Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Short Summary:
One day, Julie hears a loud thump coming from the kitchen. When she goes to investigate, she finds her husband Henry, a gourmet food-loving, social butterfly dying from a heart attack on the kitchen floor. Henry dies, leaving Julie to raise their young daughter Liz alone.

Overcome with grief, Julie tries to keep it all together with Henry gone, but as she tries to put her life back together, she finds more and more pieces of his life that she never knew existed.

As she unravels the lies Henry told, it doesn’t take her long to discover that he was a liar and a cheat.  Betrayed not only by her husband, but also by a close friend of the family who had been sleeping with Henry for years, Julie shares the healing process she must go through in order to forgive her husband, find closure, and move on to an even better life.

My Review:
I  couldn’t put this book down! I was constantly in suspense over what was going to happen next. The writing was so visceral that I could almost feel Julie’s raw pain coming through her words.  I especially loved the parts where she described trying to date again and the many difficulties that come with trying to find someone new who fits into your life and you into theirs. And finally, the parts where she called up the “other” women to discuss their affairs were absolutely priceless.

On first glance, many people might think this book is about a man and his many affairs, but really, it’s about a woman—Julie—and how she reconciled the life she thought she had with the life she actually had.

If you’re looking for a book about recreating your life when everything has crumbled to pieces around you, this is the book for you.

Have you heard about or read Perfection? I’d love to hear what you think!

Book: Perfection
Author: Julie Metz
ISBN: 9781401341350
Publisher: Voice
Source: Purchased

Giveaway:

Did you know Julie was on Oprah in January? If you missed it like I did, you might be excited to hear that Oprah is re-airing the episode this Friday July 30th. Be sure to check it out.  If you want to see notes from the episode or read an excerpt from the book, check it out on Oprah.com.

In anticipation of Oprah re-airing this episode, Stephanie from BookSparks PR has offered up a copy of this book for giveaway to one of my lucky readers! Thanks Stephanie!

Here’s how to win:

1. Show your support for this blog by following me via Google Friend Connect OR by liking my blog on Facebook. (Hint: Look in the right hand column.)

2. Subscribe to my blog’s RSS feed. (Hint: Right hand side under my blog header.) This is optional, but definitely appreciated.

3. Fill out this form: (Closes August 7, 2010)

Perfection Giveaway

Do you Tweet?
On July 30th, Julie will be on Twitter answering the question, Perfection is…?

Check out her Twitter at @juliemetzwriter and join in the discussion of what perfection is to you. (I think there will be prizes)

To the June Giveaway Winners:

• Nancy at Amusing Reviews won a copy of Eternal on the Water by Joseph Monninger




• Introverted Jen at The Introverted Reader won a copy of The Middle Place by Kelly Corrigan




• Arch at Archana’s Reading Korner won a copy of Perfection by Julie Metz




• Karen at Finding My Muse won a *Signed* copy of The Help by Katherine Stockett

Winners will receive an email notification soon. Check back in a few days for July’s giveaway.

Thanks so much to everyone who participated!

]]> http://www.winterwrite.com/archives/2574/feed 1 http://www.winterwrite.com/archives/2551 http://www.winterwrite.com/archives/2551#comments Fri, 11 Jun 2010 22:17:07 +0000 Sharla http://www.winterwrite.com/?p=2551

This weekend I am participating in the Bloggiesta hosted by Maw Books.

What is a Bloggiesta?

It’s where you find things you want to update or work on for your blog. Then you work really hard to finish those tasks before the bloggiesta is over.

What I want to accomplish:

1. Catch up writing reviews for books that I’ve read

2. Finish the two books I am almost finished reading

3. Create a widget explaining my rating criteria

4. Look into Copyscape & possibly add a copyright notice to my blog posts

5. Plan future posts

6. Update my blogroll

7. Research new plug-ins

I’ll try to post an update to let everyone know how I’m doing.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars


Short Summary:
This book is about a teenage girl called Little Bee who is being hunted down by men who want to kill her for knowing too much about the killings of the people in her village, which rested atop rich oil deposits in Nigeria.

