tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-45219565484455455192024-03-14T04:20:56.081-05:00The Review GardenThe Review Garden is a blog devoted to the recognition and evaluation of books, movies and television that interest me and hopefully interest others, as well. Enjoy!Lily Blossomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11889323588541803782noreply@blogger.comBlogger28125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4521956548445545519.post-67118026005283698522010-10-05T18:15:00.000-05:002010-10-05T18:15:45.475-05:00The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmgwGM4rHF5XGt-nr1SCbNkjXNvde2TjdhT5yoI-nZuIo_uG4l4isSa6aNHwJGUFHGNd-NRfN5ycFb9qHWtEyh_GIGITf-JXJCMvadNBbi_mhKzHKSttwyjdiuncWGoZQutN7V2ro7G2A/s1600/12b0ddd5af71e34c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmgwGM4rHF5XGt-nr1SCbNkjXNvde2TjdhT5yoI-nZuIo_uG4l4isSa6aNHwJGUFHGNd-NRfN5ycFb9qHWtEyh_GIGITf-JXJCMvadNBbi_mhKzHKSttwyjdiuncWGoZQutN7V2ro7G2A/s320/12b0ddd5af71e34c.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Story-Edgar-Sawtelle-David-Wroblewski/dp/B001SS6JS0?ie=UTF8&tag=review03-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">The Story of Edgar Sawtelle</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=review03-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B001SS6JS0" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> is a novel of epic proportions, both in size (576 pages) and content. Some people describe this novel as a story about a boy and his dogs, but it is much more. At some points it is sweet and at others it is a punch in the gut. At all times it is a masterpiece in story telling. Loosely based on Shakespeare's Hamlet, expect a tragedy. Expect loss. Expect illicit love. <br />
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As a student of Shakespeare, and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Hamlet-New-Folger-Library-Shakespeare/dp/074347712X?ie=UTF8&tag=review03-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Hamlet</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=review03-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=074347712X" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> being one of my favorite plays, I have to say I simply thought The Story of Edgar Sawtelle was brilliantly written. I've noticed MANY reviewers saying they did not like the end of the novel--and without posting a spoiler I will say this--Hamlet' story was a tragedy, and so is the story of Edgar. Tragedies never have happy endings, do they? Of course not. Tragedies reveal the human condition--brutal as it can be, intertwined with love and tenderness. <br />
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One of the most unique transformations from Hamlet to this novel was the character of Ophelia, represented here by a beautiful dog, Almondine. I absolutely loved the chapters written from Almondine's point of view--especially one line where she was noting the delivery of mail on a daily basis--the mailbox caught and released the man every day. (paraphrased) There are many little gems like this scattered throughout the book. <br />
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One element I loved in Hamlet, but is missing from this story, is the advice that Polonius gives his son, Laertes--you know, the famous "Not a beggar nor a borrower be" etc. Polonius is represented by the friendly old vet, Page, and his son is the town's buffoon sheriff deputy. <br />
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Don't think that it is Hamlet retold, though, because the book is not. It stands on its own merits. I'd love to read anything else by Wroblewski.<br />
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I'm usually not a fan of verbose writers, but Wroblewski paints such a vivid image in the reader's mind that I have to say the length and extended descriptions did not bother me and the reading went quickly. <br />
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Highly recommended! 5 Blooms<br />
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<i>No compensation was received for this book review. </i>Lily Blossomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11889323588541803782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4521956548445545519.post-28519840913701457192010-10-05T17:42:00.000-05:002010-10-05T17:42:37.068-05:00The Heavens Proclaim His Glory: A Spectacular View of Creation Through the Lens of the NASA Hubble Telescope<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVw4htJanhEep-d2XAHymqO1XHOXcgRog67S2gAxZ7qyX1M8VCfDPFXNgwmcKjcj50uuNdheQxXYPADE6vLw5XJLgjtcAWwg699YVj_oME1pgVTaBekQ1oOii6GxrBsT6KaoVsgowkACU/s1600/51terk6LqYL._SL500_AA300_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVw4htJanhEep-d2XAHymqO1XHOXcgRog67S2gAxZ7qyX1M8VCfDPFXNgwmcKjcj50uuNdheQxXYPADE6vLw5XJLgjtcAWwg699YVj_oME1pgVTaBekQ1oOii6GxrBsT6KaoVsgowkACU/s320/51terk6LqYL._SL500_AA300_.jpg" width="320" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Heavens-Proclaim-His-Glory-Spectacular/dp/1404189580?ie=UTF8&tag=review03-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">The Heavens Proclaim His Glory</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=review03-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=1404189580" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" />:</span></b><b><span style="font-size: small;"><span id="btAsinTitle"> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Heavens-Proclaim-His-Glory-Spectacular/dp/1404189580?ie=UTF8&tag=review03-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">A Spectacular View of Creation Through the Lens of the NASA Hubble Telescope</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=review03-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=1404189580" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> by Thomas Nelson is a hefty book of glossy photographs of the wonders of space interspersed with praise for God, Bible verses and quotations from notable people. There is no way to describe the pictures other than absolutely stunning. Nelson has found a very unique way to unite science and religion into a book that anyone can enjoy despite their spiritual leanings.</span></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: small;"><span id="btAsinTitle">Each photograph is labeled and many are explained with details of distance from earth, size, and other scientific facts. Complementing each photo is a snippet of spirituality that might come in the form of a Bible verse, a poem, or a quotation. </span></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: small;"><span id="btAsinTitle"> Patsy Clairmont, author and speaker, said "Can you imagine an endless view of color, comets, and sparkling curlicues pirouetting through the heavens? Lean in and be reminded that our Creator continues to shower the cosmos with His glory. These pictures and thoughts make my heart dance with joy!" </span></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: small;"><span id="btAsinTitle"><br />
</span></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: small;"><span id="btAsinTitle">Clairmont is absolutely correct. You can not look at these pictures without knowing, without a doubt, that our supreme creator is the ultimate artist!</span></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: small;"><span id="btAsinTitle"><br />
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</span></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: small;"><span id="btAsinTitle"> </span></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18px;">Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com <<a href="http://booksneeze.com/" style="background-color: transparent; border-width: 0px; color: #0c6bbf; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; outline-width: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">http://BookSneeze.com</a>> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div>Lily Blossomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11889323588541803782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4521956548445545519.post-41958335286794392182010-08-17T00:20:00.001-05:002010-08-17T18:06:42.941-05:00Tell-All by Chuck PalahniukNo one love's the work of Chuck Palahniuk like I do, so I am very excited to be reviewing his newest book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Tell-All-Chuck-Palahniuk/dp/0385526350?ie=UTF8&tag=review03-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Tell-All</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=review03-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0385526350" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" />. I promise I won't tell all--I don't want to spoil the fun!<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Tell-All-Chuck-Palahniuk/dp/0385526350?ie=UTF8&tag=review03-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank"></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=review03-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0385526350" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBvqiCbI_WTAJs_pGoKxlBj6XYWpw2wlkteVy2dFVOOD2HJGWNaW796-LB4b4EFpb_6JvFP5VEPw8_2rrB95KRWmSKk_qGOnL9twHeHSAv-VPXlyU-0ghFG0HY66hQG-G6QWc_d9Z0MQY/s1600/tell-all-med.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBvqiCbI_WTAJs_pGoKxlBj6XYWpw2wlkteVy2dFVOOD2HJGWNaW796-LB4b4EFpb_6JvFP5VEPw8_2rrB95KRWmSKk_qGOnL9twHeHSAv-VPXlyU-0ghFG0HY66hQG-G6QWc_d9Z0MQY/s320/tell-all-med.jpg" /></a></span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"></span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><i><span style="font-size: small;"><b>*Boy Meets Girl. Boy Gets Girl. Boy Kills Girl.</b></span></i><br />
The hyperactive love child of Page Six and Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? caught in a tawdry love triangle with The Fan. Even Kitty Kelly will blush.*</span></span><br />
