Go the F**k to Sleep

Author: Adam Mansbach
Illustrator: Ricardo Cortes
Publisher: OPen Road Media (Akashic Books) (June 2011)


Go the F**k to Sleep is a bedtime book for parents who live in the real world, where a few snoozing kitties and cutesy rhymes don’t always send a toddler sailing blissfully off to dreamland. Profane, affectionate, and radically honest, it captures the familiar—and unspoken—tribulations of putting your little angel down for the night. Beautiful, subversive, and pants-wettingly funny, Go the F**k to Sleep is a book for parents new, old, and expectant. You probably should not read it to your children.

When I read the description of this book on Netgalley, I knew I had to read it. Anyone who has children, has probably said these words to themselves at one point. As the mother of 2 children who resist sleep at every opportunity, I could relate to every page in this book! The book looks like a sweet little bedtime story, with beautiful illustrations. But what you get is a hilarious tale about a parent who wants their kid to sleep. This would make a great gift for a new parent with a sense of humor.

Recently, the book's release was celebrated at the New York Public Library. You can get a peek inside the event via Open Road Media's blog post here, which includes photographs of author Adam Mansbach, illustrator Ricardo Cortés, print publisher Johnny Temple, Paul Holdengråber from the NYPL, Judah Friedlander from 30 Rock, and links to more coverage around the web.

I definitely recommend this one if you want a laugh! But please, don't read it to your kids. This one is for the parents.

--Kari


* note: I read a complimentary copy of Go the F**k to Sleep supplied courtesy of the publisher via Netgalley. I was not compensated in anyway for this review. By receiving a complimentary copy, I am in no way obligated to write a good or bad review. I am an honest reviewer and my reviews are based on my own opinion and only written by me.*

Blog Tour: The Orphan Sister

by:  Gwendolen Gross
published by:  Gallery Books
publish date:  July 5, 2011

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. . . .

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book.  The beginning was kind of slow and I was starting to wonder if I was going to make it through the book or not.  By time I got to the middle, the story was picking up and I was getting into the characters.  When the end came around, I was boohooing and I was really sad that the book was finished.

I have twin daughters and I was really fascinated by triplet aspect of this book.  Mine are only 7, so I don't think they really understood the questions I kept pestering them with while I was reading this book.  The "Party Trick" sounded fun, and hearing each other talk inside their heads was really beautiful.  It added an interesting dynamic to the story.  My only little criticism here would be that Odette and Olivia's names were so similar that I had trouble keeping them separate in my head.

Overall, a good solid contemporary fiction, chick-lit, type story.  I'd definitely recommend it.  It had reading group questions in the back, so it would be a good choice for your next pick for your book club.

Blog Tour: Chasing Amanda

Author: Melissa Foster
Publisher: Solstice Publishing (April 2011)

Nine years ago, Molly Tanner witnessed a young girl’s abduction in the busy city of Philadelphia, shifting her occasional clairvoyance into overdrive. Two days later, the girl’s body was found, and Molly’s life fell apart. Consumed by guilt for not acting upon her visions, and on the brink of losing her family, Molly escaped the torturous reminders in the city, fleeing to the safety of the close-knit rural community of Boyds, Maryland.

Molly’s life is back on track, her son has begun college, and she and her husband have finally rekindled their relationship. Their fresh start is shattered when a seven-year-old girl disappears from a local park near Molly’s home. Unable to turn her back on another child and troubled by memories of the past, Molly sets out to find her, jeopardizing the marriage she’d fought so hard to hold together. While unearthing clues and struggling to decipher her visions, Molly discovers another side of Boyds, where the residents--and the land itself--hold potentially lethal secrets, and exposes another side of her husband, one that threatens to tear them apart.

I really enjoyed Chasing Amanda. The story had me hooked from the beginning and I didn't want to put it down. This book is a perfect glimpse into small town life. Small towns tend to hold many secrets for a long time. The author does a great job of slowly revealing those secrets to the reader. The plot of the book is very well planned out so that the reader learns the truth along the same timeline as Molly. I wasn't able to figure out how all of the pieces fit into the puzzle until Molly did. I really enjoyed that aspect.

I liked Molly's character. She is strong willed and willing to risk everything, even her marriage, to save a little girl's life. She has rebuilt her life after learning that she could have saved a child's life and didn't. I can see why she would be so adamant about helping with this one. There were 2 things that didn't ring true for me. I felt like her husband should have been more sympathetic and more believing of her "knowing". I also felt that in real life, a cop would follow up on any lead for a missing child, budget issues and false leads aside.

I highly recommend you give this one a try. I haven't read Ms. Foster's first book, Megan's Way, but it is loaded up on my Kindle and at near the top of my TBR Pile. I look forward to seeing what Ms. Foster comes up with next.

