Teddy Rose Book Reviews Plus More


Giveaway: The Greenhouse by Audur Ava Olafsdottir

Posted by Teddyrose@1 on November 23, 2011
Posted in My Past Giveaways  | 39 Comments

Thanks to Emily LaBeaume of Wunderkind PR, I am giving away one copy of The Greenhouse.


Book Description:


Not long after his mother dies tragically in a car accident, twenty-two year-old Lobbi, a brilliant student, leaves behind his studies, his father, an autistic brother, and memories of his mother to become a gardener. Leaving his native, infertile Iceland, he sets out to restore the once-renowned monastic gardens of a remote village monastery. Amongst his luggage he carries three rose cuttings from the rare eight-petal rose he and his mother cultivated and a photo of the young daughter he has only seen a few times, a child accidentally conceived in a brief encounter in his mother’s greenhouse with Anna, a girl he hardly knew. Like all quests, however, Lobbi is about to find out that oftentimes the destination is the journey itself.

After persevering through an emergency appendectomy once on the continent, Lobbi  sets out, meeting many people whose kindness helps him on his way. Once at the monastery, he immediately sets to work transforming the garden under the watchful eye of a cinephile monk. Surprised by a visit from Anna and his daughter, he finds himself not only caring for the garden, but his daughter as well. Tentatively, Lobbi and his daughter establish a loving relationship as they feel their way into each other’s lives, their bond warm, unique, and fragile. Lobbi discovers the varied roles and joys of being a man: fatherhood, cooking, and the love of nurturing a family, all the while retaining his identity as a son, a brother, a lover, and…a gardener.

About the Author:

Audur Ava Olafsdottir was born in Reykjavík, Iceland. She is a lecturer in the history of art at the University of Iceland, a director of the University of Iceland Art Collection, and has curated art exhibitions in Iceland and abroad. She is the author of three novels, a book of poetry, and a play. Olafsdottir is available upon request for interviews and is the first of ten Icelandic novelists to be published by AmazonCrossing in celebration of her country’s role as the guest of honor at the 2011 Frankfurt Book Fair.

As a translator and playwright, Brian FitzGibbon has a particular passion for the translation of fiction.  With experience that spans over twenty years, he has translated a vast array of film scripts, treatments, stage plays, and novels, working exclusively into English from Italian, French, and Icelandic.  His translation of the Icelandic cult novel 101 Reykjavik by Hallgrimur Helgason, published by Faber & Faber in the UK and Scribner in the US in 2002, was hailed by the Guardian as “dazzling” and the New York Times as “lucid.”

To Enter:
Leave a comment with your email address, so I can contact you if you win.
Extra Entries:  (please leave a separate comment for each, for instance you you are a follower, leave 3 comments that you are a follower).
+3 Old or new follower of this blog.
+3 Old or new follower on Twitter (@teddyrose1).
+2 Tweet about this Giveaway
(Up to 1 time per day) 
+3 Be my friend on Facebook (Teddy Rose).
+3 “Like” the post about this giveaway on Facebook
+3 Be my friend on Goodreads (Teddy).
+3 for Joining my Books Won Reading Challenge (be sure to follow the rules and then let me know you joined here.)
+4 for filling out the  Tour Host Interest Form (please do this if you have a book blog and you are serious about wanting to be a tour host)
+ 5 if you have been a tour host for Premier Virtual Author Book Tours (please specify which tour)
+2 for each comment on a book review I have done. (Be sure to tell me which ones).
+1 for clicking to give free food at The Animal Rescue Site (tell me you did it).( Up to 1 time per day)
+1 for clicking to give free books at The Literacy Site (tell me you did it). ( Up to 1 time per day)

That’s 36 or more possible entries!  This giveaway is open to U.S. and Canada.
The winner’s mailing address: No P.O. Boxes
Only one entry per household/IP address
Winners will be subject to the one copy per household rule, which means that if you win the same title in two or more contests, you will receive only one copy of the book.
This giveaway will end on Wednesday, December 7th, 11:59 P.M. E.S.T. The winners will be notified by email. Winners must respond within TWO days or will be disqualified.


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Copyright 2007-2010: All the posts within this blog were originally posted by Teddy Rose and should not be reproduced without express written permission.
The Accidental Activist is loosely based on the Mc Libel case in London that took place in the 1990’s.  Like the real case, the character, Suzie and other protesters took  on a big corporation distributing leaflets about their poor environmental practise and poor working conditions.  The corporation sued for libel.  Back then, people who were sued for libel were not given a public defender but this eventually changed because of this case.  

This is a story of courtroom drama with a bit of romance thrown in.  Matt was a computer geek who happened to meet Suzie by chance.  It was instant love.  When she got sued for Libel from a big oil corporation he found a way to help her with the assistance of his co-workers/ friends.  Back then, websites were very new but they developed a website to get the word out.  This was the first political website as far as it was known.  Matt and his co-workers were basically fired from their jobs for setting it up.

I couldn’t help but root for Matt and Suzie throughout the book and the courtroom drama was gripping.  It even had a bit of sardonic humor in it.  I would have liked to have seen a bit more character development but the story itself was great.  Alon Shalev has explained that he likes to write “transformational fiction where ordinary people are drawn into fighting a social injustice and in doing so experience a life-shifting internal change.”  He succeeded using Matt as his transformational character.

If you’re looking for a John Grisham like thriller that puts the main character in peril, this book is not for you.  However, if you want a well written courtroom drama with British humor and style, I highly recommend this book.

4/5

Please note that I am the coordinator of The Accidental Activist Tour but it in no way influenced my opinion of the book.  My review is my honest and true feelings of the book.  I was not paid for my review.

