LOOK AGAIN by Lisa Scottoline

What would you do as a mother who adopted a child if you saw a HAVE YOU SEEN THIS CHILD flyer in your mail that looked just like your adopted son?  Would you seek the truth or throw the flyer away and never think of it again.  Well Ellen Gleeson decided that, as a feature reporter, she could not turn a blind eye and began to uncover some details of her adopted son Will's background that caused her world to be turned upside down.  LOOK AGAIN is a page turner with depth and suspense.  I absolutely loved this book!

READ Chapter 1 here:   http://scottoline.com/Site/Books/lookagain.html

PUPPET PLAY by Diana Schoenbrun

I am inspired to create after reading PUPPET PLAY.  I have no sewing skills, but I am convinced that PUPPET PLAY can turn me into a creative sewer in no time.  The easy to follow directions, along with the colorful pictures will make creating a puppet pal a snap!  I love to do projects with my kids and create projects for my classroom as well.  I seem to run out of neat and creative ideas.  PUPPET PLAY is filled with great ideas that my kids will love and that are applicable for the classroom.  There nothing better than finishing reading a craft book feeling both inspired and not completely overwhelmed.  In PUPPET PLAY you use items that you have in the house, which is a win-win....use old stuff and create something cool.  I cannot wait to find a holey sock, a sad glove or a leg warmer to turn into a puppet pal.  I have a feeling you will feel the same way.  PUPPET PLAY with bring you and your kids together.  Check it out when it is released TOMORROW! 

Product Description

Have fun and go green with Diana Schoenbrun's Puppet Play: 20 Puppet Projects Made with Recycled Mittens, Towels, Socks, and More. A puppet builder, an illustrator, and an author, Schoenbrun presents 20 puppet projects made with recycled materials easily found around the house.

 

A lonely sock becomes a wizard puppet. A glove without a mate turns into five little pig puppets. And that tired dishtowel transforms into a lively banjo player puppet--all at very little cost. Diana Schoenbrun's easy-to-follow directions are accompanied by how-to illustrations. Also included are full-color photographs of puppets, as well as a chapter that guides children through creating and presenting their own puppet show. So, the next time the dryer eats a single sock, get crafty, go green, and go play with Puppet Play.

Thursday's Post: THE CHOCOLATE DIARIES by Karen Scalf Linamen

"The healthiest friendships, Kris said, blossom between people who don't have to leverage the other person's weakness to feel better about themselves, but between people who can recognize and celebrate one another's strengths and successes." (p. 59)

Doesn't that make you think, it sure resonated with me.  I am not one who is drawn to self help books, but CHOCOLATE DIARIES really spoke to me.  There are tough times we all face and we end up asking the big question, why me?  Why not them?  Everyone's life has peaks and valleys.  It is our response to the tough stuff that counts.  In CHOCOLATE DIARIES, you will be inspired to view these valleys in a new light.  You will find humor and love in the pages, along with some "sweet secrets".  If you love chocolate, but love yourself more this book is for you.  Making even the smallest change in your attitude can make huge changes in your life.  I strongly recommend this book.

 

Book Description...

Ready to Make Some Sweet Changes?
Karen Linamen dishes up a satisfying blend of moxie and mocha, sharing stories from dozens of women who reveal savvy strategies for embracing a sweeter life—even while traveling rocky roads. If you’re hungry for more joy, reasons to laugh again, ideas to help you heal, and reliable hope leading to a sweeter future, this journey will leave you satisfied.

Funny, transparent, and uplifting, The Chocolate Diaries is like taking a road trip with good friends who are wise about life. And while you’re at it, indulge (just a little) in the quirky recipes for concocting chocolate delights out of whatever ingredients you can round up in your kitch. The road may still be bumpy, but you’ll be having too much fun to care.

* "I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for with the expectation that I would complete a review of Chocolate Diaries.

Posting Schedule

I have decided to make myself a posting schedule to assist my followers and myself.  I know that I have been a bit sporadic when it comes to posting.  Some days there is nothing, while other days there are multiple postings.  I will, from here on out, post reviews on Tuesdays and Thursdays and write a little tidbit or write a quote from books I love on Sundays. 

Remember that the giveaway for TOMORROW RIVER is still going on.  Don't miss out on getting your hands on a SIGNED paperback copy of TOMORROW RIVER before it hits shelves on May 3rd.   Just send 10 friends to publicly follow this blog, have them post a comment and write that they were referred by you.  Upcoming giveaways will include trivia with prizes being 2 more SIGNED book.  Author's name will be released after the conclusion of TOMORROW RIVER giveaway.

Thanks for following....

