Totally Postal Thursday

I think I need BBA therapy. In the last week, although I said I wasn't going to buy anymore books and actually made a list of the books I have that I want to read, I still ended up with books. So I decided to start a new meme called 'Totally Postal Thursday'.

Each week I will list the books I have acquired that week, whether through an author for review, a friend or on my Nook. To participate, list your books that you have acquired for the week. I'm sure with all the books, there will be more I will want to add to my list...LOL

Here's my list:

The Postcard Killers - James Patterson

The 7th Victim - Alan Jacobson

Crave - J.R. Ward (pre-order)

Crush - Alan Jacobson

House - Ted Dekker & Frank Peretti

Clockwork Angel - Cassandra Clare

This may not seem like a lot to others, but these were purchased after I ordered 6 books for my son.

So what made you totally postal this week? You can make a post on your own blog List all the books you’ve received since last Friday and then tell us how you got them and where on your TBR list they will be and then link up (direct URL, please) here:

MARK YOUR CALENDARS

 October is National Reading Group Month!

Hello, everyone. I was perusing through Barnes and Noble's boards and found something that said October is National Reading Group Month. I'm sure most of the experienced bloggers already know but I thought I would post a reminder. There's some information from the post on the board that I will include.  Happy Reading :-)
Here's the post from bn.com:

Hello Booklovers/Bookclubbers,

Reading groups are proving that good books bring people together.National Reading Group Month salutes reading groups. It fosters their growth and promotes the love of literature. It's an opportunity for reading groups to reflect on their accomplishments and plan for the future — the perfect time to join or start a group!

On our site (http://www.nationalreadinggroupmonth.org/) you'll find the story behind NRGM, a calendar of nation-wide events, and resources and tips for enhancing book discussions. Whether you're a reading group member, author, bookseller, librarian, or publishing industry professional, get involved in National Reading Group Month.

WOMEN'S NATIONAL BOOK ASSOCIATIONPromoting the value of books and reading since 1917.
For more information, visit http://www.wnba-books.org/


WNBA-NYC will celebrate National Reading Group Month

with our annual author panel on Tuesday, October 19th at

Greenlight Bookstore in Fort Greene, Brooklyn.

Open to the Public, Free Admission!
Visit: http://abookstoreinbrooklyn.blogspot.com/

First I want to thank everyone who entered to win my very first giveaway, E is for Ethics by Ian James Corlett. I would also like to thank BookSparks PR for providing me the opportunity to do this giveaway. Please come back again when I have another giveaway.

Here goes. The winner was chosen through random.org. The winner is: H.MCNARON

Congratulations

Review: The Scent of Rain and Lightning

About the book (Synopsis from BN.com):

Written with the wisdom and grace devoted readers have come to expect from the award-winning author of The Virgin of Small Plains, here is a brilliantly moving tale of family, murder, and redemptive love.

One beautiful summer afternoon, Jody Linder, a young English teacher, is unnerved to see her three uncles parking their pickups in front of her parents' house—or what she calls her parents' house, even though they have been gone almost all of Jody's life. The polished boots, pressed jeans, fresh white shirts, and Stetsons—her uncles' visiting clothes—are a disturbing sign.

The three bring shocking news: the man convicted of murdering Jody's father is being released from prison and returning to the small town of Rose, Kansas. It has been twenty-six years since that stormy night when Jody's father was shot and killed and her mother disappeared...

About the author:

Nancy Pickard is the creator of the acclaimed Jenny Cain mystery series. She has won the Anthony Award, two Macavity Awards, and two Agatha Awards for her novels. She is a three-time Edgar Award nominee, most recently for her first Marie Lightfoot mystery, The Whole Truth, which was a national bestseller. With Lynn Lott, Pickard co-authored Seven Steps on the Writer’s Path. She has been a national board member of the Mystery Writers of America, as well as the president of Sisters in Crime. She lives in Prairie Village, Kansas. Visit her website at www.nancypickardmysteries.com.

My thoughts:

The Scent of Rain and Lightning was a very quick, easy read. From beginning to end the story moved very quick and was quite intriguing. The characters were well-developed and throughout the story, the author had you believing the outcome but at the end, whoa…not as predictable as I thought. The end of the story was definitely a wow moment where you never would have seen it coming and that makes it an even interesting read. If you are looking for a quick, intriguing story this is a book you want to read.

I GIVE THIS:

DISCLAIMER: I was in no way compensated to review this book. These are my opinions of a book in which I purchased on my own.

Review: Come Closer by Sara Gran

About the book:

From the author of Saturn’s Return to New York comes this dark psychological thriller.

"‘What we think is impos-sible happens all the time.’ So claims the beguiling narrator of Come Closer, and after reading this spare and menacing tale, the reader has to agree. Sara Gran has created a sly, satisfying (fast!) novel of one young woman possessed not only by a demon but also by her own secret desires.

