Friday, April 8, 2011

ARE YOU LISTENING? FRIDAY: SAVE ME AUDIO BOOK -A REVIEW AND GIVEAWAY

WELCOME TO BOOKIN' WITH BINGO'S
"ARE YOU LISTENING? DAY"
I AM EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE THIS FRIDAY'S
"ARE YOU LISTENING? DAY"
AUDIO BOOK CHOICE IS.....
GIVEAWAY ENDED
SAVE ME
 BY LISA SCOTTOLINE
NARRATED BY CYNTHIA NIXON

ABOUT THE AUDIO BOOK:
From theNew York Times bestselling author of Think Twice and Look Again comes an emotionally powerful novel about a split-second choice, agonizing consequences, and the need for justice.

Rose McKenna volunteers as a lunch mom in her daughter Melly’s school in order to keep an eye on Amanda, a mean girl who’s been bullying her daughter. Her fears come true when the bullying begins, sending Melly to the bathroom in tears. Just as Rose is about to follow after her daughter, a massive explosion goes off in the kitchen, sending the room into chaos. Rose finds herself faced with the horrifying decision of whether or not to run to the bathroom to rescue her daughter or usher Amanda to safety. She believes she has accomplished both, only to discover that Amanda, for an unknown reason, ran back into the school once out of Rose's sight. In an instance, Rose goes from hero to villain as the small community blames Amanda’s injuries on her. In the days that follow, Rose's life starts to fall to pieces, Amanda’s mother decides to sue, her marriage is put to the test, and worse, when her daughter returns to school, the bullying only intensifies. Rose must take matters into her own hands and get down to the truth of what really happened that fateful day in order to save herself, her marriage and her family. 

In the way that Look Again had readers questioning everything they thought they knew about family, Save Me will have readers wondering just how far they would go to save the ones they love. Lisa Scottoline is writing about real issues that resonate with real women, and the results are emotional, heartbreaking and honest.






ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
LISA SCOTTOLINE is the New York Times bestselling author of 15 novels including Lady Killer and Daddy’s Girl. She also writes a weekly column titled, Chick Wit, for the Philadelphia Inquirer. She won an Edgar® Award and Cosmopolitan magazine’s “Fun Fearless Fiction” Award. She lives in the Philadelphia area. You can visit Lisa at her wonderful website at http://scottoline.com/Site/

PRAISE FOR SAVE ME:
"In SAVE ME, Lisa Scottoline walks readers into this charged moral dilemma and then takes them on an intense, breathless ride. You won't be able to put this one down."— Jodi Picoult, author of Sing You Home and House Rules

"An emotionally riveting novel that explores the depths of one mother's love for her daughter.... Powerful, provocative, and page-turning!" — Emily Giffin, NY Times bestselling author of Heart of the Matter and Something Borrowed
 
"A novel packed with excitement and emotion, SAVE ME is a gut-clenching, heart-stirring read."— Sandra Brown, NY Times bestselling author of Tough Customer
 
"Heart-pounding! Scottoline provides the perfect combination of explosive action, twisting turns, and genuine emotion in this exciting novel of an ordinary mom going to extraordinary lengths for her daughter. Open up SAVE ME, and save yourself with a great book."— Lisa Gardner, NY Times bestselling author of Love You More
 
"From one shock to the next, only a mom's courage and love bring justice. Nerves on edge, heart pounding, and heart-wrenching, SAVE ME is thrilling and infused with love. Brilliant, I couldn't put it down." Louise Penny, NY Times bestselling author of Bury Your Dead

"A white-hot crossover novel about the perils of mother love. Scottoline, shifts gears at every curve with the cool efficiency of a NASCAR driver."