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<div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Lillian Hellman, can you read this? Chuck writes a winner with this all-star tribute to the glamour and glitz of the Golden Age of the entertainment industry. The story is simple--or is it? First let me start with the writing style. Chuck's last few books have been experimental, frustrating this reader, until I finally declare the experiment "brilliant." Chuck doesn't play with style in Tell-All, but he does do something pretty unique. He "name drops" every single A to D list star from the beginning of celebrity-dom in Hollywood. Hundreds of names. Names I thought were fictitious until I Googled them. And everything he writes about them--their dialogue, their actions--all lies. All Chuck's imagination. Lillian Hellman would be proud!</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">All of these names are intertwined into a brilliant tale of an aging movie star, struggling to hold on to her fame and name, whose vanity rivals that of Dorian Gray. Always present is her dedicated companion, the teller of this tale. Palahniuk weaves a delicious story of husbands, has-bands, deceased pets and orphans hoping. Brilliant! I give this one 5 blooms! </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Disclosure: This book was won in a contest held by Random House and ChuckPalahniuk.net. No compensation was received for this blog entry. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"></span></span></div></div>Lily Blossomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11889323588541803782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4521956548445545519.post-17532635726590117562010-08-11T22:10:00.003-05:002010-08-17T18:49:25.803-05:00I Dreamt of Sausage by Corinna Borden<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7pr0ybD3ofMiWag2Ns8KDF2OIj-MXnlN7MCrriZmiEfSYQaC0pxfPfSWuJ-7BvFNptB6VJjOZRdm6lezU2t5Y_8j92aKYOtgU9mR_0mqaTjedq6v27DWLAL4wIOuWJAa_3zMOu4XmAWY/s1600/sausage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7pr0ybD3ofMiWag2Ns8KDF2OIj-MXnlN7MCrriZmiEfSYQaC0pxfPfSWuJ-7BvFNptB6VJjOZRdm6lezU2t5Y_8j92aKYOtgU9mR_0mqaTjedq6v27DWLAL4wIOuWJAa_3zMOu4XmAWY/s320/sausage.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>As if being newly married to a resident husband who rarely leaves the hospital, separated from family by miles, and finding herself in a small town isn't enough stress for anyone, being diagnosed with lymphoma further complicates things for Corinna Borden. Through journal entries and snippets of episodes of her life we are able to journey with her as she navigates her way, and she does make it her way, her unique journey documented in <a href="http://www.amazon.com/I-Dreamt-Sausage-Corinna-Borden/dp/0578033127?ie=UTF8&tag=review03-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">I Dreamt of Sausage</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=review03-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0578033127" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" />.<br />
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Through out the memoir she does battle--with her family, the medical community, her body and the voices/tapes we all play in our minds. She does her best to escape the toxicity of traditional medicine, often opting for treatments that do not benefit her, delaying treatments that are proven, although unpleasant. She falls victim to unscrupulous New Age gimmicks, taking thousands of dollars of supplements, submitting to daily coffee enemas and subscribing to nonsense-speak at times.<br />
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Corinna's parents and sister and especially her husband are patient and accepting, even when they believe her life is in grave danger. Even the slightest question about her alternative treatments elicit temper tantrums and yelling "You don't support me!" Finally her family just accepts that she is doing what she is going to do. I can't even imagine how hard this was for them, especially for her husband, whose life work is based in science, not New Age magic.<br />
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All in all, Borden writes a courageous recollection of her cancer road trip, and while it isn't the map I would have followed, it was an interesting read and I give this one a solid 3 blooms.<br />
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Disclosure: This book was given to me by the author in exchange for a review. No other compensation was offered and no promise of a positive review was promised to the author.Lily Blossomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11889323588541803782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4521956548445545519.post-83884996142223493502010-06-19T20:18:00.000-05:002010-06-19T20:18:18.826-05:00Dueling Vampire Girlfriends--Sookie VS Bella<div style="text-align: justify;">Whether you are Team Edward or Team Jacob, drooling over Eric's abs or fantasizing about being Bill's Southern Belle, you have got to admit vampire fever has sucked us all in. But, as everyone knows, there is a great divide among the fans of both the HBO <a href="http://www.amazon.com/True-Blood-Complete-First-Season/dp/B001FB4W0W?ie=UTF8&tag=review03-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank"></a>True Blood series, loosely based on Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse novels and the Twilight<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Twilight-Two-Disc-Special-Kristen-Stewart/dp/B001P5HRMI?ie=UTF8&tag=review03-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank"></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=review03-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B001P5HRMI" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> movies based on the novels written by Stephanie Meyer. Rarely will you find that someone is the fan of both. It doesn't have to be an either/or situation, though. Let's compare these two objects of intense vampire desire.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;">First Sookie, played by Anna Paquin. Sookie is bright, confident and never afraid to express her feelings, even if that means pissing off an already aggravated bloodsucker. She's independent and more than once she's saved someone else, even though she's considered to be a weak human. Paquin plays the role fiercely, week after week, season after season, on the small screen, currently on season 3, with the two previous seasons available on DVD or download. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/True-Blood-Complete-First-Season/dp/B001FB4W0W?ie=UTF8&tag=review03-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">True Blood </a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=review03-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B001FB4W0W" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC7csKhw9YSAIgGHnnwltm9FR0DhbaSxVuisPjqQJikksdXB07XfktZkMmB86fQ5i51DWdzDQDHgYZFAAI6CER3TT55CjAm6bt9meBXB6nv3W6CB96adHt6xyc3P062XbNooX5nG6-L0A/s1600/sookie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC7csKhw9YSAIgGHnnwltm9FR0DhbaSxVuisPjqQJikksdXB07XfktZkMmB86fQ5i51DWdzDQDHgYZFAAI6CER3TT55CjAm6bt9meBXB6nv3W6CB96adHt6xyc3P062XbNooX5nG6-L0A/s320/sookie.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Bella, portrayed by Kristen Stewart, on the other hand, is dark and brooding, unsure of herself, full of that angst that goes along with not having a full realization of who she is and where she belongs. She is dependent on having others look out for her, but her neediness provides plenty of opportunities for her knight to rescue her. Rather than tv, Bella has helped the Twilight movies become blockbusters at the theater. The 3rd installment, Eclipse, is set to release in a couple of weeks. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Twilight-Two-Disc-Special-Kristen-Stewart/dp/B001P5HRMI?ie=UTF8&tag=review03-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Twilight</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=review03-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B001P5HRMI" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEHo7HYHYgSlsKxqkAr06PbYVW_FfMdtuwXsj_WWbUGZ9CsdHFnWz2A0sKJTjK2TSsW7yMeO_lq_IJL8jSMpJkkST8BAqOX3Wa5c3MBkdrcMyWEYzk6Y2aTqNYUgWUr6CSE3sj1PYk1PU/s1600/bella.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEHo7HYHYgSlsKxqkAr06PbYVW_FfMdtuwXsj_WWbUGZ9CsdHFnWz2A0sKJTjK2TSsW7yMeO_lq_IJL8jSMpJkkST8BAqOX3Wa5c3MBkdrcMyWEYzk6Y2aTqNYUgWUr6CSE3sj1PYk1PU/s320/bella.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">As different as night and day these two may seem, they both have a similar quality that is quite obvious. They both love their men, fiercely devoted to them, regardless of how apprehensive they were getting involved with them. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">So what do you think? Do you love both? Hate one but love the other? Or are you "over" vampires?</div>Lily Blossomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11889323588541803782noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4521956548445545519.post-72046350689523428772010-06-19T16:27:00.001-05:002010-08-17T18:08:33.004-05:00Pygmy by Chuck Palahniuk<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXZgXCTQ_LdGTeWaUdj4XasbRp7yLdMGvbvrVWTohLiS_m3544jMdp2tuBqDyM-TZD6RkSg61lHY9cYntuHmnCi04MCGxVbxvWoLdkNz4tRs4DtomVkeg2PPT3lWT57sTDNlHZpGibIEQ/s1600/pygmy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXZgXCTQ_LdGTeWaUdj4XasbRp7yLdMGvbvrVWTohLiS_m3544jMdp2tuBqDyM-TZD6RkSg61lHY9cYntuHmnCi04MCGxVbxvWoLdkNz4tRs4DtomVkeg2PPT3lWT57sTDNlHZpGibIEQ/s320/pygmy.