Audio Excerpt: The Last Refuge by Ben Coes

Audio Excerpt: The Last Refuge by Ben Coes

We’ve been talking this week about Ben Coes’ newest thriller, The Last Refuge.

Today we have a special treat for those of you who are good listeners – an audio excerpt of The Last Refuge. Give it a listen and then tell your audiobook loving friends to buy a copy and support a great book!

And don’t forget that we’re giving away a free hardcover edition signed by Ben Coes next Wednesday, July 11. Details are listed in our review and on our FB page.

Book Review: The Last Refuge by Ben Coes + Giveaway

Book Review: The Last Refuge by Ben Coes + Giveaway

The Last Refuge by Ben Coes is Book 3 in the Dewey Andreas series and primarily revolves around the at-odds political landscape of three countries: Iran, Israel and The United States.

Israeli Special Forces Commander Kohl Meir (and great-grandson of Golda Meir) is kidnapped by the Iranians off the streets of New York City. Meir is not only a high-profile name for the Iranians to capture, but he also is one of Israel’s deadliest operatives who specializes in killing terrorists. The Iranians are seeking revenge for the deaths of four of their undercover operatives and believe Meir is responsible. They put on a farce of a public trial and…

Guest Post by Lou Aronica: Differential Equations & Magic Realism

Guest Post by Lou Aronica: Differential Equations & Magic Realism

Today, we are excited to bring you a guest post from Lou Aronica, one of the authors of Differential Equations, where he tells us about the inspiration for the book and more about magic realism. Aronica is a New York Times best selling author and President and Publisher of The Fiction Studio and Publisher of The Story Plant. You can learn more about him here…

Differential Equations, the novel Julian Iragorri and I just published, had numerous sources of inspiration. Julian’s family story was one, as was the fact that both of us had some mind/body experience. Another key source of inspiration were the magic realists. I knew that Julian and I could collaborate well when I learned in our first conversation that both of us considered Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude a favorite novel. Further conversation revealed a shared affection for Isabel Allende, Jorge Amado, and others. I’d wanted to write a magic realist novel for some time, and with Julian I would finally get the chance to do so.

Book Review: Differential Equations by Julian Iragorri & Lou Aronica

Book Review: Differential Equations by Julian Iragorri & Lou Aronica

I usually find it difficult to read books that toggle between different times and places, but Iragorri and Aronica made this difference seamless and easy to follow.

Differential Equations tells the tale of four seemingly unrelated people connected only by their geographical locations. Each character was interesting and could easily warrant a book unto themselves.

I have never read magic realism before, but found that it made me think of my own history – the rumors and tales that get passed down that we too often lend little credence to…

Reading on Vacation & Book Expo America 2012

Reading on Vacation & Book Expo America 2012

What kind of books do you like to read when you travel?

Hubby and I are headed to New York City for Book Expo America. Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve discovered so many books I want to read this Summer and it seems like I’ve been downloading a new book every day to take with us. I’m pretty sure my eReader is just as over-packed as my suitcase!

Here’s a sneak peek at what I’ll be reading and writing about for the next few weeks.

Celiac Awareness Month: Gluten-Free Resources and Cookbooks

Celiac Awareness Month: Gluten-Free Resources and Cookbooks

Today’s guest post is by my good friend Betsy Ramirez, M.Ed., RD, from Supermarket Nutrition 411.

An estimated 3 million Americans have Celiac Disease. Celiac Disease is an autoimmune condition that damages the villi of the small intestine which inhibits nutrient absorption that can cause a myriad of problems, not limited to migraines, thyroid disease and more. The Celiac Disease Foundation reports 95% of CD is misdiagnosed or undiagnosed. A strict gluten free diet is the main treatment. Finding the right resources is extremely important in maintaining health.

Delicious Chocolate Tres Leches Cake

Delicious Chocolate Tres Leches Cake

I know this has nothing to do with books, but it was just too good not to share. And, truthfully, I love good desserts almost as much as I love my books.

For Mother’s Day yesterday, I made a Chocolate Tres Leches Cake to take to my mother-in-law’s for dessert. I found the recipe at Fine Cooking and, having never made a tres leches cake before, set about testing a new-to-me recipe.

Review + Giveaway: What to Expect When You’re Expecting

Review + Giveaway: What to Expect When You’re Expecting

A few weeks ago, the What To Expect team sent me a copy of the What to Expect Series of books: What to Expect When You’re Expecting, What to Expect the First Year and What to Expect the Second Year by Heidi Murkoff and Sharon Mazel. In addition to sending me copies of the books to review, they also generously offered two printed sets of books for me to giveaway to two lucky readers! Details for the giveaway are the end of this post.

Since I haven’t experienced what it’s like to be pregnant yet, I took an informal poll around the office, asking all the Moms what they found most helpful about this series. Without fail, they all said…