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True Blue by David Baldacci

May 27, 2010 by

While I attend some great panels and meet some authors and publishers in New York City this week, I didn’t want to leave my readers high and dry for reviews. My mom, Pat, has supplied me with enough reviews to get you through until my return. Please give her a warm welcome.

True Blue by David Baldacci follows former Washington, D.C., cop Mace Perry and her sister Beth, who is the police chief.  Mace was kidnapped and framed for a crime, which she did not commit, and was sent to prison.  Mace spent two years in prison, lost her job, badge, and freedom.

Once released from prison, Mace sets off to right the wrong that had been done to her and find the true criminal who set her up and sent her to prison.  Beth introduces her sister to Roy Kingman, an attorney.  Together, Mace and Roy work to clear her name.  The bulk of the novel focuses on the nasty people they encounter and the people set in their path to derail the process of clearing Mace’s name.

Baldacci has written a fast-paced novel that will entice readers to keep turning the pages until the very end.  This is my first Baldacci book and would recommend this author to others.  Very enjoyable and suspenseful read.  Five stars.

Thanks to Hachette for sending along a free copy of True Blue for review.

I hope you enjoyed this latest Literary Road Trip with Vienna, Va., author David Baldacci and his Washington, D.C., cops.

Filed Under: fiction, Hachette Books, Pat review, review copy, The Literary Road Trip Tagged With: ,

The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks

May 26, 2010 by

While I attend some great panels and meet some authors and publishers in New York City this week, I didn’t want to leave my readers high and dry for reviews. My mom, Pat, has supplied me with enough reviews to get you through until my return. Please give her a warm welcome.

Nicholas Sparks’ The Last Song tells the story of Ronnie Miller, a sullen 17 year old.  She and her little brother come to visit their estranged father in North Carolina.  Her father, Steve, is a musical composer and has been on the outs with his family ever since he left them years ago.  Ronnie has musical talent like her father, and she has a criminal record for shoplifting.

This coming of age story is about redemption in the light of tragedy as a father reaches out to his estranged children during their summer vacation.  How does his daughter view him? Will their shared talents unite them once again? The Last Song is appropriately titled and is a five-star read.

Thanks to Hachette for sending along a free copy for review.

Filed Under: fiction, Hachette Books, Pat review, review copy Tagged With: ,

Worst Case by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge

May 25, 2010 by

While I attend some great panels and meet some authors and publishers in New York City this week, I didn’t want to leave my readers high and dry for reviews. My mom, Pat, has supplied me with enough reviews to get you through until my return. Please give her a warm welcome.

James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge’s Worst Case is another in the Michael Bennett detective series set in New York.  In this novel, a son of one of New York’s wealthy elite is kidnapped off the street and held hostage.  The twist is that the parents do not have a ransom demand to meet and the prospects of saving their son appear grim.

The killer seems to like playing games with his victims and their families, quizzing the kidnapped victim and killing them if the answers they give are incorrect.  Bennett must follow the clues left for him to solve the case.

However, one kidnap victim was smarter than the others and she answers all the questions correctly.  Surprisingly, she is freed.  Patterson does a great job leaving the killer a mystery; the last person readers would suspect is the killer.

Another fast read with spell-binding action.  Five stars.

Thanks to Hachette for sending along a free copy of Worst Case for review.

Filed Under: fiction, Hachette Books, Pat review, review copy Tagged With: , ,

Swimsuit by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro

May 24, 2010 by

Mailbox Monday will be postponed until my return.

While I attend some great panels and meet some authors and publishers in New York City this week, I didn’t want to leave my readers high and dry for reviews.  My mom, Pat, has supplied me with enough reviews to get you through until my return.  Please give her a warm welcome.

James Patterson and Maxine Paetro‘s Swimsuit takes place in Hawaii, the perfect place to wear a swimsuit and get some sun.  It is also a perfect place to conduct a photo shoot, but that’s when the fun begins because a breathtaking model Kim McDaniels disappears.

After her disappearance, her parents, who live in Grand Rapids, Mich., receive an anonymous phone call about her disappearance, which causes them to quickly get on a plane to find out the real scoop.  Ben Hawkins, a former cop and now reporter for the Los Angeles Times, is assigned the disapearance story.  However, McDaniels’ disappearance soon spirals into an investigation of a serial killer who kidnaps and brutally murders models while taping the crimes.

Another action filled novel from James Patterson that takes you to new locations in Hawaii and Europe and keeps you reading until the very end.  Another five star read.

