Sunday, February 28, 2010

In My Shopping Bag (18)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren.
Through her guidelines, your post does not actually have to be named the same and thus my post shall be..."In My Shopping Bag".  (just fits with the "foodie" theme a bit better in my humble opinion)
This post is normally seen on Monday's, however I have a special post scheduled for tomorrow, so this one gets to be shared on Sunday (today that is, or whatever day you are actually reading it).
Let's take a peek inside my shopping bag from the past week....
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Won

Mind Bending Series
After Thoughts
Left Alone in the Dark
by Lynn Tincher
(via contest from Nicole at Tribute Books)
\



Sing Me to Sleep by Angela Morrison
(via contest from Vanessa at Today's Adventure)
(SIGNED and PERSONALIZED by the author!)


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For Review

A Certain "Je Ne Sais Quoi" by Chloe Rhodes
(courtesy of Julie at FSB Associates)



 
The Brain Full of Holes by Martin Chatteton
(courtesy of Erin at Peachtree Publishers)




Alice in Wonderland and Philosophy by William Irwin and Richard Brian Davis
(courtesy of Julie at FSB Associates)



Loves Shadow
The Brontes Went to Woolworths
by Ada Leverson
(via Twitter tweet and courtesy of Bloomsbury Publishing)



The Tao of Mia and Leo by Jeffra A. Nicholson
(courtesy of Paula at Author Marketing Experts)



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Purchased


I know it's not a book, but it is FOR my books!
A cute little frog prince bookmark...so cute...had to have it!

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Off on another adventure!
Until next time....happy reading!

Saturday, February 27, 2010

The Roving Reader

Okay, so beyond the cover cuteness, the quips inside are so true!

Different Strokes:  The Difference Between Cats and Dogs
by
Gandee Vasan

Check it out!

Friday, February 26, 2010

Angel and Apostle by Deborah Noyes

Through the crystal clear sky tinged as blue as the purest waters from the sea, a new day is dawning in all the glorious splendor Mother Nature can muster.  With the aid of her paint brush, the world is seen anew through a kaliedescope of colors, imparting the whisper of promise that each new beginning speaks of.  To whom where these words spoken and what of their meaning?  To every available soul beneath the unending sky that lends the ears of a dreamer to her mouth...


Hi there!  Bet you're wondering about that opening there....(oh, just admit it, you know you are and things will go much faster that way).  Well, in the spirit of today's post, it just felt appropriate to go for an opening with a bit of grandeur, a little pomp, a little....oomph.  I just needed something to set the stage for the title being reviewed today.  What is that title? Ahh, I see you are a curious one indeed!  Well, I suppose there is no harm in jumping right to the reveal, after all, this one leaves a bit to discuss (you'll see), but I'm afraid I must spare a quick line or so to prevent you from being lost (virtual search parties are WAY to complicated).  To allow the title featured today to have a good chance of leaving it's mark on you, it is highly suggested that you've read The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, or at the very least know the basics of the story.  Today's book of choice is....

by

This is the story of Hester Prynne...but more so of her daughter, Pearl.  In the original classic to which many hold dear, we heard Hester's story, felt her pain and humilation, and wished beyond hope for here to suffer no longer (or at the very least for the sniffling rogue to admit his ill deeds and right the wrong she alone was forced to bear...but I digress...).  The impish Pearl was but a child and near the end of the tale we learn of her move to Europe, but never the events that transpired between point A and point B.  This space in literary time is what this novel sets out to fill.  From the brave faced little girl that received her own share of the scorn shown to her mother, to the teasing lass showing both kindness and abandonment as she saw fit to a young blind boy named Simon who would prove to be attached to her heart in more ways than one, and finally to a grown woman despite to erase her own mistakes in the sight of her husband and yet unable to completely condemn her actions as well as their consquences....this is a multifaceted character that is explored to her fullest extend.  What would happen during the days, months, and years following Hester's decent into the lowest depths of public opinion?  You're about to find out.... (not from me....silly reader....you have to read the book...)

