Book Blogger Hop: July 23-26, 2010

Welcome to this week's Book Blogger Hop which is hosted by Crazy-For-Books. Go over to her blog for more information and to leave your links to your post.

This week's question: Tell us about the book you are currently reading!

My answer:

I'm about to start reading Shopaholic & Baby by Sophie Kinsella. It's the fifth and only Shopaholic book that I haven't read yet. Well, the sixth book in the series will be out in September this year. Can't wait for that! :)

I love these books because they are extremely fun to read with hilarious bits in it. Becky is such a silly and yet kind-hearted person. Hmm, can't say I like her but I enjoy reading about her boyfriend, Luke and best friend, Suze!

If you're new here, let's get to know me:

1. Hi, I'm Josette, aged 22 and from Malaysia.

2. I've been book blogging since December 2006 and it'll be four years of blogging for me come December.

3. I enjoy reading contemporary, YA, and historical fiction. Sometimes I read thrillers, fantasy and classics. Graphic novels are great too!

4. I have two book blogs. You're reading one now and my other one, Books Love Me - Reviews is only for my book reviews.

5. Last book read: Shopaholic Ties the Knot by Sophie Kinsella

6. Now reading: Shopaholic & Baby by Sophie Kinsella

7. You can also find me on Twitter, LibraryThing and Goodreads.

Thanks for reading! Tell me about yourself and leave your links in the comments. :)

Book review: Shopaholic Ties the Knot

Check out my review of Shopaholic Ties the Knot by Sophie Kinsella!

Teaser Tuesdays (Shopaholic Ties the Knot)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

1. Grab your current read
2. Open to a random page
3. Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
4. BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
5. Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Current read: Shopaholic Ties the Knot by Sophie Kinsella

Page 212

Christina reaches for a T-shirt with spattered dye and rhinestones on the front, and as she runs her eye up and down it, I hold my breath. Lisa and Tracy raise their eyebrows at each other, and although Danny is motionless, I can see his face tightening with hope.

The Huge TBR Readathon II

Hosted by: Bookworming in the 21st Century

July 19, 2010 - July 25, 2010 (Mon to Fri)

What to do? Read, read read.

I failed at the last readathon so here I am taking another plunge at the same reading challenge! It's not really considered a challenge but it's a challenge for me to read non-stop. It's a challenge for me to finish more than one book a week.

Not sure how many books I can read but I'm choosing the ones that are easy to read page-turners! I'm going to start working in early August so this is my (probably last) chance to read all day long. :)

Now reading: Shopaholic Ties the Knot by Sophie Kinsella

When you can't finish a book...

...even though you feel like you have to, considering it's a review copy sent to you from the publisher or the author itself. So what do you do? Do you just stop reading and write out the review but mention why you couldn't finish it? I figured there was nothing wrong with that so I wrote out my review and explained why I couldn't finish the book. I don't intend on continuing it and not for a long time. I want to read something I enjoy!

And no, I did not bash the book terribly or listed out 101 reasons why it was bad. I don't think it's fair to the book and author if we heavily criticised it. Just like another blogger, Dana Alma who mentioned in her post, even if we didn't like a certain book doesn't mean that someone else wouldn't want to read it. Remember, one man's meat is another man's poison. My poison, your meat. Yeah, you get it.

The last book I never got around to finishing was The Diary of a Girl in Changi. That was so many years ago. I did not even feel guilty about stopping halfway and deciding that I won't pick it up again. I even sold it off! Well, maybe I will try reading it again if the book somehow finds its way to me. If the book is meant for me to read, there's no harm trying. Ah, the power of fate.

But after that, I think I felt guilty for not finishing it. Being a Sagittarius, I tend to stop doing things (only some things like personal projects, activities, etc!) halfway. I read about my zodiac and found out that it's a common trait among us Sags. Take notebooks, for example. I start writing in one then leave half of it empty and I go on to start writing in another one. Another example is my scrapbooks. I never got to complete them. Things like that.

So that's why I vowed to always try to finish every book I start to read. It gives me a sense of accomplishment. It gives me the right to say, yeah, I've read that book, cover to cover! :) I get to feel proud of myself. But I'm not proud to say that I skipped some paragraphs of Pride and Prejudice. If you're familiar with the reader's bill of rights, you know that we have the right to skip and all that. But I don't believe in skipping! Oh well, I never believed in not finishing a book anyway and my stance on it has changed. I do hope to read P&P again but I really want the new edition that's targeted at young adult readers.

