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Thank you for reading my blog and I hope to see you on the new site.

Mailbox Monday Christmas Post

Mailbox Monday is hosted at The Printed Page.

This will be one of my last posts here. I am transitioning Reading With Mo over to the new site, ReadingWithMo.com this week.

The books below were all Christmas presents. I also received a large collection of Barnes and Noble gift cards so more will be following.


Heat Wave by Richard Castle

From the Cover:

A New York real estate tycoon plunges to his death on a Manhattan sidewalk. A trophy wife with a past survives a narrow escape from a brazen attack. Mobsters and moguls with no shortage of reasons to kill trot out their alibis. And then, in the suffocating grip of a record heat wave, comes another shocking murder and a sharp turn in a tense journey into the dirty little secrets of the wealthy. Secrets that prove to be fatal. Secrets that lay hidden in the dark until one NYPD detective shines a light.


The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

From the publisher:

"My name was Salmon, like the fish; first name, Susie. I was fourteen when I was murdered on December 6, 1973."

So begins the story of Susie Salmon, who is adjusting to her new home in heaven, a place that is not at all what she expected, even as she is watching life on earth continue without her -- her friends trading rumors about her disappearance, her killer trying to cover his tracks, her grief-stricken family unraveling. Out of unspeakable tragedy and loss, THE LOVELY BONES succeeds, miraculously, in building a tale filled with hope, humor, suspense, even joy.

31 Hours by Masha Hamilton
From the publisher:

A woman in New York awakens knowing, as deeply as a mother’s blood can know, that her grown son is in danger. She has not heard from him in weeks. His name is Jonas. His girlfriend, Vic, doesn’t know what she has done wrong, but Jonas won’t answer his cell phone. We soon learn that Jonas is isolated in a safe-house apartment in New York City, pondering his conversion to Islam and his experiences training in Pakistan, preparing for the violent action he has been instructed to take in 31 hours. Jonas’s absence from the lives of those who love him causes a cascade of events, and as the novel moves through the streets and subways of New York we come to know intimately the lives of its characters. We also learn to feel deeply the connections and disconnections that occur between young people and their parents not only in this country but in the Middle East as well.


The Crack in the Lens by Steve Hockensmith

From the publisher:

In 1893, Otto “Big Red” Amlingmeyer and his brother Gustav, “Old Red” find themselves in a situation that they never expected. They have a bit of money and time to do something other than scramble. It’s enough to confound even that most unconfoundable of men, their mutual inspiration, Sherlock Holmes.

So Old Red decides that it’s time for the for the two of them to head off to the Texas hill country, to San Marcos, and deal with the greatest tragedy of Old Red’s life. Five years ago, when Old Red was a cowpoke in San Marcos, he had a sweetheart—a fallen woman at the local house of ill repute. They had made plans but before they made their big move, his fiancée was murdered and the case swept under the rug by the local authorities. Now, Old Red is determined to find out what really happened and to finally find a measure of justice for his beloved. But Big Red and Old Red find themselves facing a wall of silence and in some of the worst situations of their lives: ensnared in a riot at the local cathouse, on the wrong end of a lynching party and perhaps worst of all—having to do the one thing you never want to do in the state of Texas: steal horses.


Dracula The Un-Dead by Dacre Stoker

From the publisher:

Dracula The Un-Dead picks up the story of all the surviving characters after the events of Bram's Dracula, beginning in 1912, twenty-five years after Dracula "crumbled into dust." Although they rid the world of "evil" decades ago, the surviving characters have never truly recovered. Jonathan and Mina Harker have their relationship strained to the breaking point. Arthur Holmwood is a bitter man, Ven Helsing is waiting for death, and the once brilliant Dr. Seward is a drug-addicted madman. When Quincey Harker, the son of Jonathan and Mina finds himself on the set of Dracula, a play being directed by Bram Stoker himself, he begins to realize that his parents and their friends have kept many terrifying secrets. As the band of heroes begin to die one by one, Quincey is thrown into the dark past of his parents and is forced to question everything he has ever trusted to be true. Who is behind these attacks? Is Dracula truly the "undead"? Or is there another, far more sinister force at work seeking ultimate revenge?


