NASCAR Fan? The Ultimate NASCAR INSIDER'S Track Guide by Liz Allison... A Review & GIVEAWAY!

And The Winners are... Beth, Kim & Laura! Congratulations! And Thank you to Everyone who joined in on the fun!

Hey NASCAR Fan's! Here's the ULTIMATE guide for any NASCAR Fan!

Back of the Book... From dining to shopping to lodging to packing, this is a practical guide that no NASCAR fan should be without! Liz Allison maximized her personal connections at every NASCAR Sprint Cup track to determine what fans really need to know, including listings for hotels around the track and on- and off-site camping; dining, from fast food to sit-down restaurants; tips for medical emergencies and nearby hospitals; area attractions, including golf courses where you might spot your favorite driver; veterinary services and pet-friendly lodging; and much more!

About a month ago, I reviewed He Crashed Me So I Crashed Him Back by Mark Bechtel about that fateful year that NASCAR put itself on the map with an amazing year. That book really brought the sport of NASCAR alive for me, as I knew little about the sport. Well, Brianna from Hachette Book Group wanted to know if I'd like to review another NASCAR related book- The Ultimate NASCAR Insider's Track Guide by Liz Allison. And I'm glad I said yes! What a great guide this is! Mark Bechtel's book peaked my interest in NASCAR, and Liz Allison's book, The Ultimate NASCAR Insider's Track Guide is a perfect guide for anyone to plan a little trip to catch a race somewhere. And who better than Liz Allison to write this guide!? Liz is a speedway veteran with over 20 years as a reporter, fan, wife of late NASCAR driver Davey Allison and a mother! And this guide leaves nothing out- from how to decide what kind of race you'd like to see, to how to buy tickets, to everything about planning your trip. In fact the book is divided into "Planning your trip", "At the track", and "Traveling with Kids". And then there is a separate track guide for each individual track in the circuit. And what a wealth of info you get about each track; a little history, track records, fun facts, what you can and cannot bring in the grandstands, places to stay, eat and places to have some fun outside of the races. A well organized guide to anything you possibly could want to know about planning your NASCAR trip and enjoying yourself once you're there. And even if you're not planning a trip it's a great book for any NASCAR fan! Would you like to take a peak? Here an EXCERPT !

Here's the fun part... Planning on a NASCAR trip? How about just being a NASCAR fan? Well, courtesy of Brianna and Hachette Book Group I have 3 copies of The Ultimate NASCAR INSIDER'S Track Guide by Liz Allison to give away! Here's how to enter...

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 on the sidebar to the right! 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 April 3rd. 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!

BTW...Have an iPhone? Well, Hachette Book Group has just created an iPhone Application to go along with the book. Right now they have an App for Las Vegas, Fontana, Atlanta, Bristol and Daytona tracks. From dining and shopping to lodging and tips for getting driver autographs. The home screen features an outline of the track layout; click on a car to get to listings of restaurants, hotels, and area attractions. There is a how-to for ticket purchasing, tips on what you can [and can’t] bring in to the grandstands, instructions for using a garage area access pass, and much more. The app also includes a section on what to do in case of an emergency, whether it’s you or your four-legged friend. All phone numbers will automatically dial when clicked for any establishment listed [iPhone only]. You can watch a Youtube video of the app to learn more. Right now the apps are .99 cents each.

Sugar by Bernice L. McFadden... A Review

Sugar by Bernice L. McFadden

From the Publisher... When a young prostitute comes to Bigelow, Arkansas, to start over, far from her haunting past. Sugar moves next door to Pearl, who is still grieving for the daughter who was murdered fifteen years before. Over sweet-potato pie, an unlikely friendship begins, transforming both women's lives--and the life of an entire town...

Sugar brings a Southern African-American town vividly to life, with its flowering magnolia trees, lingering scents of jasmine and honeysuckle, and white picket fences that keep strangers out--but ignorance and superstition in. To read this novel is to take a journey through loss and suffering to a place of forgiveness, understanding, and grace.

I didn't know what to expect from Sugar as I read the opening scene of a horrendous murder of a young black girl named Jude and the devastated mother she left behind named Pearl. The year was 1940, the place was a southern black town, and it was the era of segregation...

