Indefinite Hiatus

Crazy Book Tours will be on an indefinite hiatus for the time being. Thank you for being part of the tours!
Jen and Lori

March Tour: Lone Wolf by Jodi Picoult (Limited)

Lone Wolf
by Jodi Picoult
Publication Date:  March 2012
Atria Books

(from the author's website)
Edward Warren, 23, has been living in Thailand for five years, a prodigal son who left his family after an irreparable fight with his father, Luke. But he gets a frantic phone call: His dad lies comatose in a NH hospital, gravely injured in the same accident that has also injured his younger sister Cara.

Cara, 17, stll holds a grudge against her brother, since his departure led to her parents’ divorce. In the aftermath, she’s lived with her father – an animal conservationist who became famous after living with a wild wolf pack in the Canadian wild. It is impossible for her to reconcile the still, broken man in the hospital bed with her vibrant, dynamic father.

With Luke’s chances for recovery dwindling, Cara wants to wait for a miracle. But Edward wants to terminate life support and donate his father’s organs. Is he motivated by altruism, or revenge? And to what lengths will his sister go to stop him from making an irrevocable decision?

LONE WOLF looks at the intersection between medical science and moral choices. If we can keep people who have no hope for recovery alive artificially, should they also be allowed to die artificially? Does the potential to save someone else’s life with a donated organ balance the act of hastening another’s death? And finally, when a father’s life hangs in the balance, which sibling should get to decide his fate?

• Tour Dates:  March 1 - 14, 2012
• Tour signups will close on December 15
• This book will be available in PRINT format only (10 copies).
• To sign-up - please leave a comment with your name, e-mail address, blog name, and the date you would like to post your review (check calendar below - first come, first-serve.  Please click the arrow to move over to the correct month as it is set to the current month automatically).  
• This tour is open to USA bloggers only. 
• There are only 10 copies of this book available so please only sign-up if you can commit to touring in March.  Books will not be shipped until February, so there may not be much time to read and review the book.
• If more than 10 bloggers sign-up, we will randomly draw names to select who participates.  You should still select a date for your review (even if it's already taken).  We can adjust later as needed.

Available Dates:
March -
1 - Lisa - Casual Reader's Blog
2 - Andrea - So Many Books, So Little Time
5 - JHS - Colloquium
6 - Kristin - Kritter's Ramblings
7 - Jasmine - Bookish Mama
8 - Tiffany - A Cozy Reader's Corner
9 - Cheryl - Sherri's Reading Jubilee
10 - Heather - Proud Book Nerd
13 - Karen - Practical Frugality
14 - Lisa - Books In The Burbs



Reviews:

April Tour: Comeback Love by Peter Golden

Comeback Love
by Peter Golden
Publication Date:  April 2012
Washington Square Press/Atria Books

A debut novel about a man and his romantic quest to find the woman he loved and lost years before.

Like Nicholas Sparks and Robert James Waller, first-time novelist Peter Golden knows how to write the kind of nostalgic fiction that men and women alike fall for. In Comeback Love, a universal story about lost love, he offers an evocative debut that begins in the tumultuous 1960s and ends in the feverish thrill of present-day New York City.

Over thirty-five years ago, Gordon Meyers, an aspiring writer with a low number in the draft lottery, packed his belongings and reluctantly drove away, leaving Glenna Rising, the sexy, sharp-witted med student he couldn’t imagine living without.

Now, decades later, Gordon is a former globetrotting consultant with a grown son, an ex-wife, and an overwhelming desire to see Glenna again. Stunned when Gordon walks into her Manhattan office, Glenna agrees to accompany him for a drink. As the two head out into the snow-swept city, they become caught up in the passions that drew them together before tearing them apart. And as the evening unfolds, Gordon finally reveals the true reason for his return.

Comeback Love is a bracing journey into the hearts of two lovers who came of age in the 1960s. Plumbing the depths of youth, regret, and desire, Peter Golden deftly illuminates the bonds that mysteriously endure in the face of momentous change.

• Tour Dates:  April 2 - April 23, 2012
• Tour signups will close on January 3, 2012
• This book will be available in PRINT and EBOOK (via Netgalley) formats.
• To sign-up - please leave a comment with your name, e-mail address, blog name, format preference, and the date you would like to post your review (check calendar below - first come, first-serve.  If a date is already taken, you must pick a different date.  Please click the arrow to move over to the correct month as it is set to the current month automatically).  
• This tour is open to USA and CANADA bloggers (print) and anyone worldwide who has access to Netgalley titles. 
• The author is available for interviews also.  Please indicate in your comment if you would love to interview the author in conjunction with your review.

Available Dates:
April -
2
3 - Kritters Ramblings
4
5
6 - Psychotic State
9 - Book Bags and Cat Naps
10 - A Casual Reader's Blog
11 - BookSpark
12 - Practical Frugality
13 - Reflections with Coffee
16 - Colloquium
17 - The Bookish Mama
18 - Books in the Burbs
19 - Seaside Book Nook; Alexa Loves Books
20 - Laurie Here Reading and Writing Reviews
23 - CelticLady's Reviews



Review Links:

February Tour: Crazy in Paradise by Deborah Brown

Crazy in Paradise
by Deborah Brown
Publication Date:  July 2011
Publisher:  Paradise Books, LLC

Dying in the middle of the summer in the Florida Keys is sweaty business. Welcome to Tarpon Cove. Madison Westin inherits her aunt’s beachfront motel along with a variety of colorful tenants - drunks, ex-cons and fugitives. Only one problem: First she has to wrestle control from her lawyer and conniving motel manager. She enlists the help of her new best friend who’s motto is never leave home without your Glock. Only in South Florida, land of hot tan lines, drugs on demand – not to mention blackmail and murder.

