Banned Book Week 2011 - What Are YOU Doing To Celebrate?

Last year, I did a week long giveaway and several posts for Banned Book Week, a week here in the US that celebrates and honors books that have been banned somewhere in the US at one time or another, or that someone has tried to ban. I don't believe in banning a book (or movie or cd, etc). I think an individual should gather as much information as they can about that item and then make an informed decision. If they choose not to read it, fine. If they choose not to let their child read it or to read it with them, fine. But do not take away another person's right to make those same choices and decisions.This year, Banned Book Week is from September 24th to October 1st.

Banned Books Week is sponsored by the American Booksellers Association, the American American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression, the American Library Association(ALA), the Association of American Publishers, the American Society of Journalists and Authors and the National Association of College Stores. The Library of Congress Center for the Book endorses it.

I'll be advocating for banned books again this year, but this year there is an organized blog hop relating to Banned Book Week and I happily signed up to participate. Details will come later, but there will be a giveaway of some sort, involving one or more banned books OR a gift card to a book vendor, either Amazon or The Book Depository. I haven't decided yet, but it will be smaller than my event last year.

What can you do? Well, you can also participate in the book blog hop, co-hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and I Read Banned Books. You can work with your local libraries, book stores and schools to set up an event, help publicize both Banned Book Week and any and all local events relating to it, donate a copy of a banned book to your library or school, etc. There are many ways to participate. One way, though, is to video yourself reading from a banned book. Publisher's Weekly Daily had an article about this and I think I may do it.

From the PW Daily article -

For Banned Books Week (Sept. 24-Oct. 1) this year, booksellers and their customers can proclaim their support for free speech on the Internet by joining a worldwide read-out of banned and challenged books. For many years, Banned Books Week has featured readings from challenged titles in bookstores and libraries. This year people can participate no matter where they are–in bookstores, libraries and their own homes–by posting a video of themselves reading their favorite banned book on a special YouTube channel.

Readers can select any banned or challenged book, and excerpts can be up to two minutes in length. Alternatively, people who have worked to defend banned or challenged titles can describe their battles in videos of up to three minutes in length. Booksellers will send the videos to the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression (ABFFE), which will edit them, add the names and logos of the bookstores where the filming occurred and then post them on YouTube. The videos will also be tagged to make it easy for bookstores to feature them on their websites, blogs, Facebook pages and Twitter accounts.

For further information, e-mail info@abffe.org.

 So spread the word and come back during Banned Book Week to talk about what you are doing for BBW and see what I will be giving away.

Dual Review of Vanished in the Night by Eileen Carr

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Release Date: July 26, 2011

More Info: Amazon     The Book Depository

Book Blurb (from goodreads):

She doesn’t trust cops . . .

Veronica Osborne has had enough problems with the police, thanks to her volatile father. So when tall, strapping Sergeant Zach McKnight shows up at her door, she’s prepared for anything—except the news that her beloved missing brother, Max, has been dead for nearly twenty years . . . ever since he ran away.. . . until she meets one who’d risk everything to protect her.

Appalled when the police suspect her father of Max’s murder, Veronica begins her own investigation. But as her surprising role in her brother’s disappearance surfaces, so do more bodies. The ghosts of Max’s past are working hard to hide the truth, while another, more sinister force will do anything to expose it. How far will a killer go to get revenge? And can Zach stop him before he targets the woman Zach’s coming to love?

Our Thoughts:

Jax: Y'know, for all that mystery novels aren't my genre of choice, I've been enjoying an awful lot of them lately. Usually I find them to be a bit far fetched. (yes, I know that's funny from a fantasy/scifi fan, but it's the truth.) Eileen takes a very disturbing situation and very neatly shows us the gamut of realistic responses in a well paced, intriguing, twisting tale. Zach and Veronica have a great chemistry, and wonderfully thorough back stories that make this more than your typical thrilling mystery.



Bea: Mwahahahaha, my evil plan is working. :D I'll turn Jax into a mystery reader yet.

I liked this book and may hunt down the previous one, "Hold Back the Dark", which featured several detectives, Josh and Elise, who have minor supporting roles in this one. Carr takes her time unraveling the story, and introducing the players. It all starts with the discovery of a set of bones which are identified as belonging to Veronica's long lost, older half brother, Max. From there, the story spirals. We meet characters who die horribly almost as soon as we meet them, or have some yet unknown connection to Max.

There are twists and turns, solid writing, well developed characters, and a romance that plays out realistically and believably. This is very much a procedural mystery so it can move a bit slowly at times but it's interesting, it's well done, and it's definitely worth reading.




