Sunday, April 27, 2014

READATHON (Spring 2014): End-of-Event Meme



Well, it's the end of the read-a-thon, and of course I wimped out on the end! I fell asleep around hour 17, I think. I left the TV on, and figured I'd just nap and get up in a bit. But I forgot that I'd accidentally turned on the timer. So the TV turned off on me, and I didn't wake up for hours. And by then I'd been so deep in sleep, I didn't want to drag myself out of it! So I just turned out the light and went back to bed.

End of Event Meme:

  1. Which hour was most daunting for you? Well, I'd say hour 17, given that's when I fell asleep!
  2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year? Nope. I usually just read whatever I'm already reading. Sometimes they may be high-interest, sometimes not. Sometimes (like this time) they are huge books. I've been reading an 800-pager this time!
  3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year? Nope. Everyone did awesome!
  4. What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon? I think the prize form was a good addition. It'll probably help the organizers on the back end.
  5. How many books did you read? Still reading. Didn't complete one.
  6. What were the names of the books you read? I've been reading Natchez Burning by Greg Iles, and The Conditions of Love by Dale M. Kushner.
  7. Which book did you enjoy most? I am loving Natchez Burning!
  8. Which did you enjoy least? Well, that would just leave the other one, but I am actually enjoying it as well.
  9. If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders? I am most definitely not a cheerleader.
  10. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time? Definitely. I'll always be a reader. I've been participating for...I think five years now.

Thanks so much to all of the hosts, organizers and cheerleaders (as well as donators of prizes). You all did a great job! See you back here next fall!

Saturday, April 26, 2014

READATHON (Spring 2014): Hour 13 Mini-Challenge


Over at Things Mean a Lot, she has a mini-challenge on "book blending". She did a very clever one as an example. Go check it out!

Here's my lame attempt at one:
Get it? Bird? Bird cage? Yeah, I know.

Also, while checking my shelves, I was reminded that I bought a book called "The Worm Ouroboros", because I have an ouroboros tattoo...

So that's my second sad attempt. And that's my dog Tiki in the background there.

Well, I just made a batch of turtle cookies.

So it's time for me to go eat cookies and read!

READATHON (Spring 2014): Mid-Event Meme


Well, we're halfway there! Of course, I haven't gotten that far in my reading, but I am making some headway.

Mid-Event Survey

1. What are you reading right now? Natchez Burning by Greg Iles
2. How many books have you read so far? Been working on the same one. It's 800 pages. But I've also read a little of The Conditions of Love by Dale M. Kushner.
3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-thon? I'm really enjoying Natchez Burning!
4. Did you have to make any special arrangements to free up your whole day? Nope. One of the pluses of not having kids!
5. Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with those? I interrupt myself all the time! I have a very short attention span. I just go with it. Food craving? Head to the store and get some groceries to cook! Feeling tired? Take a nap! Feel like listening to the birds and smelling the jasmine in bloom? Head outside and lounge!
6. What surprises you most about the Read-a-thon, so far?  I was a little surprised that we got over 800 joining in this year. And I was surprised to win one of the door prizes. Yay me!
7. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year? Nope! The hostesses always do such a great job or organizing the event, and the cheerleaders make their rounds "cheer"-fully!
8. What would you do differently, as a Reader or a Cheerleader, if you were to do this again next year? Nothing!
9. Are you getting tired yet? I've already taken a short nap. And I won't make it all night. I'm just trying to get in as much reading as possible.
10. Do you have any tips for other Readers or Cheerleaders, something you think is working well for you that others may not have discovered? Nope, I am the wrong person to ask!

Now I think it's time for a shower and some laundry and dishes, and then I'm gonna put some cookies in the oven to bake and do some more reading. Keep it up everyone!

READATHON (Spring 2014): Hour 6 Mini-Challenge

Lisa, over at Lisa's World of Books, is getting people talking about some of their favorites of the year with her Hour 6 Mini-Challenge. Since I haven't read much this year to really "blow my socks off", I'm going to stretch it out to cover books I've read in the last 12 or so months...