Thanks to Hachette for sending a free copy of Swimsuit for review.

Filed Under: fiction, Hachette Books, Pat review, review copy Tagged With: , ,

Welcome to Savvy Verse & Wit

May 23, 2010 by

Hello and Welcome to Savvy Verse & Wit, my online book review site that features reviews of fiction, poetry, nonfiction, and other genres.

For a list of what I accept, visit my review policy.

Other policies you may be interested in are my affiliate policy and my advertising policy.  If you’d like to get to know me and the blog, please visit the About Me page.

***If you’re looking for today’s content, please scroll down to the next post.***

In addition to well written reviews that demonstrate what aspects of a book work and don’t work for me as a reader, you also will find interviews with authors, publishers, and poets and guest posts from authors and poets about their writing or writing spaces.

Occasionally, I will host giveaways for books and other items, but generally only when I’ve read the book or plan to read the book.

If you are new to blogs:

I provide honest reviews of books to help you select your next read and generate discussion with those who’ve already read the book in the comments.  To make comments, scroll to the bottom of posts and click “comments” to open the comment box and enter your thoughts.

Some recurring events here on the blog include:

  • The Virtual Poetry Circle in which a new poem is posted every Saturday and discussed in the comments using a model suggested by Molly Peacock.
  • Mailbox Monday, a book blogger community event in which I share my bookish goodies from the bookstore or publishers/authors.
  • The Literary Road Trip in which I introduce local MD/DC/VA metro region authors as part of a wider book blogger community project.
  • And occasional book blogger community events include Free Verse in which I share poetry; Library Loot where I showcase my library finds; Monday’s Movie in which I review a new or old movie I’ve seen; and a few others, which can be found in the navigation bar under Meme or Events.
  • I also participate in a number of reading challenges — click on Challenges in the navigation bar to see the list — that focus on a number of topics ranging from poetry to war-related books.

Upcoming events:

  • Guest reviews from my mom, Pat, May 24-28.
  • Review of Jill Mansell’s Rumor Has It on May 31.
  • Updates of local and bookish events; newer updates will focus on Book Expo America and the Book Blogger Convention in the coming weeks.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope to see you again soon.  If you have any questions, don’t hestitate to drop me an email.

Filed Under: announcements Tagged With: ,

46th Virtual Poetry Circle

May 22, 2010 by

Welcome to the 46th Virtual Poetry Circle.

Even though I’m not near my computer, Virtual Poetry Circle continues.  I may be in New York City this week for Book Expo America and the Book Blogger Convention, but I want the poetry discussions to continue in my absence.

Remember, this is just for fun and is not meant to be stressful.

Keep in mind what Molly Peacock’s books suggested. Look at a line, a stanza, sentences, and images; describe what you like or don’t like; and offer an opinion. If you missed my review of her book, check it out here.

Today we return to contemporary poetry with the verses of Stephen Dunn:

The Kiss 
She pressed her lips to mind.
	—a typo

How many years I must have yearned
for someone’s lips against mind.
Pheromones, newly born, were floating
between us. There was hardly any air.

She kissed me again, reaching that place
that sends messages to toes and fingertips,
then all the way to something like home.
Some music was playing on its own.

Nothing like a woman who knows
to kiss the right thing at the right time,
then kisses the things she’s missed.
How had I ever settled for less?

I was thinking this is intelligence,
this is the wisest tongue
since the Oracle got into a Greek’s ear,
speaking sense. It’s the Good,

defining itself. I was out of my mind.
She was in. We married as soon as we could.

Let me know your thoughts, ideas, feelings, impressions. Let’s have a great discussion…pick a line, pick an image, pick a sentence.

I’ve you missed the other Virtual Poetry Circles, check them out here. It’s never too late to join the discussion.

Filed Under: virtual poetry circle

Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman

May 21, 2010 by

Beth Hoffman‘s debut novel, Saving CeeCee Honeycutt, has become a New York Times bestseller, and what a debut it is.  Her novel is a prime example of what’s great about southern fiction from the enveloping summer heat of Georgia to the fragrant aroma of orchids and other flowers.  CeeCee Honeycutt is a young girl living in Ohio mainly with her mother as her father travels weekly for his job, but she’s got more worries than just school and peer pressure — her mother is slowly losing her grip.

