Wednesday, December 29, 2010

And the Winners were:National Book ,Pulitzer Prize and Orange Award Winners

Here are the 2010 winners of:

National Book Awards:


Fiction: "Lord Of Misrule" Jaimy Gordon

Nonfiction:"Just Kids" by Patti Smith

Fiction YA: "Mockingbird"by Kathryn Erskine

Poetry:"Lighthead" by Terrence Hayes

Pulitzer Prize:


Fiction:"Tinkers" by Paul Harding

Nonfiction:"The Deadhand:The Untold Story of the Cold Arms Race" by David E.Hoffman

Poetry: "Versed' by Rae Armantrout

Orange Awards:
"The Lacuna" by Barbara Kingsolver
"The Boy Next Door" by Irene Sabatina (New Writer)

For more info about these awards :
National Book Awards
Pulitzer Prize
Orange Awards


Here's another challenge you may like:2nds Challenge


Good morning folks I couldn't resist this challenge because I feel a compulsive need to compare
an authors previous work to the current book.  However I am going for "Just a spoonful" which is
3 books and I should be able to fit this in with the rest of the challenges this year I really feel this will
get me to read more of the books I really enjoy this year(world literature,urban christian,mysteries
a little less suspense this year well maybe).  Stay tuned I am going to post Some books that won the National book awards,Pulitzer prizes and The Orange Awards

Friday, December 24, 2010

Christmas at the Mysterious Bookshop edited by Otto Penzler

Christmas at The Mysterious BookshopThe Mysterious Bookshop is considered the oldest and largest bookshop dedicated to mysteries.  Otto Penzler,founder and owner, started collecting books when he was in his 20's ,while working
as a copy boy at the Daily News.Out of the $37 dollars a week he would set aside $5 dollars for books.
(I applaud you I don't think I could set aside 10-12% of my income on books!)  In addiction to the book, he
publishes about 6 mysteries a year under Otto Penzler Books(an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)  he has
won 2 Edgar Awards one for "Encyclopedia of Mystery &Detection" which he edited with Chris Steinbrunner,
in 1977 and this past April for "The Lineup:The World's Greatest Crime Writers tell The Inside Story of their Greatest Detectives."  So even though he had to sell 2500 out of the 58,000 books first edition books that he owns,I still say he's doing pretty darn good for someone who spent part of his childhood without a tv!
I thought this book was a bit pretentious, at first ,however once I got a chance to delve into a bit more I
was pleasantly surprised by a few of the stories .   I really enjoyed Lawrence Block's"As Dark as Christmas Gets'  I gave the book 4 out of 5 stars.
FTC Disclosure:I would like to thank the Perseus Book Group for allowing me the chance to review this book,no I dont get paid but I am Amazon Associate.

Thursday, December 23, 2010

Book Blog news:Post links to your Book blog,book reviews,giveaways,memes,etc..

Photobucket  Good morning fellow addicts!  Thank you for taking out time of you busy
holiday schedule to post here.  A few things:

Grab my button out of the sidebar

I forgot to mention if you won any awards, or would like to mention something going on in
your local area as well as long as it's book related that's fine

Have fun!

Book Review:My Reading Life by Pat Conroy

Pat Conroy was born October 26,1945 in Atlanta,Georgia to an air fighter pilot and
a southern beauty whose embarrassment over not finishing college would become the driving need
for her to encourage her kids to read and  for herself to"outread her generation".  His first book"The Boo"
while attending Citadel Military Academy in Charleston, South Carolina.  Mr. Conroy decided to write
from a more personal experience with the publication of "The Great Santini"  which was based upon the
abuse that he suffered at the hands of his father while growing up.  Pat Conroy paid the ultimate sacrifice
as a writer, while receiving alot of accolades in the literary world, it would cost him his first marriage and
possibly that of his parents. There are relatives that ,to this day, won't speak to him because of this book,but
he did what any writer would do , they press forward.  The Lord's of Discipline was published in 1980,Prince of
Tides was published in 1986 with 5 million copies in print(Nick Nolte would go on to win an Oscar for his
leading role in the movie),Beach Music was published in 1995,along with My Losing Season.  Fast forward
to today with My Reading Life ,an collection of essays that pay tribute to the teachers, writers, publishers etc..
that have heavily influenced his career.  While I thought it was an honorable thing to do ,unless you are
a huge Pat Conroy fan and would like to learn more about his writing process I am not sure if I would highly
recommend getting it .I gave it 3 and 1/2 stars out of 5.  Ftc Disclosure:  I would like to thank Doubleday for
allowing me the opportunity to review this book.  I don't receive money from them ,I am an Amazon Associate.

