We have a winner!!!

Congratulations to our winner of Matrimony... Melissa of Shhh I'm Reading...!!! I hope you enjoy the book and thanks to everyone who entered the giveaway.

Tuesday Thingers

Most of us book bloggers like to write book reviews- if we don't love to write book reviews- but here's today's question. When it comes to LT (and your blog), do you review every book you read? Do you just review Early Reviewers or ARCs? Do you review only if you like a book, or only if you feel like you have to? How soon after reading do you post your review? Do you post them other places- other social networking sites, Amazon, etc.?

I do not review every book I read. Some books I read only for myself and do not always feel the need to write a review. I always review my Early Reviewers books and get those reviews done as soon as I can! I go back and forth between ARCs and regular books, reading and reviewing. I write and post my review as soon as I can after I finish the book while it is still fresh in my mind. I usually only post on LibraryThing and on my blog. Once in a while, I will post somewhere else, like Amazon.

Book Giveaway!!!

Joshua Henkin is generously offering a SIGNED copy of his latest book, Matrimony, to one lucky winner just in time for the holiday season! (Matrimony would make a great Christmas gift!!!) Matrimony is a New York Times Notable book and one of my favorite books from this year. My review follows, below giveaway...

The Details: This giveaway is open to anyone WORLDWIDE and ends Sunday, December 14th at midnight. To enter simply leave a comment on this post, and for an extra entry post my giveaway on your blog.

For other reviews on Matrimony check out these posts:
The Literate Housewife
The 3 R's: Reading, 'Riting, and Randomness
She is Too Fond of Books
Age 30 - A Year of Books
Books and Cooks
Reading Room
Bookfoolery and Babble
A Reader's Journal
B&B Ex Libris
Hey Lady! Whatcha Readin'?
Shelf Life
The Boston Bibliophile
Trish's Reading Nook
Musings of a Bookish Kitty

Here are some of Josh’s guest posts that may be of interest:
Books on the Brain
Planet BooksMusings of a Bookish Kitty
The Elegant Variation

To read more about Matrimony and Joshua Henkin visit his website. Joshua is available for book group discussions and you can find a reading group contact form and reading group guide here. You can also watch a video of Joshua...http://www.joshuahenkin.com/video/

Matrimony

LibraryThing book review...

Matrimony by Joshua Henkin

Julian meets Mia while both are freshmen at Graymont College. He also meets good friend,Carter, while in a writing workshop. Carter meets Pilar in the cafeteria and a foursome is formed. All four spend lots of time together becoming couples and good friends. We see them progress through college into real life and all that goes with it.

I found this book interesting and I was very drawn into the lives of the characters. I could really relate to all of them, it all seemed very real and down to earth to me. It was like they were my friends, I could have been right there with them. A very enjoyable read, very quick. I would definitely recommend this book to others, married or not!

Dirt: An American Campaign

LibraryThing book review...

Dirt: An American Campaign

By Mark LaFlamme

Dirt begins with Calvin Cotton taking his wife's body from her tomb and going on a little trip with her. Calvin's father, Governor Frank Cotton, is a contender for the White House and cannot have any type of scandal during his campaign. Governor Cotton calls for a little help with his son, a fella by the name of Thomas Cashman. Cashman, in turn, gets some help from author, Billy Baylor. Baylor has written many stories about obsessive love and Cashman believes he can be a help with the situation. The pair follow Calvin around trying to solve the problem, while Governor Cotton continues on with his campaigning.

Dirt is very different, but I enjoyed it. I would classify it as a political thriller... I liked the thriller part, but could have lived without all the politics. The characters are very memorable, as are some of the things they do. The plot moved along quickly and I definitely wanted to find out what happened in the end. A nice change from what I usually read.

Tuesday Thingers

What's the most popular book in your library? Have you read it? What did you think? How many users have it?

My answer: The most popular book in my library is The Da Vinci Code, by Dan Brown. I heard SO much about this book that I finally gave in and read it. I enjoyed it, but it is not one of my all-time favorite books. 6,828 other LibraryThingers have the book, and it's been reviewed 595 times with an average rating of 3 and a half stars. The Da Vinci Code is also the 3rd most reviewed book, interesting...

Grace

LibraryThing book review...
Grace by Richard Paul Evans

Eric is having a tough time after a recent move, his father not being able to work due to an injury, and just the normal teenage stuff. He works part-time at a burger joint to help out and this is where he meets Grace, while she is digging in a dumpster for food. He is kind and invites her into the restaurant to eat. They talk and Grace tells Eric that she is a runaway. He tells her she can stay in the clubhouse on his parents' property and she accepts. Grace and Eric's lives will never be the same after this Christmas...

I truly love books by Richard Paul Evans and this one is no exception. It is a tender story that brought out all my emotions. I felt for Eric and for Grace, both had tough choices to make. The only problem I had with the book was how come neither Eric or Grace told the authorities what had really happened with her step-dad? That part was unbelievable to me, but otherwise a very touching Christmas story.

WOW!

Holly at Writer's Block Reviews has given me the "I love your blog award"!!! Thanks so much, what a nice surprise! It is always good to get recognized for doing something that you love:)

NOW, here are my nominees...