— Kirkus Reviews

"At the quick pace of a thriller, Scottoline masterfully fits every detail into a tight plot chock-full of real characters, real issues, and real thrills. A story anchored by the impenetrable power of a mother’s love, it begs the question, just how far would you go to save your child?"
Booklist
 

"A satisfying nail-biting thriller sure to please." Publishers Weekly

MY REVIEW:
SAVE ME by Lisa Scottoline is narrated by Cynthia Nixon and quickly became my favorite Audio Book of all time. However, I suspect it would be a favorite even if it were in another format. Of course, Nixon’s superb reading adds to the realism and suspense of Scottoline’s amazing story of motherly love and innate desire to defend her loved ones before thinking about herself. When Rose McKenna volunteers to be a “Cafeteria Mom” at her daughter Melly’s school, little does she suspect what is to come. Having moved from one area because of a bullying problem, Rose is hoping that the fresh start at the brand new Reesburgh Elementary School will be a better one for her third grade, Harry Potter loving daughter, Melly.  Rose wanted to see for herself how Melly was treated by the popular Amanda who seemingly was enjoying making Melly miserable by ridiculing the birthmark on her cheek. However, little did Rose suspect the real fireworks would start right AFTER the bullying when she was talking to Amanda and the two other girls who had caused Melly to flee the cafeteria, seeking refuge in the handicap bathroom as she often did.

An explosion of white light throws Rose against the wall as she seems to black out for an instant and then feeling heat from the fiery blast, as well as water from the overhead sprinklers, jumps into action. Ignoring her own cuts and bloody cheek, she quickly finds Amanda, Danielle, and Emily realizing that the fire is growing and they must get out. As she hurries to get them outside, she remembers her Melly is in the bathroom. For an instant, Rose must decide who to save first, but instinct takes over, as she gets the girls out to the hallway where children are streaming out with the help of teachers and other adults while sirens blare. Once they are through the door, she returns to get Melly. In what is a life and death situation, Rose is able to get Melly out of the locked bathroom just in time and they are rushed off to the hospital. It is there that Rose’s battle truly begins. Learning that there were cafeteria workers and a teacher killed, she also finds out a child is also barely hanging on…and it isn’t Melly, as she will be physically fine. Instead, it is Amanda! How could that happen when Amanda was escorted out personally by Rose?

First called a hero for saving the girls, Rose soon becomes the villain of the incident as it is thought she went to save Melly and left Amanda. With Rose facing civil and criminal charges, her life begins to fall apart piece by piece. Rose’s husband Leo is a lawyer and gives Rose good advice and loving support.  But the pressure and stress eventually causes Rose problems with Leo as the press uncovers secrets from Rose’s past that she has never shared even with her husband. Even her attorneys add to her predicament. In each chapter, Rose must make decisions and choices and as she did in the fire, it is hard to tell which will be the right one. In a fight for her life, Rose is the kind of character that one roots for and can easily imagine being in a similar situation. Scottoline’s characters are fully developed and Rose will especially tear at your heart, while the storyline keeps you involved as it is fast paced. This is DEFINITELY a hard one to put down, or in my case, turn off. 

SAVE ME will bring up many real life problems we all could possibly be faced with someday. The relationship between mother and child is the basis of the story but the current hot topic of bullying comes to the forefront in a whole new way. Rose finds out herself what it is like to be bullied and so is able to relate even better to her daughter. The issue of volunteering is looked at by Lisa Scottoline in a way I had not thought about even having been a teacher as well as a volunteer myself. Just who is responsible when you are volunteering and whose side will the law be on? Are the laws protecting you, or those you are trying to help by volunteering? Much food for thought here as well as great choice for book club discussions. 

As Lisa Scottoline said recently in an interview about SAVE ME, it is “the story of a woman who tries to save her child, tries to save another, and finally, ends up saving herself. I think any mother will find themselves in this book, and wonder what they’d do if they were in its heroine’s shoes.” I can’t agree more and 100% recommend SAVE ME by Lisa Scottoline and think you will especially enjoy it in the Audio Book format.
 