-Em

IN TROUBLE by Ellen Levine

We all like choices right?  To be able to say and do what we want when we want.  In Trouble takes on the subject of one of the toughest choices a women has...what to do when you get pregnant or find yourself "in trouble".  In Trouble takes place in the 1950's when the girls who found themselves "in trouble" were contending with getting sent to a home and being shamed by their families or attempting back alley abortions in the most heinous of conditions.  In today's times, girls who find themselves "in trouble" get to go onto MTV's real life drama 16 and Pregnant.  They become the center of attention and have a sort of stardom that still blows my mind.  Have things really changed that much in the last 50 years?  Are we really doing that big of an 180 flip, going from shaming the girls to making them stars? 

In Trouble is one of the rare finds in Young Adult Literature.   In Trouble  speaks to the struggles of so much more than the title suggests.  Levine weaves in dating, family relationships, school pressures and dating violence into a very compelling novel.   Levine has written an intense story that tackles some very tough subject matter.  Levine manages to do it in a way that emotionally resonated with me.  I had a hard time putting this book down because I began to care for the characters so deeply and wanted to see the outcome.   I think that this book speaks volumes about how young girls were treated in the 50's and, to a certain degree, how they still are.   Like Levine stated in the Author's Note, by quoting George Santayana:  "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."

I highly recommend this book to both adults and the YA's.

I was able to read a galley of this book.  It will be available September 1st, 2011.

The Fox Cities Book Festival-2011

As you all know I love books.  But what I love more is hearing authors talk about their books.  I love knowing what was behind the stories, what got them to write, how they write and all the other interesting things that come out of a great discussion. 

In the Fox Cities we are lucky enough to have the Fox Cities Book Festival.  There are amazing authors from all over the country and the selection covers every genre there is.  I will not drone on and on about how great it is because my words will not do it justice.  It is something you have to experience.  Make a point to get out and see atleast one author.  You will not be sorry!

If you were able to see Luis Alberto Urrea you were able to experience storytelling at its finest.  Urrea was both dynamic and funny.  I took some very important lessons home that night and will forever to grateful for sharing  that time with Urrea and two of my dear friends.  Cherish those moments, as the fest comes but once a year.  Urrea was a great kickoff to the fest (as he is done speaking at the fest) and I look forward to all the other amazing things to come the rest of the week!

Below is my list of must see authors: 

LUIS ALBERTO URREA

*This is one of many titles


HILLARY JORDAN:

TONIGHT at 7p Menasha Public Library

GREGG HURWITZ:



*this is one of many titles

Friday April 15th 7p at Appleton North High School

PHILIP GULLEY:



*this is 2 of many titles

TICKET EVENT:  Saturday April 16 at 9a Radisson Paper Valley in Appleton

SANDRA KRING:

*this is 2 of 4 titles
Saturday April 16 at 11:30a Little Chute Public Library

LESLEY KAGEN:






Saturday April 16 at 2p Kimberly Public Library

MICHAEL PERRY:
*this is 1 of many titles


TICKET EVENT:  Micheal Perry (and the Long Beds) concert fundraiser
OuterEdge Stage Saturday April 16 at 7:30p

ANNIE BURROWS:
*this is 2 of many titles

Sunday April 17:
2p and 6p Neenah Public Library

Get Out and Enjoy THE FOX CITES BOOK FESTIVAL!!!!

For a full calendar of THE FOX CITIES BOOK FESTIVAL and other information regarding the festival go to http://www.foxcitiesbookfestival.org/

A POCKET FULL OF KISSES and CHESTER RACOON AND THE BIG BAD BULLY by Audrey Penn

I have to say that I am now a huge fan of Audrey Penn.  I have now read and reviewed 4 of her titles and have simply adored them all.  I feel her books are beautifully illustrated, with loveable characters and contain heartwarming messages. 

A POCKET FULL OF KISSES

A Pocket Full of Kisses is about Chester getting a new baby brother and having to deal with sharing his Mother's love.  I just love the whole "kissing hand" theme and loved that is appears in all of Penn's books (those that I have read at least).  I think that the transition is hard for any child when a new sibling enters the family.  A Pocket Full of Kisses helps ease Chester into welcoming and accepting his new bother.  I just loved this book, as did my 2 boys.   

CHESTER RACOON AND THE BIG BAD BULLY

Bullying is on increasingly serious issue that young kids face.  In Chester Raccoon and the Big Bad Bully Mrs. Raccoon helps both Chester and Ronny Raccoon, as well as some other loveable forest friends, deal with the bullying Badger.  When I read this book to my 4 year old son it sparked a great conversation about what bullies are and how he needs to deal with them.  I am grateful up to this point to that neither of my children have fallen victim to bullying or have been the bully themselves.  I have heartfelt gratitude towards Penn for writing Chester Raccoon and the Big Bad Bully.  In the event of a bullying episode I am sure that this book will prove to be helpful.  I am glad to see Penn address the serious issue in a way young children can relate too.  It is never too early to talk to our children about difficult situations.  I highly recommend this book.

