Wicked Wednesday - Hispanic Heritage Month

Wicked Wednesday Giveaway
Special Edition: Hispanic Heritage!
Sept 30 - Oct 14

In honor of our Hispanic Heritage, Isalys and I will be giving away 5 sets of these amazingly wonderful books!
That means 5 lucky people will get 5 books each!!

Important Note:
There are some differences. The first being that we will no longer group the giveaways on one post. Please scroll down to check out the other giveaways or look on our side bar. =)
Also, participants in our giveaways will have to fill out an easy Google Doc in order to submit their entry. You will still be required to make a comment on the giveaway post saying you've filled out the form. This will make our lives sooooo much easier AND we'll be able to choose the winners quicker and have all the information on one place.
*We ♥ Google Docs*

FILL OUT THIS FORM TO ENTER THIS AWESOME GIVEAWAY!

Don't forget about our other awesome giveaways!
The Historian by Elizabeth Kotova {Ends Oct 7}
The Smart One and the Pretty One by Claire LaZebnick {Ends Oct 7}

Click on the links to learn more about these amazing books!
1. Zumba® By Beto Perez , Maggie Greenwood-Robinson ISBN: 0446546127
2. Evenings at the Argentine Club By Julia Amante ISBN: 0446581623
3. Damas, Dramas, and Ana Ruiz By Belinda Acosta ISBN: 044654051X
4. Tell Me Something True By Leila Cobo ISBN: 0446519367
5. Amigoland By Oscar Casares ISBN: 0316159697

♥We have 5 sets available♥

Rules {Please Read Carefully}
• To enter the giveaway you must leave a comment. Please leave your email address otherwise we will not be able to get in touch with the winners.
• Books will be delivered directly from the publishers so the giveaways are only available for U.S. and Canada residents. No P.O. boxes please.
• Winners will be drawn Wednesday, October 14 at Noon and posted soon thereafter. The winners will have until Sunday, October 18 to contact us via email with their mailing addresses. If the winner has not contacted us by the due date, we will be randomly choose another winner as this is only fair to the other participants.
• Alternate winners will be drawn by Sunday at Noon.
• Winners will be chosen using random.org!

Ways to earn extra entries:
+1 for being a follower
+1 for following us on Twitter
+1 for following us on Blogged
+1 for subscribing via email or RSS reader
+1 for comments on other posts throughout the week
(Please reference which other posts you've commented on.)
+1 for twittering or posting about this giveaway on your blog/site
(Please include a link to the post.)

{Special Note: Please Read}
Dear Friends,
If you're one of the lucky winners of any giveaway we've hosted and you have not received an email from us, please feel free to just send us your addresses via email to booksoulmates[at]gmail[dot]com. We know you'll be understanding when we say that we haven't gotten around to emailing everyone! We love hosting the giveaways and feel, being the book lovers that we are, that we're sharing something special with you all. As you all know, besides maintaining this fabulous blog, we're either going to school, work, with our families, or reading :) We DO try to get to everyone as fast as possible but sometimes life just gets in the way. So we'd really appreciate it if you'd be kind enough to just forward your addresses to us.
Thanks for understanding!
Your Book ♥ Soulmates :)

♥ Feel free to contact us via email at booksoulmates[at]gmail[dot]com if
you have any questions ♥

Good Luck!

Tuesday's Teasers 09.29.09

New releases for September 29, 2009



For more upcoming releases of the Vampire kind, check out:
Vampire Genre



You can check out Nely's review of "Her Fearful Symmetry" here.

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading and it asks us to...

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other Teaser Tuesday participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers!
  

Here is Isalys's teaser for this week:
"I didn't think I belonged here in her world, a boy stuck between two lives, dragging the dangers of the wolves with me, but when she said my name, waiting for me to follow, I knew I'd do anything to stay with her. "
~p. 114 from "Shiver" by Maggie Stiefvater

Here is Vanessa's teaser for this week:
"Nefertiti came to my bed the next morning. She shook me from a deep sleep, exhausted sleep and I sat up quickly, afraid that something had gone wrong, "What? What happened?"
"I made love to the king."
~ p. 67 from "Nefertiti" by Michelle Moran

Manic Monday...The Lovely Bones

Yay, another book-to-movie announcement :)

THE LOVELY BONES by ALICE SEBOLD

Synopsis:
When we first meet Susie Salmon, she is already in heaven. As she looks down from this strange new place, she tells us, in the fresh and spirited voice of a fourteen-year-old girl, a tale that is both haunting and full of hope. In the weeks following her death, Susie watches life on Earth continuing without her-her school friends trading rumors about her disappearance, her family holding out hope that she'll be found, her killer trying to cover his tracks. As months pass without leads, Susie sees her parents' marriage being contorted by loss, her sister hardening herself in an effort to stay strong, and her little brother trying to grasp the meaning of the word gone. And she explores the place called heaven. It looks a lot like her school playground, with the good kind of swing sets. There are counselors to help newcomers adjust and friends to room with. Everything she ever wanted appears as soon as she thinks of it-except the thing she most wants: to be back with the people she loved on Earth. With compassion, longing, and a growing understanding, Susie sees her loved ones pass through grief and begin to mend. Her father embarks on a risky quest to ensnare her killer. Her sister undertakes a feat of remarkable daring. And the boy Susie cared for moves on, only to find himself at the center of a miraculous event. The Lovely Bones is luminous and astonishing, a novel that builds out of grief the most hopeful of stories. In the hands of a brilliant new writer, this story of the worst thing a family can face is transformed into a suspenseful and even funny novel about love, memory, joy, heaven, and healing.