 GIVEAWAY
THANKS TO STEPHANIE AND THE GOOD FOLKS
  AT MACMILLAN AUDIO BOOKS, I HAVE THREE
COPIES OF MY FAVORITE AUDIO BOOK
EVER TO GIVE AWAY!
 
--U.S. AND CANADIAN RESIDENTS ONLY
--NO P. O. BOXES, PLEASE
--INCLUDE EMAIL ADDRESS IN COMMENT
--ALL ENTRIES/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 SAVE ME ABOVE BY READING ABOUT IT, AND LISTENING TO THE AUDIO, 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: "LIKE" LISA SCOTTOLINE ON FACEBOOK HERE AND LEAVE A COMMENT ABOUT SAVE ME (COMING OUT APRIL 12) AND THIS GIVEAWAY/POST

+1 MORE ENTRY: GO TO LISA SCOTTOLINE'S  WEBSITE HERE. LOOK AROUND AND COMMENT ON SOMETHING INTERESTING YOU FIND THERE AS IT IS A GREAT WEBSITE WITH SO MUCH TO SEE AND DO!
GIVEAWAY ENDS AT
6 PM, EST, APRIL 26!

GOOD LUCK!!!

61 comments:

Lisa Richards/alterlisa said...

http://twitter.com/#!/alterlisa/status/56219881372262400

(\___/)
(='.'=)
(")_(")

alterlisa AT yahoo DOT com
http://lisaslovesbooksofcourse.blogspot.com/

Lisa Richards/alterlisa said...

Liked Lisa Scottoline and left her a message

http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=10150532589910052&id=1184379567

(\___/)
(='.'=)
(")_(")

alterlisa AT yahoo DOT com
http://lisaslovesbooksofcourse.blogspot.com/

Pamela Keener said...

This book sounds like a page turner. I can literally see myself trapped in the car until the cd's are done.
Love & Hugs,
Pam
pk4290(at)comcast(dot)net

Pamela Keener said...

Check out Lisa's animal family if you are a pet lover as I am.
Love & Hugs,
Pam
pk4290(at)comcast(dot)net

debbie said...

It would be tough to do in that situation. I would love to listen to the story, it sounds really good.
twoofakind12@yahoo.com

debbie said...

I learned she has wrote 18 novels.
twoofakind12@yahoo.com

Unknown said...

The bullying. There is alot of that happening these days. Please enter me in contest. It sounds like a very good read. Tore923@aol.com

bermudaonion said...

I want to listen to this one since it's your favorite audio book of all time! milou2ster(at)gmail.com

bermudaonion said...

I found it interesting that Scottoline teachs a course she developed. milou2ster(at)gmail.com

Ricki said...

I like that the start of this book deals with bullying, which is a big problem in today's world but often unnoticed.
rickimc[at]aol[dot]com

Steve Capell said...

I have always trusted your judgment on reviews and if this is your favorite audio book of all time then I will be listening to this audio book one way or another. I am sure this subject of bullying hits home with a lot of parents. I grew up in era when teachers had the back-up of school boards to discipline kids; however, today we live in a society where the school boards are afraid of lawsuits so discipline has been drastically curtailed. Case in point … my daughter-in-law is teacher at an inner city school and last year a student pulled a knife on her. She wasn’t hurt, but the consequence for the student was mere three day suspension. When I went to school I would have been kicked out for the remainder of year for such an infraction. If students are willing to pull knifes out on teachers you know they wouldn’t hesitate to pull a knife out on other students.

I am really interested in this audio book so count me in! Thanks for the opportunity.

steven(dot)capell(at)gmail(dot)com

mamabunny13 said...

I really find it interesting that this book deals with bullying and the choice that Melly's mother has to make between her daughter and her daughter's bully.

mamabunny13 at gmail dot com

mamabunny13 said...

tweet
http://twitter.com/#!/mamabunny13/status/56362582616973313

mamabunny13 at gmail dot com

holdenj said...