True Blue by David Baldacci

From the publisher:

A mysterious high-profile homicide in the nation's capital collides with the dark side of national security in David Baldacci's new, heart-stopping thriller. TRUE BLUE Mason "Mace" Perry was a firebrand cop on the D.C. police force until she was kidnapped and framed for a crime. She lost everything-her badge, her career, her freedom-and spent two years in prison. Now she's back on the outside and focused on one mission: to be a cop once more. Her only shot to be a true blue again is to solve a major case on her own, and prove she has the right to wear the uniform.


Patient Zero by Jonathan Maberry

From the publisher:

When you have to kill the same terrorist twice in one week there's either something wrong with your world or something wrong with your skills... and there's nothing wrong with Joe Ledger's skills. And that's both a good, and a bad thing. It's good because he's a Baltimore detective that has just been secretly recruited by the government to lead a new taskforce created to deal with the problems that Homeland Security can't handle. This rapid response group is called the Department of Military Sciences or the DMS for short. It's bad because his first mission is to help stop a group of terrorists from releasing a dreadful bio-weapon that can turn ordinary people into zombies. The fate of the world hangs in the balance....


Scarpetta by Patricia Cornwell

From the publisher:

Leaving behind her private forensic pathology practice in Charleston, South Carolina, Kay Scarpetta accepts an assignment in New York City, where the NYPD has asked her to examine an injured man on Bellevue Hospital’s psychiatric prison ward. The handcuffed and chained patient, Oscar Bane, has specifically asked for her, and when she literally has her gloved hands on him, he begins to talk—and the story he has to tell turns out to be one of the most bizarre she has ever heard.

The injuries, he says, were sustained in the course of a murder . . . that he did not commit. Is Bane a criminally insane stalker who has fixed on Scarpetta? Or is his paranoid tale true, and it is he who is being spied on, followed and stalked by the actual killer? The one thing Scarpetta knows for certain is that a woman has been tortured and murdered—and more violent deaths will follow. Gradually, an inexplicable and horrifying truth emerges: Whoever is committing the crimes knows where his prey is at all times. Is it a person, a government? And what is the connection between the victims?

Review: Decoding the Lost Symbol by Simon Cox

Book Details:
ISBN: 978-0-7432-8727-2
Publication Date: November 2009
Publisher: Simon and Schuster, Inc.
Format: Paperback, 233 pgs.

From the Cover:

Dan Brown's new novel once again features Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon, this time in the United States, racing to uncover clues and crack codes involving secrets that are perpetuated to this day. But how much of the novel is true and what is pure fiction? Simon Cox, bestselling author of Cracking the Da Vinci Code and Illuminating Angels & Demons, offers the first definitive guide to all the mysteries featured in The Lost Symbol.

Based on extensive research, this A-to-Z guide lists the real people, organizations, and themes featured in Dan Brown's latest novel, explains their histories and their meanings, reproduces and analyzes the symbols themselves, and provides insider knowledge gleaned from years of exhaustive study. From the monuments of Washington, D.C., to the secrets of Salt Lake City and the hidden enclaves in Langley, Virginia, Cox knows where the facts are hidden about the Freemasons, Albert Pike, the Rosicrucians, and Founding Fathers, and more.

This is the only resource you'll need to understand and enjoy the complex new world of The Lost Symbol.

My Take:

Dan Brown researches his novels featuring Robert Langdon extensively. Simon Cox provides us with a detailed support manual for this research. Similar to Cox's Cracking the Da Vinci Code, there is a lot of information to be digested here. The book is organized alphabetically, which works well when you are referring back for a certain bit of info, but does make it a bit hard to read without having a specific destination in mind.

I learned quite a bit from reading this. The Smithsonian Museum Support Center, where a lot of action takes place in Dan Brown's novel, is a real place. Much of Brown's descriptions of the place are spot on, of course certain liberties have to be taken in order to provide an interesting and thrilling plot.

Dan Brown does a good job of educating readers, but Simon Cox takes the learning a step further by providing in depth knowledge of these topics. If you enjoy Brown's novels, I do not see how you would not enjoy this book as well.

