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Book Blogger Appreciation Week 2009, My Best Reviews Links

September 8, 2009 by Serena

In case any of you were wondering which five links I submitted for the Book Blogger Appreciation Week 2009 Best Reviews category, I wanted to provide them for you.

I hope these will help you make your decision:

1. Rooftops of Tehran by Mahbod Seraji
2. Keeper of Light and Dust by Natasha Mostert
3. Galway Bay by Mary Pat Kelly
4. The Painter From Shanghai by Jennifer Cody Epstein
5. The Last Queen by C.W. Gortner

As for the Best Challenge Host Category for the War Through the Generations blog, Anna and I submitted these posts:

1. Reviews: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

2. Reviews: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

3. Remembering Hiroshima & Nagasaki

4. Guest Blogger: WWII Reenactor Mauriel Joslyn

5. Valkyrie [Movie Review]

Remember to vote by Sept. 12, 2009, at 11:59 PM

Filed Under: BBAW, Events

Book Blogger Appreciation Week 2009, Get the Vote Out!

September 8, 2009 by Serena

Savvy Verse & Wit is calling on all readers to GET THE VOTE OUT for Book Blogger Appreciation Week.

It’s time to show the love to all those blogs you’ve been reading that talk about books, the publishing industry, and more.

Ok, I have ulterior motives.

Savvy Verse & Wit is up for Best Reviews. I don’t really have a shot at winning, but I would love it if I got some votes. There is some stiff competition in this category, but I’m in good company for this short list.

And my happiest moment and I’m sure for Anna at Diary of an Eccentric too, is that War Through The Generations (our war reading challenge blog, which is WWII this year) is up for two awards–Best Challenge Host and Best Challenge.

Now, I know there are more than 90 participants, so get out there and vote for the Best Challenge Host and Best Challenge—War Through the Generations.

You’re probably wondering where you go to vote. Never fear, here’s the information:

Book Blogger Appreciation Week Voting

Voting ends on Sept. 12, 2009 at 11:59 PM EST.

Thanks to everyone for reading one or both of these blogs and for voting.

I appreciate your participation, and you’ll soon find that out during BBAW when there are a ton of giveaways and other fun.

Filed Under: BBAW, Events

Millie’s Fling by Jill Mansell

September 7, 2009 by Serena

Jill Mansell has surpassed herself once again in Millie’s Fling. Chicklit and women’s fiction readers will enjoy this spontaneous journey in Cornwall, England.

“Having ignored his plea, Millie promptly cannoned into the lamp-post behind her. Clutching her left shoulder and trying to pretend it hardly hurt at all–ow, ouch–she wondered why her life had to so closely resemble Mr. Bean’s. What she wouldn’t give to be sleek and chic and in control at all times.” (Page 108-9 of ARC)

Millie is a down-to-earth girl, whose life is a bit like Mr. Bean’s because she tends to fall into ridiculous situations unwittingly. Her roomie, Hester, is in a long-term relationship with an up-and-coming chef, Nat, but still has a flamethrower burning for an old love, Lucas Kemp. Millie’s Fling is the age-old search for love and happiness, but this serendipitous journey is rounded out with Orla Hart, a highly successful author with marital problems whom Millie befriends atop a cliff.

Happily single, Millie consistently tries to keep her roomie on the right relationship track since Hester’s boyfriend has taken a job in Glasgow to further his career as a chef. By chance, Millie stumbles upon a lost wallet in the bushes–a wallet that becomes the tie between her and Hugh Emerson, a young recently widowed computer specialist. Readers will giggle, tense up, and shake their heads as Hugh and Millie fumble through getting to know one another under impossible circumstances.

“‘Two more things I can’t stand,’ said Hugh. ‘Violent women. And girls who can’t take a joke.’

‘I hate men who wear nasty cheap aftershave.’

‘What really annoys me is getting phone calls from people putting on ridiculous accents, asking me the answer to crossword clues.’

‘That isn’t true!’ Millie exclaimed. ‘You asked me to give you the clues. You were bursting to show off how clever you were. And that’s something I really can’t stand in a man.'” (Page 398 of ARC)

Mansell’s dialogue between Millie and Hugh is fresh and witty; some of the best sequences involve them rattling off their favorite words or their most hated things about people, particularly at times when they are awkward with one another. Although there are some cliche moments in this novel, Mansell has well-developed characters on the edge of reality who bounce dialogue off one another in a way that makes the pages fly in Millie’s Fling.

If you missed Mansell’s guest post about writing, check it out and enter the giveaway for this fun book.