"No one cared except the people who carried the same skin color"

Bernice McFadden made me feel the anguish of a mother who lost her child; the injustice of the times as it was known nothing was going to be done about it... And then she whisked me ahead 15 years. Pearl is still mourning the loss of her daughter, Jude, in her quiet reserved manner... But there's a new girl in town, and her name is Sugar - a young prostitute looking to change her life. Sugar exudes sex, with her short short skirts, spiky high heels, and BIG attitude. Pearl is a quiet obedient church-going wife. Their unlikely friendship creates amazing changes in both of them... much to the dismay of Pearl's church going friends, but to the delight of Pearls family.

Bernice is a master storyteller. Her prose is beautiful. As the layers of this story unfold, of murder, secrets, jealousy and pride, Bernice seamlessly weaves it all together to an amazing ending. I felt a whirlwind of emotions as I read Sugar; I laughed, I cried and I felt anger. I saw past those short skirts Sugar wore and found a little girl struggling to catch her breathe. And I walked through a small town scared to open its arms to someone who obviously wasn't 'one of them'... or was she? I kept turning those pages... Graphic in nature at times, but not gratuitous, you will appreciate Sugar's sincerity. You'll appreciate the rich, complex and strong female characters fully fleshed out and who don't shy away from sharing their feelings. Bernice has also captured the feel of small town life, with the soft whispers heard between small clutches of people. The story will grab your attention, and your heart, and will not let you go until the very last page.

Sugar is friendship... it's honesty wrapped up in the poetry of words... it's redemption and it's powerful...

Would you like to read an excerpt? Read the first chapter at the publisher's website! You can also learn more about Bernice and her writing at her website, bernicemcfadden.com. There you will also find discussion questions, because Sugar would make an excellent reading group pick! I want to thank Bernice for sending me a review copy! I just loved reading Sugar! And I want to thank Bernice for also letting me know that there is a sequel to Sugar! The story continues with This Bitter Earth! I'm so happy because I wasn't quite ready to give up visiting Bigelow, Arkansas and spending time with Sugar! A wonderful story & wonderful characters, what more can you ask for?!

*P.S. This Book is Kindle Ready!

*P.S.S. Hey, I'm sharing this review with Cym Lowell's Book Review Party!

Memoir Monday... The Storks' Nest by Laura Lynne Williams: Life and Love in the Russian Countryside! And A Review!

The Storks' Nest

[Life and Love in the Russian Countryside]

From the Publishers... The Storks' Nest is the true story of a young American woman who moves to a remote village in western Russia and falls in love with a nature photographer. Together they explore the wilderness of the impenetrable Bryansk Forest, coming face-to-face with bison and bears, apprehending poachers and a runaway stallion, and raising a stork and a moose. As they build a house and a life together, nature often sets the agenda, bringing floods and impassable roads, blood-sucking insects, and bone-chilling cold. Yet, these present-day hardships are nothing compared to those the Chukhrai villagers have experienced in the past century-from forced hunger to Communist repression to Hitler's invasion. As Laura learns about the history and life of the village and its 19 inhabitants, she discovers the enduring spirit of the Russian people and the immeasurable joys of living with nature.

Laura Lynne Williams fell in love... but not just with a Russian nature photographer named Igor, but with Russia and the hard working people of the isolated Russian village Chukhrai. The Storks' Nest by Laura Lynne Williams beautifully captures the powerful draw of nature to our souls. Living most of her life in "bustling polluted cities" and "working behind a desk" Laura's dream as a young college student at Cornell was to work in international nature conservancy. Her studies led her to joining the World Wildlife Federation, and then eventually becoming director of their first office in Russia promoting the conservation efforts to help sustain Russia's zapovedniki, which is a large network of strictly protected natural areas covering about 1.5 percent of the whole country. And this is where the story begins to draw you in... Laura eventually gives up her well paying job at WWF and accepts an offer from the handsome director of the Bryansk Forest Zapovednik, Igor Shpilenok, to run the educational center for the newly constructed visitor's center there for about $60 a month. Motivated primarily by her need to get out from behind her desk and back into the actual field Laura begins a new phase in her life. We trail behind her as she raises an orphaned moose, or catches a moor frog to feed a baby stork. I was captivated by her descriptions of the simple beauty surrounding her, and her everyday normal village life- laying pipes, digging trenches, cooking traditional Russian meals. The bison, beavers, moose and the rare black storks made up her surroundings, but also the hardships and small victories of village life. Sprinkled with photographs of the villagers and animals around her, there are also a few recipes within the pages. One recipe is for Bliny, a staple of the Russian diet, and a favorite treat of Kisa, Igor's red haired dachshund. Heartwarming and heartbreaking at times too, The Storks' Nest by Laura Lynne Williams will make you yearn for the great outdoors. You'll learn so much about Russia and the natural beauty that is rarely promoted. You'll also learn about a woman who followed her heart and became something more than just herself. If you love nature, you'll enjoy The Storks' Nest. It's not just a memoir though, The Storks' Nest is an important work reminding us that there are still places untouched by over-development, cell phones and highways, and that the wildlife and wilderness there should be preserved. I want to thank Katie at Fulcrum Publishing for sending me the review copy of The Storks' Nest! If you'd like to learn more about Laura Lynne Williams, you can read more about Laura and her husband, Igor, and their important work at the Center for Russian Nature Conservation. You can view the beautiful Russian nature photography of Igor Shpilenok at his online gallery too. *P.S. This Book is Kindle Ready!