• Tour Dates:  February 6 - 27, 2012
• Tour signups will close on December 13
• This book will be available in PRINT (10 copies) and EBOOK (unlimited) formats.
• To sign-up - please leave a comment with your name, e-mail address, blog name, format preference, and the date you would like to post your review (check calendar below - first come, first-serve.  If a date is already taken, you must pick a different date.  Please click the arrow to move over to the correct month as it is set to the current month automatically).  
• This tour is open to USA/CANADA bloggers for the print copy and internationally for the ebook copy.
• The author is available for guest posts and interviews in conjunction with your review.  Please indicate in your comment if you would like either of these options. 

Available Dates:
February -
21  --  Laurie Here Reading and Writing Reviews
22  --  Book-Spark
23  --  Book Bags and Cat Naps
24  --  Practical Frugality

Reviews:

Jan/Feb Tour: Sinners & Saints: A Novel by Victoria Christopher Murray and ReShonda Tate Billingsley

Victoria Christopher Murray has made Jasmine Cox Larson Bush infamous four times over with Sin and a Shame (2006); Lady Jasmine (2009); Too Little, Too Late (2008) and Sins of the Mother (2010).  ReShonda Tate Billingsley’s Rachel Jackson Adams has frustrated and charmed readers in Let the Church Say Amen (2004); Everybody Say Amen (2009) and Say Amen, Again (2011).

Now for the first time, bestselling, award-winning authors Victoria Christopher Murray and ReShonda Tate Billingsley, bring their favorite heroines together in SINNERS & SAINTS: A Novel (Touchstone Books / Simon & Schuster Paperback; January 10, 2012) which is bound to delight their fans.

Victoria Christopher Murray’s Jasmine Cox Larson Bush and ReShonda Tate Billingsley’s Rachel Jackson Adams are not your typical First Ladies. But they’ve overcome their scandalous and drama-filled pasts to stand firmly by their husbands’ sides for the coveted position of President of the National Baptist Association. But when a coveted position opens up—the President of the National Baptist Association—each woman thinks her husband is perfect for the job.  As Jasmine and Rachel’s husbands are both nominated, the scheming begins and both women are back to their old ways. 

• Tour Dates:  January 23 - February 6 (2012)
• Tour signups will close on December 9
• This book will be available in PRINT format only. 
• To sign-up - please leave a comment with your name, e-mail address, blog name, and the date you would like to post your review (check calendar below - first come, first-serve.  If a date is already taken, you must pick a different date.  Please click the arrow to move over to the correct month as it is set to the current month automatically).  
• This tour is open to USA bloggers only.

January Tour: It Takes a Witch by Heather Blake

It Takes a Witch
Book 1 in the all-new Wishcrafter Cozy Mystery Series!
by Heather Blake
Publisher:  Signet
Publication Date:  January 2012

Darcy Merriweather has just discovered she hails from a long line of Wishcrafters--witches with the power to cast spells by making a wish. She's come to Enchanted Village to learn her trade but finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation.

"A bewitching tale that will quickly cast a spell on you."

-Lori's Reading Corner

• Tour Dates:  January 2 - January 11
• Tour signups will close on December 9
• This book will be available in PRINT (8 copies) format ONLY.
• To sign-up - please leave a comment with your name, e-mail address, blog name, and the date you would like to post your review (check list below - first come, first-serve.  If a date is already taken, you must pick a different date).  
• This tour is open to USA bloggers only. 

Note: This tour is coming up VERY quickly. Please only sign up if you can commit to reviewing in a very short time-frame. Due to the limited number of copies available, we want bloggers who can review this book soon, despite the upcoming holiday season. If more than 8 bloggers sign-up, we will randomly draw names to select who participates.

Available Dates:
Monday January 2 - Gimme the Scoop
Tuesday January 3 - Book Spark
Wednesday January 4 - So Many Books, So Little Time
Thursday January 5 - Reading With Tequila
Friday January 6 - Sherri's Reading Jubilee
Monday January 9 - WV Stitcher
Tuesday January 10 - Sinnful Books
Wednesday January 11 - Between the Covers



Review Links:

CANCELED: February Tour: My Sweet Saga by Brett Sills (International)

My Sweet Saga
by Brett Sills
Publisher:  Admiral J Press
Publication Date:  September 2011

At 30 years old, Brandon is barely able to make it through life, much less enjoy it. He is weeks away from what should be one of the happiest days of his life, his wedding day to his fiancée, Clarissa, but his attention is distracted when his estranged, erratic and oddly eccentric father suddenly reappears with a bizarre demand: to accompany him to Stockholm, Sweden, where they will meet a man who he claims will change their lives.

Desperate for even a brief escape from his reality, Brandon reluctantly goes with his father, ready for a disaster. But his life changes completely the moment his eyes meet the mysterious Swedish man's daughter, Saga. On a cobblestone street in the middle of Stockholm, Brandon reawakens to life, though struggles to navigate the messy love triangle with Saga and his fiancée, which includes multiple arrests, hospital stays, terrorist bombs, acts of heroism and foolishness, family secrets and even a bit of public nudity.