Here's the scoop on the new movie:

Cast: Rachel Weisz, Mark Wahlberg, Susan Sarandon, Stanley Tucci, Michael Imperioli, Saoirse Ronan (Great cast :)

Director: Peter Jackson

Distributor: Paramount Pictures

MPAA Rating: Not yet rated

Release Date: December 11th (wide)

Check out the trailer here:

Fresh Friday 09.25.09

Vanessa's Choice:
Mixed Greens and Pear Salad

Prep Time: 10 min| Total Time: 10 min| Makes: 8 servings

What You Need:

1/3 cup PLANTERS Pecan Halves
1/2 tsp. cinnamon sugar
1 pkg. (5 oz.) torn mixed salad greens
1 large pear, thinly sliced
1/2 cup KRAFT 2% Milk Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup KRAFT Light House Italian Dressing

Make It!
COMBINE nuts and cinnamon sugar in microwaveable pie plate sprayed with cooking spray; spread evenly onto bottom of pie plate. Microwave on HIGH 1 to 1-1/2 min. or until nuts are toasted, stirring every 30 sec.

TOSS greens with pears, cheese and cranberries in large bowl.

ADD nuts and dressing; mix lightly. Serve immediately.

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Isalys's Choice:
Chocolate Berry Bliss

Prep Time: 5 min| Total Time: 1 hr 5 min| Makes: 6 servings

What You Need:

2 cups cold fat-free milk
1 pkg. (4-serving size) JELL-O Chocolate Fat Free Sugar Free
Instant Pudding
1/2 cup thawed COOL WHIP Sugar Free Whipped Topping
1 cup sliced fresh strawberries

Make It!
POUR milk into medium bowl. Add dry pudding mix. Beat with wire whisk 2 min. or until well blended. Gently stir in whipped topping.

SPOON half of the pudding mixture evenly into six dessert glasses. Top with layers of strawberries and the remaining pudding mixture.

REFRIGERATE at least 1 hour before serving. Store leftovers in refrigerator.

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Back on Fresh Friday 7/10/09 , I posted a recipe for "Chips Ahoy! Cheesecake Sandwiches" which I made a few weeks later.

We wanted to share some pics with you :)



They were really easy to make and sooo yummy!!

Thursday's Thoughts 9.24.09...Earn Extra GA Pts

This week, we're giving away "The Historian" by Elizabeth Kostova.

But did you know that it has to do with the most infamous "vampire" of all, Dracula! Or rather, the person that the character of Dracula is based on...

How much do you know about Vlad The Impaler?

1. How did Vlad III get his surname "Dracula"?

2. Where is Vlad III believed to have been born and in what year?

3. What was his native country?

4. Who captured & imprisoned him and for how long?

5. What were the years of his reign?

6. The number of his victims [allegedly] range from ____ to ____?

7. His preferred and most famous method of torture was impalement, but what other methods did his practice?

8. How did he finally die?

9. Transylvania is credited with the legend of the vampire, but where did it truly originate? (Hint: It's a region, not a specific country)

10. Bram Stoker borrowed the name Dracul/Dracula for his novel, but who else is believed to have inspired the creature of his story? (Hint: Another historical figure)

Rules:

• All answers must be submitted via EMAIL only to
booksoulmates [at] gmail [dot] com.
• Please post a comment saying that your answers have been sent so we can make sure they're received.
• Each question is worth 1 extra point for a potential maximum of 10 points.
• Each point is redeemable for an extra entry in the giveaways.
(that's up to 10 extra entries)
• Everyone has until Wednesday, 10.7.09 to submit their answers for this quiz.

NOTE: Answers submitted to this quiz will be applied to entries for
The Historian and The Smart One and The Pretty One

Wicked Wednesday Giveaway Part 2!

Your favorite day of the week is here again:
Wicked Wednesday Giveaways! Yay!
Sept 23 - Oct 7

We are super excited to be giving away 2 wonderful book this week!
Our Other Giveaway for Sept 23 - Oct 7
The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova!

Important Note:
There are some differences. The first being that we will no longer group the giveaways on one post. Please scroll down to check out the other giveaways or look on our side bar. =)
Also, participants in our giveaways will have to fill out an easy Google Doc in order to submit their entry. You will still be required to make a comment on the giveaway post saying you've filled out the form. This will make our lives sooooo much easier AND we'll be able to choose the winners quicker and have all the information on one place.
*We ♥ Google Docs*

FILL OUT THIS FORM TO ENTER GIVEAWAY!!

