Two More Days Left for Book Giveaway

You have until Friday, June 6th to sign up to win an autographed copy of SLEEPING WITH WARD CLEAVER by Jenny Gardiner! I absolutely loved this book, and I can't even begin to count how many times I found myself laughing out loud while I read it. This book is the perfect pool/beach/summer read. Click here to enter the contest -- it's really easy, all you have to do is leave a comment! I will announce the winner on Saturday.

Review: Becoming a Superhero

Summary: For nine-year-old Billy, becoming a superhero is not going to be easy.

Becoming a Superhero takes readers (8 - 12) back to World War 11 and its aftermath, as they look inside the life of Billy Smith, a 10-year-old living in a Pennsylvania coal mining town. Billy decides he wants to become an American superhero, yet the choices he makes often have disastrous consequences.

The story is a tale of morals and values. A first-person narrative of a young boy, caught between the innocence of childhood and the responsibilities of growing up. Each page is like having Grandpa tell stories of what life was like growing up "in the olden days."

The story is semi-autobiographical, based on published poems of my childhood. I am currently a college instructor teaching psychology and education courses at Ocean County College in New Jersey. -- Book Jacket

I am so happy when I have the chance to review a children's book, especially when it's one that I really enjoy. BECOMING A SUPERHERO by William D. Smith was just a pleasure to read. I immediately felt a tie to this book because like the boy in the story, my father is from a small coal-mining town in Western Pennsylvania and his father was a coalminer. While the young boy in this book was about ten years older than my dad, so many of his stories just felt as if I they could have been part of my family's past. Since I still enjoy hearing so many tales about my father and the people in his hometown, I knew this book would be a lot of fun for me to read.

I was not disappointed -- I thought this book was very funny. The author had a great way of capturing stories through a young boy's eyes. I especially enjoyed how the book was very upbeat and had a good moral message. Each chapter was a cute take on an event in Billy's young life. Not only will children laugh at Billy's stories, but there is a lot of humor that adults will appreciate too. Through Billy's various adventures and the people he meets, he learns many life lessons. He eventually develops a list of superhero rules:

1. Slavery just ain't right (Huck Finn's rule).
2. Problems can be solved peacefully (M. Gandhi's rule).
3. Crimes can be solved using deduction (Dick Tracy's rule).
4. Always do the right thing (Louise's rule).
5. You must have courage, a heart, and a brain (The Wizard's rule).

These rules sound like good advice for people of any age, not just young boys trying to become superheroes.

My 8 1/2 year old daughter read the book too. She thought it was "very, very funny" especially the end when he won the award for his creative arithmetic answers. She said that she even laughed out loud a few times. Booking Daughter also liked that he was always trying to be a superhero; yet he seemed to never do things exactly right. One day he finally got credit for a good deed when he helped save his grandmother during a gas explosion. This book made her feel happy and sad; and she would definitely recommend it to both boys and girls.

BECOMING A SUPERHERO is a very entertaining read. It's just a feel-good, happy story that will entertain children and adults of all ages. I highly recommend it!

Guest Blogger: Jenny Gardiner and a Book Giveaway

I am just thrilled that Jenny Gardiner, author of SLEEPING WITH WARD CLEAVER, agreed to write a guest blog for me! I absolutely adored SLEEPING WITH WARD CLEAVER -- you can read my review here. As you can clearly see, Ms. Gardiner is a hoot and she truly understands us women-folk!

Of Mice and Men

I heard a radio interview recently in which an author was promoting her new book about sex. Sorry, I haven’t the slightest idea of the title of the book. But I did get a good laugh when she talked about a few studies in which researchers tested rats (or was it mice?) while they were getting it on.

Now first off, there is something particularly unseemly about being a voyeur to rat fornication. On so many levels. Not the least of which is because rodents having sex means even more rodents on the horizon. And those rodents will then repeat this wildly reproductive behavior, and so on, and so on. Having fended off my share of mouse infestations over the years, I believe that anything involving insidious rodent procreation should be vigorously avoided at all costs.