1. Love to Read-Melanie's book blog is one of the very 1st that I ever read, loved it then, still love it!

2. J. Kaye's Book Blog- I always enjoy J. Kaye's blog, her reviews, & her comments!

3. Bookish Ruth-Ruth has lots of great information on her blog, along with great book recommendations:)

4. Musings of a Bookish Kitty-Wendy has a fun book blog with lots of great reviews (and we both happen to love cats!)

5. Up for Grabs...ME, ME, Pretty Please Pick Me! -Love this blog & love all the giveaways!

6. The Boston Bibliphile -This is another great book blog, one I have been reading since I started this whole blog thing! Marie is great & her blog is awesome!!

7. Peeking between the Pages -Dar is super, love the books she read, & I always want to read them.

**Now for the rules ::
After receiving the award you are supposed to pay it forward:
1) Add the logo of your award to your blog.
2) Add a link to the person who awarded it to you.
3) Nominate at least 7 other blogs.
4) Add links to those blogs on your blog.
5) Leave a message for your nominees on their blogs.

Friday Fill-ins #100!

1. My stomach is happy!

2. Dessert is what I ate the most of on Thursday.

3. The yard is FULL of leaves-drats!

4. At home is where I'd rather be at any given time.

5. The smell of the air reminds me of Fall.

6. More sleep is what I need right now!

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to doing a little baking, tomorrow my plans include chilling and Sunday, I want to pick up some leaves (NOT!)!

The Pre-Nup

LibraryThing book review...

The Pre-Nup by Beth Kendrick
The Pre-Nup is the story of three friends and their experiences with love...and with pre-nups! We have Ellie, who has the perfect marriage until it all falls apart when she discovers her husband having an affair. We then have Jen who married her best friend who was madly in love with her. The problem is, she was madly in love with somebody else. Mara is about to be married and she is fighting with her fiance about the pre-nup...or is about the pre-nup?

This is a great read! It is funny, smart, and loads of fun. I adored the three ladies and was rooting for each of them through their adventures with love. The story goes really fast and I had a hard time putting the book down. This book was an awesome read:)
Bantam Discovery (2008), Paperback, 304 pages

Friday Fill-ins #99

1. The last band I saw live was Loverboy!
2. What I look forward to most on Thanksgiving is the delicious food.
3. My Christmas/holiday shopping is started, but not done.
4. Thoughts of the Thanksgiving break fill my head.
5. I wish I could wear skinny jeans.
6. Bagpipes are rare in West Texas.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to reading my People magazine, tomorrow my plans include relaxing around the house and Sunday, I want to read, but I will clean!

Ghost at Work

LibraryThing book review...
Ghost at Work by Carolyn Hart

Bailey Ruth Raeburn is a ghost with a mission for the Department of Good Intentions. She returns to earth to help the rector's wife, Kathleen Abbott, when she finds a dead man on her back porch. Kathleen wants to protect the good name of her husband, the pastor (and herself). Daryl Murdoch is the victim and lots of people have good reasons to want him dead. Bailey Ruth helps her by moving the body and continues investigating to find the real killer.

This book was an absolute joy to read. The characters are endearing, the plot is well developed, and the mystery was not a given. This is a hilarious cozy mystery with lots of action and suspects. I can't wait for the next one!

Tuesday Thingers

Popular this month on LT: Do you look at this list? Do you get ideas on what to read from it? Have you read any of the books on the list right now? Here's the list and my answer:

1. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
2. Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World by Vicki Myron
3. Nation by Terry Pratchett
4. Brisingr by Christopher Paolini
5. Anathem by Neal Stephenson
6. American Wife: A Novel by Curtis Sittenfeld
7. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer
8. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle: A Novel by David Wroblewski
9. Eclipse (The Twilight Saga, Book 3) by Stephenie Meyer
10. Any Given Doomsday by Lori Handeland

I own Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World, American Wife, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, and The Story of Edgar Sawtelle in my library at home...to be read! In my junior high school library, we have Brisingr and Eclipse. I haven't read any of them, yet! I think I am a little behind in my reading or I buy way too many books...hmm:)

I have never noticed this feature on Library Thing, but I really like it. I am going to make a point to check it out from now on.

Bones

LibraryThing book review...
Bones by Jonathan Kellerman

Alex Delaware is back helping Lt. Milo Sturgis solve the murders of four women in a protected bird marsh. The mystery begins with a phone call about a corpse to the marsh office, answered by a high school student performing community service. Chance Brandt ignores the call, but tells some friends about it and word gets out. All but one of the women were prostitutes, all were missing their right hands, and their bodies were left facing east.

I love Alex Delaware and Milo Sturgis, but this one I didn't absolutely love. I found it slow and hard to finish. The characters were interesting, but the story was a bit boring. There was not a lot of Robin and Alex time, which I missed. I could have skipped this one:(

Tuesday Thingers

Today's question:

LT Things- t-shirts, bags,cue cats- are you into the "stuff"? Do you use a cuecat to enter your books, or do you enter them manually? What do you think of the stuff?

I don't have any of the "stuff"!!! I really like stuff, so I am going to have to check it out. I do not use a cuecat, it is very cute, but I don't think I would use it that much. I just enter my books manually. I am off to go check out that Library Thing stuff...