About the Author:

Sara Gran grew up in Brooklyn, New York, where she now lives. She is a graduate of Tufts University. Her short fiction has appeared in Atlantic Unbound, the on-line home of The Atlantic Monthly, and in The Land-Grant College Review. She has worked in area bookstores and participates regularly in readings and literary events in New York City.

My Thoughts:

Although Come Closer was a little short, it was a pretty quick and entertaining read. I hoped it would have been a little more scary but it wasn't. I kept waiting for the scary parts to come but it didn't for me. I know it sounds like I didn't like the book but that's not it, I just wanted scary, instead it was just okay. 

The premise of the story was that Amanda, was taken over by a demon who at first she didn't realize was a demon. She instead thought she was imagining a childhood imaginary friend. The demon pretty much took over and did and said all the things Amanda wanted to say and do but didn't. She tried a few times to expel the demon but in the end, she wasn't strong enough and the demon eventually had full hold of her.

I GIVE THIS

DISCLAIMER: I was in no way compensated to review this book. These are my opinions of a book in which I purchased on my own.

Review: Savior of the Rain Forest: An Adventure of Zalvator the Black Panther

About the book: 

Savior of the Rain Forest is the story of Zalvator, a black panther who leads a group of animals on a mission to prevent their land from being destroyed. One day, as Zalvator is surveying for danger from atop the great pyramid, a red parrot named Roko flies in with a mysterious injury, too weak to talk. Soon other birds and wild creatures of the rain forest begin arriving and are confused at the sight of the injured parrot. Finally, Roko regains some strength, and he begins to tell the animals surrounding him of the terrible tragedy that had taken place the night before. The red parrot tells the gathering animals that they may be in danger and that the same group that destroyed Roko's home is on their way. It all began when Roko and his friends noticed large machines flying in the air that they had never seen before. Soon they found themselves running for their lives as the rain forest they called home was being taken away from them. Who will protect the animals from danger and save the valuable resources of their home, the rain forest? About the author:  Bruno Gonzalez, author of Savior of the Rain Forest: An Adventure of Zalvator the Black Panther This is the first children's novel written by Bruno Gonzalez. Bruno is a lover of black panthers and wants to create awareness about the destruction of the world's precious rain forests. He was born in Tijuana, Mexico and raised and resides in the beautiful city of Chula Vista, in Southern California. Bruno also attended the University of California, San Diego where he graduated with a Balchelor of Arts Degree in Quantitative Economics and Decision Sciences. He was finally able to write this book when he took a break from the corporate world to focus on his writing and fulfill his dream of publishing his first story.  Bruno considers his first book as one for kids of all ages with an important message for adults alike. A wonderful storyline accompanied by the color of beautiful illustrations throughout the novel, Savior of the Rain Forest will inspire all to savor the earth's precious resources and the wildlife that consider them their home. Bruno's story is brought to life through the colorful images by the talented Children's Book Illustrator, Helen Luzgin, whose work is inspired by Disney. My Thoughts: I thought Savior of the Rain Forest was a good children's story. It is very well illustrated and has vivid colors that captures the child being read to. I read this to my four year old and although I think the book is geared more to a seven or eight year old, my son was very focused on the story.  I GIVE THIS:

DISCLAIMER: I was in no way compensated to review this book. These are my opinions of a book in which was sent to me for review purposes.

WHAT A DAY

Wow what a day...


Well, I just got home from running errands which is good. My hubby bought me a little bottle of something to keep me company in the next 3 days while he goes hiking (we thought he was leaving today but he changed his mind to leave tomorrow instead). Softball was cancelled and I bought shoes (my other shopping habit besides books). So I get home and look what I find...not one but 2 rewards. I'm going to post them both in this post because I will probably be passing them on to the same people :-)
My first reward is from my BFF at Busy Moms Who Love To Read. She has been my saving grace with my blog over the last 2 months (Love You girly).

The Cherry on Top Award

The rules for this award are simple really, just answer this one question and then pass it on to six bloggers of your choosing.

•If you had the chance to go back and change one thing in your life, would you and what would it be?

If I had to change one thing it would be to have done my Masters in Education when I did my Masters in Computer Science. That way I would be a seasoned teacher now instead of trying to start now. 

And now for the fun part--passing it on! The six bloggers I am passing this on to are:
Julie P. (Reading Without Restraint
Tome's Devotee
http://www.crazy-for-books.com/
http://wordsonpaperya.blogspot.com/
http://www.daydreamern.blogspot.com/
http://myreadingroom-crystal.blogspot.com/


My other award was given to me by Readwithtea@I LOVE TO READ
This one was a big surprise and I honestly don't have that many people to send it to, so I'm sending it out to EVERYONE...new and old bloggers :-)

1.Thank and link back to the person who gave you this award.
2.Share 7 things about yourself.
3.Pass the award along to 15 bloggers who you have recently discovered and who you think are fantastic for whatever reason!(in no particular order...)
4.Contact the bloggers you've picked and let them know about the award.