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: left;">As a rabid Chuck Palahniuk fan, famous author of the cult classic <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Fight-Club-Novel-Chuck-Palahniuk/dp/0393327345?ie=UTF8&tag=review03-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Fight Club</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=review03-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0393327345" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> boy was I tickled to get <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Pygmy-Chuck-Palahniuk/dp/0307389812?ie=UTF8&tag=review03-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Pygmy</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=review03-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0307389812" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> and start it. As I read the first page, my first response was WTF Chuck?!? Another gimmicky style? Are you trying to drive off readers or just bend our minds? </span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: left;">Rant and Snuff<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Snuff-Chuck-Palahniuk/dp/0307275841?ie=UTF8&tag=review03-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank"></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=review03-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0307275841" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> weren't enough to tickle your creative fancy? The book is written as if it is a first person account of a person whose primary language isn't English, but the account is written in English. For example, flowers are called "plant genitals."<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: left;"><br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" />I almost quit the book, but I kept on, and I finally adapted to the writing style. The story is about Pygmy and his comrades, who were taken from their parents at a very young age and made into weapons of "the state." We never find out which country--Palahniuk does this on purpose--the country who wants to destroy the USA is a composition of what could be many other countries. Anyway, Pygmy and his comrades all enter the USA as foreign exchange students, with their goal to inflict "Operation Havoc."<br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" />I really did enjoy the story, even as distracted as I was by the writing. I really wish Ole Chuck would just weave us a few good novels without the gimmicks. He's a great writer, has a huge base and doesn't need to "play." Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe his gimmicks are forever sealing his fate as one of the greatest contemporary writers of our time.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: left;">*Note-after having time to stew over this novel, and looking back at how difficult it must have been to write it, I see it in a different light--Palahniuk is a genius. I rate this one 4 blooms!</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: left;">Disclosure: This book was purchased by me and I received no compensation for this review.</span></span><br />
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</span></span>Lily Blossomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11889323588541803782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4521956548445545519.post-89411990636634368162010-06-19T03:48:00.004-05:002010-08-17T18:14:41.733-05:00Dazed and Confused: Yes We Were<div style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=review03-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B00029RTAI" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" />So last night I was flipping through the channels, in my insomniac daze, and what do I happen upon but the movie <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Dazed-Confused-Widescreen-Flashback-London/dp/B00029RTAI?ie=UTF8&tag=review03-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Dazed and Confused</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=review03-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B00029RTAI" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> Released in 1993, this movie is the ultimate "flashback to my teens" movie for my generation. The movie is set in Texas, in 1976, on the last day of school before summer vacation. Brought tears to my eyes, remembering the keggers, the smoke, the hot guys in those pants....why can't those pants come back? But I digress. If you get a chance, see this movie. It rocks, literally. I should know, I own the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Dazed-Confused-1993-Various-Artists/dp/B000002L1V?ie=UTF8&tag=review03-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">soundtrack</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=review03-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B000002L1V" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Did I mention it has Matthew McConaughey in tight pants?<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9YOze4flcu74DzWCTZ7woYXxWxTAB9quT0JCcNI5CQ9nuCsWBuNtSN2Ett2kUcCslPyJwe2SpTrqOprPujIVwTha-RIAFs8kz3Nb4IwXKLBOKjbsmmPYvISvDee0OlZQ9DImuEx5R87A/s1600/dazed-and-confused.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9YOze4flcu74DzWCTZ7woYXxWxTAB9quT0JCcNI5CQ9nuCsWBuNtSN2Ett2kUcCslPyJwe2SpTrqOprPujIVwTha-RIAFs8kz3Nb4IwXKLBOKjbsmmPYvISvDee0OlZQ9DImuEx5R87A/s320/dazed-and-confused.jpg" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Okay he was a little creepy in this particular movie--remember his famous line? </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;">"about these high school<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><i style="font-style: normal; font-weight: bold;">girls</i>, man. I<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><i style="font-style: normal; font-weight: bold;">get older</i>, they stay the same age"<b></b></span></span></div><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Now just because *I* was a teen in the late 70's & early 80's doesn't mean I'm not aware of similar movies of different decades--all facilitating the memories of youth misspent. How about</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/American-Graffiti-Collectors-Reunion-Collection/dp/078322737X?ie=UTF8&tag=review03-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">American Grafitti </a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=review03-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=078322737X" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" />for the 60's crowd, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Breakfast-Club-Emilio-Estevez/dp/078322687X?ie=UTF8&tag=review03-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">The Breakfast Club</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=review03-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=078322687X" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> & <a href="http://www.amazon.com/St-Elmos-Fire-Demi-Moore/dp/B00005Q799?ie=UTF8&tag=review03-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">St. Elmo's Fire</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=review03-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B00005Q799" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> for the 80's clubbers and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Varsity-Blues-James-Van-Beek/dp/B00000J11Y?ie=UTF8&tag=review03-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Varsity Blues</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=review03-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B00000J11Y" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> for those babies who were teens in the 90s? All great movies. I'm sure I've overlooked some of your favorites--feel free to set me straight in the comments section!</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Disclosure: I was not given compensation for this post nor was I given any of the DVDs listed in this post. </span></span>Lily Blossomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11889323588541803782noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4521956548445545519.post-15096799988902352312010-06-18T22:46:00.002-05:002010-08-17T18:15:36.296-05:00What Would Susie Say? by Susie Essman<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiezkJOOQ_9AUYgrc1oijkd-hQ8kIqDUO3tbWZEvsyEiETYECgToPnutWyZKL7DRQTWPv97zsARcannbbgSxo5up1pcmq_Wb7qjDbC1klukMEbzRmtZkTEm6gET_Uw6xKKp7kedsTVGXOg/s1600/susie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiezkJOOQ_9AUYgrc1oijkd-hQ8kIqDUO3tbWZEvsyEiETYECgToPnutWyZKL7DRQTWPv97zsARcannbbgSxo5up1pcmq_Wb7qjDbC1klukMEbzRmtZkTEm6gET_Uw6xKKp7kedsTVGXOg/s320/susie.jpg" /></a><a href="http://www.amazon.com/What-Would-Susie-Say-Bullsh/dp/1439150176?ie=UTF8&tag=review03-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">What Would Susie Say?: Bullsh*t Wisdom About Love, Life and Comedy</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=review03-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=1439150176" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /></div>I've been a fan of Larry David's show Curb Your Enthusiasm for a long time, and one of the reasons that I love the show is because of the character Susie Essman plays. I saw Susie on Joy Behar's show and she claims she isn't at all like her character, but she did enjoy yelling at her TV husband. After hearing her talk I had to read her book, so I did.<br />
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I really like Susie Essman's frank and explicit way she expresses herself. I love the fact that she's not afraid to be herself and express herself in her own way, even if that way sometimes resembles some rough language. She also exposes a softer side, especially when she's talking about her new husband and his children. It isn't hard to believe that she got her start in comedy--she's a funny lady.<br />
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If you are a fan of Curb Your Enthusiasm, you'll love this book. Essman writes in a conversational style that is a very quick read. 4 Blossoms!<br />
