Carol's Notebook

Thanks to Marcia at The Printed Page for hosting Mailbox Monday.  I love coming home after work and finding a package waiting for me. Amber was happy this week, too, because one is perfect for her to read this summer.   Viva Cisco by Patrick Shannon Viva Cisco is a trilogy of funny stories for kids. All three tales unfold in a land called Topopootl, which lies in a hidden valley deep in the heart of Mexico. Because of its seclusion, the inhabitants have created a society without the benefit of human contact, and they don't seem to have missed out on anything important in the absence of that dubious blessing. In fact, they probably have more pure merriment and boisterous excitement than any human community could ever conceive. Much of the credit for that, though, must be laid at the feet of Topopootl's most..uh.. stimulating citizen, one Cisco las Verde Arara del Gucigalpa. Aka, Cisco the Parrot. The Scarecrow by Michael Connelly (audiobook) Forced out of...

Congratulations! You won Do-Over! by Robin Hemley. Marie Kelly Icedream wendy wallach Becca I'll be e-mailing you today or tomorrow. If you could just send me your mailing address, I'll pass it on to Hachette Book Group. I hope you enjoy the book....

I thought I'd let you know some of the giveaways I ran across this week. If you have one you want added to next week's list, let me know in the comments. As always, my current giveaways are listed on my sidebar. Books Ravens by George Dawes Green, at Bermudaonion (ends June 3, US and Canada) First Comes Love, Then Comes Malaria by Eve Brown-Waite, at A Reader's Respite (ends June 12, international) Mating Rituals of the North American WASP by Lauren Lipton, at Booking Mama (ends June 10, US and Canada) Santa Olivia by Jacqueline Carey, at Chic Book Chick (ends June 3, US and Canada, no PO boxes) Mating Rituals of the North American WASP by Lauren Lipton, at Diary of an Eccentric (ends June 3, US and Canada, no PO boxes) Bound to Please by Lilli Feisty, at Drey's Library (ends June 5, US and Canada, no PO boxes) Four short story collections at Fantasy & Sci-Fi Lovin' News & Reviews (ends June 12, international) Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by...

Congratulations! You won The Girl Who Stopped Swimming by Joshilyn Jackson. Allykatt Mishia Freda Mans Renee G Dixie I've also got another winner of The Man's Book by Thomas Fink. Megan I'll send you an e-mail later today, but I'll just need your mailing address to pass on to the Hachette Book Group. I hope you enjoy the book....

In the perfect follow-up to last week’s question, as suggested by C in DC: Is there a book that you wish you could “unread”? One that  you disliked so thoroughly you wish you could just forget that you ever read it? One immediately popped into my head: Smonk by Tom Franklin. I hated it, but at the same time had to finish it, kinda like a car wreck you can't look away from. It was gross, gory, violent, just basically too over-the-top for me. What about you, any books you wish you could unread? Join in!...