makes it a unique read.

This book is a good one to leave on your night table and read every once in a while for a good laugh or in some cases a good scare. It’s the kind of book that can be picked up at any time and read in any order over and over again, which I probably will.

Finally I’ll leave you with Adams’ thoughts on marriage (from the back cover):

“Now I’m married, and that means I have to explain myself a lot. I can no longer leave a hot iron on my shirt just to see how long it takes to burn it, then draw more comics and buy another shirt. Suddenly that sort of thing is wrong”.

For more of Scott Adams’ humor, visit his blog

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

CONGRATULATIONS to the 5 winners of Gods Behaving Badly by Marie Phillips:

Marie

justicecw

AmandaSue

iubookgirl of Reader for Life

Colleen of Foreign Circus Library

AND the winner of The Gifted Gabaldon Sisters by Lorraine Lopez:

stacey @ bookthirty of book:thirty

Book Review: The Debs by Susan McBride

BIG THANKS to Susan for providing me with an additional SIGNED copy of her book for a giveaway – click here to enter (giveaway ends November 13 at 11:59 PM)

“The Debs” by Susan McBride

Published by Delacorte Books for Young Readers

Rating: 4 stars

“The Debs” is the first book in a series that chronicles the lives of teenage girls vying for the coveted ‘deb’ title and all the drama that ensues. Along with the close friendships and the complicated romances, some of the best pages of “The Debs” feature the rivalries, competition and juicy betrayal!

Each of the main characters has something valuable to offer readers, especially impressionable teenage girls. Laura Bell just wants to fit in but her struggle with her weight, not to mention the constant criticism she gets for being a size 14, is a lot to handle. Mac Mackenzie, the practical one, cannot understand why her friends always surrender when it comes to boys and must cope with a new stepmother who is trying to replace her mother who recently passed away. Ginger Fore, activist and environmentalist, is not your typical ‘deb’ wannabe but figures that achieving the title will help her fight for the causes she believes in. Finally, as in every great story, there is a malicious villain, and Jo Lynn Bidwell is definitely the girl everyone loves to hate. This queen bee will stop at nothing to outshine everyone around her and get what she wants at any cost but it can be lonely at the top.

While I don’t usually read many YA books, I have to say I really enjoyed this one. In addition to the fun storyline and sassy writing, it was really refreshing to see characters with a conscience. Although some of the characters are obsessed with labels, it was nice to read about someone like Mac, who is not concerned with wearing designer clothing. I also really liked that Ginger was very environmentally conscious and would only wear organic clothing. It’s important to have role models in books that teenage girls can look up to and learn from and in this aspect, McBride really succeeds.

Set in the South, the setting is also another really great part of the book because it is a nice change from the typical LA or NYC environment that is featured in most books. I liked learning more about Texas and how the privileged Southern Belles live.

This book serves as an introduction to the characters and storyline and paves the way for an enjoyable series of YA books. Unfortunately “The Debs” ends on a somewhat unfinished note, almost like a to-be-continued episode, and now I need to wait until June 2009 for The Debs: Love, Lies and Texas Dips to come out!

For more info check out Susan McBride’s website

Urban Outfitters: Hidden Gem for Discounted Books?

Although Urban Outfitters tends to be a little too trendy for me, I like to go in there once in a while and see what fun and sometimes outrageous clothing and accessories they'll be selling next. I especially love to check out their book selection because they always have some really interesting and unique ones. However, it was only recently that I found a tiny section in the store where they were actually selling new but discounted books (usually their books are very expensive)!

Here's what I snagged:

1) I Love You, Beth Cooper by Larry Doyle for $1.90 CDN (I've been wanting this one for a while - it's actually being made into a movie starring Hayden Panettiere)

2) Dark at the Roots by Sara Thyre for $1.90 CDN (the creepy cover both intrigued and scared me)

3) Ugly Betty: The Book by Ann Donahue for $4.90 CDN (LOVE the show and how can you not LOVE Betty plus the book is an adorable magazine format just like Mode)

Anyone else know of any out-of-the-ordinary places to pick up discounted books?

GIVEAWAY: The Debs by Susan McBride

Another giveaway in honor of the BOOK GIVEAWAY CARNIVAL - check out all the other books you can enter to win at Bookroomreview's Weblog!!

The very generous, not to mention talented, Susan McBride has sent me a SIGNED copy of The Debs to give away to one lucky winner! Giveaway ends November 13 at 11:59 PM. (Only Canada and U.S. addresses please!)



I must say this book makes for some very fun reading - click here for my review!

Here's what it says on the back cover:

The heat is on down South! Debutante season in Houston is under way and four ultraprivileged girls await their invitations from the illustrious Glass Slipper Club.

Laura Delacroix Bell: This trust-fund baby's size-fourteen figure doesn't stop her from attracting hot boys or the admiring eye of the GSC selection committee. But a salacious secret could take her out of the running quicker than you can say "Rosebud."

Michelle "Mac" Mackenzie: She'd rather bury her nose in a book than embrace her deb destiny. But Mac's debut is her late mother's dream and her stepmother's obsession. If Mac doesn't bow out now, she may become the crankiest deb in Texas.

