This week’s Friday Freebie falls into the category of shameless self-promotion. Our 100 Followers Giveaways will be ending on Sunday night and we wanted to take this opportunity to remind everyone to get their entries in!

In order to make this giveaway even bigger and better than any of our previous giveaways, we’ve broken it down by country so we can send you not one, but THREE great books! And to make it even better you have your choice of TWO great prize packs per country!

And since we have indeed hit our 100 followers mark, we’re adding one more little perk to our giveaways…

IF we get to 125 followers by Sunday night, we’ll draw one name for EACH prize pack!  That means a total of four people will win three books each!!!

So, if you haven’t entered just head on over to our Canada 100 Followers Giveaway or our USA 100 Followers Giveaway and follow the instructions. If you have already entered, then pass this message along to some friends and get yourself some extra entries!!

We’ll post the winners later next week.

Thank-You for being a With A Good Book reader!

The Second Trial
by Rosemarie Boll

Summary

Danny’s life has been turned upside down in an instant. Or so it seems to him. One night he heard his parents fighting, and when he emerged from his room he found his mother unconscious at the bottom of the stairs. He had no idea that the phone call to 9-1-1 would start a chain of events that would change everything forever.  Now he and his mother and little sister are about to start a whole new life, complete with new names and new identities. Danny is furious with his mother for forcing him to leave everything he loves behind and begins to bury himself in bitterness and anger. What will it take for Danny to come to terms with his new life?

Review

The Second Trial is a well written, emotionally charged story that brought me to tears on more than one occasion.  Danny and his family are realistic and endearing characters who display both strengths and weaknesses. Even when Danny is being unkind to others it’s difficult to dislike him because one can’t help but be sympathetic to his plight. The author does a wonderful job of detailing the stressful situations that arise when a family falls apart, and the frustration and despair of Danny and his mother are palpable. While the story is not action packed, there is a sense of urgency throughout because one simple mistake could ruin everything for Danny and his family.

Verdict

A very convincing portrayal of the results that abuse can have on a family, The Second Trial will touch readers of all ages. Those whose lives have been affected by abuse will likely find this story even more poignant.

As anyone who’s been reading this blog for any length of time is probably aware, I’m a BIG fan of e-books and digital readers. I have an old school Sony PRS-505, and even though it doesn’t have any of the fancy bells & whistles of some of the new models, I still love it to pieces.  And while I love my Sony, I also know there are a huge variety of models out there to choose from. And I think that’s fantastic! I want everyone to have an e-reader*, and offering the people choices is the best way to make that happen.

So, even though I’m not super fond of Amazon’s attempts to keep people from shopping around, I am thrilled that they are continually releasing new models of the Kindle, and even more thrilled that they are making them so affordable! And that’s why I just had to share Amazon’s announcement about their newest Kindle model.

The new model boasts better screen contrast, improved fonts, faster page turns, smaller size, bigger memory, longer battery life (one MONTH on a single charge!), and 3G and wireless connection for $189! And if you’re not concerned with 3G, the wi-fi only model is just $139!! (Click the image above to get a better view.)

Amazon’s main page has a notice about the new Kindles, and you can get all the details here.

What do you think? Pretty shiny right? Have you embraced the e-book? Will the lower prices and new features convince you to buy a Kindle?

*This does NOT mean I want everyone to abandon books. It just means I believe everyone should have a combination of paper and e-books. Both for the environment and to support those self-published authors who are launching their books in digital format.

This week’s QotW is one that I’m sure many book bloggers have often wondered about… What is the etiquette when it comes to review copies?

Let’s say a publisher/author/bookseller has said that they’re going to send you an ARC for review prior to the book’s publication date, but the publication date grows (very) near and the book has not yet arrived. What do you do? Should one assume that there weren’t enough review copies available and just move on? Should you contact the publisher to find out why you didn’t receive the book? If so, how do you go about asking why the book hasn’t arrived? Isn’t it rude to ask why you didn’t get something you didn’t even pay for?