--Kari

* note: I read an complimentary copy of Chasing Amanda supplied courtesy of the author as part of her virtual blog tour. I was not compensated in anyway for this review. By receiving a complimentary copy, I am in no way obligated to write a good or bad review. I am an honest reviewer and my reviews are based on my own opinion and only written by me.*

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer

by:  Michelle Hodkin
published by:  Simon & Schuster Children's
publish date:   September 27th, 2011

Mara Dyer doesn't think life can get any stranger than waking up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there.  It can.


She believes there must be more to the accident she can't remember that killed her friends and left her mysteriously unharmed.  There is.


She doesn't believe that after everything she's been through, she can fall in love.


She's wrong.

This book was a hot item at ALA this year.  I felt really fortunate to get one in my greedy little hands.  The people at Simon and Schuster were really wonderful and extremely generous.  I can't say say enough positive things about them.   To give you an idea of how this book ranked it was the very first book I started reading out of ALL my ALA books.  High honor indeed!

In many ways it was a typical YA romance, the broken girl that doesn't think she's all that pretty attracts the attention of the hottest, least attainable guy in school, who of course has more money than God.  There were the school bullies that were making her life miserable, and there was the quirkly little sidekick friend that tries to steer her in the right direction.  However, it did defy YA tradition in that parents were present in this book and they were normal and stable and were actually looking out for the best interests of their child.

The story itself was really quite a surprise.  It opened up with Mara waking up in a hospital bed from an accident in which two friends and her boyfriend had been killed.  Because the accident was so traumatic and Mara was going a little insane, the family moves from their small town to Miami for a fresh start which is where Mara meets the hunky Noah.  Their relationship progresses in typical YA romance fashion.  The move hasn't helped Mara's mental health though and strange things have begun to happen to her.  This is when the book took a direction that I wasn't really expecting. 

I don't know if this is supposed to be a trilogy (if it's YA I'm sure it is) or if there's a sequel or what, but there's a pretty big cliff hanger at the end.

From the TBR Pile Blog-a-versary Giveaway winners!!

Thank you to all who entered!! The following winners were chosen using Random.org:

Tara -ARC of Triangles by Ellen Hopkins (her upcoming adult book) and 1 ARC of When She Woke by Hillary Jordan

ChenYan Cheng - 1 signed copy of Scars by Cheryl Rainfield and 1 ARC of The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

Kara - 1 ARC of Ashfall by Mike Mullin and 1 ARC of The Apothecary by Maile Meloy

Martha - ARC of Sacrifice by Laura Burns & Melinda Metz with a Swag Bag filled with goodies from ALA

Jinky - 1 copy of Starless Sky by Paige Agnew and 1 signed copy of Easter's Lily by Judy Serrano

Winners, please check your e-mail for details!

- Kari & Autumn

The Hypnotist

Author: Lars Kepler
Publisher: Blackstone Audio June 2011

Tumba, Sweden. A triple homicide, all the victims from the same family, captivates Detective Inspector Joona Linna, who demands to investigate the grisly murders—against the wishes of the national police. The killer is at large, and it appears that the elder sister of the family escaped the carnage; it seems only a matter of time until she, too, is murdered. But where can Linna begin? The only surviving witness is an intended victim—the boy whose mother, father, and little sister were killed before his eyes. Whoever committed the crimes intended for this boy to die: he has suffered more than one hundred knife wounds and lapsed into a state of shock. He’s in no condition to be questioned.

Desperate for information, Linna sees one mode of recourse: hypnotism. He enlists Dr. Erik Maria Bark to mesmerize the boy, hoping to discover the killer through his eyes. It’s the sort of work that Bark had sworn he would never do again—ethically dubious and psychically scarring. When he breaks his promise and hypnotizes the victim, a long and terrifying chain of events begins to unfurl.

The Hypnotist was a bestseller in Sweden in 2009 and was recently translated and published in the US in June 2011. After doing some research, it turns out that Lars Kepler is the pseudonym for the writing team of Alexandra and Alexander Ahndoril. This book is going to be hard to review because I don't want to give away any of the plot. The synopsis doesn't even crack the surface of what happens in the story. So I'll break it down into my likes and dislikes. Then you can decide for yourself.

What I liked: The overall mystery. This book has so many twists and turns and side paths that it will make you dizzy. Every time I thought I had it all figured out, I found that I was way off base. The plot was well planned and laid out in such a way that I wanted to keep listening just to see if I was right. Most of the time, I wasn't. As I have said before, I love that in a book! I also loved the character, Detective Joona Linna. He is definitely someone I want to read more about in future books.

What I didn't like: Some of the characters. Erik's wife Simone was just too whiny and annoying. Also, there is a huge lack of communication among the characters and that really frustrated me as a reader. I also thought it was a bit long and had scenes that could have been shortened. The audio book is 15 CDs.

