Reading With Monie: October 2009

October 31, 2009

2010 Historical Reading Challenge

And now for my second challenge of 2010. This one is hosted by Kenda over at Lurve a la Mode.

FROM KENDA: This will encompass both straight historical fiction and historical romance. I’m hoping this challenge will allow some of us to get back into reading historicals, like me, as well as help us get into some of those books in our TBR piles or maybe to just discover something new.

The challenge will be to read 12 historicals in 2010. I don't think that I read more than 4-5 in 2009 so this will be a true challenge but I'm new to historicals and love them so I'm in. Wish me luck again.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer, Annie Barrows
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith
People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks
The Red Tent by Anita Diamant
Flirting with Forever by Gwyn Cready
Black Hills by Dan Simmons
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

October 29, 2009

Winner: 250 Custom Stickers

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

Timestamp: 2009-10-30 02:25:55 UTC

And that makes the winner:

Cindy B.of Montana said... 10

10-22 tweet
http://twitter.com/sendtocindy/status/5079954004

Congrats Cindy and thanks for your Tweets!! Remember that if you weren't a winner this time UPrinting has affordable prices on Sticker Printing and all your printing needs.

More awesome UPrinting giveaways coming soon!

October 28, 2009

It begins... My first 2010 challenge

With just one book left to complete my last pending 2009 challenge I've started checking out the new 2010 challenges. The first one that caught my eye is over at At Home With Books.
FROM ALYCE: The idea behind this challenge is to read works by authors who have been recommended to you time and again, yet somehow you haven't managed to read any books by those authors. These are the authors that everyone else tells you are awesome, thus the "Awesome Author Challenge" title.

I've selected the "moderate" challenge which is 6 books to be read from January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2010. I'll dig through my TBR pile in the next week or so to figure out which authors I'm going to select.

Over the next few weeks I'll also be posting a few more challenges and I'm thinking that a lot will be repeats from last year. I've had so much fun with them this year that I'm looking forward to pushing myself further next year. Wish me luck!

The Red Tent by Anita Diamant
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
Room by Emma Donoghue
Skinny Dip by Carl Hiaasen

October 27, 2009

Review: Elfs in a Conquered Realm by Anna del C. Dye

In this third and final installment of The Silent Warrior trilogy, Anna del C. Dye completes the story of Adren, her women warriors and her family told in three different parts covering many years.

The story begins with Paletin’s kingdom of Renil in trouble financially. He approaches Adren and Dellin about the possibility of securing the riches of the long deserted city of Menarm where Adren grew up and a new quest is planned for the elfs to help Paletin.

Once the mission is complete Adren and her family visit the Woodland elfs and meet Dellin’s paternal family for the first time and once again adventures ensue with some very near potential disasters.

Finally back in Menarm, Paletin has decided to reestablish the lost city of Menarm and Adren, Dellin and many others return to provide the assistance needed to bring Menarm back as a thriving sister city of Renil. But greed brings out the worst in mankind and soon Adren and her family are in danger again.

My brief synopsis makes the book seem like it was a tale about non-stop trouble for Adren and others but that is not case. Throughout the book there are conflicts and resolutions but each one is integrated with the revolving storylines.

There are so many wonderful components to the book. Elfs in a Conquered Realm is action, adventure, fantasy, romance and family loyalty all rolled up into one incredible story. Adren is up to her match making tricks again and in this book a few more children are introduced to the elf population which is a very rare occurrence.

Similar to my thoughts on going from book one to book two, Anna del C. Dye has progressed in character development and dialogue. The interactions flow much better in this third book and I sincerely hope to read more from this author. The entire trilogy is a must read for fantasy lovers.

October 26, 2009

Blog Tour & Review: Pendragon's Banner by Helen Hollick

Product Description

Who was the man
… who became the legend
… we know as
KING ARTHUR?

Pendragon's Banner is the second book in Helen Hollick's exciting King Arthur trilogy, covering 459-465 A.D. This is not a fairy tale or fantasy. There is no Merlin, no sword in the stone, and no Lancelot. This is the most accurate Arthurian legend ever written, based on historical evidence and meticulous research.

At age twenty-four, King Arthur has the kingdom he fought so hard for and a new young family. But keeping the throne of Britain—and keeping his wife and three sons safe—proves far from easy. Two enemies in particular threaten everything that is dear to him: Winifred, Arthur's vindictive first wife, and Morgause, priestess of the Mother and malevolent Queen of the North. Both have royal ambitions of their own.