 

LET THE GIVEAWAY BEGIN!!! Tomorrow River by Lesley Kagen

To celebrate my friend Lesley Kagen's book release of TOMORROW RIVER in paperback (beautiful French flaps with rough cut pages) and the launch of Mrs. Mommy Booknerd's Book Review  I am having a giveaway.  Starting TODAY the first 3 people to get 10 friends to publicly follow Mrs. Mommy Booknerd's Book Review will receive a SIGNED copy of TOMORROW RIVER.  Tell your friends, aunts, uncles, mom, dad, sister, brother ect. to publicly follow, post a comment, and that they were referred by you.  Have fun and good luck! 

Winners will be posted on this blog!!!

-Em
____________________________________________________

TOMORROW RIVER

Coming in trade paperback May 3rd!

Selected as one of Shelf Awareness' Top Ten Books of the year!

READ PRAISE

uring the summer of 1968, Shenandoah Carmody's mother disappeared. Her twin sister, Woody, stopped speaking, and her once-loving father slipped into a mean drunkeness unbefitting a superior court judge. Since then, Shenny—named for the Shenandoah Valley—has struggled to hold her world together, taking care of herself and her sister the best she can. Shenny feels certain that Woody knows something about the night their mother vanished, but her attempts to communicate with her mute twin leave her as confused as their father's efforts to confine the girls to the family's renowned Virginia estate.

As the first anniversary of their mother's disappearance nears, her father's threat to send Woody away and his hints at an impending remarriage spur a desperate Shenny to find her mother before it's too late. She is ultimately swept up in a series of heart-breaking events that force her to come to terms with the painful truth about herself and her family.

WHEREVER YOU GO by Heather Davis

I was just recently discussing with a friend that there are very few age appropriate YA novels out there.  Then I was able to read a galley of Wherever You Go.  This YA novel discusses some very serious issues that youth face on a daily basis; teen depression, how rumors affect relationships, dating, divorce, varying family dynamics and dealing with a grandparent that has Alzheimer's.  This book has depth that many YA novels lack.  This book lacks the standard graphic sex and foul language, which is such a nice change.  Wherever You Go was engaging and the story line was so interesting.  Some of you may not enjoy books involving ghosts, but this one has such a neat and heartwarming twist. Wherever You Go brings together 3 generations of one family and allows them to really "see" each other for the first time.  I have to say I loved Wherever You Go!  It is a great read for young adults and one that adults will also enjoy.  As a mother,  it forces me to think and mentally address the stressful situations that my children will face as they grow and mature. Resulting in the reality that constant communication and a genuine interest in their lives and to provide them the reassurance of my love despite the situation is essential. I highly recommend Wherever you Go.

Here are some quotes that I really loved in Wherever You Go-

p. 301-302:  "And then I started to cry, because that's what I felt like doing just then.  And sometimes you have to let yourself do those things.  To feel what you feel, because it's the only true thing you can do."

-I liked this so much because at times it feels as if we teach our kids to buck up and not cry about things, when crying may be the coping mechanism needed at the time.

p.310:  "The simplest things should make a person happy.  Happy should be simpler than it never was."

-I was struck by this quote from the book because I was a bit alarmed that a young kid would have this perception of the world.  It forces one to acknowledge the pressures that our teens are under. 

p. 210:  "Sometimes all you wanted to do was to leave it all behind.  But now it seems like something you want to do.  Grow up, have adventures, travel, see things like elephants in the wild, do something important to help people, all that world-peace stuff."

-This affected me because I lost a friend when I was in high school to suicide and it brought back many feelings about all the great things he could have done.  That in the moment situations appear awful but when the moment passes and perspective is regained the moment was really not that bad.  How do we get the kids through the bad moments and safely to the other side?   It made me worry about my children's future struggles and to just be mindful to what is going on in their lives.  To always "see" them.

Description of the book...

A poignant story about making peace with the past and opening your heart to love.

Seventeen-year-old Holly Mullen has felt lost and lonely ever since her boyfriend, Rob, died in a tragic accident. But she has no idea that as she goes about her days, Rob’s ghost is watching over her. He isn’t happy when he sees his best friend, Jason, trying to get close to Holly—but as a ghost, he can do nothing to stop it. As their uncertain new relationship progresses, the past comes back to haunt Holly and Jason. Her Alzheimer’s-stricken grandfather claims to be communicating with the ghost of Rob. Could the messages he has for Holly be real? And if so, how can the loved ones Rob left behind help his tortured soul make it to the other side?