Saturday, December 18, 2010

Book Review:Power Thoughts by Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer fans can rejoice.  This book is the perfect follow up to "Battlefield of the Mind" but  if you haven't read it you can still benefit  from reading this because:
Part I of the book lays down the foundation for why it would benefit you to change your negative thinking
she gives concrete facts in conjunction with scripture.   Chapter 2 Teach your mind to work for you, she introduces the concept of  having more control over your thoughts . For example:"According to the world renowned Mayo Clinic, thinking positively may result in the following health benefits:


  • Decreased negative stress
  • Greater resistance to catching the common cold
  • A sense of well being and improved health
  • reduced risk of coronary artery disease
  • Easier breathing if you have certain lung diseases such as emphysema
    • Improved coping  ability for women with high risk pregnancies
    • Better coping skills during hardships.
Chapter 3  More Power to You
page 46"....The greatest weapon you and I have is the truth of God's Word.IICor10:5 says we must lead
every thought captive into the obedience of Christ."

Chapter 4 On Purpose Thinking
page 62
"Let me be quick to say that you should not fell condemned if you are struggling with your thought lif right now or if you face struggles in the days to come.Condemnation only weakens you, and it never helps to make progress.

The remainder of the book is  illustrating each of  the 12 thoughts (based on the Word of God ) that will
have a positive impact  on your life.  Also I noticed there are more fill in the blank type questions in each
section so I think this is a good  idea .  You have an option of either taking 1 thought per week or 1 thought
per month.   The only reason I haven't completed the book is because I want to slow down and focus on
1 thought per month but that 's my preference.  I would highly recommend this book I am giving it 5 out of 5 stars.  I would also like to take this time to thank Faith Words which is a branch of the The Hatchett Book Group and no I don't receive any  money to write these reviews

Friday, December 17, 2010

Friday Link ups :Book Blog News,Postal Thursdays and Chrissie's Radiant Reviews-

OnePageAtATime

Book Blogger Hop

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If you would like to post links back to your book blog,book review,giveaways etc.... see the post below this one.
I believe the question over at Crazy-For-books is Which is more important plot or character?(I will go back and check and edit accordingly)   For me I feel character development ,especially for a work of fiction is crucial .It is the one determing  factor of whether I will actually finish the book.  I use to feel obligated to "tough it out" and read  on anyway.  But since I started blogging last year and have been blessed to read so
many good books in various genres, I really don't have the patience for character that is poorly developed .
A good example was "Alibi" by Terri Woods. For some reason the author felt the need  to go back and look
at the main character's mother's life but not  the main character!  She literally skipped birth,childhood,the
teenage years and went right into her adult life as a stripper!  Since I had no reason to feel any empathy for
this character.(and the plot wasn't great either) I didn't feel compelled to traumitize myself any further by
finishing the book.    If it's a mystery ,then I place a bit more weight on the plot.  Not to say characters aren't important it's just that the plot has to be at a different pace.  "In Free Fall" by Julie Zeh was one of the few
books that was a mystery that read like a novel(Use of imagery, better dialouge etc...)So what do you guys think?  Is it possible for a mystery to have both?  If plot is more important  does it matter what genre
Christmas at The Mysterious BookshopThis was the my book choice for "Postal Thursdays" over at One Page at a Time.  I  haven't gotten past the second story only because I wanted to catch up my other book reviews that I feel obligated to do first.    When my other books get in from Amazon I will definitely let you guys know.

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Book Blog news:Post links to your Book blog,book reviews,giveaways,memes,etc..

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Good afternoon fellow addicts if you are looking for the place to link up your book blog, book reviews,giveaways,challenges, memes, then this the place.  Just a few things

1.Grab my button on the sidebar

2.  a worded link such as www.bookaddict4real.com is fine

3.  If you would like to list the genres you review this is ok also .  As long as it's book related and
family friendly then it's ok

Friday, December 10, 2010

Book Blog news:Post links to your Book blog,book reviews,giveaways,memes,etc..

