Tomorrow is the last day to enter four of my book giveaways. These are wonderful books, so stop by and check them out. If you have already entered, you can still send a tweet or two for extra chances to win!

Bobbi Brown Living Beauty (7/1)
How Not to Look Old (7/1)
Made in the U.S.A. (7/1)
Testimony (7/1)

Good luck!

Whenever I go to Starbucks and wait to get my drink from the barista, I always look at the book they feature. I have found some really good reads there in the past. Last month, the book that intrigued me was Happens Every Day by Isabel Gillies. It is an autobiographical book written by the actress who played Detective Stabler's wife on Law and Order Special Victims Unit.

Isabel tells the story of how her picture-perfect marriage came to an end. Married to a handsome poetry professor, she has two little boys by the time her husband's academic job moves the family to Oberlin, Ohio. Isabel leaves New York and her acting career and becomes a stay at home mom. Although she is not a professional writer but an actress, I greatly enjoyed her writing style. Her description of this quiet college town and the simple life there is a fascinating read. Isabel made me see the perfect brick house the family lives in, smell the organic farm where she gets produce and flowers, and meet the characters in this small-town drama.

Shortly after Isabel and her family get settled in this ideal life, her husband declares that he does not love her any more and decides to leave the family. Isabel's world disintegrates while she is trying to cope, reeling from the shock and the reality of raising her two young boys alone, leaving her perfect home, and finding a new direction in her life thrust in chaos.

Isabel Gillies describes her drama emotionally but also honestly. Reading her book is like listening to a close friend who will share everything. Isabel suffers but she does not wallow in self-pity. She is imperfect but endearing, and I can tell that her strong personality will eventually help her get up and keep going.

I highly recommend this book - a fresh, candid account of an all-too-true story, in Isabel's own words.

Book Description

Meanwhile, an American passenger airliner is shot down over Egypt by what seems to be an Iranian missile. A massive global investigative team is assembled to get at the truth of the situation before it can all escalate into an international scandal.


The Giveaway
Thanks to Hachette Book Group, I have the opportunity to give away THREE copies of The Bourne Deception audiobook!

To enter, please leave a comment below. Please make sure to leave your e-mail address if not visible in your blogger profile.

For extra entries, you can do one or all of the following - please leave a separate comment for each:

• tell me what was the last book you enjoyed reading;
• tell me if you listen to audiobooks often;
  
• follow my blog (see right sidebar);
• subscribe to my feed by e-mail (see right sidebar);
• blog about this giveaway linking to this post and get 2 entries;
• email three people about this giveaway and copy me;
• follow me on twitter and leave your twitter name;
• tweet about this giveaway and comment with the link to your tweet – you can do this once a day;
• add this giveaway - or any of my current giveaways - to a Mr. Linky and let me know where to find it - you get two entries for every giveaway that you help promote, leave a separate comment for each;
  
• add my blog to your Technorati favorites (click on link or see right sidebar);
• enter another one of my giveaways and leave a comment you did.

The deadline to enter is July 21, 2009, 11:59pm EST. Three winners will be randomly selected and notified by e-mail. You will have 72 hours to get back to me, or another winner will be chosen.

Open to residents of U.S. or Canada only. No P.O. box addresses, please. One book per person. Winners will receive their prizes directly from Hachette Book Group. Book information was provided by the publisher.

Good luck!

Book Description
Syd, a breathtakingly beautiful supermodel on a photo shoot in Hawaii, disappears. Fearing the worst, her parents travel to Hawaii to investigate for themselves, never expecting the horror that awaits them.

LA Times reporter Ben Hawkins is conducting his own research into the case, hoping to help the victim and get an idea for his next bestseller. With no leads and no closer to uncovering the kidnapper's identity than when he stepped off the plane, Ben gets a shocking visit that pushes him into an impossible-to-resist deal with the devil.

A heart-pounding story of fear and desire, SWIMSUIT transports listeners to a chilling new territory where the collision of beauty and murder transforms paradise into a hell of unspeakable horrors.

