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Blog Changes

Here's the gist of it:

• To make my life easier, I've now combined my two blogs (Undercover Book Lover and The Eclectic Book Hoarder) into one - The Eclectic Book Lover!

• The url for this blog, The Eclectic Book Hoarder, now automatically redirects to the new site. My new custom domain is http://eclecticbooklover.com

• What does this mean for you? If you want to continue following/subscribing to me, then you'll have to subscribe/follow over at the new blog.

• What will I review? The same sorts of books that I reviewed here, plus urban fantasy novels too.

• I hope that you guys don't mind, and even enjoy, the changes! I'm posting a poll on the sidebar at The Eclectic Book Lover so you all can tell me what you think about it.

Thanks!

Winners: Julie & Julia

And the winners are . . .

Heather, Marie, Heidi V, Tina, and Luvdaylilies!!!

Congrats you guys! Winners have each been emailed and you all should receive your books in the mail soon after you reply with your mailing addresses.

Results determined by List Randomizer at Random.org

Winners: The Impostor's Daughter

And the winners are . . .

Heather, Kerri, Kitten22, CherylS22, and Lifestooshort!!!

Congrats you guys! Winners have each been emailed and you all should receive your books in the mail soon after you reply with your mailing addresses.

Results determined by List Randomizer at Random.org

In My Mailbox

This weekly meme is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren.

I usually post all of the little details about each book that I got - that ain't happening today! It's too early and there are too many books for me to even consider doing all that. Combine all of that with the fact that I still have unopened packages, so this post will likely be updated later. I'll just link the images to each books Amazon page in case you want to find out more.

For review:

Won:

Through Bookmooch:

Friday Finds

This weekly meme is hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading

Sweet Mary by Liz Balmaseda

Literary Fiction

Atria (July 14, 2009)

256 pages

ISBN: 978-1416542964

From Amazon:

In this mesmerizing debut novel by two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Liz Balmaseda, one woman's hunger for justice becomes a journey into darkness -- and a punishing, soul-searching test of priorities.

Dulce Maria "Mary" Guevara is a woman with nothing left to lose. Wrongly accused of being a cocaine queen, she has lost her job, her reputation, and -- worst of all -- custody of her son. Even after the charges are dropped, suspicion lingers. Desperate to get it all back, she takes what she considers the only path open to her: She goes on a hunt for the real drug queen. Unfortunately, the one person she believes can help her is the last person she wants to see again: Joe Pratts, her ex-fiancé, a man whose connections to the drug world once ended their relationship.

Trying not to fall for Joe again is just the beginning of Mary's challenges, however. Her search leads her through the most deceiving of jungles: suburbia. There, she comes face-to-face with disturbing realities that challenge everything she thinks she knows about her formerly tranquil life. Mary's final dilemma hits closer to home than she ever imagined.

Sweet Mary is a gripping, heartrending story with a noir soul and plenty of surprising twists -- an assured debut from a writer with tremendous experience and talent.

Friday Fill-In

1. She had a great, iconic hairstyle. (Farrah Faucett)

2. God, my friends and my family is by my side, always.

3. I know this: I'm intelligent, talented, and capable of greatness.

4. I'm in shock still. (About Michael Jackson)

5. These words apply to me: driven, laid-back, funny, blunt, real, and loyal.

6. It was dark yet the sun was shining.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to catching up on some projects, tomorrow my plans include catching up with friends and Sunday, I want to catch up on housework!

Booking Through Thursday: Hot

Booking Through Thursday is a weekly meme

Now that summer is here (in the northern hemisphere, anyway), what is the most “Summery” book you can think of? The one that captures the essence of summer for you?

(I’m not asking for you to list your ideal “beach reading,” you understand, but the book that you can read at any time of year but that evokes “summer.”)

It may be an obvious pick but I don't care - Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream.

It was the first comedy by Shakespeare that I read and, along with Twelfth Night, it remains a favorite of mine. The mythical creatures and their forest world is always so fun and just evokes images of warm night's spent laying in the middle of a forest clearing.

What books make you think of summer?

Winners: The Night Gardener

And the winners are . . .

Hillary, Sharon (#1), MaMa aka Lisa, Kerri, and AmandaK!!!

Congrats you guys!

Winners have each been emailed and you all should receive your books in the mail soon after you reply with your mailing addresses.