About the Author:

Simon Cox was the founding editor in chief of the successful newsstand magazine Phenomena. Having studied Egyptology at University College London, he went on to work as a research assistant for some of the biggest names in the alternative history game, including Graham Hancock, Robert Bauval, and David Rohl. He splits his time between Britain and the United States.

Mailbox Monday December 21, 2009

Mailbox Monday is hosted at The Printed Page.

Truly, Madly by Heather Webber
I received an advance copy of this book for review from the publisher.

From the Publisher:

Lucy Valentine is as smart as can be, as single as you can get, and sonot qualified to run a match making service. But when her parents temporarily step down from the family business, Valentine, Inc., it's Lucy's turn to step up and help out-in the name of love.

Plus, her rent is due.

Here's the problem: Lucy doesn't have the knack for matchmaking. According to family legend, every Valentine has been blessed by Cupid with the ability to read "auras" and pair up perfect couples. But not Lucy. Her skills were zapped away years ago in an electrical surge, and now all she can do is find lost objects. What good is that in the matchmaking world? You'd be surprised. In a city like Boston, everyone's looking for something. So when Lucy locates a missing wedding ring--on a dead body-- she asks the sexy private eye who lives upstairs to help her solve the perfect crime. And who knows? Maybe she'll find the perfect love while she's at it...

Beyond Blue Surviving Depression & Anxiety and Making the Most of Bad Genes by Therese J. Borchard
I received a review copy of this book from the publisher.

From the Publisher:

Therese Borchard may be one of the frankest, funniest people on the planet. That, combined with her keen writing abilities has made her Beliefnet blog, Beyond Blue, one of the most trafficked blogs on the site.

BEYOND BLUE, the book, is part memoir/part self-help. It describes Borchard's experience of living with manic depression as well as providing cutting-edge research and information on dealing with mood disorders. By exposing her vulnerability, she endears herself immediately to the reader and then reduces even the most depressed to laughter as she provides a companion on the journey to recovery and the knowledge that the reader is not alone.

Comprised of four sections and twenty-one chapters, BEYOND BLUE covers a wide range of topics from codependency to addiction, poor body image to postpartum depression, from alternative medicine to psychopharmacology, managing anxiety to applying lessons from therapy. Because of her laser wit and Erma Bombeck sense of humor, every chapter is entertaining as well as serious.

Daddy Daughter Day: The Christmas Sweater: A Picture Book

Today is Saturday, I missed Daddy Daughter Day Friday because of the huge amount of snow that fell on my area. I spent over four hours traveling home last night when it normally takes about 45 minutes. So today, I am glad it is Saturday and I am home with my family. Daddy Daughter Day must go on so today I bring you The Christmas Sweater: A Picture Book by Glenn Beck, Jason Wright, Kevin Balfe, Chris Schoebinger and illustrated by Brandon Dorman.

This is an adaptation of Glenn Beck's bestselling The Christmas Sweater, published in November of 2008. This story has the same overall message as the original but is better suited for a younger audience. Young Eddie wants a bicycle for Christmas. He is at first disappointed to learn he will be receiving a sweater for Christmas. But on Christmas Eve he has a dream about all of the fun times with his mother, father and grandfather while wearing a Christmas sweater. The next morning he rushes to the tree and discovers the bicycle he had been wanting all year. Instead of rushing to it, he searches for the Christmas sweater. His mother pulls out the package for him from under the tree.

This is a great story about Christmas. The overall message is to cherish family and the moments you have with them. I very much enjoyed The Christmas Sweater and my daughter likes this version almost as much.

Review: Fallen by Lauren Kate

Book Details:
ISBN: 978-0-385-73893-4
Publication Date: December 2009
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Format: Hardcover, 464 pgs.

From the Cover:

Daniel's gaze caught hers, and her breath caught in her throat. She recognized him from somewhere. But she would have remembered meeting someone like him. She would have remembered feeling as absolutely shaken up as she did right now.

They were still locking eyes when Daniel flashed her a smile. A jet of warmth shot through her...but then he raised his hand in the air. And flipped her off. Luce gasped and dropped her eyes. Her momentary delirium vanished. What was that guy's problem?

Just before she ducked into her first class, she dared to glance back. His face was blank, but there was no mistaking it-he was watching her go.

