Wordless Wednesday

Paderborn, Germany

Cover Attraction - July 15

This is a weekly event hosted by Marcia of The Printed Page every Wednesday.

Marcia says:

I love beautiful, and interesting, cover art so every Wednesday I post my 'Cover Attraction' for the week along with a synopsis of the book. Everyone is welcome to stop by and, if they'd like, post a link to their favorite weekly book cover.

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My find this week is The Best of Times by Penny Vincenzi.

ISBN-13: 9780385528245
Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
Published: July 2009

Synopsis:

In a matter of seconds, absolutely everything can change …

In this masterfully crafted page-turner, peopled with intense characters and centered on one devastating moment that involves them all, plot-twist queen Penny Vincenzi vividly captures how the actions of one person can dramatically affect many in the blink of an eye.

On an ordinary Friday afternoon, on a major motorway outside of London, a trailer truck suddenly and violently swerves across fives lanes of traffic—careening cars into one another like dominoes and leaving a trail of chaos and confusion. Within the space of a minute, an astounding miles-long pileup has amassed, and, as the survivors await help, their stories unfold.

Vincenzi expertly maneuvers the plot between the panic-stricken husband trapped in his car with his young mistress, his adultery sure to be discovered; the bridegroom trying frantically to get to the church on time (he won’t); the widow on her way to reunite with the love of her life after sixty years, now forced to ponder whether she’ll ever see him again; the junior doctor waiting to receive the crash victims in the ER … And at the epicenter of this field of destruction lies the truck driver, suffering from memory loss, while the mysterious hitchhiker, the only person who knows what really happened, has fled the scene.

Spellbound by these intimate and evocative tales, we watch as fate takes its powerful course and the far-reaching effects of the crash ripple through the lives of hundreds of people. Written with incredible verve, candor, and wit, Penny Vincenzi reveals human behavior in all its fascinating detail as she challenges hercharacters to face crisis boldly—and she surprises us with the results at every turn.

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To find out more or participate, go to The Printed Page every Wednesday.

Teaser Tuesdays

TEASER TUESDAYS asks you to:

• Grab your current read.
• Let the book fall open to a random page.
• Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
• You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!
• Please avoid spoilers!

Here's my teaser for today:



I was the world's first brain transplant...

... and the body they'd chosen to transplant my brain into was one of the planet's most famous supermodels.

(Pg 114, Airhead by Meg Cabot)

The Actor and the Housewife by Shannon Hale

ISBN-13: 9781596912885
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA
Published: June 2009
352 pgs

I was first introduced to Shannon Hale's work after reading two of her YA novels: The Goose Girl and Enna Burning. Oh, how I loved these books! So after reading them, I had to rush out to buy the rest of her books.

The Actor and the Housewife is one of her adult books that I am most looking forward to so I was beyond thrilled when Bloomsbury sent me a copy for review!

Before I start writing my thoughts about this book, I want to ask you a question: Do you believe in a platonic relationship between a man and a woman? And what happens if he is a celebrity heart-throb and you are a ... well, an ordinary housewife?

When mormon housewife Becky Jack is seven months pregnant with her fourth child, she meets British celebrity heart-throb Felix Callahan when she is going to seal a deal for a script she has written. From there, they exchanged a few witty remarks and after Felix gave Becky a lift and a drink later, they then found out they clicked and a friendship is born!

However, their relationship is an awkward one because not only their life is so different from each other but also of their marital status. Felix is happily married to French model Celeste Bodine and though she does not seem to have any problem with the issue, Becky on the other hand is worried that she might hurt her husband Mike in a way and she assures him that there is nothing going on between her and Felix. She loves him as a best friend and that is about it.

Though there is no romantic love between Felix and Becky, there is something quite special and unusual about their friendship for one party will feel something is amiss if there is no news from the other party. Mike couldn't help that he gets jealous, and this led Becky to take a deep look into her relationship with Felix and wonder if she could have the best of both worlds without hurting anyone along the process.

I had a wonderful reading experience with The Actor and the Housewife because it is both funny and heartwarming. The love between Becky and Mike is so strong that it melts my heart after reading all the things that happened between them. This book had made me laugh, giggle and cry. There are also a few scenes that are extremely emotional but I am not going there to spoil it for you.

As for Felix and Becky, I would think that things would be different if they have met each other earlier but the point is, can a man and a woman remains the best of friends forever? Reading the last few chapters was like a roller coaster ride to me because of the anticipation. In the end, I mulled over the ending and think, that is it. I suppose it depends on how one reader look at it, and that is all I can say about it.

So what do I think of The Actor and the Housewife? I think it is a refreshing and charming tale of a platonic relationship and I do think there is a slight fantasy wisp to it on a certain aspect. And yes, I enjoyed reading it!