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Disclosure: No compensation was given for this post. I bought the book.Lily Blossomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11889323588541803782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4521956548445545519.post-21355366693834326292009-05-15T19:53:00.002-05:002010-06-18T22:55:30.657-05:00Freebie Friday Book Giveaway: Entertaining Disasters<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOJ0uKU0dnfWreE7y0HHMlFPigKpFWzAowjhBThR-MkoNHHxSB1l9OJytbwQnkJzwTfCBOeFcu5xz8OlqE0YLVsDmZjfiScZar5y6ZXn8xclt7RIAwu42xHXrQ-L0zZ8QgaON0U2F5p3s/s1600-h/freebiealert.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5336592633376509890" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOJ0uKU0dnfWreE7y0HHMlFPigKpFWzAowjhBThR-MkoNHHxSB1l9OJytbwQnkJzwTfCBOeFcu5xz8OlqE0YLVsDmZjfiScZar5y6ZXn8xclt7RIAwu42xHXrQ-L0zZ8QgaON0U2F5p3s/s320/freebiealert.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 80px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Entertaining-Disasters-Novel-Recipes-ebook/dp/B0028085UW?ie=UTF8&tag=review03-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Entertaining Disasters: A Novel (With Recipes)</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=review03-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B0028085UW" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt20qEOp31QY_zlItzVqmZn57JGNH2idip2FVKK5h6-u1RTxmPDK1__YOOzRmmGcnmi4A8mJAdOJ1ZpWbjCI_LrZFMldQ1sW2WV1_fovvCl06WzgjSe3yF-XAagDxYRYSPhQCgcskSoy4/s1600-h/entertaining.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5336592453675569458" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt20qEOp31QY_zlItzVqmZn57JGNH2idip2FVKK5h6-u1RTxmPDK1__YOOzRmmGcnmi4A8mJAdOJ1ZpWbjCI_LrZFMldQ1sW2WV1_fovvCl06WzgjSe3yF-XAagDxYRYSPhQCgcskSoy4/s320/entertaining.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 210px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 140px;" /></a><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">Today I'm offering up the advanced reader's copy of Nancy Spiller's Entertaining Disasters. I read and reviewed this book for Elle Magazine for January 2009. My review for this book wasn't chosed for publication (my review for Sky Below was chosen, however) but you can see the review in a previous post in this blog. Just click the label for Nancy Spiller ;)<br />
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Here's how to enter to win-<br />
<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Post a comment here</span> (be sure I can contact you to let you know you won),</li>
<li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Comment on my Twitter</span>,</li>
<li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Tweet with this phrase</span> "Win Entertaining Disasters at Reviewgarden.blogspot.com</li>
<li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Link to my blog on your blog, Facebook, or message board</span>.</li>
</ul><br />
You'll have to send me an email to let me know that you've linked to the blog. Each link and comment will count as one entry. Next Friday I will enter each entry in a random generator app and the winner will be chosen. Results will be posted on here and on Twitter on Saturday. Once I have the winner's address, I'll send the book on to its new home!<br />
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Good luck!<br />
Lily<br />
EDITED TO ADD: CONGRATULATIONS TO KATHY! ENJOY THE BOOK! <br />
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<br />
<br />
<br />
</div>Lily Blossomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11889323588541803782noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4521956548445545519.post-59766984458143173272009-05-03T21:32:00.002-05:002009-05-03T21:36:16.275-05:00Freebie Friday Giveaway Winner!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmymE8l2a05sNEPYkzlR7Om2ZRGduLAT6-aohRAvKKC5IPYhohe1fH9uiB4vgfNU8NVPhmk4GXxDkKCH7zK3_3BqmCIzZvWbT41ZBBYMaXuN8xtnAUZJbOn_OhxOQZI8VBrCx9qQuGGMo/s1600-h/winner-graphic.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 258px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmymE8l2a05sNEPYkzlR7Om2ZRGduLAT6-aohRAvKKC5IPYhohe1fH9uiB4vgfNU8NVPhmk4GXxDkKCH7zK3_3BqmCIzZvWbT41ZBBYMaXuN8xtnAUZJbOn_OhxOQZI8VBrCx9qQuGGMo/s320/winner-graphic.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5331791601561399810" border="0" /></a><br />Congratulations to WingsPawsNMagick, our winner of the anthology Frenzy: 60 Stories of Sudden Sex. Thanks to everyone who entered! Better Luck next time!Lily Blossomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11889323588541803782noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4521956548445545519.post-47656446693963838342009-04-30T15:55:00.004-05:002010-08-17T18:20:05.275-05:00Sky Below by Stacey E'Rasmo<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXP4YgUwb7ud4i_ma59WZLb_jX-D1hkDFWkoMQRGVtqixscaWB98Fs55SOX4RwPUul4n97oPZNpznsZTFy0F0i4y3nd9R6bgl-Y7aYCrPdPPqdVJq10wwaSfoK3EIMJr97zV1XdU2jNE4/s1600-h/skybelow.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329107170779024738" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXP4YgUwb7ud4i_ma59WZLb_jX-D1hkDFWkoMQRGVtqixscaWB98Fs55SOX4RwPUul4n97oPZNpznsZTFy0F0i4y3nd9R6bgl-Y7aYCrPdPPqdVJq10wwaSfoK3EIMJr97zV1XdU2jNE4/s320/skybelow.jpg" style="float: left; height: 180px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 119px;" /></a><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Sky-Below-Stacey-DErasmo/dp/0547336276?ie=UTF8&tag=review03-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank"></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Sky-Below-Stacey-DErasmo/dp/0547336276?ie=UTF8&tag=review03-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Sky Below</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=review03-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0547336276" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> by Stacey E'Rasmo <br />
Book Description: At thirty-seven, Gabriel Collins works halfheartedly as an obituary writer at a fading newspaper in lower Manhattan, which, since 9/11, feels like a city of the dead. This once dreamy and appealing boy has turned from a rebellious adolescent to an adult who trades in petty crimes.His wealthy, older boyfriend is indulgent of him to a point. But after a brush with his own mortality, Gabriel must flee to Mexico in order to put himself back together. By novel's end, we know all of Gabriel's ratty little secrets, but by dint of D'Erasmo's spectacular writing, we exult in the story of an imperfect man who was tested by a world that is often too much for him and rises to meet the challenge.<br />
<br />
Lily's Thoughts- (As published in Elle Magazine, January 2009)<br />
Rich in details, sentences spun as expertly as an artist's brush renders a masterpiece, this novel is a tale for the connoisseur of words. We live Gabriel life along side him; the painful departure of his father and subsequent loss of the mother he remembers as being so creative and attendant, who now must fend for him and his older sister. We endure his long wait for life to begin, for his coming of age that never materializes the way he expects it will. We hold witness to the thin line between reality and fantasy, sometimes unable to distinguish the differences. Gabriel, long into adulthood, holds onto an idea of the past, a world he's created in his mind, a world he can never seem to grasp, even as his moves mindless through real life situations and relationships. To me, more than anything, this novel explores the question "If you think something is true, does that make it real?" I give this one 4 blooms.<br />
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Disclosure: This book was given to me by Elle Magazine in exchange for a review.Lily Blossomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11889323588541803782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4521956548445545519.post-88336106334028422292009-04-28T15:42:00.004-05:002010-08-17T18:23:19.288-05:00Petal Pusher: A Rock and Roll Cinderella Story by Laurie Lindeen<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1Bxn14Ec3R0aIGkknXRq5W3CCvvIPsDw-FmLdO4koVHfQynL-Y4NWuKOYeEaaZH8N7e4BmQCwohdsVbbSlRH8K5-tPyNgrSNWVgEthc1gEqO0ZX_Eg9ON3atUKvOg8tB32JVF3pb4YhQ/s1600-h/petal.gif"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329106520494859986" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1Bxn14Ec3R0aIGkknXRq5W3CCvvIPsDw-FmLdO4koVHfQynL-Y4NWuKOYeEaaZH8N7e4BmQCwohdsVbbSlRH8K5-tPyNgrSNWVgEthc1gEqO0ZX_Eg9ON3atUKvOg8tB32JVF3pb4YhQ/s320/petal.gif" style="float: left; height: 320px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 206px;" /></a><br />
<div><br />
<div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3vMA7nqTLi5BHIdzJVwehVTJoj6tyHeTvK75nWhfQ85ExvYejmvUUubTZsjtErzUZtt6p3TI1tqJ3WX5EHQtPGtmPka4Fxue_7AwBaeSPMJnQBQ8JU0ChQvOtNN88F1GrjnkYKl5K58s/s1600-h/petal.gif"></a><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Petal-Pusher-Cinderella-Story-ebook/dp/B003YCQ712?ie=UTF8&tag=review03-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Petal Pusher: A Rock and Roll Cinderella Story</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=review03-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B003YCQ712" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> by Laurie Lindeen</div><br />
<div>Book description-</div><br />
<div>In the years between the meteoric launch of Madonna and Courtney Love, Petal Pusher takes readers on a thrilling journey across rock-and-roll—from the big haired 1980s to the grunge-filled 1990s—when Laurie Lindeen brought her all-girl band Zuzu’s Petals to compete in the indie rock arena.<br />
Minneapolis in the eighties was a musical hotbed, the land of 10,000 lakes and 10,000 bands that gave birth to Prince, the Replacements, and Soul Asylum. For Laurie Lindeen it was the perfect place to launch her rock-and-roll dream. She moved to the city with best friends Phyll (“Annie Oakley meets Patsy Cline”) and Coleen (“former cheerleader gone off the arty deep end”) to crash in decrepit apartments and coax punk rock from crappy used guitars.</div><br />
<div>Lily's Thoughts- (as posted in <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Elle-1-year/dp/B00007AWXX?ie=UTF8&tag=review03-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Elle Magazine</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=review03-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B00007AWXX" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" />, August 2007)</div><br />