Author Deborah Noyes hits the nail on the head in regards to the writing and story telling style she employs.  It definitely flows similiar in nature to the Hawthorne-ian classic we love.  The events that transpire show us that even one born in the most inconvenient of times and un-acceptable ways can prevail over the odds stacked against them.  Her tale also imparts a lesson that is applicable to real life.  The phrase that comes to mind is "The sins of the father shall be visited upon the son".  Grant it, I'm not certain where the quote came from originally (yeah, Google was a bit confused as well....way too many references)...however if we change father to mother and son to daughter, we've got a good match for the story that unfolds. 

Pearl's fearless nature ends up putting her in similar circumstances...ones familiar in so many ways to that of her mother's "sins".  Now this isn't to say that just because your parents lives went in one direction due to mistakes or ill judgements along the way that you will never break free of them...it just goes to show that in many ways we do end up as our parents before us.  (I'll give you a moment to shake your head in despair and cry "NO" to the ceiling.....are you done?)  It is inevitable.  We are a product, if you will, of our upbringing and as much as we are able to change we do, but there are some things that are naturally ingrained in our characters that can not be altered.  (If you haven't had a moment where you sound like your mother or father yet, don't worry...you will.....muuuuhahahahaha)  In this way, the characters were believeable if not heart-wrenching at times as they sought to find their place in life.  (Now on to my little concern...)

I never could really wrap my head around one part though....it's how the author re-imagined the base story line.  Okay, so we know it's a take off from the original The Scarlet Letter, right?  If that is the case, **SPOILER ALERT** how is it that Dimmesdale is not the father of Pearl?  I mean, the original story has Hester alone in the new settlement, she is eventually with child, and since her husband has been away it's a bit obvious that adultery has been committed.  (Henceforth where the scarlet "A" comes from..) This book was represented as a continuation of her story or at the very least the details behind how Pearl came to be in Europe and the way her life progressed.  **END OF SPOILER...I THINK** Had I known the "creative freedom" taken with the original details from the beginning, I think I may have enjoyed the story even more.  As it was, I was a bit confused...so much so that I even took to reading a quick notes type version of The Scarlet Letter so that I could refresh my memory on who was who and to whom.  (If you would like a refresher before starting, click the link in the first paragraph or so of this post.)

All things considered, it was an enjoyable read.  I felt strongly for Pearl as she wanted to so much from life, and strived to have it all.  Her best friend (and then some) Simon, the blind boy from her childhood...will have you emotional caught up in his daily struggle to interpret a world not often kind to those in his position.  The "kindly" Dr. Devlin (a fitting name indeed, if you just rearrange the letters and subtract one) who swoops in like a summers mist to help the ill stricken folks of the New England town and later lends aid as only he could with a revelation none too discreet.  If you venture into this book, prepare for an interesting ride to say the least....

Copy for review received courtesy of Caitlin at Unbridled Books!  (THANKS!)  To find out more about this title and more, check out their site and (of course) their Twitter page!


(In my search for pictures to include with this post, I discovered this rather funny comic...enjoy!)



Until next time....happy reading!

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Food for Thought: Books-to-Movies, Part Deux

Hi there!  *~waves~*  Welcome back and thanks for stopping by....now it's time to pick your brain...

I rather enjoyed our last 'Food for Thought' session...we had some really good give and take regarding the book cover re-do's.  To take our books-to-movies discussion a bit further, today I am posing two questions to you....(Here goes...are you ready?)

This post in particular as well as the tag team of questions came about after a recent review went live on my site.  Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane was just released as a movie, but many people did not know that it was actually based on a book.  I myself, hadn't heard of it until I saw the movie trailer several months back, but once I did, I had to have it. 


(Part 1)


That being said...the question begs to be asked...which came first, the book or the movie?  Now I'm not talking about into existance....more often than not the book is first.  I mean, how did YOU hear about it first?  Which do you find you run into more...the case where you've read the book and TADA, a movie is now being made?  Or do the movie advertisements spark your curiousity about a book that has been out for several years?



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(Part 2)

Since I've never been one to simply stop being curious about something after one question has been answered....here is another one for you to ponder.  Has there ever been a movie that you've seen first only to have wished that you'd have read the book first?  Or perhaps there's a book that you've read, then gone to see the movie only to have it pale in comparison?  As much as we love the written word, perhaps it is our bookish love that diminishes the film in our eyes.  (Confused?  Hang on...)  I will give you two examples from my own experiences....

