The Impostor's Daugher by Laurie Sandell... A Graphic Memoir AND a Giveaway!

The Impostor's Daughter by Laurie Sandell...

A Coming of Age Story and A Graphic Memoir!

Giveaway Has Ended!

Congrats to Norma, Page and Carla! Thanks to EVERYONE who joined in on the fun by entering, blogging and tweeting about the giveaway!

I read The Impostor's Daughter by Laurie Sandell last year when it was first published and loved it! It was funny, honest and a feast for the eyes! I love memoirs and was intrigued by Laurie's story of growing up with a father shrouded in mystery and secrets, who told fantastic tales of adventure, and who turned out to be far from the man Laurie thought he was, and how Laurie's relationship with her father influenced her growing up and having her own "adventures". When I first opened the pages of Laurie's book I wasn't expecting it to be illustrated! What a treat! A graphic novel ... and perfect for us girls! This is not your typical graphic novel. Laurie's drawings are wonderful and have a playful quality, with bright fun colors. If you've never read a graphic novel, but you love "chic" lit, don't hesitate to pick this up! It's kind of Bridgett Jones meets the 21st century with sex, drugs and Glamour magazine. Here's what it's all about...

Laurie Sandell grew up in awe (and sometimes in terror) of her larger-than-life father, who told jaw-dropping tales of a privileged childhood in Buenos Aires, academic triumphs, heroism during Vietnam, friendships with Kissinger and the Pope. As a young woman, Laurie unconsciously mirrors her dad, trying on several outsized personalities (Tokyo stripper, lesbian seductress, Ambien addict). Later, she lucks into the perfect job--interviewing celebrities for a top women's magazine. Growing up with her extraordinary father has given Laurie a knack for relating to the stars. But while researching an article on her dad's life, she makes an astonishing discovery: he's not the man he says he is--not even close. Now, Laurie begins to puzzle together three decades of lies and the splintered person that resulted from them--herself.

Read my review of The Impostor's Daughter! Check out Laurie Sandell's Website and take a look at her drawings! And Enter the Giveaway! Laurie's book The Impostor's Daughter is being released today, July 12th, in paperback! AND, courtesy of Anna of Hachette Book Group I have 3 paperback copies of The Impostor's Daughter to give away! Here's how to Enter...

To Enter this Giveaway...

*For one entry leave me a comment with your email address!

*Get an extra entry for following my blog! Just leave a comment letting me know you're a follower! ( Not a follower yet? No problem, sign up by clicking on the 'followers" button on the sidebar to the left! Just let me know you became a new follower!)

*Blog or tweet about this giveaway and leave me the link for another entry!

This giveaway is open to US and Canadian residents only (No PO boxes). The books will be shipped to the winners directly from the publisher. Contest ends 11:59pm EST on July 25th. I will randomly pick the winners the next day and email them! (please check your email.. winner must reply to me within 3 days! Thanks!) Good Luck!

*Just a note here that Laurie does write about (and illustrate) some "intimate" scenes in her memoir, and it really is geared towards us adult girls! (You will laugh out loud too!)

The Sunday Salon Celebrates To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Happy Anniversary to To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee! It's been 50 years since Scout, Atticus & Boo Radley made their first appearance in the pages of To Kill a Mockingbird, and there are celebrations galore surrounding the beloved classic book that still sells almost a million copies a year!

Have you read To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee by Harper Lee? To Kill a Mockingbird is told through the eyes of young Scout Finch, a tomboy with a good head on her shoulders and a wisdom that seems beyond her years. Set in the deep south during the Great Depression, the story gives us a wonderful glimpse into the hardships and attitudes of that time period. Scout shares the story with her brother Jem, their friend Dill, and their father, Atticus, a widower and a lawyer, who instills in his children the moral virtues of right & wrong, and his belief that everyone is created equal. What should be another lazy summer of childhood adventures for Scout, Jem and their new friend Dill, becomes a heated bed of racial tension when Tom Robinson, a black man, is accused of raping Mayella Ewell, a young white woman. Atticus Finch takes the case to defend Tom Robinson and the lives of Atticus, Scout and Jem are changed forever. The writing is wonderful, and as fresh as it was 50 years ago. My reading group read this a few years ago and everyone just loved it! Although not everyone loves To Kill a Mockingbird - it's one of the most frequently challenged books, controversial due to it's portrayal of racial themes, and for its' discussion of rape.

One of the newest books to come out recently is Scout, Atticus & Boo: A Celebration of Fifty Years of To Kill a Mockingbird by Mary McDonagh Murphy. Mary is an independent film writer & producer, whose love of To Kill a Mockingbird and admiration of Harper Lee led her to produce her documentary HEY, BOO: HARPER LEE AND TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD. Scout, Atticus & Boo: A Celebration of Fifty Years of To Kill a Mockingbird is the book that compliments the documentary. Here's what the publishers write...