"I aimed to capture that unmistakable feeling: just when you think your life is over, you fall in love, feel invigorated, do the stupidest crap imaginable and find the absolute beauty in both the happiness and pain of the entire experience," Sills says.

Sills believes that though his work may come off as solely entertaining at first, the story and struggles of Brandon have more heart than readers might expect. He hopes that it not only allows readers to realize that there is more to life than just suffering through it, but also gives them a romantic, American point of view of Sweden: a country that has had a sudden boom in interest and popularity due to the extreme recent success of crime novels like "Girl With The Dragon Tattoo."

"I want readers to fall in love with Sweden as much as I did," Sills says.

• Tour Dates:  February 1 - February 15
• Tour signups will close on December 7
• This book will be available in PRINT (8 copies) and EBOOK (Kindle - 5 copies) formats.
• To sign-up - please leave a comment with your name, e-mail address, blog name, format preference, and the date you would like to post your review (check calendar below - first come, first-serve.  If a date is already taken, you must pick a different date.  Please click the arrow to move over to the correct month as it is set to the current month automatically).  
• This tour is open INTERNATIONALLY. 
• The author is open for interviews or guest posts.  Please indicate if you would like this option when you sign-up or if you want REVIEW ONLY.

January Tour: The Magic Room by Jeffrey Zaslow

The Magic Room by Jeffrey Zaslow
Publication Date: January 2012
Publisher: Gotham

“I wanted to write a book about the love we all wish for our daughters. I needed a place to set the book – a place with great emotion – and I considered all sorts of possibilities.” – Jeffrey Zaslow, on writing The Magic Room

Up a short flight of stairs, inside a former bank in a small rural town 100 miles northwest of Detroit – there is a room. It is a special place, rich in history, and 100,000 brides-to-be from across the Midwest have made pilgrimages to find it. Just 10 foot by 8 foot, it has floor-to-ceiling mirrors on every wall, carrying the brides’ images to infinity. It is called the “Magic Room,” and for good reason.

The town is Fowler, Michigan, a middle-class community with 1,100 residents – and 2,500 wedding dresses. The building is Becker’s Bridal, home to each of those dresses, a figurative blizzard of white. In THE MAGIC ROOM: A Story About The Love We Wish For Our Daughters (Gotham, On-Sale January 2, 2012; $27) Jeffrey Zaslow takes readers to this remarkable small-town bridal shop to explore the hopes and dreams that parents have for their daughters. He weaves this true story using a reporter’s research and a father’s heart. Jeff came to Fowler not just to write about wedding gowns and what they represent. He came to understand the women wearing them, their fears and yearnings, and through them, he tells a larger story about the love between parents and daughters today.

In THE MAGIC ROOM Jeff examines women on the brink of commitment, whose stories, secrets and memories will pull you in from the moment they first see their reflection in this iconic room.

Run by four generations of Becker women since 1934, Becker’s has witnessed transformations in how America views the institution of marriage; some of the shop’s clientele are becoming stepmothers, some are older brides, some are pregnant. In THE MAGIC ROOM, you’ll also meet the owner of Becker’s Bridal, Shelley, and learn the ups and downs of her life. She has a special affection for all the brides who enter the “Magic Room,” hoping their journeys will be easier than hers.

Among the visitors to Becker’s is Megan, a woman whose middle name honors the sister she never met – a sibling who died in an accident before Megan was born. Now an accident of her own has left Megan’s wedding in jeopardy. Bride-to-be Julie stands on the “Magic Room” pedestal for the second time. It is a moment of joy and tears – for though she is happy to love again, the memory of her late first husband lives on within the two daughters who accompanied her to Becker’s. Erika, meanwhile, has come to the shop with her three sisters. All of them had vowed to save themselves -- and even their first kisses -- until they found their husbands-to-be.

THE MAGIC ROOM illuminates the most poignant aspects of a woman’s journey to the altar. The stories here are more than mere tales of brides-to-be – they’re illustrations of the ways in which all parents wish their daughters will go through life safe, happy and surrounded by love. The “Magic Room” offers visceral reminders of the challenges young women face, of the ways in which sadness is so often intertwined with joy, and of the sweet possibilities that await them – or that may be beyond their grasp.

The lessons Zaslow shares from within the “Magic Room” are at times joyful, and at times heart-breaking. And each bride who passes through Becker’s Bridal has a story to tell – one that carried her there, to that dress, that room, that moment.

Be sure to check out Jeffrey Zaslow online at www.jeffzaslow.com, and The Magic Room at www.MagicRoomBook.com for more information.

• Tour Dates:  January 16 - January 30 (2012) 
• Tour signups will close on December 7
• This book will be available in PRINT (10 copies) and EBOOK (25 copies) formats.  Ebook copies are available through Netgalley. 
• To sign-up - please leave a comment with your name, e-mail address, blog name, format preference, and the date you would like to post your review (check calendar below - first come, first-serve.  If a date is already taken, you must pick a different date.  Please click the arrow to move over to the correct month as it is set to the current month automatically).  
• This tour is open to USA/CANADA bloggers for the print copy.  If you can participate in Netgalley, you are welcome to join the tour if you are outside the USA.  Of course, USA/CANADA bloggers may select the Netgalley copy as well.  I will give preference to international bloggers first for the ebook copies since we have limited tours these bloggers can participate in.

