ARE YOU LISTENING? LET'S EXPLORE DIABETES WITH OWLS: A REVIEW AND GIVEAWAY

WELCOME TO BOOKIN' WITH BINGO'S" 
ARE YOU LISTENING? DAY"
I AM EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE TODAY'S
AUDIO BOOK CHOICE....

 LET'S EXPLORE DIABETES
WITH OWLS

ESSAYS, ETC.

BY DAVID SEDARIS

READ BY DAVID SEDARIS

ABOUT THE BOOK:

A guy walks into a bar car and...

From here the story could take many turns. When this guy is David Sedaris, the possibilities are endless, but the result is always the same: he will both delight you with twists of humor and intelligence and leave you deeply moved.

Sedaris remembers his father's dinnertime attire (shirtsleeves and underpants), his first colonoscopy (remarkably pleasant), and the time he considered buying the skeleton of a murdered Pygmy.

With Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls, David Sedaris shows once again why his work has been called "hilarious, elegant, and surprisingly moving" (Washington Post).
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

David Sedaris is a playwright and a regular commentator for National Public Radio. He is also the author of the bestselling Barrel Fever, Naked, Holidays on Ice, Dress Your Family in Corduroy, Denim, When You Are Engulfed in Flames and Me Talk Pretty One Day. He travels extensively though Europe and the United States on lecture tours and lives in France.

 PRAISE FOR LET'S EXPLORE DIABETES WITH OWLS:

"Sedaris is a remarkably skilled storyteller and savvy essayist. He weaves together vivid images and sensations into a coherent whole that packs a serious emotional punch....Yes, David Sedaris is really that good. And, based on this latest collection, he's getting only better."---Heather Havrilesky, Los Angeles Times

"Artfully milked embarrassing personal incidents for literary laughs...There are plenty of well-cut gems, including one about an ill-fated adoption of some sea turtles that's both hilarious and touching."---Thom Geier, Entertainment Weekly

"If you are a David Sedaris fan, any new book from the humorist is cause for celebration. His newest offering, Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls, is no exception. It's quintessential Sedaris....There's always a laugh-out-loud moment just around the corner."---Craig Wilson, USA Today

"The funniest writer in America....Sedaris is thoughtful and sweet in addition to being slyly hilarious."---Leigh Haber, Oprah

"David Sedaris has become a signifier of taste and intelligence....Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls was the kind of book that I finished and just immediately wanted to start reading again."---Anna Peele, Esquire

"David Sedaris still talks pretty."---Kathryn Schulz, New York Magazine

"Fresh....funny, whimsical, unexpected, and never obvious....Who would anticipate that an encounter with an Australian bird could be so damn touching?"---Sherryl Connelly, New York Daily News

"Ridiculously funny....A find for the reader who appreciates a sense of humor....Sedaris, like the great humorists before him, hits a nerve with his wit, which brings the reader into intimate contact with the human condition."---John Henry, Fort Worth Star-Telegram

"An acute observer and master of the quick, excoriating takedown, Sedaris claims new territory in this exceptionally gutsy and unnerving collection."---Donna Seamn, Booklist
"Hilarious....Winning....Sedaris's experiences are an endless source of good material."---Danielle Trussoni, People 

SOME OTHER BOOKS BY DAVID SEDARIS:

                   

                   

                 

MY THOUGHTS/REVIEW:
For those not familiar with David Sedaris, his latest book, LET’S EXPLORE DIABETES WITH OWLS, is not a medical reference book! Far from it. Rather, Sedaris is back with another incredibly witty commentary on life that to some extent, is a bit more cultured and urbane than ever before. Taking topics from ordinary scenarios in life even including some based on family members (his father is his prime target-as well he should be!), Sedaris uses satire in a way that few others can. His comedic presentations of how hard his father always is on him has given the author so much material as he strives continually to prove his father wrong. More often now it seems that David does prove his father wrong, much to David and his fans delight!

Living in England and France, Sedaris splits his time to writing in those places and then going out on tour to be among people which is what he enjoys so much. I am sure he also gets a lot of his material while on tour as well. I believe he is visiting some 56 cities in the U. S. this time around and will surprise people who come to get their book signed. He likes to take time to talk to people, to observe, and to hear what they have to say. Often, people are flustered at this because that is not the norm with most authors.

