Confessions of a Bookaholic, Plus a Book Giveaway

I confess....I did it. And I did it til my body was tired. I made my goal of reading two books this week. One is "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith and the other is "God Ain't Blind" by Mary Monroe. Reviews will be up by next week. Sometime this week, likely Monday, I will chose new books to read. I will be choosing a indie published novel, along with something classic or written atleast before I was born. No, I will not be disclosing that date :-) A girl has got to keep some of her bookaholic confessions to herself.

Another quick confession, I have tons of books I have never finished reading. *gasp* I will be exploring that topic next week, so in the meantime think of some reasons why you didn't finish reading a particular book.


My last confession for today, I have in the past, bought the same book twice before reading the first copy I purchased. Awww c'mon, I know you have done it. Walked into a bookstore, saw the book on the shelf and said, "this looks like a great book, I think I'll buy it." Then you take it home, it collects dust on the bookshelf. Then you visit the bookstore again and low and behold, "there's a book I think I'd enjoy. I think I'll buy it." You get home and darn it, you already have it. It looks so appealing because you didn't read the first one yet. So because, I don't have the memory of an elephant to keep remembering what I've bought, I'm going to give away some of the extra copies of books I have on my bookshelf.

The following books will be given away to the person that makes the most comments during the week on my blog. You can post on different topics or the same topics. The only catch is, it can't be mundane or spam type comments. And atleast one sentence. The giveaway will end Sunday, April 17, 2011 at midnight.

The top commenter will get to choose one book from the following list:



"The Five People You Meet in Heaven" by Mitch Albom


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"Any Way the Wind Blows" by E. Lynn Harris



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"Ya Ya's in Bloom" by Rebecca Wells



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"I Know This Much is True" by Wally Lamb



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"Saving Fish from Drowning" by Amy Tan



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"The Secret Life of Bees" by Sue Monk Kidd



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"Fortune's Rocks" by Anita Shreve



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"The Last Time They Met" by Anita Shreve




Happy Commenting!

Thirsty Thursdays

Thirsty for something new to read? Well, here are a few upcoming book releases along with their release date and product details provided by the publisher. I will likely add a couple of them to my book review list to complete a review for in the future. Stay connected every Thursday for new book releases.

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"The Pale King" by David Foster Wallace


Release Date: April 15, 2011
Book Description:

The agents at the IRS Regional Examination Center in Peoria, Illinois, appear ordinary enough to newly arrived trainee David Foster Wallace. But as he immerses himself in a routine so tedious and repetitive that new employees receive boredom-survival training, he learns of the extraordinary variety of personalities drawn to this strange calling. And he has arrived at a moment when forces within the IRS are plotting to eliminate even what little humanity and dignity the work still has.


The Pale King remained unfinished at the time of David Foster Wallace's death, but it is a deeply compelling and satisfying novel, hilarious and fearless and as original as anything Wallace ever under took. It grapples directly with ultimate questions--questions of life's meaning and of the value of work and society--through characters imagined with the interior force and generosity that were Wallace's unique gifts. Along the way it suggests a new idea of heroism and commands infinite respect for one of the most daring writers of our time.

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"I'll Walk Along" by Mary Higgins Clark


Release Date: April 5, 2011
Product Details:

In I'll Walk Alone, Alexandra “Zan” Moreland, a gifted, beautiful interior designer on the threshold of a successful Manhattan career, is terrified to discover that somebody is not only using her credit cards and manipulating her financial accounts to bankrupt her and destroy her reputation, but may also be impersonating her in a scheme that may involve the much more brutal crimes of kidnapping and murder. Zan is already haunted by the disappearance of her own son, Matthew, kidnapped in broad daylight two years ago in Central Park—a tragedy that has left her torn between hope and despair.
   
Now, on what would be Matthew’s fifth birthday, photos surface that seem to show Zan kidnapping her own child, followed by a chain of events that suggests somebody—but who? Zan asks herself desperately, and why?—has stolen her identity. Hounded by the press, under investigation by the police, attacked by both her angry ex-husband and a vindictive business rival, Zan, wracked by fear and pain and sustained only by her belief, which nobody else shares, that Matthew is still alive, sets out to discover who is behind this cruel hoax. What she does not realize is that with every step she takes toward the truth, she is putting herself — and those she loves most—in mortal danger from the person who has ingeniously plotted out her destruction.



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"The Sixth Man" by David Baldacci


Release Date: April 19, 2011
Product Details:

Edgar Roy-an alleged serial killer held in a secure, fortress-like Federal Supermax facility-is awaiting trial. He faces almost certain conviction. Sean King and Michelle Maxwell are called in by Roy's attorney, Sean's old friend and mentor Ted Bergin, to help work the case. But their investigation is derailed before it begins-en route to their first meeting with Bergin, Sean and Michelle find him murdered.

