Showing posts with label Libby Kirsch. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Libby Kirsch. Show all posts

Saturday, May 28, 2016

Stacking the Shelves - 5.28.16

Stacking the Shelves
hosted by Tynga's Reviews (details)

Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

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Bought:

Everyone Brave is Forgiven
by Chris Cleave
-Historical, WWII
Amazon | Goodreads


=====> Book Passage, Corte Madera, hosted a visit from author, Chris Cleave featuring his latest novel. Chris said that the book was based on letters between his maternal grandparents exchanged during WWII.

Maestra
by L.S. Hilton
-Mystery, Thriller | Amazon | Goodreads


=====> Book Passage, Corte Madera, hosted a visit from author, L.S. Hilton featuring her latest novel. L.S. inspiration for this novel was the challenge of writing erotica tied in with past chick-lit related pieces she wrote in the past.

Freebie: for kindle

The Big Lead:
A Stella Reynolds Mystery, Book 1
by Libby Kirsch
-Humor, Mystery | (Amazon) | Goodreads

=====> Loved book 2 in this series and wanted to get this one to catch up.

UNBOXING:

From Owlcrate package (details & signup):
OwlCrate is a subscription service that sends you magical monthly boxes tailored to a chosen theme. Each OwlCrate will contain one new Young Adult novel, as well as 3-5 other bookish treats to help you get your nerd on. @owlcrate


MAY Box includes:
- Everland by Wendy Spinale and letter from author
- Gold flash tattoos with Everland theme
- Ring with The Infernal Devices trilogy theme by Sparks Emporium
- Pendant necklace - skeleton key by Crystal Compass Designs
- Nail wraps with steampunk theme
- Pin with steampunk theme by Elope
- Art print with Peter Pan theme by Creative Daffodil Studios

Everland
by Wendy Spinale
-Fantasy Retelling, Steampunk, YA | Amazon | Goodreads -enter giveaway (ends May 31)

Forget the story of Peter Pan you know. Because in Everland, the only way to grow up is to survive.

London has been destroyed in a blitz of bombs and disease. The only ones who have survived are children, among them Gwen Darling and her siblings, Joanna and Mikey. They spend their nights scavenging and their days avoiding the ruthless Marauders -- the German Army led by Captain Hanz Otto Oswald Kretschmer.

Unsure if the virus has spread past England's borders but desperate to leave, Captain Hook hunts for a cure, which he thinks can be found in one of the survivors. He and his Marauders stalk the streets snatching children for experimentation. None ever return. Until the day they grab Joanna. As Gwen sets out to save her, she meets a mysterious boy named Pete. Pete offers the assistance of his gang of Lost Boys and the fierce sharpshooter Bella, who have all been living in a city hidden underground. But in a place where help has a steep price and every promise is bound by blood, it will cost Gwen. And are she, Pete, the Lost Boys, and Bella enough to outsmart Captain Hook?


=====> Loved the theme for this box! Looking forward to reading a steampunked version of the Peter Pan world.


ALSO, unboxed the BookSparks Summer Reading Challenge (details here) box for May.

MAY Box includes:
- First Comes Love by Emily Giffin (with bookmark)
- Don't You Cry by Mary Kubica
- House of Bradbury by Nicole Meier
- The Assistants by Camille Perri
- Appetite by Sheila Grinnell
- One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid
- Popsicle themed - erasers, ornament softie, tote bag
- Stickers - summer theme
- Candy treats

From BEA:


=====> I could not fit and carry all 60 books in my luggage from BEA. So, I mailed a couple boxes home. The one above barely made it. Note to self: use heavy duty cardboard or limit weight per box.

I will post the individual books over the next few Stacking Shelves along with BEA thoughts.


CHECK OUT the BEA speed dating guide to Great Book Club Picks for Fall/Winter 2016 (here)


OTHER things on my shelf: kinda book-related

Belgravia
(details)

=====> I started listening to this online audio serial story as I type. Episode one is currently free on their site. Episode two is free on Soundcloud (here). The rest of the series is available with a subscription rate. I am enjoying the story so far, but not sure if I want to subscribe especially since the book version comes out in July. IF you are currently a subscriber to this audio venture I would be curious to hear your thoughts on it.

FYI: you can also read the text version online for Episode one

Based on this book...

