Shipping Delays

I believe that I may have a couple of books waiting to be shipped out. Unfortunately I don't even know right now what may need to ship, as everything from my bedroom is packed in boxes in my spare room.

Late November-Early December was consumed with holiday preparation. Mid-Late December we packed up my bedroom and began painting, and we just finished that a few days ago and are slowly going through the boxes and moving things back into the bedroom along with the furniture.

So at the moment, all of my TBR books and those that were for giveaways are packed up while I slowly work through things.

So long story short (TOO LATE!), if you are waiting on a book from me, please be patient. Since I am shipping these books, it sometimes takes longer to get them out than if they were shipped by a publisher. Just know that I haven't forgotten and am just spinning my wheels and trying to get caught up. But, if you are waiting on a book from me, please feel free to check in with me and make sure that it has not gone out yet.

Thanks for hanging in there with me!

Friday Spotlight

I'd like to thank justpeachy36 over at Debbie's Book Bag for shining her Friday Spotlight on my blog! I certainly appreciate the recognition. I would have mentioned it sooner, but I've been tied up since just after Christmas with my first painting project. We just spent a week painting my bedroom walls, ceiling, trim and doors-- including an accent wall. What a project! Boy, am I glad that's over, and that I can sleep in my bed again!

Thanks again, justpeachy (Debbie?)! I'm glad that you enjoy the blog, and I'm just having fun getting back into reading again...

What's Releasing (01-06-10 edition)

Here's "what's releasing" the week of January 11th:

Synopsis

Psychiatrist Andrew Marlowe, devoted to his profession and the painting hobby he loves, has a solitary but ordered life. When renowned painter Robert Oliver attacks a canvas in the National Gallery of Art and becomes his patient, Marlow finds that order destroyed. Desperate to understand the secret that torments the genius, he embarks on a journey that leads him into the lives of the women closest to Oliver and a tragedy at the heart of French Impressionism.

Kostova's masterful new novel travels from American cities to the coast of Normandy, from the late 19th century to the late 20th, from young love to last love. THE SWAN THIEVES is a story of obsession, history's losses, and the power of art to preserve human hope.

Synopsis

Dekker and Healy follow their collaboration in Kiss with another odyssey into the paranormal that transports readers into another dimension and returns them head spinning, never to see their own world in quite the same way. Two young friends are propelled out of their Gypsy clan when shady characters burn their kumpania (community). The girls lose family and friends in the fire and grow up separated from each other and the boy they both loved. One is faced with an impossible choice that haunts her until the girls meet 15 years later, where a reality-bender twist is revealed. Readers who enjoy allegorical stories that are rooted in the Bible will find dozens of connections, some force-fed (“He was the Jesus to Janeal’s Judas”) and others unorthodox but mind-zinging (“ 'Who can imagine what God and Satan discuss? Certainly Job had no idea God was gambling with his life.’ ”) Christian fiction lovers who enjoy romantic interest, frantic chases by sinister figures of biblical proportions, suspense, and the old-fashioned joy of suspending disbelief will find this new dynamic writing duo, once a writer-editor combo, fiery hot.

Also available:

• 36 Arguments for the Existence of God: A Work of Fiction by Rebecca Goldstein
• Alice I Have Been: A Novel by Melanie Benjamin
• Beneath the Lion's Gaze: A Novel by Maaza Mengiste
• Betrayal of the Blood Lily by Lauren Willig
• Death of a Valentine by M. C. Beaton
• The First Rule by Robert Crais
• Fun with Problems by Robert Stone
• The Hope You Need by Rick Warren
• Saving Ceecee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman
• Sleepless by Charlie Huston
• Treasure Hunt by John Lescroart
• Where the God of Love Hangs Out by Amy Bloom

Mailbox Monday (01-04-09 edition)

Mailbox Monday is brought to us by The Printed Page. I had said that I was taking a break from this in December, as I was simply putting all packages received under my tree. So In my mailbox last month I got:

Run for Your Life by James Patterson
Won from He Followed Me Home...Can I Keep Him?

A calculating killer who calls himself The Teacher is taking on New York City, killing the powerful, the arrogant, the don't-give-a-darnst-about-anyone rich. For some New Yorkers it seems that the rich were getting what they deserve at last. For New York's social elite, it is a call to chaos and terror. The Teacher's message to the wealthy is clear: remember your manners or suffer the consequences! Detective Mike Bennett is assigned the case. Managing the pressure from his Commissioner, the Mayor, and the New York media would be enough for anyone, but Mike also has to care for his 10 children-who are all under 12 and who all have the flu! Detective Bennett discovers a secret pattern in the Teacher's lessons-and realizes he has just hours to save New York from the greatest disaster in its history. From the #1 bestselling author who introduced readers to Alex Cross and the Women's Murder Club-comes the continuation of his newest, electrifying series. Run for Your Life is his most heart-stopping thriller yet.

