Book Review: Rule by Jay Crownover

I am pleased to be part of TLC Book Tour's Rule Tour!  Rule is a New Adult Romance and a book that I just couldn't put down!

From the Publisher:

Opposites in every way . . . except the one that matters

Shaw Landon loved Rule Archer from the moment she laid eyes on him. Rule is everything a straight–A pre-med student like Shaw shouldn’t want–and the only person she’s never tried to please. She isn’t afraid of his scary piercings and tattoos or his wild attitude. Though she knows that Rule is wrong for her, her heart just won’t listen.

To a rebel like Rule Archer, Shaw Landon is a stuck-up, perfect princess-and his dead twin brother’s girl. She lives by other people’s rules; he makes his own. He doesn’t have time for a good girl like Shaw-even if she’s the only one who can see the person he truly is.
But a short skirt, too many birthday cocktails, and spilled secrets lead to a night neither can forget. Now, Shaw and Rule have to figure out how a girl like her and a guy like him are supposed to be together without destroying their love . . . or each other.

The first Marked Men novel in Jay Crownover’s combustible New Adult series.

My Review:

You know that I am a sucker for a good romance and the more developed the characters are, the faster and easier I lose myself in their world - and Rule is definately a book where I lost myself in the characters and their world.  What looked deceptively long, was actually a very quick read for me as I devoured the pages waiting to see what twists and turns would await Shaw and Rule.   I don't always love the "New Adult" genre, but I think this book stands with any good romance series that I've read.

One thing you may notice is that Amazon has a number of older reviews of this book that state that there are editing issues - that is for a previous, self-published version of Rule and the current version doesn't suffer from any editing problems - which made it a very comfortable read!

If you are looking for a great, edgy romantic read, then check out Rule! And stay tuned for my review of the next book in the Marked Men series, Jet - in just a few weeks!
About the Author:

Jay Crownover is the bestselling author of Rule and Jet. Like the characters in her Marked Men series, she is a big fan of tattoos. She loves music and wishes she could be a rock star, but since she has no aptitude for singing or instrument playing, she’ll settle for writing stories that have interesting characters and make the reader feel something. She lives in Colorado with her three dogs.

Follow Jay’s musings on her blog and connect with her on Facebook.

R & G - Book: Between Interruptions

I am so pleased to be a part of the TLC Book Tour for Between Interruptions: 30 Women Tell the Truth About Motherhood edited by Cori Howard.  I was also lucky enough to be chosen to host a giveaway of this book!

Book R & G - So Far Away by Christine W. Hartmann

'I am pleased to have been invited to review So Far Away: A Daughter's Memoir of Life, Loss, and Love by Christine W. Hartmann as part of her virtual book tour with TLC Books

From the Publisher:
Christine Hartmann’s mother valued control above all else, yet one event appeared beyond her command: the timing of her own death. Not to be denied there either, two decades in advance Irmgard Hartmann chose the date on which to end her life. And her next step was to tell her daughter all about it. For twenty years, Irmgard maintained an unwavering goal, to commit suicide at age seventy. She managed her chronic hypertension, stayed healthy and active, and lived life to the fullest. Meanwhile, Christine fought desperately against the decision. When Irmgard wouldn’t listen, the only way to remain part of her life was for Christine to swallow her mother’s plans–hook, line, and sinker.


Christine’s father, as it turned out, prepared too slowly for old age. Before he had made any decision, fate disabled him through a series of strokes. Confined to a nursing home, severely impaired by dementia and frustrated by his circumstances, his life epitomized the predicament her mother wanted to avoid.


So Far Away gives us an intimate view of a person interacting with and reacting to her parents at the end of their lives. In a richly detailed, poignant story of family members’ separate yet interwoven journeys, it underscores the complexities and opportunities that life presents each one of us.

#Giveaway and Book Review - You Are Not So Smart by David McRaney

This is a stop on David McRaney's TLC Book Tour - Visit his tour page to check out all of the other great reviews and giveaways! 


I love finding quirky reading material that makes you stop and think, and that's exactly what You Are Not So Smart: Why You Have Too Many Friends on Facebook, Why Your Memory Is Mostly Fiction, and 46 Other Ways You're Deluding Yourself is all about!  

#Giveaway and Review - Wings: A Novel of World War II Flygirls by Karl Friedrich

I am so pleased to have been chosen by TLC Book Tours to be part of the tour for Wings: A Novel of World War II Flygirls.  I was intrigued by this book for two reasons, first because as a lover of all things history, I know that women's history is often overlooked, and because one of my husband's great aunts was part of the Canadian Womens Corp in World War II and I always love finding books that might expand on my knowledge of family stories or that I can find a connection to.