But also, there’s a very strong ick factor involved. Little teeny rats (or worse yet, bloated possum-sized black ones like from the movie Ben) doing it in a laboratory simply elicits a sense of repulsion in me. Especially when I learned that one of the tests the scientists performed involved the rats donning polyester pants---miniature rodent disco-wear---so that they could determine the effect of polyester on sperm count.

I wonder who drew the short straw to have to count the rat sperm? And probably worse yet, who had to ensure there was rat sperm to count? I know I'd have volunteered immediately to whip up a few hundred pair of the tiny pants on my sewing machine at home---far, far away from the lab---thus assiduously avoiding those other menial tasks. Though I do love the idea of watching researchers with PhDs hoisting plaid polyester pants onto rat bodies, securing them with Jethro Bodine-like rope ties at the waist.

By the way, in case you were wondering, polyester did in fact decrease sperm count. So there you go, Tony Manero Rat. Disco must be dead for a reason.

But the test I especially enjoyed learning about involved the little buggers in the midst of mousely mating (in the heat of passion, if there is such thing as rodent ardor), only to have the scientists introduce a diversion.

You see, there the mice/rats/whatever were, in lock-and-load mode, when the researchers dropped in some yummy cheese to see what would happen. While the boy rats just kept on doing the nasty, the girl rats? Well, consider it the "filing-your-nails-while-in-the-missionary-position" tactic. Yes, they were far more girls interested in chomping cheese than getting some lovin' from their man. They walked away in flagranto delicto in favor of in flagranto delicious! Talk about coitus interruptus! All for a little Velveeta. I don’t know about any other women out there, but I think I’d have held out for something a little more upscale. Say, a chocolate soufflé with crème anglaise sauce.

Nevertheless, I think those researchers were onto something. And if it takes luring vulnerable girl rats away from their paramours to prove it, well, then, so be it.

Because I suspect we human females have something in common with our rodent cousins. And it's not whiskers (as long as there's waxing, tweezing and electrolysis at our disposal), nor twitching pink noses, and certainly not creepy snake-like tails. None of that. We don't particularly crave cheese either. Except perhaps those women who eschew carbs and then what’s left to eat but cheese?

What we do share is this: females don't want a wham-bam-thank-you-rat experience. They want to be wooed. Wined and dined, made to feel wanted, to feel as if they are the most important thing in the world to their man. Sure, any old creature can get it on. But copulation without representation is not the goal. Well, you know what I mean: sex without passion, without amore, without a modicum of emotion, or (dare I say) adoration, and certainly respect. I'd say most of us would settle for the cheese over that and tell that dirty rat “Good day, mate.” Most days, at any rate.

Any old rodent can have a quickie on the petrie dish (that would be the rat version of doing it on the kitchen table). But when it comes to the long haul, perhaps a lot of men can learn from this rat survey, and figure out how to appeal to the cheese-lover in their woman.

If you are interested in winning an autographed copy of SLEEPING WITH WARD CLEAVER, please leave a comment here telling me why you think you'd enjoy this book. Comments will be accepted until Friday, June 6th at 11:59 p.m. EST. I'm sorry, but this contest is open to US and Canadian citizens only. The winner will be announced on June 7th -- good luck!

Music Meme

Planet Books tagged me with a Favorite Music Meme. I'm going to give this a shot, but you have to understand that my true love is books, not music. It's not that I don't enjoy listening to music, but most of the time my radio is tuned to Radio Disney -- that means that I'm kind of an expert on Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus and the Jonas Brothers!

1. Who is your all-time favorite group/singer/musician?
Probably U2 -- I would love to see them in concert someday!

2. Who was your first favorite group/singer/musician?
According to my mom, it was Andy Williams when I was just a toddler. A few years later, I loved Sonny and Cher; Donny and Marie soon followed -- I even had the dolls. By about 10 years old, I was totally infatuated with Olivia Newton John and the Grease and Xanadu soundtracks.

