Book Blogger Hop!!! Yay!

Join me in the book blogger hop and pop around the WWW.  You'll discover some amazing book blogs out there.  So say hi and leave a link to your blog so I can return the favour.  If you like what you see, please follow.  I offer the option to follow by email, Stumble Upon, GFC, and networked blogs (facebook).  This blog hop is sponsored by Jennifer at Crazy for Books.

This week's question:
"What book(s) would you like to see turned into a movie?"

Since The Help is already in film production, another book that I reviewed recently, Deed So, would make an excellent movie!!  Set in the same time period as The Help, Deed So takes place in Maryland, USA.  Amid the turbulence of the '60's, war in Vietnam, segregation, and feminism, young Haddie struggles to find her way through it all.  She can't wait to grow up and leave this little town.  She has bigger things in her future.  When she witnesses a murder her life turns upside down and the town is in uproar!  There's picketing, arson, fear and increased racial tension as the case goes to court and Haddie is called as a witness.  I think it has the makings of a blockbuster!  Read my book review and see if you agree.  Deed So can be purchased on Amazon.  (I am in no way compensated to provide a positive review.  This book is one of my favourites this year!)

Do swing by to visit our host too!

Book Review: Deed So by Katharine A. Russell

Deed So
Author:  Katharine A. Russell
Copyright 2010
RWWRA Publishing
428 pages (not incl. acknowledgments)


(from the back cover)" A young girl struggles to understand a tightening web of racial and generational tensions during the turbulent 1960's in the astonishing new novel, Deed So, by Katharine A. Russell.  All twelve-year-old Haddie Bashford wants is to leave the closed-minded world of Wicomico Corners behind, int he hopes that a brighter future awaits elsewhere.  But when she witnesses the brutal killing of a black teen, Haddie finds her family embroiled in turmoil fraught with racial tensions.  Tempers flare as the case goes to trial, but things are about to get even hotter when an arsonist suddenly begins to terrorize the town.  Can Haddie help save her town, and herself?

Gorgeously written and filled with warm, luminous characters, Deed So is both a snapshot of a tunultuous time and a moving coming-of-age story of a remarkable young girl."

This is a fascinating page-turner that takes one back in time to a small fictional town in Maryland, USA during the turbulent 1960s.  Slavery is abolished but schools are still segregated.  Many still hold to the racial bigotry of generations previous.  It's the story of 12-year old Haddie and her perspective on life in small town USA.  Haddie feels smothered, everyone knows eachother's business and she can't wait to grow up and move away.  When she witnesses the murder of a black youth, Haddie's life and the whole town becomes engulfed in the turmoil of the times. 

Deed So is not written as if a 12-year old wrote it, but is presented in the language of an adult with memories of that age.  Deed So is a moving, and, at times, on the edge of your seat, fictional work that spans several genres including drama, action/adventure, suspense, YA and adult.  All the characters are so extremely vivid in their description and behaviours that the reader comes to know them.  This is one of those lovely novels that involves the audience so that for it to end is a disappointment.  I wanted to continue to follow Haddie's life.  Her story could continue on and be more, perhaps a series of novels.  She is that strong of a character.  I don't know of many novels that span the years from childhood through adulthood in a serial format but perhaps this one could and should.

Rated 5/5

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading, is where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week. It is a great way to network with other bloggers, see some wonderful blogs, and put new titles on your reading list.  I love this meme!!

This past week I started and finished three books, two of which were in PDF format.

A Bucket Full of Love by H.C. Wingert.  This wonderful little book is a positive reinforcement for children of divorced parents, bringing an understanding of love and acceptance through the kind words of a loving grandmother.  See my review by clicking on the title. (PDF)

Dragonfly by Ed Piolalla.  This is a book of poetry written by an award winning journalist, love poems that is.  It begins with a short story, followed by poems of love, some rather intimate.  Also includes a few poems by a couple other authors.  See my review by clicking on the title.  (PDF)

The other book I began and finished this past week was a dynamic book called Deed So by Katharine A. Russell.  The review will be posted perhaps later today if I get a chance.  Based in the turbulent 1960's, this story takes place in a ficitonal town in the state of Maryland.  When a young girl witnesses the murder of a young black man, her life and her family find themselves caught up in the turmoil as the town sees the case go to trial.  An exciting read!!

This week I continue full force in completing The Help by Kathryn Stockett.  I also plan to make a small dent in my TBR pile.

What are you reading this week?  Did you post reviews for books finished last week?  Take a moment, won't you, and leave a comment with a link to your It's Monday...post!  Stop by Sheila's Book JourneyThanks for stopping by and have a great week!!

It's Monday. What Are You Reading?

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading, is where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week. It is a great way to network with other bloggers, see some wonderful blogs, and put new titles on your reading list.  Hosted by Sheila at Book Journey, this is my first time joining the book blogging community in this meme.