#Giveaway and Book Review: The Rules of the Tunnel: A Brief Period of Madness

I am pleased to be part of the TLC Book Tour if The Rules of the Tunnel: A Brief Period of Madness, with both a review and a giveaway!  One of the things that I love most about doing book reviews is that I can stretch my usual comfort zone and read books I might have otherwise passed by in the book store and this is one of those books that I'm glad to have gotten the opportunity to read.

From the Publisher:

A journalist faces his toughest assignment yet: profiling himself. Zeman recounts his struggle with clinical depression in this high- octane, brutally funny memoir about mood disorders, memory, shock treatment therapy and the quest to get back to normal.

Thirty-five million Americans suffer from clinical depression. But Ned Zeman never thought he’d be one of them. He came from a happy Midwestern family. He had great friends and a busy social life. His career was thriving at Vanity Fairwhere he profiled adventurers and eccentrics who pushed the limits and died young.  Then, at age thirty-two, anxiety and depression gripped Zeman with increasing violence and consequences. 


He experimented with therapist after therapist, medication after medication, hospital after hospital- including McLean Hospital, the facility famed for its treatment of writers, from Sylvia Plath to Susanna Kaysen to David Foster Wallace. Zeman eventually went further, by trying electroconvulsive therapy, aka shock treatment, aka “the treatment of last resort.” By the time it was over, Zeman had lost nearly two years’ worth of memory. He was a reporter with amnesia. He had no choice but to start from scratch, to reassemble the pieces of a life he didn’t remember and, increasingly, didn’t want to. His girlfriend was gone; friends weren’t speaking to him. His life lay in ruins. And the biggest question remained, “What the hell did I do?” ??


By turns hilarious and heartbreaking, profane and hopeful, The Rules of the Tunnel is a blistering account of Zeman’s twisted ride to hell and back-a return made possible by friends real and less so, among them the dead “eccentrics” he once profiled. It’s a guttural shout of a book, one that defies conventional notions about those with mood disorders, unlocks mysteries within mysteries, and proves that sometimes everything you’re looking for is right in front of you.

My review:

What struck me about reading this book is that while it was an autobiography, it spoke volumes about how an insidious disease can infiltrate any life - and take it to the brink of destruction.  Learning about Ned Zeman and his life was a fascinating, poignant, funny and heart-wrenching.  I thought it was an excellent chronicle of just how difficult and long the road is when dealing with mental illnesses like depression, but that good can come out of any situation.  

If you like books that offer a real look at how a person handles themselves when faced with some of the toughest and poignant times in their lives and then retells it with self-deprecation, humor and honesty, then this book is for you.

About Ned Zeman 

Ned Zeman is a contributing editor at Vanity Fair, where he has covered a wide range of subjects: crime, politics, Hollywood, and outdoor adventure. He has also written for Newsweek, Spy, GQ, Outside,and Sports Illustrated. Two of his articles have been finalists for the National Magazine Award, and he cowrote the screenplay for Sugarland, the forthcoming film starring Jodie Foster. He lives in Los Angeles.

And there is a GIVEAWAY!

Book Review - Northwest Corner

I am pleased to be part of John Burnham Schwartz' tour of Northwest Corner: A Novel as part of his TLC Book Tour

Book Review: South of Superior

I am pleased to be part of the TLC Book Tour for South of Superior.

#Giveaway and Book Review - Next to Love

I am pleased to be part of the TLC Book Tour for Next to Love by Ellen Feldman which is going to be released in hardcover at the end of the month.  I am even more excited that I can offer a copy for giveaway!


About the book:

A story of love, war, loss, and the scars they leave, Next to Love follows the lives of three young women and their men during the years of World War II and its aftermath, beginning with the men going off to war and ending a generation later, when their children are on the cusp of their own adulthood.
Set in a small town in Massachusetts, the novel follows three childhood friends, Babe, Millie, and Grace, whose lives are unmoored when their men are called to duty. And yet the changes that are thrust upon them move them in directions they never dreamed possible—while their husbands and boyfriends are enduring their own transformations. In the decades that follow, the three friends lose their innocence, struggle to raise their children, and find meaning and love in unexpected places. And as they change, so does America—from a country in which people know their place in the social hierarchy to a world in which feminism, the Civil Rights movement, and technological innovations present new possibilities—and uncertainties. And yet Babe, Millie, and Grace remain bonded by their past, even as their children grow up and away and a new society rises from the ashes of the war.
Beautifully crafted and unforgettable, Next to Love depicts the enduring power of love and friendship, and illuminates a transformational moment in American history.