Share 7 things about myself
Seven things about myself (this is difficult)

1. I was born and raised in Jamaica
2. I am not an outdoor girl although I live in a state where EVERYONE likes to be outdoors - I am a city girl all the way to the bone
3. I am far from a DUCK fan 
4. I would love to live abroad for a few years
5. My dream vacation is visiting Greece
6. I love horror movies
7. I am not a fan of chick flicks

GIVEAWAY: E is for Ethics by Ian James Corlett

E is for Ethics - Ian James Corlett

This will be my very first giveaway, hopefully it goes smoothly. Stephanie at BookSparks PR has agreed to give one lucky winner a copy of E is for Ethics by Ian James Corlett. You can view my review here 
A Few Rules:

You must be a US Resident. And You must provide a Street Address upon notification of winning (NO PO BOXES)
Mandatory Entry: (you must do this one first or I will be forced to remove all of your entries)

Become a Follower of One Page At A Time

Please include your email address in your comment. (feel free to use the antiSPAM version - yourname[at]yourserver[dot]com)
Get More Entries: (LEAVE A SEPARATE COMMENT FOR EACH ENTRY)

• Follow me on Twitter @sapphirereads
• post about the giveaway on your blog
• grab my button
• list what your favorite genre is

All entries must be in by September 22nd at 9:00AM PST. I will pick a winner using a Random Number Generator.!

I wish you the best of luck!

Disclaimer: Although, I did receive a copy of this book for review, I received no direct compensation for the post.

If you are an author or publisher and would like for me to review your book please contact me directly: lcampbell329[at]gmail[dot]com

Ethically Speaking

Synopsis from Barnes and Noble

Teaching children ethics, values, and morals has become a real challenge for parents today. These topics aren't usually covered in school curriculums, and many families no longer attend religious services, so most modern moms and dads are clamoring for a helping hand.

Ian James Corlett, an award-winning children's TV writer, was inspired to write this book as his own family grappled with this issue. When Ian's two kids were very young, he and his wife started a weekly discussion period he dubbed "Family Fun Time." Every Monday after dinner, they all sat down and Ian would tell his two kids tales about two young children, Elliott and Lucy, who were much like them.

- They hated going to the dentist.

- They were disappointed when a favorite aunt couldn't visit.

- They dreaded raking the leaves in their backyard.

Ian's kids really looked forward to these talks and they hardly even realized that the stories were serving a deeper purpose — to teach tact, understanding, and responsibility. So he decided to write these stories down to help other parents — like you. The result is in your hands: twenty-six simple, clear, original, and entertaining stories for you to read aloud with your child.

Teaching your children values, life skills, and ethics has never been so much fun!

About the Author - Ian James Corlett began telling stories at a very young age. He started with hand puppets and marionettes, which segued to a ventriloquist dummy, which leap-frogged into making animated films, then evolved into student comedy shorts, then led to creating and writing animated series’ and then writing books.
Ian has written for, and/or developed many popular children’s series’ such as The Adventures of Paddington Bear, Will & Dewitt, Lunar Jim and Rescue Heroes. He has also created several original series including his namesake show, BEING IAN.
Ian is also a very well-known voice actor in the world of animation, entertainment and advertising. He is the voice of literally hundreds of animated characters including “The Conductor” on PBS’s Dinosaur Train, “Dad” in Johnny Test, “Cheetor” of Transformers/Beastwars fame and a dozen different characters including “Mr. Pop” in Dragontales. He has been the TV promo voice of Family Channel, PBS and Fox Kids, as well as commercial brands like BestBuy, McDonalds and VISA.
The father of two and husband of one for nearly 30 years, he enjoys hanging out with his kids, travel, and great food. He currently lives in Vancouver, British Columbia and Palm Springs, California where he and his family go to escape the drip and drizzle of the west coast of Canada.
Ian’s one “vice” as he calls it, is a love of automobiles. He is most proud of his latest Porsche, a fully restored 1966. But this Porsche is a special one. Ian had it converted to 100% electric drive. With all the classic looks on the outside but sporting ultra modern and environmentally friendly technology under the hood it is Ian’s pride and joy.
Ian’s not-so-secret desire is to be a professional race-car driver and is quick to point out that Paul Newman started racing at 47! (he still has a little time...)
For more about Ian visit, www.ianjamescorlett.com 

My Thoughts: Being a mom of a 4 year old with a mind of his own and a very strong-willed personality and opinions, I was drawn to E is for Ethics when I began reading. I sat with my child and read it to him and he was very into it and was also able to answer the questions in the back and relate them to some of his personal experience. He enjoyed the stories so much that when I was surfing for a picture of the book for my review, he noticed it and mentioned that the book says to be polite and practice patience...LOL. Those must have been the ones that stuck the easiest. Mr. Cortlett, has written a book that will be very helpful to parents, children and even teachers when trying to teach kids values, life skills and the proper way to behave.