I am currently reading:

"A tale of redemption...holds readers in suspense until the final chapter...it will test readers' beliefs in the power of destiny and fate, and how they relate to choices one makes in life." - Chattanooga Free Press

"Possibly one of Spark's finest novels...Picture yourself reading it this week." - Examiner.com

"In true Nicholas Sparks fashion, the reader is engaged from the first to the last page.  The characters are authentic and the plot is engrossing and emotionally charged.  Sparks is a talented storyteller who is adept at tugging the reader's heartstrings." - BookLoons.com

Almost finished, my book review should be up tomorrow.  This is also part of a Nicholas Sparks reading challenge.

 "Wise, poignant...You'll catch yourself cheering out loud." - Vick Boughton, People.

"One of those magical books that will suck anybody in." - John Searles, The Today Show.

"Kathryn Stockett has written a wondrous novel.  You will be swept away as her characters work, play and love during a time when possibilities for women were few but their dreams of the future were limitless.  A glorious read."  - Adriana Trigiani, bestselling author of the Big Stone Gap series and Very Valentine.

Still reading this novel......

"Kinsella delights again!...Winning...Kinsella keeps things fresh and frothy with workplace politicking, romantic intrigue and a vibrant...cast...Readers will be rooting for Lexi all along." - Publishers Weekly

"A lively new novel...a breezy blend of romantic comedy and cautionary fairy tale...Kinsella is hilarious." - New York Post

"A delicious page-turner, filled with hearty chuckles and heartache...[Kinsella] finds a way to make losing one's memory seem refreshingly funny." - USA Today

I've really only just begun reading this novel. 




I don't know how other bloggers manage so many books at a time.  I am juggling three and still find myself devoting more time to one than another.  I love to read.  If only time would allow more of it.  Upcoming reads include The Chinese Conspiracy by John Mariotti and Deed So by Katharine A. Russell in addition to our book club read of the month for February Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie.

What are you reading this week?

Just Received - From the Author

It's like Christmas for me all over again.  There, in my mailbox, were two novels for me to read and review.  This is a new venture for me, reviewing novels direct from the author, and I am excited about it!  Can you tell? Here is an introduction to Deed So and The Chinese Conspiracy.  I'm sure you'll find them as interesting as I.

Deed So by Katharine A. Russell

(from the back cover)  "A young girl struggles to understand a tightening web of racial and generational tensions during the turbulent 1960s in the astonishing new novel, Deed So by Katharine Russell.  All twelve-year-old Haddie Bashford wants is to leave the closed-minded world of Wicomico Corners behind, in the hopes that a brighter future awaits elsewhere.   But when she witnesses the brutal killing of a black teen, Haddie finds her family embroiled in turmoil fraught with racial tensions.  Tempers flare as the case goes to trial, but things are about to get even hotter when an arsonist suddenly begins to terrorize the town.  Can Haddie help save her town, and herself?

Gorgeously written and filled with warm, luminous characters, Deed So is both a snapshot of a tumultuous time and a moving coming-of-age story of a remarkable young girl."

The Chinese Conspiracy by John Mariotti

"Not since the Manchurian Candidate have I read such a compelling thriller about global conspiracy.  But Mariotti goes much further, linking his masterfully fast-paced narrative to the clear and present danger of total cyberwar.  This novel is a call to action that our society must answer now." - Richard S. Levick, President and CEO, Levick Strategic Communications

(From the release provided me) "Powell, OH - Jan 5, 2011 - Author John Mariotti announces his new cyberthriller, The Chinese Conspiracy. This fast paced thriller is based around today's headlines of cyber-terrorism.

Your office phone hasn't rung for some time, which is unusual. You pick it up, and you hear a
hissing sound. You grab your cell phone, punch in a number, and get an "all-circuits-busy".
Your computer monitor shows your home page, so you select a web site and get a "server not
responding" message. That's odd! You email your assistant, and ask, "Did if it go through?"


The answer is, "no". You turn back to see another "server not responding" notice.


The TV screen behind your desk is filled with snow-the cable is out. The radio doesn't work
either-just static hiss. If you go down to the ATM, it'll just spit your card back at you. Bank
transactions are dead. On Wall Street, trading has stopped amidst massive confusion. The ticker
is dead. The monitors are dead. Everything's dead-"silenced!"


At the airport, the lines are growing; people are restless and confused. No planes are landing or
taking off-or even taxiing-ATC is down and the airlines overhead monitors are full of snow.
Agents can't ticket passengers or issue boarding passes. Chaos reigns.

From the White House to Congress, the Pentagon to Parliament, nothing related to electronic
communications works. It's all completely SILENT. The only things not silent are the car horns
in the street outside. It's a veritable cacophony of horns blaring. This scenario is repeated across
the country. Nothing works. All electronic forms of communications and computer control
have been "shutdown"-TV/Radio, all kinds of phones, the Internet, Wall Street, banking,
Air Traffic Control, etc. But how? And by whom? And why?


This totally new form of terrorism-Cyber-Terrorism-potentially the most frightening of all."

Both are intriguing and could be bestsellers!  Return soon for my reviews of Deed So and The Chinese Conspiracy.
Note:  These novels are supplied to me by the authors.   I receive no payment for reading and presenting my reviews of these works.