After enduring horrendous events on the beach at the hands of her captors, Bee escapes and stows away on a ship only to end up in a refugee detention center in England. She eventually manages to get out, and sets out to find the only people who might be able to help her—a couple by the names of Sarah and Andrew whom she briefly met on the beach before her capture and escape.

When she arrives at the couple’s house, Bee finds that she is just in time for Andrew’s funeral. She tries to help Sarah and her small son cope with the death. However, all the while, Bee is also dealing with the constant threat of deportation to her country where if sent, she would surely fall back into the hands of the killers who are looking for her.

My Review:
I picked up Little Bee from the bookstore based mostly on the gorgeous front cover. After reading the back flap, I was instantly intrigued. It was not the book that I had intended, but it was much, much more.

While tough to read at times because of the stories involving rape, murder, suicide—and ultimately genocide—Little Bee is an important read because it encourages you to consider difficult ambiguities most people don’t often like to think about, such as: How far will you go to help someone when you don’t have to? How far will you go to help someone if it means you have to physically suffer to save them? And how could that decision affect you for the rest of your life?

Honestly, Little Bee at points made me squirm, but it made me laugh a lot too. And at some sections I was so angry at Sarah’s character that I wanted to yell at her and ask in my best Red Foreman voice, What the Hell were you thinking!!?!?

So, why should you read this book? Well, I wouldn’t read the book if you’re looking for something hopeful, happy, and inspirational. But, if you want a read that is honest, that makes you think and feel—deeply—while forcing you to examine your humanity, and that of others, this is the book for you.

I’m giving Little Bee five stars because the writing is absolutely phenomenal. It will suck you in, grab your heart and soul and never let go.

Check out the book trailer:

Have you heard about or read this book? I'd love to hear what you think!

Book: Little Bee
Author: Chris Cleave
ISBN: 978-1416589648
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Source: Purchased

Hosted by Marcia at The Printed Page, Mailbox Monday is where readers can share what books they received in the mail, purchased, or borrowed last week.

Books I purchased:

• Get Lucky by Katherine Center
  I was excited to read this book after reading this review by Carrie at Books and Movies.




• The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen
  I first found out about this book after reading Angie’s review on her blog Angieville earlier this year.  I can’t wait to get started reading.




• The Feast of Love by Charles Baxter
  This book looked interesting, so I thought I’d give it a chance.




• The Reading Group by Elizabeth Noble
  I skimmed through this book, and I liked how the chapters were named after different books, probably books the book club in the novel were reading.  It looked interesting as well.




• Peace Like a River by Leif Enger
  Don’t you love the name of this book? I just noticed the name of the author too—Leif. That’s cool. I remember finding this in a bookstore when I was living in Cherry Hill, NJ  for a few months. I remember wanting to read it then, but I had so many other things to read at the time.  I keep seeing reviews pop up about it, so I thought I’d finally pick up a copy.




• Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris
  I’ve heard a lot about this book, particularly that it’s really humorous and funny.  When it was suggested as one of the ideas for our book club read this month I thought I’d give it a try.

You can expect to see reviews of these titles in the upcoming weeks. Have you read or heard about any of these books? Did you pick up any fun reads this week?

I’ve been thinking a lot about finding balance in life lately. So I was excited when I found a video clip the other day where Professor Philip Zimbardo talks a little about how we spend our time.

Toward the end there is a part where the speaker discusses a study on how busy Americans say they are—very busy. In fact, they regularly give up time with friends, family, and lose sleep they are so busy.

The study participants were then asked what they would do if they had another day added to their week. Researchers found that participants would just fill that day up with more work and responsibilities—like any other day—and not take time out for family, friends, or get more sleep.

I guess I can totally see myself as one of the people in the study because I tend to hyper focus on a task until it is finished. This has benefits, but it also has consequences such as neglecting your relationships with your family and friends and not taking very good care of your health.