♥Book up for grabs ♥
The Smart One and the Pretty One by Claire LaZebnik
* Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
* Pub. Date: September 2008
* ISBN-13: 9780446582063
* 304pp

Synopsis:
When Ava Nickerson was a child, her mother jokingly betrothed her to a friend's son, and the contract the parents made has stayed safely buried for years. Now that still-single Ava is closing in on thirty, no one even remembers she was once "engaged" to the Markowitz boy. But when their mother is diagnosed with cancer, Ava's prodigal little sister Lauren comes home to Los Angeles where she stumbles across the decades-old document.
Frustrated and embarrassed by Ava's constant lectures about financial responsibility (all because she's in a little debt. Okay, a lot of debt), Lauren decides to do some sisterly interfering of her own and tracks down her sister's childhood fiancé. When she finds him, the highly inappropriate, twice-divorced, but incredibly charming Russell Markowitz is all too happy to re-enter the Nickerson sisters' lives, and always-accountable Ava is forced to consider just how binding a contract really is . . .

Author Website
Reading Group Guide

♥We have 5 copies Available♥

Rules {Please Read Carefully}
• To enter the giveaway you must leave a comment. Please leave your email address otherwise we will not be able to get in touch with the winners.
• Books will be delivered directly from the publishers so the giveaways are only available for U.S. and Canada residents. No P.O. boxes please.
• Winners will be drawn Wednesday, October 7 at Noon and posted soon thereafter. The winners will have until Sunday, October 11 to contact us via email with their mailing addresses. If the winner has not contacted us by the due date, we will be randomly choose another winner as this is only fair to the other participants.
• Alternate winners will be drawn by Sunday at Noon.
• Winners will be chosen using random.org!

Ways to earn extra entries:
+1 for being a follower
+1 for following us on Twitter
+1 for following us on Blogged
+1 for subscribing via email or RSS reader
+1 for comments on other posts throughout the week
(Please reference which other posts you've commented on.)
+1 for twittering or posting about this giveaway on your blog/site
(Please include a link to the post.)

{Special Note: Please Read}
Dear Friends,
If you're one of the lucky winners of any giveaway we've hosted and you have not received an email from us, please feel free to just send us your addresses via email to booksoulmates[at]gmail[dot]com. We know you'll be understanding when we say that we haven't gotten around to emailing everyone! We love hosting the giveaways and feel, being the book lovers that we are, that we're sharing something special with you all. As you all know, besides maintaining this fabulous blog, we're either going to school, work, with our families, or reading :) We DO try to get to everyone as fast as possible but sometimes life just gets in the way. So we'd really appreciate it if you'd be kind enough to just forward your addresses to us.
Thanks for understanding!
Your Book ♥ Soulmates :)

♥ Feel free to contact us via email at booksoulmates[at]gmail[dot]com if
you have any questions ♥

Good Luck!

Wicked Wednesday Giveaway Part 1

Wicked Wednesday Giveaway
Sept 23 - Oct 7

We are super excited to be giving away 2 wonderful book this week!

Important Note:
There are some differences. The first being that we will no longer group the giveaways on one post. Please scroll down to check out the other giveaways or look on our side bar. =)
Also, participants in our giveaways will have to fill out an easy Google Doc in order to submit their entry. You will still be required to make a comment on the giveaway post saying you've filled out the form. This will make our lives sooooo much easier AND we'll be able to choose the winners quicker and have all the information on one place.
*We ♥ Google Docs*

FILL OUT THIS FORM TO ENTER GIVEAWAY

♥Book up for grabs ♥
The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova
* Publisher: Little, Brown & Company
* Pub. Date: October 2006
* ISBN-13: 9780316154543
* 704pp

Synopsis:
In this riveting debut of breathtaking scope, a young girl discovers her father's darkest secret and embarks on a harrowing journey across Europe to complete the quest he never could -- to find history's most legendary fiend -- Dracula.

When a motherless American girl living in Europe finds a medieval book and a package of letters, all addressed ominously to "My dear and unfortunate successor..." she begins to unravel a thread that leads back to her father's past, his mentor's career, and an evil hidden in the depths of history.

In those few quiet moments, she unwittingly assumes a quest she will discover is her birthright -- a hunt that nearly brought her father to ruin and may have claimed the life of his adviser and dear friend, history professor Bartholomew Rossi. What does the legend of Vlad the Impaler, the historical Dracula, have to do with the 20th century? Is it possible that Dracula has lived on in the modern world? And why have a select few historians risked reputation, sanity, and even their lives to learn the answer?

So begins an epic journey to unlock the secrets of the strange medieval book, an adventure that will carry our heroine across Europe and into the past -- not only to the times of Vlad's heinous reign, but to the days when her mother was alive and her father was still a vibrant young scholar. In the end, she uncovers the startling fate of Rossi, and comes face to face with the definition of evil -- to find, ultimately, that good may not always triumph.