Also reviewed by:

To Enter:
Leave a comment with your email address, so I can contact you if you win.
Extra Entries:  (please leave a separate comment for each, for instance you you are a follower, leave 3 comments that you are a follower).
+10 Join Superpoints (Click to read instructions, here)
+3 Old or new follower of this blog.
+3 Old or new follower on Twitter (@teddyrose1).
+2 Tweet about this Giveaway
(Up to 1 time per day) 
+3 Be my friend on Facebook (Teddy Rose).
+3 “Like” the post about this giveaway on Facebook
+3 Be my friend on Goodreads (Teddy).
+3 for Joining my Books Won Reading Challenge (be sure to follow the rules and then let me know you joined here.)
+4 for filling out the  Tour Host Interest Form (please do this if you have a book blog and you are serious about wanting to be a tour host)
+ 5 if you have been a tour host for Premier Virtual Author Book Tours (please specify which tour)
+2 for each comment on a book review I have done. (Be sure to tell me which ones).
+1 for clicking to give free food at The Animal Rescue Site (tell me you did it).( Up to 1 time per day)
+1 for clicking to give free books at The Literacy Site (tell me you did it). ( Up to 1 time per day)

That’s 46 or more possible entries!  Tthis giveaway is open Internationally.  If you live in the U.S. or Canada, you have the choice of print or ebook.  If you live internationally you receive the ebook version.
The winner’s mailing address: No P.O. Boxes
Only one entry per household/IP address
Winners will be subject to the one copy per household rule, which means that if you win the same title in two or more contests, you will receive only one copy of the book.
This giveaway will end on Tuesday, December 6th, 11:59 P.M. E.S.T. The winners will be notified by email. Winners must respond within TWO days or will be disqualified.
Copyright 2007-2010: All the posts within this blog were originally posted by Teddy Rose and should not be reproduced without express written permission.

International Giveaway: Ghellow Road by T.H. Waters

Posted by Teddyrose@1 on November 18, 2011
Posted in My Past Giveaways  | 14 Comments

Thanks to the author, T.H. Waters, I am giving away up to 3 copies of Ghellow Road!

Description of Ghellow Road:

Ghellow Road is a literary diary of a young girl’s journey through the tangled labyrinth that is her life. Theresa’s story begins in a large midwestern city where she is born to loving parents in 1965. For a brief moment in time, her life is full, as is her heart, and the world is hers to receive without consequence. As time passes and Theresa grows, supernatural forces begin to shape her existence, no matter how carefully her father colors the empty spaces of her world.

After a series of tragic events, Theresa and her family seek refuge in a small Minnesota town nestled near the shores of Rainy Lake. She creates a new life for herself there, sharing adventures with friends and riding the ups and downs of adolescence. Yet through it all, her mother remains forever lost in the prison of her own mind and forever lost to Theresa.

The young girl feels as though she is leading a double life, one that no one else could possibly understand. She begins to peer at the world as if looking through a thick, black veil, never certain which pieces are illusion and which are not. Through the kindness and support of the townspeople, she eventually summons the strength to survive. This is a story of tragedy and triumph. This is the story of my life.
About T.H. Waters:
I was raised in the state of Minnesota and currently reside in Minneapolis with my significant other and two loving fur balls.  I have always been a life-long lover of the written word.  I love the magic of it, the mystique; I love the breadth of it and how it can fortify one’s spirit. 

I didn’t grow up imagining that I would one day become an author.  In fact, I never even considered it until about 8 years ago when I received news that my brother had died suddenly.  He was only 39 years old.  It was one of the saddest days of my life.  Numb and in shock, I picked up a pen and some paper, sat down at my dining room table and, with tears streaming down my face, I wrote his eulogy. 

A few more years would pass before my significant other encouraged me to take my passion for writing and use it to create my life’s story, Ghellow Road.  My book is written from the heart, and I hope it will move you in some way… All my best, T.H. Waters

The number of entries will determine how many books will be given away:
1-10 Entries = 1
11-20 Entries= 2

21 or more entries= 3

To Enter:
Leave a comment with your email address, so I can contact you if you win.
Extra Entries:  (please leave a separate comment for each, for instance you you are a follower, leave 3 comments that you are a follower).
+3 Old or new follower of this blog.
+3 Old or new follower on Twitter (@teddyrose1).
+2 Tweet about this Giveaway
(Up to 1 time per day) 
+3 Be my friend on Facebook (Teddy Rose).
+3 “Like” the post about this giveaway on Facebook
+3 Be my friend on Goodreads (Teddy).
+3 for Joining my Books Won Reading Challenge (be sure to follow the rules and then let me know you joined here.)
+4 for filling out the  Tour Host Interest Form (please do this if you have a book blog and you are serious about wanting to be a tour host)
+ 5 if you have been a tour host for Premier Virtual Author Book Tours (please specify which tour)
+2 for each comment on a book review I have done. (Be sure to tell me which ones).
+1 for clicking to give free food at The Animal Rescue Site (tell me you did it).( Up to 1 time per day)
+1 for clicking to give free books at The Literacy Site (tell me you did it). ( Up to 1 time per day)

That’s 36 or more possible entries!  This giveaway is open internationally, if you can receive a kindle book gifted.  For those in the U.S. or Canada, you have the choice of print copy or Kindle.
Winners will be subject to the one copy per household rule, which means that if you win the same title in two or more contests, you will receive only one copy of the book.
This giveaway will end on Friday, December 2nd, 11:59 P.M. E.S.T. The winners will be notified by email. Winners must respond within TWO days or will be disqualified.


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Copyright 2007-2010: All the posts within this blog were originally posted by Teddy Rose and should not be reproduced without express written permission.