The Giveaway
Thanks to Hachette Book Group, I have the opportunity to give away THREE copies of the Swimsuit audiobook!

To enter, please leave a comment below. Please make sure to leave your e-mail address if not visible in your blogger profile.

For extra entries, you can do one or all of the following - please leave a separate comment for each:

• tell me what was the last book you enjoyed reading;
• tell me if you listen to audiobooks often;
  
• follow my blog (see right sidebar);
• subscribe to my feed by e-mail (see right sidebar);
• blog about this giveaway linking to this post and get 2 entries;
• email three people about this giveaway and copy me;
• follow me on twitter and leave your twitter name;
• tweet about this giveaway and comment with the link to your tweet – you can do this once a day;
• add this giveaway - or any of my current giveaways - to a Mr. Linky and let me know where to find it - you get two entries for every giveaway that you help promote, leave a separate comment for each;
  
• add my blog to your Technorati favorites (click on link or see right sidebar);
• enter another one of my giveaways and leave a comment you did.

The deadline to enter is July 20, 2009, 11:59pm EST. Three winners will be randomly selected and notified by e-mail. You will have 72 hours to get back to me, or another winner will be chosen.

Open to residents of U.S. or Canada only. No P.O. box addresses, please. One book per person. Winners will receive their prizes directly from Hachette Book Group. Book information was provided by the publisher.

Good luck!

The winners of our Jantsen's Gift giveaway have been selected, courtesy of Random.org. Hachette Book Group, the sponsor of this giveaway, will be sending a copy of Jantsen's Gift by Pam Cope with Amy Molloy to: Anonymous (freda), jemscout425, LoveMyCoffee, Michele P., and Sarah Z. The five winners have been contacted and claimed their prizes.

Congratulations to the winners, and remember to keep Jantsen's gift on your to-read list - it is an excellent book!

A few weeks ago, I came across an amazing company called Black Mountain Jewelry. One of my favorite blogs, Tech Savvy Mama, was reviewing and hosting a giveaway of a customized Tree of Life charm in honor of Mother's Day - and I won! Thank you, Leticia!

When I looked at Black Mountain Jewelry's website, I was immediately impressed by their beautiful pieces. The Tree of Life jewelry collection is stunning, not only in its beauty but also in its symbolism and deep meaning. The line was designed to honor the caretakers in our lives who provide our solid foundation. The Tree of Life is a powerful symbol in many cultures and religions. To me, the tree is family, continuity, a symbol of where we come from and where we are going.

Carla, the co-founder of Black Mountain Jewelry, contacted me to personalize the Tree of Life charm. I chose to have my birthstone at the base of the tree, and my children's birthstones in the branches. On the back of the charm, they stamped my kids' names.

I received my charm around Mother's Day. It made a wonderful and meaningful gift! The charm is made of De-Ox sterling silver which retards tarnishing, and comes with a beautiful 18" sterling chain. The pictures I have really do not do justice to the simple elegance and beauty of this piece. The charm came in a nice little box, with a pretty bow. I also received a polishing cloth to help keep my charm in top shape for many years.

I have been wearing my Tree of Life every day for about a month now, and have received countless compliments for it. I proudly explain to everyone what this unique piece represents, and all my friends are so impressed by Black Mountain Jewelry! When the back of the charm got slightly tarnished - I live in hot and humid climate - I lightly polished it with the cloth that came with my piece, and it became shiny as new again.

I am proud to add that Black Mountain Jewelry use recycled metals and Fair Trade gemstones in this jewelry line. In addition, 5% of each sale is donated to Jewelers for Children, a charity that invests in special programs to reach children whose lives have been devastated by illness, abuse, or neglect.

If you want a really meaningful piece of jewelry for a parent or a loved one, I highly recommend Black Mountain Jewelry. The quality of their work is superb, the handmade pieces are beautiful, and their customer service is outstanding.

I am a big fan of Jodi Picoult's books. I have read several - including about half of My Sister's Keeper - but had not seen any of the movies based on her novels. I had been looking forward to the release of My Sister's Keeper, and went to see it yesterday.