Reading Group Guide

♥We'll have between 1-5 copies. Not sure yet how many the publisher will allow us to give.. But definitely at least 1!♥

Rules {Please Read Carefully}
• To enter the giveaway you must leave a comment. Please leave your email address otherwise we will not be able to get in touch with the winners.
• Books will be delivered directly from the publishers so the giveaways are only available for U.S. and Canada residents. No P.O. boxes please.
• Winners will be drawn Wednesday, October 7 at Noon and posted soon thereafter. The winners will have until Sunday, October 11 to contact us via email with their mailing addresses. If the winner has not contacted us by the due date, we will be randomly choose another winner as this is only fair to the other participants.
• Alternate winners will be drawn by Sunday at Noon.
• Winners will be chosen using random.org!

Ways to earn extra entries:
+1 for being a follower
+1 for following us on Twitter
+1 for following us on Blogged
+1 for subscribing via email or RSS reader
+1 for comments on other posts throughout the week
(Please reference which other posts you've commented on.)
+1 for twittering or posting about this giveaway on your blog/site
(Please include a link to the post.)

{Special Note: Please Read}
Dear Friends,
If you're one of the lucky winners of any giveaway we've hosted and you have not received an email from us, please feel free to just send us your addresses via email to booksoulmates[at]gmail[dot]com. We know you'll be understanding when we say that we haven't gotten around to emailing everyone! We love hosting the giveaways and feel, being the book lovers that we are, that we're sharing something special with you all. As you all know, besides maintaining this fabulous blog, we're either going to school, work, with our families, or reading :) We DO try to get to everyone as fast as possible but sometimes life just gets in the way. So we'd really appreciate it if you'd be kind enough to just forward your addresses to us.
Thanks for understanding!
Your Book ♥ Soulmates :)

♥ Feel free to contact us via email at booksoulmates[at]gmail[dot]com if
you have any questions ♥

Good Luck!

Tuesday's Teasers 09.22.09

Today's new releases are:

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading and it asks us to...

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other Teaser Tuesday participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers!
  

Here is Vanessa's teaser for this week:
To follow...

Here is Isalys's teaser for this week:
"Isidore reached up and pulled the bell cord to summon her maid. Cosway's day as a bachelor - and a virgin - were numbered."
~p. 39 from "When The Duke Returns" by Eloisa James

Just a note for our followers...

Good morning everyone!

I just wanted to drop you all a little note apologizing for the craziness on our blog as of late. Both Vanessa and I have been really tied up with our crazy work and/or travel schedules lately so we haven't been very timely with our posts. We hope you all haven't minded too much!

Things are slowly getting back to normal so we should be back on track soon...at least for a little while. I have a big trip coming up in a few weeks at the end of October so things might get a bit crazy again, lol. Vanessa will be "holding down the fort" as my boss says :)

A quick change of subject, we've gotten a few emails about [giveaway] books that haven't been received yet by the winners. Please note that sometimes the books take several weeks to ship out and depending on which publisher it's from, they ship from various parts of the country.

We ask that you please allow about 3 weeks to receive them. If you haven't received them by the 4th week or so, then please contact us and let us know. We'll be happy to follow up with the publisher for you :)

Thanks and have a great day!!

And the winners are...

Here are the winners for our most recent Blog Tour and Giveaways:

Blog Tour:
1. Karen H in NC
2. Wanda B
3. Okibum
4. Heather
5. Marjorie





Blog Tour:
1. Estella
2. ColleenFL
3. RachieG
4. Pixie13
5. Carol






Winner of one signed copy is:
Caroline








Winner of one signed copy is:
Aik

All winners were chosen using random.org and all extra points earned were included. Everyone will be contacted via email and we look forward to your reply with your name & mailing address (no PO Boxes please). Your prize will be shipping directly from the Publisher's office.

If for any reason, you do not receive our email and you see that you have won, then please feel free to just email us your contact info.

Will Fairies Be The New Film Trend?

We have another great film announcement for you :)

Most you you already know that Disney plans on turning YA book "Wings" by Aprilynne Pike into a big feature film starring Miley Cyrus. However, it's not the only one...

Universal Pictures has acquired the rights and will be working on releasing a film based on Melissa Marr's ever popular series, "Wicked Lovely". The movie will be produced by Wild West Picture Show Productions and adapted by Caroline Thompson.

Wild West is owned by Vince Vaughn and most recently produced his new film "Couples Retreat" and you know Caroline Thompson from movies like Edward Scissorhands, Nightmare Before Christmas, and Corpse Bride. This makes me extra excited because it so happens that I LOVEEEE all three of these movies!!

No casting information or release dates have been announced yet, but we will definitely keep an eye out for updates so we keep you guys posted!