<div>Choppy and sometimes incoherent, Laurie Lindeen recounts her story of the turbulent beginnings of her Minneapolis all girl rock and roll band, Zuzu's Petals. Sex, drugs, and rock and roll is the anthem screamed by Lindeen's book, regardless of Lindeen's own lack of confidence and obligatory 1980's angst.. There is no doubt, You, the reader, are along on this journey--the good, the bad, the frequently ugly and incomprehensible. Sometimes juvenile, always brutally honest, the story evolves and grows up, finally, leaving the reader with a sense of relief that Lindeen, finally, is at peace with her past and ready to face the future with her head held up high. 3 blooms for this one.<br />
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Disclosure: This book was given to me by Elle Magazine in return for a review.</div><br />
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<div></div></div>Lily Blossomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11889323588541803782noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4521956548445545519.post-43401562219981763362009-04-27T09:30:00.003-05:002010-08-17T18:24:58.823-05:00My Biplar Road Trip in 4-D by Lizzie Simon<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqyX_2DtpnHOKN_Dc9cDAI3HMoCadDQHUXwd-jHrG_sSKpiv6vErkkyvYtKHk35RGGxI6XcIgCo4yyXXN8SZbGtX3mOJNTdzKz_vxBRnwJ_qM2M5X9NbIHC_3LcPAUNsxnPFVdD8uMW9Y/s1600-h/Detour4.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329101673144068882" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqyX_2DtpnHOKN_Dc9cDAI3HMoCadDQHUXwd-jHrG_sSKpiv6vErkkyvYtKHk35RGGxI6XcIgCo4yyXXN8SZbGtX3mOJNTdzKz_vxBRnwJ_qM2M5X9NbIHC_3LcPAUNsxnPFVdD8uMW9Y/s320/Detour4.jpg" style="float: left; height: 320px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 205px;" /></a><br />
<div><div></div><br />
<div>Book Description-</div><br />
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<div>Detour is the extraordinary first book by Lizzie Simon, a twenty-three-year-old woman with bipolar disorder. We meet her as she is set to abandon her successful career as a theatrical producer in New York City, with plans to hit the road and find other bipolars like herself -- young, ambitious, opinionated, and truth-seeking. Her goal: to speak with them candidly without judgment, fear, or the slightest trace of anything clinical or jargon-laden. She wants their stories in their words. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Detour-Bipolar-Road-Trip-4-D/dp/0743446607?ie=UTF8&tag=review03-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Detour : My Bipolar Road Trip in 4-D</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=review03-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0743446607" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /></div><br />
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<div></div><br />
<div>Lily's Thoughts--</div><div></div><br />
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<div>Lizzie Simon, a diagnosed bipolar, decides to take leave from her job and drive around the country looking for her "herd," people like her, who, because of a defining moment, were diagnosed manic depressive, but, despite the difficulties, were successful and living life to the fullest. What she discovered was that people with bipolar are complex and at times, very hard to define and that success sometimes is just being able to wake up and say "Hey, I'm alive." A quick, powerful read. Highly recommended 4 blooms.<br />
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Disclosure: No compensation was provided for this post. I bought the book. </div><br />
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<div></div></div>Lily Blossomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11889323588541803782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4521956548445545519.post-33391987284148238182009-04-26T15:13:00.009-05:002010-08-17T18:25:56.497-05:00Any Given Doomsday (Phoenix Chronicles, Bk 1) by Lori Handeland<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgazB8hhffo6LZavRlYFMu-HG3SG1swQ-OrLbd04RPV3qRxmQxg1-7KhXcBjfknRRTnxuuZhw9nqCVtm2IlHjHckRUYDKqq2LSx_3jyD8CV8i-TfkCAWLkmjFJqyOC_kWGxskA_X_r5f10/s1600-h/doomsday.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329098240161467394" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgazB8hhffo6LZavRlYFMu-HG3SG1swQ-OrLbd04RPV3qRxmQxg1-7KhXcBjfknRRTnxuuZhw9nqCVtm2IlHjHckRUYDKqq2LSx_3jyD8CV8i-TfkCAWLkmjFJqyOC_kWGxskA_X_r5f10/s320/doomsday.jpg" style="float: left; height: 193px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 120px;" /></a><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Given-Doomsday-Phoenix-Chronicles-Book/dp/0312949197?ie=UTF8&tag=review03-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Any Given Doomsday (The Phoenix Chronicles, Book 1)</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=review03-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0312949197" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /><br />
<div>Any Given Doomsday (Phoenix Chronices, Bk 1)<br />
by Lori Handeland. </div><br />
<div></div>Book Description-<br />
<div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2MaSyPo3LLZetPCd_HS_lZKmoje1_ZtVKs8P-kwgPtGgUNDzFjvoHm3L5viO6a0Uy5cURTuR3QwgXO9b0oB02OE3tPU-veHEnuwqNOdhXJCs-YhfyUGsOlFQcY1LYgOZhaW0Eo634n9w/s1600-h/doomsday.jpg"></a>Elizabeth Phoenix once used her unique skills as a psychic to help in the Milwaukee Police Department's fight against injustice. But when Liz's foster mother is found viciously murdered—and Liz is discovered unconscious at the scene—her only memory of the crime comes in the form of terrifying dreams...of creatures more horrific than anything Liz has seen in real life. What do these visions mean? And what in the world do they have to do with her former lover, Jimmy Sanducci? </div><br />
<div>Lily's Thoughts-</div><br />
<div>Almost condemning Any Given Doomsday from the beginning, I decided to plod on through and eventually found myself enjoying this somewhat of a paranormal romance meets Buffy the Vampire Killer story. Liz Phoenix, a feisty psychic orphan, is destined to be the savior of the earth. With the help of DKs, or Demon Killers, she must lead the battle between good vs. evil. I found this a rather ambitious goal of the author and, although there are entertaining aspects of the novel, I feel that, for the first book of this series, Handeland falls short. The first 1/3 of the novel was choppy, almost incoherent. The second third was better, but was riddled with flat circular dialogue that seems to just be a filler. The last third was where the meat of the story lay. Handeland has the bare bones started for a great series. Let's hope the next book does a better job at entertaining.</div><div></div><div>3 Blooms<br />
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Disclosure: This book was given to me by the publisher in exchange for a review. </div>Lily Blossomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11889323588541803782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4521956548445545519.post-49788604152729346252009-04-25T09:30:00.002-05:002010-06-18T23:36:00.334-05:00Guest Review: Black Baby, White Hands: A View From the Crib<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirmD96m4dKpPHZcoStnJ4PSCjH4nTGSuqG8EaqO__mGxmAHXFHK8cM_wg1aBx9anhv4XJjBrVzuedOzdVTjATAgVrOGO88ttEDYx2viAh_wsDSM57hTxOKVtz_D0VG-N2eS0akAwt5N-s/s1600-h/blackbaby.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5328080377552770082" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirmD96m4dKpPHZcoStnJ4PSCjH4nTGSuqG8EaqO__mGxmAHXFHK8cM_wg1aBx9anhv4XJjBrVzuedOzdVTjATAgVrOGO88ttEDYx2viAh_wsDSM57hTxOKVtz_D0VG-N2eS0akAwt5N-s/s200/blackbaby.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 190px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 123px;" /></a><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Black-Baby-White-Hands-View/dp/0971330816?ie=UTF8&tag=review03-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Black Baby White Hands: A View from the Crib</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=review03-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0971330816" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" />Hello everyone! We have a special guest reviewer today, Sherrie, a good friend that I met through a group we both love! She lives in Texas and is a foster and adopted mother. I'm very proud to call her my friend and happy that she has decided to share a bit of her life with us in this review.<br />
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Black Baby, White Hands: A View From the Crib by Dr. Jaiya John, Soul Water Rising, publisher<br />
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Sherrie's Thoughts:<br />
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I don't know if it was necessarily my favorite book I've read in the last year, but is sure has stayed with me the longest. It's called Black Baby White Hands: A View from the Crib by Dr. Jaiya John<br />
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Admittedly, it was a very difficult read for me. When I decided to adopt transracially and as a single parent, I didn't do so lightly. I wanted to read everything written, look at the subject from all sides and go into it with my eyes wide open. I didn't get this particular book until last year as it was on my wish list for a while and honestly, wasn't one that I thought to go out and buy. Boy, I sure wish I would have.<br />
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I read TONS of books by adoption professionals, therapists, social workers , adoptive parents, children's books regarding adoption and "non-traditional" families, but truthfully there aren't very many written by adult adoptees especially those adopted transracially or by single parents from from foster care (maybe I should write one heh?? LOL)<br />
