IT'S BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE ZOMBIES: REVIEW AND GIVEAWAY

A BINGLE BELLS BOOK CHOICE

GIVEAWAY ENDED
It's Beginning to Look
a Lot Like Zombies

A Book of Zombie

Christmas Carols

by Michael P. Spradlin

The snow is falling, the holiday

is approaching and…

It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Zombies!

This delightfully depraved book of classic Zombie Christmas carols by Michael P. Spradlin is guaranteed to spread Yuletide cheer to all those good boys and ghouls who devoured the monster New York Times bestsellers Pride and Prejudice and Zombies and World War Z, as well as fans of 28 Days Later and Shaun of the Dead.

With an introduction by the inimitable Christopher Moore—bestselling author of Bloodsucking Fiends, You Suck, and the classic “heartwarming tale of Christmas terror” The Stupidest Angel—It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Zombies is a great gift for stuffing into a Christmas stocking…provided you remove the bloody severed foot first!

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Fresh brains roasting on an open fire . . .

Outside the temperature's dropping. The snow is falling, blanketing the world in white. Sleigh bells are jingling. Soon it will be that most wondrous time of the year!

That time of flesh-devouring zombie horror!

Yes, Christmas is on its way—and all the little boys and ghouls are dreaming of stockings filled with candied eyes and bleeding body parts. You'd better watch out! Santa Claws is coming to town—and he knows who's been naughty, who's been naughtier . . . and who'll taste best with a nice glass of Chianti!

In celebration of this merry macabre season, we present a peerless compendium of more than two dozen of the most soul-stirring, brain-boiling carols composed specifically for the decomposing. Holiday favorites such as “I Saw Mommy Chewing Santa Claus,” “Deck the Halls with Parts of Wally,” and “We Three Spleens” are guaranteed to lift the spirits of the lumbering, shuffling undead and their temporarily still breathing meals-to-be. So put down your gore-splattered baseball bats and raise your voices in song! And sing loudly—to drown out all the screaming.

THE WEATHER OUTSIDE IS FRIGHTFUL!

But this book is so delightful! It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Zombies: A Book of Zombie Christmas Carols takes two dozen of our cherished Christmas Carols and turns them upside down, rewriting the lyrics from a Zombie point of view. Tiny tot’s eyes are no longer aglow, they’re in a bowl. Good King Wenceslas Tastes Great and we Deck The Halls With Parts Of Wally. You’ll find all the soon to be classic Zombie Christmas Carol Classics, like Zombie, The Reindeer and many, many more.

This is the perfect holiday gift for the Zombie fanatic on your Christmas list. With brilliantly gory illustrations by artist Jeff Weigel and an introduction by New York Times Best-Selling Author Christopher Moore, It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Zombies should be at the top of your Christmas Shopping List this fall.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Michael P. Spradlin grew up in Michigan rooting for his beloved Detroit Tigers. He collected baseball cards, listened to Tigers games on the radio, and talked his third-grade teacher into bringing her twenty-five-inch Zenith console television to school so the class could watch Game Seven of the 1968 World Series. Now he writes books, still listens to games on the radio, and hopes one day the Tigers will realize the error of their ways and offer him the third-base spot he has coveted for so long. He is also the author of the Youngest Templar trilogy, the Spy Goddess series, and several other picture books. He lives with his family in Lapeer, Michigan.

Michael Spradlin, author

ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR:

Children's Picture Book Writing and Illustration
Jeff wrote, illustrated and designed Atomic Ace (He’s Just My Dad), published by Albert Whitman & Company in 2004. Atomic Ace received a starred review in School Library Journal and was a Parents’ Choice 2004 Recommended Award Winner. A sequel, Atomic Ace and the Robot Rampage, was published in the Fall of 2006. Jeff also received a Don Freeman Award Honorable Mention from The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) for his picture book work in 2004.

Comic Book Writing and Illustration
Jeff has been a regular contributor to Image Comics anthology title, Big Bang Comics, for more than ten years. His work as a writer and illustrator on the character he created, The Sphinx, earned him a nomination for the 1998 Russ Manning Award For Most Promising Newcomer in the comics industry.