Sex, Drugs and Gefilte Fish: The Heeb Storytelling Collection by Shana Liebman
Won from Simply Stacie

Scoring weed for your uncle...Hanging out with porn stars on Christmas Eve...Eating nachos with the Mossad...Observing the Dyke Days of Awe...Getting held up at a Weight Watcher's meeting...Spying on your naked Hebrew School teacher. From Heeb magazine--the definitive voice of a proud, searching, and irreverent new generation of American Jews--this first-of-a-kind fast and fun showcase spotlights the hilarious and heartful raconteurial gifts of many of today's leading writers, comedians, actors, artists, and musicians. Laura Silverman, Michael Showalter, Andy Borowitz, Joel Stein, Ben Greenman, Darrin Strauss, and others navigate sex, drugs, work, youth, family, and, on the lighter side, body and soul. You'll never bleach your arm hair again.

The Werewolf's Guide to Life: A Manual for the Newly Bitten by Ritch Duncan and Bob Powers
Won from Bookin' With Bingo

Have you been attacked by a wolf-like creature in the last 30 days? Was it after the sun had set and under a full moon? If you answered, “yes” to both these questions, there’s a very good chance that you were bitten by a werewolf. You now have less than a month before the full moon returns and with it your first transformation into a savage, bloodthirsty beast.
Survival is an option, but first, know this:
* Werewolves are real.
* The majority of lycanthropes who do not have access to this book die during or shortly after their first transformations, generally due to heart failure, gunshot wounds, exposure, drowning or suicide.
* Hollywood horror movies are NOT to be used as guides to living as a werewolf. Their goal is not to educate, but to entertain. As a result, they are largely ignorant of the realities of the condition.
* Ignorance creates monsters; lycanthropy does not.
* You are not a monster.
The Werewolf's Guide to Life cuts through the fiction and guides you through your first transformation and beyond, offering indispensable advice on how to tell if you’re really a werewolf, post-attack etiquette, breaking the news to your spouse, avoiding government abduction, and how to not just survive, but thrive. You cannot afford to not read this book. Your very life depends on it.


A Century of Flavor: Nielsen-Massey Vanillas
Won from A Wrestling Addicted Mommy
The deliciously interesting cookbook combines recipes from the Nielsen family collection as well as recipes from chef friends attracted to Nielsen-Massey's quality vanilla extract. Contains a delightful collection of bakery and pastry recipes and teaches how vanilla can be essential in a savory dish.


Thanks so much to all of the giveaway hosts! Additionally I also got my books from my Secret Santa Somer. Thanks again, Somer!

Holy Cannoli! What a giveaway!

Thanks to a generous benefactor, there is an awesome giveaway going on over at The Bibliophilic Book Blog! She is giving away an e-reader (of your choice!) or a $150 gift card to a bookstore (of your choice!). Also for every 50 followers she gets, she will have a Twitter contest for a book of your choice. Wow!

Enter Now for your chance to win! The contest runs until March 1, 2010.

Book Giveaways in Blogworld (1-02-10 edition)

NOTE: A reminder that you are free to email me about any giveaways that you are having, if you want me to blog them, and I'll be happy to try to post them even if I am not entering them. Just include a link to the giveaway, what you are giving away, how many copies are being given away, and the deadline in order to assure being included. Email me at nfmgirl AT gmail DOT com.

Here is a list of some giveaways going on in Blogworld*. Please note that new giveaways that were added this week are indented in Blockquotes:

A Circle of Books is giving away 3 copies of The Little Giant of Aberdeen County. Deadline is January 2.

All the Pretty Pages just opened its doors, and to celebrate is giving away 10 books to a single winner! Deadline is January 2.

Readaholic is giving away 3 copies of the audiobook I, Alex Cross. Deadline is January 2.

Peeking Between the Pages is giving away 3 copies of the audiobook Dear John. Deadline is January 3.

Peeking Between the Pages is giving away 3 copies of The Little Giant of Aberdeen County. Deadline is January 3.

All About {n} is giving away 3 copies of When Will There Be Good News? Deadline is January 3.

All About {n} is giving away 3 copies of The Little Giant of Aberdeen County. Deadline is January 3.

Peeking Between the Pages is giving away 3 copies of When Will There Be Good News? Deadline is January 3.

Readaholic is giving away 3 copies of The Imperial Cruise. Deadline is January 8.

Luxury Reading is giving away 3 audio book copies of Say You're One of Them. Deadline is January 9.

Jo-Jo Loves to Read is giving away your choice of one of three books. Deadline is January 9.

The Book Butterfly is giving away 5 copies of Scones and Sensibility. Deadline is January 10.

At Home With Books is giving away 5 copies of The Survivor's Club. Deadline is January 10.

Drey's Library is giving away 3 copies of The Little Giant of Aberdeen County. Deadline is January 10.