We each received a paperback from the publisher for review.

Review of Heartless by Gail Carriger

Publisher: Orbit

Release Date: July 1, 2011

Series: #4 of The Parasol Protectorate

More Info: Amazon     The Book Depository




***The blurb and the review contain spoilers for the previous books. The review does not contain spoilers for this book.***



Book Blurb (from Goodreads):

Lady Alexia Maccon, soulless, is at it again, only this time the trouble is not her fault. When a mad ghost threatens the queen, Alexia is on the case, following a trail that leads her deep into her husband's past. Top that off with a sister who has joined the suffragette movement (shocking!), Madame Lefoux's latest mechanical invention, and a plague of zombie porcupines and Alexia barely has time to remember she happens to be eight months pregnant.

Will Alexia manage to determine who is trying to kill Queen Victoria before it is too late? Is it the vampires again or is there a traitor lurking about in wolf's clothing? And what, exactly, has taken up residence in Lord Akeldama's second best closet?

My Thoughts:

I think my favorite thing about these books is the dialogue. It's sharp, witty and laugh out loud funny. Carriger has a knack, both for spoken dialogue and internal dialogue. Alexia's state of soullessness (is that even a word? :D) allows her to say things that would ordinarily be rude or inappropriate. Add in the Victorian mindset and behavior, tweaked to suit the steampunk changes and urban fantasy changes dictated by the story, and there is a lot of material for lampooning or just gently poking fun at.

Though, sometimes, it's the Victorian mindset and behavior that make me laugh, especially combined with Alexia's perspective on things. Like Alexia, I enjoy my food and it's refreshing to see a fictional character who admits to being hungry and spends a good deal of her time thinking about food. Her pregnancy has only increased this tendency, with sometimes hilarious results. I also like that Alexia is not a skinny Minnie nor does she meet the beauty standard for her time but her husband Conall finds her gorgeous and desirable anyway.

In this book, Carriger turns her attention to many of the secondary characters, after focusing on Alexia and Conall in the previous book, "Blameless". We see more of and learn more about Biffy, Professor Lyall (should I admit I have small crush on him?), Alexia's father, Madame LeFoux, and Lord Akeldama. I love that Carriger develops them and doesn't just leave them as vaguely sketched, or stereotypical, back up characters. We also get to meet see the Hive and learn more about them.

The story is a mix of action, mostly murder attempts on various people, Alexia getting into various predicaments (not that we expect anything else) and a lot of dialogue. The story moves slowly at times, and like the others could benefit from trimming, but overall it's fun, smart and very enjoyable. I was very surprised by the solution that Conall came up with for ending the vampires continually attacks on Alexia, I have mixed feelings about it. The ending, while not the cliffhanger we've come to expect, is nevertheless a tricky twist and sets up some interesting changes in Alexia's world. Carriger didn't hesitate to make major changes in her world and I am looking forward to seeing how things work out.

The steampunk inventions are fun to read about but they don't overshadow the story; I find that sometimes in steampunk, the author can get so carried away making the story steampunk, that the story and characterization suffer. Happily, Carriger has found a balance.

I received this paperback from the publisher for review.

Review of Desert Dreams by JA Campbell

Publisher: Echelon Press

Release Date: July 11, 2011

Series: #4 of Into The West

More Info: Amazon   OmniLit   

Book Blurb (from Goodreads):

After her dreams about the uncertain survival of the Taggarts' ranch, Tina travels back in time and gets lost in the desert. After being rescued by the ancestors of her Medicine Man friend, she finds her infamous cowboy friend, Rowe, again. The duo end up another adventure in the Wild West, facing horse thieves and the unpredictable elements as they search for a legendary silver mine. Tina knows where the mine is, but without a map, and without the interstate to guide her, she and Rowe have to rely on the local Navajo to help them.

When Tina finally makes it home, she has to face the consequences of her time-traveling adventures. Her family and friends all think she's gone missing. 

My Thoughts:

I enjoyed this installment of the story. It was sweet, with the romance between Tina and Rowe progressing nicely. There are several kissing scenes and I like that Campbell didn't take them further than that. It may not be all that realistic these days, to not have the teenage leads engage in sex, but it works within the context of the story and there are teens who don't engage in sex, though you wouldn't know it to listen to the news.