That's about it. How do you feel when you don't a finish a book? And do you pick it up again after some time?

Book review: The Korean Palace of Honolulu

Yesterday, I reviewed The Korean Palace of Honolulu by Linda Mi-Suk Enos. Click on the link to read my review.

N.B. It was a "Did Not Finish" book for me.

Friday Finds (Alice I Have Been)

What great books did you hear about/discover this past week? Here are a couple of books that I read about in today's newspaper. Friday Finds is hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.

Alice I Have Been by Melanie Benjamin

Alice Liddell Hargreaves’s life has been a richly woven tapestry: As a young woman, wife, mother, and widow, she’s experienced intense passion, great privilege, and greater tragedy. But as she nears her eighty-first birthday, she knows that, to the world around her, she is and will always be only “Alice.” Her life was permanently dog-eared at one fateful moment in her tenth year–the golden summer day she urged a grown-up friend to write down one of his fanciful stories.

That story, a wild tale of rabbits, queens, and a precocious young child, becomes a sensation the world over. Its author, a shy, stuttering Oxford professor, does more than immortalize Alice–he changes her life forever. But even he cannot stop time, as much as he might like to. And as Alice’s childhood slips away, a peacetime of glittering balls and royal romances gives way to the urgent tide of war.

A love story and a literary mystery, Alice I Have Been brilliantly blends fact and fiction to capture the passionate spirit of a woman who was truly worthy of her fictional alter ego, in a world as captivating as the Wonderland only she could inspire.

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Personal Finance in your 20s and 30s, 4th Edition by Sarah Young Fisher and Susan Shelly

Revised and updated, this new edition of The Complete Idiot's Guide(r) to Personal Finance in Your 20s and 30s explains all the basic information anyone in this age group will need to manage their personal finances or enhance their financial plan to yield better returns on their investments.

• Covers 401(k) and retirement planning plus investment strategies for the next decade
• Budgeting tips for spiraling food and fuel costs, as well as the financial impacts of changing jobs and growing families
• Home ownership options from building from scratch to townhouses and Condos
• Up-to-date information on internet banking and online mortgage brokers

***Book descriptions taken from goodreads and Amazon

Book Blogger Hop: July 16 - 19, 2010

Welcome to this week's Book Blogger Hop which is hosted by Crazy-For-Books. Go over to her blog for more information and to leave your links to your post.

This week's question: Right this instant, what book are you dying to get your hands on (past, present, or future)?

My answer:

I would love to get a copy of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson! Other books include Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta, Dracula in Love by Karen Essex (out Aug 10, 2010) and Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris!

If you're new here, let's get to know me:

1. Hi, I'm Josette, aged 22 and from Malaysia.

2. I've been book blogging since December 2006 and it'll be four years of blogging for me come December.

3. I enjoy reading contemporary, YA, and historical fiction. Sometimes I read thrillers, fantasy and classics. Graphic novels are great too!

4. I have two book blogs. You're reading one now and my other one, Books Love Me - Reviews is only for my book reviews.

5. Last book read: The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger. You can also check out my post on my new favourite TV series: The Vampire Diaries!

6. Now reading: The Korean Palace of Honolulu by Linda Mi-Suk Enos

7. You can also find me on Twitter, LibraryThing and Goodreads.

Thanks for reading! Tell me about yourself and leave your links in the comments. :)

Hooked on The Vampire Diaries show

Developed by: Kevin Williamson & Julie Plec
Based on the novels by: L.J. Smith

Starring: Nina Dobrev, Paul Wesley, Ian Somerhalder, Steven R. McQueen, Sara Canning, Katerina Graham, Candice Accola, Zach Roerig, Kayla Ewell, Michael Trevino, Matt Davis

Well, well, this is another series for me to get addicted with. I recently finished reading The Awakening by L.J. Smith. While I thought the book was okay, I couldn't help feeling curious about The Vampire Diaries TV show. Technically, I watched the pilot episode before reading the book. So I noticed some differences when I began reading.