Click here to read Variety's press release

And a quick little note for you "Wicked Lovely" fans, the fourth installment "Radiant Shadows" is scheduled for release on April 20, 2010 so don't forget to mark your calendars :)

Going back to movies though, most of us were pretty quick to jump on the vampire/werewolf TV & film bandwagon with Twilight, Sookie Stackhouse/True Blood, Vampire Diaries, etc. Do you guys think that Fairies will be the next big thing? Let us know...

Manic Monday...Inglorious Basterds

With such iconic films as the Oscar-winning Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill: Volumes 1 & 2, and Reservoir Dogs, Quentin Tarantino has become the most famous and revered writer/director of his generation. Now he's back with his most ambitious movie yet: the World War II epic Inglourious Basterds. Starring Brad Pitt and filmed on location in Germany and France, it has the largest cast of characters of any Tarantino film to date. The movie will premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2009.

The action tale follows the parallel story of a guerilla-like squad of American soldiers called "The Basterds" and the French Jewish teenage girl Shosanna who find themselves behind enemy Nazi lines during the German occupation. When the Inglourious Basterds encounter Shosanna at a propaganda screening at the movie house she runs, they conspire to launch an unexpected plot to end the war. Pitt plays Lieutenant Aldo Raine-the leader of the Basterds. Raine is an illiterate hillbilly from the mountains of Tennessee who puts together a team of eight Jewish-American soldiers to hunt down the Nazis.

Filled with Tarantino's trademark electric dialogue and thrilling action sequences, Inglourious Basterds is destined to become one of the most talked about films of 2009 and a landmark in cinematic history.

Official Website

Vanessa's Review:
Wow! Where do I begin? Tarantino does not let us down in this World War II Nazi-infested tale of survival and gruesome murders (ahh, the irony). The screenplay parallels two different stories. The first being with Shosanna Dreyfuss. She's a jewish girl hiding from the Nazi's under the floorboards of a German Farmhouse. Her family gets machine-gunned by Colonel Landa's minions in front her and is the only survivor. Her mission in life stays the same: survival but with a twist -- to get revenge. The second story to parallel Shosanna's is about the Inglourious Basterds led by Lieutenant Aldo Raine. The basterds mission is to kill all Nazi's, torture them like they've tortured all the Jews, and scalp them. Their stories meet up when all the prominent Nazi's converge in the same cinema. Shosanna and the Basterds are simultaneously planning their revenge in the same location, at the same time, though neither knows about the other. Will they both execute their plans effectively? Or will they die trying?

The story is definitely Tarantino-esque will all the mayhem and witty dialogue. If I would post all the lines that I liked the most, I'd be here a while, and you'd be reading the entire screenplay! I'll just post a little dialogue between Lt. Aldo Raine and the Basterds that happened in the beginning of chapter 2 and sums up the Basterd's mission:

Excerpt:

Lt. Aldo Raine: "My name is Lt. Aldo Raine and I need me eight soldiers. Eight Jewish-American soldiers. Now, y'all might of heard rumors about the armada happening soon. Well, we'll be leaving a little earlier. We're gonna be dropped into France, dressed as civilians. And once we're in enemy territory, as a bushwackin' guerrilla army, we're gonna be doing one thing and one thing only... killing Nazis. Members of nationalist socialist party conquered Europe through murder, torture, intimation, and terror. And that's exactly what we're gonna do to them. Now, I don't know about y'all, but I sure as hell didn't come down from the goddamn Smoky Mountains, cross five thousand miles of water, fight my way through half Sicily and then jump out of a fuckin' air-o-plane to teach the Nazis lessons in humanity. Nazi ain't got no humanity. They're the foot soldiers of a Jew-hatin', mass murderin' maniac and they need to be dee-stroyed. That's why every son of a bitch we find wearin' a Nazi uniform, they're gonna die. We will be cruel to the Germans and through our cruelty they will know who we are. They will find the evidence of our cruelty in the disemboweled, dismembered, disfigured bodies their brothers we leave behind us and the Germans will not be able to help themselves from imagining the cruelty their brothers endured at our hands, at our boot heels, and the edge of our knives. And the Germans will be sickened by us, the Germans will talk about us and the Germans will fear us. And when the Germans close their eyes at night and their subconscious tortures them for the evil they've done, it will be with thoughts of us that it tortures them with. Sound good?"

The Basterds: "YES, SIR!"

Lt. Aldo Raine: "That's what I like to hear. But I got a word of warning to all would-be warriors. When you join my command, you take on a debit. A debit you owe me personally. Each and every man under my command owes me one hundred Nazi scalps. And I want my scalps. And all y'all will git me one hundred Nazi scalps, taken from the heads of one hundred dead Nazis. Or you will die tryin'."

Inglourious Basterds' Movie trailer:

Vampire Diaries - Webisodes 1-4

Check out these awesome Vampire Diaries webisodes!

