Classic Book of the Week: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, is one of my all-time favorite books. I remember reading this in school and loving every single page of it. I loved reading about Scout, Jem, and their friend Dill's curiosity of Boo Radley. I wanted to know as much as them who Boo Radley was. What I really was drawn to in this book was the issue of race. Atticus Finch, who is one of the greatest characters ever written, defends Tom Robinson, a black man who has been accused of raping Mayella Ewel, a white woman. Atticus gets flak for defending Tom Robinson. Even Scout and Jem are taunted because of it. I don't want to give anymore away and spoil anything for those who haven't read it. To Kill a Mockingbird, is a fantastic piece of literature. This is Harper Lee's only published book. Even though you always wanted something else from her, To Kill a Mockingbird is perfect. Just having one amazing book to your name is all you need, when it's work like this.  It's a book everyone should read.

Currently you can only get To Kill a Mockingbird in a physical format. News just came out yesterday, that it will finally be released as an e-book  and audiobook on July 8th.

To order a copy of To Kill a Mockingbird Click Here



 

Review: The Baby & The Bride by Laura Barnard

The Baby & The Bride is the hilarious follow up to The Debt & The Doormat. Laura Barnard gives us another fun book that you won't be able to put down. The story picks up eights months after the first book. Jazz is getting ready to have a baby and Poppy is engaged to the dreamy Ryan. While it should a be a happy time for both they discover that trying to balance their new lives is going to be a little harder than they thought. Poppy's new job is demanding and while she loves it, it's means that the wedding planning details are left to her mother. She also questions at times why Ryan wants to be with her. This happens more so when someone from Ryan's past reappears. Jazz is having trouble handling the baby and starts to doubt herself as a mother. It's a complete 180 from the life she was used to. As always with these two best friends, they  share their journeys together and it isn't without a ton of laughs. I didn't think it was possible to laugh more, but The Baby & Bride delivers them, from changing  diapers to three Hen outings. The great cast of supporting characters return from Poppy's mother and Aunt, to Izzy, Lilly and Grace. While this book  is a comedy, it does have some serious parts which balances out extremely well.  The Baby & The Bride is a great follow up that you don't want to miss. You'll fall in love with these characters all over again.  I can't wait to read more from Laura Barnard.

Click here to buy The Baby & The Bride.

Review: The Debt & The Doormat by Laura Barnard

The Debt & The Doormat by Laura Barnard, is one of the funniest Chick Lit books I have read in a long time. I can’t tell you how many times I laughed reading about Poppy and Jazz.  They are best friends who decided to switch living styles and living arrangements to help the other out. Jazz is in debt after her mother refuses to give her the money to pay her bills. Poppy is used to just rolling over and letting people tell her what to do. After a night of drinking they devise a plan where Jazz will live like Poppy and save money, and Poppy will go out and live life like Jazz. The catch is they each have to do what the other tells them.  What follows is a great, funny story about friendship and the people you meet. Poppy, is thrown out of her comfort zone. She’s been content just hanging out at home. When she is forced to move into her friend Jazz’s home and live with her three roommates, she has to step out of that zone. No one pushes that more than Ryan. The back and forth banter between these two will hook you. They have a great love/hate relationship going on. The little moments they share are some of my favorite parts. Jazz on her mission to save money is just as funny. It’s her relationships during this time that leave you waiting for her next parts. Barnard also gives you great supporting characters as well.  You know they’re good when you can’t wait to read more about them as well. The adventures and misadventures  Poppy and Jazz have throughout this book keep you reading. The ending sets up the second book in the series perfectly. I don’t want to give anymore way, you just have to read it.

I really enjoyed this book. I couldn’t stop laughing. If you’re looking a book for the beach or anytime for that matter, you can’t go wrong with The Debt & The Doormat by Laura Barnard.

It’s you’re lucky day, because right you can get this book for free on Amazon. Click here to download your copy now.



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Classic Book of the Week: One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez

For the first installment of Classic Book of the Week, there was only one choice that was fitting to start it off. With the passing of the great, Gabriel García Márquez last week, I've chosen One Hundred Years of Solitude as my Classic Book of the Week. This is a book I read a long time ago. It is one of those books that you never forget about. It is beautifully written story about the Buendía family, and the town Macondo, José Arcadio Buendía founded. The Buendía family story over several generations is captivating. After you finish it, you'll know why García Márquez is revered as a great writer, and why this book is considered a masterpiece by many.  This is truly a brilliant book. Pick up a copy of this classic book and enjoy.

Click Here to buy One Hundred Years of Solitude

Book News: Last Chance to Get The Suicide Princess by Anthony Bryan for Free on Kindle

If you haven't read The Suicide Princess by Anthony Bryan you only have a little more than a day left to get it for free on Kindle. This is definitely a book you don't want to miss. It is a sexy and steamy, romantic thriller that is full of twists and turns you won't see coming.  Anthony Bryan wrote a story that keeps you hooked from begging to end. So don't waste anymore time and get your free copy now.