In LET’S EXPLORE DIABETES WITH OWLS, David Sedaris mostly spins his tales from his point of view but there are some written as if a teenager is narrating them and you have to keep on your toes lest you be confused. He writes about everything from shopping for a stuffed owl to traditional marriages; from the quality of dental care in France, to healthcare over all. I think David Sedaris is my favorite author to listen to on audio book. Not only does he read them with his “make me laugh” tone of voice, but also because you can skip around as well. And my favorite part of the audio book is that you can listen to them over and over again! I do believe that they are even funnier the more you listen to them. If you have never experienced the joy of David Sedaris, this is a great time to start.

 GIVEAWAY 
THANK YOU TO MITCH AND MY GOOD
FRIENDS AT HACHETTE BOOKS FOR AN AUDIO
BOOK COPY OF DAVID SEDARIS'

LET'S EXPLORE DIABETES WITH OWLS
 THAT I AM ABLE TO OFFER AS A GIVEAWAY
TO ONE LUCKY READER OF MY BLOG
 
--U.S. RESIDENTS ONLY
--NO P. O. BOXES
---INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS
IN CASE YOU WIN!
--ALL COMMENTS MUST BE SEPARATE TO 
COUNT AS MORE THAN ONE!

HOW TO ENTER: 

+1 ENTRY: COMMENT ON WHAT YOU THOUGHT ABOUT WHAT YOU READ AND SAW ABOVE ABOUT THE AUDIO BOOK LET'S EXPLORE DIABETES WITH OWLS THAT MADE YOU WANT TO WIN THIS BOOK, AND DON'T FORGET YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS 

+1 MORE ENTRY: BLOG AND/OR TWEET ABOUT THIS GIVEAWAY AND COME BACK HERE AND LEAVE ME YOUR LINK

+1 MORE ENTRY: COMMENT ON SOMETHING YOU FIND INTERESTING ABOUT AUTHOR DAVID SEDARIS  BY CHECKING OUT HIS WEBSITE
HERE! 

+1 MORE ENTRY: COMMENT ON ONE OTHER CURRENT GIVEAWAY YOU HAVE ENTERED ON MY BLOG. IF YOU HAVE ENTERED MORE THAN ONE GIVEAWAY, YOU MAY COMMENT SEPARATELY ON EACH TO RECEIVE EXTRA ENTRIES

+1 MORE ENTRY: COMMENT ON ONE WAY YOU FOLLOW MY BLOG. IF YOU FOLLOW MORE THAN ONE WAY, YOU CAN COMMENT SEPARATELY AND EACH WILL COUNT AS AN ENTRY

GIVEAWAY ENDS AT 
6 PM, EST, JUNE 10

GOOD LUCK!

WEDNESDAY IS FOR WINNERS!

WELCOME TO BOOKIN' WITH BINGO'S
WINNERS' ANNOUNCEMENT!
 

THE WINNERS HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED 

BY EMAIL AND HAVE UNTIL NOON 

MAY 26, TO REPLY WITH THEIR

INFORMATION OR A NEW WINNER

WILL HAVE TO BE CHOSEN!

*************************************

ALL HE EVER NEEDED

BY SHANNON STACEY

THE WINNER IS:

#67  holdenj

***************************************

STARTING NOW

A Blossom Street Novel

BY DEBBIE MACOMBER

THE WINNER IS:

#10 Becky

*********************************************

THE BEGONIA BRIBE
 A Garden Society Mystery 
BY ALYSE CARLSON

THE WINNER IS:

#6 Monja Blue

*********************************************

 

LET'S GET COZY! THE CAT, THE MILL, AND THE MURDER: A PREVIEW AND GIVEAWAY

 THE CAT, THE MILL, AND THE MURDER

A Cats In Trouble Mystery

BY LEANN SWEENEY

ABOUT THE BOOK:

When cat lover and quilter Jillian Hart volunteers to help a local animal shelter relocate a colony of feral cats living in an abandoned textile mill, she never expects to find a woman living there, too. Jeannie went missing from Mercy, South Carolina, a decade ago, after her own daughter’s disappearance.

