Sad Perfect by Stephanie Elliot ~ My Thoughts

Sad Perfect

Sad Perfect by Stephanie Elliot 
Print and e-book, 320 pages
Published February 28th 2017 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux

The story of a teen girl's struggle with Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder and how love helps her on the road to recovery.

Sixteen-year-old Pea looks normal, but she has a secret: she has Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID). It is like having a monster inside of her, one that not only dictates what she can eat, but also causes anxiety, depression, and thoughts that she doesn’t want to have. When she falls crazy-mad in love with Ben, she hides her disorder from him, pretending that she’s fine. At first, everything really does feel like it’s getting better with him around, so she stops taking her anxiety and depression medication. And that's when the monster really takes over her life. Just as everything seems lost and hopeless, Pea finds in her family, and in Ben, the support and strength she needs to learn that her eating disorder doesn’t have to control her.

 

(I love to note the first lines of the books I'm reading. First lines can really grab a reader's attention and I love seeing where the author takes the reader after their first lines.)

First line—"You float. It's hot out, not kind of hot, not medium hot, but midsummer-Arizona hot."

Sad Perfect took me on a journey about a topic I knew nothing about. We get to go inside the mind of a teenage girl who has always been a 'picky-eater' but who, in reality, has a form of an eating disorder that not very many people know anything about. 

The author lived through this with her daughter and shares a little bit of what it must have been like to not have any answers for this serious problem. What a relief they must have felt to finally have some answers after all those years of struggle. 

Sad Perfect is an informative, insightful look at the hard life of a teen girl trying to fit into what society thinks should be 'normal'. The storyline takes place over a relative short period of time and I know that there had to have been years and years of issues and angst for Pea and her family. The only criticism I might make about this story would be that it seemed to be all tied up neat and tidy at the end and fairly quickly too, when I know that this would be a long process to resolve. On the other hand and to end on a positive note, this is information that needs to get out there for others who may be dealing with the same issues. 

Thank you, Stephanie, for sharing what you and your family have been through. I know that others will be helped by your story. 

About the author

Stephanie Elliot is the author of the young adult novel Sad Perfect (Margaret Ferguson Books/FSG, Winter, 2017), which was inspired by her own daughter’s journey with ARFID, Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder. She has written for a variety of websites and magazines and has been a passionate advocate of other authors by promoting their books on the Internet for years. She has been, or still is, all of the following: a book reviewer, an anonymous parenting columnist, a mommy blogger, an editor, a professional napper, a reformed Diet Coke drinker, a gecko breeder and the author of three self-published novels.

A Florida native, Stephanie has lived near Chicago and Philadelphia and currently calls Scottsdale, Arizona home. She graduated from Northern Illinois University, where she received her Bachelor of Arts in Journalism. Stephanie and her husband Scott have three children: AJ, McKaelen and Luke. They are all her favorites.

Connect with Stephanie

Website | Facebook | Goodreads | Twitter | Instagram

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Beach Breeze by Joanne DeMaio ~ My Thoughts

Beach Breeze

Beach Breeze by Joanne DeMaio 
Print and e-book, 272 pages
Published: March 7th 2017 by Joanne DeMaio

From the New York Times bestselling author of Beach Blues comes a novel of summers you never forget and friendships that never fade.

After a heartbreaking summer on the Connecticut shore, a group of beach friends is as adrift as an unmoored rowboat. When a dismayed Jason Barlow drives as far away from the sea as he can, leaving behind his wife, Maris, as well as their stately cottage on the bluff, that news hits like a sudden wave. Gathering over an intimate meal in a coastal diner, the friends make a solemn pact to lean on each other and not make any more rash decisions.

Which is all well and good, until each friend wavers--testing relationships, commitments, and especially love in the little beach community of Stony Point. But can the magic of the weathered boardwalk, whispering lagoon grasses, and sweet salt air cure what ails them?

Like a swaying seashell wind chime, Beach Breeze is a book that leaves echoes of summer's sweetness and sadness, long after the last page is turned.

 

(I love to note the first lines of the books I'm reading. First lines can really grab a reader's attention and I love seeing where the author takes the reader after their first lines.)

First line—"Only one year ago, Jason Barlow considered his life fortunate."

I have read each and every one of Joanne DeMaio's books. I love going back to the worlds she has created and catching up with the characters I have come to know and love. 