My Take:

If you have followed my blog, you know that I am a big fan of dark fantasy novels. I was super excited when I learned I had received an advance copy of this novel. Unfortunately, life and prior commitments forced me to wait a few weeks before I could get to read this one. To my surprise, I put the book down after the first 100 pages; 100 slow and boring pages.

I did finally finish the book, but it took several starts and stops to get through it. It has been my experience that the first novel in a dark fantasy series usually starts out slow and the series builds in intensity from there. This one takes slow to a whole new level. You would expect that a lot of character development and story background would be presented, but no. I found myself uninterested in the main character and absolutely no idea there was a plot for the first three hundred pages or so.

Things do pick up in the last 75 - 100 pages. But the story did not flow towards this change in pace. It was as if a dam had busted and all of the plot and character development that had been held back came rushing at me all at once. I would be remiss if I did not point out that I did enjoy some of the story elements near the end.

My biggest problem with the book was the almost instant change in certain characters near the end. There was no warning the change was coming. Usually there are clues or things that you can put together after the fact, but not in this case. I appreciate surprise and shock in a story, but it has to fit with the beginning as well.

The story ends with somewhat of a cliffhanger. I will probably read the sequel. I would like to see the story pick up and be able to write a positive review of the next novel. There are signs that this could happen in the ending of this book.

About the Author:

Lauren Kate grew up in Dallas, went to school in Atlanta and started writing in New York. She lives in Laurel Canyon with her husband and hopes to work in a restaurant kitchen, get a dog and learn how to surf. She is currently at work on the sequel to Fallen.

Mailbox Monday December 14, 2009

Mailbox Monday is hosted over at The Printed Page.


Angel and Apostle by Deborah Noyes
I received a review copy of this book from Caitlin over at Unbridled Books.

At the end of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s classic novel, The Scarlet Letter, we know that Pearl, the elf-child daughter of Hester Prynne, is somewhere in Europe, comfortable, well set, a mother herself now. But it could not have been easy for her to arrive at such a place, when she begins life as the bastard child of a woman publicly humiliated, again and again, in an unrelentingly judgmental Puritan world.

With a brilliant and authentic sense of that time and place, Deborah Noyes envisions the path Pearl takes to make herself whole and to carve her place in the New World. Beautifully written with boundless compassion, Angel and Apostle is a heart-rending and imaginative debut in which Noyes masterfully makes Hawthorne’s character her own.

Daddy Daughter Day: The Elf on the Shelf

It is Friday once again. I can hardly believe that it is only two weeks until Christmas. With today's Daddy Daughter Day I want to share with you a book my wife found for our daughter on a shopping trip with friends. The book is The Elf on the Shelf by Carol V. Aebersold and Chanda A. Bell, and illustrated by Coe Steinwart.

This story explains how Santa knows if a child has been naughty or nice. It turns out an elf is sent to each child's house to report back to Santa. The book explains how this scout elf appears each holiday season and watches everything the child does. Then, each night, the elf flies back to the North Pole to report in to Santa.

This is going to be a fun tradition to start with my daughter. She is just now at the age where she is figuring out what this Santa thing is all about and this will be a fun addition to the traditional canon. The book includes a page at the end to write in the date the tradition began at your home.

About the Authors:

Carol Aebersold and her daughter Chanda Bell teamed up to write The Elf on the Shelf. Carol is a graduate of the University of Tennessee and has worked as a teacher and former editor-in-chief of Dayspring Magazine. Chanda graduated from the University of West Georgia and has also been a teacher. She designed a remedial reading curriculum for a local school district and was commissioned to design a national reading skills test.

About the Illustrator:

Coe Steinwart was educated at the Cincinnati Art Academy and received her bachelor's degree from the University of Cincinnati. Her paintings have been exhibited throughout the United States, Europe and Australia. She lives in Marietta, Georgia where she continues to "practice and discover the challenge and fun of watercolor painting."

Review: Secrets of a Christmas Box by Steven Hornby

Book Details:
ISBN: 978-0-9815883-0-8
Pub. Date: September, 2009
Publisher: Ecky Thump Books
Format: Hardcover, 248 pgs.