The Sunday Salon... Books with Buzz!

What is the Sunday Salon? Imagine some university library's vast reading room. It's filled with people--students and faculty and strangers who've wandered in. They're seated at great oaken desks, books piled all around them, and they're all feverishly reading and jotting notes in their leather-bound journals as they go. Later they'll mill around the open dictionaries and compare their thoughts on the afternoon's literary intake...

Spring has finally sprung in Connecticut! At least for a few days earlier this past week... this weekend, though, it's suppose to rain, rain, and RAIN! But what does a reader do when it rains? Curl up with a good book somewhere quiet! Here are a few books with a lot of great buzz this week that you may want to curl up with yourself...

Walking to Gatlinburg by Howard Frank Mosher... What IndieBound says, A stunning and lyrical Civil War thriller, Walking to Gatlinburg is a spellbinding story of survival, wilderness adventure, mystery, and love in the time of war... Morgan Kinneson is both hunter and hunted. The sharp-shooting 17-year-old from Kingdom County, Vermont, is determined to track down his brother Pilgrim, a doctor who has gone missing from the Union Army. But first Morgan must elude a group of murderous escaped convicts in pursuit of a mysterious stone that has fallen into his possession... It’s 1864, and the country is in the grip of the bloodiest war in American history. Meanwhile, the Kinneson family has been quietly conducting passengers on the Underground Railroad from Vermont to the Canadian border. One snowy afternoon Morgan leaves an elderly fugitive named Jesse Moses in a mountainside cabin for a few hours so that he can track a moose to feed his family. In his absence, Jesse is murdered, and thus begins Morgan’s unforgettable trek south through an apocalyptic landscape of war and mayhem... Along the way, Morgan encounters a fantastical array of characters, including a weeping elephant, a pacifist gunsmith, a woman who lives in a tree, a blind cobbler, and a beautiful and intriguing slave girl named Slidell who is the key to unlocking the mystery of the secret stone... Howard Frank Mosher has written 10 novels, including Walking to Gatlinburg. He's been compared to a modern day Mark Twain for his wonderful storytelling and this book has received an amazing amount of positive buzz! As part of his book tour for Walking to Gatlinburg he presents a unique slide show. “Transforming History into Fiction: the Story of a Born Liar”, which chronicles how he wrote Walking to Gatlinburg, from the surpassingly strange, never-before-told family stories that inspired the novel. Well, it just so happens that he is making a stop on his book tour a few towns over from where I live! So today I am going to the Ridgefield Library to listen to Mr. Mosher talk about his newest book! And I'm really looking forward to his slide show! I'll be picking up his book to read, so stay tuned for a review! You can read the first chapter of Walking to Gatlinburg by following the link to Howard Frank Mosher's website. You can also read all about his other books, and see if he'll be visiting a bookstore or library near you! *P.S. This Book is Kindle Ready!

The Last Child by John Hart... Thirteen year-old Johnny Merrimon had the perfect life: a warm home and loving parents; a twin sister, Alyssa, with whom he shared an irreplaceable bond. He knew nothing of loss, until the day Alyssa vanished from the side of a lonely street. Now, a year later, Johnny finds himself isolated and alone, failed by the people he’d been taught since birth to trust. No one else believes that Alyssa is still alive, but Johnny is certain that she is—-confident in a way that he can never fully explain... Determined to find his sister, Johnny risks everything to explore the dark side of his hometown. It is a desperate, terrifying search, but Johnny is not as alone as he might think. Detective Clyde Hunt has never stopped looking for Alyssa either, and he has a soft spot for Johnny. He watches over the boy and tries to keep him safe, but when Johnny uncovers a dangerous lead and vows to follow it, Hunt has no choice but to intervene. John Hart writes mysteries/thrillers, and The Last Child won The CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger in 2009! I've got a copy of this on my nightstand too! John Hart's character Johnny has been called a modern Huck Finn... *P.S. This Book is Kindle Ready!