Book Design
Jeff art directed and designed the book Curt Swan: A Life In Comics by Eddy Zeno, a deluxe hardcover career retrospective of the artist who illustrated the comic book adventures of Superman for more than 30 years. Curt Swan: A Life In Comics received a nomination for the comic book industry’s prestigious Eisner Award for Best Comics-Related Publication in 2002.

Graphic Design
Jeff has been a graphic designer for more than 25 years. At the beginning of his career he worked for Warner Books and Warner Publisher Services in New York City, designing promotional materials for books and magazines as diverse as Mad and Playboy, novelizations of major motion pictures and national best sellers. He has been a designer and creative director at Obata Design in St. Louis, Missouri for more than 15 years, working on a wide variety of design projects such as consumer product packaging, annual reports, national and local print advertising, and corporate identity. His work has earned him many design awards over the years. He has also taught packaging design at St. Louis’ Maryville University.

Jeff Weigel, illustrator

REVIEW:
There isn't much more you need to say about this book once you realize that it is written by best selling author Michael Spradlin, and the book is illustrated by the artistic and imaginative pen of Jeff Weigel. With over twenty-four beloved Christmas Carols rewritten from the point-of-view of a zombie, it is easy to see why this makes a perfect holiday gift--qualifying it as a BINGLE BELLS BOOK CHOICE--to enjoy from Halloween now and take one right through the holidays into December. Spradlin does not spare any fabled holiday hero or yuletide yokels...Santa or his red-nosed leader, Magi or Mansion, decked or not...all are fair game for this duo. You have to see the unique and clever presentations to believe it. You may chuckle but younger fans will rock on with this holiday horror. I can see my former students having the words memorized as they try and bring back the undead with these lighter fare lyrics. And this will be a book you will bring back out every year with wonder---wonder at which of the great graphics you can dress up like for Halloween next year! A fun, clever, and oh, so GORE-geously compiled creation filled with HAUNTING melodies!

GIVEAWAY

THANKS TO STEPHANIE AND MICHAEL
AT HARPER COLLINS PUBLISHING,
I HAVE FIVE COPIES OF THIS
HOLIDAY BOOK TO GIVE AWAY.

RULES

--U.S. Residents Only
--No P.O. Boxes, Please
--Email address must be in your comment
--ALL comments must be separate to count
or they will count as one instead of possibly two.

HOW TO ENTER:

+1 ENTRY: Comment about your favorite Christmas carol or song

+1 MORE ENTRY: Blog or Tweet about this giveaway and leave link in your comment!

+1 MORE ENTRY: Follow on Google Connect (see left hand sidebar) or tell me how you do follow

DEADLINE TO ENTER IS

6 PM, EST, NOVEMBER 10

TO DESIRE A DEVIL: BLOG TOUR, INTERVIEW, and GIVEAWAY

GIVEAWAY ENDED
TO DESIRE A DEVIL
BLOG TOUR AND GIVEAWAY
BY ELIZABETH HOYT

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Reynaud St. Aubyn has spent the last seven years in hellish captivity. Now half mad with fever he bursts into his ancestral home and demands his due. Can this wild-looking man truly be the last earl's heir, thought murdered by Indians years ago? Beatrice Corning, the niece of the present earl, is a proper English miss. But she has a secret: No real man has ever excited her more than the handsome youth in the portrait in her uncle's home. Suddenly, that very man is here, in the flesh-and luring her into his bed. Only Beatrice can see past Reynaud's savagery to the noble man inside. For his part, Reynaud is drawn to this lovely lady, even as he is suspicious of her loyalty to her uncle. But can Beatrice's love tame a man who will stop at nothing to regain his title-even if it means sacrificing her innocence?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Elizabeth Hoyt is a USA Today bestselling author of historical romance. She also writes deliciously fun contemporary romance under the name Julia Harper. Elizabeth lives in central Illinois with three untrained dogs, two angelic but bickering children, and one long-suffering husband. Please visit her websites for chapter excerpts, book extras, and author appearances: www.elizabethhoyt.com and www.juliaharper.com.

AUTHOR INTERVIEW:

Here is a little background on Elizabeth Hoyt before I start the Interview questions.