From the Cover:

Enter the magical festive world of the Christmas "Tree-Dwellers", as Larry, a Christmas snowman, wakes up after the long sleep in the Christmas box, to find his brother is missing.

Desperate to find him before Christmas, Larry, along with his girlfriend Debbie, a newcomer Splint, and Larry's companion Tinsel, break the laws of the 'Tree-Elders' and escape down the tree and away into the house, to look for clues.

Away from the safety of the tree and in an unfamiliar world, the Dwellers stumble upon a dark and sinister secret that threatens their entire world. Can Larry and the group make it back to the tree in time to warn the others, and finally uncover the truth behind the 'Secrets of a Christmas Box'?


My Take:

This book is organized into 24 chapters. The intention being to read one chapter a night, beginning on December 1st and ending on Christmas Eve. The chapters are not very long, so it should be an easy task. I can see this becoming a tradition at our house once my daughter is old enough to understand the story.

I really enjoyed the world of the "Tree Dwellers". Steven Hornby has created a delightfully interesting world inhabited by Christmas tree ornaments. They use the pine needles from the tree as food and are governed by the "Tree-Lord" who always remains at the top of the tree. It is interesting that the lights on the tree served as the military for the Dwellers.

While the story is geared for a younger audience, there is a nice bit of adventure and mystery. The quest across the floor is full of danger and twists. Just when you think you have the whole thing figured out, there is a nice plot twist at the end.

This is a good Christmas story, full of lots of fun and adventure. The story gets a tad dark near the end, but nothing a normal eight year old would not be able to handle. I enjoyed reading it and will add this to my list of books I always read around the holidays each year.


About the Author:

Steven Hornby was born in Preston, England and attended Lancaster University for Design Communication. He is best known for his award winning animation, bringing to life J.R.R. Tolkien's fictional character, Gollum, on "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy.

He has since worked as a lead animator on "I, RObot" (2004), "King King" (2005), Disney's "Meet the Robinsons" (2007), and "Glago's Guest" (2008), and more recently Dreamwork's "Kung Fu Panda" (2008), and "How to Train Your Dragon" (In theaters 2010).

He lives in Burbank, California with his family, where he is currently working on the sequel to Secrets of a Christmas Box.

Review: Glass Houses by Rachel Caine

From the Publisher:

College freshman Claire Danvers has had enough of her nightmarish dorm situation, where the popular girls never let her forget just where she ranks in the school's social scene: somewhere less than zero.

When Claire heads off-campus, the imposing old house where she finds a room may not be much better. Her new roommates don't show many signs of life. But they'll have Claire's back when the town's deepest secrets come crawling out, hungry for fresh blood.

My Take:

I dove into this book because of my love for vampire and dark fantasy novels. I expected something similar to Twilight, but was pleasantly surprised at something original. I like the idea of vampires ruling the town of Morganville while keeping it secret from the outside world. The author portrays the vampires from a more traditional approach, but adds a few unique powers that make for interesting reading.

You cannot help but fall in love with the main character, Claire. She is an intelligent girl that brings a delightfully innocent perspective to an otherwise gloomy town. I enjoyed learning about the vampires of Morganville through her eyes. The evils that she witnesses and has thrust upon her is offset by her hopeful and optimistic outlook.

The friends that occupy Michael Glass's house quickly become familiar, as if they had been around your whole life. Their differences are great--Eve's goth getup and edgy humor, Shane's immature antics, Michael's father-like leadership, all provide an excellent mix with Claire's intellectualism.

The action is fast paced and the book reads like a thriller. There is quite a bit of dialogue among the characters and this adds to the quick feel of the book. Rachel Caine has the ability to make the reader addicted to this world, even after only a brief visit. I am already a fan of this series and I know I will be tearing through the remaining books in the series.


About the Author:

Rachel Caine is a pen name of Roxanne Longstreet Conrad. Roxanne was born in New Mexico where her father was the "countdown voice" for missile launches. She graduated from Texas Tech University in 1985 with a Bachelor's degree in accounting, with a minor in music. She is an accomplished musician, having performed on clarinet with such famous musicians as Henry Mancini, Peter Nero and John Williams. Roxanne is the author of many novels including the Morganville Vampire series and the Weather Warden series. She lives in west Texas with her husband, artist Cat Conrad.