Reviews:

January Tour: The Gilder by Kathryn Kay

The Gilder
by Kathryn Kay
Publication Date:  January 2012
Kensington Books

Set against the exquisite backdrop of Florence, Italy, The Gilder is a compelling and beautifully wrought novel of secrets, friendship, betrayal, and the simple choices that change us forever. . .

In Marina Nesmith's skilled hands, even the most tarnished picture frame or objet d'art can be made perfect once again. Her life, too, seems flawless, at least on the surface. But more and more, Marina is conscious of what she lacks--someone to share her joys and sorrows with, confidence in the decisions she's made, and the courage to tell her teenage daughter, Zoe, the truth about her father.

Then Marina is invited to return to Florence, where she lived years before while learning her trade as a gilder. In those heady days, she wandered the city's picturesque streets, marveling at the masterpieces in the Duomo and the Pitti Palace. In the church of Santa Croce, she met Thomas, an American photographer who, along with his wife Sarah, introduced Marina to a thrilling, bohemian world of art and beauty. Through them, she also learned about love, lies, and the way one mistake can multiply into many. Now, as her past and present collide, Marina will finally have to move beyond the intricate veneer she's crafted around herself, and find the life that she--and Zoe--have been looking for.

• Tour Dates:  January 2 - January 16 (2012) 
• Tour signups will close on October  31
• This book will be available in PRINT format only. 
• To sign-up - please leave a comment with your name, e-mail address, blog name, and the date you would like to post your review (check calendar below - first come, first-serve.  If a date is already taken, you must pick a different date.  Please click the arrow to move over to the correct month as it is set to the current month automatically).  
• This tour is open to USA bloggers only.

Participating Blogs
1/5/2012  --  Reader Girls
1/6/2012  --  A Bookish Affair
1/7/2012  --  Psychotic State Book Reviews
1/10/2012  --  CelticLady's Reviews
1/11/2012  --  Novel Reflections
1/12/2012  --  Practical Frugality
1/14/2012  --  The Bookish Mama
1/15/2012  --  Sherri's Reading Jubilee
1/16/2012  --  Books in the Burbs

Review Links

December Tour: A Summer in Europe by Marilyn Brant

A Summer in Europe
by Marilyn Brant
Publication Date:  November 2011
Kensington Books

On her thirtieth birthday, Gwendolyn Reese receives an unexpected present from her widowed Aunt Bea: a grand tour of Europe in the company of Bea's Sudoku and Mah-jongg Club. The prospect isn't entirely appealing. But when the gift she is expecting - an engagement ring from her boyfriend - doesn't materialize, Gwen decides to go. At first, Gwen approaches the trip as if it's the math homework she assigns her students, diligently checking monuments off her must-see list. But amid the bougainvillea and stunning vistas of southern Italy, something changes. Gwen begins to live in the moment - skipping down stone staircases in Capri, running her fingers over a glacier in view of the Matterhorn, racing through the Louvre, and taste-testing pastries at a Marseilles cafe. Revelling in every new experience - especially her attraction to a charismatic British physics professor - Gwen discovers that the ancient wonders around her are nothing compared to the renaissance unfolding within...

• Tour Dates:  December 5 - December 19 
• Tour signups will close on October 15
• This book will be available in PRINT format only.
• To sign-up - please leave a comment with your name, e-mail address, blog name, and the date you would like to post your review (check calendar below - first come, first-serve.  If a date is already taken, you must pick a different date.  Please click the arrow to move over to the correct month as it is set to the current month automatically).  
• This tour is open to USA bloggers only.

Participants:

12/8 -- Tiffany -- A Cozy Readers Corner
12/12 -- Kathleen -- Celtic Lady's Review
12/14 -- Karen -- Practical Frugality
12/15 -- Kristen -- Kritters Ramblings
12/16 -- Meg -- A Bookish Affair
12/18 -- Laurie -- Reader Girls
12/19 -- Lori -- Psychotic State Book Reviews

Review Links:

December Tour: His Mistress by Christmas by Victoria Alexander

His Mistress by Christmas
by Victoria Alexander
Genre:  Historical Romance
Publication Date: October 2011
Kensington Books

For three years, Lady Veronica Smithson has been perfectly happy as a widow — and thoroughly independent. Still, the right gentleman could provide the benefits of marriage without the tedious restrictions. And in Sir Sebastian Hadley-Attwater, renowned explorer and rogue, Veronica is sure she has found him. Sebastian will come into his inheritance in a matter of weeks — if his family deems him responsible enough. There’s no better way to prove his maturity than with a home and a wife. But though the lovely Veronica will share his bed, she steadfastly refuses to marry. However, Sebastian has a plan. An intimate sojourn at his new country house will surely change Veronica’s mind. For Sebastian never takes no for an answer. And even in the midst of mischief-making relatives and unexpected complications, he intends to persuade his Christmas mistress that they belong together — in this, and every season to come...