Filed Under: ARC, chicklit, Read in 2009, reviews, sourcebooks Tagged With: Jill Mansell, millie's fling

Mailbox Monday #46

September 6, 2009 by Serena

Welcome to another edition of Mailbox Monday, sponsored by Marcia at The Printed Page, on Sunday.

You guessed it, there is another pre-scheduled review this Monday, and its for a fantastic, fast-paced Jill Mansell book, Millie’s Fling.

So you really want to know what came in the mail this week, here it is:

1. True Blue by David Baldacci from Hatchette Group for review.

2. Cleopatra’s Daughter by Michelle Moran for review; I’m not sure how I ended up with one hardcover and 2 ARCs, but I did, so expect another giveaway for this beauty.

3. Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy: The Last Man in the World by Abigail Reynolds for review from Sourcebooks in January 2010.

4. To Hell in a Handbasket by Beth Groundwater, signed for a lucky BBAW winner.

What did you get in your mailbox?

Filed Under: mailbox monday

11th Virtual Poetry Circle

September 5, 2009 by Serena

Don’t forget about the Verse Reviewers link I’m creating here on Savvy Verse & Wit.

Send me an email with your blog information to savvyverseandwit AT gmail DOT com

And now, for the eleventh edition of the Virtual Poetry Circle:

OK, Here’s a poem up for reactions, interaction, and–dare I say it–analysis:

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.

It’s a return to the classics today. William Wordsworth was considered one of the English Romantic Poets, and his most famous poem, which he worked on for many years, is The Prelude.

A Poet’s Epitaph

ART thou a Statist in the van
Of public conflicts trained and bred?
--First learn to love one living man;
'Then' may'st thou think upon the dead.

A Lawyer art thou?--draw not nigh!
Go, carry to some fitter place
The keenness of that practised eye,
The hardness of that sallow face.

Art thou a Man of purple cheer?
A rosy Man, right plump to see?                             10
Approach; yet, Doctor, not too near,
This grave no cushion is for thee.

Or art thou one of gallant pride,
A Soldier and no man of chaff?
Welcome!--but lay thy sword aside,
And lean upon a peasant's staff.

Physician art thou? one, all eyes,
Philosopher! a fingering slave,
One that would peep and botanise
Upon his mother's grave?                                    20

Wrapt closely in thy sensual fleece,
O turn aside,--and take, I pray,
That he below may rest in peace,
Thy ever-dwindling soul, away!

A Moralist perchance appears;
Led, Heaven knows how! to this poor sod:
And he has neither eyes nor ears;
Himself his world, and his own God;

One to whose smooth-rubbed soul can cling
Nor form, nor feeling, great or small;                      30
A reasoning, self-sufficing thing,
An intellectual All-in-all!

Shut close the door; press down the latch;
Sleep in thy intellectual crust;
Nor lose ten tickings of thy watch
Near this unprofitable dust.

But who is He, with modest looks,
And clad in homely russet brown?
He murmurs near the running brooks
A music sweeter than their own.                             40

He is retired as noontide dew,
Or fountain in a noon-day grove;
And you must love him, ere to you
He will seem worthy of your love.

The outward shows of sky and earth,
Of hill and valley, he has viewed;
And impulses of deeper birth
Have come to him in solitude.

In common things that round us lie
Some random truths he can impart,--                         50
The harvest of a quiet eye
That broods and sleeps on his own heart.

But he is weak; both Man and Boy,
Hath been an idler in the land;
Contented if he might enjoy
The things which others understand.

--Come hither in thy hour of strength;
Come, weak as is a breaking wave!
Here stretch thy body at full length;
Or build thy house upon this grave.

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

Contest Week Recap

September 5, 2009 by Serena

It’s been a busy week here at Savvy Verse & Wit for giveaways, so I thought I would help everyone out (since we’re all very busy with BBAW and more) and provide everyone a recap post of the giveaways.

1. The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry giveaway; Deadline is Sept. 7.

2. Cleopatra’s Daughter and The Heretic Queen by Michelle Moran Giveaway; Deadline is Sept. 8.

3. 500 Business cards from Digital Room Giveaway; Deadline is Sept. 9.

4. Millie’s Fling by Jill Mansell Giveaway; Deadline is Sept. 11.

So if you haven’t entered into these, you better hurry!

Filed Under: announcements

Guest Post: Jill Mansell, Author of Millie’s Fling

September 4, 2009 by Serena

Millie’s Fling, which hit stores on Sept. 1, continues Jill Mansell’s invasion of the U.S. market and stars kind hearted Millie and her friend Hester, as they search for love.

