Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Winner of The Orphan Sister!


Winner of The Orphan Sister - #59 STaraschi!

Since the entry form asked for you address, the book has already been mailed out, with some extra surprises from the author herself (thanks Gwendolen)!

Thanks to everyone who participate in these two giveaway. More to come this week! Another great blog hop coming soon!  Also, September will be focused on Young Adult/Children's books in honor of Back to School month!  I for one, am so happy school is back in!

Monday, August 15, 2011

The Orphan Sister Review + Giveaway!





Synopsis:  Clementine Lord is not an orphan. She just feels like one sometimes. One of triplets, a quirk of nature left her the odd one out. Odette and Olivia are identical; Clementine is a singleton. Biologically speaking, she came from her own egg. Practically speaking, she never quite left it. Then Clementine’s father—a pediatric neurologist who is an expert on children’s brains, but clueless when it comes to his own daughters—disappears, and his choices, both past and present, force the family dynamics to change at last. As the three sisters struggle to make sense of it, their mother must emerge from the greenhouse and leave the flowers that have long been the focus of her warmth and nurturing.
For Clementine, the next step means retracing the winding route that led her to this very moment: to understand her father’s betrayal, the tragedy of her first lost love, her family’s divisions, and her best friend Eli’s sudden romantic interest. Most of all, she may finally have found the voice with which to share the inside story of being the odd sister out. . . .
Why I wanted to read it:  I have been hearing such good things about The Orphan Sister.....and now I know why!
My Rating: 4.8 out of 5, a must read.
Book Cover Rating: 4.5 out of 5.  I love the red shoes and bare feet.

Length of Chapters: 4.5 out of 5. I love very short chapters (like 1.5 to 2 pages per chapter). For some reason I can read a book faster with shorter chapters.  The chapters in The Orphan Sister were longer than 2 pages, but still short enough to be able to quickly read a chapter while multitasking a busy life.
My Review: Let me just say that I loved it so much that I already purchased one of her other books (via e-books), The Other Mother!  This book pulls you right in with a family drama right on page 1! From there on, I just had to keep reading and turning pages.  In the beginning of the book, I was a little miffed at Clementine and her mother. It seemed they either didn't want to deal with "issues" or were naive or something. Boy was I wrong....you obtain an understanding while the story unfolds (especially Clementine) and of course, it all comes together.

Gwendolen Gross has an amazing talent to tell a story with characters you can't forget and want to know more about them and their lives.  She writes is so beautifully. I really enjoyed that a good part of the story took place at Oberlin....loved the Ohio references.  Having twins, I loved reading about the triplets and the dymanics of their lives. 


I was thrilled when I found out that her other two books, Field Guide and Getting Out will be available in e-books August 26th.  Get in line behind me as I will be the first to purchase them!  I have to read more of Gwendolen's books.  Another fun fact about Gwendolen.....she loves to knit and so do I!  

Connect: Check out Gwendolen Gross on Facebook, Goodreads, Twitter, and on her website.

Giveaway: I am giving away one copy of The Orphan Sister.  Contest ends August 19, 2011 at 11:59 PM EST. Requirements to win....
Become a follower of Seaside Book Nook
Complete the easy form below OR leave a comment with your email address.

Good luck and thanks for blogging by!



Sunday, August 14, 2011

Book Blogger Hop - Crazy Book Titles

Book Blogger Hop

The Book Blogger Hop (hosted by crazy-for-books) is a place just for book bloggers and readers to connect and share our love of the written word!


Let’s talk crazy book titles! Highlight one or two (or as many as you like!) titles in your personal collection that have the most interesting titles! If you can’t find any, feel free to find one on the internet!”


This is an easy on for me.  I have a book on my shelf that makes me laugh every time I see it.


