About: The Geneva Option by Adam LeBor is a novel which introduces the reader to Yael Azoulay, a high-level UN staffer. The book is marketed as being the first in a trilogy by Mr. LeBor who is, by trade, an author and journalist. The pub­lisher is giv­ing away one copy of this book –to enter fill out the Raf­fle­copt­ter form at the end of the post. 368 pages Publisher: Harper Paperbacks Language: English ISBN-10: 0062208551 My rat­ing for The Geneva Option — 4 Buy this book in paper or elec­tronic format* More Books by Adam LeBor Thoughts: The Geneva Option by Adam LeBor is a gripping thriller which introduces the world to a strong heroine. The world created by the author is raw and brutal, a world most of us would like to think does not exist. Yael Azoulay, the protagonist, is truly an international woman with no roots and no place she can call home. This is a fast paced book is entertaining on the surface but has a lot going for it in between the lines. The lose-lose deals Yael has to strike leave the reader feeling almost dirty but with the clear understanding that they must be made…

1. Who are you? I’m Zohar, been blogging for about 3.5 years but I feel as if I’m getting worst at it instead of better. I got into blogging because I wanted to write my thoughts about the books I read and have some feedback. Simple. 2. Where in the world are you blogging from? Tell a random fact or something special about your current location. Feel free to share pictures. I’m blogging from Delaware, we just moved here (we’re on the DE, NJ, PA border) from NJ due to my work. I have a hell of a commute but the kids are in a good school and my wife loves the area. There is a horse park right around the corner which my daughter loves. 3. Have you previously participated in Armchair BEA? What brought you back for another year? If you have not previously participated, what drew you to the event? I’m back for another year, I’ve done this event two years in a row (this is my third) and I always seem to miss the initial post. It’s a fun event and I was really thinking I’d go to the BEA this year in NYC, but it…

Adirondack Mendel’s Aufruf: Welcome to Chelm’s Pond by Sandor Schuman is a fictional book, taking place in upstate New York which reprises some of the old Jewish tales of the fools of Chelm.

When shopping for some brew I noticed this beer on the shelf, from the same people who brought you The Raven Beer. I love the graphics, the taste and of course the tag line “The Taste is so Poetic”. This beer, to me, seems to go well with foods which are spicy, especially meats. This beer reminded me of the beers I had in Zurich.

Kevin J. Anderson’s Darksaber is the second novel in the unofficially named Callista Trilogy. Introduced in Barbara Hambly’s Children of the Jedi, Callista

Award winning Russian writer Mikhail Sholokhov (24 May, 1905 – 21 February 1984) was known for write and the Russian revolution, Civil War and collectivization. 1) Sholokhov was born in Veshenskaya, known as “land of the Cossacks”. 2) Sholokhov’s mother learned how to read late in life for the sole purpose of corresponding with her son. 3) At the age of 13 Sholokhov fought in the Russian civil war for the Bolshevikk side for several years. 4) After the war Sholokhov moved to Moscow to work as a journalist. He held several jobs including a stonemason and an accountant to pay the bills and be able to participate in writers’ seminars. 5) In 1923 Sholokhov published his first work, The Test, but returned to Veshenskaya in 1924 to devote himself to writing. 6) In 1924 Sholokhov married Maria Petrovna Gromoslavskaia. The couple had two daughters and two sons. 7) Sholokhov’s most famous book, And Quiet Flows the Don which deals with Cossacks before and during World War I and the Russian civil war earned him the Stalin Prize and took 14 years to finish. The work, called socialist realism, was the most read Soviet fiction and won Sholokhov the 1965 Nobel…

About: Seduction by M.J. Rose is another novel in the Reincarnationist series. This is the fifth book in the series and deals with past lives as do the other books. 384 pages Publisher: Atria Books Language: English ISBN-10: 1451621507 My Rating for Seduction – 4 Buy this book in paper or electronic format* More books by M. J. Rose Thoughts: Seduction by M.J. Rose (web­site) is a detailed and somewhat haunting novel. This Gothic tales touches on reincarnation (as do the other books in the series), love and loss, pain and family secrets. Half the book takes place in present time, the other half in the past in which author Victor Hugo is a major part of. While I do enjoy Ms. Rose’s work and writing style, the fact that Hugo was in the book was a major draw for me. While there is some romance in the book, as well as a few paranormal elements (not the normal genre I read) they are sub-stories to the main narrative. As the other books in the series, this one also deals with finding about past lives and how they affect individuals to this day. While the book can be read as a…

A few months ago I reviewed The Last Israelis by Noah Beck. Noah produced the first draft of his novel in just ten weeks, which is not much time to research, write, and refine a manuscript. So he took advantage of the many months involved in producing a second edition of his book (this time adding paperback and audiobook formats) to make many editorial refinements along the way. Noah also have a wonderful blog in which he writes of his experience in marketing a his book, dealing with publishers and other professionals which makes a fascinating read. Noah has been kind enough to offer one Audible downloads of the audiobook to three winners (each one is a $20 value) on the condition that the winners will write and post a review. If you don’t want to wait for the giveaway, you can buy the paper, eBook or audio version today. Giveaway Give­away ends: May 29, 2013 A valid e-mail and Audible.com account is needed Winners’ email address will be shared with Mr. Beck for the sole purpose of sending them the free download code Winners MUST write and post a review Congratulations: allibrary@, studying.forensix@, etotschinger@

Maya’s Notebook by Isabel Allende is a fictional novel and a coming of age story. Ms. Allende is an award winning, internationally famous, Chilean writer.

About: And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini is the long awaited novel by this bestselling author. Mr. Hoseini’s previous novels, The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns, sold more than 38 million books. 416 pages Publisher: Riverhead Sold by: Penguin Publishing Language: English My rat­ing for And the Mountains Echoed — 4 Buy this book in paper or electronic format* More Books by Khaled Hosseini Thoughts: I was glad to receive a copy of And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini (website | Facebook) from the publisher as I enjoyed both his previous books. When I started reading the book two things became immediately clear – this was not going to be another heart wrenching novel and that this is going to be an ambitious story. This is a character driven novel, the story takes place all over the world over decades, but it’s the characters that make you want to come back for the next story. One the reader gets through about half the book, the reader can put together the individual pieces which make the work a whole. What I enjoyed in the narrative were the subtleties which Mr. Hosseini weaves into his work. Reading the stories…