In this story of harsh battles, secret treasonous plots, and the life-threatening politics of early Britain's dark ages, author Helen Hollick boldly reintroduces King Arthur as you've never seen him before.

My Review:

Ever since I saw the movie with my favorite actor, Clive Owen, I’ve been intrigued by the story of King Arthur and Pendragon’s Banner filled my craving for a more behind the scenes story. This is definitely not a fairy tale telling of magic and triumph. It’s a realistic portrayal complete with fighting, jealousy, lust and tragedy.

The story pulled me in from the very beginning when Arthur ordered his nine-month pregnant wife to caravan to the land of a man looking to challenge his leadership. He was so dedicated his people that he knew bringing his wife along with would show good faith in his quest for peace. I thought to myself “Who does that?” and was hooked.

This was book two in the Pendragon’s Banner Trilogy but definitely stands alone as I have not yet read The Kingmaking. I plan to read it soon and follow it up with Shadow of the King. I highly recommend this one for all historical fiction lovers.

More Tour Participants:

The Tome Travellers Weblog (10/12)

A Reader’s Respite (10/12)

Carla Nayland’s Historical Fiction (10/13)

Enchanted by Josephine (10/14)

Fumbling with Fiction (10/14)

Found Not Lost (10/15)

Nan Hawthorne’s Booking the Middle Ages (10/15)

Jenny Loves to Read (10/16)

The Review From Here (10/17)

The Courtier’s Book (10/18)

Chick Loves Lit (10/19)

Love Romance Passion (10/20)

He Followed Me Home… Can I Keep Him? (10/20)

The Impasse Strikes Back (10/21)

S. Krishna’s Books (10/22)

Books Like Breathing (10/23)

Passages to the Past (10/24)

Virginie Says (10/25)

Readaholic (10/25)

Rundpinne (10/26)

Books & Needlepoint (10/27)

Capricious Reader (10/27)

Books are my Only Friends (10/27)

A Sea of Books (10/28)

Bloody Bad (10/28)

Revenge of the Book Nerds! (10/28)

Booksie’s Blog (10/28)

Devourer of Books (10/29)

Peeking Between the Pages (10/29)

Starting Fresh (10/29)

Historical Tapestry (10/30)

Medieval Bookworm (10/30)

Book Soulmates (10/30)

Susan’s Art & Words (10/30)

Steven Till (10/31)

Café of Dreams (10/31)

*I received a copy of Pendragon's Banner from the publisher in exchange for participating in the tour and a review.

October 25, 2009

Review: Petite Sweets by Beatrice Ojakangas

In Petite Sweets Ojakangas shows us how to make miniature versions of some of the most decadent and sinful desserts and sweets around. From planning the dessert menu and equipment basics to tips on ingredients it’s all covered with large full color photos.

Cooking and baking have always been hit or miss with me. I love to do it but even if I follow the recipe exactly I don’t always get the best results. Some of my more memorable dishes have been my Lemon Meringue Soup when trying to make my favorite pie and most recently when following my grandma’s light and fluffy gordita recipe I ended up with what my husband called “biscuits with meat”. LOL My son even nicknamed me “burner girl” because he was always scraping the burnt parts off his favorite grilled cheese sandwiches.

Petite Sweets has plenty of easy to follow recipes and for my review I tried the Mini Cream Puffs. There were just a few basic ingredients and I filled mine with vanilla pudding so in no time flat I had a tiny version of one of my favorite treats with almost no mess to clean up afterwards. My cream puffs were light, fluffy, golden brown and perfectly flaky and I actually surprised myself at how good they tasted.

One major plus is that since I’ve been dieting I’ve cut all sweets and goodies out of my diet. With Petite Sweets I was able to satisfy my sweet tooth without all the guilt that I would have had with the full size version.

In each of the categories below there are many more great recipes that have caught my eye and next up for me will be the Fresh Lime Pies made in mini muffin tins which will be just big enough to satisfy my craving while still being good.

Petite Sweets Categories

Little Cakes

Petite Pies and Tarts

Fruit and Berry Desserts

Mouses and Chilled Desserts

Creams, Custards and Frozen Desserts

Pastries and Sweets

Any of the sweet treats found in the book would be the hit of your party and your friends will all think you’re a master pastry chef. I highly recommend Petite Sweets for bakers of any skill level because as my family knows I’m not the best cook and my Mini Cream Puffs were a little bit of heaven.

*I received a copy of Petite Sweets from the publisher in exchange for a review.