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Anyway, Dr. John is obviously very well spoken and possesses a gift of the English language - beautiful prose throughout the book. Initially, it was very hard for me to get through the book as Dr John kept pointing out all of the things he had wished his parents had done or not done or did differently, etc, etc. I kept identifying with the adoptive parent (s) and quite frankly vacillated between finding myself lacking as a parent or Dr. John unappreciative and unsympathetic to his parent's journey into transracial parenting with absolutely no map.<br />
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However, toward the end of the book, it was obvious that he greatly loved his parents and that things were okay.<br />
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It was only after I had read the entire book, and was able to reflect that I was able to take from the book that it was HIS story, not the story of his parent's journey as transracial parents, but a story of a black boy raised in a white home, with white parents living in a (mostly) white community - his feelings of isolation, lack of identity and struggle to find himself. I guess what this book has helped me realize is - until the world is truly color blind, I won't raise my son to be.<br />
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I'm not going to raise him wearing rose-colored glasses about the world and the people around him. I'd be doing him a disservice if I did. My son is black and I want him to know that and be proud of it. That's part of who he is.<br />
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One of my biggest peeves, is when people tell me that oh, I bet you don't even notice that he's black, he's just your son. That is absolutely not true. Being black is part of who is he, I don't love him regardless of whether or not he is black, one of the many reasons that I love him because he is black.<br />
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Speaking of adoption and foster care , of the 19 children that I've fostered, 18 have been children of color. Of those 18 , 9 have been African American. I feel it truly is my calling to foster and adopt African American Children most especially males. They are the hardest to place and to get adopted. For me this is an intently personal issue - and I hope one that resonates for all of those fortunate enough to read this book.Lily Blossomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11889323588541803782noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4521956548445545519.post-43133466979675911792009-04-19T22:17:00.011-05:002010-06-18T23:41:05.169-05:00Freebie Friday Book Giveaway: Frenzy: 60 Stories of Sudden Sex<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg3DKGOHMQm72N0N8WSY6QciND4VR6veizPpaOimJYswWSzaGSMa1Q1UYksB_iSkMEGY__PqCkHYP65eBKk-4L_CgobMzRJzdvlioaXTSIae0ojMoZsplNHmZNYhiNBsvoLBekzvDmuTc/s1600-h/freebiealert.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5328062989892448290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg3DKGOHMQm72N0N8WSY6QciND4VR6veizPpaOimJYswWSzaGSMa1Q1UYksB_iSkMEGY__PqCkHYP65eBKk-4L_CgobMzRJzdvlioaXTSIae0ojMoZsplNHmZNYhiNBsvoLBekzvDmuTc/s200/freebiealert.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 200px;" /></a><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Frenzy-60-Stories-Sudden-Sex/dp/157344331X?ie=UTF8&tag=review03-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Frenzy: 60 Stories of Sudden Sex</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=review03-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=157344331X" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlTbbG8C_l1kIWyf2dSbgdeS-ZrZtn1QXUgBn-nguDxtyv9AqzJFHaks8N0abO03N9wat_Lrw1IFuX6erMQ5DKzb5YrzgGGW_K9GAsIWDgaAyhNMyItTb9UCUItGtcJGXkhrZi-RTgCbk/s1600-h/frenzylarge.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5328062818639772722" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlTbbG8C_l1kIWyf2dSbgdeS-ZrZtn1QXUgBn-nguDxtyv9AqzJFHaks8N0abO03N9wat_Lrw1IFuX6erMQ5DKzb5YrzgGGW_K9GAsIWDgaAyhNMyItTb9UCUItGtcJGXkhrZi-RTgCbk/s320/frenzylarge.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 291px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 200px;" /></a><br />
This weeks Freebie Friday Book Giveaway title is Frenzy: 60 Stories of Sudden Sex, an anthology edited by <a href="http://www.alisontyler.com/home.html">Alison Tyler</a> and published by Cleis Press, 215 pages trade paperback. The book has a story each by two of my favorite authors--<a href="http://www.jaynepupek.com/">Jayne Pupek</a>, author of the most awesome Tomato Girl, and<a href="http://www.gwenmasters.net/"> Gwen Masters</a>, author of numerous hot and sexy short stories and publications. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Gwen Masters has generously signed this copy on her short story page.</span> This collection of quickies is HOT!<br />
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Since this book is most definitely of an adult nature, please only those who are 18+ are eligible to win.<br />
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Here's how to enter to win-<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Post a comment</span> (be sure I can contact you to let you know you won), <span style="font-weight: bold;">comment on my Twitter</span>, or<span style="font-weight: bold;"> link to my blog on your blog, Facebook, or message board</span>. You'll have to send me an email to let me know that you've linked to the blog. Each link and comment will count as one entry. Next Friday I will enter each entry in a random generator app and the winner will be chosen. Results will be posted on here and on Twitter on Saturday.<br />
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Good Luck!<br />
LilyLily Blossomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11889323588541803782noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4521956548445545519.post-23079632698067723372009-04-19T21:41:00.001-05:002010-08-17T18:28:01.128-05:00DVD: The Secret Life of Bees<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQOWFkcD72pacUD_5tNRvsbmNwEdNLjlgVV6lwlP0Fwq08-0VvY2Eyu0yuG8DHkXySa6qSMYNvzYHbqnzSDpZYSDfDeAGpgjoQqZXB0s3Wed-5dq-S5ki8vVIxU-PNld7KKTZuG6WIEVI/s1600-h/the_secret_life_of_bees_dvd.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5325856596241271458" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQOWFkcD72pacUD_5tNRvsbmNwEdNLjlgVV6lwlP0Fwq08-0VvY2Eyu0yuG8DHkXySa6qSMYNvzYHbqnzSDpZYSDfDeAGpgjoQqZXB0s3Wed-5dq-S5ki8vVIxU-PNld7KKTZuG6WIEVI/s200/the_secret_life_of_bees_dvd.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 200px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 150px;" /></a><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Secret-Life-Bees-Monk-Kidd/dp/0143114557?ie=UTF8&tag=review03-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">The Secret Life of Bees</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=review03-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0143114557" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> was one of the best movies I've ever seen. Often, when a movie is an adaptation of a novel, as this one was, the movie version is often lacking. This is so not true of this movie. It captures the essence of Sue Monk Kidd's beautiful book.<br />
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Set in South Carolina in 1964, The Secret Life of Bees tells the story of Lily Owens (Dakota Fanning), whose life has been shaped around the blurred memory of the afternoon her mother was killed. When Lily's fierce-hearted black "stand-in mother," Rosaleen (Jennifer Hudson), insults three of the deepest racists in town, Lily decides to spring them both free. They escape to Tiburon, South Carolina -- a town that holds the secret to her mother's past. Taken in by an eccentric trio of black beekeeping sisters, August Boatwright (Queen Latifah), June (Alicia Keys) and May (Sofie Okonedo), Lily is introduced to their mesmerizng world of bees and honey, and the Black Madonna. This is a remarkable novel about divine female power, a story that women will share and pass on to their daughters for years to come.<br />
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Lily's Thoughts-<br />
Queen Latifah (Dana Owens) is impressive as August Boatwright, the matriarch of the three beekeeping sisters, but all of the women stand out as strong, self-confident, independent women. This movie will touch you, it will connect you with the feminine divine, you'll be weeping one second and laughing out loud the next. Issues touched upon include racism, sexism, mental illness, abuse, and civil rights. If you want to see a movie with a great plot and terrific acting, you don't want to miss this one.<br />
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5 Blooms<br />
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Disclaimer: No compensation was given for this post. The book and DVD were purchased by the reviewer.Lily Blossomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11889323588541803782noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4521956548445545519.post-61600670142721682612009-04-19T21:24:00.006-05:002010-08-17T18:29:12.411-05:00Heart in the Right Place: A Memoir by Carolyn Jourdan<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQwHhJirys7mkm12_ouLQ5orvoacvJQK6CvBgBjjdtLMM8Yj0qswZFTdaJ-44m3Uqx9M4dq47ZGXkeMzW0Wsb58xe9Y-EvEQHxK40A4YgweI7aXTiQve-z1XijskrnHn8tOJ_ZlCiNMmw/s1600-h/heart.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5326596131996428898" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQwHhJirys7mkm12_ouLQ5orvoacvJQK6CvBgBjjdtLMM8Yj0qswZFTdaJ-44m3Uqx9M4dq47ZGXkeMzW0Wsb58xe9Y-EvEQHxK40A4YgweI7aXTiQve-z1XijskrnHn8tOJ_ZlCiNMmw/s320/heart.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 320px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 216px;" /></a><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Heart-Right-Place-Carolyn-Jourdan/dp/1565126130?ie=UTF8&tag=review03-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Heart in the Right Place</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=review03-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=1565126130" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /><br />