This book is not relesed yet, but you can preorder it at amazon.com

GIVEAWAY!!!! Tomorrow River by Lesley Kagen

To celebrate my friend Lesley Kagen's book release of TOMORROW RIVER in paperback (beautiful French flaps with rough cut pages) and the launch of Mrs. Mommy Booknerd's Book Review  I am having a giveaway.  Starting on April 11th the first 3 people to get 10 friends to publicly follow Mrs. Mommy Booknerd's Book Review will receive a SIGNED copy of TOMORROW RIVER.  Tell your friends, aunts, uncles, mom, dad ect. to publicly follow, post a comment, and that they were referred by you.  Have fun and good luck! 

Wiinners will be posted on this blog!!!

-Em

IT ALL BEGAN WITH A BEAN by Katie McKy

It all began with a bean...

Follow the funny events that occurred after the single bean fell from the boy's burrito...meet the fly, birds, fish, dogs, cats, and more than half a million other people that fart at the exact same moment.  It is a super funny story that both children and kids will love.

The Book Thief: Trailer

Please see my review of the BOOK THIEF in a previous post.  Thanks!

WAKE OF FORGIVENESS by Bruce Machart

Here is the book trailer for Wake of Forgivenss.  This trailer really made me want to read the book.  It is pretty intense.


My review:
From cover to cover this book is amazing. I have to admit this is not normally something I would like to read but was able to read this book through B&N's First Look Book Club and was surprised with how much I liked it.  You will go on an amazing journey with a family that struggles with showing love and care.  It is an intense read that is not for someone who is sensitive to violence or abuse.  The the first chapter really sets the tone for the whole book. You will be taken back in history when just getting from one day to another was an up hill struggle.  The book was hard to put down. A masterpiece for all generations!

Description of the book:
On a moonless Texas night in 1895, an ambitious young landowner suffers the loss of "the only woman he's ever been fond of" when his wife dies during childbirth with the couple's fourth boy, Karel. From an early age Karel proves so talented on horseback that his father enlists him to ride in acreage-staked horseraces against his neighbors. But Karel is forever haunted by thoughts of the mother he never knew, by the bloodshot blame in his father's eyes, and permanently marked by the yoke he and his brothers are forced to wear to plow the family fields. Confident only in the saddle, Karel is certain that the horse "wants the whip the same way he wants his pop's strap . . . the closest he ever gets to his father's touch." In the winter of 1910, Karel rides in the ultimate high-stakes race against a powerful Spanish patriarch and his alluring daughters. Hanging in the balance are his father's fortune, his brother's futures, and his own fate. Fourteen years later, with the stake of the race still driven hard between him and his brothers, Karel is finally forced to dress the wounds of his past and to salvage the tattered fabric of his family.

Reminiscent of Kent Haruf's portrayals of hope amidst human heartbreak and Cormac McCarthy's finely hewn evocations of the American Southwest, Bruce Machart's striking debut is as well wrought as it is riveting. It compels us to consider the inescapable connections between sons and their mothers, between landscape and family, and between remembrance and redemption.

ROOM by Emma Donoghue

I wanted to repost this review with the book trailer, because I think the trailers add a nice element to this blog...enjoy...

This book is one of the greatest books I have ever read.  It was not a comfortable read, as it made me very anxious the whole time I read it.  I was stressed to the max while putting myself in Ma's position, what would I do, how would I respond to that type of pressure.  As a mother I tired to imagine how I would make a life for my son and myself while confined in a small room.  I am not sure I could do it.  There is a part in this book that I read through super fast just to see what the outcome was.  I  had to go back and reread it once my heart rate slowed.  This is an amazing book and one you will want to talk to others about.

*a great book club pick

Description of the book...
ROOM is narrated by a five-year-old called Jack, who lives in a single room with his Ma and has never been outside. Jack and Ma live in a locked room that measures eleven foot by eleven.  When he turns five, he starts to ask questions, and his mother reveals to him that there is a world outside. Told entirely in Jack’s voice, ROOM is no horror story or tearjerker, but a celebration of resilience and the love between parent and child.

SAVING MAX by Antoinette van Heugten

Here is the book trailer for SAVING MAX...enjoy!

There is something I emotionally attach to when a story involves mother-son relationships, since I am a mother to 2 sons. This story is about what a mother would do to protect her son when he is charged with murder. This story has many twists and turns, which keeps you reading. I had a really hard time putting this book down.  I have to warn my readers that there are some very disturbing parts in this book.  This book has an exceptionally shocking ending.  One that you may have to reread to see if you read it correctly.  It was one that left me very disturbed and uneasy, in a good way.  This book made me really think about what it is to be a mother, since every mother does things differently.   What would I do with the information offered on the very last page of this book?  I am still asking myself that question to this day.  It also made me think about what I would be willing to do to protect my children.  The simple answer is...whatever it took.  Let's see if you feel the same way.  Read Saving Max and let me know what you think!