Results determined by List Randomizer at Random.org

There were 69 items in your list. Here they are in random order:

1. Hillary
2. Sharon (#1)
3. MaMa
4. Kerri
5. AmandaK
6. Luvdaylilies
7. Texasheartland
8. Pam
9. Deedles
10. Abby
11. Kitten22
12. Alicia
13. SkipMDMan
14. Sharon (#3)
15. Luvdaylilies
16. Scottsgal
17. NL6369
18. Sheila
19. Julie
20. Reaganandromeo@yahoo.com
21. Nicole D.
22. Kerri
23. Lifestooshort
24. Marie
25. Chey
26. Marie
27. A Reader
28. A Reader
29. Sandra K321
30. Sheila
31. Hillary
32. Mary
33. Nickolay
34. MaMa
35. Kitten22
36. MJ
37. Katrina
38. Sandra K321
39. FOKXXY
40. Sharon
41. Heatherzilla
42. Ellie
43. Searcher
44. Alexia561
45. Searcher
46. Dawn M.
47. Linda aka brknhrt
48. FOKXXY
49. Julie
50. LoveMyCoffee
51. Lorides
52. Scottsgal
53. Cstironkat
54. Lady Roxi
55. Susan
56. FOKXXY
57. Alexia561
58. Jake Lsewhere
59. A Reader
60. Jemscout425
61. Pam
62. Olympianlady
63. Jess
64. Sharon (#2)
65. Mindy
66. Carolasar
67. LoveMyCoffee
68. Jemscout425
69. Kitten22

Timestamp: 2009-06-24 05:57:13 UTC

Waiting on Wednesday

After You by Julie Buxbaum
Literary Fiction
The Dial Press (August 25, 2009)
352 pages
ISBN: 978-0385341240

The complexities of a friendship. The unexplored doubts of a marriage. And the redemptive power of literature...Julie Buxbaum, the acclaimed author of The Opposite of Love, delivers a haunting, gloriously written novel about love, family, and the secrets we hide from each other—and ourselves.


It happened on a tree-lined street in Notting Hill to a woman who seemed to have the perfect life. Ellie Lerner’s best friend, Lucy, was murdered in front of her young daughter. And, as best friends do, Ellie dropped everything—her marriage, her job, her life in the Boston suburbs—to travel to London and pick up the pieces of Lucy’s life. While Lucy’s husband, Greg, copes with his grief by retreating into himself, eight-year-old Sophie has simply stopped speaking.

Desperate to help Sophie, Ellie turns to a book that gave her comfort as a child, The Secret Garden. As the two spend hours exploring the novel’s winding passageways, its story of hurt, magic, and healing blooms around them. But so, too, do Lucy’s secrets—some big, some small—secrets Lucy kept hidden, even from her best friend. Over a summer in London, as Ellie peels back the layers of her friend’s life, she’s forced to confront her own as well: the marriage she left behind, the loss she’d hoped to escape. And suddenly Ellie’s carefully constructed existence is spinning out of control in a chain of events that will transform her life—and those around her— forever. A novel that will resonate in the heart of anyone who’s had a best friend, a love lost, or a past full of regrets, After You proves once again the unique and compelling talent of Julie Buxbaum.

Bloggiesta Round-up

Here's what I did during the Bloggiesta festivities

On list

1. Made significant headway on Future Releases list

2. Secured another author interview and giveaway

Not on list (Mini-challenges)

1. Set up Google Alerts for both blogs (Emily's Reading Room Mini-Challenge)

2. Added my blogs to BlogCatalog (Chronicle of an Infant Bibliophile Mini-Challenge)

3. Ran both blogs through Website Grader (Bookish Ruth Mini-Challenge)

4. Read some blogging tips and tutorials (Book Blather Mini-Challenge)

5. Read up on anchor text and worked on links (GalleySmith Mini-Challenge)

6. Commented on a bunch of other blogs (Fizzy Thoughts Mini-Challenge)

7. Responded to all of my blog comments (Fizzy Thoughts Mini-Challenge)

8. Answered and sent blog-related emails

Hours spent on bloggiesta: About 15 hrs

I also managed to finish a book somewhere in there. I find it odd how I didn't complete much from my original list, but I still accomplished a bit (thanks to the wonderful mini-challenges). The best, and most unexpected, result of this event was that I ended up learning a lot of new tips and info thanks to the mini-challenges. This was such a great challenge, I really think it should happen once every season.

In My Mailbox

This weekly meme is hosted by The Story Siren

I got a bunch of good stuff this week!

For review:

Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella

Chick-lit

The Dial Press (July 21, 2009)

448 pages
ISBN: 978-0385342025

Lara Lington has always had an overactive imagination, but suddenly that imagination seems to be in overdrive. Normal professional twenty-something young women don’t get visited by ghosts. Or do they?