I bet the book blogging community has a ton of good tips on this and other review copy related issues! If you’re a book blogger with experience in this area, please share your advice with fellow bloggers. And please don’t feel restricted to discussing missing review copies… we’d love to hear any advice you have to offer!

Our Book Club selection for July was The Prophecy of the Sisters by Michelle Zink. This dark tale about a pair of twins and the prophecy that divides them, pits good against evil, Guardians against Gatekeepers and twin sisters Lia and Alice against one another.

There were no discussions questions available for The Prophecy of the Sisters so I’ve come up with a few points to help spark some discussion. As always, we encourage veering off topic, so please feel free to bring up anything you would like to discuss about the book!

The Prophecy of the Sisters Discussion Questions

1. Did you enjoy The Prophecy of the Sisters? Will you read Guardian of the Gate the next book in the series?
2. Why do you think their father chose to tell Henry so much more about what was going on than Lia?
3. How has Alice managed to keep her training a secret from her family for so long? Especially when Thomas and Virginia were aware of the prophecy?
4. Do you think Lia’s lack of training stopped her from permanently closing the gate and ending the Prophecy? Did her parents make the right decision to keep her in the dark for so long?
5. Twins! Do you know any twins? How do you think Alice and Lia compared to other twins? Or even other siblings for that matter?
6. Would you be able to turn against your own sibling in order to do something you felt strongly about?
7. Why did their mother choose to protect Lia and not Alice? They were both very young at the time, how could she have known which of them would need protection from the other?
8. How did you feel about the ending of the book? Do you consider The Prophecy of the Sisters a complete story or merely the first portion of a longer story? Why?

Please share your thoughts in the comments below!

The Oracle of Dating
by Allison van Diepen

Summary

Kayla has a secret. She loves her friends dearly, but she’s pretty sure that if they knew she was the Oracle of Dating, they wouldn’t understand. Especially since Kayla hasn’t exactly had an active dating life herself. But that doesn’t mean she isn’t full of good advice! Despite her lack of experience, Kayla is thoughtful, listens to people and knows how to read body language, making her an expert in what people are really thinking but not saying. But when she gives some bad advice to a friend, Kayla begins to doubt herself and her right to dispense advice.

Review

The Oracle of Dating is best described as a G-rated Sex and the City for teens. Kayla has a great group of friends, writes an advice blog on dating and likes to go out and have a good time in New York City… Sound familiar?  But that’s not a complaint! The Oracle of Dating does a fantastic job of offering helpful dating advice in a teen-friendly manner. And it’s wonderful to read a story featuring teens with realistic problems and relationships.  Both Kayla and Jared (the male ‘lead’) are very likable characters, and Kayla’s spirit and sense of humor will have readers wishing they could hang out with her.  The various dating dilemmas are interesting, and Kayla’s budding interest in a classmate keeps the story moving forward.

Verdict

This refreshing story of friendship and first loves is an enjoyable read with a great message for teens. Adults will be remembering their high school dating days and wishing they’d had an Oracle to help them too!

Bonus

Check out the Oracle’s awesome website! Just like you read about in the book!

This week’s Friday Freebie is a sneak-peek at an exciting new YA novel called I Am Number Four which will be hitting shelves on August 3, 2010. The book is penned by Pittacus Lore, a 10,000 year-old alien from the planet Lorien! (Lore is actually a pseudonym for James Frey  and Jobie Hughes.) Even though I Am Number Four is still almost a month away from it’s release date and already there’s a movie in the works and fan sites online.

If you haven’t yet heard about this interesting new novel, here’s a bit about I Am Number Four from Amazon:

Nine of us came here. We look like you. We talk like you. We live among you. But we are not you. We can do things you dream of doing. We have powers you dream of having. We are stronger and faster than anything you have ever seen. We are the superheroes you worship in movies and comic books—but we are real. Our plan was to grow, and train, and become strong, and become one, and fight them. But they found us and started hunting us first. Now all of us are running. Spending our lives in shadows, in places where no one would look, blending in. We have lived among you without you knowing.

