Jaime Loves Stuff : June 2010


Join the Swagnation!

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The Imposter's Daughter by Laurie Sandell giveaway!!!



From Hatchette Book Group:

Laurie Sandell grew up in awe (and sometimes in terror) of her larger-than-life father, who told jaw-dropping tales of a privileged childhood in Buenos Aires, academic triumphs, heroism during Vietnam, friendships with Kissinger and the Pope. As a young woman, Laurie unconsciously mirrors her dad, trying on several outsized personalities (Tokyo stripper, lesbian seductress, Ambien addict). Later, she lucks into the perfect job--interviewing celebrities for a top women's magazine. Growing up with her extraordinary father has given Laurie a knack for relating to the stars. But while researching an article on her dad's life, she makes an astonishing discovery: he's not the man he says he is--not even close. Now, Laurie begins to puzzle together three decades of lies and the splintered person that resulted from them--herself.




If you would like an opportunity to win 1 of 5 copies that Hatchette Book Group has been so gracious to allow for a giveaway, keep on reading!

To enter:
Must be a resident of the United States or Canada
No PO Boxes
Answer this question: what would your alter ego be/or if you could be/do anything in the world what would it be? For me, I am going with science fictional, but I would be an explorer on one of the Stargate teams (I am obsessed with Stargate Atlantis!)

Giveaway ends on July 25th, 2010. Winner will be contacted by me (so make sure you have an email address in your comment) and will have three days to reply or another winner will be chosen. Winners will be chosen via random.org

Once again, thanks to Hatchette Book Group for sponsoring this giveaway (and for FTC guidelines, I am not being paid for this nor am I receiving a free book, I just hope to gain a few more readers and hope to find some more great blogs to read!)





Bad Run of Books or Just Being Negative?

So I have had a recent run of books that have been pretty terrible lately. Really terrible books all being in the Paranormal Romance genre. At first I started thinking, is it me? Am I just burned out and am being negative? OR, I have just had a seriously bad run of books. ESPECIALLY the Paranormal Romance genre. I am at the point I don't want to pick up any again for awhile. Actually, they have killed the entire romance field for me. I have never really been a huge romance/erotica fan anyways but I do like my books to have a strong lead, strong story and plot with some sexual tension and some steamy romance BUT I want those scenes to be part of the story NOT be the weight of the story, like a good herb: it compliments without overpowering.

When I was thinking it was me, I picked up "A Game of Thrones" by George RR Martin and inhaled the nearly 900 pages WITHOUT rolling my eyes ONCE! Then, I began "Mistborn" by Brandon Sanderson and have been inhaling it since then. Then I looked back to some of the books I have read an enjoyed lately : The Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs, The Whole Southern Vampire Series by Charlaine Harris, Doppelgangster by Laura Resnick, Deadtown by Nancy Holzner, Trick of the Light by Rob Thurman by Stieg Larsson, The Better Part of Darkness by Kelly Gay and some recent Georgette Heyer books I read (among many others). Nope it's not me. Especially when I was reading so many great reviews on the books I thought were just weak, weak and more weak and thought Hmmmm. Am I being a snob or are these reviewers even telling the truth? I know, I know... different strokes for different folks.

Here's the issue: Paranormal/Urban Fantasies are flying off the shelves like CRAZY. Authors and publishers are pumping out these books faster then the pumping going on in some of them and feeding the craze without any consideration for plot, character development, dialogue and imagery (except the ABS & PECS on the covers).

A few questions:

What is your observation of the current paranormal genre crazy? Is quantity over quality?

What is your opinion of reviewers who give every book they read a glowing review?

Just some thoughts...


Upcoming Review! CSN Stores!



As many of you are aware, I adore CSN Stores! When they contacted me with offer to review another product of theirs, I couldn't say NO! They have over 200 stores and offer an insane amount of products and can always find something for everybody! It's amazing what they carry! You can buy anything from a set of chef knives, to a bookcase to even twin beds Speaking of twin beds, how adorable is this one?



I am in the market for a new bed frame for Emma and she loves pretty items!

I will keep it a surprise on what I plan to review so stay tuned for what is coming up!











disclaimer: CSN stores has provided me with a gift certificate to post an upcoming review of one of their products. That will not hinder my ability to be straight forward and honest with my review.

Upcoming Review! CSN Stores!




As many of you know, I adore CSN Stores! They have over 200 stores, so there is definitely something for everybody and chances are, you will find what you are looking for one one of their sites.