The main character and heroine, Elena Gilbert is totally different in the book and TV show. In the book, she is a total drama queen and gets everything her way. She seems to have the perfect life, perfect clothes, perfect friends and even a perfect boy in love with her. To make things even more perfect than it already is, she meets the mysterious, broody Stefan Salvatore who dresses just as well too! But wait, he shows resistance and doesn't seem drawn toward Elena's charms.

However, in the TV show, wow, Stefan is immediately smitten by her. They first meet when they bumped into each other at the boys' toilet. Sparks flew! Elena didn't have to work hard to get Stefan's attention. Life's easier for Elena in the TV show. Hey, they even kiss in the second episode. How fast is that? In the book, we feel Elena getting desperate because Stefan keeps ignoring her!

Instead of having a little sister like in the book, TV Elena has a good-looking but stoned adoptive younger brother named Jeremy. He's in love with Elena's ex-boyfriend's sister, Vicki. These TV series sure like to make things complicated. The ex-bf, Matt, looks kind of constipated the whole time. I know he's hurt because Elena dumped him but they could have maintained his character as being best friends with her.

Let's move on to the vamp guys! Stefan is as described in the book. On TV, he just couldn't keep his eyes off Elena. And his brother Damon. Damon loves to taunt Stefan. But I felt his character was somewhat different from the book. He seems much more 'mature' in the book while on TV, it's no surprise if he stuck out his tongue at Stefan. Perhaps he believes in being young at heart despite being a century-year-old vampire.

The visual and sound effects were good. Damon in vampire form freaked me out. How I got startled when he appeared out of nowhere, with evil eyes and sharp, creepy fangs all out.

And wow, Elena's Aunt Jenna is young and beautiful. She could pass off as Elena's sister. Mr Tanner ain't that bad-looking too. I wonder how old he really is in the book.

Okay, enough chit-chat for now. I'm off to watch Episode 3. :)

Winner (Collision of Evil)

Congratulations to Reanaclaire! 

You've won a copy of Collision of Evil by John J. Le Beau.

I'll be sending you an e-mail shortly. Again, thank you to everyone who entered my previous giveaway. I was surprised but really happy to receive so many entries! I hope to have another one again when my piggy bank is filled up. :)

In the meantime, HAPPY READING!

Teaser Tuesdays: The Korean Palace of Honolulu

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

1. Grab your current read
2. Open to a random page
3. Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
4. BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
5. Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Current read: The Korean Palace of Honolulu by Linda Mi-Suk Enos

Page 211

Pyoung was still drinking sitting in the same place he was when she came in the first time. He stood up a little wobbly at first then blocked her poker swing at him with his wrists and he curled his hands around the one end and took it out of her hands.

Now reading: The Korean Palace of Honolulu

It's Monday! What are you reading? is a weekly event hosted by Book Journey where bloggers gather to share what they have read this past week and what they plan to read this week.

Now reading:

The Korean Palace of Honolulu by Linda Mi-Suk Enos
Published: May 29, 2008 by Lulu.com (first published 2008)
Paperback, 440 pages

Yesterday, I reviewed The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger.

So, what are you reading now? :)

Finished reading The Devil Wears Prada

Do check out my review of The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger.

If you have reviewed this book, please leave the links in the review's comment section.

I couldn't help laughing during the Eclipse movie

Directed by David Slade
Starring Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Bryce Dallas Howard, Billy Burke, Dakota Fanning

What can I say about this much talked about movie of the year? I'll keep my Eclipse movie post short. Just so you know, I watched the movie twice on the same day! Not that it was that great, and don't ask me why. :)

My favourite parts of the movie:

1. All Jacob scenes. Taylor Lautner is an incredibly talented actor. You could feel his deep, undying love for Bella. The way he looks at her, gazes at her, talks to her, defends her, worries about her, etc. Man, Jacob is definitely hopelessly in love with Bella. He cannot be saved. That's the effect of Lautner's brilliant performance.

2. All Charlie scenes. I don't know but you just feel sorry for the guy. He's utterly clueless about Bella's decision for her future and all he wants is for his daughter to be safe. I liked the part where Bella announced her virginity and he mumbles to himself afterward about liking Edward a little bit more!