Bookin' with Bingo is giving away 5 copies of Exit Music. Deadline is January 12.

Simply Stacie is giving away 5 copies of The Survivor's Club. Deadline is January 13.

{Go Green Street} is giving away Easy Green Living. Deadline is January 13.

Readaholic is giving away 5 copies of The Magician's Book. Deadline is January 14.

Bookworming in the 21st Century is having a big 600 followers giveaway (well now it's almost up to 750!) The more followers, the more she's giving away! Deadline is January 15.

The Tome Traveler is giving away 2 copies of The Burning Land. Deadline is January 18.

Drey's Library is giving away the entire Kitty series, and 3 more will win the new Kitty's House of Horrors! Deadline is January 18.

In Which a Girl Reads is giving away 6 books to 3 winners: 25 books to choose from! Deadline is January 19.

Mindful Musings is giving away your choice of book! There will be as many as 3 winners! Deadline is January 20.

Books and Needlepoint is giving away 3 copies of When Will There Be Good News. Deadline is January 20.

Books and Needlepoint is giving away 3 copies the audiobook Dear John. Deadline is January 21.

Chick with Books is giving away 3 copies of The Little Giant of Aberdeen County. Deadline is January 23.

Books and Needlepoint is giving away 5 copies of The Survivor's Club. Deadline is January 25.

Starting Fresh is giving away a copy of The Little Giant of Aberdeen County. Deadline is January 31.

Peeking Between the Pages is giving away The Little Giant of Aberdeen County. Deadline is January 31.

Peeking Between the Pages is also giving away Holly's Inbox. Deadline is January 31.

Froggaritaville is giving away a TON of books in four giveaways combined into one! Deadline is February 5.

My Own Little Corner of the World is giving away a copy of The Last Surgeon. Deadline is February 6.

The Bibliophilic Book Blog is giving away an e-reader of your choice or $150 to a bookstore of your choice. Deadline is February 28.

The Book Rat is giving to 5 winners their choice of one of fifty books. I can't find a deadline listed.

Books, Movies, Reviews! Oh My! is giving away their ARC of The Maze Runner. I don't see a deadline listed, but I assume that it is probably the end of the month.

*Courtesy Note: Please keep in mind the many, many hours of work that goes into me compiling this list each week. Please be courteous and thoughtful, and do not steal my text. Either recreate your own list, or link to this list and direct your readers here for giveaway information. Thank you so much for your consideration!

2009 Wrap-Up

I'm a little late getting up my "wrap-up" post for 2009, but here is a list of the books that I read in 2009, my rating for each, and a link to my review. The bolded ones were the 10 books that I enjoyed most. I didn't start this blog until April 2009. So I only got through 29 books during that time.

1. Invasion by Robin Cook (4/10)
   
2. Castaways by Brian Keene (6/10)
   
3. The Pull of the Moon by Elizabeth Berg (9/10)
4. The Chosen One by Carol Lynch Williams (7/10)
5. Into the Beautiful North by Luis Alberto Urrea (8/10)
6. Hot Blooded by Lisa Jackson (6/10)
7. The Rising by Brian Keene (8.5/10)
8. Horse Boy audiobook by Rupert Isaacson (8/10)
9. Of Bees and Mist by Erick Setiawan (9/10)
10. The Color Purple by Alice Walker (8.5/10)
11. BoneMan's Daughters audiobook by Ted Dekker (7/10)
12. The 6th Seal by J.M. Emanuel (6.5/10)
13. Under This Unbroken Sky by Shandi Mitchell (9.5/10)
14. The Scarecrow audiobook by Michael Connelly (8/10)
15. The Imposter's Daughter by Laurie Sandell (7/10)
16. Lori's Song by Lori Foroozandeh (8/10)
17. Karma for Beginners by Jessica Blank (8.5/10)
18. Cemetery Dance audiobook by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child (7/10)
19. Daniel X: Watch the Skies audiobook by James Patterson and Ned Rust (7/10)
20. Mother of the Believers by Kamran Pasha (8/10)
21. The Juror audiobook by George Dawes Green (7.5/10)
22. The Heretic Queen by Michelle Moran (8.5/10)
23. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (9/10)
24. Swimsuit by James Patterson (8/10)
25. The Pioneer Woman Cooks by Ree Drummond (9.5/10)
26. City of the Dead by Brian Keene (7.5/10)
27. The Postmistress by Sarah Blake (7/10)
28. Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment by James Patterson (8/10)
29. All of Me by Lori Wilde (7/10)
    

I also joined lots of challenges, and don't think that I successfully completed a single one, although a came close on a couple. I've joined a ton more challenges for 2010, so we'll see if I do any better on them! I've been excitedly holding off on reading some books, because they were scheduled for challenges that didn't begin until 2010. So now I get to dig into them. Yeah!