Example 1:  Book First, Movie Second
Let's take a look at the Harry Potter series as a whole.  The movies only include so much and so without many of the added details that were dropped on the cutting room floor, the enchantment is never quite complete; on many occasions, one simply has to accept things without valid explanations.  That's not to say I didn't enjoy them immensely, but without the missing details, some thing simply wouldn't have made as much sense.  (Follow me?  Alrighty...time for round 2...)


Example 2:  Movie First, Book Second
We'll go with an even more recent example...Shutter Island.  Let me start by saying, I thoroughly enjoyed the book....however I may have had a higher opinion of the movie had I not read it first.  The movie was good overall and stuck mostly to the book....but there were a few things put one way or the other, or even taken completely out.  They cut corners leaving out many of the things that molded the story.  (For those that have read the book, I speak of the LAW OF FOUR, the escape attempt, and the final closing scene.)  I mean the ending, there's something added in the movie that leaves a far different conclusion to be imagined.  Was it a good addition?  It would work....had not the book ended on a clearer note.


So, I leave it to you, fellow readers.  What have you to say on the subject presented?  The comments are open and waiting for your thoughts...


Until next time....happy reading!

WINNERS: Puppy Love!

Hi there!  I have some exciting news to share with you regarding the most recent contest here at Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers.  If you entered, brace yourself...here comes the moment you've all been waiting for. 


Hosted on my site with the generosity of penned author, Charles Franklin Emery III, we were able to offer to you a chance to win 1 of 5 copies of his book, A Man and His Maniac:  The Bunkie Story.
This ended up being one of the larger contests here at the site as the number of individual people entering climbed to a whopping 19 (that's just the actual people, not the number of entries from all that participated)!  (Okay, so not a lot to some of you super-bloggers out there, but I think that's quite a bit!)
After the author checked in a few times and several communications back and forth, Mr. Emery gave me some fantastic news!  He was so thrilled to see the interest in his title (are you ready)...that he granted a few more copies (here it comes)...to the contest.  Without further adieu, the winners of the 'PUPPY LOVE' contest are......

 
www.bigoo.wswww.bigoo.wswww.bigoo.wswww.bigoo.wswww.bigoo.wswww.bigoo.wswww.bigoo.wswww.bigoo.ws
(that entered)
That's right!  Mr. Emery is supplying 19 total copies in the end that are being shipped out to the winners in the next few days.  (See...it DOES pay off to take a moment and enter a fabulous contest!)  Thanks to everyone that entered, you made this as much fun as it could be!  Enjoy your books and if you get a chance, let me know what you think about it when you've completed it!  I'm always curious to see another's view on a title I've read.

Special thanks to author Charles Franklin Emery III, without whom this contest (and the surprise outcome) would not have been possible.  For more information on both the book, the author and the dog behind the story, check out his site, my review, and the interview!


Until next time....happy reading!


Wednesday, February 24, 2010

The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allan Poe

Well, what do you know.  February is almost at a close and that's means we are two months into the new year.  Crazy how time flys when you're having fun.  So, have you managed to keep your New Year's resolutions still?  I heard a few of you voicing book buying bans and the usual exercise regimen.  How did those work out?  Me...I stayed away from actually making a resolution this year....I'm just trying to be more committed to everything overall.  (No not committed as in crazy, although that would go quite well with the post today...)  In the spirit of being 'committed', I present to you the book choice of the day....

The Fall of the House of Usher
by
Edgar Allan Poe

I know, I know.  It seems like a rather odd choice to pick for a February post, but at the heart of this long told story is a love that is strong and true....even if it is a bit (okay....REALLY REALLY) misguided.  This is the story of the House of Usher....in both the sense of the actual house and the family that resides within.  The narrator whom is not identified by name is a boyhood friend of Roderick Usher.  He has travelled to his home per his request as his sister's health is failing and putting him in a rather bad state.  The doctors are mystified, unable to solve Lady Madeline's bouts of illness.  The evening that our young friend arrives is in fact the first and last time he will ever meet her....in a state of living, that is.  She takes to her chambers and soon her brother is enlisting his friends aid in temporarily entombing her wasted form, for she has passed, leaving him utterly alone.  Or has she?  What is that dreadful moaning that seems to be coming from beyond the grave?  And that scratching....it's like nails on a chalkboard?  What spirit has possessed the 'House of Usher'?  Better question still is WHOSE spirit.....