<div class="bookinfo_sectionwrap"><div class="bookinfo_section_line book_title_line">Heart in the Right Place: A Memoir</div><div class="bookinfo_section_line">By Carolyn Jourdan</div><div class="bookinfo_section_line"><br />
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Carolyn Jourdan, an attorney on Capitol Hill, thought she had it made. But when her mother has a heart attack, she returns home-to the Tennessee mountains, where her father is a country doctor and her mother works as his receptionist. Jourdan offers to fill in for her mother until she gets better. But days turn into weeks as she trades her suits for scrubs and finds herself following hazmat regulations for cleaning up bodily fluids; maintaining composure when confronted with a splinter the size of a steak knife; and tending to the loquacious Miss Hiawatha, whose daily doctor visits are never billed. Most important, though, she comes to understand what her caring and patient father means to her close-knit community. With great humor and great tenderness, Heart in the Right Place shows that some of our biggest heroes are the ones living right beside us.<br />
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Lily's Thoughts-<br />
Carolyn Jourdan's amusing but poignant spiritual journey into what is really most important in life does not disappoint. Jourdan comes back home to rural Tennessee from her prestigious job in Washington, DC to help her father, a doctor, while her mother, his receptionist, recuperates from an illness. Her descriptions of the parade of eccentric but lovable characters through her father's small country medical practice leave the reader completely absorbed into the story and wanting more. By the end of the story a realization sets in--success is not measured by fame, money, or location of residence--but by the small, although significant, differences for the better we make in others lives.<br />
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5 Blooms<br />
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Disclosure: This book was given by Elle Magazine in exchange for a review. </div></div>Lily Blossomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11889323588541803782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4521956548445545519.post-48816484374206378662009-04-19T20:32:00.007-05:002009-04-26T20:30:42.670-05:00Author Spotlight: Carolyn Jourdan<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2T_zSK6Pb1Jf1m8Nj4vKT9Uy5ASZWaR0erchUMykDWPNGh4DozjAN7AIcKDaGcHLv5xn9M6WmfD4xgWPHEGRk6mAPjAa8hJ30zqZwf00y8Ch0UvMmHrkqVrEA_0hyphenhyphenoD5kn-RNu8m0TzI/s1600-h/authorspotlight.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 43px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2T_zSK6Pb1Jf1m8Nj4vKT9Uy5ASZWaR0erchUMykDWPNGh4DozjAN7AIcKDaGcHLv5xn9M6WmfD4xgWPHEGRk6mAPjAa8hJ30zqZwf00y8Ch0UvMmHrkqVrEA_0hyphenhyphenoD5kn-RNu8m0TzI/s400/authorspotlight.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5326593333023379634" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">I'm proud to announce that Carolyn Jourdan is the first author to be spotlighted on this blog. Those of us who have read Carolyn's beloved <a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=XPRgNQAACAAJ&dq=heart+in+the+right+place&ei=H9vrSb6VNY62zASy8fDDCA"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Heart in the Right Place</span></a> can't wait to see what she brings us next. </span><br /><br />For those who haven't had the pleasure, <span style="font-weight: bold;">Heart in the Right Place</span> is "the true story of a spoiled, high-powered Washington lawyer forced to give up a glamorous job at the Senate, come back home to the Smoky Mountains, and work as an unpaid and inept receptionist in her father's tiny medical office. Comedy, pathos, and bad reception follow." The book is the winner of numerous awards and critical acclaim.<br /><br />Carolyn's website, <a href="http://www.carolynjourdan.com/">www.carolynjourdan.com</a>, is chocked full of fun. You'll find everything from podcasts to her comedy blog. You'll also see the many, many accolades that her book has received. You can even click a link to hear her self-proclaimed hillbilly accent!<br /><br />Each author spotlight will ask the featured author the same three questions. Here's what Carolyn has to say-<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 102, 0);">What was your inspiration?</span><br />James Herriot’s "All Creatures Great and Small", my wacky family, and our amazing Smoky Mountain community.<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0); font-weight: bold;">How has completing this project changed you?</span><br />Getting an objective look at yourself is agonizing, but useful. Working on a memoir and then going through the editorial process is a really valuable chance to get insight into how you go about in the world. Once you recover from the shock, you have the chance to tweak any aspects of yourself you’re not particularly proud of. In my case, the follow-up “tweaking” was a mammoth undertaking.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 102, 0);">What are you working on now/next?</span><br />I’m finishing up "The Laying on of Hands", a collection of true stories from country doctors, each of whom at the time of telling had been in practice for 40-60 years. The stories concern absurd or terrifying real life peak moments from the careers of dozens of men who worked alone in some of the most isolated and poverty-stricken areas of the country.<br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><br />Great answers! Thank you, Carolyn, and thank you to our readers!<br /></div><br /><br /><br /></div>Lily Blossomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11889323588541803782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4521956548445545519.post-30609572727053027092009-04-17T21:18:00.004-05:002009-04-17T21:21:22.288-05:00Week 1 Giveaway Winner!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgevhabYHRZmRRgjzPDWLEjxzdPhp72ccuHRN5UvYFNR0MgWLjKAVNDbEfBD73VgPCnuYzSUKeZW3UqgzoskXMJD4X3i2uFZ7JoqB7k8bFsb1zG_dyZA468_hy7d44fICn0YQ0NTFqAMuI/s1600-h/winner-graphic.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 162px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgevhabYHRZmRRgjzPDWLEjxzdPhp72ccuHRN5UvYFNR0MgWLjKAVNDbEfBD73VgPCnuYzSUKeZW3UqgzoskXMJD4X3i2uFZ7JoqB7k8bFsb1zG_dyZA468_hy7d44fICn0YQ0NTFqAMuI/s200/winner-graphic.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5325850452611411314" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="status-body"><span class="entry-content">We have a winner for week 1 book giveaway! Congratulations "kat lw." Week 2's book will be up on Satuday, April 17. Enjoy <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Red Book</span>!<br /></span></span></div>Lily Blossomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11889323588541803782noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4521956548445545519.post-26531266646506261592009-04-11T19:33:00.005-05:002010-06-19T00:07:52.605-05:00Book Giveaway #1- Signed 1st Ed. Trade Paperback of Aaron Rogier's The Red Book<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Red-Book-Aaron-Rogier/dp/0578013142?ie=UTF8&tag=review03-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">The Red Book</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=review03-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0578013142" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Red-Book-Aaron-Rogier/dp/0578013142?ie=UTF8&tag=review03-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">The Red Book</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=review03-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0578013142" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Red-Book-Aaron-Rogier/dp/0578013142?ie=UTF8&tag=review03-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">The Red Book</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=review03-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0578013142" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" />Welcome to Lily's first book giveaway! What I have for you today is a signed, First edition, trade paperback copy of The Red Book-Musings of a Manic Depressive.<br />
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The author's website is http://www.aaronrogier.net/alephsubaleph/redbook.html<br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Here's how to enter the contest-You can do 1 or all 3, and if you do all 3, that's 3 chances to win!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">1. Become a follower of this blog. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">2. Leave a comment on any of the posts. If you leave the comment anonymously, please note I will have no way to contact you to let you know if you've won.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">3. Become a Follower on Twitter.</span><br />
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That's it! This one is an easy one! Enter today! A winner will be chosen at random on Friday, April 17.<br />