3. The vampire-werewolf fight rehearsal scene. Love it, love it. The coolest one was the one between Alice and Jasper. She's the only one who can take on him because, well, she can anticipate his moves? I enjoyed watching her gracefulness and agility.

4. The Jacob-Bella kiss scene! I'm pretty sure this one made it onto everyone else's list. Jacob's patience is rewarded, albeit for a short moment, after all. Yay for Jacob!

5. The flashbacks. It's great to see Rosalie's and Jasper's past lives. Who knew the beautiful Rosalie would have fallen for a jerk? Wished the scene with Rosalie in wedding dress barging into the room was longer.

6. Jessica's speech. What a simple but thought-provoking graduation speech!

7. The background music/score. They're catchy. Need to find out the song title and who sings them.

Hilarious scenes for me:

1. When Edward proposes to Bella. I thought, 'My god, what an awfully huge ring.' But later saw that it looked nice on Bella's finger. This scene must also be most of you guys' favourite, so please, this is just my opinion. No throwing raw eggs or tomatoes at me.

And this is the best hilarious scene, IMHO!!!

2. When Edward rips off Bella's shirt to wrap HER wounded hand after she risked HER life for him. Couldn't he have torn off his own shirt or was it too expensive to wrap a beloved's bleeding arm? I couldn't stop laughing at this scene.

Apart from these 'marvelous' elements of Eclipse, there were also some bad acting. For example, Seth and Bree Tanner. I liked the actress who played Bree. She has that sweet, innocent look and she doesn't seem as if she'll turn into a vicious vampire. Her terrified expressions were believable but once she began talking, nah, all my good impressions of her were gone immediately.

Okay, I could be talking about the entire movie, scene for scene but I'm sure you guys must have watched it a hundred times already. Also yes, Eclipse is way better than Twilight and New Moon. Twilight was terrible and New Moon only slightly better (because of Taylor Lautner's terrific acting!).

I will buy the DVD once it comes out, just like how I've bought Twilight and New Moon. Yeah, don't ask me why I bought them even though I say they aren't worth watching. It's just something I need to have. Peer pressure, I guess. Or just jumping on the bandwagon. Whatev. Time to move on! :)

A knight in shining armour?

Directed by James Mangold
Starring Tom Cruise, Cameron Diaz, Peter Sarsgaard, Maggie Grace, Paul Dano & Marc Blucas

I certainly did not expect this movie to be so good. It's basically about this guy, Roy Miller (Tom Cruise) who goes around killing intelligence officers and arms dealers who have bad intentions and are also after a powerful battery called the Zephyr.

Unexpectedly, he meets June (Cameron Diaz) on a plane. They have bumped into each other twice at the airport, which leads June to think that she might have a chance with this good-looking stranger. Little did she know that she's in for the most exciting and terrifying ride of her life.

The lines were good especially Roy's. He says the wittiest things without meaning to. His character has a calm demeanour and one couldn't help feeling impressed with his fighting and surviving skills. Anyhow, June's character was sort of typical. All she had to do was act sweet and flirty when she first meets Roy. Then she turns into a shaky, panicky, screaming machine when she sees Roy shooting people.

I liked the ending though. I liked how things turned around for June and Roy.

Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz had great chemistry in this show. This is the second time that they have worked on a movie, with the first one being Vanilla Sky.

What to blog about today?

This will just be a random post, something I haven't done in a long, long time! :) Anyway, it was a good day for me today.

I went for a job interview last week and the company asked me to go for a medical check-up this morning. The check-up procedure went well. The doctor was nice though I didn't realise he was the doctor! Silly me. Had a blood test but now there's this blood clot thing on my arm at the part where it bends. Man, hope it's nothing serious.

I also had a great time with my friends from uni, who I haven't seen for a couple of months. It was so fun catching up with them! :D

Then came back home, took a nap, woke up and read two chapters of The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger. I am enjoying reading it and will continue after I get offline!

Anyway, I'm really happy because this blog has gained 143 followers as of today. I know I shouldn't be obsessed with the followers thingy but it just makes me happy, you know. So thank you so much for taking an interest in my blog! :)

I do have a book giveaway going on right now. The book up for grabs is Collision of Evil by John Le Beau. I received it for review (you can read my review of it) and now one of my readers will have a chance to win it.