I give this book:

DISCLAIMER: I was in no way compensated to review this book. These are my opinions of a book given to me by Booksparks PR. These opinions are my own without any influences.

Interview with a….

Since my last review of The Wedding Gift by Kathleen McKenna, I have had the pleasure of conversing with her through email. She is an awesome woman and author. She has 8 books written, four of which are in the horror genre and the other four based on events that have happened in the past. Kathleen agreed to do an interview/questionnaire session with me and I wanted to post and share with my followers and anyone else interested.


Q: When and why did you begin writing?

I was a big Dominick Dunne fan, and so 15 years ago I wrote him, he gave me an awesome lead, I got all excited and wrote an entire paragraph. Twelve short years later I wrote a second paragraph lol, that was 4 years ago, now I've written 8, so I think I might have developed a condition of some kind!

Q: What gave you the idea for the wedding Gift storyline and the town of Dalton, OK?     

My Grandmother was born and raised in Norman OK, the house I saw in New Orleans (the cover house) gave me the idea, but I moved it to my pretend Oklahoma town for my grandma, and also I think Oklahoman's and Texans are so much fun, Leeann, could not have come from one of the older southern cities, she is too outrageous. Years ago a friend from Texas told me I was dumber than a box of hair, so how could I resist the far southwest?

Q: Do you personally identify with any of the characters? Or are they modeled after people in your life?

Sigh yeah well Miz Bethany might, just saying might remind me of my ex mother in law…LOL. The rest of them, I think they are all a little bit of people I've met and really liked throughout my life. 

Q: You have a unique style of writing, how did you come up with it?

LaToya, that's a really good question, sadly I haven't got a good answer, I write in two genres, finding Leeann's voice that came from a really happy fun place in my head, where for example Jim Jones voice came from in another book...I don't even want to think about...uhm, I think some people might say…erm, schizophrenia? 

Q: What titles are forthcoming from you? 

This year I will do book III in my southern paranormal series, and my first non-fiction book, at the end of the year I think I'll just lay in the grass for a week! 

Q:  What books have most influenced your life most?

Well I'm obviously schizo like I said, because my biggest influences are Cider House Rules, Gone with the Wind, The Shining, The Last Tsar, and 30 or 40 thousand other books, but those really never left me. 

Q:  Can you share a little of your current work with us? 

The House on Easton Drive is going to be a lot of fun, Jessie and her husband (no names read book II lol, are living in Willets House with her horrible mother, and dead Miz Bethany, things are NOT working out, so what can you do in a situation like that? Buy a more haunted house…lol.

Q: If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book? 

Mmmm, another great question...I don't know, I don't think so, but....well there is one very weird thing, in The Comeback, book II in the series, I put in a friend of mine, and it's a horror novel so in the book things don't go too well for him, and then last month he died for real in a bizarre accident, and....well all Irish people are superstitious, but this kind of parallels something that happened in another book, so I'm never using people I know again!

Q: Who is your favorite author and what is it that really strikes you about their work?

Tied!  John Irving because I want to live in the world he writes with those sweet funny people, and the king of horror, I grew up on him, we all did, and there is only one Stephen! 

Q:  What is your work schedule like when you're writing? 

5 pages a day 6 days a week, if that only takes 4 hours great, if it takes 12 that's too bad, but lay down 5, I have NO life when a book is going.

Q: Where do you get your information or ideas for your books? 

It can be anything, a story on AOL a story a friend tells me, a strange history fact...I know its going to be a book if I think about it all day, and then maybe dream about it, from there I start tentative research and the book rules my head until its done. My best friend Claudia has taken over my research and she is AMAZING she digs up the coolest things and it adds a lot. 

Q:  How many books have you written? Which is your favorite?

I have written 8 books, 4 horror and 4 based closely on real events. My favorite oooh…wow, books are kind of the children of your mind, so you can't play favorites, the most fun to write was The Wedding Gift, the roughest book was Jungle Rot about Jonestown, but I love them all, though I think I do have a favorite character and that is Jessie. 

Q: What was the hardest part of writing your book?

Easy one, the first 5 pages, if those don't grab me, they won't grab a reader and they are horrible to get out, also its just rough, you have 90 to 120.000 words to go, the book will own you till it's done, and that blank screen..a sad sight lol.