1. Balance is a Crock, Sleep is for the Weak:  An Indispensable Guide to Surviving Working Motherhood.


Wickedly funny, girlfriend-to-girlfriend survival guide for working mothers who want real answers, not mommy manifestos or sappy crap on finding "balance" 

Most books for working mothers are earnest, serious guides with some useful information, but lack the snark and practicality that today's overworked moms relate to. Marketing veterans Amy Eschliman and Leigh Oshirak know firsthand what a struggle it can be to hold down a stressful job while raising a family-and that sometimes the only way to preserve your sanity is with laughter. A survival guide for the rest of us, Balance is a Crock, Sleep is for the Weak is filled with bitterly funny topics like:

• Congratulations. Now, where do I slot "baby" in Outlook?
• Maternity Leave: Vacation or Hell?
• The Breastaurant is Open for Business: The pump and grind of nursing after you return to work.
• You Are Not Your Husband's Mother! and other time-sucking obligations.
• And more day-to-day advice for surviving the working-mommy trenches

Balance is a Crock, Sleep is for the Weak is the indispensable "what to expect when you're expected back at work" guide for working mothers or any woman considering returning to work after baby.



Do you have a book with a cray title, that makes you laugh?  I would love it if you shared it with us all!

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Winners!!



Winner of 32 Candles - #22 Angie P

Winner of the Girl in the Garden - #139 Jessica at Peace, Love and Books!

Jessica did you know that my scrapbook/crafting blog is Peace, Love and Scrapbooking!  I absolutely adore your blog title.  You all should check out her blog - I loved it! 

For all those that left me your blog address, I will be visiting you all and become a follower.  I haven't had any time - work has been a little crazy and late nights this past week or so. 

Winners, don't forget to check your spam for an email from me.  Please reply within 48 hours or I have to pick another winner and I hate doing that!

Thanks to everyone who participate in these two giveaway.  More to come this week!  Another great book giveaway.

In Her Wake - TLC Book Tour

In Her Wake: A Child Psychiatrist Explorers the Mystery of Her Mother's Suicide by Nancy Rappaport.


Synopsis:  "A delivery announcement on elegant paper stamped with the date of a daughters birth; a tarnished silver baby cup, dented at the rim; a lovingly hand-knitted sweater; a school committee flier; hurried grocery lists. This is all Nancy Rappaport had left to remember her mother, a woman defined by her absence.
In 1963, Nancy Rappaport’s mother died by suicide after a bitter public divorce and custody battle. Nancy was just four years old and the youngest of six children. Growing up in a blended family of eleven children after her father remarried, Nancy was bewildered about why her mother took her own life and left her behind.
Years later, encouraged by her own childrens’ curiosity about their grandmother, and fortified by her training as a child psychiatrist, Nancy began investigating her mother’s life and the mysteries surrounding her death.
Pursuing clues and following leads, Rappaport pieces together a complex mosaic of her mother. Drawing on court depositions, newspaper coverage, her mother’s unpublished novel, and interviews with family and friends, she uncovers the story of a conflicted and troubled activist, socialite, and community leader. She scrutinizes deep family secrets about a woman she only remembers in snapshots.
In Her Wake is a rare thing: the story of a psychiatrist analyzing her own psychological drama. Nancy Rappaport was just four years old when her mother--a prominent Boston activist and socialite--committed suicide. Decades later, Rappaport, a child psychiatrist with three children of her own, pieced together a complex mosaic of her "mama." In Her Wake sheds light on the nature of hurting and healing, and is a potent reminder that love outlasts death."

My Review:  Bravo Rappaport for tackling such a difficult subject and taking us through your journey.  It seems lately I have been reading a lot of memoirs and discovering it is genre I enjoy.  Rappaport does a great job blending her own discovery of dealing with her mother's suicide and educating the reader on depression.  I would have loved to have learned more about her mother as I am fascinated with the time period and high-society.  This book provides a great understanding of depression, which is a very real and very common disease.  It also walks through the different stages of grief for those suffering a loss of a loved one.   I found this book to be very insightful.  Good read!
I love the cover of the book too!  I often wish I grew up in the 50/60's. I love that time period. Yes, I love Mad Men!

I am honored to be part of the TLC Books Tour.  For more reviews of the book please click here.  To learn more about the author, Nancy Rappaport, please visit her site.

I received In Her Wake by Nancy Rappaport from TLC Book Tours to be a part of this tour and offer my honest review of the book. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of aforementioned book.