Nevertheless, do check out this guest post by Thomas Hauck, the author of Pistonhead. He has written a particularly interesting piece on what success really is and also about how he got around to writing his novel.

That's all for now. Good night! :)

Now reading: The Devil Wears Prada

It's Monday, What Are You Reading? is hosted by Book Journey.

Now reading:

The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger
Published: October 6th, 2003 by HarperCollins Publishers Ltd (first published 2002)
Paperback, 391 pages

Yesterday, I also finished reading The Awakening, Volume 1 of the Vampire Diaries by L.J. Smith. Haven't written my review yet, and I'm gonna write it now!  :)

Anyway, today I received a copy of Someone Like You by Sarah Dessen in the mail. I won it from a contest held at A Severe Book Addiction!

So, what are you reading?

Book Giveaway #9 - Collision of Evil

For fans of the thriller/mystery fiction genre, this giveaway may appeal to you. Or if you just want to explore out of your reading comfort zone, check this out. :)

Published: September, 21st 2009 by Oceanview Publishing
ISBN: 1933515546 (ISBN-13: 9781933515540)

About the book:

As evening falls against the majestic backdrop of the Bavarian Alps, Charles Hirter, an American tourist, is murdered. In the peace, quiet and pastoral splendor of this magnificent setting, Charles Hirter draws his last breath. Was Charles simply in the wrong place at the wrong time?

Kommissar Franz Waldbaer, the German detective in charge of the case, faces an investigation that yields neither clues nor suspects nor motives. A gruff, go-it alone detective, Waldbaer is dismayed by the arrival of Robert Hirter, the victim's brother, who insists on joining the investigation.

But there is more to Robert than meets the eye. As Robert and the Kommissar uncover a nefarious nexus of evil past and evil present, they find themselves probing dark, long-forgotten episodes from the Third Reich in order to identify the present threat. Thrust into a violent world of fanatic passions, malevolent intentions and excruciating urgency, Robert Hirter and Kommissar Waldbaer must race against the clock to stop a sophisticated, covert, and deadly plot.

Win a gently-read Advanced Reader's Copy of Collision of Evil by John Le Beau (paperback).
Open to everyone.
Contest ends July 11, 2010. Winner will be chosen via Random.org.
Read my review of the book.

Fill in THE FORM to enter.

Thanks and good luck!

A rock musician's view on success

Guest post by Thomas Hauck, author of Pistonhead.

Published: February 7th, 2009 by Booklocker.com, Inc. (first published February 1st, 2009)
Paperback, 176 pages
ISBN: 1601457448 (ISBN13: 9781601457448)

In writing “Pistonhead,” I had several goals that I wanted to accomplish. I hope that I have succeeded. Here is a brief review of what I hope readers will take away from the book.

Having spent fifteen years in the music industry as a rock musician, I wanted to give readers a glimpse into the everyday life of a struggling artist. Charlie Sinclair is not a superstar who travels to stadium gigs in a private jet; he holds down a day job and can barely pay his bills. Pistonhead (the band) have released several CDs but are still playing the club circuit around Boston, Massachusetts. The book opens on a Thursday night and Pistonhead are playing a gig at the Big Ditch Club in Boston. Unfortunately, it is almost show time and the band’s drug-addicted lead singer, Rip, is nowhere to be found. In the nick of time he shows up and the band tries to win over an unruly audience. After the show, at three in the morning, Charlie returns to his mouse-infested apartment. But there is little time to rest; four hours later he has to get up to go to work at Evergreen Software, where he is a supervisor on an assembly line.

This is the life that I wanted to show - a grueling life shared by many creative people (writers, actors, musicians, artists) all over America. I wanted to illustrate that the creative life of songwriting and playing gigs is not that much different from working on an assembly line. Songs must be written and rehearsed and recorded; quality must be maintained; inferior products must be abandoned. The marketplace rules.

The deeper theme of the book is this: how do you define success? Charlie and his bandmates assume that success is measured by how many CDs you sell or how many people attend your concerts or how many groupies you attract. But when tragedy strikes and the fate of Pistonhead hangs in the balance, Charlie has to decide what really matters to him. Is it creativity, or is it material success? With the help of his new love interest (a young woman who is decidedly not a groupie), Charlie is able to take a big step forward in his life.