Click here to get The Suicide Princess by Anthony Bryan

 

Review: Chasing Forever by Pamela Ann

Chasing Forever is the fourth book in the Chasing Series. While the first three books dealt with the two main characters Sienna and Blake, Chasing Forever is the story of their two best friends Toby and Lucy.  All I can say about this one is wow. This was a roller coaster of emotions between Toby and Lucy. The pain and love these two have for each other makes you pull for them to have a HEA. The wow factor for me was having my feelings change for  the character Amelia, who I didn't like at all in the previous books. The truth that is revealed and the subsequent events leave you reeling. My heart broke halfway through this book. You don't know how the events will affect Toby and Lucy till the very end. Pamela Ann  knows how to pull different emotions out of you as you read her books. With Chasing Forever she gives you the spectrum, you laugh, cry, and get angry.  I don't expect anything less from Pamela Ann.  This is worth the read.

 

Review: Central Park Song by Zack Love

"When you look for beauty, you usually end up finding it." If there is a line from Central Park Song, the newest release from Zack Love that sums up the story for me it is this. Central Park Song is  brilliantly written story that is actually a screenplay. While this is my first time reading this type of format, it works so well that you are transported into the story. Melinda is a successful lawyer and Rodney is a brilliant, handsome, young man who is homeless. Despite being from such different backgrounds, their chance meetings leads to a strong connection between the two. While their feelings grow, both Melinda and Rodney have to face their own realities and struggles. Can they overcome them and have a happily ever after? You just have to read and find out. Central Park Song is a well written story that you can't put down. Zack Love knows how to tell a story, whether it's a screenplay, short story, or novel. The beauty of Central Park Song is that it shows that connections and love can happen any where and with anyone. It shouldn't matter, who you are or where you come from. I love the optimism of that message.

Rodney says it best when he says "When you look for beauty, you usually end up finding it."  You'll find it in this great story.



 

Book News: T.K. Leigh to Donate 100% of Sales to The One Fund Boston

T.K. Leigh, the amazing author of A Beautiful Mess and A Tragic Wreck will be donating 100% of all sales this week to the the One Fund Boston. Last year's tragic events at the Boston Marathon, shocked everyone. To show your support to those affected by this tragic event, you can join T.K. Leigh by donating to the One Fund Boston by buying one of her books. I've read A Beautiful Mess and A Tragic Wreck. I absolutely loved these books. It's a great story that will keep you hooked.  So pick up your copies of the these books and help support a great cause.

Click here to buy the Beautiful Mess Series

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New Releases: Chasing Forever by Pamela Ann

There's a new book from Pamela Ann coming out on Tuesday that I'm particularly excited about. It is Chasing Forever. It is part of the Chasing Series which brought us the story of Blake and Sienna.  Chasing Forever will tell the story of their best friends Lucy and Toby, a couple who seemingly had the perfect love until outside influences tore them apart.  This will surely be another angst filled, emotional story, that we've come to expect from Pamela Ann. For more on Chasing Forever, check out the synopsis below.

Chasing Forever will be released on April 15th. I'll post the links as soon as it goes live. In the meantime, if you haven't read any of the Chasing Series you can buy them by clicking here.

To add Chasing Forever to you TBR list click here

I always thought I was going to end up marrying Lucy, the woman I loved with my entire existence. Unfortunately, the woman staring back at me, readying to say our vows wasn’t the blue-eyed woman I loved. She was the woman who was chasing after my best friend, but we somehow ended up on the damn altar in a church in Madrid.

Lucy gave up on me you see. Love and hate were both shone in her eyes when she pleaded for me to cancel this farcical union. All I needed was for her to say it—for her to tell me that she loved me. But what did she do? She walked away…for the second time.

That truly gutted me. I knew then that she would never choose me, nor would she fight for me—or for the love we once so profoundly shared.

But seeing her again in Rome months later twisted me inside out, because time didn’t make my feelings ebb away. In fact, it was rotting in me, slowly poisoning everything I once cherished, loved and believed.

Could I risk myself again? Or should I just let bygones be bygones and walk away just as she had done?

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The Jazzy World of E's Bookshelf

I'm really excited to introduce my new blog. People who know me, know that I have a love for books. In fact I probably spend more time reading and listening to music than actually watching TV, unless it's The Mindy Project ( I never miss an episode). I don't know where I picked up my love of reading.  I like to think of it as a natural progression. I remember reading Charlotte's Web when I was a little girl and falling in love with the characters. I like to think it started there, with E.B. White. It has only grown from there. During school, my favorite time of year was when the Scholastic Book Fair would come. The chance to be in a room with brand new books was exciting( a bit nerdy I know, but that's okay). I loved getting the chance to pick a book and get lost in the story and your own imagination as you go on a journey. It kind of reminds me of the NeverEnding Story. This great adventure that takes you places.