Description of the book....
Max Parkman—autistic and whip-smart, emotionally fragile and aggressive—is perfect in his mother's eyes. Until he's accused of murder.
 
Attorney Danielle Parkman knows her teenage son Max's behavior has been getting worse—using drugs and lashing out. But she can't accept the diagnosis she receives at a top-notch adolescent psychiatric facility that her son is deeply disturbed. Dangerous.
 
Until she finds Max, unconscious and bloodied, beside a patient who has been brutally stabbed to death.
Trapped in a world of doubt and fear, barred from contacting Max, Danielle clings to the belief that her son is innocent. But has she, too, lost touch with reality? Is her son really a killer?

With the justice system bearing down on them, Danielle steels herself to discover the truth, no matter what it is. She'll do whatever it takes to find the killer and to save her son from being destroyed by a system that's all too eager to convict him.

THE BOOK THIEF by Markus Zusak

There is an interesting story as to how I came to read THE BOOK THIEF and I am going to share it now.  I had just been asked by a good friend to join a book club.  I was both excited to be part of a book club but nervous and a bit anxious at the same time.  Lots of questions went through my mind: would I like the books they picked, would I like the ladies that were in the club, would I be able to finish the book in time to discuss it.  You name it and I was worried about it.  So there I am at the first meeting.  We met at B&N and we were  seeing Jess Riley author of DRIVING SIDEWAYS (which I review on here very soon) and I was pumped.  I love meeting authors, getting to hear the root of where the story came from, getting all the behind the scenes information and getting my book signed (I love collecting signed copies of books).   So after Jess was done talking about her book the group asked her what we should read and she said THE BOOK THIEF.  I was pretty bummed.  Here is was only the second booked picked since I joined and I just knew that I would not like it.  I sadly went with all the others and bought the book.  I got home and told my hubby about what happened.  I said I am going to not like this book, this is not a good start to being part of book club ect.  Let's just say I was pretty negative about the book.  

Then I read it...I LOVED this book.  I thought it was both emotional and historical at the same time.  It is about the holocaust, so DO NOT expect a happy outcome.  But it gave faces and experiences to that time in our history.  It is narrated by Death, which I thought was mind provoking.  I think that this is a book that you will either love or hate.  Our book club was split down the middle.   I still think about aspects of the book that moved me in ways other books don't.  I found myself rooting for the underdog and wishing I could change the course of history.  I was crying so hard at the end I could barely see to do the reading.  You may ask why should I read this if it is both sad and tragic.  My answer is,  after you read it you will know the answer.

 It is not something I would have chosen myself.  It speaks volumes to why reading this blog or being part of book club can broaden your horizons as to what you are willing to read.  I am happy to report that over 2 years later I am still part if that same book club.  I love those girls, many who are followers of my blog.  Thank you ladies.  Book Club is my favorite day of the month.  I would hope you all can find that sense of belonging here.   Thanks again to the ladies of TARIAS book club and my friends following this blog.  Means a lot to me.

-Emily

Description of the book....
It’s just a small story really, about among other things: a girl, some words, an accordionist, some fanatical Germans, a Jewish fist-fighter, and quite a lot of thievery. . . .

Set during World War II in Germany, Markus Zusak’s groundbreaking new novel is the story of Liesel Meminger, a foster girl living outside of Munich. Liesel scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can’t resist–books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement before he is marched to Dachau.

This is an unforgettable story about the ability of books to feed the soul.

THIS LITTLE MOMMY STAYED HOME by Samantha Wilde

This is one of the funniest books about what it means to be a mother.  I was laughing so hard I was crying during numerous parts of this book. There are so many things I could relate to in this book, like what it means to become a mother, how your body changes, how your relationship changes with your spouse and how you relate the world in general when you are sleep deprived.  I recommend this book to all mother out there, such a great read!

Description of the book....

The story of one mother’s quest to adjust to life post-partum is the mother of all motherhood novels. A hysterical, honest, moving ride through the first year of new motherhood, it tells the story of Joy McGuire, who used to be “single, skinny, and able to speak in complete sentences.” Now, she’s…a mother.

Launched into motherhood, Joy thinks a little chocolate might fix her problems, if not a little sleep, but they only deepen. Her husband of six years seems to have an allergy to the baby. Her mother, head of her own beauty dynasty (who Joy sometimes watches on QVC when she’s lonely), is planning a wedding to a suspicious self-help guru—instead of helping Joy. Not to mention this is her mother’s fourth wedding.

Joy is left in the company of her young son, a few new mother friends (some as cranky as she is), and her impossible mother-in-law who doles out “Catholic Widow Torture” on a regular basis. When her college boyfriend shows up for their ten year reunion, Joy begins to wonder if she chose the wrong man.