After watching this video, I also realized that it’s not so much about “finding” balance in life as “creating” balance. It’s a choice. Because, even if we add more time to the week, there will always be something else clamoring for our attention.

Here are a few things I’m working on to create more balance:

1. Shutting the laptop down at 9 p.m. each night

2. Going for a walk in the afternoons

3. Trying to be more present. Not worrying about the future, and not fretting over the past, but enjoying the moment for what it is

4. Scheduling time to spend with family each week

5. Making my bed everyday

It’s a small list, but I’ve noticed that I’m much happier when I stop what I’m doing and fit these simple things back into my life.

What do you think? How do you prioritize what’s important or add more balance into your life?  What’s the work/life balance where you live?

Looking for a great summer read?

I like to do a giveaway each month, but because of school responsibilities I’ve been slacking.

So, to make up for missed giveaways for March, April, and May, I am combining them all into June where I will give away a different book each week to my lucky readers.

Here’s the schedule:

Week 1 Giveaway:
June 6th, 2010
Eternal on the Water
by Joseph Monninger

Week 2 Giveaway:
June 13th, 2010
The Middle Place
by Kelly Corrigan






Week 3 Giveaway:
June 20th, 2010
Perfection
by Julie Metz

Week 4 Giveaway:
June 27th
The Help
**Signed by Kathryn Stockett**

Here’s how to have a chance to win:
Enter once to win one of the above four titles.

1. Show your support for this blog by following me via Google Friend Connect OR by liking my blog on Facebook. (Hint: Look in the right hand column.)

2. Subscribe to my blog’s RSS feed. (Hint: Right hand side under my blog header.) This is optional, but definitely appreciated.

3. Fill out this form:

WinterWrite’s June Giveaway

This giveaway runs through the month of June (June 1, 2010 — June 27, 2010).  A different winner will be chosen each week on June 6th, 13th, 20th, and 27th. Winners will be chosen at random using random.org and notified by email.

*Winners are restricted to the U.S. & Canada only.

Good Luck!

I came across this wonderful video via Misty at My Inspiration Lounge.

This truly is a must-see talk of Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love at Oprah’s 10th Anniversary celebration, and I wanted to share it with my friends as well.

Have a great day. Enjoy!

Elizabeth Gilbert’s Talk

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Summary:
Tears to Triumph is a compilation of various women’s personal accounts of difficult situations they have dealt with and were able to triumph over in the end. Part stories, part encouraging commentary, Tears to Triumph offers insight on how to turn our most difficult struggles into success stories.

My Review:
I loved this book. I found the stories easy to relate to, and they kept my interest throughout the entire book. From recollections about having to get reconstructive breast surgery to losing a parent to dealing with family members who are on drugs, there are stories here of almost every variety. If you’re looking for heart-felt writing about dealing with difficult situations, or you’re trying to get out of a rut and need some inspiration, Tears to Triumph will be a great read.

Toward the end, there was a lovely quote that I just have to share:

God grant me the serenity to accept the people I cannot change, the courage to change the one I can, and the wisdom to know it’s me.

—Author Unknown (p. 218)

Have you heard about or read this book? I'd love to hear what you think!

Book: Tears to Triumph: Women Learn to Live, Love, and Thrive
Author: Dawn Marie Daniels, Candace Sandy with Dr. Jarralynne Agee
ISBN: 978-0-7582-3159-8
Publisher: Kensington Books
Source: Library Thing Review Copy

Hosted by Marcia at The Printed Page, Mailbox Monday is where readers can share what books they received in the mail, purchased, or borrowed last week.

Books in my Mailbox:

• Darcy’s Voyage by Kara Louise from Sourcebooks

Books I purchased:

• Mennonite in a Little Black Dress by Rhoda Janzen

• Lost & Found by Jacqueline Sheehan

• The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry

• God Never Blinks by Regina Brett

• Belong to Me by Marisa De Los Santos
  

Have you read or heard about any of these books? What books made it into your home this week?