Books, Movies, and Chinese Food

LAST DAY TO ENTER!!!!!! Camy Tang is having a contest that runs until January 31, 2007 on her website where you can win an 8GB Ipod Nano and LOADS of books. You have to join her newsletter YahooGroup to enter and then fill out the entry form on her site. When you do, please say that beatccr referred you. Click here for all the details. Then come back here and leave a comment telling that you entered and then you'll be entered to win a book from me! The winner will get to choose from 1 out of these 5 books: Robin Jones Gunn - Sunsets (Glenbrooke Series) Robin Jones Gunn- Clouds (Glenbrooke Series) Gilbert Morris - A Covenant of Love (Appomattox Series #1) Judith Pella - Frontier Lady (Lone Star Legacy #1) Michael Phillips & Judith Pella - A House Divided (The Russians #2) Please leave contact info in your comment. I'll pick a name from all the entries and post the winner on February 1st. Good luck!

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducting GERM (WestBow Nov 1, 2006) by Robert Liparulo ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Robert's novel paints a scenario so frighteningly real that six Hollywood producers were bidding on movie rights before the novel was completed. His acclaimed debut novel, Comes A Horseman , is being made into a major motion picture by producer Mace Neufeld and his short story "Kill Zone" was featured in the anthology Thriller , edited by James Patterson. Robert is an award-winning author of over a thousand published articles and short stories. He is currently a contributing editor for New Man magazine. His work has appeared in Reader's Digest, Travel & Leisure, Modern Bride, Consumers Digest, Chief Executive, and The Arizona Daily Star, among other publications. In addition, he previously worked as a celebrity journalist, interviewing Stephen King, Tom Clancy, Charlton Heston, and others for magazines such as Rocky Road, Preview, and L...

Here comes the bride... Claire is finally about to get married! Greg has asked the questions and the happy couple is planning the event that will start their new life together. Claire has found the perfect gown but alas it is wayyy out of her price range. So in order to get the extra money, she accidentally becomes a dog walker (even though she hates dogs). Since its Claire, of course all sorts of adventures have to happen to her. Her client's irritating son is attracted to her, her daughter is again seriously involved with her college boyfriend, her son is doing drugs, and Greg wants to postpone their honeymoon to take a pastoral job in another church! Will Claire still be able to make it down the aisle? I thought this was a wonderful end to the Claire series. I felt all the characters had come around full circle. Claire seems to have finally made her peace with Rick and Darcy and while she still sometimes feels irritated with Darcy, they have become good friends. I also re...

Family First Sidney is a single mother of three kids, who has just moved into a new home. However she can't fully enjoy their new surroundings because her teenage son, Ty, has run away. Unfortunately he has a police record due to a robbery and the police are onto him. Sidney believes her son is innocent and does her hardest to make him turn to the right path no matter what it takes even with the deputy sheriff trying to vie for her attention. Meanwhile her neighbor Millard is an elderly man who's daughter insists that he is too old to take care of himself. Trying to prove her wrong, against his wishes, he soon is swept up in the affairs of Sidney's family and becomes a surrogate grandfather. This makeshift family learns to bond together as they go through a time of learning to trust and have faith. I thought this was an excellent book. The story is so well developed that I felt like I was watching a movie instead of just reading the story. The lead characters were al...

I don't usually watch medical shows on TV. I never watched ER, never finished an episode of House, didn't even try to get into General Hospital. I just felt that no matter how good a doctor George Clooney played on TV, he wasn't a real one in the actual world. It just seemed all fake to me. So when ABC announced they would be having a new medical drama in their lineup, I immediately assumed that it would be cancelled after a few shows. However the public proved me wrong. After hearing all the hype about it, I decided to rent the first season from the library. I got hooked. What I do like very much about the show is how real all the characters are. They don't act fake, they act how someone might react in that sort of situation whether it be a medical issue or not. And I do know that a lot of stuff might not really happen like that in a hospital but still it was very interesting to learn the technical goings on in a hospital. And it made me rethink about the ti...