Beach Breeze starts right where one of her previous books, Beach Blues ends. I loved how I, the reader, just moved from one into the next and was able to continue with the lives of the people who live in Stony Point. 

Tragedy has befallen this close knit group of friends and they are all dealing with their grief in different ways. Some are vowing to stick together, no matter what, while others want to get as far away as they can. For others, their demons try to resurface. Can these friends be all they need to be for each other again? Or will this tear them apart? 

Beach Breeze seemed to take on a more serious tone than Joanne's other stories; things are a little more difficult for everyone and there is a lot for everyone to work through, just like in real life. But that drew me into the story even more, because I wanted everything and everyone to be okay, I just wasn't sure how it was going to happen. 

Joanne's next beach read, Beach Inn, will be published in May 2017 and I am excited to continue with this storyline and to see where it takes me.  

The Beach Inn ~ coming in May!

I received a copy of this book from the author and am voluntarily reviewing it.

About the author

Joanne DeMaio is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of contemporary fiction. She enjoys writing about friendship, family, love and choices, while setting her stories in New England towns or by the sea. Currently at work on her next novel, Joanne lives with her family in Connecticut.

For a complete list of books and to learn more about the author, visit Joannedemaio.com. She also enjoys hearing from readers on her Facebook Page.

Connect with Joanne

Website | Facebook | Goodreads | Twitter | Instagram

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It's Monday! What Are You Reading? March 27, 2017

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week. It's an opportunity to visit other blogs and to comment on their reads. And ... you can add to that ever growing TBR pile! So welcome everyone. This meme started with J Kaye's Blog and then was taken up by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at the Book Date. And here we are!

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Another busy weekend when we thought we had nothing planned. We had kids and grandkiddos in and out from about 5 pm on Friday until about 5 pm on Sunday. A few were sleepovers too. Whew! Back to work on Monday to recover. LOL 😀

I am so tired of the overcast days and just want to see the sun and have warmer temps. Soon, hopefully. What's the weather like where you're at?  

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you all have a great week. Happy reading!

What I'm currently reading/listening to

Sad Perfect
by Stephanie Elliot 


Heavy Weather (A Carolina Coast Novel)
by Normandie Fischer 


Indulgence in Death (In Death #31)
by J.D. Robb 
(audio-book)

What I recently finished


Beach Breeze
by Joanne DeMaio
My thoughts will be posted Tuesday.

Wish Me Home
by Kay Bratt
Read my thoughts here and enter the giveaway too!

What I am going to read next



The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
by Mary Ann Shaffer, Annie Barrows
This is a reread for me for my book club.

I really love my reading life!

What are you reading this week?

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Book Spotlight Giveaway! Cooking for Picasso by Camille Aubray

I have sooooo many books! The Book Spotlight Giveaway feature that I post every Saturday is a way for me to clear my shelves and to share some of the many books I have. This feature is a way for my to cull my collection and to give someone else the opportunity to enjoy these treasures.

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Thanks for stopping by to check out my latest giveaway! This week's giveaway is a book that I somehow ended up with two copies. I haven't read it yet but it is on my TBR list. It sounds intriguing. 

Good luck and be sure to stop back next week!



Cooking for Picasso

Cooking for Picasso by Camille Aubray
Hardcover, 400 pages
Published August 9th 2016 by Ballantine Books

For readers of Paula McLain, Nancy Horan, and Melanie Benjamin, this captivating novel is inspired by a little-known interlude in the artist’s life.

The French Riviera, spring 1936: It’s off-season in the lovely seaside village of Juan-les-Pins, where seventeen-year-old Ondine cooks with her mother in the kitchen of their family-owned Café Paradis. A mysterious new patron who’s slipped out of Paris and is traveling under a different name has made an unusual request—to have his lunch served to him at the nearby villa he’s secretly rented, where he wishes to remain incognito.

Pablo Picasso is at a momentous crossroads in his personal and professional life—and for him, art and women are always entwined. The spirited Ondine, chafing under her family’s authority and nursing a broken heart, is just beginning to discover her own talents and appetites. Her encounter with Picasso will continue to affect her life for many decades onward, as the great artist and the talented young chef each pursue their own passions and destiny.

