false 24 47 36 true 5844150 read 0 true 3254537 currently-reading 11 true 3254536 to-read http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/103171-list-your-book-contests-giveaways-here-to-keep-the-latest-giveaway-vis Suzanne made a comment in the Free Book Giveaway group:

I have 3 copies of The Gate House by Nelson DeMille up for grabs on my blog, Chick with Books! Here's the link:

http://chickwithbooks.blogspot.com/2009/... ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/103170-list-your-blog-site-here Suzanne made a comment in the Free Book Giveaway group:

Hello! You can find book giveaways, reviews & discussions on my blog!
Here's the link:

http://chickwithbooks.blogspot.com/

Please stop by and say hello! ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/14094.Free_Book_Giveaway Suzanne joined the Free Book Giveaway group. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/77169765 to: The Complete Persepolis (Paperback) by Marjane Satrapi
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/234457-the-forest-of-hands-and-teeth Suzanne made a comment in the Books on the Nightstand group:

Carol, Thanks for starting the thread of The Forest of Hands and Teeth. I will be interested to read comments on the book. Initially I was eager to read this, because there were so many elements that would make for an great story, but there seems to be quite a mixture of reviews. Thanks for sharing yours!

And Thanks Ann for letting us know about a sequel! Always nice to know that you can continue enjoying a story! ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/76418503 to: Confections of a Closet Master Baker (Hardcover) by Gesine Bullock-Prado
Gesine Bullock-Prado gave up the designer clothes, the Red Carpet walks and life as a Hollywood schmoozer (almost all of which she hated) for her true calling- Baking! Gesine comes out of the closet in her book Confections of a Closet Master Baker to share with us her journey from unhappy Hollywood insider to life as a baker in Vermont and it is simply delicious!

The writing, the recipes, and Gesine Bullock-Prado's wry sense of humor is all delectable! Chapters are arranged by hours, as we weave our way through a typical day as a baker with Gesine, starting at 3:30am, the witching hour. Sprinkled between the stories of Gesine's adventures in baking and the interesting cast of characters that make up her world, are the the wonderful recipes for treats such as Apfelkuchen and Raspberry Meringues, Devil Cream Pie and her signature Starry Starry Night cookies! Along with tidbits for baking perfection! We spend tender moments with her mother, share glimpses into her complicated relationship with her father and we learn about Gesine growing up. And of course there is the occasional knife sharp word here and there about the Hollywood left behind. This is a memoir, a recipe journal and the story of one woman's journey to finding passion and peace in her life. The writing is engaging and light. We find out there's a purpose behind the baking, and it's not just to eat!

Roll up your sleeves and crack the spine to enter the world of flour, puff pastry, and Hollywood! Gesine shares the perfect recipe on how to follow your passions and her secret Golden Eggs recipe! ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/75075118 to: The Giver (Mass Market Paperback) by Lois Lowry
I am haunted by this story. Told thru the eyes of 12 year old Jonas, we learn what it's like to live in sameness. Everyone is expected to conform, a job is bestowed upon you at age 12, there are no colors, there is no sunshine, there are no such things as feelings... until Jonas is assigned to be the new Receiver, whose job it is is to be the keeper of all the memories from way back, and back and back. As Jonas learns the memories that came before him, he learns what it's like to be an individual, to see colors, to feel emotion. He wants these same things for his family and friends, and in the untimate act of unselfish sacrifice he tries to do just that... It is a powerful novel and I am amazed that the words have not lost their power some 15 years after it was written. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/75810206 to: The Maze Runner (Maze Runner, #1) by James Dashner
You wake up in a lift, can't remember a thing except for your first name... When the doors of the lift finally open you are in The Glade, a large piece of land enclosed by tall stone walls. You wish it were a dream, but you can't seem to wake up... and soon it turns out to be a nightmare.

That is what happens to Thomas. He wakes up in a lift. He can only remember his first name. Images flash in his mind, but he can't put names to faces, and he can't even remember his parents. When the lift finally stops and the doors open, he is surrounded by a group of boys, all teenagers, all young kids. He is welcomed into The Glade, where there are rules to be followed and a hierarchy that he'd soon learn. How he got there he didn't know, but none of the Gladers knew. All they knew was that every month for the past 2 years a "Newbie" would arrive in the lift. Supplies mysteriously arrived in the lift as well. And in order to survive, the boys created a society, with jobs and industry such as farming that gave them purpose as well as sustenance.

The Glade itself had a rickety building where the boys could sleep, although most of them slept outside. There was a kitchen and a boy assigned to cook. There were farm animals and a slaughter house. A vegetable garden and a graveyard. The Glade was surrounded by tall stone walls that mysteriously opened during the day and shut by themselves at night. Outside the walls was a mysterious maze, and in that maze roam horrible bloodthirsty creatures that are a combination of animal and machine. No one was allowed outside of the walls except for The Runners. The Runners run thru the maze during the day, taking notes about where paths ended and turns continued. They would run the maze all day and before the walls close they come back and record their findings on maps. The paths in the maze changed every day, and for 2 years they still could not find the clue to escaping... until Thomas came... and then "the girl". Who were The Creators? Why were they there? How could they get back to their real homes?

The story is YA fiction, but was so well written I couldn't put it down. The futuristic world James Dashner has created is fascinating. The boys quickly adapted to their circumstances, formed friendships, created their own language, and learned to work together to survive. Things aren't so perfect in The Glade... There are conflicts, and suspicions. And there are glimpses of how young these boys actually are... how frightened they are as things start to fall apart. I kept turning those pages to find out what happened next and totally immersed myself in surviving that world along with the other Gladers, and trying to figure out how to get out of the maze once and for all. It was intense, gripping, suspenseful with bits of humor thrown in. I loved The Maze Runner until the very end... until the epilogue...

This book is the first book in a trilogy, and I though the book could have happily ended just before the epilogue and still be ready for book 2. The epilogue is a page and a half that sets up the next book, but I would have preferred to have discovered what is in the epilogue in the next book. But even with that minor difference in opinion I can't wait for book 2! ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/75810101 to: The Unit (Trade Paper) by Ninni Holmqvist
Ninni Holmqvist's novel is compelling and disturbing at the same time. From the first turn of the page I was drawn into the futuristic world where childless women who have reached the age 50 and childless men at age 60 are "welcomed" into The Unit. A beautiful spa like setting with walking paths, beautiful gardens', wonderful food, medical experiments and body harvesting from their "residents". Our protagonist is Dorrit, a woman who never had a steady job, had a lover who lived with someone else, and whose loyal dog Jock who was her only family. But without children and not contributing in some job deemed worthy, Dorrit is considered "dispensable". As she gives up her lover, her dog, and her home and gets picked up by The Unit, we enter the world of the "dispensables" and what life means for them. It is a sad, touching and even at times humorous story, that makes us question, what makes a person indispensable? Who has the right to discount a life just because it doesn't conform to the "standard". In The Unit, the government makes that decision, and it is infuriating! I kept trying to think of ways of Dorrit and her new found friends to get out of there. I was angered at how accepting Dorrit was by her circumstances. But part of that acceptance is a kind of new found "family" of people, who care about each other and who finally have found a place where they "fit in". For days after finishing The Unit I was haunted. An amazing book, and one worth reading and discussing! ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1465877-suzanne Suzanne made a comment on Suzanne Levin's profile:

Cheryl wrote: "I see you are reading The Unit. Can't wait to see what you thought of this book. "

Hi Cheryl,
I am almost done with The Unit and I can't put it down, and yet it is so disturbing... Especially since I'm approaching that magic # myself in a few years ]]>