It is now up to them to ask the questions no one seems to want answered: Is Roy a killer? Who murdered Bergin? With help from some surprising allies, they continue to pursue the case. But the more they dig into Roy's past, the more they encounter obstacles, half-truths, dead-ends, false friends, and escalating threats from every direction. Their persistence puts them on a collision course with the highest levels of the government and the darkest corners of power. In a terrifying confrontation that will push Sean and Michelle to their limits, the duo may be permanently parted.

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"Please Look After Mom" by Kyung-Sook Shin

Release Date: April 5, 2011
Product Details:
A million-plus-copy best seller in Korea—a magnificent English-language debut poised to become an international sensation—this is the stunning, deeply moving story of a family’s search for their mother, who goes missing one afternoon amid the crowds of the Seoul Station subway.

Told through the piercing voices and urgent perspectives of a daughter, son, husband, and mother, Please Look After Mom is at once an authentic picture of contemporary life in Korea and a universal story of family love.




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"Tatted on My Neck" by Nique Roberson

Release Date: E-Book due in April 2011
Product Description:
PART ONE of a TRIPLE FEATURE filled with music, tattoos, tears, brawls, vengeance and love, nothing is as real as your ink. Ride back with the class of 1997 and see the crazy things we do in the name of love . . . and hate. CHANTAL's a Philly songbird longing for the love she never got at home. The neighborhood slut, she gets caught sleeping with a married teacher, and is sent to California to get some tough love from her brother. Former model SHALONDA was born to have the best. Her baby boo CHRIS-a multi-talented, tatted-up, NFL superstar-to-be-is her key to the good life. Their four-year relationship has been rocky, but he does everything she wants just to keep her smiling. Once in L.A., hooking up is the last thing on Chantal's mind, but the minute she steps on campus, girls violently threaten her, thinking she wants every chick's boyfriend. After one threat too many, Chantal gives them all something to be mad about! Rumors about Chantal and Chris fly overnight, but Shalonda's not about to lose her ticket to fortune. She uses every trick her mama taught her to keep her man, even if that means getting another man on the side. But Chantal isn't looking for love. She just finds the friendship and family she's always wanted in Chris. The more her own family shuts her out, the more he lets her in. And as lies and jealousy threaten to destroy his future with Shalonda, Chris turns to the very woman he should be running away from. They all fight it, but what Chris and Chantal share is as real as the tattoos on their backs, and it runs deeper than ink. But Shalonda vows, there's no way she's going to be the only one left in tears.
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Chalk Outline Confessions: The Remix by David L.

Release Date: March 10, 2011
Product Description:
Francine Styles receives a visit from two detectives one fateful night announcing her husband s death. She later finds out his killer is a man that he has been having an affair with. Now she is on a mission to end the lives of men also leading double lives. Witness each murder firsthand as even Francine s trusted psychiatrist is nothing more than a helpless pawn in her quest for revenge. Law enforcement is unable to pinpoint her whereabouts or deduce who is next in her line of victims, and she is referred to as The Revlon Killer a name given to her because of the way she seduces her victims before killing them in cold blood! (2nd edition includes alternate ending chapter, bookclub discussion questions, previous interview with the author and a psychological bio on the main character).



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"The Saturday Big Tent Wedding Party: The New No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency Novel" by Alexander McCall Smith

Release Date: March 22, 2011
Product Details:
The latest installment in the beloved, best-selling series is once again a beautiful blend of wit and wisdom, and a profoundly touching tale of the human heart.

At a remote cattle post south of Gaborone two cows have been killed, and Precious Ramotswe, Botswana’s No. 1 Lady Detective, is asked to investigate by a rather frightened and furtive gentleman. It is an intriguing problem with plenty of suspects—including, surprisingly, her own client.

To complicate matters, Mma Ramotswe is haunted by a vision of her dear old white van, and Grace Makutsi witnesses it as well. Is it the ghost of her old friend, or has it risen from the junkyard?  In the meantime, one of Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni’s apprentices may have gotten a girl pregnant and, under pressure to marry her, has run away. Naturally, it is up to Precious to help sort things out. Add to the mix Violet Sephotho’s newly launched run for the Botswana Parliament and a pair of perfect wedding shoes—will wedding bells finally ring for Phuti Radiphuti and Grace Makutsi?—and we have a charming and delightful tale in the inimitable style of Alexander McCall Smith.