Originally published in 1839, it is easy to classify this as a spine-tingling classic...but with the longevity it has been able to muster comes only from the chilling tale it portrays.  I must say though...having seen (most of) the House of Usher movie with that famously spooky actor, Vincent Price...the book was much less in storyline than I thought it would be.  It seems that Hollywood had its way with this old-time manuscript embellishing it until it reached a point that they were satisfied.  Does it detract from the story?  No.  Does it make the book any less enjoyable?  No.  In fact, the book accomplishes in under 25 pages, what the movie ends up covering in over an hour of screen time.  If you haven't read the short story, definitely do so....just prepare to have a dictionary there with you as it contains many of the 50 cent words Poe is famous for.  If you haven't seen the movie, I'd recommend that as well, just be warned on how it can drag out a bit and it despite the age of the film, the creepy factor is there.

My copy was obtained via the FeedBooks site.  Check them out for more public domain titles on classics from yesterday.  They won't replace your actual books, but they will add to your portable library for when you don't happen to have a book with you (GASP!  THE HORROR!).

Until next time....happy reading!

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Taste Testing Tuesdays (16)


Good morning (or whatever time it is where you are), everyone!
Welcome to another installment of Taste Testing Tuesdays!
Taste Testing Tuesdays was inspired by 'Teaser Tuesdays', a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading

On the menu this week ... a final taste of the book I shall finish today (oh yeah, one way or another, it's going down..), plus a sampling of my second current read and the new one about to enter the arena!
  Let's take a taste, shall we?




Mother stood across the room and smiled at us as at two small strangers, and said in a bemused voice that she knew of an old country custom; without an inn nearby and with no spare couch on which a visitor might sleep, she would allow us to bundle.  "I see no reason to keep the fire tonight or waste candles."  I felt the brush of Nehemiah's chin as he nodded behind me. -- pg 148, Angel and Apostle by Deborah Noyes







"Evie! Come over here!" Francesa ordered. "Meet Aunt Bitsy, Aunt Beebee, Uncle Croy, and Uncle Gib." I took a breath and walked over to them and shook everybody's hand. Omigod, I thought. How am I supposed to remember who's who? They don't even have real names! -- pg 122, This is Me From Now On by Barbara Dee (ARC)








 


Alice began to get rather sleepy, and went on saying to herself in a dreamy sort of way, "Do cats eat bats?  Do cats eat bats?"  When suddenly, THUMP!! -- pg 8, Stickfiguratively Speaking:  Alice's Adventures in Wonderland retold and illustrated by Jamison Odone (ARC)










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Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
*Grab your current read
*Open to a random page
*Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
*Share the title & author, too, so that other participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

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Until next time....happy reading!

Monday, February 22, 2010

Keeping the Feast by Paula Butturini

Hello, hello everyone!  Welcome back to another exciting week here at Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers!  I trust you all had a wonderful weekend...I managed to get in a fairly decent sized amount of reading as well as take in the movie version of Shutter Island.  It was pretty good, but definitely raised a few questions...my thoughts on which shall be reserved for another post (hey, it will make a great conversation starter for 'Food for Thought' post...you'll see...).  In other news, if you were one of the fantabulous (Like that one?) readers that entered to win a copy of the "Bunkie" book....never fear, there will be a special announcement TOMORROW regarding the winners....a very special announcement indeed....  Moving on....


Today's post is one that I had intended to have up and running last week as the book's official release date was February 18th.  However, due to circumstances somewhat beyond my control, I wasn't completely done reading the title yet....and you know I don't review a book on here that I haven't read so, yup...had to postpone it.  Since I was almost at the end, I stayed up to the wee hours of the morning on Saturday finishing what I had already deemed a tasty reading treat (that will make more sense in a few seconds) and was left satisfied indeed.  Today's book of choice is....

by

A feast for the eyes, a feast for the heart, a feast for the (virtual) mouth....Keeping the Feast has something to please all of your senses in one way or another.  This is a true recollection of life and love...triumph and tragedy...and simply learning to do the best with what one is given...told through that medium that brings us all together...food! Let's face it, it's the one thing that everyone needs and most people enjoy. It's the universal similarity between each of us that can just as easily start a war as it can also bring it to an abrupt halt. The trials of which the author speaks that both she and her family (both extended and blood-relation) experienced will touch your heart, while the food that she recants the tale through will have your mouth watering for more.  Follow along as Paula Butturini and John Tagliabue face the world head-on even if at times illness in its many forms forced one or the other to take a back seat approach.  You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll be hungry for more (I mean story-wise as well as food wise!).