(Webisode 1)



(Webisode 2)



(webisode 3)


(webisode 4)

New Da Vinci Code book

Courtesy of: http://www.Telegraph.co.uk

More than 6.5 million copies have been printed of the highly anticipated sequel to the 2003 mega hit, as book stores around the world brace themselves for an unprecedented stampede from hungry fans.

As well as being one of the largest first print runs in publishing history, an electronic version of the novel, which took Brown five years to write, will be released on the same day.
It is also already at the top of Amazon’s best seller list.

“The Lost Symbol” features the star of the series Robert Langdon, the Harvard University professor, returning to solve another, as yet disclosed, mystery.

Experts say the latest book, to be published in Britain by Random House, is the most sought after novel since the last Harry Potter book.

Despite savage reviews, with critics including Salman Rushdie saying the books were an example of appalling writing, the series has became a worldwide phenomenon, with more than 81m copies in print.

The film, which starred Tom Hanks as Langdon, got even worse reviews but stunned critics by taking almost £500 million at the box office.

Extraordinary measures have been taken to keep the content’s under wraps, with the only detail the publishers have disclosed is that it takes place over a 12-hour period in Washington.

Guards have been posted at book warehouses across the globe, anyone who has come into contact with the book has had to sign a non-disclosure agreement and the reclusive author has not done the usual pre-launch publicity tour, bar one interview with the popular Today programme in the US.

"We have closed circuit TVs that are monitoring the books at all times in a secure area that is also guarded," said Random House spokeswoman, Jacqueline Updike.

Amazon says it is also keeping the book "under 24-hour guard in its own chain-link enclosure, with two locks requiring two separate people for entry".

The cover of the book, the third in a series featuring Langdon, shows the Capitol in Washington and a wax seal containing a double-headed phoenix, the numeral 33, and the words "ordo ae chao," Latin for "order to chaos."

The design supports rumours that Freemasons are at the heart of the story.
Beyond this, little is known about the plot as the publishers haven’t distributed advance review copies.

Fans worldwide have been speculating on Facebook and Twitter while Brown has also been dropping hints through strategic “tweets” including a photograph of a Mount Athos monastery in Greece, the American presidential seal and a bar of music marked "allegretto".

"This novel has been a strange and wonderful journey," Brown said in a message on his website.

"Weaving five years of research into the story's 12-hour timeframe was an exhilarating challenge. Robert Langdon's life clearly moves a lot faster than mine."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/booknews/6177481/New-Da-Vinci-Code-book-to-break-publishing-records-amid-unprecedented-security.html

New Moon Movie Trailer (The Lastest One)

*Sigh*

We can't wait to watch it!
(Thanks Nely for the heads up!)

Author Spotlight: Gigi Levangie Grazer

Jackson Power. A name like the man himself: aggressive, ambitious, bullish. The prodigal son, heir to millions, built his own Manhattan real estate empire and revels in seeing his moniker — Power! — on glittering skyscrapers around the city that never sleeps. Beneath his desk in the towering Power headquarters, Jacks has a stack of newspapers and photographs of himself, shaking hands with the most famous men and women of his generation. Here's a man who's always loved to see his name in ink. Until now.

Cynthia Hunsaker Power. She is the epitome of elegance and society. The perfect foil for a man of Jack's stature — his first and only wife, he'd proudly tell any of his Master of the Universe (read: Gargoyle) friends. The former prima ballerina arrived in New York at eighteen, off the bus from Missouri, brimming with talent, beauty, and drive. She met a struggling painter, fell in love, and only later learned she'd won the Power lottery. Now she sits on the New York Ballet Theater board, effortlessly outdoing herself with one gala after another. But the press coverage of the Power silver anniversary party at the Waldorf takes the cake.

Jacks Power appears twice in the New York Post the next morning — once gallantly dancing with his wife of twenty-five years, Cynthia; and once hand in hand with Lara Sizemore, morning television star, exiting her Upper West Side apartment building that very same night.

To Jackson Power, Lara is everything his wife Cynthia is not — wild, voluptuous, mysterious, and self-sustaining. A new passion has swept Jacks off his well-shod feet — and she is Lara Sizemore. He is ready for the divorce, ready to marry his mistress, America's Sweetheart. But Cynthia isn't ready to be swept out of the picture quite so easily.

Let the Divorce Games begin.

Whether they're changing the locks on each other in their Park Avenue triplex or sabotaging each other's dinner parties, it's The People's Billionaire vs. The Ballerina, in a split-up that will trump the most scandalous divorces known to polite New York society. Cynthia's got their twenty-five-year-old artist daughter, Vivienne, in her camp; Jack has the young bartending playwright Adrian, whom he intends to pay to seduce Cynthia into an easy split. But Cynthia might have a few tricks up her well-tailored Chanel sleeve, and she — like Jacks — is prepared to use every weapon in her divorce arsenal to win the game. It's a battle of wits, of charm, of two of the biggest egos — and personalities and bank accounts — in Manhattan, and neither side will go down without a fight.

From beloved and best selling author Gigi Levangie Grazer comes a sexy, sassy, smart new novel, Queen Takes King.