• Tour Dates:  December 10 - December 17
• Tour signups will close on October 3, 2011
• This book will be available in PRINT only.
• To sign-up - please leave a comment with your name, e-mail address, blog name, and the date you would like to post your review (check calendar below - first come, first-serve.  If a date is already taken, you must pick a different date.  Please click the arrow to move over to the correct month as it is set to the current month automatically).  
• This tour is open to USA bloggers only.

Participating Bloggers
12/10/2011  --  A Chick Who Reads
12/12/2011  --  Reviews by Molly
12/13/2011  --  Practical Frugality
12/14/2011  --  A Cozy Readers Corner

Reviews

Nov/Dec Tour: The Daughter She Used to Be by Rosalind Noonan

The Daughter She Used to Be
by Rosalind Noonan
Publication Date:  October 2011
Kensington Books

The daughter of a career cop, Bernadette Sullivan grew up with blue uniforms hanging in the laundry room and cops laughing around the dinner table. Her brothers joined New York's finest, her sister married a cop, and Bernie is an assistant District Attorney. Collaring criminals, putting them away - it's what they do. And though lately Bernie feels a growing desire for a family of her own, she's never questioned her choices. Then a shooter targets a local coffee shop, and tragedy strikes the Sullivan family. Anger follows grief - and Bernie realizes that her father's idea of retribution is very different from her own. All her life, she's inhabited a clear-cut world of right and wrong, of morality and corruption. As Bernie struggles to protect the people she loves, she must also decide what it means to see justice served. And in her darkest hour, she will find out just what it means to be her father's daughter.

• Tour Dates:  November 25 - December 9 
• Tour signups will close on October 3
• This book will be available in PRINT only.
• To sign-up - please leave a comment with your name, e-mail address, blog name, and the date you would like to post your review (check calendar below - first come, first-serve.  If a date is already taken, you must pick a different date.  Please click the arrow to move over to the correct month as it is set to the current month automatically).  
• This tour is open to USA bloggers only.

Participating Blogs
11/26/2011  --  Practical Frugality
11/28/2011  --  WV Stitcher
12/3/2011  --  Proud Book Nerd
12/7/2011  --  Review From Here
12/8/2011  --  Kritters Ramblings
12/9/2011  --  Books in the Burbs

Review Links

Nov/Dec Tour: Jane Was Here by Sarah Kernochan (LIMITED COPIES - International Tour)

Jane Was Here
by Sara Kernochan
Publication Date:  June 2011
Grey Swan Press

A mysterious young woman called Jane appears in a small New England town. She claims a fragmentary memory of growing up in this place, yet she has never been here before in her life. Searching for an explanation, she arrives at the unthinkable: that she is somehow connected to a beautiful girl who disappeared from the town in 1853. Is she recalling a past life? Jane becomes convinced of it. As she presses onward to find out what happened in this town over 150 years ago, strange and alarming things begin happening to some of the town's inhabitants. A thunderhead of karmic justice gathers over the village as Jane's memories reawaken piece by piece. They carry her back in time to a long-buried secret, while the townspeople hurtle forward to a horrific event when past and present fatally collide.

A little bit about Sarah Kernochan:

Sarah Kernochan received early acclaim for her Academy Award winning documentary Marjoe. She then recorded two albums for RCA as a singer-songwriter. In 1977, her first novel Dry Hustle was published. Returning to film, she scripted the the film Nine and ½ Weeks, Impromptu, Sommersby, What Lies Beneath and All I Wanna Do, which she also directed. She received a second Academy Award in 2002 for her short documentary Thoth. 2010 brought the re-issue of Dry Hustle as an ebook, and a third album of songs. 2011 brings us to Jane Was Here; Sarah’s first love and teenage ambition – a novel about reincarnation.

NOTE:  We have limited PRINT and EBOOK copies available for this tour.  If more bloggers signup than we have copies available, we will put everyone's name into a randomizer to determine who will be on the tour.  It is very important that you indicate if you must have PRINT or EBOOK.  If you can do EITHER, please let us know that as well.  Since we have limited tours open to international bloggers, I would prefer to leave the ebook copies to those bloggers, if at all possible.  I will post a calendar once we know WHO will be on the tour. 

• Tour Dates:  December 12 - December 26
• Tour signups will close on September 30
• This book will be available in both PRINT and EBOOK formats.
• To sign-up - please leave a comment with your name, e-mail address, blog name, and format preference (print/ebook).  
• This tour is open to USA bloggers (print) and international bloggers (ebook only).   
• If you haven't already done so, please be sure if you have filled out the BLOGGER SIGN-UP form (only needs to be filled out once, unless you have an address change)

Participating Bloggers
12/11/2011  --  Psychotic State Book Reviews
12/12/2011  --  Mental Foodie
12/13/2011  --  Tiffany's Bookshelf
12/14/2011  --  Book of Secrets
12/15/2011  --  Endlessly Bookish
12/16/2011  --  Sinnful Books
12/18/2011  --  Proud Book Nerd
12/19/2011  --  True Book Addict/Castle Macabre
12/21/2011  --  WV Stitcher
12/23/2011  --  Reader Girls

Reviews

November Tour: The Lady of the Rivers by Philippa Gregory

The Lady of the Rivers
by Philippa Gregory
Publication Date:  October 18, 2011
Publisher:  Touchstone

Passion. Danger. Witchcraft . . .

The Lady of the Rivers is #1 New York Times bestselling author Philippa Gregory’s remarkable story of Jacquetta, Duchess of Bedford, a woman who navigated a treacherous path through the battle lines in the Wars of the Roses.