But they know.

They caught Number One in Malaysia.
Number Two in England.
And Number Three in Kenya.
They killed them all.

I am Number Four.

I am next.

Entertainment Weekly’s Shelf Life is offering up a nine-page sneak-peek at this first volume in what will be the Lorien Legacies series. According to EW, book number two is already in progress and will be called The Power of Six.

Just visit EW or click here to read the first nine pages of I Am Number Four.

Happy Friday Book Lovers! It’s been so long since I participated, but I’ve been waiting all week for my chance to join another Book Blogger Hop!

This fantastic idea to help the large community of book bloggers around the web get to know each other, comes to us via Jennifer from Crazy-for-Books. Basically, the Hop is a weekly event hosted at Crazy-for-Books, where book bloggers and readers can connect and discover some great new blogs to read. It’s an awesome way to network with other bloggers and make new friends who share your love of books!

The rules are simple – Add your link to MckLinky, POST ABOUT THE HOP ON YOUR BLOG, and start hopping around and visiting other blogs that have signed up! If you start following someone through the Hop, leave a comment on their blog to let them know! And don’t forget, the idea is to HAVE FUN!!

This week’s BBH question is: Tell us about the book you’re reading right now.

I’m currently reading The Second Trial by Rosemarie Boll. It’s a wonderful, but very sad story about a family who has to go into the Witness Protection Program in order to save themselves from their violent father. I’m about 2/3 of the way through and I don’t want t stop reading to go to work!

Head on over to Crazy-for-Books to sign up and see who else is participating. And let’s do the Hop!

Whew! Things are a bit stressful these days, and I’m getting a little overwhelmed. As a result, I’m having a hard time focusing on and getting into the book I’m reading that just happens to be about a similar stressful situation. I think what I need is a good ‘escape book’. You know… the type of book that you can pick up at any time and it never fails to whisk you away to happier place?

My go-to escape books are generally the Harry Potter books. They never fail me when I want to get whisked away to far off places filled with fantasy, wonder and characters I care about. But, I’ve read them many times, and wouldn’t mind a new escape book (or two) to turn to in those times when I need to get away but can’t actually get away. I know my very best resource for this is all the wonderful book bloggers and book lovers out there, so I’m turning to you for assistance!

What’s your favorite escape book? Which book can suck you into its story and allow you to get lost in its pages better than any other?

Dead in the Family (Southern Vampires #10)
by Charlaine Harris

*Please be aware, this review contains spoilers!

Summary

After the world-altering events of Dead and Gone (book #9), there’s still a lot of unrest and upset in Sookie’s life. The fairies and the Weres are displeased because both sides have suffered losses that tie back to Sookie in one way or another. Being married to Eric comes with it’s own set of problems as well. Who knew in-laws would be a part of the package?

Review

Though not as high-stakes as some of the other Southern Vampires books, I loved Dead in the Family. It’s a nice change of pace for Sookie to go almost an entire book without being seriously injured, and her life was only threatened once in this story! While I was sad to see Amelia go, I absolutely love Claude as Sookie’s new roommate and I hope they continue on with this arrangement. I’m not all that hyped about Sookie and Eric’s marriage, only because it doesn’t seem like something that Sookie has chosen, or would even choose again if she had the option. But as a means of helping keep Sookie safe, I can see the value in it. Personally, I like to have a bit more Bill in my Sookie stories, but I did enjoy the set-up with Bill’s sister, and I’m intrigued with where the Bill/Judith story will go in the next volume. (I’m also looking forward to seeing Sam and Jannalyn break up, because that girl seems like trouble!)  It was nice to see Sookie and Jason finally working together in the supernatural battle that seems to be their life, I hope we get to see their relationship continue to build in a positive way.

Verdict

Dead in the Family makes another great installment in the Southern Vampire series! I’m just sad to have to wait for more!

*Dead in the Family is book #7 for the TwentyTen Reading Challenge.