Elizabeth Hoyt was born in New Orleans, where her mother’s family has lived for generations, but she was raised in the frigid winters of St. Paul, Minnesota. Growing up, her family traveled extensively in Britain, spending a summer in St. Andrews, Scotland, and a year in Oxford. She earned a bachelor of arts degree in anthropology at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Wisconsin was also where she met her archaeologist husband--on a dig in a cornfield. Continuing the cornfield theme, Elizabeth and her husband live in central Illinois with their two children and three dogs. She is an avid gardener with over 26 varieties of daylilies in her multiple gardens and more hostas than any one person can count. The Hoyt family enjoys taking family vacations that invariably end up at an archaeological site.
Her websites are: www.elizabethhoyt.com and www.juliaharper.com

What is the next or current book that you are working on?

Right now I’m working on Wicked Intentions, the first of a new series called the Maiden Lane series. Wicked Intentions is set in Georgian London during the time when gin was very cheap and sold everywhere, creating a terrible addiction problem for the poor of London. The hero, Lazarus Huntington, Lord Caire, is a rake searching in the East End for the man who murdered his mistress. But he needs the help of Temperance Dews, a widow running a foundling home in St. Giles. Temperance agrees to help Lazarus if in exchange he’ll take her to society balls so she can find a patron for her home. But both Lazarus and Temperance are hiding secrets. Wicked Intentions will be out in Summer of 2010.

What have you just finished reading?

I just read an arc of Jennifer Haymore’s next book, A Touch of Scandal and enjoyed it very much!

What books would you say have made the biggest impression on you, especially starting out?

Amanda Quick’s Mistress was one of the first “new” historicals that I read. The heroine was smart and funny, the hero was dark and scarred without being psychotic and I finished the book feeling satisfied and happy.

Lisa Kleypas’s Someone to Watch Over Me (which has just been re-released!) has a working-class Bow Street Runner hero who is incredibly sexy and a tragic heroine and the love story is intense. I read that book in one sitting and then read it again immediately.

Stephanie Lauren’s Devil’s Bride took all the Regency standards and completely refreshed them while bringing her own strong historical voice to the genre.

What gets you started on a new book? A character or story idea or….?

I always start with the characters—the hero and heroine—and what their life is like, what their dreams are, what motivates them. The story usually flows naturally from them.

What is something about you that you would want people to know about you that we probably don’t know?

I love Indian food. ;-)

What is your best advice to anyone, including young people, who want to be writers?

Writers learn by writing, so it’s very important to write as often as possible, preferably every day. You’d think that was obvious, but I know a lot of would-be writers who spend more time thinking about, talking about, and planning to write than actually writing.

What is something you would like to share with us about writing your favorite genre in general?

I don’t think I’ll ever get tired writing romances because I’m writing about characters and I find people endlessly fascinating. In each book I discover a kernel of truth about the human condition—which sounds rather pompous, but it’s true. ;-) I love writing romance books.

Many thanks to Elizabeth for the interview. Be sure and check out the other tour spots below...and now for the giveaway!

GIVEAWAY:

THANKS TO ANNA AND THE
HACHETTE BOOK GROUP, I HAVE
5 COPIES OF THIS EXCITING BOOK
TO GIVE AWAY. HERE IS WHAT YOU
NEED TO DO TO WIN A COPY!

RULES:

--U.S. AND CANADIAN 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 and name your favorite kind of treat you used to like to get in your Trick or Treat bag...or one you would like that you never got!

+1 MORE ENTRY: Blog or Tweet about this giveaway and leave link in your comment!

+1 MORE ENTRY: Follow on Google Connect (see left hand sidebar) or tell me how you do follow

DEADLINE TO ENTER IS
6 PM, EST, NOVEMBER 14

GHOUL LUCK!