“‘Oysters are a lot like women.  It’s how we survive the hurts in life that brings us strength and gives us our beauty.’  She fell silent for a moment and gazed out the window.  ‘They say there’s no such thing as a perfect pearl — that nothing from nature can ever be truly perfect.'”  (page 255)

Eventually, CeeCee comes to live with her great aunt Tallulah “Tootie” Caldwell, who is a busy society woman interested in preserving the historical structures in Savannah.  In many ways the restoration of these homes resembles the rebuilding CeeCee must accomplish after her life is irrevocably altered.  At the young age of 12, CeeCee must contend with tragedy, being an outcast, the confusing emotions about her parents, and fitting in with a society that is foreign to her.

“Momma left her red satin shoes in the middle of the road.  That’s what three eyewitnesses told the police.”  (Page 1)

Hoffman creates dynamic characters in CeeCee, Mrs. Odell, Oletta, and Tootie, but she also has crafted a supporting cast of eccentric older women who are neighbors and have their own problems and tensions with one another.  Picture large hats, garden parties, and soirees, and you’ll be transported in CeeCee’s Georgia, away from her hometown in Ohio.

“The bedsheets were damp with humidity and sleep, and from the pillowcase I detected a familiar scent:  it was just like the lavender sachets Mrs. Odell made every year as Christmas gifts.  I rubbed my eyes and tried to sit up, but I was nestled deep in the feather bed, like a baby bird in a nest.”  (page 57)

“Though she’d long since passed the zenith of youth, unmistakable remnants of a mysterious beauty oozed from the pores of her porcelain-white skin.  Swirling around her ankles, as light as smoke and the color of midnight, was a silk caftan splashed with bits of silver glitter.”  (page 81)

Readers will be absorbed in CeeCee’s evolution from young, responsible woman caring for her mother to a mischievous child lashing out and back to a young lady becoming content in her own skin.  Hoffman does an excellent job of painting Georgia and its traditional society in a nostalgic hue that enables readers to grasp that CeeCee is remembering this period of her life fondly and with greater clarity than she probably did as a child.  Saving CeeCee Honeycutt is captivating debut novel and coming-of-age story about a young lady who has lost her way, only to find a new chapter has begun.

About the Author:

Beth Hoffman was the president and owner of a major interior design studio in Cincinnati, Ohio, before turning to writing full time. She lives with her husband and two cats in a quaint historic district in Newport, Kentucky. Saving CeeCee Honeycutt is her first novel.

Thanks to Penguin and Inkwell Management for sending me a free copy of Saving CeeCee Honeycutt for review.

Check out the other tour stops:

5/17 & 5/18 – Devourer of Books

5/19 & 5/20 – Diary of an Eccentric

5/21 – Savvy Verse & Wit

5/22 – Medieval Bookworm

5/23 – lit*chick

5/24 – A Novel Menagerie

5/25 – The Tome Traveller’s Weblog

5/26 – Peeking Between the Pages

5/27 – Steph Su Reads

5/28 – Galleysmith

5/29 – The Literate Housewife Review

Giveaway details — three copies for US/Canada readers and one copy for an international reader:

1.  Leave a comment about why you want to read this book; don’t forget to let me know if you are living outside the United States or Canada.

2.  Leave a comment on the guest post.

3.  Blog, Tweet, Facebook, or otherwise spread the word about the giveaway and leave a comment on this post.

4.  Become a Facebook fan of the blog and leave a comment.

Deadline is June 2, 2010, at 11:59 PM EST.

This is my 33rd book for the 2010 New Authors Challenge.

Filed Under: giveaway, New Authors Challenge, Penguin, Read in 2010, review copy, reviews, young adult fiction Tagged With: ,

NYC or Bust

May 20, 2010 by

Book Expo America and the Book Blogger Convention are around the corner, and I’ll more than likely be incommunicado for the next week as I have some fun in the city and at the conventions.

If you’ve missed my advice for your trek into the city, please check it out.  I hope you’ve all got your travel plans made and your comfortable shoes on your feet.  This week is going to be busy and fun, but tiring.  Don’t worry, you’ll be hearing all about it when I get back.

While I’m away, my mom, Pat, will have taken over the blog for the week beginning on Monday, May 24, to regale you with her reviews.  Please stop by and check them out, especially if you are looking for a new suspense or crime thriller.