Same old story again John, the disciple Jesus loved most, is the only disciple left. All the others have been killed for their beliefs. Currently in prison awaiting his sentence, John wants to get his story about his life with the Messiah out to the rest of the world. When an attempt to boil him in a pot of oil fails, John is sentenced to exile on Patmos. Before he goes, he dictates his story to Polycarp in hopes that others will listen to it and believe. When I first heard the premise of this novel, I was excited. I thought it was going to be the New Testament through John's eyes during that time period. I thought the story would be first person narrative from John's point of view from when he grew up, to meeting Jesus, throughout Jesus' ministry, after Jesus died, etc. Unfortunately this book was not at all what I expected. I didn't feel this book to be on the level as the Left Behind series. To me the story was just verbatim the Bible with a little background...

Congrats to Erin for winning a copy of Arms of Deliverance! Stay tuned for more book giveaways in the future! No, you aren't seeing double. This month we are reviewing not one, but two books by Marilynn Griffith ! This prolific writer has TWO books coming out this month! This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is posting about If the Shoe Fits (Steeple Hill Cafe', 2007) by Marilynn Griffith (fellow CFBA member, blogger, writer, and mother of seven) ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Marilynn Griffith is wife to a deacon, mom to a tribe and proof that God gives second chances. Her novels include Made of Honor (Steeple Hill, Jan. 2006), Pink (Revell, Feb. 2006), Jade (Revell, June 2006), and Tangerine (Revell, January 2007). Her other credits include Chicken Soup for the Christian Woman’s Soul, Cup of Comfort Devotionals and her Shades of Style series (Revell, 2006). She lives in Florida with her husband and children. To book speaking engagements or just say hello, email: marilynng...

News Flash! Best Motion Picture of the Year Nominees: Babel (2006): Alejandro González Iñárritu , Steve Golin , Jon Kilik The Departed (2006): Graham King Letters from Iwo Jima (2006) Little Miss Sunshine (2006) The Queen (2006): Andy Harries , Christine Langan , Tracey Seaward The Oscar nominations are in. Best Picture nominees are Babel, The Departed, Letters From Iwo Jima, Little Miss Sunshine, and The Queen. I haven't seen any of them, but personally I hope either Letters or The Queen win. And yes! Will Smith did get nominated for The Pursuit of Happyness. Although, I'm perfectly happy with all the nominees for Best Actor. I would like Peter O'Toole to win because he's lost all those other times. Same with Martin Scorsese for Best Director, just give it to already! And we all know Helen Mirren will win for The Queen, although I wish Kate Winslet could win an Oscar for once. (She should have won for Eternal Sunshine, cough) And Curse of the Golden F...

Don't forget to enter the book giveaway to win a copy of Arms of Deliverance. Click here to enter . I'll pick a name and announce the winner on Wednesday. Who knew grandmas wore thongs? Thanks to her broken down RV Ivy Malone, that spunky little old lady, has found herself stuck in the town of Hello. Her and her sidekick Abilene are worried that they might be stranded in a boring little place but since it's Ivy, of course they soon find themselves in the middle of an unsolved murder. The townspeople believe that the murdered man's niece committed the crime, but Ivy isn't so sure. Thanks to the guys' multiple marriages, everyone appears to be suspect. Soon Ivy and Abilene don't have time to worry about the Braxtons or Boone as they are fully immersed into the town life of Hello. Between helping out (aka growing romance) the town vet for Abilene and sorting through the personal library and assisting the props for the yearly revue for Ivy, the two also f...

Don't forget to enter the book giveaway to win a copy of Arms of Deliverance. Click here to enter . I'll pick a name and announce the winner on Wednesday. I just want to dive into that book cover Brianna is a beach loving tour guide who is also a happily married mother. She doesn't always see eye to eye with her mother in law, but being with her chocolate loving best friend Gaby makes up for that. Bri thinks she's been living a pretty good life and thinks that her husband would agree with her. But then she starts to worry about her husband being away constantly from his home because of his job, sees him with his young coworker, and finds an email about selling the house. Dealing with her new boss and with a friend who keeps putting her down starts to put a strain on Bri. She decides a complete change is needed and puts both the house and her own self in extreme makeover mode. However she realizes that if this is what is needed to keep her husband, she'll soo...