Other reviews:
Book Nut
Books and Movies
Maw Books Blog
The Bluestocking Society
(Let me know if I have missed yours.)

Musing Mondays - Book Covers

Today’s MUSING MONDAYS post is about book covers…

We all know the old adage about not judging a book by it’s cover, but just how much sway does a book cover have when it comes to your choice of book – whether buying or borrowing? Are there any books you’ve bought based on the cover alone?

I don't buy books based on their covers, but I do pick up books with attractive covers simply I am intrigued by their beautiful artwork and I am curious to find out what the stories are about. Personally, I think having an attractive cover is especially important to a debut novel because even if the story is fantastic, it still needs an eye-catching cover so that readers will pick it up and read all about it.

However, that does not mean I will buy any book with an attractive cover either. Though an attractive cover does make me pick up the book, still I will have to check the blurb and see if it interest me enough to buy it. Honestly, I cannot remember if I had bought any books based on the cover alone; I suppose I did on a few occasions and it turned out that the stories aren't that bad after all!

Now that we are discussing about covers, have you ever heard someone commented that certain covers do not fit the story plot well or that the models (never mind if they are illustrations or real life models) have mislead the readers somehow? What do you think of them?

And finally, back to the question... do you judge a book by its cover and have you ever bought any books based on their covers?

The Grand Sophy by Georgette Heyer (And a Giveaway!)

ISBN-13: 9781402218941
Publisher: Sourcebooks, Inc
Published: July 2009
372 pgs




I have not read anything by Georgette Heyer so when Danielle from Sourcebooks contacted me and asked if I want to review The Grand Sophy, I jumped at the offer!

After reading this book, I am happy to declare that I fell in love with Heyer's writing and I think the plot and the characters are very engaging! I liked Sophy Stanton-Lacey and I think she is simply one extraordinary heroine. She is bold, headstrong and a very intelligent young woman and she refused to let anyone bully or get into her way if she doesn't want to. Considering the generation and society at that time, I think what her attitude and some of the tings she did would be most likely to be frowned upon but that does not stop Sophy from doing the things she wanted to do. Simply put, I admired her.

The Grand Sophy begins with Sophy's arrival in the Rivenhall's residence when her father, Sir Horace, is to leave for Brazil and her aunt, Lady Ombersley has agreed to take her into the family temporarily until her father is back.

Sophy caused an uproar when she arrived at the Rivenhall's residence with a magnificent equipage and although the members are flabbergasted by her outrageous behaviour, they quickly warmed up to her and they are quite impressed by her sharp wit and intelligence. However, Charles Rivenhall, the eldest son in the family is not pleased with her at all and thinks she should behave like a real lady. Conflicts arise and sparks fly between them; and he is most certainly not pleased that one of his sisters, Cecilia who always seem to seek for her advice concerning her betrothed whom he deemed favourable but it seems Cecilia already has a gentleman in mind and he is none other than poet Augustus Fawnhope.

It seems this is not the only issue that infuriates Charles. Sophy also goes to extra length in saving his brother from an infamous moneylender when he loses his games and is in debt. Despite she managed to settle things without getting anyone hurt, Charles thinks what she did is improper and he is most certainly shocked that she own a gun and could handle it as well as him! But most of all, what bother him is the way she deals with things in general and her determination in rearranging the lives of anyone she encounters (in particularly the Rivenhall's members), never mind if her intentions are all good.

Seriously, I had great fun reading the exchanges between Charles and Sophy because most of their dialogues had me chuckling, and not to mention it made me wonder when or what it would take to make them see each other in a less prejudice manner. I really liked Sophy; I was in awe of her direct approach when dealing in certain situations and not at all wishy-washy.

I really enjoyed reading The Grand Sophy, and I can totally understand why this book is classified as one of Heyer's most beloved regencies. This is my first Heyer's book but definitely not the last!

Many thanks to Danielle for sending this book to me for review!

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GIVEAWAY!

As The Grand Sophy hits stores officially in July and August is Heyer’s birthday month, Sourcebooks is very generous to offer two copies to my two lucky readers here!

Rules:

• This giveaway is open to US and Canadian residents only, courtesy of Danielle from Sourcebooks.
• Leave your email address in your comment so I can contact you and forward your address to Sourcebooks if you win.
• I will draw the two winners on 31 July (Friday). Good luck!

Thank You! (And We've a Winner!)

First of all, thank YOU so much for all your comments on my blogiversary! I was teary-eyed reading all the comments and well, they mean a lot to me! Thanks again for everything!

Now onto the draw result and according to Random.org, the number drawn is No. 2 and the winner goes to Wendy from Musings of a Bookish Kitty!

Congratulations, Wendy!

Please email me your address and the book title of your choice to melreadingcorner (AT) gmail (DOT) com and I will send the book to you as soon as possible.

Finally, I want to thank everyone for your participation!