Best Book of My Reading Year

I ended 2013 with two favorites: A Dual Inheritance by Joanna Hershon and Rules of Civility by Amor Towles. Both books followed a small cast of characters over a period of time.  

Rules of Civility took place mostly in the '30s, and showed some of the challenges for women in the '30s, as well as the effects of The Great Depression.  

A Dual Inheritance spans nearly five decades, beginning in 1962. I just really fell in love with this book! I loved the writing and the characters, and could feel the air of the '60s.










Best "Unexpected" Favorite of My Reading Year (and Favorite Cover)

A Far Piece to Canaan by Sam Halpern. Why would a book be an "unexpected" favorite? Well, it was written by Sam Halpern, and most people probably wouldn't realize that Sam is best known as the oft' quoted father of Sh*t My Dad Says! Who would have thought that such a hysterically critical and ornery character could author such a sweet and tender and Stand By Me-ish type of story?







Best Fictional Story Inspired By a Real Person

Burial Rites, written by Hannah Kent, is a beautiful yet tragic debut about Agnes Magnusdottir, who was condemned to die by beheading for the murders of two men in 1828 in Iceland. The book is fiction based on legends and stories passed down over the years, as well as historical documents, telling Agnes' story. As I said in my review:







This was one of those gentle reads, at times so entrancing it is almost hypnotic, like being rocked to sleep. Affective and sensitive, it moved me. I would consider this novel to be rare and extraordinary, and it will carry you along to the bitter end, if you allow it, with tears streaming down your face as you take those final steps. But you aren't alone. Agnes is with you.

Favorite Passage of my Reading Year

Last year I began reading The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. This is a collection of the entire series in one. I read the first one, and in it I found one of my favorite passages ever. It just tickles me everytime I read it. It's outrageous and silly and preposterous and clever...








Vogon poetry is of course the third worst in the Universe. The second worst is that of the Azgoths of Kria. During a recitation by their Poet Master Grunthos the Flatulent of his poem "Ode to a Small Lump of Green Putty I Found in My Armpit One Midsummer Morning" four of his audience died of internal hemorrhaging, and the President of the Mid-Galactic Arts Nobbling Council survived by gnawing one of his own legs off. Grunthos is reported to have been "disappointed" by the poem's reception, and was about to embark on a reading of his twelve-book epic entitled My Favorite Bathtime Gurgles when his own major intestine, in a desperate attempt to save life and civilization, leaped straight up through his neck and throttled his brain.
 See? It just made me smile again!

So those are some of my favorites of the year. How about you?

READATHON (Spring 2014): Hour 4 Update

I'm moving outside, to get a little use and enjoyment from the lounge chair I just bought last night!

My dog Zook has decided to join me, and Tiki is nearby.

We're sharing the day with the starlings and shrikes. A flock of starlings have taken over my yard and are all sharing in watching over the babies. If you go near a tree a baby is in, the whole flock gangs up to scream at you! So I am putting up with a little chattering in the background, but it's music to my ears! As I was videotaping, a large heron flew by high up in the sky, and the baby starling was fluttering in the tree, practicing his flying.

READATHON (Spring 2014): Opening Meme



Well, I'm gonna go ahead and get a jump on this, since I'm hampered this year by having no laptop. It's going to be trickier getting in updates and posts.