Descended from Melusina, the river goddess, Jacquetta always has had the gift of second sight. As a child visiting her uncle, she met his prisoner, Joan of Arc, and saw her own power reflected in the young woman accused of witchcraft. They share the mystery of the tarot card of the wheel of fortune before Joan is taken to a horrific death at the hands of the English rulers of France. Jacquetta understands the danger for a woman who dares to dream.

Jacquetta is married to the Duke of Bedford, English regent of France, and he introduces her to a mysterious world of learning and alchemy. Her only friend in the great household is the duke’s squire Richard Woodville, who is at her side when the duke’s death leaves her a wealthy young widow. The two become lovers and marry in secret, returning to England to serve at the court of the young King Henry VI, where Jacquetta becomes a close and loyal friend to his new queen.

The Woodvilles soon achieve a place at the very heart of the Lancaster court, though Jacquetta can sense the growing threat from the people of England and the danger of royal rivals. Not even their courage and loyalty can keep the House of Lancaster on the throne. Henry the king slides into a mysterious sleep; Margaret the queen turns to untrustworthy favorites for help; and Richard, Duke of York, threatens to overturn the whole kingdom for his rival dynasty.

Jacquetta fights for her king, her queen, and for her daughter Elizabeth for whom Jacquetta can sense an extraordinary and unexpected future: a change of fortune, the throne of England, and the white rose of York.

A sweeping, powerful story rich in passion and legend and drawing on years of research, The Lady of the Rivers tells the story of the real-life mother of the white queen.

• Tour Dates:  November 14 - November 28 
• Tour signups will close on September 2 *New* September 11
• This book will be available in both PRINT and EBOOK formats.  Ebook copies will be available through Netgalley.
• To sign-up - please leave a comment with your name, e-mail address, blog name, format preference (print/ebook), and the date you would like to post your review (check calendar below - first come, first-serve.  If a date is already taken, you must pick a different date.  Please click the arrow to move over to the correct month as it is set to the current month automatically).  
• This tour is open to USA bloggers.

Participating Bloggers
11/14/2011 -- A Bookish Affair
11/15/2011 -- Proud Book Nerd
11/16/2011 -- Review from Here
11/17/2011 -- By the Book
11/19/2011 -- The Bookish Mama
11/20/2011 -- Ravishing Reads
11/21/2011 -- A Chick Who Reads
11/22/2011 -- Kritter's Ramblings
11/23/2011 -- The Book of Secrets
11/25/2011 -- Sinnful Books
11/26/2011 -- Sherri's Jubilee
11/27/2011 -- Hippies, Beauty, and Books Oh My!
11/28/2011 -- Book Snob

Reviews

November Tour: The Women of the Cousins' War by Philippa Gregory, David Baldwin, and Michael Jones

The Women of the Cousins' War
by Philippa Gregory, David Baldwin, Michael Jones
Publication Date:  September 13, 2011
Publisher:  Touchstone

#1 New York Times bestselling author Philippa Gregory teams with two eminent historians to explore the historical characters in the real-life world behind her Wars of the Roses novels.

PHILIPPA GREGORY and her fellow historians describe the extraordinary lives of the heroines of her Cousins’ War books: Jacquetta, Duchess of Bedford; Elizabeth Woodville, wife of Edward IV; and Margaret Beaufort, mother of Henry VII.

In her essay on Jacquetta, Philippa Gregory uses original documents, archaeology, and histories of myth and witchcraft to create the first-ever biography of the young duchess who survived two reigns and two wars to become the first lady at two rival courts. David Baldwin, established authority on the Wars of the Roses, tells the story of Elizabeth Woodville, the first commoner to marry a king of England for love; and Michael Jones, fellow of the Royal Historical Society, writes of Margaret Beaufort, the almost-unknown matriarch of the House of Tudor.

In the introduction, Gregory writes revealingly about the differences between history and historical fiction. How much of a role does speculation play in writing each? How much fiction and how much fact should there be in a historical novel? How are female historians changing our view of women in history?

The Women of the Cousins’ War is beautifully illustrated with rare portraits and source materials. As well as offering fascinating insights into the inspirations behind Philippa Gregory’s fiction, it will appeal to all with an interest in this period.

• Tour Dates:  November 7 - November 21 
• Tour signups will close on September 2 *New* September 11
• This book will be available in both PRINT and EBOOK formats.  Ebook copies will be available through Netgalley.
• To sign-up - please leave a comment with your name, e-mail address, blog name, format preference (print/ebook), and the date you would like to post your review (check calendar below - first come, first-serve.  If a date is already taken, you must pick a different date.  Please click the arrow to move over to the correct month as it is set to the current month automatically).  
• This tour is open to USA bloggers.

Participating Bloggers
11/7/2011 -- A Bookish Affair
11/8/2011 -- Review from Here
11/10/2011 -- Man of La Book
11/12/2011 -- The Bookish Mama
11/14/2011 -- True Book Addict
11/21/2011 -- CelticLady

Review Links

Signups CLOSED: November Tour: Triangles by Ellen Hopkins

Triangles
by Ellen Hopkins
Publication Date:  October 18, 2011
Publisher:  Atria

In this first adult novel by the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the unforgettable Crank trilogy, three female friends face midlife crises in a no holds-barred exploration of sex, marriage, and the fragility of life.