Don't forget to enter the book giveaway to win a copy of Arms of Deliverance. Click here to enter . I'll pick a name and announce the winner on Wednesday. Before I start my post about the movie, I'd like to dedicate this review in memory of my grandmother who passed away in Malaysia last Friday. She would have greatly enjoyed this movie. Once again a Chinese film was playing at our theater so of course my family had to go. Since the Hampton Roads area of VA is not considered a major marketplace to the movie industry, other than indie theaters we rarely get good foreign films. And since this is an Asian film we were all looking forward to it, Chow Yun Fat and Gong Li being two of our favorite Chinese actors. I have just two words for this movie though: Blood and cleavage. And there is a LOT of both. Quick summary: Chow Yun Fat is the emperor, Gong Li the empress. There are three princes, the crown prince being the emperor's son from his first marriage. The emp...

Don't forget to enter the book giveaway to win a copy of Arms of Deliverance. Click here to enter . I'll pick a name and announce the winner on Wednesday. Emus=stupid animals Ivy Malone is back again, this time on the run in a motor home as she tries to escape the Braxtons yet again. Thinking that she can just enjoy being on the road and enjoying the sites, Ivy sets off on sets off across the country. Of course since it's Ivy, she can't escape any adventure, which comes in the form of a runaway abused wife and a new job opportunity where her would be employees end up dead before Ivy can even apply for the job. Since Ivy can't pass up a good investigation, she and her new friend Abilene search for clues as to what really happen when the son of the dead ask her to be the caretaker. Mix in some emus and enough toilet paper to last you a lifetime, and you've just encountered another normal day in the life of Ivy Malone. I cannot get enough of Ivy Malone and h...

BOOK GIVEAWAY! I have a new copy of Arms of Deliverance to give away. Leave a comment with your email address so I can contact you if you win. I'll pick a name and announce the winner on Wednesday, January 24. Good luck! This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is posting about Arms of Deliverance (Moody Publishers, 2006) by Tricia Goyer (fellow CFBA member, blogger, writer, and homeschooling mom!) ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Tricia Goyer is one the members of the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance ( Tricia's Blog, "It's Real Life" Tricia's Parenting Blog, " Generation NeXt ") and we are pleased to be able to review her exciting historical fiction book, Arms of Deliverance . She was named Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference "Writer of the Year" in 2003. Tricia was also a finalist for the Gold Medallion Book Award and won ACFW's "Book of the Year" for Long Historial Romance in 2005 AND in 2006. She has written hundreds of ...

Congrats to Julie for winning a copy of Ashes and Ice. Come back tomorrow for another book giveaway! One little old lady you don't want to mess with Ivy Malone has left her hometown in fear of the Braxtons who have threatened her after her testimony which convicted one of them for murder. She decides to stay with her niece and her family in Arkansas in hopes that she will be able to once again become a little old invisible lady again. Ivy stays with her grandniece and is prepared to enjoy a peaceful vacation away from the worries that follow her. Unfortunately she is mistaken to be a housekeeper and gets hired from a reclusive woman who turns up dead after firing Ivy. The reader snoops along with Ivy as she tries to find out who has committed the murder while unsuccessfully trying to get herself into any more danger. I have become a huge Ivy Malone fan. Who knew little old ladies could be so much fun? This book is very like Murder She Wrote where the heroine is not someone yo...

Don't forget to enter the book giveaway to win a copy of Ashes and Ice. Click here to enter . I'll pick a name and announce the winner on Tuesday. Appreciate your elders Sophia is a elderly woman who is living in the home of her nephew Patrick and his wife Rachel. She has chosen them as the place where she will live until she dies. She then proceeds to tell us about here life and what goes on inside this household. She reveals that her marriage wasn't what she had expected it to be. Her stepchildren hated her from the beginning, her husband treated her as just a mere companion, and denied her of any little happiness she had hoped would come from her marriage that she did not experience in her childhood. Plus she also found a devastating secret about her husband that he had kept hidden throughout their entire marriage until his death. Living with Patrick and Rachel has allowed her to view this small family and their lives as a quiet observer. They have lost their two...