1) What fine part of the world are you reading from today? sunny South Florida
2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to? I may not get beyond one, unless I get bored and switch over to another. The main book I'll be concentrating on is Natchez Burning by Greg Iles.
3) Which snack are you most looking forward to? I didn't buy anything special this year. I actually have healthy snacks like fruit and pretzels and yogurt dip. But I do have some movie snacks to dip into, if I need a sugar rush!
4) Tell us a little something about yourself! I'm a divorced blogger who's been running this blog for five years now. I share my home with two dogs, three cats, a lovebird and a fish (you can see some of the gang on the sidebar). Oh, and currently an older brother as well! In my regular life I work at a software company as Sales Director and assist with tech support.
5) If you participated in the last read-a-thon, what’s one thing you’ll do different today? If this is your first read-a-thon, what are you most looking forward to? I'm just taking it easy and enjoying myself. No pressure. However I may get to spend time outside this year, as I bought a lounging chair for the backyard last night!

I hope everyone enjoys their time today! Let's get reading!

UPDATE: I am a slow reader, and I have a short attention span, combined with a lot of animals demanding attention. Bad combination! So my personal goal this readathon is to read 150 pages in Natchez Burning and 50 pages in The Conditions of Love. If I can do that much, then good for me!

Friday, April 25, 2014

READATHON (Spring 2014): Countdown


This is the final countdown to the annual spring read-a-thon held in honor of Dewey. Never heard of the read-a-thon? Learn more here.

For anyone already familiar with the read-a-thon, make sure you've watched the video about some changes.

To anyone else joining in for a day of dedicated reading, I hope you enjoy your day!

Thursday, April 24, 2014

Introducing... Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple

Introducing books through the first chapter or so...

(This book begins with a report card for a student. The following are the Comments from that report card.)

COMMENTS: Bee is a pure delight. Her love of learning is infectious, as are her kindness and humor. Bee is unafraid to ask questions. Her goal is always deep understanding, of a given topic, not merely getting a good grade. The other students look to Bee for help in their studies, and she is always quick to respond with a smile. Bee exhibits extraordinary concentration when working alone; when working in a group, she is a quiet and confident leader. Of special note is what an accomplished flutist Bee continues to be. The year is only a third over, but already I am mourning the day Bee graduates from Galer Street and heads out into the world. I understand she is applying to boarding schools back east. I envy the teachers who get to meet Bee for the first time, and to discover for themselves what a lovely young woman she is.

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

SPOTLIGHT: The Poor Man's Guide to Suicide by Andrew Armacost


Available in May, THE POOR MAN’S GUIDE TO SUICIDE is lyrical black comedy, a literary novel about losing your will to live—and possibly getting it back.
"A beautiful portrait of a decent man at the end of his rope."
--Scott Phillips, award-winning and bestselling author of THE ICE HARVEST
"Funny and well-conceived."
--Dan Fante, author of CHUMP CHANGE and MOOCH
“A somber yet hopeful walk along the ledge.”
--Kirkus
"... a powerful read that will satisfy any who like dark, gritty noir writing ..."
   --D. Donovan, eBook Reviewer, MIDWEST BOOK REVIEW
***Read more about THE POOR MAN'S GUIDE TO SUICIDE today on Goodreads.


More Title Details

  • ISBN 9781937327446
  • Price $12.95 USD
  • Paperback
  • Publishing Date: 10 May 2014

Monday, April 21, 2014

Mailbox Monday (4/21/14 edition)

 Image licensed from bigstockphoto.com
Copyright stands

Mailbox Monday is hosted by a different blog each month. See the official list here. I've received a few new books recently:

The Conditions of Love by Dale M. Kushner 
Reviewing for TLC Book Tours

Dale M. Kushner's novel The Conditions of Love traces the journey of a girl from childhood to adulthood as she reckons with her parents' abandonment, her need to break from society's limitations, and her overwhelming desire for spiritual and erotic love. In 1953, ten-year-old Eunice lives in the backwaters of Wisconsin with her outrageously narcissistic mother, a manicureeste and movie star worshipper. Abandoned by her father as an infant, Eunice worries that she will become a misfit like her mother. When her mother's lover, the devoted Sam, moves in, Eunice imagines her life will finally become normal. But her hope dissolves when Sam gets kicked out, and she is again alone with her mother. A freak storm sends Eunice away from all things familiar. Rescued by the shaman-like Rose, Eunice's odyssey continues with a stay in a hermit's shack and ends with a passionate love affair with an older man. Through her capacity to redefine herself, reject bitterness and keep her heart open, she survives and flourishes. In this, she is both ordinary and heroic. At once fable and realistic story, The Conditions of Love is a book about emotional and physical survival. Through sheer force of will, Eunice saves herself from a doomed life.