In an effort to pull herself together, she takes up yoga, only to fall madly in lust with her instructor, who seems to have a bit of a crush on her too. She fills her non-existent free-time with yoga classes and spying on her mother’s fiancé, a man she beings to think is after her mother’s money and—she’s certain—gay.

When her crazy Aunt Hilda arrives straight out of a group home and reads her fortune, things begin to change. But will they change enough to save her disintegrating marriage? In the end, Joy discovers that the cost of motherhood is well worth all the disastrous, hilarious, sacrifice.

ROOM by Emma Donoghue

This book is one of the greatest books I have ever read.  It was not a comfortable read, as it made me very anxious the whole time I read it.  I was stressed to the max while putting myself in Ma's position, what would I do, how would I respond to that type of pressure.  As a mother I tired to imagine how I would make a life for my son and myself while confined in a small room.  I am not sure I could do it.  There is a part in this book that I read through super fast just to see what the outcome was.  I  had to go back and reread it once my heart rate slowed.  This is an amazing book and one you will want to talk to others about.

*a great book club pick

Description of the book...
ROOM is narrated by a five-year-old called Jack, who lives in a single room with his Ma and has never been outside. Jack and Ma live in a locked room that measures eleven foot by eleven.  When he turns five, he starts to ask questions, and his mother reveals to him that there is a world outside. Told entirely in Jack’s voice, ROOM is no horror story or tearjerker, but a celebration of resilience and the love between parent and child.

A BEDTIME KISS FOR CHESTER RACCOON and THE KISSING HAND by Audrey Penn

I am lucky enough to be able to read galleys of books (also known as Advanced Reader Copies) of numerous books.  I read the galley of A Bedtime Kiss for Chester Raccoon.  I was unable to find nice clean cover of the book, so sorry the picture is a bit blurry.

A Bedtime Kiss for Chester Raccoon

This book is an adorable tale about a little raccoon who is afraid of the daylight (since that he is when he goes to bed) and how his mother makes him feel so much better by giving him very special bedtime kiss.  I loved this book so much, as did both my sons.  This could become a new nighttime favorite.  

The Kissing Hand
This story is about a little raccoon that has a fear of going to school until his mother fills him in on an old family secret "the kissing hand".  This book is applicable to all the things children may fear at one point or another; school, camp, sleeping at a friend's house.  It has beautiful pictures that sparked my children's interest and kept it until the end of the book.  They wanted to talk about what they saw.  When the book was done my son opened my hand and kissed my palm, so adorable!

THE SECRET LIFE OF CEE CEE WILKES by Diane Chamberlain

I fell in love with Cee Cee the moment she entered the story.  I caught myself getting involved emotionally as she made some tough choices.  I rooted for her and wanted nothing but good things to happen to her.  You will find yourself caught up in the book and you may not want to put it down until you find out what happens with Cee Cee.  This book started me on a huge Diane Chamberlain kick.  I loved every book of hers that I have read thus far and look forward to making my way through all of them. 

*this is a great book club pick

Description of the book...

In 1977, pregnant Genevieve Russell disappeared. Twenty years later, her remains are discovered and Timothy Gleason is charged with murder. But there is no sign of the unborn child.

CeeCee Wilkes knows how Genevieve Russell died, because she was there. And she knows what happened to her missing infant, because two decades ago she made the devastating choice to raise the baby as her own. Now Timothy Gleason is facing the death penalty, and she has another choice to make. Tell the truth and destroy her family. Or let an innocent man die in order to protect a lifetime of lies.

SPOOKY LITTLE GIRL by Laurie Notaro

All I can say about this book is that it made me laugh so hard and think at the same time.  Notaro has 9 books (2 are fiction and the others are short story), many of which I have read and loved.  Spooky Little Girl is by far my favorite of her work.  She is an author that makes you feel like you are spending time with a girlfriend.  It is funny and original stuff.  Her newest book:  It Looked Different on the Model: Epic Tales of Impending Shame and Infamy is due out July 26, 2011.

*this is a great book club pick

Here is the description of the book...

Death is what happens while you’re busy making other plans.

Coming home from a Hawaiian vacation with her best girlfriends, Lucy Fisher is stunned to find everything she owns tossed out on her front lawn, the locks changed, and her fiancé’s phone disconnected—plus she’s just lost her job. With her world spinning wildly out of her control, Lucy decides to make a new start and moves upstate to live with her sister and nephew.

But then things take an even more dramatic turn: A fatal encounter with public transportation lands Lucy not in the hereafter but in the nearly hereafter. She’s back in school, learning the parameters of spooking and how to become a successful spirit in order to complete a ghostly assignment. If Lucy succeeds, she’s guaranteed a spot in the next level of the afterlife—but until then, she’s stuck as a ghost in the last place she would ever want to be.