This story picks up a few days after the last one, "Silver Rush", ended. Remember when I said, "Not smart, Tina, not smart"? in my review of "Silver Rush"? Well, she realizes that her actions may have been hasty and she certainly has to live with the consequences, though they are less severe than they could have been. This installment has more action than the previous one though what happens is a direct result of that chapter. The pace flows smoothly and we learn a little more about both Tina and Rowe. I like that they are both responsible, well, most of the time, but also know how to enjoy themselves and have a sense of humor. We really get to see more of Rowe in this one. 

Rowe snorted. "I didn't kiss you to make you agree to anything. Kissed you because I wanted to kiss you. 'Course, if it helps, then I'll do it again."

Good one Rowe! :D 

Tina and Rowe, along with a young Indian man named Nata, head out to find a silver mine. We don't get to know him well, but he is willing to help them and I think we may see more of him in the next two installments. The silver mine, Tina believes, could help Rowe and his employer fight off the hostile takeover they've been dealing with. She knows, sort of, where it is but can't find it on a map. Nata and Rowe know the local area so they join forces to find the mine.

Naturally, there's danger along the way and some more kissing, :). By the end of the story, I really couldn't see where it was going or how everything will end. I want an HEA for Tina and Rowe but can't see how Campbell will make it work. She assured me, via Twitter, when I commented on it, that everything works out. Now, that's no guarantee that it will work out the way I want it to but I'm somewhat reassured.

If you haven't picked up this series yet, you really should. It's fun, engaging and interesting.

I own this ebook.

Online e-vent for Silver Girl by Elin Hilderbrand

On Wednesday, July 27 at 3 p.m. ET, come to BookTrib.com and celebrate summer with style! They are having  the “Queen of the Summer Novel” herself, Elin Hilderbrand, for an online e-vent with live video chat to celebrate the release of her New York Times-bestselling novel SILVER GIRL!
 
Elin will discuss SILVER GIRL, Nantucket, and answer your questions! Fifteen lucky party-goers will win an exclusive Silver Girl tote bag courtesy of The Elegant Setting along with an autographed copy of the book. Below are details and more about SILVER GIRL. (read Bea's review here)

From the email promo release - 

     "Meet Meredith Delinn, a woman whose husband has cheated rich investors out of billions of dollars and, in the process, humiliated Meredith so fully that she’s lost everything: her friends, her homes—even contact with her beloved sons. More down-and-out than she ever thought possible, Meredith reaches out to the only person she has left: her oldest friend, Constance Flute. Despite a painful rift between the women, Constance, who is herself mourning the loss of her adored husband, can’t turn her back on Meredith and takes her to Nantucket to hide—and to heal. When it seems as if the present is too difficult to endure, Constance and Meredith revisit their shared history. A surprise visit from Toby, Constance’s brother and Meredith’s high school sweetheart, forces Meredith to confront both her present and her former self, and decide who it is she will become in the aftermath of her personal tragedy. Amid the salty sea air and sandy dunes, both women must learn how to forgive each other, and themselves. In SILVER GIRL, Hilderbrand has added depth and humanity to a character we thought we already knew, and has crafted a suspenseful story of friendship, love, and the power of forgiveness."

About Elin Hilderbrand - 
      "With several bestsellers under her belt and over a million copies of her books sold to an ever growing audience, Elin Hilderbrand has established herself as the go-to writer for expertly plotted, gorgeous summer novels. However, don’t be mistaken: Hilderbrand may write against the backdrop of a blistering Nantucket summer, but her books are anything but fluff. She brings complicated, fully realized women to life, making each book moving and full of dramatic truths, while also presenting each as a scorching page-turner. Never has that been more evident than in SILVER GIRL (Reagan Arthur Books / Little, Brown 6/21/11), Hilderbrand’s highly anticipated new novel.

     Elin Hilderbrand lives on Nantucket with her husband and their three children. She grew up in Collegeville, Pennsylvania, and is an enthusiastic Philadelphia Eagles fan. She has traveled extensively through six continents but loves no place better than Nantucket, where she enjoys hogging, cooking, and watching her sons play Little League Baseball. Hilderbrand is a graduate of Johns Hopkins university and the graduate fiction workshop at the University of Iowa."

Review of Justice by Karen Robards

Publisher: Gallery Books


Release Date: July 19, 2011


More Info: Amazon    The Book Depository

Book Blurb (from Amazon):

New York Times bestselling author Karen Robards is back with an exhilarating romantic thriller that will leave readers breathless. 