About the author:
Name:Gigi Levangie Grazer

Also Known As:
Snoopy DeLongpre ("My porn star name")

Gigi Levangie Grazer is the screenwriter of Stepmom, the Columbia TriStar movie starring Julia Roberts and Susan Sarandon. Her previous novel, Rescue Me, is being developed into a film at Fox Searchlight. Grazer lives in Pacific Palisades, California, with her husband, producer Brian Grazer, and their three children.

Author biography courtesy of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

Gigi's Website
Gigi's Facebook
Gigi's Twitter

We were delighted to attend Gigi Levangie Grazer's book signing at Books and Books the past month. She was a delightfully witty young gal with enough spunk and humor to keep us laughing all night! Here is a picture of us with the awesome Gigi!

Fresh Friday 09.11.09

Isalys's Choice:

Loaded Baked Potato Soup

Prep Time: 15 min | Total Time: 30 min | Makes: 4 servings

What You Need:

1 lb. baking potatoes (about 2), cubed
1 can (14-1/2 oz.) fat-free reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 cup milk
3 slices OSCAR MAYER Bacon, cooked, crumbled and divided
1 cup KRAFT Shredded Cheddar Cheese, divided
1 green onion sliced, divided
1/4 cup BREAKSTONE'S or KNUDSEN Sour Cream

Make It!
MICROWAVE potatoes in large microwaveable bowl on HIGH 5 min., stirring after 2-1/2 min. Stir in broth and milk. Microwave 10 min., stirring after 5 min. Carefully crush potatoes with potato masher.

RESERVE 2 Tbsp. each bacon and cheese and 1 Tbsp. onions for topping. Stir remaining bacon, cheese and onions into soup.

SERVE topped with reserved bacon, cheese, onions and sour cream.

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Vanessa's Choice:

Prep Time: 30 min | Total Time: 1 hr 5 min | Makes: 10 servings

What You Need:
1-1/4 cups finely crushed FAMOUS Chocolate Wafers (about 20 wafers or 1/2 of 9-oz. pkg.)
2 Tbsp. granulated sugar
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter or margarine, melted
2 pkg. (8 oz. each) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
6 squares BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate, melted, cooled slightly

Make It!
PREHEAT oven to 325°F. Mix wafer crumbs, granulated sugar and butter; press firmly onto bottom and up side of 9-inch pie plate. Bake 10 min.

BEAT cream cheese, brown sugar and vanilla with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing well after each addition. Blend in chocolate; pour into crust.

BAKE 35 min. Cool completely. Store leftover pie in refrigerator.

Enjoy!!

Thursday's Thoughts...Earn extra giveaway pts

This week's quiz is about

Answer these questions about some of the most popular beliefs from around the world

1. (Greek) According to Greek mythology, who was the first woman on Earth?

2. (Roman) How many members of the Consentes Dii are there on the Forum Romanum?

3. (Norse) Who were the Valkyries (or Valkyja) and where did they live?

4. (Anglo-Saxon) Tristram (or Tristan) comes to a tragic end when he falls in love with ___ ?

5. (Chinese) Which figure of ancient Chinese history and mythology was said to have invented the Chinese script?

Rules:
• All answers must be submitted via EMAIL only to
booksoulmates [at] gmail [dot] com.
Simply post a comment saying that your answers have been sent.
• Each question is worth 1 extra point for a potential maximum of 10 points.
• Each point is redeemable for an extra entry in the giveaways
(that's up to 10 extra entries)
• Everyone has until Wednesday, 8.19.09 to submit their answers for this quiz.

NOTE: Answers submitted to this quiz will be applied to entries for
Lucan Blog Tour & Giveaway

Have fun!

Blog Tour / Giveaway: Lucan by Susan Kearney

Isalys's Recap:
Lucan is an Archeologist with a passion for History, particularly that of the Holy Grail. He is on a quest to locate it not for the glory, but for the necessity of it. The human race is plagued by sterility and is threatened into extinction if he cannot find a way to allow babies to be born again. With the healing powers of the Holy Grail, he believes that it will solve all of their problems. With an ability to read ancient script, he travels to Pendragon where he believes the Grail to be hidden.

Lady Cael, the High Priestess of Pendragon, is an honored yet feared figure. She is bound by duty to live a life of solitude without love, without intimacy. However, after a chance encounter with Lucan Roarke, she finds herself irresitibly attracted to him. He too is drawn to her and flirts with her although he knows he shouldn't. She should be admonishing him for his audacity, but he makes her feel like a woman - a new experience for her.

Lucan is not the only one searching for the Holy Grail though. Both he and Lady Cael are part of a archeological team that want nothing more than to find the ancient artifact but all for different reasons. Lucan wants to use it to save his people; Lady Cael wants to use it to save her dying nephew; the military wants it for more selfish reasons.