Don't forget to enter the book giveaway to win a copy of Ashes and Ice. Click here to enter . I'll pick a name and announce the winner on Tuesday. I remember the first night that Dr. Quinn came on TV back in 1993. There weren't many shows that came on during weekend nights that the whole family could watch together. Then this show came on and it was actually something we all enjoyed. Going back now, I love watching this historical show with all the costumes and settings of the mid 1800s west. Dr. Mike is a great role model for young women as a she tries to stand out in a world that still isn't ready to accept her. (Very reminiscent of the Cheney Duvall MD series by Gilbert and Lynn Morris that came out around the time this show debuted.) In the second season, Dr. Mike has now become a staple of Colorado Springs and the people have almost warmed up completely to her. Granted, some of the townsfolk like Loren and Jake still give her a hard time but that doesn't...

Don't forget to enter the book giveaway to win a copy of Ashes and Ice. Click here to enter . I'll pick a name and announce the winner on Tuesday. The Winslows during Pearl Harbor Alana is a widow with three boys living during the Great Depression. Her husband died during an accident in the mine that he worked in. She has to find a way to support to her family by working in a factory. Along the way she meets Oscar Moran, a rich older man who she decides to marry after he shows that he can support her and her family. However the marriage is one of convienience and not love, and Alana finds herself drawn to Oscar's younger brother Jason. The feelings are mutual between the two but they don't act on it due to Oscar's jealousy. Then Jason joins the military right before Pearl Harbor and everything in the lives of the three changes. I have read almost all of Gilbert Morris's books and every single book in the House of Winslow series. I love this series becaus...

Don't forget to enter the book giveaway to win a copy of Ashes and Ice. Click here to enter . I'll pick a name and announce the winner on Tuesday. This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing A Pagan's Nightmare (Warner Faith 2006) by Ray Blackston ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Ray Blackston of Greenville, South Carolina, worked as a buyer and a broker for eleven years before cashing in his modest 401k and leaving his corporate cubicle in 2000 to write full time. He is a graduate of the University of south Carolina, with a degree in Finance and Economics. He serves on the drama team at his church, participates in a weekly men's accountability group, serves on the missions committee of his church, has traveled to rural Ecuador on a summer missions program, and coaches his seven-year-old nephew, Action Jackson, in T-Ball. When he is not crafting a new novel, is exploring south Carolina beaches with friends and family. He competes in golf tournaments, leads a wr...

Book Giveaway Below! Pull out your winter coat again In the third book of the Alaskan quest series, Jayce and Jacob are shipwrecked on an Arctic island with a bleak outlook of leaving. Meanwhile their wives Leah and Helena are back at home in Alaska waiting for their husbands to get back home. Leah is still struggling with the fact that her children may not be really be Jayce's children and the aftermaths of what Chase had done to her. Helena is worried that Jacob still doesn't really love her. The two women bond together as they battle the harsh Alaskan setting, dealing with influenza, changes from their friends, and the outbreak of WWI. I've mentioned before I love really good book covers. This whole series has had some beautiful covers and this one is my favorite (the whole hair blowing in the wind thing). I want to say that it's Leah on the cover. I enjoyed reading the book as it tied up many story lines and described more historical detail about the time per...

Congrats to Michelle for winning a copy of Hell in a Briefcase. Stop by tomorrow for another book giveaway! Sometimes it's Mom that knows best Claire has now begun to settle down after having it all out with her ex husband and his new wife. She has a great boyfriend, her kids are starting to finally get along well with her and she's finally starting to relax from her panic attacks. Then a tornado hits her house and everything changes for Claire. When Greg invites Claire to move in with his mother for a while, he then drops the bomb on her that he wants to go to seminary to become a full time pastor. Claire can't deal with having to become a pastor's wife so she dumps Greg, and then begins to regret it. In between her relationship issues, she also has to deal with a contractor that dies on her, another that wants to date her, her teenage daughter rebelling big time, her son wanting to become an actor, the retired atheist actor who wants to give him acting lessons...