The Man from Beijing by Henning Mankell... January 2006. In the Swedish hamlet of Hesjövallen, nineteen people have been massacred. The only clue is a red ribbon found at the scene... Judge Birgitta Roslin has particular reason to be shocked: Her grandparents, the Andréns, are among the victims, and Birgitta soon learns that an Andrén family in Nevada has also been murdered. She then discovers the nineteenth-century diary of an Andrén ancestor—a gang master on the American transcontinental railway—that describes brutal treatment of Chinese slave workers. The police insist that only a lunatic could have committed the Hesjövallen murders, but Birgitta is determined to uncover what she now suspects is a more complicated truth... The investigation leads to the highest echelons of power in present-day Beijing, and to Zimbabwe and Mozambique. But the narrative also takes us back 150 years into the depths of the slave trade between China and the United States—a history that will ensnare Birgitta as she draws ever closer to solving the Hesjövallen murders. We've met quite a few wonderful mystery writers from Sweden since Steig Larsson gave us The Girl with The Dragon Tatoo, and Henning Mankell is among them. The Man from Bejing is a March 2010 Indie Bookseller (Independent Bookseller) pick! (Ok, no references to Twain, Huck Finn or even Becky here) *P.S. This Book is Kindle Ready!

Hope you've found something to peak your interest! Next week be on the lookout for a review of The Favorites by Mary Yukari Waters, which I finished this week. It was a wonderful book about "three generations of women and a secret that binds them together". Mary Yukari Waters paints a beautiful picture of the complex relationships between women, all of which happens in a small village in Japan. And I'll be reviewing Sugar by Bernice L. McFadden which I had talked about in my Feb. 28th Sunday Salon post, which is a wonderful story of loss, friendship and redemption with the backdrop of the deep south.

Happy reading... Suzanne

Raven Stole The Moon by Garth Stein... A Review

Raven Stole The Moon by Garth Stein...

And Garth Stole my Attention!

A Tale of Grief, Devotion, Redemption, and Timeless Mystery...

When a grieving mother goes to the remote Alaskan town where her young son drowned, she discovers that the truth about her son's death is shrouded in legend...

Back of the Book...When Jenna Rosen abandons her comfortable Seattle life to visit Wrangell, Alaska, it's a wrenching return to her past. Long ago the home of her Native American grandmother, Wrangell is located near the Thunder Bay resort, where Jenna's young son, Bobby, disappeared two years before. His body was never recovered, and Jenna is determined to lay to rest the aching mystery of his death.

But the spectacular town provides little comfort beyond the steady and tender affections of Eddie, a local fisherman. And then whispers of ancient legends begin to suggest a frightening new possibility about Bobby's fate. Soon, Jenna must sift through the beliefs of her ancestors, the Tlingit--who still tell of powerful, menacing forces at work in the Alaskan wilderness.

The beliefs are shared by Dr. David Livingstone, a Tlingit shaman, who warns Jenna about the danger of disturbing the legendary kushtaka--soul stealing predators that stalk a netherworld between land and sea, the living and the dead. But Jenna is desperate for answers, and she appeals to both Livingstone and Eddie to help her sort fact from myth, and face the unthinkable possibilities head-on.

Armed with nothing but a mother's ferocious protective instincts, Jenna's quest for the truth about her son--and the strength of her beliefs--is about to pull her into a terrifying and life-changing abyss....