The reason I like Picoult's work is that her stories are very well written, her characters are complicated and multi-dimensional, and their dilemmas are never simple. She makes you really think about whose side you would be on, and it is never easy to decide. My Sister's Keeper is the story of Anna, an 11-year old girl who has donated blood and bone marrow her whole life to help fight her older sister's leukemia. At the point when Anna is expected to donate a kidney to her sister, she decides to sue her parents for medical emancipation and regain control over her body and her life.

I found reading the book was emotionally wrenching, and I had to take a break about halfway through. The movie was just as thought-provoking and emotionally charged. It is very sad but also celebrates life and family in an unusual, realistic way. None of the characters are picture-perfect, and their choices are beyond the everyday right or wrong. The movie and the book raise complex moral and ethical issues, as well. I have to admit I cried quite a bit. It is impossible not to be moved by the plight of Anna, her sick sister, their mother who would do anything to save her older daughter - unwittingly even harming the rest of the family in the process.

The movie has an excellent cast - including Cameron Diaz as the mom, Abigail Breslin as Anna, Jason Patric as the dad, and Alec Baldwin as the lawyer Anna hires. Joan Cusack is great as the judge presiding over Anna's case and a woman who has suffered her own personal tragedy. I was impressed by Sofia Vassilieva whom I had not seen before - she has the role of Kate, the sick sister. The remaining cast is also excellent. It is all put together by talented director Nick Cassavetes who previously directed The Notebook and John Q, among others.

In short, I recommend that you watch My Sister's Keeper, and you also read the book.

One of the exciting book giveaways that I am hosting right now is for Billie Letts' newest book, Made in the U.S.A. You probably know her work from Where the Heart Is - one of Oprah's book club titles - or Shoot the Moon, or The Honk and Holler Opening Soon.

Made in the U.S.A. is my first experience with Billie Letts, unless we count the Where the Heart Is movie that starred my favorite, Natalie Portman. This book tells the story of two kids who start a journey from Spearfish, South Dakota, to Las Vegas, in search of their father. They meet heartbreak, pain, and disappointment at every turn, forcing them to grow up way too soon. 15-year old Lutie and 12-year old Fate are smart and resourceful but all their endearing qualities are no match for the cruelty of the world they encounter.

Billie Letts' description of the kids' hardships is compassionate but realistic. She does not sugarcoat their reality nor does she preach about how wrong it is to have children go through all this ugliness. This book is very well-written - and also hard to read because of the wealth of emotions the reader must experience. At times, I wanted to squeeze my eyes shut and just hope, together with Lutie and Fate, that it is all a bad dream and we will wake up any minute now.

Made in the U.S.A. is the moving story of two kids looking for a place to call home. It also makes me think about the fate of children in today's world, and what we, as adults, have to change so that no child has to experience in real life what Lutie and Fate go through in this book.

I highly recommend that you read Made in the U.S.A. It is available from book retailers nationwide, and you can also enter by July 1 to win one of five copies, courtesy of Hachette Book Group.

The five winners of the Gift Good Health giveaway have been chosen, courtesy of Random.org! Our sponsor, Hachette Book Group, will be sending a set of three books each (The G-Free Diet, If Your Kid Eats This Book Everything Will Still Be Okay, and The NDD Book) to Kati, Jinxy and Me, ossmcalc, Terra H., and janetfaye. They have claimed their prizes.

Congratulations to the winners, and stay tuned for my reviews of these books.

Are you a George Pelecanos fan? If you have not read any of his books - and you like suspense and thrillers - definitely check out his work! He is the author of 14 crime novels set in and around Washington, D.C. Pelecanos has received numerous awards for his work. Esquire Magazine calls him "the poet laureate of the D.C. crime world".

I am running a giveaway for his latest book - The Night Gardener. Several Pelecanos books are on my to-read list this summer, and I'd like to introduce to you one of them - The Way Home, with a chance to win an audiobook copy!

Book Description

Christopher Flynn is trying to get it right. After years of trouble and rebellion that enraged his father and nearly cost him his life, he has a steady job in his father's company, he's seriously dating a woman he respects, and, aside from the distrust that lingers in his father's eyes, his mistakes are firmly in the past.