Jeannie refuses to leave the mill or abandon Boots, her cat who died years ago. After all, she and Boots feel the need to protect the premises from “creepers” who come in the night. After Jeannie is hurt in an accident and is taken away, those who’ve come to town to help repurpose the mill uncover a terrible discovery.. As the wheels start turning in Jillian’s mind, a mysterious new feline friend aids in her quest to unearth a long-kept and dark secret. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Leann Sweeney was born and raised in Niagara Falls and educated at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Lemoyne College in Syracuse, NY. She also has a degree from the University of Houston in Behavioral Science and worked in psychiatry. Currently a school nurse, she has been writing in the mystery genre for many years. Leann is married with two grown children and has lived in Texas for most of her adult life. She resides in Friendswood with husband Mike, her three cats and a geriatric dog.

SOME OTHER BOOKS BY LEANN SWEENEY:

                                        

                    

                       

                      

GIVEAWAY

THANKS TO KAYLEIGH AND THE GOOD FOLKS

AT OBSIDIAN AND PENGUIN BOOKS,

I HAVE ONE COPY OF THE CAT,
 THE MILL, AND THE MURDER,

TO GIVE AWAY TO A LUCKY READER

 
--U.S. RESIDENTS ONLY
--NO P. O. BOXES
---INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS
IN CASE YOU WIN!
--ALL COMMENTS MUST BE SEPARATE TO 
COUNT AS MORE THAN ONE!

HOW TO ENTER:

+1 ENTRY: COMMENT ON WHAT YOU READ ABOVE ABOUT THE CAT, THE MILL, AND THE MURDER THAT MADE YOU WANT TO WIN THIS BOOK, AND DON'T FORGET YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS

+1 MORE ENTRY: BLOG AND/OR TWEET ABOUT THIS GIVEAWAY AND COME BACK HERE AND LEAVE ME YOUR LINK

+1 MORE ENTRY: COMMENT ON SOMETHING YOU FIND INTERESTING AT LEANN SWEENEY'S WEBSITE HERE 

+1 MORE ENTRY: COMMENT ON ONE WAY YOU FOLLOW MY BLOG. IF YOU FOLLOW MORE THAN ONE WAY, YOU CAN COMMENT SEPARATELY AND EACH WILL COUNT AS AN ENTRY

+1 MORE ENTRY: COMMENT ON A CURRENT GIVEAWAY THAT YOU HAVE ENTERED ON MY BLOG. IF YOU ENTERED MORE THAN ONE, YOU MAY COMMENT SEPARATELY FOR EACH TO RECEIVE MORE ENTRIES

 

GIVEAWAY ENDS AT

6 PM, EST, JUNE 4

   GOOD LUCK!

ARE YOU LISTENING? THE WOMAN UPSTAIRS: A REVIEW AND AUDIO BOOK GIVEAWAY

WELCOME TO BOOKIN' WITH BINGO'S" 
ARE YOU LISTENING? DAY"
I AM EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE TODAY'S
AUDIO BOOK CHOICE....
 

THE WOMAN UPSTAIRS 
BY CLAIRE MESSUD 
Read by Cassandra Campbell

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Nora Eldridge, an elementary school teacher in Cambridge, Massachusetts, long ago compromised her dream to be a successful artist, mother and lover. She has instead become the “woman upstairs,” a reliable friend and neighbor always on the fringe of others’ achievements. Then into her life arrives the glamorous and cosmopolitan Shahids—her new student Reza Shahid, a child who enchants as if from a fairy tale, and his parents: Skandar, a dashing Lebanese professor who has come to Boston for a fellowship at Harvard, and Sirena, an effortlessly alluring Italian artist.

When Reza is attacked by schoolyard bullies, Nora is drawn deep into the complex world of the Shahid family; she finds herself falling in love with them, separately and together. Nora’s happiness explodes her boundaries, and she discovers in herself an unprecedented ferocity—one that puts her beliefs and her sense of self at stake.

Told with urgency, intimacy and piercing emotion, this brilliant novel of passion and artistic fulfillment explores the intensity, thrill—and the devastating cost—of embracing an authentic life. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Claire Messud’s most recent novel, The Emperor’s Children, was a New York Times, Los Angeles Times and Washington Post Best Book of the Year. Her first novel, When the World Was Steady, and her book of novellas, The Hunters, were both finalists for the PEN/Faulkner Award; and her second novel, The Last Life, was a Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year and Editor’s Choice at The Village Voice. All four books were named New York Times Notable Books of the Year. Messud has been awarded Guggenheim and Radcliffe Fellowships and the Strauss Living Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. She lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with her husband and children. 