3. Who’s the most recent addition to your list of favorite albums?
I just added George Michael's Twenty Five to my i-pod. I ran to the 25 for Living this morning.

4. If someone asked you who your favorite groups/singers/musicians were, which ones would be the first to pop out of your mouth? U2, Maroon 5, Daughtry, Pink, Sara Bareilles, Casting Crowns, Gwen Stefani, The Police, and Sting.

I'm not going to tag anyone specific for this meme; so if you want to play, just leave me a link to your answers. Thanks to Planet Books for including me!

Review: Sleeping with Ward Cleaver

Summary: CLEAVERED

Wham, bam, no-thank-you, ma'am. That about sums up the sex life of Claire Doolittle. Not-so-happily married to Jack—once the man of her dreams but now a modern-day version of the bossy, dull Ward Cleaver of ’50s sitcom fame—Claire is at the end of her rope. Gone are the glorious days of flings in elevators and broom closets. Jack? All he needs is a cardigan and a billowing pipe to become the domineering father figure Claire never wanted. And looking at her body in the mirror, Claire would cast herself as Lumpy. They’d once had a world of color, of wanton frivolity. Now, life’s black and white: a sitcom in reruns. A not-very-funny sitcom. Cue an old boyfriend—the "one that got away"—throw in a predatory hottie who's set her sights on our leading man, and watch Claire's world spiral out of control.

In the old TV show, the Beaver always got a happy ending. Stay tuned. -- Dorchester Publications

When Jenny Gardiner contacted me a few weeks ago about reading her debut novel SLEEPING WITH WARD CLEAVER, I was absolutely thrilled. The book's title and cover caught my attention a few months ago when I first saw it on Dorchester Publications' website. I was a pretty big fan of the Leave it to Beaver television series when I was a child, so how could I resist? Add to that the book's summary which sounded hilarious, and I just knew I had to read it.

I have to admit up front that I am a little biased towards Ms. Gardiner. Like me, she is a Penn State graduate; so that automatically makes her part of my extended family (albeit I'm not sure that she wants to be part of my family.) All that Nittany Lion stuff aside, Ms. Gardiner is a very funny, talented writer -- she even won the Romantic Times/Dorchester Publishing sponsored American Title contest in 2007. Within the first few pages of this book, I was laughing out loud. The book does take a more serious turn as Claire tries to repair her marriage, but there are still lots (and lots) of very funny scenes!

I think every mom who has been married for awhile can relate to this book! I don't want to say that my life mirrors Claire's life exactly (because my marriage isn't in shambles), but I could certainly relate to so much of what she was saying about her life as a mother -- taking forgotten lunch boxes to school (on numerous occasions,) cleaning up vomit and pet messes, feeling exhausted at the end of the day, and forgetting who we were before we became mothers! What mother hasn't experienced these feeelings some of the time?

I really enjoyed the overall message that I got from reading this book -- that you and your partner both have to work together to keep the "zing" in your marriage. It is just so easy to get caught up in the hectic nature of everyday life that we forget to take care of ourselves and each other. This book was really about Claire re-discovering herself and remembering why she fell in love with Jack in the first place. I like that both Claire and Jack looked at their behavior and mutually accepted blame for the problems in their marriage. Together, they worked on fixing things. I just love happy endings!

I would love the opportunity to meet Ms. Gardiner someday -- I have a feeling that she is a laugh a minute! In the meantime, I'll have to be satisfied with reading her weekly essays on The Debutante Ball (a grog which I love and follow everyday.) If you'd like to learn more about Ms. Gardiner, you can visit her website and read this interview.

SLEEPING WITH WARD CLEAVER is a hilarious read that's perfect for the summer (and it retails for $6.99 so it's quite a bargain.) If this book sounds like something you are interested in, make sure you come back tomorrow. Not only will I be running a contest to give one lucky reader a copy of SLEEPING WITH WARD CLEAVER, but I will also be posting a wonderful essay written by guest blogger Jenny Gardiner.