Many people ask me if “Pistonhead” is autobiographical. I will only say that about two-thirds of the scenes and events in the book are absolutely real. I won’t say which two-thirds. But I will testify that the very talented lead singers in the bands I worked with were not like Rip – they were totally professional and were never late for a show. I will also say that the Mass Rehab characters and scenes in the Evergreen Software factory are one hundred percent authentic – even the guy who thought that he was possessed by Satan. That particular scene happened exactly as written.

My newest novel is “Lucas Manson,” a horror thriller. When FBI Special Agent Mark Dylan investigates a brutal double homicide, he enters the mysterious world of the Kingdom Seven Family Temple, a growing cult headed by the charismatic millionaire Minister Lucas Manson. As Dylan and his partner Jill Kelly probe deeper into the hidden world of the temple and its sinister practices, they are forced to question their own identities, and soon they learn that friends cannot be distinguished from enemies – and that their lives will change forever. It’s available both in paperback and as an e-book.

~End of Thomas' post~

I was delighted to receive a copy of Pistonhead to read and review. There aren't many books about music on my bookshelves so this one was a great addition. :)

About the book:

Charlie Sinclair plays guitar in a rock band. He works on an assembly line. His best friend is a drug addict. Pistonhead is the story of one week in Charlie Sinclair's life - a week that changed him forever.

About the author:

A native of Cincinnati, Ohio, Thomas A. Hauck earned his B.A. in History of Art at Tufts University. After college, Tom embarked on a 15-year career as a rock musician and songwriter, playing guitar and writing songs with Boston-based bands including the Atlantics and Ball and Pivot.

Tom left the music business in the early 1990s and embarked on a successful career in non-profit administration and development. In 2004 he earned his M.B.A. at Endicott College. After serving with leading Boston-area cultural non-profits, Tom founded Thomas Hauck Communications Services in 2006. Tom is a professional freelance writer and the editor of Renaissance Magazine. Tom lives with his wife and two children in an 1851 Greek Revival house overlooking historic Gloucester Harbor.

***For more info on Pistonhead and Lucas Manson, visit Thomas Hauck's website at www.thomashauck.net.
***Read my review of Pistonhead by Thomas Hauck.

Friday Finds (The Cardturner)

What great books did you hear about/discover this past week? Here are a couple of books that I read about in today's newspaper. Friday Finds is hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.

The Red Umbrella by Christina Gonzalez

In 1961, two years after the Communist revolution, Lucía Álvarez still leads a carefree life, dreaming of parties and her first crush. But when the soldiers come to her sleepy Cuban town, everything begins to change. Freedoms are stripped away. Neighbors disappear. Her friends feel like strangers. And her family is being watched.

As the revolution's impact becomes more oppressive, Lucía's parents make the heart-wrenching decision to send her and her little brother to the United States—on their own.

Suddenly plunked down in Nebraska with well-meaning strangers, Lucía struggles to adapt to a new country, a new language, a new way of life. But what of her old life? Will she ever see her home or her parents again? And if she does, will she still be the same girl?

The Cardturner by Louis Sachar

When Alton's ageing, blind uncle asks him to attend bridge games with him, he agrees. After all, it's better than a crappy summer job in the local shopping mall, and Alton's mother thinks it might secure their way to a good inheritance sometime in the future. But, like all apparently casual choices in any of Louis Sachar's wonderful books, this choice soon turns out to be a lot more complex than Alton could ever have imagined. As his relationship with his uncle develops, and he meets the very attractive Toni, deeply buried secrets are uncovered and a romance that spans decades is finally brought to a conclusion. Alton's mother is in for a surprise!

***Book descriptions taken from goodreads

Win a copy of Shadow Hills!

Not here but over at the Shadow Hills blog. The author, Anastasia Hopcus has FIVE autographed hardcover copies of Shadow Hills to give away. It's open to everyone, yes it's international!!! Remember to enter by July 09, 2010.

You can watch the Shadow Hills trailer on YouTube.

You can also read the first chapter of Shadow Hills.

Are you excited enough? :) Wait no more and join in the fun!