Jill Mansell, author of Millie’s Fling, offered to share with my readers a bit about her writing life. Please give Jill a warm welcome:

Have you ever wondered what a writer’s life is like? Honestly, it’s so weird. There’s nothing else like it. So many mundane household tasks. If you didn’t talk to yourself you’d go mad. Just this morning I dropped a pan of new potatoes on the kitchen floor; they went rolling off in all directions and I heard myself shouting at them like naughty children. I actually told them off! Twenty minutes later, I’m trying to scrub mustard out of an empty jar because all our glass has to be recycled to save the environment. Now I like the environment, but I hate mustard. This is a distressing job for me and I’d much rather throw the jar in the trash. Spending my time doing this isn’t remotely glamorous and I’d far rather be sitting down and getting on with some work.

Then again, I say this, but I’m a writer so I’m also a professional procrastinator. Once all the mundane household chores are done, I can find any number of other things to do before settling down to write. I check the TV listings, see what’s on. Then I have some breakfast. Check my emails. Chat to everyone I know on Twitter. (My British publishers suggested I start up a Twitter account – I think they’re going to live to regret it. My writing time hasn’t so much decreased as evaporated. In a few months they’re going to ask where the next book is and I’ll point like a simpleton at my head.) Then I check the blogs I like to follow, the links posted on them… which takes me to new, as yet undiscovered places that distract me for another hour…

And then it’s lunchtime, hooray! All this serious research has made me hungry.

After this, I’ll sort out the washing, try out my new mascara (an oscillating one that tickles my eyelashes!) and repaint my toenails. Whilst contemplating what I’m shortly about to write. Soon my kids will be home from school and wanting something to eat, only nothing I suggest will be quite good enough.

OK, done a bit of writing now. Not as much as my publishers would like, but better than nothing. And you know what they say, a page a day makes a book a year. Actually I write by hand so whoever said it was either talking about a very thin book or they didn’t get their sums right.

Ooh, phone, that’ll be my daughter telling me to pick her up from school. Which signals the end of my working day.

Am I doing something wrong? I’m sure Jackie Collins’ life is more glamorous than this.

But glamorous or not, I’ve managed to write a few books and Millie’s Fling is one that’s been particularly welcomed by readers in the UK. It’s fun and frothy and will hopefully make you laugh. I hope you enjoy it!

About the Author:
Jill Mansell is one of the UK’s premiere contemporary authors who has written nearly 20 romances with multi-generational appeal and has sold nearly 4 million copies of her books in the UK. Releasing her latest novel this Fall, Millie’s Fling, Mansell’s writing style can be best described as “Sex & the City meets Bridget Jones’s Diary.” She worked for many years at the Burden Neurological Hospital, Bristol, and now writes full time. She lives with her partner and their children in Bristol, England. For more information on Jill in the UK, and for information on her U.S. releases.

Sourcebooks has kindly offered my U.S. and Canada readers a chance to win 1 of 2 copies of Millie’s Fling.

1. For one entry, leave me a comment about the best chicklit book you’ve read this year and why I should read it.

2. Blog, tweet, etc. about the giveaway and leave me a comment about doing so.

Deadline for the giveaway is Sept. 11, 2009 at 11:59PM

Good Luck!

Interested in the rest of the tour, here’s the schedule:

August 31: Romance Reader at Heart Novel Thoughts Blog

September 1: A Bookworm’s World

September 2: Booking Mama

September 3: Cindy’s Love of Books

September 7: My Friend Amy

September 8: Night Owl Romance

September 9: Scribe Vibe

September 10: Books by TJ Baff

September 11: Diary of an Eccentric

Filed Under: guest post Tagged With: Jill Mansell

Georgette Heyer Giveaway

September 3, 2009 by Serena

Sourcebooks B&N Heyer Receipt Promotion

This September, Sourcebooks is exclusively releasing The Foundling by Georgette Heyer in Barnes & Noble stores Nationwide!!

Sourcebooks is holding a fabulous receipt promotion!

Send us your receipt/proof of purchase of The Foundling from your local Barnes & Noble to our office or a scanned receipt in an email to danielle.jackson@sourcebooks.com and you’ll be entered to win a $200 Barnes & Noble gift card!

Receipts must be dated between September 1 – September 31, 2009, and can be from an in-store or online purchase.

Send your Barnes & Noble The Foundling receipts to

Sourcebooks, Inc.

c/o Publicity

PO Box 4410

Naperville, IL 60567

Filed Under: giveaway, sourcebooks

Need Business Cards, This Giveaway Is for You.

September 3, 2009 by Serena

When I headed up to New York City this May for Book Expo America, I was happy I had my business cards for the blog ready. I met so many authors, publishers, and publicists, and those cards helped me make connections.