Ellen Hopkins has made her mark as the wildly popular author of several novels for young adults—every one of them a New York Times bestseller, and every one a hard-hitting exploration of tough-to-tackle topics. Now, in Triangles, Hopkins brings her storytelling mastery and fearlessness to take on the challenges of adult dramas.

In this emotionally powerful novel, three women face the age-old midlife question: If I’m halfway to death, is this all I’ve got to show for it? Holly, filled with regret for being a stay-at-home mom, sheds sixty pounds and loses herself in the world of extramarital sex. Andrea, a single mom and avowed celibate, watches her friend Holly’s meltdown with a mixture of concern and contempt. Holly is throwing away what Andrea has spent her whole life searching for—a committed relationship with a decent guy. So what if Andrea picks up Holly’s castaway husband? Then there’s Marissa. She has more than her fair share of challenges—a gay teenage son, a terminally ill daughter, and a husband who buries himself in his work rather than face the facts. As one woman’s marriage unravels, another one’s rekindles. As one woman’s family comes apart at the seams, another’s is reconfigured into something bigger and better. In this story of connections and disconnections, one woman’s up is another one’s down, and all three of them will learn the meaning of friendship, betrayal, and forgiveness before it is through.

• Tour Dates:  November 1 - November 18
• Tour signups will close on September 2 
• This book will be available in PRINT format only.  We have limited copies available, so if it comes to that, we may need to do a random draw for who is selected to participate.
• To sign-up - please leave a comment with your name, e-mail address, blog name, and the date you would like to post your review (check calendar below - first come, first-serve.  If a date is already taken, you must pick a different date.  Please click the arrow to move over to the correct month as it is set to the current month automatically).  
• This tour is open to USA/CAN bloggers
• The author is open for Q&As along with your scheduled review.  Please indicate in your post if you would like to interview Ellen in conjunction with your review.

Participating Bloggers:
11/1/2011 All I Ever Read
11/3/2011 Taming the Bookshelf 
11/4/2011 Oodles of Books
11/5/2011 Ravishing Reads
11/7/2011 Review from Here
11/8/2011 Proud Book Nerd
11/9/2011 The Book Swarm 
11/10/2011 Tiffany's Bookshelf
11/11/2011 Kritters Ramblings
11/13/2011 Hippies, Beauty, and Books Oh My!
11/15/2011 So Many Books, So Little Time
11/16/2011 Book Snob 
11/17/2011 Reader Girls 
11/18/2011 Colloquium
11/19/2011 Reflections with Coffee

Review/Interview/Guest Post Links:

Signups CLOSED: October Tour: Children of Paranoia by Trevor Shane

all wars have rules

rule #1: no killing innocent bystanders

rule #2: no killing anyone under the age of eighteen

break the rules, become the target

Imagine if your neighbor, your co-worker, or the barista behind the counter at your local coffee shop was sent to kill you, but you had no way of knowing. This is the world debut author Trevor Shane has created. In his breakout novel CHILDREN OF PARANOIA (September 8, 2011; $25.95), Shane depicts an ancient underground war raging in the shadows of a world much like our own, but not even those who are fighting know what side they’re on.

The war is ageless, concealed, structured by rigid rules, and fought by two distinct sides—one good, one evil. The only unknown is which side is which. Soldiers in the war hide in plain sight, their deeds disguised as accidents or suicides amidst an unsuspecting population.

Joseph has been a part of the war since he was eighteen, the age when young adults on both sides are chosen and taught how to kill. Joseph is undoubtedly one of the best soldiers the war has ever seen, because he understands the rules and the consequences of breaking them—if he breaks the rules, he’ll never get out alive.

But on one particularly dangerous assignment, Joseph meets Maria, a young woman who is uninvolved in the war: an Innocent. When Maria enters his life, Joseph finds that the black and white, good versus evil world he has always blindly trusted begins to crumble. Soon, Joseph is forced to explain himself to the woman he loves, and for the first time he finds a new reason to stay alive, and along with it, a new reason to fight.

In a world where everyone might be a killer and paranoia is the most valuable asset, Joseph realizes what he always knew to be true: the first to kill is the last to survive.

CHILDREN OF PARANOIA is set in a dystopian landscape reminiscent of I am Number Four and The Hunger Games, with a moral sensibility that will entice fans of Showtime’s Dexter. Trevor Shane effortlessly transitions between nail-biting action and heartfelt emotion, sure to delight genre fans and literary fiction lovers alike.

• Tour Dates:  October 11 - October 25 
• Tour signups will close on August 25 
• This book will be available in both PRINT and EBOOK formats.  Ebook copies will be available through Netgalley.
• To sign-up - please leave a comment with your name, e-mail address, blog name, format preference (print/ebook), and the date you would like to post your review (check calendar below - first come, first-serve.  If a date is already taken, you must pick a different date.  Please click the arrow to move over to the correct month as it is set to August automatically).  
• This tour is open to USA/CAN bloggers (print/ebook) and any International bloggers who have access to Netgalley (ebook only).
• The author is open for guest posts/interviews along with your scheduled review.