Trying to avoid being trapped on earth for all eternity, Lucy crosses the line between life and death and back again when she returns home. Navigating the perilous channels of the paranormal, she’s determined to find out why her life crumbled and why, despite her ghastly death, no one seems to have noticed she’s gone. But urgency on the spectral plane—in the departed person of her feisty grandmother, who is risking both their eternal lives—requires attention, and Lucy realizes that you get only one chance to be spectacular in death.

WAKE OF FORGIVENESS by Bruce Machart

From cover to cover this book is amazing. I have to admit this is not normally something I would like to read but was able to read this book through B&N's First Look Book Club and was surprised with how much I liked it.  You will go on an amazing journey with a family that struggles with showing love and care.  It is an intense read that is not for someone who is sensitive to violence or abuse.  The the first chapter really sets the tone for the whole book. You will be taken back in history when just getting from one day to another was an up hill struggle.  The book hard to put down. A masterpiece for all generations!

Description of the book:
On a moonless Texas night in 1895, an ambitious young landowner suffers the loss of "the only woman he's ever been fond of" when his wife dies during childbirth with the couple's fourth boy, Karel. From an early age Karel proves so talented on horseback that his father enlists him to ride in acreage-staked horseraces against his neighbors. But Karel is forever haunted by thoughts of the mother he never knew, by the bloodshot blame in his father's eyes, and permanently marked by the yoke he and his brothers are forced to wear to plow the family fields. Confident only in the saddle, Karel is certain that the horse "wants the whip the same way he wants his pop's strap . . . the closest he ever gets to his father's touch." In the winter of 1910, Karel rides in the ultimate high-stakes race against a powerful Spanish patriarch and his alluring daughters. Hanging in the balance are his father's fortune, his brother's futures, and his own fate. Fourteen years later, with the stake of the race still driven hard between him and his brothers, Karel is finally forced to dress the wounds of his past and to salvage the tattered fabric of his family.

Reminiscent of Kent Haruf's portrayals of hope amidst human heartbreak and Cormac McCarthy's finely hewn evocations of the American Southwest, Bruce Machart's striking debut is as well wrought as it is riveting. It compels us to consider the inescapable connections between sons and their mothers, between landscape and family, and between remembrance and redemption.

THREE SECONDS by Anders Roslund & Borge Hellström

If you like books that take to you another place, this is the book for you. If you like to be at the edge of your seat, this book is for you. If you like to have a book grab you and not let you go, this is the book for you! This book will take to you to another country into a world of crime and drama. It is suspenseful and full of rich characters all with compelling stories. This is a must read for 2011!

HEAVEN IS FOR REAL by Todd Burpo

I have to say that this book moved me.  I would have to say that I was not a real believer in God until I started hearing my older son discuss God with me, without ANY outside influence.  I told my husband that I thought God was talking to me through our son.  Then I came across this book.  I read it in a bit over 2 hours and was brought to tears.  I believe now and I think you will too.

Description of the book...
A young boy emerges from life-saving surgery with remarkable stories of his visit to heaven.

Heaven Is for Real is the true story of the four-year old son of a small town Nebraska pastor who during emergency surgery slips from consciousness and enters heaven. He survives and begins talking about being able to look down and see the doctor operating and his dad praying in the waiting room. The family didn't know what to believe but soon the evidence was clear.

Colton said he met his miscarried sister, whom no one had told him about, and his great grandfather who died 30 years before Colton was born, then shared impossible-to-know details about each. He describes the horse that only Jesus could ride, about how "reaaally big" God and his chair are, and how the Holy Spirit "shoots down power" from heaven to help us.

Told by the father, but often in Colton's own words, the disarmingly simple message is heaven is a real place, Jesus really loves children, and be ready, there is a coming last battle.

GOOD GRACES by Lesley Kagen

I have to say that the wait for Good Graces was definitely worth it. I was able to read a galley of the book and was blown away at how good it was. I absolutely loved Whistling in the Dark and was anxiously awaiting the sequel . When reading Whistling in the Dark I felt like I was transported in time and that I became part of the O'Malley sisters lives. To be able to revisit these girls again in Good Graces was a gift that Kagen delivered with a giant bow. This is by far one of the greatest sequels ever written. I read nearly 100 books a year and there are very few books that resonate with me long after I read them. In that way, this book is a rare gem. The dialogue is spot on, being both serious and funny in perfect unison. You find yourself lost in the book due to the beautifully woven and intricate plot. You crave more and are not disappointed. Good Graces is the type of story that can only be written by an author that is authentic and truly gifted. Kagen has proven again that she deserves to be on the National Best Sellers List. This is a book that cannot be missed. It is everything that I hoped it would be and more. I look forward to seeing what else Kagen can dream up. She is truly one of the best authors out there. Preorder this book now, you will not be disappointed. If you have not read Whistling in the Dark make sure to get it and read it while you wait for Good Graces!!!  This book will be released in hardcover on September 1, 2011.