New York, present day: Céline, a Hollywood makeup artist who’s come home for the holidays, learns from her mother, Julie, that Grandmother Ondine once cooked for Picasso. Prompted by her mother’s enigmatic stories and the hint of more family secrets yet to be uncovered, Céline carries out Julie’s wishes and embarks on a voyage to the very town where Ondine and Picasso first met. In the lush, heady atmosphere of the Côte d’Azur, and with the help of several eccentric fellow guests attending a rigorous cooking class at her hotel, Céline discovers truths about art, culture, cuisine, and love that enable her to embrace her own future.

Featuring an array of both fictional characters and the French Riviera’s most famous historical residents, set against the breathtaking scenery of the South of France, Cooking for Picasso is a touching, delectable, and wise story, illuminating the powers of trust, money, art, and creativity in the choices that men and women make, as they seek a path toward love, success, and joie de vivre.

About the author

Camille Aubray is an Edward Albee Foundation Fellowship winner. A writer-in-residence at the Karolyi Foundation in the South of France, she was a finalist for the Pushcart Press Editors’ Book Award and the Eugene O’Neill National Playwrights Conference.

She studied writing with her mentor Margaret Atwood at the Humber College School of Creative Writing Workshop in Toronto. Aubray has been a staff writer for the daytime dramas "One Life to Live" and "Capitol", has taught writing at New York University, and has written and produced for ABC News, PBS, and A&E.

The author divides her time between Connecticut and the South of France. Visit her at her website: camilleaubray.com

Connect with Camille

Website | Amazon | Goodreads

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Wish Me Home by Kay Bratt ~ My Thoughts and a Giveaway!

Wish Me Home

Wish Me Home by Kay Bratt
Print and e-book, 300 pages
Published: March 21st 2017 by Lake Union Publishing

In her first work of contemporary women’s fiction, bestselling author Kay Bratt draws on her own life experiences to create a raw, yet inescapably warm, novel about friendship and a wary heart’s unexpected capacity to love.

A hungry, stray dog is the last thing Cara Butter needs. Stranded in Georgia with only her backpack and a few dwindling dollars, she already has too much baggage. Like her twin sister, Hana, who has broken Cara’s heart one too many times. After a lifetime of family troubles, and bouncing from one foster home to another, Cara decides to leave it all behind and strike out alone—on foot.

Cara sets off to Florida to see the home of her literary hero, Ernest Hemingway, accompanied only by Hemi, the stray dog who proves to be the perfect travel companion. But the harrowing trip takes unexpected turns as strangers become friends who make her question everything, and Cara finds that as the journey unfolds, so does her life—in ways she could never imagine.

 

(I love to note the first lines of the books I'm reading. First lines can really grab a reader's attention and I love seeing where the author takes the reader after their first lines.)

First line—"Don't turn around and look again, she told herself. Think of something else. Do not show any acknowledgement and it will go away. Don't let the sight of it limping make you crumble."

Wish Me Home is such a beautiful story, showing the power of love and kindness. Cara and Hemi, short for Hemingway, hit it off in a big way when they happen to stumble upon each other out on the road. They are both in desperate need of a good friend and the connection that they have from the very beginning is so heartwarming.

One of the first things I wondered throughout the story was why is Cara homeless and alone? Where is her twin sister and what happened to make her leave home so fast, leaving her sister and everything else behind? As Cara travels along the road, trying to escape her life, she decides to head for Ernest Hemingway's home in Key West. She has the companionship of the stray dog and lots of good people along the way who help her out more than she thinks she deserves. 

Not to say that she didn't run into some bad people too, people who caused her to lose almost everything she owns. For the most part though, she receives kindness and wisdom from so many good people. People came into her life just when she needed them and offered her comfort and solace. Along the journey, Cara and Hemi learn so much about themselves and those around them as they both start to heal and move forward with their lives. 

This is a story that really touched my heart and if you have ever loved a dog, you will understand the connection and love that Cara and Hemi have for each other. It really was amazing to witness that connection, that strong bond. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and loved experiencing the adventures, and the ups and downs, right along with Cara. I loved the wonderful characters she came across and missed them as much as she did when they parted. I look forward to reading more of Kay Bratt's work in the future. 

I received copy of this book from Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley and am voluntarily reviewing it.