If you are like I was–new to the blogging world–you must have thought about getting yourself some business cards.

Digital Room is offering a great giveaway for 2 winners here at Savvy Verse & Wit.

Check out the Die Cut Color Business Cards and the various Business Card Sizes.

Ok, so what can you win? Check it out:

500 Business Cards

Choose size: 2×3.5”, 2×3”, 2×2″;

Choose paper: 14pt cardstock (matte or gloss coating) & 13 pt cardstock uncoated

Choose Color: (4/4) Color both sides; (4/1) Color 1 side , B/W backside; (4/0) Color 1 side, black backside

Shipping must be paid by Winner. Offer Valid for UNITED STATES SHIPPING ONLY.

To enter, please tell me why you would like these business cards and what you would use them for.

Feel free to Tweet, blog, or otherwise spread the word about the giveaway for a second entry and leave me a comment about what you did.

Deadline is Sept. 9, 2009, at 11:59 EST

Good Luck, everyone!

Filed Under: giveaway Tagged With: uprinting.com

Interview with Mahbod Seraji, Author of Rooftops of Tehran

September 2, 2009 by Serena

Mahbod Seraji, author of Rooftops of Tehran, kindly took time out of his schedule to answer a few interview questions.

If you missed my glowing review of Rooftops of Tehran, you should check it out. It is one of the best books I’ve read this year.

Please give Mahbod Seraji a warm welcome.

In Rooftops of Tehran, you chose to tell the story of an adolescent boy. Was there a particular reason why you chose this protagonist as opposed to telling the story from the point of view of Pasha’s father or that of the Doctor?

Well, the choice of the narrator and his/her voice is one of the most critical decisions an author makes.

I wanted to make sure that the story was told through the unbiased eyes of a smart but inexperienced 17 year old. I think the readers identify with Pasha because they understand his struggle to make sense of all the senselessness that is happening around him. Together they are surprised and stunned as to how cruel life can be under a despotic, repressive regime, and I think that common struggle is what endears Pasha to the readers.

Iran in the 1970s was considered an enemy of the United States and Iranians thought the United States supported the tyrannical regime at the time, but yet Iranians still dream of escaping to the land of opportunity. Was this dichotomy intentional in Rooftops of Tehran or something that emerged on its own?

Iran became an enemy of the United States at the very end of the decade and after the 1979 revolution. Prior to that, the two countries were considered strong allies. There was a huge number of American expats living in Iran before the Islamic Revolution and a large population of Iranians living in the states. So the relations between our countries were great at one time.

Now, in 1953, the U.S. government overthrew a democratically elected prime minister (Mossadegh), replanted the Shah who was ousted by the people, and created, with the help of CIA, the SAVAK agency which perused, arrested, tortured and even murdered anyone who opposed the Shah. So the events of 1953 became the impetus for a deeply rooted mistrust of the United States not only in Iran, but also in the entire Middle East.

To give your readers a perspective on whether that’s a legitimate gripe, imagine Canada coming to the states and overthrowing President Obama or President Bush, when he was president, and planting a puppet regime here and keeping that regime in power by creating a brutal force that severely punished people opposing it. How would we feel about Canada? That scenario would be inconceivable to any American, right? Well, that scenario is exactly what happened in Iran.

As for the second part of your question: There weren’t many universities in Iran in the 1970s to accommodate the increasing number of high school graduates and so it was just an accepted practice for many to come to the states, go to Canada, England, France, and Australia for education. In Rooftops, I picked the United States because of the historical connection between our countries.

Did your experiences in Iran inform your depiction of them in your novel, and could you pinpoint a scene or two that are most representative of your memories?

Rooftops of Tehran is a highly fictionalize semi-autobiography!! In fact if the characters in the story read the book they would recognize themselves. Of course I changed some of the names, dates, and even descriptions of people and events for obvious reasons but much of the story is based on actual personal experiences. The school scenes, by the way, are totally accurate, and funny, I’m always told.

If you want to hear more from Mahbod Seraji, check out my D.C. Literature Examiner page.

Also, please check out Mahbod Seraji’s Website.

Filed Under: Interviews Tagged With: Mahbod Seraji

Book Blogger Appreciation Week 2009, My Best Reviews Links

Book Blogger Appreciation Week 2009, Get the Vote Out!

Millie’s Fling by Jill Mansell

Mailbox Monday #46

11th Virtual Poetry Circle

Contest Week Recap

Guest Post: Jill Mansell, Author of Millie’s Fling

Georgette Heyer Giveaway

Need Business Cards, This Giveaway Is for You.

Interview with Mahbod Seraji, Author of Rooftops of Tehran

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