When the spirit of Lara’s great-aunt Sadie–a feisty, demanding girl with firm ideas about fashion, love, and the right way to dance–mysteriously appears, she has one last request: Lara must find a missing necklace that had been in Sadie’s possession for more than seventy-five years, and Sadie cannot rest without it. Lara, on the other hand, has a number of ongoing distractions. Her best friend and business partner has run off to Goa, her start-up company is floundering, and she’s just been dumped by the “perfect” man.

Sadie, however, could care less.

Lara and Sadie make a hilarious sparring duo, and at first it seems as though they have nothing in common. But as the mission to find Sadie’s necklace leads to intrigue and a new romance for Lara, these very different “twenties” girls learn some surprising truths from each other along the way. Written with all the irrepressible charm and humor that have made Sophie Kinsella’s books beloved by millions, Twenties Girl is also a deeply moving testament to the transcendent bonds of friendship and family.

Undiscovered Gyrl by Allison Burnett
General Fiction
Vintage (August 11, 2009)
304 pages
ISBN: 978-0307473127

Beautiful, wild, funny, and lost, Katie Kampenfelt is taking a year off before college to find her passion. Ambitious in her own way, Katie intends to do more than just smoke weed with her boyfriend, Rory, and work at the bookstore. She plans to seduce Dan, a thirty-two-year-old film professor.

Katie chronicles her adventures in an anonymous blog, telling strangers her innermost desires, shames, and thrills. But when Dan stops taking her calls, when her alcoholic father suffers a terrible fall, and when she finds herself drawn into a dangerous new relationship, Katie's fearless narrative begins to crack, and dark pieces of her past emerge.

Sexually frank, often heartbreaking, and bursting with devilish humor, Undiscovered Gyrl is an extraordinarily accomplished novel of identity, voyeurism, and deceit.

The Hidden Man by David Ellis
Legal Thriller
Putnam Adult (September 3, 2009)
336 pages
ISBN: 978-0399155796

Jason Kolarich is a midwestern Everyman with a lineman’s build and an easy smart-ass remark. He’s a young, intelligent maverick, but he’s also struggling with an overwhelming emotional burden—one that threatens to unravel his own life, and possibly the lives of those around him.

Twenty-seven years ago, two-year-old Audrey Cutler disappeared from her home in the middle of the night. She was never found. All the detectives had to go on were vague eyewitness accounts of a man running down the Cutlers’ street, apparently carrying someone. Without enough evidence to suggest otherwise, Griffin Perlini—a neighbor with prior offenses against minors—was arrested, but never convicted.

The case is long closed when Perlini is murdered nearly thirty years later. Now a man named Mr. Smith appears in Jason Kolarich’s office, saying only that he represents a third party who wants the man charged with murder off the hook and that Kolarich is perfect for the job. The new client: Audrey Cutler’s older brother, Sammy—Kolarich’s estranged childhood best friend—a man he hasn’t seen in nearly twenty years.

But when Kolarich starts receiving violent threats from Mr. Smith’s enigmatic employer, he figures out that the secrecy behind this nameless third party—and the key to winning Sammy’s case—is entangled with the mystery of Audrey’s disappearance. With his own life and Sammy’s in the balance, Kolarich has to put aside not only the mounting anxiety of the job but also a heart-wrenching personal tragedy in order to find out what really happened to Audrey all those years ago.

Bound by Your Touch by Meredith Duran
Pocket (June 30, 2009)
368 pages
ISBN: 978-1416592631

Silver-tongued Viscount Sanburne is London's favorite scapegrace. Alas, Lydia Boyce has no interest in being charmed. When his latest escapade exposes a plot to ruin her family, she vows to handle it herself, as she always has done. Certainly she requires no help from a too-handsome dilettante whose main achievement is being scandalous. But Sanburne's golden charisma masks a sharper mind and darker history than she realizes. He shocks Lydia by breaking past her prim facade to the woman beneath...and the hidden fire no man has ever recognized. But as she follows him into a world of intrigue, she will learn that the greatest danger lies within -- in the shadowy, secret motives of his heart.

This one I received as a bonus from Pocket along with Seduce the Darkness (which I'm reviewing, giving away and interviewing author Gena Showalter for at my other blog). Historical romances aren't usually my thing, so I may just give it away . . .