This engaging examination of a mother and daughter's relationship will appeal to the same audience that embraced Mona Simpson's acclaimed classic Anywhere But Here and Elizabeth Strout's bestselling Amy and Isabelle.



Kicking the Sky by Anthony De Sa 
Won from LibraryThing

In 1977, a shoeshine boy, Emanuel Jacques, was brutally raped and murdered in Toronto. In the aftermath of the crime, Antonio Rebelo, the twelve-year-old narrator of this story, explores his Portuguese neighborhood s dark garages and labyrinthine back alleys, along with his rapscallion friends. The boys develop a curious relationship with a charismatic, modern-day Fagin, a fledgling master over an amoral world of young hustlers, theft, and drugs.

As the media unravels the truth behind the shoeshine-boy murder, Antonio starts to see his family and his neighborhood as never before. He becomes aware of the dashed hopes of immigrants, of the influence of faith and the role of church, and of the frightening reality that no one is really taking care of him. So intent are his parents and his neighbors on keeping the old traditions alive that they act as if they still live in a small Portuguese village, not in a big city that puts their kids in the kind of danger they would not dare imagine.

Antonio learns about bravery and cowardice, life and death, and the heart s capacity for love and for unremitting hatred in this stunning coming-of-age novel set against the backdrop of a true crime that shook an entire city.



The Thing with Feathers by Noah Strycker
From the publisher 

An entertaining and profound look at the lives of birds, illuminating their surprising world—and deep connection with humanity.

Birds are highly intelligent animals, yet their intelligence is dramatically different from our own and has been little understood. As scientists come to understand more about the secrets of bird life, they are unlocking fascinating insights into memory, game theory, and the nature of intelligence itself.

The Thing with Feathers explores the astonishing homing abilities of pigeons, the good deeds of fairy-wrens, the influential flocking abilities of starlings, the deft artistry of bowerbirds, the extraordinary memories of nutcrackers, the lifelong loves of albatross, and other mysteries—revealing why birds do what they do, and offering a glimpse into our own nature.

Noah Strycker is a birder and naturalist who has traveled the world in pursuit of his flighty subjects. Drawing deep from personal experience, cutting-edge science, and colorful history, he spins captivating stories about the birds in our midst and reveals the startlingly intimate coexistence of birds and humans. With humor, style, and grace, he shows how our view of the world is often, and remarkably, through the experience of birds.

Beautiful and wise, funny and insightful, The Thing with Feathers is a gripping and enlightening journey into the lives of birds.



Natchez Burning by Greg Iles
Reviewing for TLC Book Tours

#1 New York Times bestselling novelist Greg Iles returns with his most eagerly anticipated book yet, and his first in five years – Natchez Burning, the first installment in an epic trilogy that weaves crimes, lies, and secret past and present into a mesmerizing thriller featuring Southern mayor and former prosecutor Penn Cage.






Dark Eden by Chris Beckett
From the publisher

On the alien, sunless planet they call Eden, the 532 members of the Family shelter beneath the light and warmth of the Forest’s lantern trees. Beyond the Forest lie the mountains of the Snowy Dark and a cold so bitter and a night so profound that no man has ever crossed it.

The Oldest among the Family recount legends of a world where light came from the sky, where men and women made boats that could cross the stars. These ships brought us here, the Oldest say—and the Family must only wait for the travelers to return.

But young John Redlantern will break the laws of Eden, shatter the Family and change history. He will abandon the old ways, venture into the Dark…and discover the truth about their world.