I have yet to read any of Lisa's fiction, I think the audio of Save Me would be a great place to start!Thanks!
JHolden955(at)gmail(dot)com

holdenj said...

Love the varied dogs Lisa owns!
Cute!
JHolden955(at)gmail(dot)com

mamabunny13 said...

Liked Lisa Scottoline and left her a message:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lisa-Scottoline/160258845051?sk=wall#!/barbara.anderson123/posts/10150532956470052

mamabunny13 at gmail dot com

mamabunny13 said...

I love that Lisa has a weekly column that she has made available online...I love the name of it too, "Chick Wit."

mamabunny13 at gmail dot com

Sue said...

I find the bullying topic interesting ---but also the idea of who is legally responsible in a volunteering situation.

suefarrell.farrell@gmail.com

Anonymous said...

I found the section of the author's website devoted to her pets---WOW she has even more than I do---and the pictures of them are just precious.

suefarrell.farrell@gmail.com

Carol N Wong said...

I listened to the audio of the first chapter and really want to hear the end of the story. Anti-bullying campaigns are important and I love it when they have a message on TV about bullying. The teacher who cut Rose McKenna short makes me mad. I think what Rose was doing was entirely appropriate. Gets my dander up.


CarolNWong(at)aol(dot)com

Carol N Wong said...

I tweeted:

http://bookinwithbingo.blogspot.com/2011/04/are-you-listening-friday-save-me-audio.html Giveaway of 'Save Me'

My Twitter name is Carolee888.

CarolNWong(at)aol(dot)cok

Carol N Wong said...

I have already liked Lisa Scottoline on Facebook some time ago as she is one of my favorite authors. I posted the link about the contest on Facebook.

CarolNWong(at)aol(dot)com

Carol N Wong said...

Think I would be in heaven with all of her pets. Glad that she is raising Plymouth Rock chickens just like my grandmother did. A long time ago I had some Leghorns. There is nothing like going outside in the early morning and collecting some beautiful and tasty eggs for breakfast. Hers will be much better than the ones bought in the supermarket because the chickens are stuffed into a large building barely able to move.

CarolNWong(at)aol(dot)com

Margie said...

We are always looking for good books to listen to on road trips. This one sounds perfect. It sounds very exciting, with good character development as well. It is intereting just how far someone will go to protect family.
mtakala1 AT yahoo DOT com

Margie said...

Lisa's most important accomplishment is, as a single mom, raising her daughter. Lisa loves animals, especially goldens.
mtakala1 AT yahoo DOT com

Margie said...

+5 swag
mtakala1 AT yahoo DOT com

Margie said...

Facebook fan April bonus
mtakala1 AT yahoo DOT com

lag123 said...

I love Lisa Scottoline. This books sounds like it could be a true life situation for anyone.

lag110 at mchsi dot com

lag123 said...

Tweeted: http://twitter.com/lag32583/status/56460649240342528

lag110 at mchsi dot com

lag123 said...

I liked Lisa on FB and left a comment. Lisa Holmes Garrett


lag110 at mchsi dot com

lag123 said...

I learned the University of Pennsylvania Law School,is her alma mater.

lag110 at mchsi dot com

Janice said...

I wanna have this book. Seems that the story is something that readers have gotten some lessons. From the title alone, the book save me is such a courage.

Laura H. said...

What I found the most interesting is your enthusiasm for this book! You really "gush" about this book and the narrator, Cynthia Nixon, so how could you not want to "read" this story!?!? This is going right on my TBR list!

BornajhawkATaolDOTcom

Laura H. said...

Tweeted giveaway: http://twitter.com/#!/MamaHendo3/status/56735665404133376

BornajhawkATaolDOTcom

Laura H. said...

Already FB fan of Lisa Scottoline and left comment on her wall: http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=179307722117998&id=160258845051

BornajhawkATaolDOTcom

Laura H. said...