This is what books have always been to me and the reason why I've decided to start my own little book blog , The Jazzy World of E's Bookshelf. There's nothing like sharing a book with someone else and getting caught up talking about the characters, plots and the ending.

Starting this week I'll be posting some books that I've enjoyed and hopefully you will too.

Get ready, grab a comfy spot, and enjoy what will hopefully be a good book to you!

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The Jazzy World of E's Book Shelf: Must Read Books

I don't think I ever been more excited and nervous for a new blog post like I am about this one. I just really love books. All kinds of books. I jump around from different genres quite a bit. Reading for me is a great escape. Originally I was just going to profile one book, but people who know me, know that it's hard for me to choose just one. When it comes to picking books, songs, or anything in general, it's really hard for me to narrow it down. So since this is the inaugural post of the Jazzy World of E's Bookshelf, I've decided to give you a few (or more than a few) books the I really enjoyed over the past year or so.

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes



They had nothing in common until love gave them everything to lose . . .Louisa Clark is an ordinary girl living an exceedingly ordinary life—steady boyfriend, close family—who has barely been farther afield than their tiny village. She takes a badly needed job working for ex–Master of the Universe Will Traynor, who is wheelchair bound after an accident. Will has always lived a huge life—big deals, extreme sports, worldwide travel—and now he’s pretty sure he cannot live the way he is. Will is acerbic, moody, bossy—but Lou refuses to treat him with kid gloves, and soon his happiness means more to her than she expected. When she learns that Will has shocking plans of his own, she sets out to show him that life is still worth living. A Love Story for this generation, Me Before You brings to life two people who couldn’t have less in common—a heartbreakingly romantic novel that asks, What do you do when making the person you love happy also means breaking your own heart?

When people as me about a book to read, Me Before you by Jojo Moyes is one of the first books I will mention. This book has it all. It will make you laugh, cry, get angry, and leaves you with a powerful message, that even to this day I still think about. You know you've read a great book when you still think about it over a year later. It has become one of my favorite books of all time. You can't help but fall in love with Lou and Will. Their story is one you won't soon forget.

Buy: Me Before You

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Sex in the Title by Zack Love

New York City, May 2000. The Internet bubble has burst and Evan, a computer programmer, is fired with an email from his boss. The next day, his girlfriend dumps him, also via email. Afraid to check any more emails, Evan desperately seeks a rebound romance but the catastrophes that ensue go from bad to hilariously worse. Fortunately, Evan meets Sammy -- someone whose legendary disasters with females eclipse even his own. To reverse their fortunes, they recruit their friends -- Trevor, Yi, and Carlos -- to form a group of five guys who take on Manhattan in pursuit of dates, sex, and adventure.  When Evan, a closet writer, falls desperately in love with a Hollywood starlet, he schemes to meet her by writing a novel that will sweep her off her feet. Sammy knows nothing about publishing but is confident of one thing: Evan's book should have the word "sex" in the title. With musings about life, relationships, and human psychology, this quintessential New York story about the search for happiness follows five men on their comical paths to trouble, self-discovery, and love.

Sex in the Title by Zack Love is one of the funniest books I've ever read. It's an incredibly fresh and funny story about five young men(Evan, Trevor, Yi,  Carlos, and  Sammy)  and their adventures in dating and searching for love in New York.  I couldn't get enough of these five characters, especially Evan and Sammy. The events that bring Evan and Sammy together are both cringe worthy and hilarious at the same time. I really liked reading about the male perspective to dating and love. From Carlos' list of requirements for  the kind of woman he can date to Sammy and his SQ meter, it keeps you hooked and laughing.   I can go on and on about this book, but you should just check it out for yourself.  There's just something about Zack Love's writing style that I really like and think you'll enjoy too.  Sex in the Title is an extremely entertaining and fun book to read.

Buy: Sex in the Title

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The Suicide Princess by Anthony Bryan

Stephanie Bradford is a young, attractive, and successful District Attorney on her way to the top. She has the near-perfect life, with an amazing husband, and she has it all in the palm of her hand. When her marriage falls into a romantic rut, Stephanie is skillfully swooned by a charming, mysterious and intriguing stranger who looks to be the answer to all of her fantasies. A whirlwind and exciting affair quickly spirals out of control, and before long, she learns that things aren’t always as they appear and people are rarely who they seem. One poor decision becomes the catalyst for a series of events that rips her life apart, and Stephanie is left with nothing but the thirst for revenge against the man who viciously stole everything from her. The Suicide Princess is a highly charged roller coaster ride where nothing is as it seems and everything is at stake!