Belgravia
by Julian Fellowes
-Historical
Release date: July 5, 2016
Amazon | Goodreads

Julian Fellowes's Belgravia is the story of a secret. A secret that unravels behind the porticoed doors of London's grandest postcode. Set in the 1840s when the upper echelons of society began to rub shoulders with the emerging industrial nouveau riche, Belgravia is people by a rich cast of characters. But the story begins on the eve of the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. At the Duchess of Richmond's new legendary ball, one family's life will change forever.

AND watched: in theatre

The Idol (2015)
Ya Tayr El Tayer (original title)
Director/Writer: Hany Abu-Assad
Screenplay: Sameh Zoabi
Starring: Tawfeek Barhom
-Biography, Comedy, Drama, Palestine | imdb | my rating: 5

Mohammed Assaf, an aspiring musician living in Gaza, sets a seemingly impossible goal: to compete on the program "Arab Idol."

=====> Lovely movie that captures beauty amongst destruction - AND most of all hope.

Now binge watching YouTube videos of Mohammed during his Arab Idol competition in 2013.
THAT VOICE! It can give the tingles and can make you get up and dance.



Currently flipping through:

Fast Company
June 2016 magazine issue | Website

=====> I picked this up to read about Lilly Singh of ||superwoman|| - YouTube star. She made it as part of the top 100 Most Creative People in Business. I love her videos and vlogs. She always manages to get a smile or hearty laugh from me.

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* comment and TELL me what you have acquired for your shelves recently

Friday, May 27, 2016

The Big Interview by Libby Kirsch

The Big Interview
by Libby Kirsch

Find out more about this book and author:
Amazon | Amazon UK
Goodreads
BookExcerpt
Website
Facebook
Twitter: @LibbyKirsch

Just released: March 31, 2016
Publisher: Sunnyside Press
Genre: Chick-lit, Humor, Mystery
ebook
Rating: 5

A Stella Reynolds Mystery series:
The Big Lead
The Big Interview
The Big Overnight - release date: November 2016

First sentence(s):
"Stella Reynolds. Hmm. You know it's weird, I thought that we were replacing our ugly reporter, but you're actually kind of pretty. Let's see… The young, fit, oddly smiley man shuffled things around on his messy, mahogany desk.

Stella's Saga Continues!

The perfect book for fans of the laugh-out-loud lines in Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series combined with the who-done-it page turning style of a Sue Grafton mystery.

TV reporter Stella Reynolds signs with a new station, excited to move to a bigger city for a better job. When she arrives in Bristol, Virginia, though, she finds a sexist, mean boss, unfriendly coworkers, and a town in love with a sport she’s never even watched—NASCAR!

Before she can unpack her bags, Stella is drawn into an investigation when a driver is killed in a fiery wreck on the track. Experts call his death a tragedy, but Stella has insider information that the accident is anything but. With a slippery ex-fiancee, an angry father, and a nosy neighbor, you’ll be laughing on one page and gasping on the next. If all goes according to plan, the facts will be revealed during an epic live Big Interview. But when does anything ever go according to plan?

The Big Interview is a standalone book in the Stella Reynolds Mystery Series. If you like a great mystery peppered with laugh out loud moments and cringe-worthy catastrophes, Libby Kirsch's The Big Interview is for you. Buy Libby Kirsch's book today, and see how the final big interview goes down when the cameras go live.


My two-bits:

Grabbed me at the go!

The story starts out with a death. But before the death the character is built up to be so likable/lovable that it is a shock when it happens. Similar to that feeling when watching Game of Thrones and a favorite character gets off-ed.

But first let me say, I jumped into this book without reading book one and was thoroughly taken with the characters. I plan to take advantage of the free download of book one (here) available during the book tour.

This book is very entertaining with a tasty chex mix of humor (kept me chuckling), mystery (remained so until the end) and a touch of romance (for more than one couple). It will take you on a fun adventure into the world of race car driving and the TV coverage that support it.

The side character, Janet, is a hoot! She is one of those strong live-out-loud characters. She is also a partner in Stella's sleuthing and I hope continues to make her way into future books in this series.

Side note: Makes me want to watch Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (imdb) starring Will Ferrell.

About the author:
Libby Kirsch is an Emmy award winning journalist, with over ten years experience working in TV newsrooms of all sizes.

She draws on her rich history of making embarrassing mistakes on live TV, and is happy to finally indulge her creative writing side, instead of always having to stick to the facts.

Libby lives with her husband, children and soon (don't tell the kids yet!) a puppy in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She doesn't know what she was thinking.