Daddy Daughter Day: One Winter's Day

It is a cold, cold Friday but that will not stop another installment of Daddy Daughter Day. In honor of this cold weather we are having here today, I bring you One Winter's Day by M. Christina Butler and illustrated by Tina Macnaughton.

This book is a very nice, colorful hard back edition in our daughter's library. The story begins with Little Hedgehog preparing his bed for the winter. A storm moves in, blowing his nest apart. Little Hedgehog decides to go stay with Badger until the storm is over. Along the way, he encounters other animals that are suffering from the cold. He gives up his scarf, hat and mittens in order to help the other animals keep warm.

He finally makes it to Badger's house and gets warm by the fire. The next day Badger and Little Hedgehog go outside to rebuild Little Hedgehog's nest. They are surprised to find that the animals Little Hedgehog helped the night before have rebuilt his nest and included the scarf, hat and mittens that he had loaned them.

This story offers a positive lesson about helping others in need. The book is full of amazing illustrations that are accented with felt for the hat, scarf and mittens. We love reading this one.

A New and Improved Reading With Mo

Publishing Reading With Mo has been a great experience for me. I have learned so much about blogging, books, authors, publishers and the great people that are a part of this community. I have enjoyed it so much that I have decided to take Reading With Mo to the next level. In early January, I will transition this blog over to ReadingWithMo.com (or www.readingwithmo.com whichever you prefer).

I have been working on a new site design. I want to have something very clean and crisp. I have also decided to move away from Blogger for my new site. This was a tough decision, Google provides a lot of tools for bloggers, free tools actually. But, there are some things that I want to do that are either not possible, or much more difficult to do with the current setup.

I hope to see everyone over at the new site in January. I will make many posts as the transition nears, keeping you informed of the status. Please feel free to leave any comments or email me with any questions or concerns.

Thank you for reading my humble words.

Review: A Circle of Souls by Preetham Grandhi

Book Details:
ISBN: 978-1-59955-235-4
Pub. Date: June 2009
Publisher: Sweetwater Books
Format: Paperback, 342 pages

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the author for review.

From the Cover:

The sleepy town of Newbury, Connecticut, is shocked when a little girl is found brutally murdered. The town's top detective, perplexed by a complete lack of leads, calls in FBI agent Leia Bines, and expert in cases involving children.

Meanwhile, Dr. Peter Gram, a psychiatrist at Newbury's hospital, searches desperately for the cause of seven-year-old Naya Hastings's devastating nightmares. Afraid that she might hurt herself in the midst of a torturous episode, Naya's parents have turned to the bright young doctor as their only hope.

The situations confronting Leia and Peter converge when Naya begins drawing chilling images of murder after being bombarded by the disturbing images in her dreams. Amazingly, her sketches are the only clues to the crime that has panicked Newbury residents. Against her better judgement, Leia explores the clues in Naya's crude drawings, only to set off an alarming chain of events.

In this stunning psychological thriller, innocence gives way to evil, and trust lies forgotten in a web of deceit, fear, and murder.

My Take:

A Circle of Souls falls into the fast-read thriller category. I finished the book in just two days, basically in about 4 reading sessions. The chapters are quite small and the author is very capable of encouraging the reader to keep turning the pages.

I found the characters to be interesting, especially the psychiatrist, Peter. The author's background in psychiatry provides a captivating look into the world of childhood mental disorders, while not distracting from the plot. Peter's care for Naya during her time of distress provides a thread of hope throughout the book.

The mystery behind the killer was somewhat easy to guess about middle-way through the book. The characters saved the book, in my opinion, the mystery would not have held up with lesser characters. I did find one mistake in logic, concerning Peter's connecting Naya's drawing to a newspaper article concerning the death of Janet, that was a little hard to get past. Peter's problem solving skills were quite good, although I was a little disappointed at the lack of any real contribution from the police or FBI agent Leia Bines.

The ending provides the correct amount of closure with both the mystery and the disposition of the characters. I did feel that the fight scene near the end had a made-for-TV feel to it. The author is much more successful with suspense building and character development than action scenes. Still, as a psychological thriller, the book is a success. I do not know if Preetham Grandhi plans on writing another novel, but I hope that he does. I would read it.