Garth Stein is an amazing writer. Each sentence is like a piece of poetry. The images his writing creates are powerful, but it's his ability to get to the raw underlying emotions of his characters that what will hook you. Garth knows people. His characters are authentic and believable. And he is able to easily transfer the emotions of his characters to the page. You can feel the pain of a mother who has lost her child, the frustration of a man who doesn't believe in anything but the mighty dollar, and he makes you believe in the connection of your soul to something other than what is explainable. Raven Stole The Moon is such a wonderful mix of fiction with rich Native American folklore of the Tlingit Indians. Garth slowly guides us from life in Seattle to the beautiful Alaskan wilderness. He weaves the story of Jenna Rosen seeking answers to her sons death and attaining some peace with it all, with the legends of her ancestors the Tlingit effortlessly. (The Tlingit are also the ancestors of Garth, as his mother is a native of Alaska and she descends from Tlingit Indians) There are plenty of interesting characters to flush out the story including Jenna's distraught husband, the shaman hired to deal with evil spirits, and a detective hired to bring Jenna back home. Raven Stole The Moon is a heart-wrenching, sad, yet wonderful read. If you loved Garth's book The Art of Racing in the Rain, you will enjoy this book too! (If you haven't read The Art of Racing in the Rain YOU SHOULD!)

Would you like to read an excerpt? Here's a link to Raven Stole The Moon at Harper Collins. And you can read all about Garth and his books at Garth Stein's website! I want to thank Sarah from Terra Communications for sending me a copy of Raven Stole The Moon! It was wonderful! Raven Stole The Moon is available now from your favorite bookstore! Raven Stole The Moon is actually Garth's debut novel originally published in 1998! We're all very lucky that it's been re-released by Harper Collins!

*P.S. This Book is Kindle Ready!

Memoir Monday... Chickens, Mules and two old fools by Victoria Twead.

Pack up your Bags... and head for a little mountain getaway with Victoria Twead!

Perhaps if Joe and Vicky had known what relocating to a tiny village tucked in the Alpujarra mountains would reallybe like, they might have hesitated...

They have no idea of the culture shock in store. No idea they will become reluctant chicken farmers and own the most dangerous cockerel in Spain. No idea they will be befriended by an 85 year old spliff-smoking sex-kitten or rescued by a mule.

Life is never dull as they embark on their Five Year Plan.

At the end of five years they must decide. Will they stay or return to the relative sanity of England?

Vicky and Joe’s story is packed with irreverent humour, animals, eccentric characters and sunshine.

Chickens, Mules and two old fools by Victoria Twead is a funny, laugh out loud, amazing adventure! All it took was another rainy day in Sussex England to break Victoria's resolve... approaching retirement, her & her husband Joe's children were grown and scattered and there was nothing really holding them back from going to parts unknown- or at least to parts that were warm & sunny! As it happened, both happened- Victoria whose love of Spain drove her to needle her husband (just a bit) to agree to try living in a nice spanish village, where the weather was always sunny and the people were always friendly. They compromised on trying it on for 5 years, after which they would decide if the village life was for them. But vacationing and living in parts semi-known are a bit different, but at least it would be warm and beautiful!

Victoria can tell a great story! This book was a joy to read! When you open the book it's as if Victoria is sitting down with you over a cup of coffee chatting about what funny things happened on the way to Andalucia. Her warm personality floats off the page and you are hooked to keep reading. Victoria's writing is wonderful, funny, and entertaining! And as if the story wasn't enough, there are spanish recipes sprinkled through out the pages. (and the one for gazpacho looks deelish!)

Read what culture shock means in Andalucia and laugh out loud while you do! Hey, you'll even learn about Chicken Dust Baths! And I wouldn't want to forget to mention you'll also be introduced to some "cutely" named chickens with some big personalities! You can read more about Victoria, read a sample from the book, and even enter to win a copy of Chickens, Mules and two old fools for yourself at Victoria Twead's website! I want to thank Victoria for my copy of her book! I won my copy this past December in her monthly giveaway and I couldn't have been happier! Chicken, Mules and two old fools certainly put a smile on my face!

The Sunday Salon... National Women's History Month & which Women writer's made history with you!

Spring has finally poked its head up from one of the piles of snow you can still find in Connecticut. The temperatures are starting to rise a little and the sun actually came for a visit! The one year Blogoversary celebration wrapped up this week with Cheryl winning Pillars of the Earth, Elaine winning The Sinful Life of Lucy Burns, Helen winning Last Night in Montreal, throuthehaze winning the Romance Bundle, rubynreba winning The Power of Half, Nunah winning The Man Who Loved Books Too Much, and Alyce winning the Kindle Gift Certificate. I'm still waiting to hear from the lucky winners for Alice I Have Been and the Historical Fiction Bundle, so check your emails! And Congrats to all the winners! Even though my celebration is over, there is still some celebrating going on...