So, I do recommend this one if you like police procedural/serial killer mysteries. There are some gruesome parts that made me cringe. The language is also a bit harsh for my taste. But in the end, I felt satisfied and look forward to the next in the series being published in the US.

--Kari

Savor the Danger

Author: Lori Foster
Publisher: HQN Books (June 2011)

She may be aloof, and more pretty than gorgeous, but Alani Rivers is the kind of woman a hot-blooded mercenary can't forget, no matter how hard he tries. So when Jackson Savor wakes up next to the naked, sleeping beauty—with no memory of what happened— he knows he's been drugged…even if Alani doesn't.

After she was kidnapped, Alani vowed never to trust another man again. Still, something about this strong, sexy hero with the tender touch makes her want to believe him. As Jackson hunts down a mysterious intruder, he swears he'll move heaven and earth to keep Alani safe. But what really happened that night? And will the truth bring them closer than they ever thought possible—or put Alani squarely in harm's way again?

I must confess...I devoured this one! I think it was the best out of the "Men Who Walk the Edge of Honor" trilogy. Savor the Danger was fast paced and kept me wanting to read late into the night. The mystery was interesting and not easy to figure out. Ms. Foster did a great job of keeping the suspense up until the very end. Jackson Savor is such a great uber-alpha male. Alani was a great match for him. I loved the scenes where he is trying to figure out what happened during their night together. She also introduces two new characters who seem very intriguing.

If you have read the others in the series, When You Dare (my review) and Trace of Fever (my review), you won't want to miss this one. But if you haven't, I think you could read Savor the Danger and not feel like you were missing out on any back story. I am hoping that the last scene of the book is setting us up for Arizona and Spencer's story. One can hope, right?

--Kari

* note: I read a complimentary copy of Savor the Danger supplied courtesy of HQN Books. I was not compensated in anyway for this review. By receiving a complimentary copy, I am in no way obligated to write a good or bad review. I am an honest reviewer and my reviews are based on my own opinion and only written by me.*

The Girl Who Disappeared Twice

Author: Andrea Kane
Publisher: Mira (June 2011)

If she'd only turned her head, she would have seen the car containing her daughter, struggling to escape her kidnapper. Despite years determining the fates of families, family court judge Hope Willis couldn't save her own. Now she's grasping at any hope for Krissy's rescue. She calls Casey Woods and her team of investigators, Forensic Instincts.

A behaviorist. A techno-wizard. An intuitive. A former Navy SEAL. Unconventional operatives. All with unique talents and reasons for joining Casey's group.

Able to accurately read people after the briefest encounter, Casey picks up signs of a nervous spouse, a guilty conscience, a nanny that hides on her cell. She watches as secrets creep into the open.

But time is running out, and the authorities are bound by the legal system. Not Casey's team. For they know that the difference between Krissy coming back alive and disappearing forever could be as small as a suspect's rapid breathing, or as deep as Hope's dark family history.

I have read a few other books by Andrea Kane. I really enjoy her writing style. The Girl Who Disappeared Twice was a pretty good book. The mystery was engaging and kept me on my toes. I was able to figure things out about two-thirds of the way through the book, but I didn't mind this time. The characters were interesting enough to keep me wanting to read more to see how it all played out.

It looks like Ms. Kane is setting up a new series with this one. At least I hope so, because I enjoyed all of the characters. I want to know more about the team and what makes them tick. I want more of Hutch and Casey together. It also looks like there could be potential for another romance among the team members. That could get very interesting. I definitely recommend this one!

--Kari

* note: I read an complimentary copy of The Girl Who Disappeared Twice supplied courtesy of the publisher. I was not compensated in anyway for this review. By receiving a complimentary copy, I am in no way obligated to write a good or bad review. I am an honest reviewer and my reviews are based on my own opinion and only written by me.*

Virtual Blog Tour & Guest Blog- Time Well Spent

Author Bella Marie is with us today for a guest post and to promote her collection of adult erotic stories, Time Well Spent. My thoughts on the collection can be found below.

Bella Writes:

My inspiration and where it comes from….

In my first series Time Well Spent – The Complete Collection, I took inspiration from many different places. Each story had an origin of course, why they were in the setting that I put them in, the people in the stories as well as the types of stories that they became. My inspiration comes from a collection of things really such as “Forever Love,” it was my first story that I had written for anyone and it was written for me first and foremost.

I was dreaming of what I wanted more than anything, the type of relationship that I wanted. The perfect man, who loved me unconditionally, and it was set in the perfect scene for me, at the ocean. One thing readers notice about my stories is a lot of them are set near or in water. Water for me is calming and so very peaceful. I can go and sit at the river for instance and be riddled with one problem or another and within just a few short minutes the water feels as though it is taking each and every problem away, where they don’t matter anymore.