About the author

Kay Bratt is the author of eleven full-length novels and two children’s books. Her writing became her solace and support while she navigated a tumultuous childhood, followed by a decade of abuse as an adult. After working her way through the hard years, Kay came out a survivor and a pursuer of peace—and finally found the courage to share her stories. A wise man once told her to “write what you know,” which resulted in Kay’s pet project and her bestselling series, The Tales of the Scavenger’s Daughters. 

Connect with Kay

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Newsletter

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Release Day! Playing House by Laura Chapman

Happy Release Day!

Playing House

Playing House by Laura Chapman
Print and e-book, 354 pages
Published: March 21st 2017 by CreateSpace

She's a work in progress . . .

Bailey Meredith has had it. As an assistant at a prestigious interior design firm, she’s tired of making coffee and filing invoices. She’ll do just about anything to get out from under the paperwork and into the field for real experience. Then she sees an ad for a job that seems too good to be true.

He's a fixer upper . . .

Wilder Aldrich knew she would be perfect for the crew the moment he saw her. His hit home improvement show only hired the best, and Bailey had potential written all over her. It isn’t just her imaginative creativity and unmatched work ethic that grabs his attention. There’s just something about her.

With chemistry on screen, it’s only a matter of time before sparks fly behind the scenes as well. But with Bailey’s jaded views on romance and a big secret that could destroy Wilder and everyone he cares about are either of them willing to risk it all for love?

Purchase Playing House

https://books2read.com/playinghouse

 

Congratulations, Laura Chapman, on the release today of your wonderful novel, Playing House. 

I loved Playing House (read my thoughts here) and I have loved watching the growth of this author over the years. This is one you will not want to miss. 

About the author

Laura Chapman is the author of First & Goal, Going for Two, Three & Out, The Marrying Type, and Playing House. A native Nebraskan, she loves football, Netflix marathons, and her cats, Jane and Bingley. She loves talking to readers.

Connect with Laura

Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Website | Blog |Newsletter

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Release Day! Wish Me Home by Kay Bratt

Happy Release Day!

Wish Me Home

Wish Me Home by Kay Bratt
Print and e-book, 300 pages
Published: March 21st 2017 by Lake Union Publishing

In her first work of contemporary women’s fiction, bestselling author Kay Bratt draws on her own life experiences to create a raw, yet inescapably warm, novel about friendship and a wary heart’s unexpected capacity to love.

A hungry, stray dog is the last thing Cara Butter needs. Stranded in Georgia with only her backpack and a few dwindling dollars, she already has too much baggage. Like her twin sister, Hana, who has broken Cara’s heart one too many times. After a lifetime of family troubles, and bouncing from one foster home to another, Cara decides to leave it all behind and strike out alone—on foot.

Cara sets off to Florida to see the home of her literary hero, Ernest Hemingway, accompanied only by Hemi, the stray dog who proves to be the perfect travel companion. But the harrowing trip takes unexpected turns as strangers become friends who make her question everything, and Cara finds that as the journey unfolds, so does her life—in ways she could never imagine.

 

Congratulation, Kay Bratt, on the release today of your wonderful book, Wish Me Home.

About the author

Kay Bratt is the author of eleven full-length novels and two children’s books. Her writing became her solace and support while she navigated a tumultuous childhood, followed by a decade of abuse as an adult. After working her way through the hard years, Kay came out a survivor and a pursuer of peace—and finally found the courage to share her stories. A wise man once told her to “write what you know,” which resulted in Kay’s pet project and her bestselling series, The Tales of the Scavenger’s Daughters. 

Connect with Kay

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Newsletter

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Release Day! The Hope Chest by Viola Shipman

Happy Release Day!

The Hope Chest

The Hope Chest: A Novel by Viola Shipman
Print and e-book, 320 pages
Published: March 21st 2017 by Thomas Dunne Books

Viola Shipman's The Hope Chest is a deeply emotional novel about three people who have seemingly lost all hope until one woman’s heirloom hope chest is rediscovered in the attic, along with its contents and secrets.

Mattie is a fiercely independent woman battling ALS; Don, her deeply devoted husband is facing a future without his one true love; and Rose, their struggling caregiver, is a young, single mother who feels trapped in her life. With each item that is discovered—including a beloved doll, family dishes, an embroidered apron, and an antique Christmas ornament—the hope chest connects Mattie, Don and Rose to each other and not only helps them find hope again in the face of overwhelming life challenges but also brings new meaning to family.