OTHER TOUR SPOTS

http://myoverstuffedbookshelf.blogspot.com/ - Oct. 30 review, Giveaway
http://reesspace.blogspot.com – Oct. 30 Review, Giveaway
http://justanothernewblog.blogspot.com/ - Oct. 30 Q&A, Giveaway
www.mybookaddictionandmore.wordpress.com – Oct. 30 Review, Giveaway,Q&A
http://bookinwithbingo.blogspot.com/ - Oct. 31 Review, Q&A and Giveaway
http://froggaritavillesbookcase.blogspot.com – Nov. 1 Review and Giveaway
http://bridget3420.blogspot.com – Nov. 2 Review and Giveaway
http://www.readingwithmonie.com – Nov. 3 Q&A and Giveaway
http://imbookingit.wordpress.com/ - Nov. 4 Review and Giveaway
http://booksoulmates.blogspot.com – Nov. 4 Review and Giveaway, Q&A
http://ajourneyofbooks.blogspot.com – Nov. 4 Review and Giveaway, Q&A
http://www.findthetimetoread.blogspot.com – Nov. 4 Review and Giveaway
http://bookfan-mary.blogspot.com – Nov. 5 Review and Giveaway
http://seductivemusings.blogspot.com/ - Nov. 5 Review, Q&A and Giveaway
http://jmomfinds.amoores.com - Nov. 6 Q&A and Giveaway
www.libslibrary.blogspot.com – Nov. 6 Review and Giveaway
http://dreyslibrary.blogspot.com – Nov. 6 Review and Giveaway
http://myreadingroom-crystal.blogspot.com – Nov. 10 Review and Giveaway
http://booksoulmates.blogspot.com – Nov. 7 Review
http://startingfresh-gaby317.blogspot.com/ - Nov. 7 Review and Giveaway
http://mandablogsabout.blogspot.com – Nov. 8 Review and Giveaway
www.bookwormygirl.blogspot.com – Nov. 9 Review and Giveaway
http://annavivian.blogspot.com/ - Nov. 10 Review and Giveaway
http://www.morbid-romantic.net - Nov. 11 Review and Giveaway, Q&A
http://www.eclecticbooklover.com/ - Nov. 12 Review and Giveaway, Q&A
http://startingfresh-gaby317.blogspot.com/ - Nov. 12 Review and Giveaway
http://juniperrbreeeze.blogspot.com/ - Nov. 12 Review and Giveaway
http://dixie-afewofmyfavoritethings.blogspot.com/ - Nov. 12 Review

MERRY, MERRY GHOST: PREVIEW and GIVEAWAY

PREVIEW:
MY FIRST
BINGLE BELLS BOOK CHOICE

GIVEAWAY ENDED
MERRY, MERRY GHOST
BY CAROLYN HART

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Being dead can't put a damper on spirited, holiday-loving Bailey Ruth Raeburn.

Christmas is a time for family and giving, and a wealthy woman in Adelaide, Oklahoma, is about to embrace both. Discovering that she has a young grandson, the dowager decides to change her will to leave the bulk of her fortune to the young boy—an alteration that stuns the rest of her family. But a scrooge of a determined heir makes sure she never signs the new document. When she is found dead, it's up to that irrepressible spirit Bailey Ruth, on assignment from Wiggins and Heaven's Department of Good Intentions, to protect a little boy, foil a murderer, and save Christmas.

There's only one teeny hitch: how can Bailey Ruth figure out which family member was desperate enough to kill when everyone has a motive?

Merry, Merry Ghost by Agatha, Anthony, and Macavity Award winner Carolyn Hart, is the spirited second appearance of spectral sleuth, Bailey Ruth Raeburn, who would never let a little thing like being dead keep her from enjoying the Yuletide holiday or solving a dastardly crime. The light and funny follow up to Hart’s critically acclaimed Ghost At Work—which Publishers Weekly named One of the Best Books of 2008—Merry, Merry Ghost is a true Christmas treat, and Bailey Ruth is a most welcome addition to Carolyn Hart’s coterie of beloved series protagonists, joining septuagenarian sleuth “Henrie O” Collins and the Darlings of “Death on Demand” fame.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Carolyn Hart writes the Death on Demand series set in a mystery bookstore on a South Carolina sea island, the Henrie O series featuring retired newspaperwoman Henrietta O’Dwyer Collins, and will soon launch the Bailey Ruth Raeburn series with an impetuous redheaded ghost as the sleuth.

Her newest title is Death Walked In (March 25, 2008),18th in the Death on Demand series and her 39th novel. Annie and Max Darling are restoring an antebellum mansion. A million-dollar theft of rare gold coins and a murder occur nearby. Both crimes seem linked to their home. Annie discovers the secret of Franklin House but death walks in.