The Suicide Princess by Anthony Bryan is a book that I recently learned about. It is different from my first two picks. This story is a romantic thriller that definitely takes you on a wild ride.  What makes The Suicide Princess stand out for me are the twists in the book. I didn't see them coming and that's one of the reasons why I liked this book so much. Sometimes you can predict where a book will go, and with this one you definitely will not.  The Suicide Princess is a steamy, sexy book that will make you blush a little or a lot. The ending  will leave you a bit speechless. You will definitely be thinking about it. I've read this book twice and I still can't get over it.  I'm looking forward to reading what's next from Anthony Bryan.

Buy: The Suicide Princess

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The Beautiful Series by Christina Lauren



Whip-smart, hardworking, and on her way to an MBA, Chloe Mills has only one problem: her boss, Bennett Ryan. He's exacting, blunt, inconsiderate--and completely irresistible. A Beautiful Bastard. Bennett has returned to Chicago from France to take a vital role in his family's massive media business. He never expected that the assistant who'd been helping him from abroad was the gorgeous, innocently provocative--completely infuriating--creature he now has to see every day. Despite the rumors, he's never been one for a workplace hookup. But Chloe's so tempting he's willing to bend the rules--or outright smash them--if it means he can have her. All over the office. As their appetites for one another increase to a breaking point, Bennett and Chloe must decide exactly what they're willing to lose in order to win each other.

I love the Beautiful Series by Christina Lauren.  I kept hearing about this book called Beautiful Bastard last year and finally picked up a copy. It is definitely one funny, sexy book. And the other books in the series, Beautiful Bitch, Beautiful Stranger,  Beautiful Bombshell, Beautiful Player, and Beautiful Beginning are just as great. I seriously devoured every book as they came out. I love all of the characters. Each and every one of them. From Chloe and Bennett, to Max, Sarah, Will and Hanna, these are characters you'll love and connect with.  In the end you'll be either a Bennett, Max, or Will kind of person. It's hard for me to choose my favorite, but Will does hold a special place for me.

Buy: The Beautiful Series

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The Beautiful Mess Series by T.K. Leigh



What happens when you lose everyone that promised they would always be there for you? How can you protect the few pieces of your shattered heart that remain?
Olivia Adler is a woman with a troubled past. After losing her parents at the young age of six and being raised by an uncle who she lost years later, she refuses to get attached to anyone, including friends. For the past decade, she has been able to remain unattached to any man, too worried about losing someone to get too close. Until Alexander Burnham walks into her life one night and changes everything. But he has issues of his own. And he’s keeping a secret that could turn her world upside-down. Will Olivia let Alexander in enough for him to get close and protect her from a force threatening her very existence, or will she push him away, scared of letting Alexander in, in order to protect her heart?
A Beautiful Mess is the first installment of a three part series sure to captivate the heart with a story of secrets, courage, and love.

 

T.K. Leigh's A Beautiful Mess and A Tragic Wreck are another series that I've really enjoyed. The story of Olivia and Alexander is a great one. You will get sucked in and try to figure out all the pieces and layers that are part of the secret that could tear them apart. I don't want to give too much away. This definitely is an emotional and steamy story. The final book is the series Gorgeous Chaos is coming out next month. Now is the time to pick up your copies of the first two books in the series.

Buy: A Beautiful Mess Series

 

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Discovered by Kim Black



Emily Roberts was done with men! She believed she was content with just focusing on her career. After Adam, her ex, cheated on her with not one but two of her co-workers, Emily fled from her former workplace, forgoing her internship and decided to start anew. Though her decision to write off love had held up for over a year, her chastity belt would soon be put to the test when Julien Belmont, a French billionaire, takes an interest in her. In one night, she questions everything she believes and though she is determined that he is no different from the rest, she finds herself in a world wind of affairs, lies and a tug of war between old and new men... Can she learn to love again or will she flee from Julien, who she admits is the best lover she has ever had?

Discovered  by Kim Black is another story that sucked me in from the first meeting between the two main characters Emily and Julien, to the very last page, that left me wanting the next book in the series instantly. The chemistry between these two is palpable. It's the obstacles that Emily and Julien face, along with the twists and turns that move this story along so well. The ending leaves you wanting more. Kim Black definitely gives you a fast paced story that you can't put down. The second book in the series Cover Up comes out April 28th. What I've seen from the teasers it's going to be a good one. Now will be the perfect time to read Discovered.

Buy: Discovered

 

 

Here it is, the first of many, many, postings in The Jazzy World of E's Bookshelf. I'm eager to hear what you think of the books. I also want to hear your recommendations. You can contact me on here or The Jazzy World of E's Bookshelf Facebook page.

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