Already remarkably acclaimed in the UK, Dark Eden is science fiction as literature; part parable, part powerful coming-of-age story, set in a truly original alien world of dark, sinister beauty--rendered in prose that is at once strikingly simple and stunningly inventive.
 



The Untold by Courtney Collins 
Through Netgalley

Originally titled The Burial when published in Australia in 2012.

With shades of Water for Elephants and True Grit, a stunning debut novel set in the Australian outback about a female horse thief, her bid for freedom, and the two men trying to capture her.

It is 1921. In a mountain-locked valley, Jessie is on the run.
Born wild and brave, by twenty-six she has already lived life as a circus rider, horse and cattle rustler, and convict. But on this fateful night she is just a woman wanting to survive though there is barely any life left in her.
Two men crash through the bushland, desperate to claim the reward on her head: one her lover, the other the law.
But as it has always been for Jessie, it is death, not a man, who is her closest pursuer and companion. And while all odds are stacked against her, there is one who will never give up on her—her own child, who awaits her.



Close Reach by Jonathan Moore 
Through Netgalley

In a riveting tale of suspense and terror on the high seas, Jonathan Moore pits human beings against nature—and something far deadlier: one another.

Kelly Pratihari-Reid and her husband sail their yacht into Antarctic waters, thinking their gravest concerns will be ice and storms—and their cracked marriage. A British girl shrieking across a short-range VHF frequency ends that illusion. It’s coming, she screams. It saw us and it’s coming back! Her voice is drowned by a tide of signal-jamming static, and Kelly sees a target on the radar screen: A ship is coming for them.

Thus begins an unforgettable cat-and-mouse game across stormy polar seas and dire landfalls. Kelly’s pursuers will test her to the limits of her endurance—and beyond. For the ship in her wake is crewed by pirates, with a young leader trained to use the most sadistic tortures in pursuit of his ultimate objective . . . a goal as shocking as it is horrific.



The Orenda by Joseph Boyden 
Through Netgalley

From the Scotiabank Giller Prize-Winning author of Through Black Spruce comes a literary masterpiece steeped in the natural beauty and blood-soaked brutality of our country’s formative years

A visceral portrait of life at a crossroads, The Orenda opens with a brutal massacre and the kidnapping of the young Iroquois Snow Falls, a spirited girl with a special gift. Her captor, Bird, is an elder and one of the Huron Nation’s great warriors and statesmen. It has been years since the murder of his family and yet they are never far from his mind. In Snow Falls, Bird recognizes the ghost of his lost daughter and sees the girl possesses powerful magic that will be useful to him on the troubled road ahead. Bird’s people have battled the Iroquois for as long as he can remember, but both tribes now face a new, more dangerous threat from afar.

Christophe, a charismatic Jesuit missionary, has found his calling amongst the Huron and devotes himself to learning and understanding their customs and language in order to lead them to Christ. An emissary from distant lands, he brings much more than his faith to the new world.

As these three souls dance each other through intricately woven acts of duplicity, small battles erupt into bigger wars and a nation emerges from worlds in flux.



Forty Acres by Dwayne Alexander Smith
Through Netgalley

What if overcoming the legacy of American slavery meant bringing back that very institution? A young black attorney is thrown headlong into controversial issues of race and power in this page-turning and provocative new novel.

Martin Grey, a smart, talented black lawyer working out of a storefront in Queens, becomes friendly with a group of some of the most powerful, wealthy, and esteemed black men in America. He’s dazzled by what they’ve accomplished, and they seem to think he has the potential to be as successful as they are. They invite him for a weekend away from it all—no wives, no cell phones, no talk of business. But far from home and cut off from everyone he loves, he discovers a disturbing secret that challenges some of his deepest convictions…

Martin finds out that his glittering new friends are part of a secret society dedicated to the preservation of the institution of slavery—but this time around, the black men are called “Master.” Joining them seems to guarantee a future without limits; rebuking them almost certainly guarantees his death. Trapped inside a picture-perfect, make-believe world that is home to a frightening reality, Martin must find a way out that will allow him to stay alive without becoming the very thing he hates.