Ghost at Work, 1st in the new Bailey Ruth Raeburn series, was published in October 2007. Bailey Ruth returns to help someone in trouble. She moves a body, investigates a murder, saves a marriage, prevents a suicide, and—in a fiery finale—rescues a child who knows too much.

Letter from Home, a WWII novel set on the home front, received the Agatha Award for Best Mystery of 2003. It was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize by the Oklahoma Center for Poets and Writers. Thirteen-year-old Gretchen Gilman is working for the small-town newspaper during the hot summer of 1944. Murder occurs on the street where she lives, forever changing her life and the lives of those involved.

Hart was one of 10 mystery authors featured at the National Book Festival on the Mall in Washington, DC, in 2003 for Letter from Home and again in 2007 for Set Sail for Murder, 7th in the Henrie O series. In Set Sail for Murder (new in paperback March 2008), Henrie O joins a troubled family on a Baltic cruise and death is an unwelcome passenger.

Hart has been nominated 9 times for the Agatha Award for Best Novel and has won 3 times. In 2007 she received the Lifetime Achievement Award at Malice Domestic. She will be the International Guest of Honor at Bloody Words in Toronto on June 6–8, 2008.

Hart is a native of Oklahoma City, a journalism graduate of the University of Oklahoma, and a former president of Sisters in Crime. She is also a member of Authors Guild, Mystery Writers of America, the International Association of Crime Writers, and American Crime Writers League.

GIVEAWAY

THANKS TO SHAWN AT HARPER COLLINS
I HAVE FIVE COPIES OF THIS
ENCHANTING BOOK TO GIVE AWAY.

U.S. Residents only

No P. O. Boxes, Please

Include your email address for contact

Be sure each ENTRY is a separate comment!

HOW TO ENTER:

+1 ENTRY: GO TO THE HARPER COLLINS WEBSITE ABOUT THE AUTHORS HERE AND FIND THE SECTION CALLED "FUN STUFF" AND TELL ABOUT ONE FUN THING YOU LEARNED ABOUT AUTHOR CAROLYN HART THERE.

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

GIVEAWAY ENDS AT
6 PM, EST, NOVEMBER 13

GOOD LUCK!

WINNERS FROM OCT. 28 AND 29!

FROM EVERY END OF THIS EARTH
13 Families and the New
Lives They Made in America
by STEVEN V. ROBERTS


THANKS TO KYLE AT HARPER COLLINS
I HAVE THREE COPIES OF THIS
AMAZING BOOK TO GIVE AWAY

ALL WINNERS HAVE BEEN
NOTIFIED BY EMAIL AND HAVE UNTIL
NOON ON SATURDAY, OCTOBER 31 TO
SEND ME THEIR INFO FOR THEIR BOOK

AND THE WINNERS ARE:

#6 Beverly

#4 Ann Diana Dinh

#2 Bethie
CONGRATULATIONS!
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

THE INFORMANT
BY KURT EICHENWALD
THANKS TO JENNIFER AT RANDOM
HOUSE, I HAVE TWO COPIES OF THIS
FASCINATING BOOK TO GIVE AWAY

ALL WINNERS HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED
BY EMAIL AND HAVE UNTIL NOON,
EST, ON OCTOBER 31 TO REPLY!
HERE ARE WINNERS!

#14 Beth (BBRB)

#32 g.g.

CONGRATULATIONS!!
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

HUMMINGBIRDS:A NOVEL
BY JOSHUA GAYLORD

THANKS TO KYLE AND GOOD PEOPLE
AT HARPER COLLINS PUBLISHING,
I HAVE 3 COPIES OF THIS DEBUT
NOVEL TO GIVE AWAY.
The winners has been emailed
and must respond with the info
by noon, October 31

AND THE WINNERS ARE.....

#9 holdenj already won
new winner is #2 Ashley

#21 Nancye

#6 Shooting Stars Mag

CONGRATULATIONS

Sex, Drugs & Gefilte Fish:PREVIEW AND GIVEAWAY

GIVEAWAY ENDED
Sex, Drugs & Gefilte Fish:
The Heeb Storytelling Collection
by Shana Liebman (Editor)

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Scoring weed for your uncle...Hanging out with porn stars on Christmas Eve...Eating nachos with the Mossad...Observing the Dyke Days of Awe...Getting held up at a Weight Watcher's meeting...Spying on your naked Hebrew School teacher.