To mark the fiftieth anniversary of To Kill a Mockingbird, Mary McDonagh Murphy reviews its history and examines how the novel has left its mark on a broad range of novelists, historians, journalists, and artist. In compelling interviews, Anna Quindlen, Tomw Brokaw, Oprah Winfrey... and others reflect on when they first read the novel, what it means to them- then and now- and how it has affected their lives and careers. Harper Lee has not given an interview since 1964, but Murphy's reporting, research, and rare interviews with the author's sister and friends stitch together a b

rief history of how the novel, as well as the acclaimed 1962 move came to be. I'm very interested to read the history of the novel, and I'm sure Mary's background in film making helps her paint a vivid and thorough picture.

What celebration of To Kill a Mockingbird would be complete without acknowledging the author herself! Harper Lee's won the Pulitzer Prize for To Kill a Mockingbird in 1961. Unfortunately it's the only book she ever published. There have been rumors over the years that Harper Lee wrote her childhood friend Truman Capote's book, In Cold Blood, due to her heavy involvement in the research, but we'll never know... Harper Lee leads a life away from the spotlight, rarely granting interviews. We may be able to get a glimpse into the woman behind the book in Mockingbird, a Portrait of Harper Lee by Charles J. Shields. Charles Shields was an English teacher whose constant questions about Harper Lee from his students motivated him to find out about her life while the people from her life were still with us. Through "600 hundred interviews and other sorts of communication with Harper Lee's friends, associates, and former classmates. It's also the product of four years of research into the papers of her friend Truman Capote, which include Lee's notes for his book In Cold Blood, the papers of Lee's literary agent; the archives of national and local librariesl and hundreds of newspaper and magazine articles." Charles J. Shields has given us something to satisfy our desire to know a little more about the author who gave us the feisty little girl named Scott.

You can find out about celebrations around the country at the To Kill a Mockingbird 50th Anniversary site. Celebrations are going on until September. You can find out more about Mary McDonagh Murphy's documentary celebrating To Kill a Mockingbird and see a clip of the documentary at Mary Murphy & Co. HarperCollins is having a GIVEAWAY for a To Kill A Mockingbird Prize pack which includes a copy of the Hardcover Slipcased edition of To Kill a Mockingbird(TKAM), a copy of the trade paperback of TKAM, a DVD of the movie version of TKAM, and a copy of Scott, Atticus and Boo by Mary McDonagh Murphy. You can see all the details at To Kill a Mockingbird 50th Celebration.

How are you celebrating the 50th Anniversary of To Kill a Mockingbird? I'm going to listen to the audiobook version of To Kill A Mockingbird narrated by Sissy Spacek. It won an audie for best classic audiobook in 2007, and I heard that Sissy Spacek's voice is perfect to be the voice of Scout Finch. In the meantime, remember...

"You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view . . . until you climb into his skin and walk around in it." ... Atticus Finch

First Lines...

I was fourteen when I stopped believing in God. At the time it wasn't dramatic. I remember lying in the bedroom of that old, drafty house and thinking: If you are there, I hope you'll forgive me if I stop believing in you for a while, because right now I just don't see a reason. When you're fourteen, you don't have much reason to believe one way or the other. Everyone tells you what to do and anything you want is in within arm's reach Then you grow up, and you start disbelieving for other reasons."

...Taroko Gorge by Jacob Ritari

Basketbawful Comics: LeBron's Big Announcement

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner: An Eclipse Novella... A Review

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner: An Eclipse Novella

Oh Bree, you could have been so much more! You were a thinker, intelligent, and your "second life" was cut way too short. It's no surprise that Bree Tanner the newborn vampire from Eclipse is dead, the title of her book alone gives most of that away. What is surprising is what a wonderful little story The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner turned out to be.

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner by Stephanie Meyer is the story of life as a newborn vampire through the eyes of one - the eyes of Bree Tanner. Caught up in the collection of the dregs of society to make up an army of vampires, Bree was almost 16 and eating out of trash bins, when Riley finds her and brings her to Victoria. We meet the vampire Victoria in Twilight, and it's in Eclipse that she is exacting revenge on Edward for killing her mate. That revenge takes on the form of an army of newborn vampires, and that battle takes place in Eclipse. Riley was made into a vampire for the same reason by Victoria, but he is the one she puts in charge of "organizing" her army. Bree is changed into a newborn vampire, but she actually plays a very small part in the actual Battle. What Bree really does for us is show us what being a newborn vampire feels like. All along we've learned about vampires, their strengths and their abilities, but only have read snippets about becoming a vampire and about the crazed bloodlust a newborn feels. Bree adds this wonderful dimension to the story. It's through her eyes that we see how weak and worthless humans appear to vampires, how the smell of blood creates havoc in the mind, and how dangerous the uncontrollable urges can be. We follow her as she lives her brief "second life" among the newborn vampires, her routines, her love of reading, her fear of other newborns, her loneliness. We see her as her instincts take over to curb her appetite, but how a little bit of her humanity survives until the end. It was so interesting how Bree analyzed her situation. It wasn't all about blood and terror for her, it was about the who, what, where and why's around her. It was also interesting to read her thoughts at the end of her life in relation to the Cullens, and what she revealed to Edward in her thoughts so that he was the only one privy to the information.