Last Light over Carolina by Mary Alice Monroe
Pocket (July 14, 2009)
384 pages
ISBN: 978-1416549703

Every woman in the lowcountry knows the unspoken fear that clutches the heart every time her man sets out to sea. Now, that fear has become a terrible reality for Carolina Morrison. Her husband, shrimp boat captain Bud Morrison, the only man she's ever loved, is lost and alone somewhere in the vast Atlantic fi shing grounds, with a storm gathering and last light falling.

As the action unfolds on this one terrifying, illuminating day, Carolina and Bud Morrison look back across thirty years of love and loss, joy and sorrow. Carolina walked away from a well-to-do upbringing to marry Captain Bud Morrison. She embraced his extraordinary lifestyle by the sea and the customs of a historic shrimping village. Yet lately, hard times and the loneliness of long separations have driven them apart -- and driven her to make a mistake that threatens to shatter their once-unbreakable bond forever.

When Bud Morrison is overdue at the docks, the close-knit community rallies together to search for one of its own. But Carolina knows that it is their love that must somehow call him home, across miles of rough water and unspeakable memories. And she swears that if she is given one more chance -- for love and for forgiveness -- nothing will ever take her from this man's side again.

In Last Light over Carolina, Mary Alice Monroe once again explores a vanishing feature of the southern coastline, the mysterious yet time-honored shrimping culture, in a convincing and compelling tale of an enduring marriage.

Winnings:

Mating Rituals of the North American WASP by Lauren Lipton
5 Spot (May 29, 2009)
368 pages
ISBN: 978-0446197977

After arguing with her live-in boyfriend about his inability to commit, Peggy Adams flies to a friend's bachelorette party in Las Vegas, and wakes up next to a man she can't remember. Hung-over and miserable, she sneaks out of the sleeping man's hotel room and returns home to New York, where her boyfriend apologizes for the fight and gives her a Tiffany box containing a pre-engagement ring. Not what she expected, but close enough! The next day she receives a phone call from the Las Vegas one-night stand, Luke, claiming she's already married to him¬-and he faxes her the license for proof! Both are ready for an annulment, until Peggy arrives in quaint New Nineveh, CT, where Luke cares for his Great Aunt, and the old woman makes Peggy an offer she can't refuse.

Bloggiesta Update

I'm getting a late start today, but here's what I managed to accomplish yesterday:

Not on list (Mini-challenges)

1. Set up Google Alerts

2. Added my blogs to BlogCatalog

3. Ran my urls through Website Grader

4. Read some blogging tips and tutorials

5. Read up on anchor text and worked on links

Hours spent on bloggiesta so far: About 7 hrs

Bloggiesta Update

Since I'm at work right now, I haven't really been able to do much in regard to Bloggiesta yet. I have managed to sneek a moment to do something that I hadn't originally planned on though.

Emily over at Emily's Reading Room has come up with a great Bloggiesta-related mini-challenge. The idea is to set up Google Alerts to notify you when certain keywords related to your blog are mentioned online. For example, I've set up alerts for my blog title, my blog url, certain book genres, author interviews, etc.

The bonus: Emily is giving away prizes to all participants - just make sure that you're signed up for Bloggiesta, do the alert thing, and post a comment on her mini-challenge post.

Now back to work . . .

Friday Finds

Strange Nervous Laughter by Bridget McNulty

General Fiction

Thomas Dunne Books (May 12, 2009)

256 pages

ISBN-13: 978-0312544348

From Amazon:

You’ll not find six more remarkable characters: a cashier-turnedmotivational speaker, an undertaker with a toenail fetish, a girl wrapped in dreams, a man who communicates with whales, a garbage man with a peculiar sense of smell, and a Guinness Book of World Records representative. When a random holdup at a local grocery brings them together, their once separate lives intertwine in a humorous blend of lyricism, whimsy and wit. This is a rare book about what love does to us, how our lives are changed by being in love—and the odd ways in which we sometimes behave. Up-and-coming novelist McNulty shows herself to be a writer to watch.

I found this one thanks to Free Book Friday - it's their prize of the week.

Bloggiesta!!!

So today marks the beginning of Bloggiesta - a mini-challenge hosted by Maw at Maw Books Blog. It officially starts today, Friday the 19th, at 8 am and ends Sunday the 21st at 8 am. If any fellow bloggers are interested, check out Maw's blog for complete details. Below is a list of things I hope to get done.