Sights I hope to see:

  1. NYC Harbor and Statue of Liberty
  2. Madam Tussauds Wax Museum, with Edward!
  3. The Museum of Modern Art
  4. Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
  5. Central Park
  6. Strawberry Fields
  7. Empire State Building
  8. Rockefeller Center

Events I hope to catch at BEA:

  1. Online Reader Community Building
  2. Copyright in Motion
  3. BEA Editors Buzz
  4. Brunonia Barry signing
  5. Joyce Carol Oates signing
  6. Dystopian Panel
  7. Richelle Mead signing vampire academy
  8. Champagne Toast to celebrate To Kill a Mockingbird 50th Anniversary
  9. Blogger Party at Algonquin with HarperCollins
  10. The Next Decade in Book Culture
  11. Beth Kephart signing
  12. Book Blogger Con Reception

There are many other items on my list, but I didn’t want to bore you with all those crazy details.   What are your plans for NYC?  If you’re interested in meeting up, contact me via email.  Have a great week everyone.

Stay tuned for my review of Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman tomorrow.

Filed Under: BEA, Events Tagged With:

Where I Write by Beth Hoffman

May 19, 2010 by

Beth Hoffman‘s debut novel Saving CeeCee Honeycutt is a New York Times bestseller that is set in late 1960s Ohio and Georgia.  The young protagonist Cecelia (CeeCee) Honeycutt has a hard life with a mother who has lost touch with reality and a father who is hardly at home.

Stay tuned for my review of this novel on Friday, May 21.

Today, we’re going to get a peek into Beth Hoffman‘s writing space.  Please give her a warm welcome.

When I made the decision to leave my career in interior design and pursue my dream of writing a novel, I had the idealistic thought that I’d take my laptop to the local park and sit at a picnic table overlooking the Ohio River. I imagined my fingers would blaze over the keyboard for hours, and now and then I’d stop to watch a coal barge lumber its way toward West Virginia. Oh, the serenity of that image was burned into my mind and I couldn’t wait to make it a reality. But, I soon discovered that I was the kind of writer who needed to be at a desk working on a big screen.

I live in a restored Queen Anne (circa 1902), and on the second floor I created what I call the writing library. The room isn’t very large, but it’s cozy, filled with bookshelves and artwork that I love, and, it’s the perfect size for my needs. Three large windows are set in an ashlar-cut stone bay that overlooks the front gardens. Morning light floods into the room, and it has a fireplace that I keep burning throughout the winter.

This is the room where I imagine, create, and dream. I’m happiest when I’m sitting at my desk in a totally quiet house, writing, researching, and developing characters and scenes with my cats sleeping at my feet.

Though I don’t strive for a specific word count for each day, I’m quite disciplined and will spend a minimum of six hours working on my writing. When the muse is with me, I’ll often write well into the late night hours, or, until my hands grow numb! And, on those days when the muse is maddeningly silent, I’ll spend time researching and editing.

Do I have a special totem? Yes, I do. My great aunt Mildred had a powerful impact upon when I was a child. She was a true Southern lady who possessed great charm and wit. She lived in a big old Greek revival home that I fell in love with, and, it was she who lit the fire I carry to this day. My great aunt introduced me to historical homes, antiques, and the power of the written word. In fact, the character of Tootie Caldwell in my novel, Saving CeeCee Honeycutt, is based upon my great aunt Mildred. One summer’s day I plucked a stone from her walkway and brought it home with me, and it has since become my totem. I keep it on the fireplace mantle and will oftentimes pick it up and hold it for a moment.

The other thing that I look at to help me stay grounded is an antique carousel horse and teddy bear. From my desk I can peek around my computer screen and look into the den. By the fireplace sits these two happy creatures, and they remind me to smile easily and often, nurture a childlike spirit, and not take anything too seriously—the good or the bad.

Thanks, Beth, for sharing your writing space with us. Wouldn’t you just love to get a sneak peek into those shelves?

Global Giveaway Details — three copies for US/Canada readers and one copy of Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman for international readers:

1.  Leave a comment about what book you think is on those shelves.

2.  Blog, Tweet, Facebook, or spread the word about the giveaway and leave a link here.

3.  Become a Facebook Fan of Savvy Verse & Wit and leave a comment.

Deadline June 2, 2010, at 11:59 PM EST

Also, stay tuned Friday for another chance to enter the giveaway.

Filed Under: giveaway, guest post Tagged With:

Winner of the Raven Stole the Moon Red Umbrella

May 18, 2010 by

In the recent giveaway for a Raven Stole the Moon by Garth Stein red umbrella giveaway, I shared with you a video interview with the author.  Please take some time to check them out on the  Garth Stein’s YouTube channel.

Out of only 4 entries, Random.org selected #3:

Anna from Diary of an Eccentric

Congrats and thanks to all who entered.

Please check out the other giveaways in the right sidebar.

Filed Under: winners