If you've read the Twilight Saga, you have to read The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner! Not only is it just a little more of Stephanie Meyer's wonderful writing and great character development to enjoy, but it really fills out the Twilight story, adding another layer of understanding to a world we've all grown accustomed to. I really enjoyed reading Bree's side of the story, you will too!

At least be creative next time, LeBron

"Hey, did you know I'm a free agent? ...You're gonnawatch my selection show Thursday at 9pm, right??
(I'm still in the media spotlight, right???)"
As we continue to be bludgeoned over the head about LeBron's free agency by ESPN, ESPN.com, Yahoo!, SI, SI.com, CNN, Nickelodeon, The Playboy Channel, and Lifetime (okay, maybe not one or two of those), many of us have slipped well past the point of caring. However, this caught my eye on a Google Buzz post from Jonah Keri this morning. Apparently, LeBron didn't even dream up this grand spectacle televised free agency announcement. He ripped it off from... someone who wrote into a Bill Simmons mailbag:

Q: You know how when top recruits in basketball or football make their college decision, they often call a press conference and put the three hats of the schools that made the final three in front of them ... then pick up the hat of the school of choice and put it on? What if LeBron announces he will pick his 2010-11 team live on ABC on a certain date for a show called "LeBron's Choice?" What type of crazy ratings would that get? -- Drew, Columbus, Ohio

Of course, it could be worse. In response to that e-mail, the Sports Guy suggested LeBron do it on Pay-Per-View.

(Maybe next time.)

Into The Beautiful North by Luis Alberto Urrea... A Review & Giveaway!

Giveaway Has Ended!

Congrats to Cindy, Dawn and Krystal!

It's a story of a small dusty Mexican town where electricity was too modernizing for some of the residents of Tres Camarones, the peso was almost worthless, and there was no work. The town seemed to be slowly disintegrating... and then the men left to go north... to find work... making Tres Camorones easy prey for the banditos, the drug dealers, to settle in and take over the town... But our 19 year old heroine Nayeli has other ideas...

From the Publisher...Nineteen-year-old Nayeli works at a taco shop in her Mexican village and dreams about her father, who journeyed to the US when she was young. Recently, it has dawned on her that he isn't the only man who has left town. In fact, there are almost no men in the village--they've all gone north. While watching The Magnificent Seven, Nayeli decides to go north herself and recruit seven men--her own "Siete Magníficos"--to repopulate her hometown and protect it from the bandidos who plan on taking it over.

Into The Beautiful North by Luis Alberto Urrea is wonderful. The prose flows easily and paints a vivid portrait of hot dusty roads and the people who live near them. The sprinkling of Spanish among the narrative also gives the landscape authenticity. Tres Camarones, where the story begins, is where we meet our heroine Nayeli, who works in the little restaurant The Fallen Hand Taco Shop, her best friends Yolo, who works as a pin tender at a 3 lane bowling alley, and Vampi, who works as a shrimp peeler and is the only "goth" girl in the little Mexican town. We are immediately caught up in their friendship and their simple pleaures of life. On first thought, the town seems like a deadend, hopeless. But the girls and the other women surrounding them breathe life in this town and into the story. We meet Tia Irma, a feisty woman who was running to replace the Municipal President (she had after all leadership experience as the Sinoloa's retired Lady Bowling Champion), Nayeli's hypochondriac mother Maria, and of course Tacho, the owner of The Fallen Hand who was gay.

When banditos threaten to take over the little town, 19 year-old Nayeli along with Yolo, Vampi and Tacho, with the idea of The Magnificent Seven fresh in Nayeli's head, go in search of help. It is that journey, which is truly more of a journey of self discovery than just over the boarder that makes this book special.

The narrative is what moves the story along, and it is honest, fresh and enjoyable. There were many issues that came to mind as I read Into The Beautiful North such as immigration, small town life, and deciding to pursue ones dreams no matter what. A perfect pick for a reading group because of the questions this book stirs. Luis Alberto Urrea suggests topics for a book club to discuss on his website:

*Immigration

*Choices faced by young people in Mexico

*Life-changing road trips

*Friendships between young women

*How movies inspire our actions

*The power of a postcard

*Small town Mexico as mirrored in small town America

*Does midwestern America seem "magic realist" to small town Mexico?

*The growing power of women in Mexico

*The Seven Samurai/Magnificent Seven

If you enjoy friendships, small towns and great narrative, wrap yourself in Into The Beautiful North by Luis Alberto Urrea. It's one of my favorite reads this year!

Courtesy of Valerie of Hachette Book Group, I have 3 copies of Into The Beautiful North by Luis Alberto Urrea to GIVE AWAY! Here's how to Enter...

To Enter this giveaway...

*For one entry leave me a comment with your email address!

*Get an extra entry for following my blog! Just leave a comment letting me know you're a follower! ( Not a follower yet? No problem, sign up by clicking on the 'followers" button on the sidebar to the left! Just let me know you became a new follower!)

*Blog or tweet about this giveaway and leave me the link.

This giveaway is open to US and Canadian residents only (No PO boxes). The books will be shipped to the winners directly from the publisher. Contest ends 11:59pm EST on July 17th. I will randomly pick the winners the next day and email them! (please check your email.. winner must reply to me within 3 days! Thanks!) Good Luck!