A novel of rage and compassion, good and evil, trust and betrayal, Forty Acres is the thought-provoking story of one man’s desperate attempt to escape the clutches of a terrifying new moral order.

Thursday, April 10, 2014

Introducing... Natchez Burning by Greg Iles

Introducing books through the first chapter or so...

Prologue

"If a man is forced to choose between the truth and his father, only a fool chooses the truth." A great writer said that, and for a long time I agreed with him. But put into practice, this adage could cloak almost any sin. My mother would agree with it, but I doubt my older sister would, and my fiancee would scoff at the idea. Perhaps we expect too much of our fathers. Nothing frightens me more than the faith in my daughter's eyes. How many men deserve that kind of trust? One by one, the mentors I've most admired eventually revealed chinks in their armor, cracks in their facades, and tired feet of clay-- or worse.

But not my father.

Wednesday, April 9, 2014

EXCERPT: The Idea of Him by Holly Peterson


CHAPTER 8 
PULLED TOWARDS THE EDGE
 
While he was coming to quick terms with the idea that he’d finally found an attractive woman who cared about his world of nonstop news and gossip, right away, I knew that I too certainly liked the idea of this Wade Crawford man before me. He fit a need. His enthusiasm for life and work would soften my losses: my father in a plane to the ravages of an untimely blizzard and James to a burning obsession to save every child on the other side of the world.
New York glimmered around us that night, the way it can when spontaneity falls perfectly into place. After dinner, Wade escorted me to two downtown parties filled with cigarette smoke and writers. Someday I hoped to be like his writer friends who wrote long magazine stories and books that they’d mined from their souls. It was clear from every angle that Wade’s non-stop joie-de-vivre was more than contagious. He was sheer fun, and full of the possibility of escape, of renewal even.
He dropped me at my stoop at dawn, kissing me tenderly on the lips and disappearing into the early morning glow. As I watched him bounce down the street, all I could think was that he had Daddy’s electricity and confidence. And that suited me just fine.  

 Paperback, 384 pages
Published April 1st 2014 by William Morrow & Company

Tuesday, April 8, 2014

SPOTLIGHT: The Idea of Him by Holly Peterson

Have you ever wanted someone, something, so badly to be true that you’d overlook every shred of evidence to the contrary?

Enter Wade Crawford – the dazzling, urbane, hotshot magazine editor of Meter. With gorgeous hazel eyes, strong shoulders, a chiseled face, and long blondish hair, he was everything that Allie ever thought she wanted in a man and a husband. Until she realized he was anything but.

In the fabulous and intrigue-packed new novel from Holly Peterson, the New York Times bestselling author of THE MANNY, THE IDEA OF HIM (William Morrow | April 1, 2014 | Paperback Original | $14.99 | ISBN: 9780062283108) explores the dangers of falling for the idea of a person, and why facing reality is more liberating than we ever dreamed it could be. For anyone who’s let the fear of being alone keep them from seeing who someone really is, THE IDEA OF HIM is an inspiring, action-packed story of what happens when we embrace our own power and allow the truth to finally set us free.

Allie Crawford is a once-aspiring screenwriter turned successful public relations executive, mother of two young children, with a marriage that feels more like a hostessing gig than it does a relationship.  At thirty four, she is at a crossroads. Then she meets a head-turning, traffic-stopping beauty at the bar of the famed New York City Tudor Room. When Allie finds her husband Wade locked in their laundry room with this same stunning blonde, a scandal ensues that flips her life on its head. And when the woman wants to befriend Allie, an old flame calls, and a new guy gets a little too close for comfort, Allie starts to think her marriage is more of a façade than something real. Maybe she’s fallen in love not with Wade—but with the idea of him.