Don't forget to enter the book giveaway to win a copy of Hell in a Briefcase. Click here to enter . I'll pick a name and announce the winner on Monday. I love when Oscar season rolls around. For my boyfriend, football season is the best time of the year. He loves watching NFL and NCAA football nonstop, knows all the teams, player stats, play by plays, you name it. Me on the other hand, come January and February I can tell you every movie that's been nominated for Academy Awards, Golden Globes, Screen Actor Guilds, BAFTAs , etc. ( Uber dork confession here: if I'm having trouble falling asleep I try to list as many Oscar nominees since 1998 as I can. I usually fall asleep trying to remember one from 2000). I also usually try to watch the major nominees if I can before the actual winners are announced so I can make my own predictions. That said, I am almost guaranteed Will Smith will be nominated for his role as Chris Gardner in The Pursuit of Happyness . Based o...

Don't forget to enter the book giveaway to win a copy of Hell in a Briefcase. Click here to enter . I'll pick a name and announce the winner on Monday. Road Trip!! Dede is the owner of a chocolate store, who decides (against her better judgment) to go on a road trip with her two friends Millie and Lydia. The trio are hopping aboard an RV named Walter as they go cross country to a camp reunion. Of course the trip doesn't go as perfect as they had originally planned. The roof gets a leak, Dede can't stand the air condition that Millie and Lydia need for their hot flashes, Lydia's Andy Griffith-loving canary almost dies, and the police keep pulling them over for either speeding or being too slow! Each woman also has secrets she doesn't want the others to know, whether it be a married guy who won't leave Dede alone, Lydia's problems with her sons, or Millie being afraid of being replaced at her job. When the trio finally get to camp, they are reunited ...

Don't forget to enter the book giveaway to win a copy of Hell in a Briefcase. Click here to enter . I'll pick a name and announce the winner on Monday. This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is posting about Tangerine (Revell, January 2007) by Marilynn Griffith (fellow blogger, writer, and mother of *GULP* seven!) ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Marilynn Griffith is wife to a deacon, mom to a tribe and proof that God gives second chances. Her novels include Made of Honor (Steeple Hill, Jan. 2006), Pink (Revell, Feb. 2006), Jade (Revell, June 2006), and If the Shoe Fits (Revell, 2007). Her other credits include Chicken Soup for the Christian Woman’s Soul, Cup of Comfort Devotionals and her Shades of Style series (Revell, 2006). She lives in Florida with her husband and children. To book speaking engagements or just say hello, email: marilynngriffith@gmail.com . Orange you glad you read this book? Jean is the third member of the Garments of Praise team tha...

Congratulations to Janice for winning a copy of "Afton of Margate Castle". Don't forget to enter the book giveaway to win a copy of Hell in a Briefcase. Click here to enter . I'll pick a name and announce the winner on Monday. Culture Clash Angelica is a up and coming attorney working for a big firm in New York City. When she is fired and cannot find a new job due to her refusal to compromise her beliefs she heads home to California. While at home she faces the situation of illegal Mexican immigrants in the area. Her family ranch has hired a new immigrant worker, Antonio. Angelica decides to take him under her wing and try to help him out in every way she can. She also wants to try to get a job as a public defender because she wants give help to those who really are in need of it. As Angelica works with Antonio, she discovers that there may be more than just a charitable feeling shared between the two of them. The two have an uphill climb as they try to figur...

Don't forget to enter the contest to win a copy of Afton of Margate Castle. Click here to enter . I'll pick a name and announce the winner on Tuesday. HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! It is January 1st, time for the FIRST Day Blog Tour! (Join our alliance! Click the button!) The FIRST day of every month we will feature an author and their latest book's FIRST chapter! This month's feature author is: Phil Little with Brad Whittington and their book: HELL IN A BRIEFCASE (A Matt Cooper Novel) BOOK GIVEAWAY!!!! Guess what? The publicists for Phil have agreed to a book contest for each FIRST member's blog post on Hell in a Briefcase! Leave a comment with your email address so I can contact you if you're the winner. I"ll announce the winner next Monday, January 8. Good luck! ELEVEN BRIEFCASES AND ONE UNLIKELY HERO...CAN MATT COOPER FIND ELEVEN NUCLEAR DEVICES AND HIS FAITH BEFORE DISASTER STRIKES? With violence in the Middle East escalating daily, Americans are...