PRAISE FOR THE WOMAN UPSTAIRS:

“Riveting . . . Messud is adept at evoking complex psychological territory, and here favors a controlled and notably unreliable style of narration. She is interested in the identities that women construct for themselves, and in the maddening chasm that often divides intensity of aspiration from reality of achievement.” —The New Yorker

“[A] powerful psychological thriller . . . As in a fairy tale, Nora becomes spellbound by a family that seems to embody what she is missing. The power of self-deception is one of the key themes. . . . This is not just a novel of real psychological insight. It is also a supremely well-crafted page-turner with a shocker of an ending.” —Julia M. Klein, The Boston Globe

“Thrums with fury . . . Startling: a psychological and intellectual thriller.” —Los Angeles Times

“Tightly focused and intensely first-person . . . Nora storms onto the page in a fury to tell us the story of a few months that changed her life. . . . The stage is set for a terrible betrayal, and the ending delivers it. The writing in this book is on fire, and the connections it makes—a Chekhov short story, a Larkin poem, Alice in Wonderland—pop like intellectual fireworks from the page.” —Marion Winik, Newsday

“Exhilarating . . . Messud’s previous novels, extraordinarily intelligent and well-crafted, are characterized by rationed or distant emotion. [But] The Woman Upstairs is utterly different—its language urgent, its conflicts outsize and unmooring, its mood incendiary. This psychologically charged story feels like a liberation. Messud’s prose grabs the reader by the collar . . . Reading Nora’s turbulent testament of belief and betrayal, you feel less like a spectator than a witness. . . . In this ingenious, disquieting novel, Messud has assembled an intricate puzzle of self-belief and self-doubt, showing the peril of seeking your own image in someone else’s distorted mirror—or even, sometimes, in your own.” —Liesl Schillinger, The New York Times Book Review

“From its opening lines, Messud’s new novel grips like a choke hold. . . .The most unlikely hero, Nora, self-identifies with scornful wit and rage as the titular Woman Upstairs. But oh how Messud, whose last novel was the sharp and brilliant The Emperor’s Children, gives her woman room to roar. . . . Sirena awakens in her an unapologetic lust of life that Nora was previously too good or too scared to claim. The narrative burns toward an inevitable betrayal of startling proportions, one that instead of diminishing Nora lights her ablaze. This is a book sweating with rage, and an exhilarating one. Read it in an openmouthed gulp. After the final powerful paragraphs, in which Nora howls in galvanized fury, throw it down and have a drink, or a dreamless nap. Don’t be surprised if you then pick it back up and start all over again. A” —Karen Valby, Entertainment Weekly 

MY THOUGHTS/REVIEW:
Claire Messud, author of the best-selling THE EMPEROR’S CHILDREN, newest novel is THE WOMAN UPSTAIRS. I enjoyed THE EMPEROR’S CHILDREN but do remember it wasn’t that easy of a read. Still, I was eager after all this time to listen to Messud’s newest work, on audio book, THE WOMAN UPSTAIRS. She tells the story of Nora Eldridge who works as a third grade teacher in Cambridge, Massachusetts. In flashbacks, Messud describes Nora’s youth as one where she wanted to be an artist but her mother, who I think had such a strong hold on Nora, convinces her to leave her dream behind. Being an artist is too risky a profession. Nora was also advised to always earn her own money so she didn’t have to depend on any man. And so, Nora gives it all up and after caring for her mother who was dying of ALS, she goes on to teach. Now a 37-year-old third-grade teacher, Nora is a devoted daughter who regularly visits her father and elderly aunt.

When she isn’t doing that or teaching, Nora still finds some time for her art. While caring for her mother, Nora had to do smaller art projects due to lack of space and began to make dioramas. She still does but she never shows them to anyone because she worries about what people will think of her. Here is where we easily start to see Nora’s fear of how she might be perceived by others. I think she totally felt she was unworthy of having anything good happen to her. So her repetitive daily life goes on until one day, an exquisite eight-year-old boy, Reza Shahid, is assigned to Nora’s class.

From this moment, Nora Eldridge’s life is never the same again. Reza and his parents are intoxicating to Nora. She comes to know the family better following an incident when a bully attacks Reza on the playground. Reza's father, Skandar, has moved the family to Boston while he is teaching a course on ethics for a year at Harvard. Sirena is Reza’s mother, and to Nora she is exotic and not just because she is a beautiful Italian artist. Sirena is unhappy to have left their home in Paris and put a hold on her art. However, she soon decides to begin her art again and when she finds out about Nora’s art background, draws her in and offers to share her studio with Nora.