March is National Women's History Month! National Women’s History Month provides an excellent venue to recognize and celebrate women’s historic achievements as well as an opportunity to honor women within our families and communities. In 1980, President Carter issued the first Presidential Proclamation recognizing Women’s History Week. In 1987, the week was expanded to the entire month of March, and 2010 will mark the 30th anniversary of this celebration! March is the month to celebrate women! From Rosie the Riveter, the fictional character who eventually would come to represent strong independent women, to Sally Ride, the first american woman in space, women (and even fictional women) have made their mark in history. Which women writers do you feel have made their mark in history? Which women writers have made their mark on you? In honor of National Women's History Month, I thought I would mention some great classic women writers...

Sylvia Plath suffered from extreme bipolar depression that ultimately led to her suicide at the age of 30. Her largely autobiography novel, The Bell Jar, "draws the reader into her breakdown with such intensity that her insanity becomes completely real and even rational, as probable and accessible an experience as going to the movies." And it is this intense honesty showing the origins of Sylvia's own tragedy that made this a landmark in literature. Originally published in England in 1964, there was so much demand for a copy to be printed in the US, that in 1971 through much

controversy, Harper & Row published a copy. Frequently referred to as the female Catcher in the Rye, The Bell Jar is also a coming of age story.

Harper Lee wrote her greatest and only novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, which painted a picture of racial inequality and dealt with the serious issue of rape. Controversial in its subject matter, it has repeatedly been challenged and attempted to be removed from more than one library. At the same time it is one of the most widely read books dealing with lessons in tolerance and decrying prejudice.

Harriet Beecher Stowe best known for writing "Uncle Tom's Cabin," which portrays the "moral outrage of slavery and its destructive effects on both whites and blacks". Ms. Stowe lived in Cincinnati across the river from the slave trade and witnesses first hand some of the atrocities of slavery, such as a husband and wife being sold apart. Her observances prompted her to write Uncle Tom's Cabin, which sold half-a-million copies by 1857!

There are some writers that are important to me because they held a hand out to me as I was growing up and invited me in... these are some of the writers that helped along my reading obsession...

Louisa May Alcott who invited me into a family of sisters, when I was an only child; Emily Bronte who gave me Heathcliff; Carolyn Keene, who really is just as fictional as her character Nancy Drew, but let me tag along to investigate with Nancy and learn all about how to solve a mystery & who eventually introduced me to Agatha Christie, who taught me about how to use a flashlight under the covers, and why nightlights are necessary...

Of course there are many more contemporary women writers I love & admire too... but we'd be here all day as I list them! OK, here are just a few... Lisa See, Diana Gabaldon, Bernice L. McFadden, and Margaret Atwood... Emily Carmichael, Sarah Strohmeyer, and Janet Evanovich... Audrey Niffenegger, Maya Angelou, & Judy Blume...Which are your favorite women writers? And who would you like to celebrate this month?!

Happy reading... Suzanne

Every Dog Has a Gift: true stories of dogs who bring hope & healing into our lives... A Review

Inspiring Stories of Hope & Healing...

There's a reason dogs are referred to as "Man's Best Friend", dogs have the unwritten power to bring us joy and make our worst days better just by offering us their unconditional love. Rachel McPherson knows this all too well as the founder & executive director of The Good Dog Foundation, a non profit organization dedicated to all aspects of dog-assisted therapy. "Good Dogs brings comfort and joy to people receiving chemotherapy; restore a sense of control to people whose lives have been upended by an illness or disability; serve as the perfect audience to help disadvantaged children practice & improve reading skills; comfort the bereaved and victims of disaster; and much more."

But Rachel doesn't limit her beliefs to dogs just specifically trained to be therapy dogs or "service" dogs, she believes all dogs are therapy dogs in one way or another. In every dog has a gift: true stories of dogs who bring hope & healing into our lives by Rachel McPherson, you will read simple inspiring stories of dogs who make a difference. The stories are heart warming, honest & moving. From the opening story of Chad who changes the life of a little boy with severe autism to Sierra, a three-year-old Lab who helps a wheel-chair bound Vietnam Veteran gain his freedom again you will be touched. There's the story of Fidel a cute little papillon who seemingly absorbs the grief of a woman taking the ferry ride to visit Ground Zero after the tragedy of 9/11 and who thanked Fidel after the trip for easing her pain; and the story of Pixel who makes all the difference in the world to the homeless Veteran who cares for her.

