Welcome to Chick with Books — a space for readers who love getting lost in a great story and talking about it long after the final page. This is your go-to spot for buzz-worthy new releases, hidden gems, and honest reviews you can trust. I’m drawn to unforgettable stories—especially historical and literary fiction, thrillers, and my latest obsession: romantasy. Looking for your next great read? You’re in the right place.
Literary Quote of the Month
"A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies," said Jojen. "The man who never reads lives only one." - George R.R. Martin, A Dance With Dragons
Wednesday, September 27, 2023
Giveaway from Hachette Book Group... Books You Autumn Read Sweepstakes
Giveaway Time! Would you like to Fall for a little Romance? On the Hachette Book Group Website... Ends October 22, 2023.
Thursday, September 21, 2023
Book Giveaway!
This giveaway announcement just popped in my email from Kirkus Reviews. Looks like some great books! Giveaways ends October 1st.
Here's the link so you can enter. Good luck!
Sunday, February 21, 2016
The Sunday Salon and You Gotta Have Heart... or 3 Books that Have a Heart (in their title)
Welcome to The Sunday Salon and The Sunday Post! It's that day of the week bloggers from all over the internet get together virtually in a large gathering place called The Sunday Salon and talk books! And The Sunday Post, which is a weekly meme hosted by The Caffeinated Book Reviewer, in which more bloggers share their bookish news!!
My biggest bookish news this week is that it's my Blogiversary!
7 years ago on February 18th I posted my first post on Chick with Books! It was a review for Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett, one of my favorite books still to this day! I didn't know where I was going to go with the blog, I just wanted to talk books! But in the 7 years I've been book blogging, I have met so many wonderful readers, bloggers, authors, publishing reps and all around great people! I've read so many great books and shared them all with YOU! Thank you for sticking around and taking this journey with me! As a thank you, I've got a little giveaway going on! Want to pick out a book from Chick with Books? One lucky winner is going to get to pick out any one book that I reviewed or highlighted on Chick with Books from the last 7 years! Enter HERE! Don't be shy!
And on to some new books I've spotted this week...
It's still February, and so there still is a little romance in the air. Or at least our hearts are still going pitter patter. Well, here are 3 books that have heart...or at least heart in the title.
The Heart by Maylis De Kerangal... Just before dawn on a Sunday morning, three teenage boys go surfing. Returning home, exhausted, the driver lets the car drift off the road into a tree. Two of the boys are wearing seat belts; one is sent through the windshield. He is declared brain-dead shortly after arriving at the hospital. His heart is still beating.The Heart takes place over the twenty-four hours surrounding a fatal accident and a resulting heart transplant as life is taken from a young man and given to a woman close to death. In gorgeous, ruminative prose it examines the deepest feelings of everyone involved--grieving parents, hardworking doctors and nurses--as they navigate decisions of life and death. As stylistically audacious as it is emotionally explosive, Maylis de Kerangal's The Heart has mesmerized readers in France, where it has been hailed as the breakthrough work of a new literary star.
Finally translated from the French to English, and just released here in the States, The Heart has won praise and accolades already in France, and seems to be following the same path here. I've read that it's beautiful and thought provoking. On my TBR list.
Your Heart is a Muscle The Size of a Fist by Sunil Yapa.. On a rainy, cold day in November, young Victor--a nomadic, scrappy teenager who's run away from home--sets out to join the throng of WTO demonstrators determined to shut down the city. With the proceeds, he plans to buy a plane ticket and leave Seattle forever, but it quickly becomes clear that the history-making 50,000 anti-globalization protestors--from anarchists to environmentalists to teamsters--are testing the patience of the police, and what started out as a peaceful protest is threatening to erupt into violence.Over the course of one life-altering afternoon, the fates of seven people will change forever: foremost among them police Chief Bishop, the estranged father Victor hasn't seen in three years, two protesters struggling to stay true to their non-violent principles as the day descends into chaos, two police officers in the street, and the coolly elegant financial minister from Sri Lanka whose life, as well as his country's fate, hinges on getting through the angry crowd, out of jail, and to his meeting with the President of the United States. When Chief Bishop reluctantly unleashes tear gas on the unsuspecting crowd, it seems his hopes for reconciliation with his son, as well as the future of his city, are in serious peril. In this raw and breathtaking novel, Yapa marries a deep rage with a deep humanity. In doing so he casts an unflinching eye on the nature and limits of compassion, and the heartbreaking difference between what is right and what is possible.
I've seen this book EVERYwhere, and with reviews ranging from "powerful & ambitious" to "a symphony of a novel". This looks like a "borrow from the library book" for me because it just isn't quite what I'd look for in a read, but I am curious enough to want to read it.This book was released in January of this year.
Sisters of Heart and Snow by Margaret Dilloway... Rachel and Drew Snow may be sisters, but their lives have followed completely different paths.Married to a wonderful man and a mother to two strong-minded teens, Rachel hasn’t returned to her childhood home since being kicked out by her strict father after an act of careless teenage rebellion. Drew, her younger sister, followed her passion for music but takes side jobs to make ends meet and longs for the stability that has always eluded her. Both sisters recall how close they were, but the distance between them seems more than they can bridge. When their deferential Japanese mother, Hikari, is diagnosed with dementia and gives Rachel power of attorney, Rachel’s domineering father, Killian becomes enraged. In a rare moment of lucidity, Hikari asks Rachel for a book in her sewing room, and Rachel enlists her sister’s help in the search. The book—which tells the tale of real-life female samurai Tomoe Gozen, an epic saga of love, loss, and conflict during twelfth-century Japan—reveals truths about Drew and Rachel’s relationship that resonate across the centuries, connecting them in ways that turn their differences into assets.
Sisters of Heart and Snow by Margaret Dilloway has 2 things right off the bat that call my name- it's about 2 estranged sisters (I generally love reading about the complex relationships between sisters) and there is a Japanese sword on the cover (I love reading stories taking place in Japan or with Japanese folklore) This seems to have a quiet fanfare, with wonderful reviews. In particular most reviews note what a great job Margaret Dilloway does weaving the stories of the past and the present together. On my TBR list and will be released April 7th, 2016 by G.P. Putnam's and Sons.