At this point in the story, the basic narrative is set and the story began, for me, to take on rather bizarre, long passages, and it was hard to keep my attention. Nora grows closer to each member of the family in different ways. Her desire to gain approval from Sirena for her art is palpable, as is the attention she seeks from Skandar who takes an unusual interest in Nora’s artwork. This interest creates more confidence of a sort in Nora as she feels what she first takes as his approval. I found that this was odd and just didn’t seem to sit well with me. I wondered if Nora’s perception for what was really going on was real or not? Could the Shahids really have these special feelings for her or was it just her wishful thinking? In taking so long to get on to more of the story, I almost gave up on this one but was too curious to quit.

As the story goes on, readers I think will also question the Shahids’ motivation. By the time Nora finds out what is really going on, things have gone too far and her whole personality has changed, at least in the reader’s perception. She feels very betrayed at the end and it comes down so hard on her that her reaction is unimaginable! While the story drew toward the climax, it was exciting but just so hard for me to enjoy because I had to work so hard to get there. Claire Messud does write beautifully and certainly develops her characters. I think perhaps this was just not a book for me while so many others are praising it. I hope you will listen or read it, and make up your own mind on how your feel about it as I believe I am in the minority here.   

GIVEAWAY

THANKS TO RICHARD AND THE GOOD PEOPLE
AT RANDOM HOUSE AUDIO BOOKS, I HAVE ONE
COPY OF THIS CLAIRE MESSUD AUDIO BOOK 
  THE WOMAN UPSTAIRS, TO GIVE AWAY 
  TO ONE OF MY LUCKY FOLLOWERS 
  

--U.S. RESIDENTS ONLY
--NO P. O. BOXES, PLEASE
--INCLUDE EMAIL ADDRESS IN COMMENT
--ALL COMMENTS MUST BE SEPARATE IN 
ORDER TO COUNT AS MORE THAN ONE ENTRY
 

HOW TO ENTER:

+1 ENTRY: COMMENT ON SOMETHING YOU FOUND INTERESTING ABOUT THE WOMAN UPSTAIRS THAT WOULD MAKE YOU WANT TO WIN THIS AUDIO BOOK

+1 MORE ENTRY: BLOG OR TWEET ABOUT THIS GIVEAWAY AND LEAVE A LINK I CAN FOLLOW IN THE ENTRY 

+1 MORE ENTRY: COMMENT ON ONE OTHER CURRENT GIVEAWAY YOU HAVE ENTERED ON MY BLOG. IF YOU ENTERED MORE THAN ONE, YOU CAN COMMENT ON EACH ON SEPARATELY AND GAIN MORE ENTRIES THAT WAY

+1 MORE ENTRY: COMMENT ON ONE WAY YOU FOLLOW MY BLOG. IF YOU FOLLOW MORE THAN ONE WAY, YOU CAN COMMENT SEPARATELY AND EACH WILL COUNT AS AN ENTRY

 

GIVEAWAY ENDS AT
 6 PM, EST, JUNE 4

 

 GOOD LUCK!

THE VIAGRA DIARIES: A REVIEW AND GIVEAWAY

THE VIAGRA DIARIES

BY BARBARA ROSE BROOKER

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Just because Anny Applebaum qualifies for a senior discount doesn’t mean she’s ready for retirement. But if she wants to keep her job at the San Francisco Times, she’ll have to find a way to spice up her lifestyle column. Even if it means posting her profile as an eligible single on JDate .com. Sure, Anny’s a little out of practice. She hasn’t been with a man since she found Viagra in her ex-husband’s suit pocket, and he wasn’t taking it for her. But she’s got her friends to help her fumble her way through the strange and intriguing world of online dating.