I found it interesting that the author teaches a course, "Justice and Fiction", which she developed, at her alma mater, The University of Pennsylvania Law School. I bet that class has a waiting list of enrollees. I know I'd be one of them!

BornajhawkATaolDOTcom

Laura H. said...

"I like Bingo on FB." (Laura G. Henderson)

BornajhawkATaolDOTcom

DarcyO said...

I have been a fan of Scottoline's for several years. Love her books and this one sounds great. Bullying is such a prevalent problem today, too.

dlodden at frontiernet dot net

DarcyO said...

tweet: http://twitter.com/#!/darcy1956/status/56852101007020033

dlodden at frontiernet dot net

DarcyO said...

It's interesting that Lisa has so many animals including dogs, chickens and horses.

dlodden at frontiernet dot net

DarcyO said...

I like Bingo on FB.

dlodden at frontiernet dot net

Linda Kish said...

Lisa's books are always great and Cynthia Nixon reading it to me would be perfect. I would hate to be in Rose's position. I'd love to "read" this book.

lkish77123 at gmail dot com

Linda Kish said...

Chick Wit: Besties is the cutest article

lkish77123 at gmail dot com

Meredith said...

Sounds like a sad story of a tough struggle of someone who tried to do the right thing.

meredithfl at gmail dot com

Meredith said...

Lisa has a book called "Why My Third Husband Will be a Dog"

meredithfl at gmaild ot com

susansmoaks said...

i would love to hear this book because it has issues that are important to me in it.
susansmoaks at gmail dot com

bkwrms said...

It sounds fast paced, which I love. I find audio books are easy to listen to while chasing my one year old around...he sleeps through them too :-)

susan1215 said...

I have been a fan of Scottoline's for several years. This sounds like and intersting suject. Bullying is such a problem today,

s2s2 at comcast dot net

lisaray said...

Bullying has escalated to a much more extensive and all too often physical problem than it was when I was young. It makes an interesting premise for a tsory.

calvad said...

I love any book that has to do with motherly love and protecting our children! calvad at aol dot com

ky2here said...

All of Scottoline's books are interesting, her character development always pulls you into the story.

ky2here at msn dot com

ky2here said...

Like Scottoline on FB as kyhere here, here's my wall post (sent by you): http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lisa-Scottoline/160258845051?sk=wall#!/permalink.php?story_fbid=10150561182770052&id=100002269771265

ky2here at msn dot com

ky2here said...

Here's my tweet: http://twitter.com/#!/ky2here1/status/62970440825585664

ky2here at msn dot com

Aisling said...

Lisa Scottoline is one of my favorite authors and this book sounds like a rather deeper novel than some. "What are our responsibilities to others?" is an excellent question to consider and discuss. mcgillrmcgill(at)charter(dot)net

mverno said...

what an inspiring story mverno@roadrunner.com

Nancye said...

This sounds like a very intriguing story! I would LOVE to read this book! When I read the review that said: "An emotionally riveting novel that explores the depths of one mother's love for her daughter.... Powerful, provocative, and page-turning!" by Emily Giffin, it really caught my attention!

nancyecdavis AT bellsouth DOT net

Nancye said...

Tweet! Tweet!
@NancyeDavis

http://twitter.com/#!/NancyeDavis/status/62967606361067521

nancyecdavis AT bellsouth DOT net

Nancye said...

I like Lisa on FB and I left a comment on her wall.

nancyecdavis AT bellsouth DOT net

Nancye said...

There are lots of interesting things on Lisa's site! I discovered that I already have one of her books: "Why My Third Husband Will be a Dog" I also learned that she has written 18 books, has over 25 million copies printed in 32 countries. Wow!

nancyecdavis AT bellsouth DOT net

Nancye said...

+5 Swag Bucks

nancyecdavis AT bellsouth DOT net

slb3334 said...

I find it interesting that it is about bullying to start with and then the problems that come from trying to help.

slb3334@Gmail.com

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