From Heeb magazine--the definitive voice of a proud, searching, and irreverent new generation of American Jews--this first-of-a-kind fast and fun showcase spotlights the hilarious and heartful raconteurial gifts of many of today's leading writers, comedians, actors, artists, and musicians. Laura Silverman, Michael Showalter, Andy Borowitz, Joel Stein, Ben Greenman, Darrin Strauss, and others navigate sex, drugs, work, youth, family, and, on the lighter side, body and soul. You'll never bleach your arm hair again.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Shana Liebman, the Arts Editor of Heeb Magazine, conceived and now curates the Heeb Storytelling series. She has a BA in English from BrownUniversity and an MFA in fiction writing from ColumbiaUniversity. She is also a freelance writer and editor who has worked for The Village Voice, PAPER, Salon, The New York Observer and The Independent,and is a regular contributor to New York Magazine

REVIEWS:

"[This is] the era of Sarah Silverman, Heeb Magazine and Curb Your Enthusiasm" (Entertainment Weekly )


"The oldest tradition of our people, that of telling our stories with humor, passion, and sincerity, has been transformed by the newest generation of Jewish minds and souls. From the irreverent to the desperate; from the sacred to the profane; from the tender to the torturous: this is the voice of the next wave of the Jewish experience. You will laugh, you will cry, you will blush, you will call your Aunt Pearl. Thank G-d literature in print is alive and well and thank G-d that HEEB has captured it all."
--Mayim Bialik


"With Sex, Drugs & Gefilte Fish, Heeb proves once again that it is the undisputed voice of young Jews today. G-d help us all."
--Brett Ratner


"After reading this book, I feel relieved as well certain that Jews will be able to retain control of the media."
--Roseanne Barr

GIVEAWAY:

THANKS TO BRIANNA AND THE
HACHETTE BOOK GROUP, I HAVE
5 COPIES OF THIS HILARIOUS BOOK
TO GIVE AWAY. HERE IS WHAT YOU
NEED TO DO TO WIN A COPY!

RULES:

--U.S. AND CANADIAN 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 and name a person you think of as very funny and would be able to write a hilarious book like this--realistic or fictional!

+1 MORE ENTRY: Blog or Tweet about this giveaway and leave link in your comment!

+1 MORE ENTRY: Follow on Google Connect (see left hand sidebar) or tell me how you do follow

DEADLINE TO ENTER IS
6 PM, EST, NOVEMBER 9

TRUE BLUE and MANHOOD FOR AMATEURS: REVIEWS and WINNERS

TRUE BLUE
BY DAVID BALDACCI

MY REVIEW:

A pair of sisters who both started out as police officers, Mace and Beth Perry are the dynamic duo that makes this story tick. Beth has become the Chief of Police in Washington, D. C., while Mace has just gotten out of jail where she spent two years for a crime she never committed. Mace was a police office and is looking to clear her name and get back her badge and her reputation. These sisters are close and they watch over each other so it was extremely frustrating for Beth when she couldn't do anything to help Mace. Together, they become involved in the dangerous underworld in D.C. that is filled with criminals and politicians with their own set of priorities. Murder is at an all time high in both the darker and more dangerous areas of the district, as well as in the high political society world as well.

Mace becomes involved in a case in trying to win back her badge, and winds up working with Roy Kingman, a lawyer, on this double murder. The murder involves Diane Tolliver, who is Roy's colleague in the firm, and Jamie Malden, a U.S. attorney known for his defense of mostly mob bosses and their people. They uncover clues left behind by Diane like an e-mail that was sent to Roy as well as a well hidden key. Soon they become targets themselves due to their involvement and meet up with someone pretending to be Diane's escort---and that can only spell trouble. Things become even more puzzling when a homeless veteran becomes the top suspect while Kingman believes he is innocent and that evidence was planted on him.