About Ellen Feldman:

Ellen Feldman, a 2009 Guggenheim Fellow, is the author of Scottsboro, which was shortlisted for the UK’s prestigious Orange Prize, as well as The Boy Who Loved Anne Frank, which was translated into nine languages, and Lucy. In addition to writing novels, she contributes to several blogs and has lectured extensively in this country, England, and Germany. Her new novel, Next to Love, will be published July 2011.
For more information on Ellen and her work, please visit her website, www.ellenfeldman.com

My Review:


History often focuses on the stories told during epic times, but what I love about Next to Love is that it tells the story of what the home impact was during and after World War II. I love how real and relate-able these three women are.  One of the things that I like most is how each character develops out of the great cultural, social and economic changes wrought by the war and how their situation - as widows, brides, single and married throughout the story. I also like that the supporting male characters also have depth and help to shape the story in a real way.  


This book deals with the role of women, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, substance abuse,loss, religion and more all in a way that endears you to the characters and makes you want to continue reading even after the story is over.  That said, I would love for this book to have been a trilogy - with more depth in each era and some more commentary on what else was going on in society, but as is, it is a great social commentary on a time series that is often overlooked.




Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book for the purpose of completing my review.  All opinions are my own.

Book Review: Nerd Do Well

I am pleased to be a stop on Simon Pegg's TLC Book Tour for his autobiography, Nerd Do Well.


From the Publisher: 
The unique life story of one of the most talented and inventive comedians, star of Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, and Star Trek.
Zombies in North London, death cults in the West Country, the engineering deck of the Enterprise: actor, comedian, writer and self-proclaimed supergeek Simon Pegg has been ploughing some bizarre furrows in recent times. Having landed on the U.S. movie scene in the surprise cult hit Shaun of the Dead, his enduring appeal and rise to movie star with a dedicated following has been mercurial, meteoric, megatronic, but mostly just plain great.
From his childhood (and subsequently adult) obsession with science fiction, his enduring friendship with Nick Frost, and his forays into stand-up comedy which began with his regular Monday morning slot in front of his twelve-year-old classmates, Simon has always had a severe and dangerous case of the funnies.
Whether recounting his experience working as a lifeguard at the city pool, going to Comic-Con for the first time and confessing to Carrie Fisher that he used to kiss her picture every night before he went to sleep, or meeting and working with heroes that include Peter Jackson, Kevin Smith, and Quentin Tarantino, Pegg offers a hilarious look at the journey to becoming an international superstar, dotted with a cast of memorable characters, and you’re rooting for him all the way.


My Review:
This was a fresh and fun take on an autobiography. Simon Pegg doesn't hold back and shares the good, the bad and the funny with his readers.  Not only does he break out his childhood reminisces, he also interspersed another book entirely between the chapters - a look at dashing superhero and his robotic butler - conveniently also named Simon Pegg.


This book reads like a true geek guide - if you were a comics, horror or sci-fi nerd in the 80's you will find yourself nodding throughout the book and seeing a better, funnier you staring back from several of the anecdotes.


As someone who usually reads historical biographies of dead queens, this book was definitely refreshing, fun and memorable and if you're looking for a fun read that will have you laughing and wanting to re-watch all of Simon Pegg's movies with new eyes, than this is the book for you!
About Simon Pegg: 
Simon Pegg is an actor, comedian, screenwriter, producer, and author. Best known for his roles in Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, and Spaced, he also played young Scotty in Star Trek. Simon lives in London with his wife and daughter. This is his first book.


Follow Simon on Twitter.

Guest Post - Why Alzheimers? by Lynda Simmons

I am so thrilled that Lynda Simmons, author of Island Girl, which I reviewed yesterday (and am hosting a giveaway for) is guest blogging here on Acting Balanced.

Why Alzheimers?

I’ve seen it happen time and again at booksignings. People who have never heard of me or of Island Girl, will stop to chat with the visiting author. They’re smiling, curious, perhaps reaching for a copy of the book until I tell them it’s about a woman diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s. That’s when I watch that hand retract, see those finger curl back as the smile fades. “Alzheimer’s?” they’ll say. “That’s such a frightening subject.”

Book Review and #Giveaway - Island Girl

Sometimes fate draws you towards a book for more reasons than you understand.  That is what happened with my and the book Island Girl by Lynda Simmons.  When I first thought of the name, Island Girl, I immediately thought about tropical islands and faraway beaches, so I was incredibly surprised to find out that Island Girl was actually about a place near and dear to my heart - a secluded and mysterious part of my youth - Wards Island, part of a group of barrier islands in Toronto's harbour in Lake Ontario and a place where I spent time in my youth.