1. Writing reviews for the following:

Of Bees and Mist by Erick Setiawan

Broccoli and Other Tales of Food and Love by Lara Vapnyar

Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella

Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin

The Spellman Files, Revenge of the Spellmans and Curse of the Spellmans all by Lisa Lutz

Misery Loves Cabernet by Kim Gruenenfelder

Stupid and Contagious and Forget About It both by Caprice Cane

Gods Behaving Badly by Marie Phillips

Right Before Your Eyes by Ellen Shanman

Lulu Meets God and Doubts Him by Danielle Ganek

2. Come up with a post series

3. Work on debut novelists series

4. Secure authors for interviews/guest posts

5. Invite fellow bloggers to guest post

6. Create and post list of upcoming releases

8. Create template posts for future reviews

9. Make a schedule for the blog and post it on the sidebar

10. Beef up links list and add blogroll to sidebar

This list is pretty similar to the one over at my other blog Undercover Book Lover. I know that I won't complete everything here, but I'm sure going to try. Wish me luck!

Friday Fill-In

1. All children alarm their parents, if only because you are forever expecting a hand-out.

2. Show me a good loser and I will show you a patient person.

3. A couple of glasses of great wine is like eating an entire box of chocolate liqueurs at one time.

4. Too bad that all the people who know how to run the country are busy being in love with the sounds of their own voices and hating on Obama.

5. I have yet to hear a man ask for advice on how to combine money and a great date.

6. It is impossible to think of any good meal, no matter how plain or elegant, without chocolate or ice cream in it.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to bloggiesta, tomorrow my plans include blogging, reading, cleaning the apartment, and catching up with my friends Marcus and Anthony and Sunday, I want to read some more!

Giveaway: The Impostor's Daughter by Laurie Sandell

Giveaway

Thanks to Anna at Hachette, I have 5 copies of The Impostor's Daughter by Laurie Sandell to give away.

Synopsis from Amazon:

Laurie Sandell grew up in awe (and sometimes in terror) of her larger-than-life father, who told jaw-dropping tales of a privileged childhood in Buenos Aires, academic triumphs, heroism during Vietnam, friendships with Kissinger and the Pope. As a young woman, Laurie unconsciously mirrors her dad, trying on several outsized personalities (Tokyo stripper, lesbian seductress, Ambien addict). Later, she lucks into the perfect job--interviewing celebrities for a top women's magazine. Growing up with her extraordinary father has given Laurie a knack for relating to the stars. But while researching an article on her dad's life, she makes an astonishing discovery: he's not the man he says he is--not even close. Now, Laurie begins to puzzle together three decades of lies and the splintered person that resulted from them--herself.

I'll be reviewing it soon but here are the guidelines:

5 copies available

Contest ends at 11:59 pm EDT on 6/30/09

Winners must live in the U.S. or Canada

P.O. boxes won't be accepted for a mailing address

How to Enter:

Comment here on the original post.

For Extra Entries:

1. Blog about the giveaway.

2. Tweet about the contest and be sure to mention my handle (@jax1204) somewhere in the tweet so that I can keep track.

3. Become a follower of the blog. If you're already one, just mention that for an entry.

I'll be choosing the winners using Random.org

For each entry, leave a separate comment here so that I can easily keep track. Don't forget to include your email.

I will contact winners by email as well as post their names on the blog.

Giveaway: Julie & Julia by Julie Powell

Giveaway

Thanks to Anna at Hachette, I have 5 copies of Julie & Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously by Julie Powell to give away.

Synopsis from Amazon:

Julie & Julia, the bestselling memoir that's "irresistible....A kind of Bridget Jones meets The French Chef" (Philadelphia Inquirer), is now a major motion picture. Julie Powell, nearing thirty and trapped in a dead-end secretarial job, resolves to reclaim her life by cooking in the span of a single year, every one of the 524 recipes in Julia Child's legendary Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Her unexpected reward: not just a newfound respect for calves' livers and aspic, but a new life-lived with gusto. The film is written and directed by Nora Ephron and stars Amy Adams as Julie and Meryl Streep as Julia.

I'll be reviewing it soon but here are the guidelines:

5 copies available

Contest ends at 11:59 pm EDT on 6/30/09

Winners must live in the U.S. or Canada

P.O. boxes won't be accepted for a mailing address

How to Enter:

Comment here on the original post.

For Extra Entries:

1. Blog about the giveaway.

2. Tweet about the contest and be sure to mention my handle (@jax1204) somewhere in the tweet so that I can keep track.

3. Become a follower of the blog. If you're already one, just mention that for an entry.

I'll be choosing the winners using Random.org

For each entry, leave a separate comment here so that I can easily keep track. Don't forget to include your email.

I will contact winners by email as well as post their names on the blog.