Ginger Fore: She hopes to wear her grandmother's vintage ball gown on her big presentation day. But when a mysterious college guy puts Ginger's deb eligibility in jeopardy, she may end up wearing an unflattering orange jumpsuit instead.

Jo Lynn Bidwell: A former beauty queen, she makes it her mission in life to take out the debu-trash. For now, Jo Lynn's sights are set on Laura Bell, and what she has in store for her bitter rival is anything but ladylike. The Debs...high society doesn't get any lower than this.

To enter leave a comment on this post with contact info and just to shake things up please tell me your favorite book genre (e.g. memoirs, YA, Humor, Chick-lit, Historical Fiction......etc)

Good Luck!

Also check out a lookalike cover for The Debs that I've blogged about here

Book Review: Dating da Vinci by Malena Lott

BIG THANKS to Malena and Sourcebooks for helping me get a copy of this book to review!

“Dating da Vinci” by Malena Lott

Published by Sourcebooks Casablanca, an imprint of Sourcebooks, Inc.

Rating: 3.5 stars

“Dating da Vinci” is the story of Ramona Elise, who is desperately trying to cope with the loss of her husband nearly two years earlier. She worries about how the absence of a father will affect her two sons and fears that her husband may have taken certain secrets to his grave. Enter Leonardo da Vinci, aptly named after the fifteenth century visionary, because he manages to inspire exuberance and vitality from Ramona. Though Leo is considerably younger than Ramona and speaks little English, not to mention a student in her English as a second language class, Ramona finds herself falling for him. They develop a passionate relationship and Leo even manages to win the affection of Ramona’s sons. Leo helps Ramona find herself again and the pain from her husband’s death begins to subside.

Overall I had mixed feelings about the characters. It’s hard not to fall for the adorable Leo, whose broken English and naïve innocence only add to his charm. Ramona, on the other hand, was not as likeable as I would have hoped and I didn’t really find myself connecting to her. Also, the other characters seemed a little too shallow to be portrayed realistically. While I would have liked to see more depth in the characters, it did not sufficiently detract from the storyline and I still savored the characters’ successes and lamented over their disappointments.

This book has all the makings of what I envision to be a great romantic comedy and for the most part the plot does deliver. There is the romance, the ensuing drama, the eventual complications that arise and final culmination towards a satisfying ending. The book also deals with important issues of grief, infidelity and heartbreak. In that sense, it succeeds in giving readers more than the average 'woman-meets-man-and-they-fall-in -love' story.

“Dating da Vinci” is a sweet and quick read. Though the ending is predictable, I enjoyed reading the way Lott crafted the storyline and led readers to the end.

For more info, visit Malena Lott’s website

GIVEAWAY: The Gifted Gabaldon Sisters by Lorraine Lopez

I will be posting my review for The Gifted Gabaldon Sisters very soon but in honor of the BOOK GIVEAWAY CARNIVAL (November 3-November 9) I've decided to have my giveaway for the book right away! To enter, simply leave a comment with a way for me to contact you if you win. The giveaway starts now and ends November 10th at 11:59 Eastern time. Canada or U.S. mailing addresses only.

Having lost their mother in early childhood, the Gabaldón sisters consider Fermina, their elderly Pueblo housekeeper, their surrogate Grandmother. The mysterious Fermina love the girls as if they are her own, and promises to endow each with a "special gift" to be received upon her death. Mindful of the old woman's mystical ways, the sisters believe Fermina's gifts, bestowed based on their natural talents, magically enhance their lives. The oldest sister, Bette Davis Gabaldón, always teased for telling tales, believes her gift is the power to persuade anyone, no matter how outlandish her story. Loretta Young, who often prefers pets to people, assumes her gift is the ability to heal animals. Tough-talking tomboy, Rita Hayworth believes her gift is the ability to curse her enemies. And finally, Sophia Loren, the baby of the family, is sure her ability to make people laugh is her legacy. As the four girls grow into women they discover that Fermina's gifts come with complicated strings, and what once seemed simple can confuse over time. Together they learn the truth about their mysterious caretaker, her legacy, and the family secret that was nearly lost forever in the New Mexican desert.Having lost their mother in early childhood, the Gabaldón sisters consider Fermina, their elderly Pueblo housekeeper, their surrogate Grandmother. The mysterious Fermina love the girls as if they are her own, and promises to endow each with a "special gift" to be received upon her death.

Mindful of the old woman's mystical ways, the sisters believe Fermina's gifts, bestowed based on their natural talents, magically enhance their lives. The oldest sister, Bette Davis Gabaldón, always teased for telling tales, believes her gift is the power to persuade anyone, no matter how outlandish her story. Loretta Young, who often prefers pets to people, assumes her gift is the ability to heal animals. Tough-talking tomboy, Rita Hayworth believes her gift is the ability to curse her enemies. And finally, Sophia Loren, the baby of the family, is sure her ability to make people laugh is her legacy.

As the four girls grow into women they discover that Fermina's gifts come with complicated strings, and what once seemed simple can confuse over time. Together they learn the truth about their mysterious caretaker, her legacy, and the family secret that was nearly lost forever in the New Mexican desert.

Good Luck and be sure to check out all the amazing giveaways being held this week for the BOOK GIVEAWAY CARNIVAL at Bookroomreviews's Weblog!