 

Congratulation, Viola Shipman, on the release today of your wonderful book, The Hope Chest.

I loved The Hope Chest (read my thoughts here) and the previous book by this author, The Charm Bracelet (read my thoughts here). Both of these are such beautiful stories and ones that touched my heart. 

About the author

Viola Shipman is a pen name for Wade Rouse, a popular, award-winning memoirist. Rouse chose his grandmother’s name to honor the woman whose charm bracelet and family stories inspired him to write his debut novel, which is a tribute to all of our elders. Rouse lives in Michigan and writes regularly for People and Coastal Living, among other places, and is a contributor to All Things Considered.  To date, The Charm Bracelet has been translated into nine languages. He is at work on his second “heirloom novel,” which will be published in 2017.

For more about the author, 

please visit Wade Rouse’s official website

Connect with Viola

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

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The Widow of Wall Street by Randy Susan Meyers ~ My Thoughts

The Widow of Wall Street

The Widow of Wall Street by Randy Susan Meyers
Print and e-book, 352 pages
Expected publication: April 11th 2017 by Atria Books

What’s real in a marriage built on sand and how do you abandon a man you’ve loved since the age of fifteen?

Phoebe sees the fire in Jake Pierce’s belly from the moment they meet as teenagers in Brooklyn. Eventually he creates a financial dynasty and she trusts him without hesitation—unaware his hunger for success hides a dark talent for deception.

When Phoebe learns—along with the rest of the world—that her husband’s triumphs are the result of an elaborate Ponzi scheme her world unravels. Lies underpin her life and marriage. As Jake’s crime is uncovered, the world obsesses about Phoebe. Did she know her life was fabricated by fraud? Did she partner with her husband in hustling billions from pensioners, charities, and CEOs? Was she his accomplice in stealing from their family and neighbors?

Debate rages as to whether love and loyalty blinded her to his crimes or if she chose to live in denial. While Jake is trapped in the web of his own deceit, Phoebe is faced with an unbearable choice. Her children refuse to see her if she remains at their father’s side, but abandoning Jake, a man she’s known since childhood, feels cruel and impossible.

From Brooklyn to Greenwich to Manhattan, from penthouse to prison, with tragic consequences rippling well beyond Wall Street, The Widow of Wall Street exposes a woman struggling to redefine her life and marriage as everything she thought she knew crumbles around her.

 

My thoughts about The Widow of Wall Street ~~

(I love to note the first lines of the books I'm reading. First lines can really grab a reader's attention and I love seeing where the author takes the reader after their first lines.)

First line—"Phoebe never hated her husband more than when she visited him in prison."

I have been a fan of Randy Susan Meyers ever since I read her debut novel, The Murderer's Daughters. She takes on social issues and makes them come to life with the stories she writes and the characters she creates.

The Widow of Wall Street is a deep love story, a love between two fifteen years olds who know they are meant to be together. Jake's ambition to not end up like his parents and to offer his wife and children so much more than he had, leads him astray as he finds himself working outside the law.

Phoebe stands by her man and trusts that he is an honest, law-abiding, and gentle man. As she learns more and more about this man she has known almost her whole life, she learns more about herself and discovers the strong woman that she has always been.

The Widow of Wall Street is another great story from a wonderful author. I really have loved all of her previous books and this is another one I can add to that list. Thanks for another great read, Randy!

I received copy of this book from NetGally and am voluntarily reviewing it.

About the author

I was born in Brooklyn, New York, where I quickly moved from playing with dolls to incessantly reading, spending most of my time at the Kensington Branch Library. Early on I developed a penchant for books rooted in social issues, my early favorites being Karen and The Family Nobody Wanted. Shortly after, I moved onto Jubilee and The Diary of Anne Frank.

My dreams of justice simmered at the fantastically broadminded Camp Mikan, where I went from camper to counselor, culminating in a high point when (with the help of my strongly Brooklyn-accented singing voice), I landed the role of Adelaide in the staff production of Guys and Dolls.

Soon after my brief stage career, I was ready to change the world, starting with my protests at Tilden High and City College of New York until I left to pursue the dream in Berkeley, California, where I supported myself by selling candy, nuts, and ice cream in Bartons of San Francisco. Then, world weary at too tender an age, I returned to New York, married, and traded demonstrations for diapers.