After hearing cautionary tales from the trenches—about “boomer oldies” who drag around pictures of their dead wives and fixed-income misers who wine and dine their dates at chain restaurants—Anny is relieved to meet Marv Rothstein, a charming . . . 75-year-old diamond dealer. Unfortunately, he’s also a Digital Age Don Juan who prowls singles sites for younger women. Not to be outdated by this “Serial JDater,” Anny realizes Marv is the perfect subject for her flagging column and chronicles his sexcapades for the reading public. But when the new column becomes an overnight hit, Anny can’t help but feel conflicted—because now she’s having sex with Mr. X . . . and it’s nothing less than extraordinary. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Barbara Rose Brooker is currently a teacher at San Francisco State University with a masters in creative writing. She has appeared on the Today show and The Talk and has been featured in the San Francisco Chronicle, Huffington Post, and more. To read more about this author, visit her website "Bio" HERE. 

MY THOUGHTS/REVIEW:
One might say that Barbara Rose Brooker’s THE VIAGRA DIARIES is chick lit for older chicks, but also one that anyone will get a kick out of. With baby boomers living very full lives, Brooker illustrates what these golden years are like for many people. That isn’t to say that this generation is all about sex, because they are so much more than that, of course! They are vital to society in more ways than many younger people can even imagine, but THE VIAGRA DIARIES does give a bit of relevant humor to their lives.

The main character, Anny Applebaum, is a 65-year-old artist who writes a newspaper column for seniors in order to supplement her income. When she is told that the newspaper wants to discontinue her column unless her following picks up, Anny must come up with a new “hook” to draw in readers.

Nervous about losing her column, Anny, who is somewhat eccentric with a mind of her own, decides to finally follow her daughter’s never-ending “advice” and try online dating to meet someone. Anny, however, is hoping desperately for new material, not particularly new love! That new material comes in the form of Marv, a nice-looking 75-year-old diamond merchant. Marv seems interested in Anny and as we might guess, does get Anny from first kiss to bed fairly quickly.

Brooker creates a well developed, engaging character in Marv as she shows how he is interested in Anny while together and in bed, but at the same time, still is online looking for other conquests, hopefully younger ones. As their relationship goes on, Anny finds great material for her column. With the title of her column being “The Viagra Diaries”, the escapades of “Mr. X”, who is really Marv, becomes the inspiration for the columns. Soon a popular sensation, Anny turns into quite the celebrity and her column becomes nationally syndicated.

In THE VIAGRA DIARIES, readers will find Anny's perceptively witty search for a notable career, bona fide love, and a happy family to be a responsibly thought provoking narrative of an indispensable generation. On top of that, they should also find just an enjoyably fun and fast read! 

GIVEAWAY

THANKS TO MELISSA AND THE GOOD FOLKS AT

GALLERY BOOKS AND SIMON & SCHUSTER,

I HAVE ONE COPY OF THIS DELIGHTFUL BOOK

TO GIVE AWAY TO ONE LUCKY WINNER

 
--U.S. RESIDENTS ONLY
--NO P. O. BOXES
---INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS
IN CASE YOU WIN!
--ALL COMMENTS MUST BE SEPARATE TO 
COUNT AS MORE THAN ONE!

HOW TO ENTER:

+1 ENTRY: COMMENT ON WHAT YOU READ ABOVE ABOUT THE VIAGRA DIARIES THAT MADE YOU WANT TO WIN THIS BOOK, AND DON'T FORGET YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS 

+1 MORE ENTRY: BLOG AND/OR TWEET ABOUT THIS GIVEAWAY AND COME BACK HERE AND LEAVE ME YOUR LINK 

+1 MORE ENTRY: COMMENT ON SOMETHING YOU FIND INTERESTING AT BARBARA ROSE BROOKER'S WEBSITE HERE

+1 MORE ENTRY: COMMENT ON ONE WAY YOU FOLLOW MY BLOG. IF YOU FOLLOW MORE THAN ONE WAY, YOU CAN COMMENT SEPARATELY AND EACH WILL COUNT AS AN ENTRY

+1 MORE ENTRY: COMMENT ON A CURRENT GIVEAWAY THAT YOU HAVE ENTERED ON MY BLOG. IF YOU ENTERED MORE THAN ONE, YOU MAY COMMENT SEPARATELY FOR EACH TO RECEIVE MORE ENTRIES

 

GIVEAWAY ENDS AT 
6 PM, EST, JUNE 4
GOOD LUCK!

LET'S GET COZY! TOPPED CHEF: A PREVIEW AND GIVEAWAY

TOPPED CHEF

 A Key West Food Critic Mystery 

BY LUCY BURDETTE 

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Hayley Snow loves her job as the food critic for Key Zest magazine, tasting the offerings from Key West’s most innovative restaurants. She’d rate her life four stars, until she’s forced into the spotlight...and another murder investigation.