Feisty criminal attorney Jessica Ford has done her best to comply with the orders of the Secret Service’s unofficial witness protection program ever since she became the lone witness to the First Lady’s murder. She changed her name, dyed her dark hair blonde, and traded her sturdy black-rimmed glasses for contact lenses. Unfortunately, winning her first high-profile case for prestigious Washington, D.C., law firm Ellis Hayes, and subsequently landing her face all over the news, is not exactly “keeping a low profile.” Or so says hunky Secret Service agent Mark Ryan, whose newest assignment—despite Jess’s stubborn protests—is keeping her safe at all costs. It just so happens he’s also her ex-boyfriend. 

The trial earns Jess a permanent spot on the firm’s elite legal defense team, replacing an associate who eloped suddenly and never came back. It’s the chance of a lifetime. But Jess’s mind has raced with questions from the moment the prosecution’s star witness shocked the courtroom with an electrifying revelation involving the handsome son of a powerful U.S. senator. Was the pretty, young mother intimidated into changing her story on the stand? Why will she not return Jess’s calls? Did Jess’s ambitious predecessor on the case really just abandon her successful career? Or did both women mysteriously disappear? 

After Mark rescues Jess from an attacker outside her apartment, she begins to consider the possibility that she is a target. Maybe it’s not so bad to have her irresistibly charming and hard-bodied former lover around for protection. Maybe. The question is, which of the many inadvertent enemies Jess has made recently is he protecting her from? The investigation leads her to some startling coincidences—and to a teenage runaway who may just hold the missing link . . . if Jess can find her. 

As Jess hurtles closer to the truth—and the sexual tension between her and Mark grows hotter than ever—she finds herself in a race against the clock to find the answers before what she doesn’t know gets them both killed. 

My Thoughts:

"Justice" is a follow up of sorts to 2009's "Pursuit". We first met Jess and Mark in that book when Jess was the sole survivor of a car accident involving the First Lady of the US. You can read this book as a stand alone but I would suggest reading "Pursuit" first to get a handle on why exactly Jess and Mark believe that she is in danger in this book. I enjoyed this one more than I did "Pursuit".

Because of the events in "Pursuit" Jess is supposed to be keeping a low profile. She is in the Secret Service's version of Witness Protection. I don't know if such a thing really exists or if Robards made it up but I have to say, they don't seem very competent. Jess stays in her same apartment, works in the same career field and makes only minor changes to her name and appearance. How exactly is that supposed to keep her safe? I didn't quite get it. Naturally, she blows her low profile and her low cover. So Mark, a Secret Service agent who's responsible for her safety shows back up to provide guard duty, or babysitting duty as Jess snidely calls it. She and Mark got involved in the last book, broke up in the interim between books, and she's still bitter. Actually, they both are bitter but Mark handles it more maturely.

Because of the events in the prior book, Mark believes that a hit man may be after Jess. Jess though, as she digs into the cases she inherited when she took on her new job, comes to believe that it's current events that have her in danger. They disagree, with Mark belittling Jess' reasoning and Jess reluctant to admit that he might possibly be right.

There are actually three story threads running through this book - that of another lawyer, Allison Howard, whom Jess replaces in the middle of a case; two teenage runaways, Lucy and Jaden; and then Jess and Mark. The focus in on Jess and Mark but the others are all important to the overall story line, and Robards alternates viewpoints among Jess, Mark, and Lucy, with a brief bit of time spent inside Allison's head. They are all interconnected though Robards takes her time revealing exactly how and throwing us a few surprises along the way.

Parts of the story are predictable - the outcome of the case, the accused's responsibilty, the clashes between Jess and Mark, but there are also twists and turns. Jess's computer skills were convenient to the storyline, a little too convenient since we aren't given reason for them or an explanation for how she acquired them. Robards wrote interesting characters and Jess's family could easily be a series unto themselves. I got annoyed with Jess at times with the way she treated Mark, both personally and professionally and I didn't buy Mark's  objections to Jess having a full-time career. His objections didn't come across as valid but more as the required obstacle to two lovers being together.

Despite the flaws, the book held my attention and I read it in just a couple of sittings. It flowed well and I enjoyed the characters and the interactions. It's pretty standard Robards material and pretty standard romantic suspense but if you like either of those, you should pick this one up. You'll enjoy it.

I received this hardcover from the publisher for review.

These winners are no scoundrels! Giveaway winners for Dreiling, and for Zaman & Bennardo

I apologize for the delay in announcing the winners. I don't have internet access at home except for my smart phone and I was laid up all weekend, dealing with my asthma.

Anyway, we have winners for both of last week's giveaways. The winner of "How to Seduce A Scoundrel" by Vicky Dreiling is Tore!

The winner for a copy of  "Sirenz" by Charlotte Bennardo and Natalie Zaman, and other fun swag is Stacey Donaldson!