One day on the job, Chris and his partner come across a temptation almost too big to resist. Chris does the right thing, but old habits and instincts rise to the surface, threatening this new-found stability with sudden treachery and violence. With his father and his most trusted friends, he takes one last chance to blast past the demons trying to pull him back.

Like Richard Price or William Kennedy, Pelecanos pushes his characters to the extremes, their redemption that much sweeter because it is so hard fought. Pelecanos has long been celebrated for his unerring ability to portray the conflicts men feel as they search and struggle for power and love in a world that is often harsh and unforgiving but can ultimately be filled with beauty.

The Giveaway
Thanks to Hachette Book Group, I have the opportunity to give away THREE copies of The Way Home audiobook!

To enter, please leave a comment below. Please make sure to leave your e-mail address if not visible in your blogger profile.

For extra entries, you can do one or all of the following - please leave a separate comment for each:

• tell me what was the last book you enjoyed reading;
• follow my blog (see right sidebar);
• subscribe to my feed by e-mail (see right sidebar);
• blog about this giveaway linking to this post and get 2 entries;
• email three people about this giveaway and copy me;
• follow me on twitter and leave your twitter name;
• tweet about this giveaway and comment with the link to your tweet – you can do this once a day;
• add this giveaway - or any of my current giveaways - to a Mr. Linky and let me know where to find it - you get two entries for every giveaway that you help promote, leave a separate comment for each;
  
• add my blog to your Technorati favorites (click on link or see right sidebar);
• enter another one of my giveaways and leave a comment you did.

The deadline to enter is July 19, 2009, 11:59pm EST. Three winners will be randomly selected and notified by e-mail. You will have 72 hours to get back to me, or another winner will be chosen.

Open to residents of U.S. or Canada only. No P.O. box addresses, please. One book per person. Winners will receive their prizes directly from Hachette Book Group. Book information was provided by the publisher.

Good luck!

I have another fun summer giveaway for you! This time, it's an audiobook of Cemetery Dance by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child - coauthors of the bestselling novels The Relic, Mount Dragon, Reliquary, and Riptide.

Book Description

Pendergast - the world's most enigmatic FBI Special Agent - returns to New York City to investigate a murderous cult.

William Smithback, a New York Times reporter, and his wife Nora Kelly, a Museum of Natural History archaeologist, are brutally attacked in their apartment on Manhattan's Upper West Side. As Pendergast and Lieutenant Vincent D'Agosta undertake their own private-and decidedly unorthodox-quest for the truth, their serpentine journey takes them to an enclave of Manhattan they never imagined could exist: a secretive, reclusive cult of Obeah and voodoo which no outsiders have ever survived.

The Giveaway

Thanks to Hachette Book Group, I have the opportunity to give away THREE copies of the Cemetery Dance audiobook!

To enter, please leave a comment below. Please make sure to leave your e-mail address if not visible in your blogger profile.

For extra entries, you can do one or all of the following - please leave a separate comment for each:

• tell me what was the last book you enjoyed reading;
• tell me if you listen to audiobooks often;
  
• follow my blog (see right sidebar);
• subscribe to my feed by e-mail (see right sidebar);
• blog about this giveaway linking to this post and get 2 entries;
• email three people about this giveaway and copy me;
• follow me on twitter and leave your twitter name;
• tweet about this giveaway and comment with the link to your tweet – you can do this once a day;
• add this giveaway - or any of my current giveaways - to a Mr. Linky and let me know where to find it - you get two entries for every giveaway that you help promote, leave a separate comment for each;
  
• add my blog to your Technorati favorites (click on link or see right sidebar);
• enter another one of my giveaways and leave a comment you did.

The deadline to enter is July 18, 2009, 11:59pm EST. Three winners will be randomly selected and notified by e-mail. You will have 72 hours to get back to me, or another winner will be chosen.

Open to residents of U.S. or Canada only. No P.O. box addresses, please. One book per person. Winners will receive their prizes directly from Hachette Book Group. Book information was provided by the publisher.