Book Review - Lost in Shangri-la

I have been on a reading bent lately that seems to have me reading a lot of books set in World War Two.  Each one has provided a very different perspective and this one is no different.  Lost in Shangri-La: A True Story of Survival, Adventure, and the Most Incredible Rescue Mission of World War II is a powerful book based on real life and the individual accounts, records and fragments sewn together by Mitchell Zuckoff.  I am pleased to be part of the TLC Book Tour for this author

Book Review - The Uncoupling

I am pleased to be a stop on the TLC Books Tour of The Uncoupling, which was released on April 5th and is available at Amazon.com and other fine retailers in hardcover.

Book Review - Far to Go by Alison Pick

I knew as soon as I read the blurb about this book that I had to try and be part of the TLC Book Tour for Far to Go: A Novel because there is an intrinsic link to my own history within its pages. My Opa wasn't Jewish, but he was a socialist in a fascist world and actually escaped from Germany through the Sudetenland (Czecheslovakia) to Canada in the early 1930's.  He returned to Europe as a translator for the Canadian Armed Forces and met my Oma, bringing her to Canada as a war bride in the late forties.  Any novel that has ties to that area is on my must read list... no matter how heart wrenching I know it is going to be... 

I am very glad to be kicking off Alison Pick's tour on the day her book is released.  You can check out the rest of her scheduled stops here.

Book Review: Every Last One

Every Last One: A Novel by Anna Quindlen is a book that will make you think, make you laugh and make you cry - at least if you're like me.

Book Review: the Provence Cure for the Broken Hearted

I am pleased to be part of Bridget Asher's The Provence Cure for the Brokenhearted blog tour with TLC Book Tours.

From the Publisher:

Brokenhearted and still mourning the loss of her husband, Heidi travels with Abbott, her obsessive-compulsive seven-year-old son, and Charlotte, her jaded sixteen-year-old niece, to the small village of Puyloubier in the south of France, where a crumbling stone house may be responsible for mending hearts since before World War II.

There, Charlotte confesses a shocking secret, and Heidi learns the truth about her mother’s “lost summer” when Heidi was a child. As three generations collide with one another, with the neighbor who seems to know all of their family skeletons, and with an enigmatic Frenchman, Heidi, Charlotte, and Abbot journey through love, loss, and healing amid the vineyards, warm winds and delicious food of Provence. Can the magic of the house heal Heidi’s heart, too?

My review:

If you've ever lost someone and tried to pick up the pieces, you'll immediately feel a connection to Heidi.  It's been two years and things are still not anywhere close to right in her world.  She's lost her passion, her car keys and her way, so returning to her roots seems like the right ting to do.  

I have to say that while I felt the connection to Heidi right away, I had to fight a little in the first third of the book to keep going - there was a ton of back story and information provided and it made the beginning of the book tough.  Once you have an understanding of where everyone is going, it turns itself upside down and I fell deeper in love with the book and the characters.

The setting is breathtaking and the author paints such a strong picture with her words that you can see yourself standing in Provence with the characters.  This is another book that should go on your Summer Reading list!

About Bridget Asher

Critically acclaimed, bestselling author Julianna Baggott also writes under the pen names Bridget Asher and N.E. Bode. She has published sixteen books over the last ten years.

Her latest novel, The Pretend Wife, written under the pen name Bridget Asher, was published in June 2009. Her first Bridget Asher novel, My Husband’s Sweethearts has sixteen overseas editions. In spring 2011, Random House will publish The Provence Cure for the Broken-Hearted, with another Asher novel under contract.

She lives in Florida with her husband writer David G.W. Scott and their four kids, and is an associate professor at Florida State University’s Creative Writing Program.

In 2006, Baggott and her husband co-founded the nonprofit organization Kids in Need – Books in Deed, that focuses on literacy and getting free books to underprivileged children in the state of Florida.

Connect with Bridget on her website, Facebook, Twitter, and on her blog.  Book clubs can request a chat or get reading guide information HERE

Book Review: Lowcountry Summer by Dorthea Benton Frank

As a Come'yon (come from yonder/not from here originally) to the Low Country, one of the first things I was told was that if I wanted to read books with true Low Country flavor, I had to pick up books by Dorthea Benton Frank.  I've now read several of her books, including Bulls Island and Sullivan's Island.  I haven't read the prequel to Lowcountry Summer, Plantation, but now that I've read Lowcountry Summer, it's on my reading list!