Congratulations ladies. Please send me your mailing addresses so we can get your prizes sent out.

Review of Dark Awakening by Kendra Leigh Castle

Publisher: Forever Romance

Release Date: June 28, 2011

Series: #1 in Dark Dynasties

More Info:  Amazon     The Book Depository

Book Blurb (from Goodreads):

For centuries, shapeshifting vampire Tynan MacGillivray has prowled the night as an outcast, valued only for his ferocious hunting skills. When a feud among the immortals escalates into all-out war, he is ordered by his ruthless queen to locate a Seer-a human woman with a special gift-who can secure victory for their clan. Ty's search leads him to a quiet New England town, but once he has the Seer in his grasp, her touch awakens within him a hunger like he's never known . . .
Lily Quinn has always been different. Since childhood, she's had vivid nightmares and an eerie sixth sense. When a sexy, silver-eyed stranger demands her help, Lily plunges into a new world of danger and sensuality. With Ty, she discovers sizzling passions she cannot deny and powers she cannot control. Soon, it is clear that Lily is much more than a Seer-she holds the key to ancient secrets and unthinkable destruction. But will a vampire's vow of eternal protection stop these evil forces . . . or unleash her dark destiny?

  My Thoughts:


"Dark Awakening" is a mix of new ideas, old ideas, and cliches, but at heart, it's a love story of two emotionally scarred people who learn to trust, to hope, and to love. 

Lily has trouble connecting to people and getting close, as does Ty, though for different reasons. She was adopted but her parents treated like her like an accessory. Or they did until her psychic powers manifested and then they tried to commit her to a sanitarium. She learned to stuff her abilities deep down inside but she's not close to her adoptive family and has no memory of her biological family. She does have a recurring nightmare where she dreams of a fire and death. The dream changes over time but it always scares her, so much so that she's afraid to sleep.


Ty is a vampire, a hunter, and a shape shifter. The vampires in Castle's world are ordered by Dynasty and by caste. Ty's caste, the Cait Sidhe, are a blend of vampiric and Fae blood and able to shift into cats; they are considered the lowest form of vampire. The Cait Sidhe are called lowbloods, or more rudely, gutterbloods; the other dynasties are highbloods. The Cait Sidhe are indentured servants at best, and in the worst, situations, slaves. Ty has a measure of respect and freedom as a hunter for the Queen of the Ptolemy Dynasty who absorbed his people into their own. Still, Ty has not been a free man in hundreds of years and has been abused, mostly emotionally, and neglected, and serving at the whim of his queen, whom he desperately believes has some good in her. He needs to believe that, in order to survive. 


Ty and Lily meet when he hunts her for his Queen. The Ptolemy Dynasty is under attack and the Queen believes that a human Seer can help find the one responsible. Ty believes that Lily is that Seer, but right from the start, nothing happens as it should. Lily shows some signs of being a Seer but also bears a Vampire Dynastic mark, which should be impossible since she's human. Or is she? 


Ty should bring Lily back to Queen Arsinoe right away but he is attracted to Lily and she is attracted to him. Moreover, she's clearly more than a simple Seer. Ty sets out to learn what Lily is, thus delaying the time he delivers her to his Queen. He knows that once he does, Lily will never be free again and he finds that that thought is not a comfortable one.


What ensues is a blend of romance, suspense, betrayal, and destiny. Lily is that favorite of UF cliches, the heroine who has more power than she knows and is more than she seems. She has no close family and few friends. She's a mix of naivete, wariness, smarts and stupidity. Lily comes to realize that she loves Ty but isn't sure he can handle that knowledge and she also realizes that they have no future together. Ty is a loner; he trusts no one, loves no one, bears a great weight on his shoulders, and has a painful past. He slowly learns to take chances, to hope, and to fight for what he believes. He realizes that he loves Lily and that he can't just turn her over to his Queen, where she'll be used and then killed as soon as her usefulness is over.


The language is pretentious at times, and the story could have benefited from trimming. The pacing was odd; long stretches of talk, talk, and a kiss (or more on occasion :P ) followed by brief action scenes. Still, the dynasties and their origins were interesting and I hope that Castle continues to develop those in future books. I really liked her take on Vlad Dracul, whom Ty describes thus: 

For such a formidable vampire, the man was just a little bit of a geek sometimes..Ty stared after him for a long moment, trying to decide whether he thought the man was amusing, a prick, or both. He was leaning toward the last.

It's a good start, if a bit slow and wordy at times, to a new series.

I received a print ARC from the publisher for review.