When I submitted my request for the opportunity to review this book, I was drawn by two things.  First of all, the summary (HA!  Gotcha!  Betcha thought I was going to say the cover, right?).  My heritage being a mix of both Northern and Southern Italian, and the mainstay of the events taking place in or around Italy as well as the US.....it simply called to me.  With the amount of details surrounding the sites, sounds, smells, tastes, and people, it is as close as one can come to the real life version without stepping foot on a plane.  The second reason for my requesting this title was the cover and title combination.  Though quiet in its use of subtle tones and font styling, it is that simple beauty that captured my attention and drew me in for a closer look.  It seemed to say to me...I have a story to share.  Come closer so that I may whisper it in your hear and allow you to experience the savory memories that I alone can share.  (Yep, it was wordy, but insistant!) 

Those two initial desires satiated, my heart and mind were open to the story being told.  Underneath the flourish of mouth-watering descriptions and hearty appetites, I discovered the emotional tale of two lives intertwined and yet held separate at times by fate.  We start out with a hardship over a disbanded marriage, move into the joy and promise of a new life and love, dabble in the mysteries of a mind beset by its own overwhelming emotions, and in the end settle on a focus more about the quality of a life existing than of worry about tomorrow.  They travelled the world, encountering life in its many forms; experiencing both the highs and lows offered....all the while, they held steadfast to the love they both shared that would tether them to each new day.  If ever a tale of perserverance, strength, and love existed, you would be hard pressed to displace this new found gem for it's not just the story that enchants...it's the ease of which it is related to the masses through a love and appreciation for food.

Recommended reading for anyone that enjoys a touching story ripped from the pages of yesterday as well as those who know someone that experiences depression as the author shares its effects honestly on not just the afflicted, but also those they hold dear. I would certainly think this book may be a small way to uplift their spirits and see that their future is not as dark as they may imagine.

ARC for review received via Shelf Awareness and Lydia at Riverhead Books.  For information on either party, feel free to click through the links included.....and of course, they can also be found on Twitter!  (here and here)


Until next time....happy reading!

In My Shopping Bag (17)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren.
Through her guidelines, your post does not actually have to be named the same and thus my post shall be..."In My Shopping Bag".  (just fits with the "foodie" theme a bit better in my humble opinion)
Let's take a peek inside my shopping bag from the past week....
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Won


Fairytale of New York by Miranda Dickinson
(SIGNED and a lovely thank you card..how nice!)
(via Twitter contest held by the author)


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For Review


The Winnitok Tales:  The Hunt for the Eye of Ogin by Patrick Doud (ARC)
(courtesy of Kat @ North Atlantic Books)



The Overnight Socialite by Bridie Clark
(courtesy of Anna @ FSB Associates)



The Cutting by James Hayman
(courtesy of the author and Dorothy @ Pump Up Your Book Promotion)
(Look for a blog tour coming through in March!)




Death, Drugs, and Muscle by Gregg Valentino and Nathan Jencrick (ARC)
(courtesy of ECW Press)



This is Me from Now On by Barbara Dee (ARC)
+ 2 goody bags with bookmarks!
(courtesy of the author)
(This ARC is going on a blog tour so once I'm done, it will be sent off to another, but never fear!  You see those two little goodie bags and bookmarks?  When the review goes up, a giveaway will too!  Stay tuned....)

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Purchased


Daily Spanish for Dummies
Spanish Phrases for Dummies
(HEY, no judging...they are little pocket guides for on the go learning!)



Coronado by Dennis Lehane
Pretty Little Liars Series by Sara Shepard
Books 1-4:
Pretty Little Liars
Flawless
Perfect
Unbelievable

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Off on another adventure!
Until next time....happy reading!