FYI:

The Big Lead:
A Stella Reynolds Mystery, Book 1
by Libby Kirsch
kindle version is FREE during book tour (here) | Goodreads

The Big Lead was chosen for a Publishers Weekly review (here)

Novice reporter Stella Reynolds, the endearingly human heroine of Kirsh’s fiction debut, finds her first job in the TV industry with the Fox affiliate in sleepy Bozeman, Mont. Stella’s appreciative of the opportunity, but she can’t help having second thoughts when she learns how small the staff and resources of her station are. Stella’s first achievement of significance is interviewing river guide Bill James following his arrest for burglarizing a house and trying on the owner’s underwear. After learning that James has an alibi, Stella manages to get the sheriff to agree to dismiss the charges, but that proves to be just a temporary victory when James becomes the prime suspect in the stabbing murders of the burglary victim and her mother. The truth, Stella suspects, is much more complex, and she holds nothing back in pursuing it. The author does a good job of eliciting sympathy for Stella by depicting her embarrassing stumbles on her first days. (BookLife)

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* review copy courtesy of book tour sponsored by HCL Book Tours and Author Services


May 23rd
Steamy Book Momma - Book Promo Post
Book Lover Worm - Book Review
Living Life With Joy - Author Q&A
May 24th
Judging More Than Just The Cover - Author Q&A
The Belgian Reviewer - Book Review
Hello Beautiful Book Blog - Book Excerpt
May 25th
One Book at a Time - Book Promo Post
Book Lover in Florida - Book Review
Hello...Chick Lit - Book Review
May 26th
The Bookworm Lodge - Book Promo Post
Fervently Curious - Book Review
May 27th
Love Sex and Other Dirty Words - Author Guest Post
vvb32 reads - Book Review -this is the post ;-)
Chick Lit Central - Book Review

Saturday, April 23, 2016

Stacking the Shelves - 4.23.16

Stacking the Shelves - date

Stacking the Shelves
hosted by Tynga's Reviews (details)

Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

~*~

Bought:

The Nest
by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney
-Contemporary Fiction
Amazon | Goodreads


=====> Book Passage, Corte Madera, hosted a visit from author Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney. She said that The Nest was her love letter to New York.

Summer Skin
by Kirsty Eagar
-New Adult, Romance
Book Depository | Goodreads

=====> Stacking Shelves find from Random Things in Action

Freebie: for kindle

Summer of Dreams:
A From This Moment Novella
by Elizabeth Camden
-Romance
Amazon | Goodreads

=====> Stacking Shelves find from Faith Hope and Cherrytea

Freebie: from Romance Times Convention (courtesy of publishers) -Thanks!


Break Out by Nina Croft Amazon | Goodreads
The Grand Sophy by Georgette Heyer Amazon | Goodreads
Lux: Beginnings by Jennifer L. Armentrout Amazon | Goodreads
Up In Smoke by Tessa Bailey Amazon | Goodreads
Perfected by Kate Jarvik Birch Amazon | Goodreads

Met this author:


=====> While walking through the hallways of the convention I met author, Kris Tualla along with a billboard of one of her main characters. The model for the book was not present, but sexy models for others covers were roaming the area for photo ops, etc.

A Modern Viking:
Sveyn & Hollis: Part Three
by Kris Tualla
-Romance
Amazon | Goodreads


For Review:

The Big Interview
by Libby Kirsch
-Mystery
courtesy of tour hosted by I Heart All The Books -Thanks!
Amazon | Goodreads

A Loaded Gun
Emily Dickinson for the 21st Century
by Jerome Charyn
-Biography, Poetry
courtesy of tour sponsored by Tribute Books -Thanks!
Amazon | Goodreads

This Is the Story of You
by Beth Kephart
-Mystery, YA
courtesy of publisher -Thanks!
Amazon | Goodreads

UNBOXING:

From Owlcrate package (details & signup):
OwlCrate is a subscription service that sends you magical monthly boxes tailored to a chosen theme. Each OwlCrate will contain one new Young Adult novel, as well as 3-5 other bookish treats to help you get your nerd on. @owlcrate


APRIL Box includes: Dystopia
- Flawed by Cecelia Ahern
- Flawed letter from author, tattoo and mini poster
- Decal of WICKD (Maze Runner) by Shailey Ann Designs
- Bracelet (Hunger Games) from The Geeky Cauldron
- Magnet (Hunger Games) from Half Blood Prints
- Notebook (George Orwell) from Manuscript
- Coaster (Shatter Me) by Evie Bookish

Flawed
by Cecelia Ahern
Amazon | Goodreads

Celestine North lives a perfect life. She's a model daughter and sister, she's well-liked by her classmates and teachers, and she's dating the impossibly charming Art Crevan.