When I was contacted by CSN to do another product review, I couldn't say NO! How can I? I am going to keep it as a surprise on what product I am going to review but as I was browsing around on their sites, I came across some cool items. Did you know that they sell everything from kitchen appliances or even a bathroom sink

Check out this super cool sink:




Stay tuned, I can't wait to share a great product review!







disclaimer: CSN stores has provided me with a gift certificate to post an upcoming review of one of their products. That will not hinder my ability to be straight forward and honest with my review.

Masked By Moonlight by Nancy Gideon Review/Blog Tour

Masked by Moonlight (Moonlight Trilogy, #1) Masked by Moonlight by Nancy Gideon


My rating: 2 of 5 stars
A werewolf! In New Orleans! Organized crime! Ravaged murders! A werewolf in New Orleans as the muscle behind the success of organized crime leader Jimmy Legere. The book begins hard and heavy beginning with a loser leaving his wife to a buddy of his to have fun with for a few dollars so he can gamble and shortly after their savaged bodies are found and the wife and baby are gone. Cue Detective Charlotte "CeeCee" Caissie on the case. Charlotte has a deep seeded hatred towards Legere as he had her and her best friend kidnapped and tortured as a teenager to get to her dad, a detective himself but is later murdered. First stop in the investigation? Legere's. Now cue Max Savoie. Sexy. Lethal. Loyal. A dangerous triad. Now cue love. Sounds like the making of a GREAT story, right? Wrong! The author goes off from what begins as a great story right to a horrible love story and kind of throws the rest in as an after thought. CeeCee who is supposed to be tough, strong, and in control cries. A lot. Entirely too much for a strong woman. Not saying strong women aren't supposed to cry but every other scene (or so it feels is too much) and Max the loyal "dog" that he is, defies his "father" for love at first sight? Oh and let's not forget about STUPID, STUPID, and more STUPID acts by a supposedly intelligent detective who knows HOW she maintains her job while wearing Max's Armani, openly stands up for him at the police department, openly sleeping with him and cohorting at the compound? Come on! Seriously? She is supposedly "trying to get close to him" and not once did the police chief say a thing to her, but her partner does? Really??? It's just a very weak story.


As you can tell, it was extremely underwhelming. I, for one, don't care to read another one in this series. Too many authors are just pumping out fantasy/paranormal romances just to fill the shelves without even "trying". They are just getting the elements in, a weak story line, a cover with a sexy hero/heroine and fill it up with a horrible romance. Sigh. I miss the good old days when there were good story lines! LOL
View all my reviews >>


disclaimer: This book was provided to me at no charge by Pocket Book Group/Simon & Schuster. Receiving this book at no charge does not (obviously!) affect my ability to remain true and honest in my review


Oh no! I am THAT person...

My last post was a rant and rave about the movies that Hollywood has released, remakes from movies that were hits in the 70s/80s. A thought just hit me. Am I being THAT person the "I walked up hills, both ways, in a blizzard when I was a kid" or "These kids have no idea..." person? I hope not! I sure am nostalgic though. I don't mind change, advancements and cool new ideas.

In my moment of nostalgic memories, I was watching some FABULOUS 80s/90s country music videos. Country was less glam, less pop-y-ish then. Yup. I am that person. hahahaha. I don't care! I grew up in DODGE CITY, KANSAS! Hello, Wyatt Earp, Boothill, Rodeos, Bloody Kansas and we loved our rodeos, races and street dancing. Good times! I love all kinds of music but these songs just rock my socks every time I hear them. Enjoy!




Dear Hollywood, Leave my childhood memories alone

and create NEW ones for this generation.

Karate Kid remake? Really? Come on! The reason the originals did so well was because of the power of the underdog story in the late 70s/early 80s. We loved to see someone like US win! It was the years of deep economic decline and we needed something to pick us up and Daniel-san did! Who doesn't remember Wax on/Wax Off? I do. I also remember standing in my backyard trying to do the Crane. As you can see by the ratings, this new Karate Kid won't do very well. So just STOP!


Another travesty from Hollywood is Nightmare on Elm Street. Come on guys!!!! No one, I repear NO ONE can be Freddy Krueger BUT Robert Englund. He IS Freddy Krueger. I can't look at his normal, non costumed photos without cringing and thinking "1, 2 Freddy's comming after you..."



Weird Science, Top Gun, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Footloose, Red Sonia, Short Circuit, Romancing the Stone, Poltergeist and many, many more.