Mace works hard and has a quick temper but her character make the book work and move quickly with plot twists along the way. One such roadblock comes when they are told that they are not allowed to investigate Jamie Malden's murder while the reader knows more as we are privy to the villain's spying on Mace and Roy with plans on having them killed. The pieces seem like they will never fit together but through Baldacci's masterful writing, all starts to fall into place. Although we see that criminals and politicians are often able to get around the law (is anyone surprised?), the story comes to a quick and conclusive ending, if not perhaps a totally satisfying one if you are for the right to win out. Not unlike any of the other David Baldacci books, this one is a must read and one you will probably fly though as you won't want to put it down.

THANKS TO MIRIAM AND THE
HACHETTE BOOK GROUP, I HAVE
5 COPIES OF THIS FABULOUS BOOK
TO GIVE AWAY.


WINNERS HAVE BEEN EMAILED
AND MUST RESPOND BY NOON,
ON OCTOBER 30!

AND THE WINNERS ARE...

#47 Sarah


#58 EM


#77 Belinda M

#81 Cindy

#52 Carol


CONGRATULATIONS!

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

MANHOOD FOR AMATEURS
The Pleasures and Regrets of
a Husband, Father, and Son
by MICHAEL CHABON

My Review:

MANHOOD FOR AMATEURS:The Pleasures and Regrets of a Husband, Father, and Son, by Michael Chabon, is a group of basically connected essays that make up an interesting autobiography as well as a brilliant look at life in the same way most of us look at life. In the essays strung together,Chabon gives us a look back at his life with some of the good and some of the bad times as well as reexamining each event. He reflects on his current life and how much of it is influenced by his past. Chabon writes about his childhood and the marriage as well as the divorce of his parents in this unique autobiography. He relates the awkward adolescent time of his life and how he learned from each of these experiences.

He allows readers to realize that the life of the man in the family is not just the cartoonish, sit-com stereotypical father. Chabon himself is the father of four young children and he tells what it means to be not just a husband, but also a father in modern day, current times. He tells how he, as many fathers, today, are closer to their children than his father and those before ever were. Fathers back then, had a "role" to play and they did but now fathers can and should be every bit as involved and caring as a mother. He is realistic and endearing in his acknowledging that men and women are looked at differently as parents, and somewhat unfairly. In one essay, he talks about how a small interaction with a child in a store is looked upon by strangers as a sign of a good father while the same action by a mother is only considered the norm without any special recognition. This bothers him and he lets you know it, which personally made me like this author a great deal!

People tend to not expect much of a father so in many instances, it is easy for the man to let the woman take over that part of their lives....when what the father really wants is to be more involved than the somewhat standoffish father of yesteryear. He goes back to challenge the role that boys are put into when they are at an age that they could be told the wrong thing about their future role as a father. Learning about cooking and caring for children should not be taken as a sign of a non-masculine guy. Chabon uses dry humor to emotionally involve the reader in how to be involved both physically and emotionally in all aspects of being a father and husband without feeling it is wrong--or not the "masculine thing" to do.

Chabon tells of the pop culture of the past and how it fueled children's imagination while today's entertainment for kids is too over the top and does not foster much imagination, inspiration, or flexibility. He knows that children need time for free play and discovery which gives them a sense of control over their part of the world.

He gets into specifics such as asking somewhat embarrassing questions or looking at the change in responsibility of a man today with his family compared to his father and grandfather. The short essays are made so men can read without getting bogged down and allow them to pick up and leave off as time allows but be able to hold their interest as he talks about their role in today's modern society. It allows a current day father, or about to be married man, to look on a marriage as a partnership and raising children as a duel role between the father and child day care as being a part of being a parent...for both parents. Overall, I found this to be a delightfully easy to read biography with a lot of great advice to men AND women on how a man's life works and how it should work especially in relation to raising children and having a successful marriage.

THANKS TO KYLE AT HARPER COLLINS
I HAVE THREE COPIES OF THIS
AMAZING BOOK TO GIVE AWAY.

ALL WINNERS HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED

VIA EMAIL AND HAVE UNTIL NOON,

OCTOBER 30, TO RESPOND WITH

THEIR MAILING INFORMATION


THE WINNERS ARE:

#8 A Bookshelf Monstrosity

#38 Anonymous

#30 Amy

CONGRATULATIONS!