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Good Morning fellow addicts ! It's that time of the week again to share what's going on at your neck
of the  bloggy woods.  If you have a giveaway, a meme that you participate in , a fun challenge you found,
as long as it's book related you may post    Just a few things:

1. Grab my button from the sidebar.

2. a worded link in the post is acceptable(I.e www.bookaddict4real.com)

3.  I didn't think I had to say this but if it isn't book related I will be forced to delete it .  Thanks for stopping by and leave a comment so I can stop by your blog.

Friday, December 3, 2010

Friday Link Ups:Book Blog News,Crazy-for-Books,The Literary hop, and Chrissie's Radiant Reviews

Book Blogger Hop

Literary Blog Hop



Good morning fellow book lovers!Don't forget to post links to your Book blog, giveaways,memes, etc....in the
post below this one.(Book Blog News)

The Question over at Crazy-for-Books.com is "What very popular and hyped book in the blogosphere
did you not enjoy and how did  you feel about posting your  review?
I couldn't think of any books at first then "Alibi" by Terri Woods I was sorely disappointed that the author
was relying on violence and sex to sell the book.   The main character is a stripper who helps give an alibi to
a thug who murdered someone, which was a great premise but we spent more  time on her antics as a stripper than the actual storyline.  I felt a little  hesitant at first to post my review because this author has sold
alot of these types of books and I was still in that"I -dont-want-to-offend anyone-stage"  Then I thought  about how I would hate it if someone actual bought that book and I was not completely honest so I went ahead with the review.(Don't even bother checking this book out from the library it's horrible).

The Question over at the Literary Hop was:"What is your favorite poem and why?" One of my favorites is
"Phenomenal Woman"  by Maya Angelou probably because it was the first time I saw a literary work that actually celebrated being a woman (Im sure at the time I needed to hear that) and being confident in that fact.  

My book review:"Running the Books"by Avi Steinberg.  A few weeks ago we were discussing Literary Non-fiction for me this book definitely fit the category. It's a memoir that reads like a novel, with characters who are well devoloped.(I know these are real people , but  I can't tell yu how many memoirs I have read that didn't give me much background info about the other people in their lives) and I found the imagery to be a cruical part of the storytelling.  Does every memoir have to have that ? No ,but that is one of the factors that determine if it's a literary nonfiction  versus everyone else.  I think when your an everyday person writing about your life you have to do something to make people read about your life because not everyone can rely on their celebrity status to sell the book.  Why else would I care about some Boston Globe writer who decided to take a job as a Prison Library  because they had benefits?  He wrote it in such a way that I felt like I had no choice but to care about what happened to him and inmates and isn't that what a good writer is supposed todo?  I gave this book 5 out of 5 stars.FTC Disclosure: I would like to take the time to thank Doubleday publishing  for allowing me an opportunity to review this book.

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Book Blog news:Post links to your Book blog,book reviews,giveaways,memes,etc..

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Good afternoon fellow addicts I apologize for being late I am  running errands and this. So welcome and I would
like to thank everybody that took time out of their busy week to link up here I do appreciate it.
I only ask for a few things:

1.Grab my button in the sidebar.

2.  A worded link in your post is ok (I know how crowded things get )

3.I have a lot of space for you guys to tell us what's going on at your blog so please feel free to put
genres you review, your latest book review, book challenge you may do next year anything book related as
long as it's family friendly I am open(just don't post more than once because I will be forced to delete it)
Have fun

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

And the winner is Sapphire Reads and Debbie(running the Books) and New Contest

Congradulations Debbie and Sapphire please email me your address to clsherrard.bookaddict@gmail.comMy Reading Life I am giving away 2 copies of this book the following rules apply:

1 .You must be a follower of the  blog to win a copy.

2. U.S residents only.

3.  Leave a good email address in  the comment section of this post so I can reach you faster.
Don't forget you only have 48 hours to respond( or I pick someone else from this comment section)
Thanks for playing!

New Location

If you have made it here then I want to direct you to my newer improved blog over on wordpress ( New blog .) I just want to thank you guys f...