I was in a bad place in my life when I wrote this story that put me on the road of where I am today. One of my favorite lines in the story is “They walk to the shore, hand in hand stopping frequently to touch and kiss. It is as if they would die if they don’t touch frequently their love is so great.” Touch is very important especially in an erotic story as you can guess. This particular description meant a whole lot to me at the time especially. It seemed like the most wonderful thing in the world to me. Something dreams were made of, you know, those dreams that people dare to dream but dare not to wish can come true.

Readers notice this story is somewhat different from my other stories in the sense that it is more romantic, tamer in some ways then the other stories in the collection. I struggled with rather to include it in this book because it is more of a quick dream type of story to be honest. It isn’t as “Hot” as some have said about it but I decided it had its place in the book too so I put it as the last story in the collection. It may have been my first story to launch me into writing erotica, but it put me on the path that I am on today. It is still a dream that has a place in my heart.

Happy Reading!
Bella Marie

And now my review:

Synopsis: How about some exciting explicit adult erotica for the nights by the fire, or maybe in the bathtub with a glass of wine? Alone or with a friend, spouse, or lover, this almost 31,000 word, 15 total short stories are sure to warm you up even if you don’t have a fireplace! With no names in the stories it is easy to imagine yourself in the adventures, enjoying right along in the fun.


This little collection is chock full of romance and steamy fantasies. There is something for everyone in this anthology. While one story might not be to your taste, there is surely another one in here that will be. The stories, with the exception of maybe one, in Time Well Spent are written without names. The thought is that the reader will inject themselves into the story. I'm not so sure this totally worked for me. I like to have names to go along with my stories. But I did enjoy it overall. "The New Beach House" was my favorite of them all.

While I did enjoy the collection, I wouldn't suggest reading it in one sitting like I did. I found that the stories got a little repetitive after a while. I think I would have enjoyed them more had I spread them out over a few days. The tales are well written and tastefully done. I definitely recommend giving this one a try!

--Kari

Thanks to Bella Marie for visiting our blog!

*Disclosure of Material Connection: I am a member of The Virtual Book Tour Cafe' and a copy of this book was provided to me by the author. Although payment may have been received by The Virtual Book Tour Cafe', no payment was received by me in exchange for this review nor was there an obligation to write a positive one. All opinions expressed here are entirely of my own and may not necessarily agree with those of the author, the book's publisher and publicist or the readers of this review. This disclosure is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255, Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.*

Throwback Thursday - This Side of Heaven

Author: Beverly Barton
First Published September 1992

DANGEROUS PASSION. Hot. Demanding. Inescapable. The power of destiny had joined Nate Hodges and Cyn Porter together, but the savagery of man seemed fated to tear them apart.

A warrior who walked alone, Nate could never mean anything but danger for any woman who dared to love him. Yet Cyn, touched by tragedy herself, realized this soul-scarred soldier needed her strength.

Though stalked by a madman bent on revenge, Nate succumbed to the pull of a passion older than time. Cyn, the brown-eyed beauty of his dreams - his impossible love - brought him peace. She was his very soul. But he knew with heart-shattering certainty that he could be her death...

This is an early work by Beverly Barton. It is the first in the Protector series. While I liked the overall book, I'm not sure I liked the relationship between Cyn and Nate. He was a real jerk to her and I couldn't see why she would want to get to know him after the way he treats her in the beginning. But I guess lust makes you want to keep coming back for more? In the end, they both find what they are looking for which is someone to love. There is a slight supernatural element to the book. If you are a fan of Ms. Barton this is worth looking up.

--Kari

Blog-a-versary!!!! Giveaway celebration!!!

From the TBR Pile is a year old today!

Join us in celebrating our 1 year BLOG-A-VERSARY by entering your name into our giveaway. The rules are simple, leave a comment with a valid e-mail address and your preference of set (if you have one). For an extra chance, post this contest on Twitter, Facebook, etc and leave a comment with the link. This is open to US residents (sorry international people, some of these books are heavy!). The contest will run until July 5, 2011. For 5 lucky winners, we have the following sets up for grabs:

Set #1:

ARC of Triangles by Ellen Hopkins (her upcoming adult book) and 1 ARC of When She Woke by Hillary Jordan

Set #2:
1 signed copy of Scars by Cheryl Rainfield and 1 ARC of The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin (this was a hot hot hot one at ALA!!)

Set #3
1 ARC of Ashfall by Mike Mullin and 1 ARC of The Apothecary by Maile Meloy

Set #4:
ARC of Sacrifice by Laura Burns & Melinda Metz with a Swag Bag filled with goodies from ALA

Set #5:
1 copy of Starless Sky by Paige Agnew and 1 signed copy of Easter's Lily by Judy Serrano

Good Luck!!!!!!!!!!