Mon. Feb. 15th... Memoir Monday (Between You & Me by Mary Norris)
Tues. Feb. 16th... Review of the movie, Love Between the Covers
Wed. Feb. 17th... It's Twenty Questions! Get to know me a little better!
Thurs. Feb. 18th... My Blogiversary and GIVEAWAY!
Fri. Feb. 19th... The Passing of Harper Lee and some interesting links
Sat. Feb. 20th... Review of The Girl in the Red Coat by Kate Hamer
Share your finds in the comments! I love hearing about books that caught your eye! AND Don't forget to enter the giveaway! I can't wait to see what book someone chooses!
More reading and books next week! In the meantime...
Happy reading... Suzanne
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Giveaway! Madame Tussaud: A Novel of the French Revolution by Michelle Moran

Thursday, December 9, 2010
Giveaway! Cake Boss by Buddy Valastro

How I Became the Cake BossMy story isn't my own; no real baker's is. They call me the Cake Boss, but that's just the latest chapter in my own story, which stretches back generations, all the way to my roots in Sicily. In this book, I tell the only-in-America story of my family's rise to success at Carlo's Bake Shop and of the father-son relationship at the heart of my journey. It's a story that combines immigrant struggle, family bonds, love, loss and as many hilarious memories as I could pack between two covers. If you like my show, or just sitting down to a good story (and learning a few secrets of the baking treade along the way), you'll love this book.Of course, no book could be called Cake Boss without offering up the goods: at the end, you'll find thirty-seven recipes for Carlo's Bake Shop's most popular cookies, pastries, pies, cakes and cupcakes - along with tips and advice for creating these classics in your own home. I poured my heart into this book, and I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it..... Buddy Valastro, the Cake Boss
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
New Blog Look... New Giveaway!

- Click on any of the links on the blog (in posts, sidebar, the tabs above, etc.) and let me know in a comment below (on this post) what link you clicked on and if worked (it took you where it's suppose to take you) or if it didn't work.
- Tweet any of the posts by clicking on the "tweet" button at the end of the post and leave a comment below letting me know what post you tweeted, and if it worked.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel gets released in Paperback! And Here's Your Chance to Win a Copy!

Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Into The Beautiful North by Luis Alberto Urrea... A Review & Giveaway!

Saturday, February 20, 2010
A Story of Love, Loss, Sacrifice & Obsession... AND another Great Giveaway for Chick with Books Blogoversary Celebration Day 3!