While raising two daughters, I tended bar, co-authored a nonfiction book on parenting, ran a summer camp, and (in my all-time favorite job, other than writing) helped resurrect and run a community center.

Once my girls left for college, I threw myself deeper into social service and education by working with batterers and victims of domestic violence. I’m certain my novels are imbued with all the above, as well as my journey from obsessing over bad boys to loving a good man.

Many things can save your life—children who warm your heart, the love of a good man, a circle of wonderful friends, and a great sister. After a tumultuous start in life, I’m lucky enough to now have all these things. I live in Boston with my husband, where I live by these words:

“Be regular and orderly in your life, so that you may be violent and original in your work.”
—GUSTAVE FLAUBERT

Connect with Randy

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Amazon

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It's Monday! What Are You Reading? March 20, 2017

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week. It's an opportunity to visit other blogs and to comment on their reads. And ... you can add to that ever growing TBR pile! So welcome everyone. This meme started with J Kaye's Blog and then was taken up by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at the Book Date. And here we are!

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What a busy week this past one has been! All in all, we ended up spending time with 7 of our 8 grandkiddos. 😍 So much fun but I think we are taking next weekend off. 😉 We'll see how that goes. The weather is turning great here, sunshine and warmer temps are on their way.  

I have to share this wonderful picture. I just love it! This is my 8 year old grandson reading a book to his 3 month old sister. I love that she is loving the book and she absolutely adores her big brother. I am so pleased that the family is raising another generation of readers. 

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you all have a great week. Happy reading!

What I'm currently reading/listening to

Wish Me Home
by Kay Bratt
My thoughts will be posted Wednesday.


Heavy Weather (A Carolina Coast Novel)
by Normandie Fischer 


Indulgence in Death (In Death #31)
by J.D. Robb 
(audio-book)

What I recently finished

The Garden of Small Beginnings
by Abbi Waxman
My thoughts will be posted soon.

What I am going to read next


Beach Breeze
by Joanne DeMaio
Yay!

I really love my reading life!

What are you reading this week?

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Book Spotlight Giveaway! Next by Michael Crichton

I have sooooo many books! The Book Spotlight Giveaway feature that I post every Saturday is a way for me to clear my shelves and to share some of the many books I have. This feature is a way for my to cull my collection and to give someone else the opportunity to enjoy these treasures.

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Good luck and be sure to stop back next week!



Next

Next by Michael Crichton
Hardcover, 431 pages
Published November 28th 2006 by Harper

Welcome to our genetic world.

Fast, furious, and out of control.

This is not the world of the future --- it's the world right now.

Is a loved one missing some body parts? Are blondes becoming extinct? Is everyone at your dinner table of the same species? Humans and chimpanzees differ in only 400 genes; is that why an adult human being resembles a chimp fetus? And should that worry us? There's a new genetic cure for drug addiction --- is it worse than the disease?

We live in a time of momentous scientific leaps; a time when it's possible to sell our eggs and sperm online for thousands of dollars; test our spouses for genetic maladies and even frame someone for a genetic crime.

We live in a time when one fifth of all our genes are owned by someone else, and an unsuspecting person and his family can be pursued cross-country because they happen to have certain valuable genes within their chromosomes ...

Devilishly clever, Next blends fact and fiction into a breathless tale of a new world where nothing is what it seems, and a set of new possibilities can open at every turn. Next challenges our sense of reality and notions of morality. Balancing the comic and bizarre with the genuinely frightening and disturbing, Next shatters our assumptions, and reveals shocking new choices where we least expect.

The future is closer than you think. Get used to it.

About the author

Michael Crichton (1942–2008) was one of the most successful novelists of his generation, admired for his meticulous scientific research and fast-paced narrative. He graduated summa cum laude and earned his MD from Harvard Medical School in 1969.

His first novel, Odds On (1966), was written under the pseudonym John Lange and was followed by seven more Lange novels. He also wrote as Michael Douglas and Jeffery Hudson. His novel A Case of Need won the Edgar Award in 1969. Popular throughout the world, he has sold more than 200 million books. His novels have been translated into thirty-eight languages, and thirteen have been made into films.

Michael Crichton passed away from lymphoma in 2008. He was 66 years old.

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