About the Author:

Preetham Grandhi, M.D., immigrated to the United States from Bangalore, India to pursue a career in child and adolescent psychiatry. After his graduation from Yale, he has been the chief of service for House 5 at Bronx Children's Psychiatric Center. He is devoted to helping young children gain insight into their emotional and behavioral needs and empowers them to maximize their inner potential. A Circle of Souls is his debut novel.

2009 Holiday Reading Challenge

I have decided to participate in Nely's 2009 Holiday Reading Challenge. You can find the home of this challenge here.

Challenge Requirements:

1- Challenge will start Friday, November 20 and will end Thursday, December 31.

2- You can read anywhere from 1 to 5 books for the challenge and, of course, if you're like me, you are more than welcome to surpass that number.

3- And now, here's the clincher... they must be holiday related books. That's right, the holiday doesn't really matter, but it would be more "jolly" if your choices were Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, etc.

4- The size of the book does not matter, nor does the genre. It is also okay for the book to overlap with other challenges. The only thing I ask is that they are not children's books. YA is okay. And so are re-reads. I for one tend to read the same books every Christmas - they are tradition.

5- To sign up - leave a link back to your challenge post. There will also be a post for review links as well as one for challenge wrap-ups.

6- And.... there will be goodies. That's right, we'll call them presents. At the end of every week that the challenge is running I will choose one winner from the review links and I will allow them to pick a book of their choosing (of course, I will provide a list). Meaning the more books you read, review and link up, the more chances you have at winning a "present".


I have already started reading for the challenge, starting with The Christmas Box by Steven Hornby.

Mailbox Monday November 30, 2009

Mailbox Monday is hosted at the Printed Page.

Decoding The Lost Symbol by Simon Cox
I received this book from Anna over at FSB Associates for review.

From the Cover:

Dan Brown's new novel once again features Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon, this time in the United States, racing to uncover clues and crack codes involving secrets that are perpetuated to this day. But how much of the novel is true and what is pure fiction? Simon Cox, bestselling author of Cracking the Da Vinci Code and Illuminating Angels & Demons, offers the first definitive guide to all the mysteries featured in The Lost Symbol.

Based on extensive research, this A-to-Z guide lists the real people, organizations, and themes featured in Dan Brown's latest novel, explains their histories and their meanings, reproduces and analyzes the symbols themselves, and provides insider knowledge gleaned from years of exhaustive study. From the monuments of Washington, D.C., to the secrets of Salt Lake City and the hidden enclaves in Langley, Virginia, Cox knows where the facts are hidden about the Freemasons, Albert Pike, the Rosicrucians, and Founding Fathers, and more.

This is the only resource you'll need to understand and enjoy the complex new world of The Lost Symbol.


Talk to Me Like I'm Someone You Love Relationship Repair in a Flash by Nancy Dreyfus, Psy.D.
I received this book from the publisher for review.

From the Cover:

We've all been there. A conversation with a loved one has turned combative. Angry and accusatory words are flying through the air. Enter Talk to Me Like I'm Someone You Love, a brilliant interactive relationship tool that can help couples stop arguing and begin healing.

A psychotherapist with more than two decades of experience counseling couples, Nancy Dreyfus hit upon this revolutionary practice during a particularly angry couples therapy session in which a wife's unrelenting criticism of her husband was making him more and more emotionally withdrawn. Suddenly, Dreyfus found herself scribbling on a scrap of paper, "Talk to me like I'm someone you love," and gesturing to the husband that he should hold it up. He did, and within seconds, the familiar power differential between the two shifted, and a gentler, more genuine connection emerged before all their eyes. This book features more than one hundred of Dreyfus's "flashcards for real life"--written statements that hold the power to express what we wish we could say to the person we love but for which we can't find either the right words or the right tone in which to say it. Each statement is accompanied by "field notes" from the author that explain when, why, and how to use the statement as well as real-life stories, from her practice, of couples who found it helped restore healthy communication.

Talk to Me Like I'm Someone You Love literally puts into couple's hands the power to transform moments of sadness and disconnect into moments of trust, love and intimacy.