With rich characters that are so human, so believable, so sad, I was drawn into their story. Their histories well developed. The writing done well. A story of love, loss, sacrifice and obsession. The story is moving. I recommend you pick it up and read it! You will enjoy it! (You can read the complete review to learn more about the book)
Unbridled Books joins the celebration by sponsoring a great giveaway for a copy of Last Night in Montreal by Emily St. John Mandel for a U.S. reader of Chick with Books! Unbridled Books is dedicated to publishing high-quality works that are moving, beautiful, and surprising. Their name, Unbridled Books, was chosen to represent a publishing venture that is both energetic and independent. Thanks Caitlin and Unbridled Books for joining in on the festivities! Here's how to enter...
*For One Entry, leave me a comment with your email address!
*For One more entry, Blog or tweet about this giveaway and leave me the link.
This giveaway is open to U.S. residents only.(No PO boxes). The book will be shipped to the winner directly from the publishers. Contest ends 11:59pm EST on Feb.27th, 2010. I will randomly pick the winners the next day and email them! Good Luck!
*P.S. Emily St. John Mandel's next novel is coming out this summer! More about that soon...
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Seduced By A Rogue Blog Tour & Review


http://jensbooktalk.blogspot.com/, www.bibliophilicbookblog.com, www.chickwithbooks.blogspot.com, http://justanothernewblog.blogspot.com/, http://myoverstuffedbookshelf.blogspot., http://brokenteepee.blogspot.com, http://www.saveyspender.com, http://www.kballard87.blogspot.com, http://thecajunbooklady.blogspot.com/, http://myfoolishwisdom.blogspot.com,
http://www.renees-reads.blogspot.com/, http://dreyslibrary.blogspot.com http://marthasbookshelf.blogspot.com/, http://www.mybookaddictionandmore.wordpress.com, http://bridget3420.blogspot.com, my-book-views.blogspot.com, http://juniperrbreeeze.blogspot.com/, http://star-shadowcreativeconcepts.blogspot.com, http://www.morbidromantic.net, http://www.betweenthelinesandmore.blogspot.com /, http://redheadedbookchild.blogspot.com, http://myreadingroom-crystal.blogspot.com, http://www.masoncanyon.blogspot.com, http://startingfresh-gaby317.blogspot.com/, http://therempels4.blogspot
Thank you to Anna from Hachette Book Group for sending a copy of Seduced By A Rogue for me to review!Thanks Anna I really enjoyed it! Seduced by A Rogue was just released this week in paperback, And it's Kindle Ready!
Monday, November 30, 2009
Audiobook Giveaway for Memoir Monday! Cleaving by Julie Powell

CONGRATULATIONS TO ASHLEY, REBECCA & MELISSA! THEY EACH WON A COPY OF THE AUDIOBOOK CLEAVING! Thank you to EVERYONE who joined in on the fun, tweeted and blogged about the giveaway!!
Julie Powell thought cooking her way through Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking was the craziest thing she'd ever do--until she embarked on the voyage recounted in her new memoir, CLEAVING. Her marriage challenged by an insane, irresistible love affair, Julie decides to leave town and immerse herself in a new obsession: butchery. She finds her way to Fleischer's, a butcher shop where she buries herself in the details of food. She learns how to break down a side of beef and French a rack of ribs--tough, physical work that only sometimes distracts her from thoughts of afternoon trysts. The camaraderie at Fleischer's leads Julie to search out fellow butchers around the world--from South America to Europe to
Another great audiobook giveaway! If you enjoyed Julie's memoir Julie & Julia, find out what happens after getting through that infamous french cookbook! What's even nicer is that this audiobook is unabridged and read by the author herself! Would you like to listen to an excerpt? Here's the LINK. AND CD #9 of the audiobook has a PDF with recipes! Courtesy of Anna of Hachette Book Group I have 3 copies of the unabridged audiobook for a giveaway! Thanks Anna!
To Enter this giveaway...
*For one entry leave me a comment with your email address!
*Get an extra entry for following my blog! Just leave a comment letting me know you're a follower! ( Not a follower yet? No problem, sign up by clicking on the 'followers" button! Just let me know you became a new follower!)
*Blog or tweet about this giveaway and leave me the link.
This giveaway is open to US and Canadian residents only.(No PO boxes). The books will be shipped to the winners directly from the publisher. Contest ends 11:59pm EST on Dec. 19th. I will randomly pick the winners the next day and email them! (please check your email.. winner must reply to me within 3 days! Thanks!) Good Luck!
*P.S. There is a Kindle Ready Book available!