Signups CLOSED: October Tour: The Book of LIfe by Stuart Nadler

The Book of Life
by Stuart Nadler
September 1, 2011
Reagan Arthur Books

Forced together on a trip from Manhattan to Rhode Island, a father and son attempt to renew their bond over lobster, cigarettes, and a buried secret. A pure-hearted artist finds his devotion cruelly tested, while his true love tries to repent for the biggest mistake of her life. Unwittingly thrust into an open marriage, a man struggles to reconnect with his newly devout son. And in the book's daring first story, an arrogant businessman begins a forbidden affair during the High Holidays.

Written in clear, crystalline prose, The Book of Life comprises seven stunning tales about faith, family, grief, love, temptation, and redemption that signal the arrival of a bold and exciting new writer.

• Tour Dates:  October 1 - October 14 
• Tour signups will close on August 17 
• This book will be available in both PRINT and EBOOK formats.  Ebook copies will be available through Netgalley.
• To sign-up - please leave a comment with your name, e-mail address, blog name, format preference (print/ebook), and the date you would like to post your review (check calendar below - first come, first-serve.  If a date is already taken, you must pick a different date.  Please click the arrow to move over to the correct month as it is set to August automatically).  
• This tour is open to USA/CAN bloggers (print/ebook) and any International bloggers who have access to Netgalley (ebook only).
• There will be a book giveaway opportunity with this tour, courtesy of the publisher.  Please indicate in your comment if you would like to participate in the giveaway (US/CAN winners only). 

Tour Schedule:

Tiffany - A Cozy Reader's Corner - October 13
Brenda - WV Stitcher - October 14


Reviews:

SIGNUPS CLOSED: October/November Tour: Holy Ghost Girl by Donna Johnson

Holy Ghost Girl:  A Memoir
by Donna M. Johnson
Publication Date:  October 13, 2011
Gotham Books

A compassionate, humorous story of faith, betrayal, and coming of age on the evangelical sawdust trail. 
 
She was just three years old when her mother signed on as the organist of tent revivalist David Terrell, and before long, Donna Johnson was part of the hugely popular evangelical preacher's inner circle. At seventeen, she left the ministry for good, with a trove of stranger-than-fiction memories. A homecoming like no other, Holy Ghost Girl brings to life miracles, exorcisms, and faceoffs with the Ku Klux Klan. And that's just what went on under the tent.

As Terrell became known worldwide during the 1960s and '70s, the caravan of broken-down cars and trucks that made up his ministry evolved into fleets of Mercedes and airplanes. The glories of the Word mixed with betrayals of the flesh and Donna's mother bore Terrell's children in one of the several secret households he maintained. Thousands of followers, dubbed "Terrellites" by the press, left their homes to await the end of the world in cultlike communities. Jesus didn't show, but the IRS did, and the prophet/healer went to prison.
Recounted with deadpan observations and surreal detail, Holy Ghost Girl bypasses easy judgment to articulate a rich world in which the mystery of faith and human frailty share a surprising and humorous coexistence.

Since this one is also on TLC Book Tours, we are going to start our tour when TLC ends.

• Tour Dates:  October 28 - November 11
• Tour signups will close on August 15. 
• This book will be available in both PRINT (10 copies) and EBOOK (25 copies through Netgalley) formats.
• To sign-up - please leave a comment with your name, e-mail address, blog name, format preference (print/ebook), and the date you would like to post your review (check calendar below - first come, first-serve.  Please click the arrow to move over to the correct month as it is set to August automatically).  
• This tour is open to ALL (USA, Canada, International) book bloggers, with this caveat:
• USA & Canada may request the print copy
• International bloggers can only request the ebook copy

Signups:

10/28/2011  --  Phantom Paragrapher
10/29/2011  --  Deco My Heart
10/30/2011  --  Laurie Here
10/31/2011  --  Colloquium
11/1/2011  --  Tiffany's Bookshelf
11/2/2011  --  Practical Frugality
11/7/2011  --  WV Stitcher
11/9/2011  --  Books in the Burbs
11/10/2011  --  StephTheBookworm
11/11/2011  --  Hippies, Beauty, and Books OH MY!


Reviews:

Signups CLOSED: August/September Tour: Cross Currents by John Shors

Cross Currents
by John Shors
Publication Date:  September 6, 2011
NAL Trade

Thailand's pristine Ko Phi Phi island attracts tourists from around the world. There, struggling to make ends meet, small-resort owners Lek and Sarai are happy to give an American named Patch room and board in exchange for his help. But when Patch's brother, Ryan, arrives, accompanied by his girlfriend, Brooke, Lek learns that Patch is running from the law, and his presence puts Lek's family at risk. Meanwhile, Brooke begins to doubt her love for Ryan while her feelings for Patch blossom.

In a landscape where nature's bounty seems endless, these two families are swept up in an approaching cataclysm that will require all their strength of heart and soul to survive...

• Tour Dates:  August 31 - September 14
• Tour signups will close on August 7.  Books will be shipped early next week to allow time for mailing and reading due to the short time-frame of this tour.
• This book will be available in PRINT format only.
• To sign-up - please leave a comment with your name, e-mail address, blog name, and the date you would like to post your review (check calendar below - first come, first-serve.  Please click the arrow to move over to the correct month as it is set to August automatically).  
• This tour is open to USA book bloggers. 
• We understand the short time-frame for this tour; however, we hope this won't deter you from signing up for the tour.  The book comes out September 6, so the publisher wanted to get some buzz going around the release date.