The Holy Grail is protected by ancient magic which make it incredibly difficult to get to. One day, Lucan finds a way to weaken the shields and gets one step closer to it, but moments later a fire destroys the lab and kills most of the team members. After barely escaping alive, Lucan and Lady Cael are blamed for the fire and the resulting deaths so they must run away and come up with a plan to exonerate their names. Let the adventures begin...

Isalys's Review:
This is a futuristic paranormal romance. I will be honest and say that at first I did a bit of the 'ol "eye roll" when I learned that the plot line is based on the belief that the legendary King Arthur hid the Holy Grail on Pendragon (a moon outside of Earth's galaxy) to keep it safe from his enemies. I reminded myself though that this is fictional/fantasy/futuristic book and if I could read about vampires, werewolves and ghosts, then I should really give this book a chance. And I'm glad I did :)

This book really surprised me. It turned out to have so many more elements to the story. Although there is a fair amount of 'bodice ripping' involved, there is also quite a bit of action, science, history, betrayal and suspense. I found Susan Kearney to be a very gifted writer who could make this far-fetched story seem almost believable. The story was fast paced, the main characters were endearing and you never stopped worrying about what could happen to them, the fate of their people and the fate of their own budding relationship.

Susan Kearney's Website

Participants:
http://justanothernewblog.blogspot.com/ - Sept. 9 giveaway
http://booksoulmates.blogspot.com/ - Sept. 9 review, giveaway, and Q&A.
http://startingfresh-gaby317.blogspot.com/ - Sept. 9 review and guest post
http://fallingofftheshelf.blogspot.com - Sept. 10 review, giveaway, guest post
http://reesspace.blogspot.com - Sept. 10 review and giveaway
http://seductivemusings.blogspot.com/ - Q&A
http://ajourneyofbooks.blogspot.com - Sept. 11review, giveaway, and Q&A
http://www.mgpblog.com/ - Sept. 12 review
http://yankeeromancereviewers.blogspot.com/ - Sept. 14 review, giveaway, and Q&A
http://jmomfinds.amoores.com/ - Sept. 14 review and giveaway
http://www.bookwormygirl.blogspot.com/ - Sept. 15 giveaway
www.libslibrary.blogspot.com - Sept. 16 Guest blog and giveaway.
http://bookinwithbingo.blogspot.com - Sept. 17 review, giveaway, and Q&A
www.mybookaddictionandmore.wordpress.com - Sept. 17 review, giveaway, and Q&A
http://cherylsbooknook.blogspot.com/ - Sept. 17 review and giveaway
http://carolsnotebook.wordpress.com/ - Sept. 18 review, giveaway, guest post
http://booksandneedlepoint.blogspot.com/ - Sept. 18 review and giveaway
http://dreyslibrary.blogspot.com/ - Sept. 19 giveaway and guest post
http://annavivian.blogspot.com - Sept. 20 review and giveaway
http://nightdweller20.wordpress.com - Sept. 20 review and giveaway
http://patricias-vampire-notes.blogspot.com/ - Sept. 21 giveaway
http://aparkavenueprincess.blogspot.com/ - Sept. 21 giveaway
http://booknerdextraordinaire.blogspot.com - Sept. 22 giveaway and guest post
http://bridget3420.blogspot.com - review, giveaway, Q&A

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

Giveaway
September 9 - September 16
(We have 5 copies available!)

{Special Note: Please Read}
Dear Friends,
If you're one of the lucky winners of any giveaway we've hosted and you have not received an email from us, please feel free to just send us your addresses via email to booksoulmates[at]gmail[dot]com. We know you'll be understanding when we say that we haven't gotten around to emailing everyone! We love hosting the giveaways and feel, being the book lovers that we are, that we're sharing something special with you all. As you all know, besides maintaining this fabulous blog, we're either going to school, work, with our families, or reading :) We DO try to get to everyone as fast as possible but sometimes life just gets in the way. So we'd really appreciate it if you'd be kind enough to just forward your addresses to us.
Thanks for understanding!
Your Book ♥ Soulmates :)

Rules:
• To enter the giveaway you must leave a comment. Please leave your email address otherwise we will not be able to get in touch with the winners.
• Books will be delivered directly from the publishers so the giveaways are only available for U.S. and Canada residents. No P.O. boxes please.
• Winners will be drawn Wednesday, September 16 and posted soon thereafter. The winners will have until Sunday, August 16 to contact us via email with their mailing addresses. If the winner has not contacted us by the due date, we will be randomly choose another winner as this is only fair to the other participants.
• Alternate winners will be drawn by the following Sunday.
• Winners will be chosen using random.org!

Ways to earn extra entries:
+1 for being a follower
+1 for following us on Twitter
+1 for following us on Blogged
+1 for subscribing via email or RSS reader
+1 for comments on other posts throughout the week
(Please reference which other posts you've commented on)
+1 for twittering or posting about this giveaway on your blog/site
(Please include a link to the post)

♥ Feel free to contact us via email at booksoulmates[at]gmail[dot]com if
you have any questions ♥

Good luck!