October 21, 2009

Review: Book Cover from Reading Comfort

Two weeks ago I received my Trade Size fabric book cover from Reading Comfort. I’ve had other fabric book covers in the past so I can share my honest comparison of the two.

Right as soon as I took my new cover out of the envelope I noticed two things that already had me loving the cover. One, there is a small metal embellishment on the cover. This is not only a good looking accent it lets me quickly identify the front of the book. No more flipping the book up and/or over before I can start reading.

The second thing I noticed was the nifty attached book mark. Other covers I’ve used didn’t have this or if there was one it was too short. With the length of the attached bookmark extending past the bottom of the book all I had to do was pull it up and out to open the book. No more losing my place with a paper bookmark that falls out.

The cover fits snuggly over the book without bending, wrinkling or creasing the book in any way. This was a big deal for me because I participate in a lot of book rings and always stress if I get even the tiniest crease on a book since they are borrowed. The cover allows me to drop the book into my house on straps, otherwise known as my purse, without worrying about it. In the two weeks since receiving the cover I’ve used it on three books of varying lengths and all have come out of the cover in the same shape they went in.

And just so you don’t think this is a fluff piece, I do have one con to share. My cat sat on the cover, which if you have cats you know their favorite thing is to sit on anything you have laying out LOL, and the cover picked up a lot of cat hair. But it did brush right off so no harm done.

The covers come in several colors and three sizes to fit mass market, trade size and hard back books or a gift set in a box with gold ribbon. Reading Comfort is an eco-friendly company that also offers the Book Buddy (read my review), lap blankets, book weights and book marks. Any one of these beautiful products would be a great anytime gift for the book lover in your life.

*I received a free book cover in exchange for this review.

October 20, 2009

Review: Hannah: Daughters Of The Sea by Kathryn Lasky

At the age of fourteen Hannah Albury has reached the day where she transitions from old the Little Wanderer orphanage that she grew up in into the real world. After a miserable month in Kansas where she became deathly ill, Hannah was sent back to Boston and placed in the home of the wealthy Hawley family to work as a scullery maid.

There she befriends the family’s youngest daughter Ettie and delights in talking with the young girl even though contact between the family and household help is frowned upon. When Hannah catches the attention of a young painter, Stannish Wheeler, hired to paint the Hawley girls she unknowingly made an enemy of the older daughter Lila and her mysterious cat Jade. It quickly becomes obvious that Lila is not completely mentally stable and she soon has more to contend with than the unnatural attraction she has to the sea.

Resisting the call of the water is getting harder and harder to do especially when Stannish seems to have many of the answers she’s been looking for.

This was a great young adult read. It’s geared towards 9-12 year olds and I think it’s perfect. The story is mysterious enough to hold anyone’s attention and I know younger girls would love reading about Hannah’s adventures.

The only reason this book isn’t a full five stars is the major cliff hanger at the end. I’m all for leaving us hanging when there are more books in the series but this one has a very abrupt ending. So much so that I had to double check no pages were missing. Other than that I highly recommend this one for tween girls or anyone who loves to read YA fantasy books. I will definitely be reading the next in the series.

*Free copy provided by the Amazon Vine program in exchange for my review.

October 18, 2009

Giveaway: 250 Custom Stickers/Labels

WINNER: Cindy B.

My blog sponsor UPrinting has another great offer for Reading With Monie visitors. This time they are giving away 250 custom stickers. Sticker Printing is an easy way to to advertise your blog or business. You can also use the stickers as address or organizing labels. There are a ton of ways to use them so be creative and tell me below how you would use them for your chance to win.

As part of the giveaway I'll be receiving my own set of stickers and I can't wait since this will be my second set. I previously made the sticker on the right to promote my blog. This picture is a scan so it's a little blurry but my sticker is awesome! The colors are bright, the font is clear and sharp and the stickiness is perfect. Every package that leaves my house has one of these fun stickers on it. For my next set I'll be using the stickers to promote something new I'm part of. (It's still a little top secret but I'll be blogging about it soon!)

To enter to win your own stickers just post a comment below letting me know how you would use the stickers if you win.

For an extra entry Tweet about the giveaway using the "ShareThis" button on the bottom of this post or using your own message. Tweeted entries can be done once a day just be sure to come back and leave me the link in a comment each time you do.

For three more extra entries blog about my giveaway and link back to this post. Just leave a separate comment with the link to your post or your blog if it's in the sidebar.

Giveaway open to US and Canada residents only. US winners will receive free shipping. Canada residents will be responsible for tax and shipping. The winner will be selected on October 29th and will have 48 hours to respond to the winning email.

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