Hoping for some good publicity, Hayley’s boss signs her up to help judge the Key West Topped Chef contest. Stakes are high as the winner could be the next cooking-show superstar. Hayley shows up for the filming nervous but excited, until she sees who’s on the judging panel with her: Sam Rizzoli, big shot businessman—and owner of the restaurant she just panned in her first negative review.

When Rizzoli turns up dead, the police assume his killer is one of his business rivals. But Hayley wonders whether someone is taking the contest a little too seriously. With the police following the wrong recipe, it’s up to Hayley to find the killer before she’s eliminated from the show...permanently. AN EXCERPT FROM TOPPED CHEF:

Chapter One
 

“When you wake up in the morning, Pooh,” said Piglet at last, “what’s the first thing you say to yourself?”
 

“What’s for breakfast?” said Pooh. “What do you say, Piglet?”
 

“I say, ‘I wonder what’s going to happen exciting today?’ ” said Piglet.
Pooh nodded thoughtfully. “It’s the same thing,” he said.
— A. A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh
 

Evinrude woke me from a sound sleep, first with his rumbling purr and then with a gentle but persistent tapping of paw to cheek. I blinked my eyes open—the bedside clock read six fifteen. I hissed softly at his gray-striped face. “I love you dearly, but you’re a monster,” I told him as I rolled out of bed. “Spoiled rotten cat flesh.”
 

Tail hoisted high, he trotted out of the room ahead of me, meowing loudly. Miss Gloria’s lithe black cat, Sparky, intercepted him before he reached the food bowls lined up in the corner of the tiny galley of our houseboat. He sprang onto Evinrude’s back and wrestled him to the floor. While they boxed and nipped at each other, I poured a ration of kibbles into each bowl, refreshed their water, and then staggered onto the deck to check out the morning.  

 

To finish reading this excerpt, visit the author's website HERE.

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Pseudonym for Roberta Isleib.

Lucy Burdette is the author of the Key West Food Critic Mystery series, launching in January 2012 with AN APPETITE FOR MURDER.

Lucy’s alter-ego, clinical psychologist Roberta Isleib, has published eight mysteries including the Golf Lover’s Mystery series and the Advice Column Mystery series for Berkley Prime Crime. Her books and stories have been short-listed for Agatha, Anthony, and Macavity awards. She’s a member of Mystery Writers of America, Romance Writers of America, and Sisters in Crime, and a past-president of Sisters in Crime.

OTHER BOOKS BY LUCY BURDETTE:

                                                                         

GIVEAWAY

THANKS TO KAYLEIGH AND THE GOOD FOLKS

AT OBSIDIAN AND PENGUIN BOOKS,

I HAVE ONE COPY OF TOPPED CHEF,

TO GIVE AWAY TO A LUCKY READER

 
--U.S. RESIDENTS ONLY
--NO P. O. BOXES
---INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS
IN CASE YOU WIN!
--ALL COMMENTS MUST BE SEPARATE TO 
COUNT AS MORE THAN ONE!

HOW TO ENTER:

+1 ENTRY: COMMENT ON WHAT YOU READ ABOVE ABOUT TOPPED CHEF THAT MADE YOU WANT TO WIN THIS BOOK, AND DON'T FORGET YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS

+1 MORE ENTRY: BLOG AND/OR TWEET ABOUT THIS GIVEAWAY AND COME BACK HERE AND LEAVE ME YOUR LINK

+1 MORE ENTRY: COMMENT ON SOMETHING YOU FIND INTERESTING AT LUCY BURDETTE'S WEBSITE HERE 

+1 MORE ENTRY: COMMENT ON ONE WAY YOU FOLLOW MY BLOG. IF YOU FOLLOW MORE THAN ONE WAY, YOU CAN COMMENT SEPARATELY AND EACH WILL COUNT AS AN ENTRY

+1 MORE ENTRY: COMMENT ON A CURRENT GIVEAWAY THAT YOU HAVE ENTERED ON MY BLOG. IF YOU ENTERED MORE THAN ONE, YOU MAY COMMENT SEPARATELY FOR EACH TO RECEIVE MORE ENTRIES

 

GIVEAWAY ENDS AT

6 PM, EST, JUNE 4

   GOOD LUCK!