Also reviewed at:
A Book Blogger's Diary
J. Kaye's Book Blog

Mother Daughter Book Club Meeting #4

Summary: Tommy and his sister Annika have a new neighbor, and her name is Pippi Longstocking. She has crazy red pigtails, no parents to tell her what to do, a horse that lives on her porch, and a flair for the outrageous that seems to lead to one adventure after another! -- Penguin Group USA

I am so happy to say that our Mother Daughter Book Club is going strong. Even though everyone is super busy right now with end of the school year events, we still had five moms and daughter groups at our meeting. The girls gathered their snacks and sat at the table, while the moms were chatting in the kitchen. Before we knew what was going on, the girls started their own discussion. While I was very interested in knowing what they were saying, they made it quite clear that they wanted to do this on their own! Of course, we kept peeking in at them and tried to listen to what they were saying. Much to our enjoyment, all of the girls were asking questions and discussing the book. Even though I kind of felt like I was missing their discussion, I was so proud that the girls took their own initiative to "run" the meeting on their own.

It was unanimous among the girls that PIPPI LONGSTOCKING by Astrid Lindgren was the best book that we've read and discussed so far. I'm pretty sure that's because the girls actually picked what book they wanted to read rather than following the Mother Daughter Book Club kit. They all loved the book and now want to read the other books about Pippi's adventures. Most of the girls chose the chapter with Pippi at the circus as their favorite, but one girl thought the chapter where Pippi went to school was the funniest (I have to agree with her on that one.)

Next month, my daughter and I will be hosting the book club meeting. We gave the girls two options for the next book -- MEET KIT and BRIDGE TO TERABITHIA. By a vote of 4 to 1, MEET KIT will be our next book club selection. Personally, I love the American Girl books and can't wait to read it. We also thought it might be fun to go as a book club to the new Kit Kittredge American Girl Movie which comes to theatres on July 2nd!

Review: Ashley's Unforgettable Summer

Summary: Ashley was not prepared for the turmoil and disasters this baby chimpanzee would create. At times, she wished she had left, baby Tina, at her home in Africa.

Rylee, Ashley's best friend did her best to help.

However, this baby chimpanzee always seemed to be one step ahead of them.

There was no slowing down with Tina.

Would they ever be able to control her? Just how far would she go? -- book jacket

When I was asked to review ASHLEY'S UNFORGETTABLE SUMMER by Grace Reddick and illustrated by Charr Floyd, I thought it would be a good book to read with my 8 1/2 year old daughter since the book is supposedly aimed at 9 to 12 year olds. When I received the book in the mail, I was actually surprised that it looked like a book more suited to my preschool age son -- the cover and the illustrations reminded me a little of Clifford; however, when I opened it, I knew it was way too long to read to a preschooler in one sitting. I asked my daughter to read it (to herself) and give me her impressions.

Booking Daughter actually thought the book was good and really funny! She enjoyed reading about Tina's behavior; and she thought the pictures did a good job of explaining what was taking place in the book. Her favorite part was when Tina made a mess of the paints in the garage, and Ashley got covered in purple paint. She liked that Ashley's mom thought Ashley had dyed her hair purple rather than blaming the chimpanzee for the mess -- the mom even thought Tina deserved a treat because she had stayed out of trouble for a few days.

I know this book was not targeted for me, but I still had a lot of unanswered questions after I read it -- like why was Ashley's family visiting Africa and why did her parents allow her to bring home a chimpanzee? My daughter also asked why the parents even let her have a chimpanzee in the first place. I'm not sure a 9 to 12 year old kid can just "accept" the story. I know that I just didn't quite get it.

Overall, I found this book to be a little schizophrenic. The storyline and illustrations would probably have appealed more to my 3 1/2 year old son than my 8 1/2 year old daughter -- there were lots of funny pictures and stories about a wild chimpanzee living with a family. However, the actual story was quite long, coming in at 51 pages -- with some of them being full-length pages of text. However, my daughter said that she enjoyed the book -- so what do I know?