Every Dog Has a Gift is more than just stories though, it's a great resource! There are lists of some wonderful programs, such as The Good Dog Foundation Reading Program, which pairs dogs with children in libraries and schools, or Canine Companions for Independence, which is an organization that provides trained dogs for people with disabilities. Rachel also shares with us advice on choosing a dog, caring for a dog and fun things to do with your dog! (one of which is read to your dog! I already do, do you?) Plus Rachel talks about caring for our own dogs with disabilities and lists organizations that can help us help them.

As a dog lover, I enjoyed this book so much! The stories were inspiring, but learning about the worthwhile programs where the dogs went out into the community was eye opening! So many wonderful programs where dogs help heal our hearts and help us live better lives! Well written and entertaining, eye-opening and inspiring, Every Dog Has a Gift will bring greater awareness to the amazing powers of our four legged friends to bring us happiness. And it's a good read too!

Every Dog Has a Gift by Rachel McPherson will be released March 18th! 5% of all the proceeds will be donated to The Good Dog Foundation! Want to learn more about The Good Dog Foundation? They have a great website at www.thegooddogfoundation.org where you can learn about the organization and learn how you and your furry friend can become volunteers in your community. I want to thank Penguin Books for sending me a copy of Every Dog Has a Gift for review!

*P.S. This Book is Kindle Ready!

Memoir Monday... Undress Me In The Temple of Heaven by Susan Jane Gilman, a Blog Tour & Review!

Travel to China with 2 Girls Who Have No Idea What They're In For...

UNDRESS ME in the TEMPLE of HEAVEN by Susan Jane Gilman... They were young, brilliant, and bold. They set out to conquer the world. But the world had other plans for them. Bestselling author Susan Jane Gilman's new memoir is a hilarious and harrowing journey, a modern heart of darkness filled with Communist operatives, backpackers, and pancakes. In 1986, fresh out of college, Gilman and her friend Claire yearned to do something daring and original that did not involve getting a job. Inspired by a place mat at the International House of Pancakes, they decided to embark on an ambitious trip around the globe, starting in the People's Republic of China.

What an amazing story! A story of friendship and a daring trip to parts unknown... With such an enthusiastic zest for life and a need to discover themselves, these two naive women innocently embarked on a trip that turned out like nothing they expected. The story is a page turner, but its Susan Jane Gilman's writing that keeps your interest. She is a good writer! And she's got the experience to prove it! SUSAN JANE GILMAN has written commentary for the New York Times, Ms., US, and the Los Angeles Times, among others. She is also the winner of several literary awards for her fiction and essays. I enjoyed reading Undress Me In The Temple of Heaven! If you've ever toyed with the notion of hoping on a plane without a plan, you'll want to read this book to see what can happen. It was fun & terrifying, and Susan and her friend Claire are lucky to have survived! I want to thank Miriam of Hachette Book Group for sending me a copy to read as part of Jane's Blog Tour for Undress Me In The Temple of Heaven! You can learn all about the author at Susan Jane Gilman's website. And if you're in a reading group, there is plenty of story to discuss! Here is the Reading Guide from the author...

Reading Guide

1. Why do you think the book is titled Undress Me in the Temple of Heaven?

2. The author mentions several times in the book that she and Claire were Ivy Leaguers. Why do you think she does this?

3. To this end, she also mentions that she and her friend were groomed to be “the future leaders of America.” Why might she have gone out of her way to point this out? Does this detail have implications beyond the immediate story?

4. How do the people in this book transform over time? Are the changes predictable?

5. What role does China itself play in the narrative? Could this misadventure have just as easily taken place anywhere else?

6. Did you find the narrator herself sympathetic? Heroic? Does she seem to think that she was—or was not?

7. This adventure took place in 1986. Do you think it's still relevant today?

8. Did your own feelings for the people change over the course of the story? If so, how?

9. If you could ask the author any questions directly about Undress Me in the Temple of Heaven, what would they be?

10. Gilman’s previous books have dealt with women’s empowerment. Do you feel that Undress Me continues this theme? Why or why not?

11. Has this book changed the way you view travel at all?

12. Are there lessons from this story that you can apply to your own life?

Undress Me In The Temple of Heaven by Susan Jane Gilman was just released in paperback this past February! BTW, This Book is Kindle Ready!