But then Celestine encounters a situation where she makes an instinctive decision. She breaks a rule. And now faces life-changing repercussions.

She could be imprisoned. She could be branded. She could be found FLAWED.

In her breathtaking young adult debut, bestselling author Cecelia Ahern depicts a society where obedience is paramount and rebellion is punished. And where one young woman decides to take a stand that could cost her-everything.



AND watched: in theatre

Love & Friendship (2016)
Director/screenplay: Whit Stillman
Based on novella: Lady Susan by Jane Austen
Starring: Kate Beckinsale, Chloë Sevigny, Xavier Samuel
Release date: May 13, 2016
-Drama, Romance | imdb | my rating: 5

Lady Susan Vernon takes up temporary residence at her in-laws' estate and, while there, is determined to be a matchmaker for her daughter Frederica -- and herself too, naturally.

=====> Loved it! and so will Jane Austen fans :-)
This story brings out the outrageous and humor of Jane Austen's characters. Many chuckles throughout the film. And, Kate Beckinsale fit just right as Lady Susan.

This was the kick-off film for the San Francisco International Film Festival (details) and it certainly created a fun and exciting start to the festival.

FYI: the director's book version comes out next month...

Love & Friendship:
In Which Jane Austen's Lady Susan Vernon Is Entirely Vindicated
by Whit Stillman
-Jane Austen theme, England
Release date: May 17, 2016
Amazon | Goodreads

Jane Austen's funniest novel is also her least known--until now.

Impossibly beautiful, disarmingly witty, and completely self-absorbed: Meet Lady Susan Vernon, both the heart and the thorn of Love & Friendship. Recently widowed, with a daughter who's coming of age as quickly as their funds are dwindling, Lady Susan makes it her mission to find them wealthy husbands--and fast.

But when her attempts to secure their futures result only in the wrath of a prominent conquest's wife and the title of "most accomplished coquette in England," Lady Susan must rethink her strategy.

Unannounced, she arrives at her brother-in-law's country estate. Here she intends to take refuge--in no less than luxury, of course--from the colorful rumors trailing her, while finding another avenue to "I do." Before the scandalizing gossip can run its course, though, romantic triangles ensue.

With a pitch-perfect Austenian sensibility and wry social commentary, filmmaker and writer Whit Stillman cleverly reimagines and completes one of our greatest writers' unfinished works. As much homage to its muse's perennial influence as testament to its author's brilliance, Love & Friendship is a sharp comedy of manners, and a fiendishly funny treat for Austen and Stillman fans alike.


Happy Hour (2015)
Happî awâ (original title)
Director: Ryûsuke Hamaguchi
Writers: Ryûsuke Hamaguchi, Tadashi Nohara, Tomoyuki Takahashi
Starring: Rira Kawamura, Hazuki Kikuchi, Maiko Mihara, Sachie Tanaka
-Drama, Japan | Part of San Francisco International Film Festival (details)
imdb | my rating: 5

Four women. All in their 30s. Three married, one divorcee. They are able to tell each other anything. Or at least they thought. One day, after losing in divorce court, one of them gives up on a future with their partner and disappears. The three remaining women take a second look at their lives. The long night is full of questions. 'Are you really the you you wanted to be?'

=====> For this film festival, I have chosen only a handful to see this time around. Happy Hour is a special one from the bunch as it is a whopping 5 hours and 17 minutes of film (no intermission).

Loved it! The filming and scene transitions were done so well that the time just whizzed by. There were only a couple long and involved scenes but needed as subtle nuances and character personalties were hinted at. The scenes that really attracted me were ones of conversations around a dinner table.

Currently reading...

The Nordic Cook Book
by Magnus Nilsson
Amazon | Goodreads

=====> I picked up this 768 page cookbook because I was drawn to its hugeness. Such devotion to a food topic in this way deserves to be flipped through at least once. I love that color photos are included of the landscape. But, I would have liked to see more photos of the recipes provided.

I do not know if I will actually get into the kitchen to try my hand at the recipes. However, I will most definitely get ideas of what I want to taste when at a restaurant that presents nordic fare.

~*~

* comment and TELL me what you have acquired for your shelves recently
 
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