Good luck!

The five winners of the Smart Mama's Green Guide giveaway have been chosen, courtesy of Random.org! Our sponsor, Hachette Book Group, will be sending a copy of Smart Mama's Green Guide by Jennifer Haggart to christin, Anonymous (MarionG), Carrie M., gahome2mom, and Michelle E. They have claimed their prizes.

Congratulations to the winners, and check out my new review of the book.

I love nuts and granola. And two of my favorite granola bars are from Nature Valley: oats 'n honey and trail mix fruit & nut. So, I was very excited to hear that Nature Valley now offers granola nut clusters! Thanks to MyBlogSpark, I received samples of all four flavors: Nut Lovers, Roasted Almond, Roasted Cashew and Honey Roasted Peanut.

The new Nature Valley Granola Nut Clusters are bite-sized clusters of - what else? - nuts and granola, with a touch of honey. They are a perfect combination of sweet, salty, and crunchy. The clusters are all-natural and provide 4-5 grams of protein per serving. Each variety comes in a 5 oz. resealable bag. The clusters make a great snack!

All four flavors are delicious. My personal favorite is the Roasted Almond. My family enjoyed the Nature Valley Granola Nut Clusters, too. The kids favored the Nut Lovers clusters while my husband liked best the Roasted Cashew. I should mention that a couple of the varieties are extra crunchy, so if the Tooth Fairy is about to visit your house, you may want to keep those for yourself.

I have not seen the granola nut clusters m at my grocery store yet but found them on Amazon - they come in packs of 5 pouches and qualify for free shipping on orders over $25. You should definitely try them out!

* Update: I just learned that General Mills have begun distribution of the granola nut clusters nationally, and if they are not available in your grocery store yet, they should be by the end of July.

Do you enjoy audiobooks? I love listening to books on tape - or on cd, actually - while I am in the car, or on the treadmill. Perfect for passing the time quickly and enjoying a good book when you cannot read comfortably. Easy on the eyes, too!

This is the first time I am offering an audiobook giveaway, and have picked a special treat for you - The Scarecrow, the new Michael Connelly book that just came out less than a month ago.

Book Description

Forced out of the Los Angeles Times amid the latest budget cuts, newspaperman Jack McEvoy decides to go out with a bang, using his final days at the paper to write the definitive murder story of his career. He focuses on Alonzo Winslow, a 16-year-old drug dealer in jail after confessing to a brutal murder. But as he delves into the story, Jack realizes that Winslow's so-called confession is bogus. Jack is soon running with his biggest story since The Poet made his career years ago. He is tracking a killer who operates completely below police radar--and with perfect knowledge of any move against him. Including Jack's.

The Giveaway
Thanks to Hachette Book Group, I have the opportunity to give away THREE copies of The Scarecrow audiobook!

To enter, please leave a comment below. Please make sure to leave your e-mail address if not visible in your blogger profile.

For extra entries, you can do one or all of the following - please leave a separate comment for each:

• tell me what was the last book you enjoyed reading;
• tell me if you listen to audiobooks often;
  
• follow my blog (see right sidebar);
• subscribe to my feed by e-mail (see right sidebar);
• blog about this giveaway linking to this post and get 2 entries;
• email three people about this giveaway and copy me;
• follow me on twitter and leave your twitter name;
• tweet about this giveaway and comment with the link to your tweet – you can do this once a day;
• add this giveaway - or any of my current giveaways - to a Mr. Linky and let me know where to find it - you get two entries for every giveaway that you help promote, leave a separate comment for each;
  
• add my blog to your Technorati favorites (click on link or see right sidebar);
• enter another one of my giveaways and leave a comment you did.

The deadline to enter is July 16, 2009, 11:59pm EST. Three winners will be randomly selected and notified by e-mail. You will have 72 hours to get back to me, or another winner will be chosen.

Open to residents of U.S. or Canada only. No P.O. box addresses, please. One book per person. Winners will receive their prizes directly from Hachette Book Group. Book information was provided by the publisher.

Good luck!