CHRISSIE'S SHELL by Brooke Keith

Chrissie's Shell is a heartwarming tale of a little turtle that dreams of being somebody different until God shows her that she is just who she was intended to be. The animal characters are loveable and beautifully illustrated. I think every child needs to have this book in his/her library. It will foster great conversation between parent and child, give the child the sense of pride in who they and will allow the child to explore all the wonderful things they can do. As both a teacher of small children and a mother, I just loved this book.

BIG BOX FOR BEN by Deborah Bruss

Every kid loves a box. At Christmas the parent's anticipation of how the kids will like the toys is sometimes too much to take. They end up loving the gifts, but when the smoke clears and things settle down we find the kids playing with the boxes more than the toys. This story is about all the wonderful things a box can be in your imagination. This book is cute and cleaver at the same time. It will allow parents and child talk about what is seen in the beautiful illustrations. This book will be part of our collection.

YUM YUM by Catherine Hnatov

As a teacher of young children I am always looking for books to teach early concepts. This book is great for teaching colors to young children. The only color in the book is the color being discussed on the given page. This book is also acceptable for young readers, as the text is written in a way that will encourage early reading. I have to say, I liked this book.

HOW HIGH THE MOON by Sandra Kring

I love Sandra as a person and as an author. You will fall in love with all the characters in this book. I love Teaspoon and her mile a minute mouth. Charlie is a gem too! This is a story about family, friendship and making dreams come true. Your mind will sing as you read. I rate it 5 out of 5! You will not regret buying this book or any other books by Sandra Kring. She is brilliant!

*this is a great book club pick

Description of the book...
In this tender novel set in 1955 Mill Town, Wisconsin, Sandra Kring explores the complicated bond between mothers and daughters, the pressure to conform, and the meaning of friendship and family.

Ten-year-old Isabella "Teaspoon" Marlene has been a handful ever since her mother, Catty, dumped her with an old boyfriend and ran off to Hollywood. Teaspoon fights, fibs, never stops singing, and is as unpredictable and fearless as a puppy off its leash. Still, Teddy Favors, a man who has taken his share of kicks, is determined to raise her right.

Teaspoon wants to be better for Teddy—even if that means agreeing to take part in a do-gooder mentorship program and being paired up with Brenda Bloom, the beautiful reigning Sweetheart of Mill Town.  Against all odds, as the summer passes, this unlikely duo discover a special friendship as they face personal challenges, determined to follow their hearts instead of convention.

It’s while Brenda and Teaspoon are putting together the grandest show the Starlight Theater has ever seen that Catty returns to Mill Town, shattering illusions and testing loyalties. But by the final curtain call, one determined little girl shows an entire town the healing that can happen when you let your heart take center stage.

ME & EMMA by Elizabeth Flock

From cover to cover I loved this book! It has an amazing end that will stop you in your tracks.

*this is a great book club pick

Description of the book...
By turns poignant, disarming and bittersweet, Me & Emma is the unforgettable story of an endearingly precocious child and her determination to put the pieces of her fractured life back together.

TOMORROW RIVER by Lesley Kagen

This is a page turning novel of suspense and intrigue with characters that come alive in your mind. This rich novel is one that you will cherish and never want to end. Lesley Kagen captures the sense of lose and the strange unwavering bond of family. Things are not what they appear and only brilliant writers like Kagen can weave such a masterpiece. This is a five star book and one you will read more than once! This book was one of our book club picks and it was one that sparked some great discussion. You will love to hear what others have to say about it and will want to talk somebody about it when you are done. It will become a book club favorite!   Paperback copy will be released on May 3, 2011. 

Description of the book...
During the summer of 1968, Shenandoah Carmody's mother disappeared. Her twin sister, Woody, stopped speaking, and her once-loving father slipped into a mean drunkeness unbefitting a superior court judge. Since then, Shenny—named for the Shenandoah Valley—has struggled to hold her world together, taking care of herself and her sister the best she can. Shenny feels certain that Woody knows something about the night their mother vanished, but her attempts to communicate with her mute twin leave her as confused as their father's efforts to confine the girls to the family's renowned Virginia estate.

As the first anniversary of their mother's disappearance nears, her father's threat to send Woody away and his hints at an impending remarriage spur a desperate Shenny to find her mother before it's too late. She is ultimately swept up in a series of heart-breaking events that force her to come to terms with the painful truth about herself and her family.



Also check out her other books:

Land of a Hundred Wonders

Whistling In the Dark