This intriguing blonde is Jackie Malone, a business school student at Wharton who appears unannounced in Allie Crawford’s world with an uncomfortable degree of information about her personal and professional life. Showing up at all the same parties, lunches, and with a seemingly quite intimate relationship with Allie’s husband, Jackie is a feisty, gorgeous, leggy fashionista that just might have the key to Allie’s future. If she can only learn to trust her.

As Allie and Jackie search for truth, they uncover scandals, betrayals, and financial crimes worthy of front page headline news. Swiftly-paced and electrifying, THE IDEA OF HIM follows their fast-growing friendship and the intimate, sexy conversations they have as Allie takes command of her life and learns to live on new terms that are alternately exciting and terrifying.

Set in present-day Manhattan among the city’s established and up-and-coming power brokers, many of them struggling to regain their equilibrium in a post 2008 crash world, all working various angles—legal and not—in an effort to either get ahead or simply keep up. Smack in the middle of New York’s upwardly mobile meritocracy is the hard-working Allie, refusing to let her working-class past cloud her fabulous present. Her story offers a ringside seat at the lunch-time haunts featured in the pages of Vanity Fair, and is a ticket to the exclusive media cocktail parties posted on Guest of a Guest. But as Allie’s world starts closing in on her and she can no longer deny who her husband actually is, she must figure out how to do it all – without him.

THE IDEA OF HIM shows a woman determined to pick herself back up and reclaim her life, even as the fear of being alone threatens to lure her down the wrong path. As Allie struggles to care for her children, tend to her demanding boss, and navigate the high jinx in the psychological and financial game-playing happening all around her, we fall in love with her determination to root out the truth, and in doing so, finally put her own interests and needs front and center. Most of all, we see the power of female friendship as an unlikely ally – in the form of the mysteriously seductive Jackie Malone – helps Allie to finally see the truth about her husband. And it sets them both free.


about the author:

Holly Peterson is the author of the New York Times and international best seller, The Manny. She was a Contributing Editor for Newsweek and editor-at-large for Tina Brown’s Talk magazine. She was also an Emmy Award–winning producer for ABC News for more than a decade, where she cov­ered global politics. Her writing has been published in the New York Times, Newsweek, Talk, the Daily Beast, Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, and other publications.






Twitter: @HollyPetersonNY


PRAISE FOR
THE IDEA OF HIM
BY HOLLY PETERSON

“THE IDEA OF HIM is a coming-of-age book for grownups. It's fast-paced and intriguing, glamorous and real -- not only a great, great read but a tutorial in how to be your own best friend.”
—Elin Hilderbrand, author of BEAUTIFUL DAY

“Holly Peterson has written a gripping, sophisticated story of high life suspense that kept me riveted till I’d finished. THE IDEA OF HIM is hugely enjoyable and vividly satisfying.” —Tina Brown of Tina Brown Live Media

“Holly Peterson’s THE IDEA OF HIM is the perfect novel if you want to plunge into great dialogue, a twisting and unexpected plot, shady Wall Street schemes, betrayal, girlfriends… and sex.  It is unputdownable.”  —Lesley Stahl, CBS News 60 Minutes Anchor

“THE IDEA OF HIM takes off like a rocket and doesn’t stop until the last page. In this day and age where we are all so distracted, I relished a book that held my attention with laser focus on sexy topics that we all relate to: why we obsess over love, why we can’t leave when we should, and how we find our strength through friendship and characters we can’t help but adore.” —Katie Lee, TV Host, The Kitchen and Author of GROUNDSWELL

“THE IDEA OF HIM is a deeply intriguing book filled with hilarious social satire and sexy longing. This book explores falling in love with the idea of someone rather than the person themselves…and how we cope with reality once we wake up!”  —Kelly Bensimon, Author and TV Personality


Stay tuned tomorrow for an excerpt from the book!