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<span style="font-size: 78%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Disclaimer: I will never give away or sell your email address or identifying information.</span></span>Lily Blossomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11889323588541803782noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4521956548445545519.post-69955481004979014102009-04-09T19:33:00.006-05:002010-08-17T18:32:02.948-05:00Lima Nights by Marie Arana<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitAXkELKxNKIxKvtOSGN83p3jy3z4ZL2v9nbbE2_UOa4uJ68_aw3yw9hBItYkVsxaBeM8njfHaRY1O6Dc5hkn1Fh7-q2VcQ5wDaRG00kwrOBxwFwS5oBGyNv-737OXzeEGO8SUBMxWdXs/s1600-h/9780385342582.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322855569090486146" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitAXkELKxNKIxKvtOSGN83p3jy3z4ZL2v9nbbE2_UOa4uJ68_aw3yw9hBItYkVsxaBeM8njfHaRY1O6Dc5hkn1Fh7-q2VcQ5wDaRG00kwrOBxwFwS5oBGyNv-737OXzeEGO8SUBMxWdXs/s320/9780385342582.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 320px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 212px;" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana;">If you are looking for a novel that grabs you and doesn't let go until the final paragraph, you've found it in <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Lima-Nights-Novel-Marie-Arana/dp/0385342594?ie=UTF8&tag=review03-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Lima Nights</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=review03-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0385342594" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" />. The book is more than a tantalizing, erotic love story between generations, but a statement that exposes the desperation of indigenous people who live in filth and extreme poverty in contrast to the wealthy German immigrants, who dine on delicacies and live in extravagantly furnished homes, complete with armed guards. Desire and desperation combine into a combustible need; Bluhm, looking for respite from his stifling, unfulfilled marriage, is drawn to Maria's youth and fierceness, while Maria, physically starving, needs to escape the slum she was born into, knowing that if she doesn't, she will be resigned to live the same fate as her mother, sees Bluhm as her saviour. Both Bluhm and Maria are hungry, ravenous, and Arana does very well bringing out the passion between them, and then letting the story evolve naturally, with an ending reminiscent of the masters of classical literature.<br />
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4 Blooms</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana;">Disclosure: This book was given in exchange for a review.<br />
</span>Lily Blossomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11889323588541803782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4521956548445545519.post-53317581851026087892009-04-09T19:15:00.006-05:002010-08-17T18:33:14.087-05:00The Gilda Stories: A Novel by Jewelle Gomez<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXenCKYuZECIHMUem6ksDgaIPS46ebBarNVd9bBgtrR-xsgiqj8NyMJg6gQftIv_hE_VPu_cFrxkh3z7yfvtrhD5HAC1ZoXgsqWZKayEpSiagt5mE1yuA_t2Wu8wVIHr5gFmbGYeb5GnM/s1600-h/9780932379948.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322851638668084514" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXenCKYuZECIHMUem6ksDgaIPS46ebBarNVd9bBgtrR-xsgiqj8NyMJg6gQftIv_hE_VPu_cFrxkh3z7yfvtrhD5HAC1ZoXgsqWZKayEpSiagt5mE1yuA_t2Wu8wVIHr5gFmbGYeb5GnM/s320/9780932379948.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 320px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 202px;" /></a><br />
<i><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><br />
</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Gilda-Stories-Jewelle-Gomez/dp/1563411407?ie=UTF8&tag=review03-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">The Gilda Stories</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=review03-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=1563411407" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" />, a novel about vampires, but much more....it is a story about longing, living in the past, trying to define oneself by criteria that is inconsistent with the reality of one's existence. Gilda moves though her life, extended through vampirism, searching for a place to call home and wanting a lover who will never leave. Her conflict is her inability to leave her life as a human behind and take on the characteristics of a vampire's life. Gomez's writing is concise and gripping. I enjoyed this novel immensely.</span> <span style="font-family: verdana;"> This novel has lesbian themes, although I wouldn't necessarily label it as a lesbian novel. It also delicately deals with race and class issues over a generations, from the brutality of slavery to the generalizations of theater and urban life.<br />
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4 Blooms</span></i><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: verdana;">Disclosure: No compensation was given for this review. </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;"><br />
</span></i>Lily Blossomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11889323588541803782noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4521956548445545519.post-3774967569879083972009-04-09T19:00:00.005-05:002010-08-17T18:35:32.794-05:00Here's the Story: Surviving Marcia Brady and Finding My True Voice by Maureen McCormick<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgCilC65KKySLrhDaGynkKHmFIaf02LOyV_hGE5JJ_gUulDFtx8Swp4q0JcGREmaim-HmuCdFjuHrmELxr1ZLar652-v8s05IKhfHbyIgrGaPGhKGlSeKZspEGxTcq8hwHlXSqB390qkc/s1600-h/9780061734861.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322848339105743410" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgCilC65KKySLrhDaGynkKHmFIaf02LOyV_hGE5JJ_gUulDFtx8Swp4q0JcGREmaim-HmuCdFjuHrmELxr1ZLar652-v8s05IKhfHbyIgrGaPGhKGlSeKZspEGxTcq8hwHlXSqB390qkc/s320/9780061734861.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 320px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 210px;" /></a><span style="font-size: 100%;"></span><br />
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<i><b></b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />
</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Let's see---</span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana;">Snorting coke in the 70's-----$250,000</span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana;"> Two abortions-----------------$ 1,000</span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana;">Kissing rear to every well known studio producer in Hollywood---Priceless.</span> <span style="font-family: verdana;"> But this memoir wasn't priceless.</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Heres-Story-Surviving-Marcia-Finding/dp/B002EQ9LC6?ie=UTF8&tag=review03-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Here's the Story</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=review03-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B002EQ9LC6" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /> was downright boring--until you get to the end, then it is just bizarre. McCormick tried as hard as she could to make it read as if she has a hard, tough, rough life---but I don't buy it. This was a way to get some media attention and make a few dollars. The publisher could have at least proofread the manuscript--for example, chapter 10, second page--what exactly is "essentically?"</span> <span style="font-family: verdana;"> Read it if you have to, but don't think you are missing out if you skip this one.<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">2 Blooms</span></span></i><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Disclosure: No compensation was given for this review. </span><br />
</span></i>Lily Blossomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11889323588541803782noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4521956548445545519.post-23321420102734838172009-04-09T17:50:00.006-05:002010-08-17T18:38:58.364-05:00The Red Book: Musings of a Manic Depressive Phase: Manic A Collection of Poetry by Aaron Rogier<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRKZcOXqFF09kM5Rj3TfB0aRwpfIpCpw3OLM_kQH4MzqLHNPbM3lDWm1erwio_P1Ogxut3hhUopwQZbJxHXC5zh5CtDK8I0MDorL4eS7rREfPOBV_CuVGhxbmc9L4Tdt2PjbPtr7ySM5E/s1600-h/c800de9de3b30cda00600f32de45b3c8.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322829757364720578" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRKZcOXqFF09kM5Rj3TfB0aRwpfIpCpw3OLM_kQH4MzqLHNPbM3lDWm1erwio_P1Ogxut3hhUopwQZbJxHXC5zh5CtDK8I0MDorL4eS7rREfPOBV_CuVGhxbmc9L4Tdt2PjbPtr7ySM5E/s320/c800de9de3b30cda00600f32de45b3c8.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 190px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 125px;" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />
From the author- "I publish this work in defiance of the stigma that is thrust upon so many persons.<br />
<br />
Lily's Thoughts-<br />
<br />
As a person who lives with being labeled manic-depressive, more recently called bipolar, I was excited to read poetry written by a fellow manic-depressive. The complete title of the book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Red-Book-Aaron-Rogier/dp/0578013142?ie=UTF8&tag=review03-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">The Red Book</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=review03-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0578013142" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" />: Musings of a Manic Depressive Phase, claims that what is contain within is from the Manic cycle of bipolar, but many of the poems seemed to have a tinge of depression, or maybe of a hopelessness. Rogier must be commended for standing up and saying that we will be stigmatized no more--but I don't see much in this collection that would give outsiders any indication of what it is like to be bipolar, much less manic. The author does make good use of metaphor, mania is fire, the sluggishness and disconnect feelings of the drugs are mud, and depression is water. The poems do convey a sense of fear of not being able to maintain a mood homeostasis.</span> <span style="font-family: verdana;">As poetry is always subjective to one's tastes, I won't say that people will not enjoy Rogier's collection. Many will, but for me, the endless rhyming couplets were distracting. I could not determine any discernible meter within the poems. Having said that, I think the author has the talent to write prose, and hope to see that in the future. I believe that poetry might be too limiting for the ideas he is so vehemently trying to convey.<br />
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3 Blooms</span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana;">Disclaimer: This book was given by the author in exchange for a review.<br />
</span>Lily Blossomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11889323588541803782noreply@blogger.com0