Truly, Madly ARC Giveaway!

I thought a great way to celebrate the coming new year was with a little giveaway. I enjoyed this book as you can tell from my review. This book is to be released in Feb 2010, and I thought hey, let someone else have an early read of this book. This time, this is a book I recommend and hope that the winner will really enjoy this read.

So, to win this book, just fill out the form below, or click here. It is open to those living in the US. The contest ends at 10 pm MST on Jan 11, 2010.

Good luck and good reading!

Dropbox Revisited

I just won a book that came as a pdf. I looked around to see if I could upload it to one of my apps I have on my iPod Touch that I already had for books. Nope, those apps do not allow you to download your own pdfs on their list. Yes, you can get pdfs to read on the actual Kindle product, but for the iPod/iPhone apps, no dice. However, instead of loading up another app that will read a pdf, I went to my old standby. Dropbox! I uploaded them from my computer and now I can read them on my iPod with the Dropbox app. Of course, I can still read them on my computer if I wish, but it is nice knowing that I didn't have to get another app and try to find out where the heck those pdfs were stored.

So, if you haven't checked out Dropbox yet, do so soon. No, I have no interest in the company, it's just a great application!

"Truly Madly" by Heather Webber

From the publisher: Lucy Valentine is as smart as can be, as single as you can get, and sonot qualified to run a matchmaking service. But when her parents temporarily step down from the family business, Valentine, Inc., it’s Lucy’s turn to step up and help out—in the name of love.

Plus, her rent is due.

Here’s the problem: Lucy doesn’t have the knack for matchmaking. According to family legend, every Valentine has been blessed by Cupid with the ability to read “auras” and pair up perfect couples. But not Lucy. Her skills were zapped away years ago in an electrical surge, and now all she can do is find lost objects. What good is that in the matchmaking world? You’d be surprised. In a city like Boston, everyone’s looking for something. So when Lucy locates a missing wedding ring—on a dead body—she asks the sexy private eye who lives upstairs to help her solve the perfect crime. And who knows? Maybe she’ll find the perfect love while she’s at it…

When I first got this book, I was thinking it was a very light paranormal romance type of book. I wasn't completely correct. There was humor in this book, mostly from the main character, Lucy. Her wit which often masked a deep sense of insecurity was very humorous. Add in her friends who often took that wit and strengthened it, the book became enjoyable on that level alone. Oh, and those worried about the insecurity angle... don't worry, it doesn't come off as whiny at all.

There was more than one romance, and several made possible by paranormal reasons and good old fashioned sense. I loved the fact that she freely admitted several times that she was a commitment phobic, but also had the sense to at least try to push beyond it. Plus, it doesn't hurt when the one that you are very interested in not only admits it several times that he is interested back, but she is also given clues within her visions. These specific visions may also prove to be signs that she is so much more powerful than she first thought. We might find that out in later books because this looks like it might become a series. That is a good thing.

What I was surprised me within the book was the mystery. Actually, I should say, mysteries. The main murder mystery that must be solved is but one. The mystery of what happened to a missing boy is another. The mystery of her intuition, the mystery of who to trust, the mystery of her closest friends lives and finding out more about them, as well as the mystery of how she is going to run her father's successful business without his specific ability are the other mysteries that need solved. Now while those smaller mysteries may seem like side stories that round out the character, they came across to me as things that needed to be solved in the way it was written.

This was a very enjoyable book and I was happy to have gotten it as an ARC. I would suggest this book if you like a fast read with a bit of sleuthing involved. Nothing heavy, but fun. I gave it 4 stars.

Now that you have seen what I've said about this book, I was thinking of doing a giveaway with my ARC. The book won't be for sale until Feb. 2010. Would someone else like a preview? Oh, and don't worry, if I decide to do the giveaway, it won't be until after the new year starts.

Now it Feels More Like the Holidays!

My aunt just visited and I got my first taste of the Holidays! She makes Christmas potica every year and I just ate a big ol' piece! This holiday treat is a tradition in the area where I live. It is delicious and converts anyone who tastes it into wanting it every year. It is a Slovenian dish which fits perfectly in the multicultural area I live. A common recipe from Cooking.com is as follows:

Total Time:  3 Hours 40 Minutes Yield:  Makes 2 loaves (8 servings each) From central Europe, probably Yugoslavia, potica is a dense, sweet nut pastry cut from tightly rolled loaves. Small cracks often appear on the surface of the loaves as they bake, but they in no way detract from the beautifully golden brown crust or the mouth-watering flavor.  INGREDIENTS For Bread: 2-2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 package active dry yeast 1/3 cup milk 1/4 cup butter or margarine 2 tablespoons sugar 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 eggs For Filling: 3 cups ground walnuts 3/4 cup sugar 1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened 1/4 cup honey 1 slightly beaten egg 3 tablespoons milk 1 teaspoon finely shredded lemon or orange peel (optional) 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
DIRECTIONS FOR BREAD: In a medium mixing bowl combine 1 cup of the flour and the yeast; set aside. In a medium saucepan heat 1/3 cup milk, 1/4 cup butter or margarine, 2 tablespoons sugar, and the salt till mixture is warm (120 to 130 degrees F) and butter or margarine is almost melted. Add to flour mixture. Add 2 eggs. Beat with an electric mixer on low to medium speed for 30 seconds, scraping bowl constantly. Beat on high speed for 3 minutes. Using a wooden spoon, stir in as much of the remaining flour as you can. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead in enough of the remaining flour to make a moderately soft dough that is smooth and elastic (3 to 5 minutes total). Shape into a ball. Place in a lightly greased bowl; turn once. Cover and let rise in a warm place till double (1 to 1 1/4 hours). FOR FILLING: In a large mixing bowl stir together walnuts, 3/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup butter or margarine, honey, 1 slightly beaten egg, 3 tablespoons milk, peel (if desired), and vanilla. Set aside. Punch dough down. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, lightly grease two 7 1/2x3 1/2x2-inch or 8x4x2-inch loaf pans. Cover a large surface (at least 3x3 feet) with a floured cloth. On the cloth, roll dough into a 15-inch square. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Then roll dough into a 30x20-inch rectangle. TO ASSEMBLE: Put dough in half lengthwise, forming two 30x10-inch sheets. Spread the filling evenly over the surface of the dough, keeping to within 1 inch of the edges. Using the cloth as a guide, roll up jelly-roll style, starting from one short side. Pinch seams and ends to seal. Place loaves, seam-sides down, in the prepared loaf pans. Cover and let rise in a warm place till nearly double (45 to 60 minutes). Bake in a preheated 325 degrees F oven for 45 to 50 minutes, or till golden brown. Remove from pans; cool on a wire rack.
Reprinted by permission of Weldon Owen. All rights reserved.

Now all I need is some homemade tamales and I'm set. :D 

I also got something in the mail from StephanieD, at the Misfit Salon. I had won the Lady Cottington's Pressed Fairy Book 10 3/4 Anniversary Edition! Thanks! It also has a DVD I'll have to fire up now that the snow is falling. Just cuddle up and watch! If you love faries like I do, then this is one you will enjoy. And don't worry, if you haven't seen the book there is a forward by the RSPCF (The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Faries) which assures that no fairie was hurt or injured by the making of the book. The prints were psychic impressions done without injury to the farie. So, no worries. :)


Well, I hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season. If not, bake some potica and have some hot chocolate. Even if it doesn't help, I assure you, your stomach won't complain! :)

A Fun Holiday Post!

I've read several posts about favorite holiday shows, books, movies and I really agree with some of the choices I've seen (especially the one with the miser brothers). Anyway, thought I'd share at least a couple of mine.

One is the Nightmare Before Christmas. I still love the stop motion animation. Earlier this year I heard that Danny Elfman had redone the soundtrack with artists like Korn, Flyleaf, Amy Lee, and the American Rejects. I was hoping that it would show up in the movie itself, but no, it's just the soundtrack to the movie. Someone did do a pretty good job of inserting at least one song into a scene.

My favorite holiday story has always been "A Christmas Carol". No surprise, I'm sure. :) My favorite adaptation of this story is "Scrooged" with Bill Murray.

Of course, the one with Alastair Sim is my second favorite (just don't inform my mother of that fact since we continue to argue which one is best... lol).



So, Happy Holidays... I found this on youtube. It's the full movie with Seymour Hicks from 1935. One of the first adaptations of a Christmas Carol to a movie. If you want to stay and watch. I'll serve up the hot chocolate and some popcorn. Get comfy and enjoy!