Listen Hollywood Screenwriters...

the movies from the 80s weren't full of great special effects but they were full of heart. Many have a huge post-successful runs at the box office cult following. Let us keep our memories and get some creative juices flowing and create something NEW. Give these kids some GREAT stuff that blows them away! We are in an economic downturn and have been for sometime, give them something that makes them feel GOOD, but NEW. My movies, yes these are MINE (speaking of my generation), are OUR memories and OUR desires and LEAVE THEM ALONE!!!! I am done with you, Hollywood, until you decide to do something ORIGINAL!







Canyon Bakehouse Gluten Free Breads Review

I have had some pretty rotten gluten free breads or the ones that are yummy tasting are ridiculously priced.

I was sent some breads from Colorado's Canyon Bakehouse to sample and review and boy oh boy, they didn't play around when it came to trying out there products. I received a large box full of their products.

1 loaf of the San Juan 7 Grain bread
1 loaf of the Mountain White bread
1 loaf of the Cinnamon Raising bread
Photobucket

A package of their Rosemary Focaccia
Photobucket

A four pack of the Cranberry Crunch Muffins
Photobucket

And last but certainly not least, their newly launched whole grain hamburger buns
Photobucket

First thing my daughter and I did? Crack open the muffins. Holy moly these are out of this world!!!! They are moist, sweet (just enough sweetness, not overly at all!), plenty of cranberries and a wonderful crunch. Some of the issues I have had with gluten free muffins is that they are gummy. Yuck. Canyon Bakehouse's muffins definitely do not have a gummy texture. The texture is perfect and the amount of crunch was wonderful! I love the little poppy and pumkin seeds. My picky child loved them too! I heated mine up and spread a bit of Irish butter on it. Yum!

PhotobucketPhotobucket

After that, of course, we put our bread in the freezer to maintain their quality. After all, no preservatives!

Yesterday afternoon we had sandwiches for lunch after a trip to our local Trader Joe's. So, we decided to break out with the Mountain White. Emma had a Almond Butter and Apricot Preserves Sammy and I used the Rosemary Apricot Chicken Salad I bought from TJ's.

Emma gave me a thumbs up from her sandwich and I dug in to mine. Oh my goodness! If I didn't know better I would never have thought these were gluten free! No dryness, no crumbles, and flexible! And the taste was lovely! Very muted and a low key flavor and very yummy! Especially after nuking the frozen slices, they taste fresh baked! The slices were just the right size and held up quite nicely for a chicken salad sandwich!

PhotobucketPhotobucketPhotobucket

Last one we tried was the whole grain hamburger buns. I decided to have my sister over (non-gluten intolerant) for bison burgers and sweet potato fries. Wow. Between my sister, Emma and I, not a word was said as we happily munched away on our burgers. As you can see from the photo, the size was perfect for the burger. The thickness was perfect (I don't like thin burger buns) and the grains were very obvious!


Photobucket

The taste was outstanding. The texture was like every day whole wheat burger buns, flexibly and tasty!
PhotobucketPhotobucket

I still need to try the Rosemary & Thyme Focaccia, San Juan 7-Grain and the Cinnamon Raisin, but I can already tell I will not be disappointed.

Head on over to Canyon Bakehouse's website, read the story behind their decision to create gluten free goods (Josh(one of the owners) wife is a celiac), and see if they are in a store near you and if they aren't, you can order online and I also suggest speaking up to your local health food grocer and ask them to carry their line! Their products are fantastic!



Disclaimer: Thank you to Canyon Bakehouse for providing their products for review. Although these items are complimentary, it didn't affect my ability to give a fair and honest review. I was not given any monetary compensation, just some breads!

Canyon Bakehouse Gluten Free Breads Review

I have had some pretty rotten gluten free breads or the ones that are yummy tasting are ridiculously priced.

I was sent some breads from Colorado's Canyon Bakehouse to sample and review and boy oh boy, they didn't play around when it came to trying out there products. I received a large box full of their products.

1 loaf of the San Juan 7 Grain bread
1 loaf of the Mountain White bread
1 loaf of the Cinnamon Raising bread
Photobucket

A package of their Rosemary Focaccia
Photobucket

A four pack of the Cranberry Crunch Muffins
Photobucket

And last but certainly not least, their newly launched whole grain hamburger buns
Photobucket

First thing my daughter and I did? Crack open the muffins. Holy moly these are out of this world!!!! They are moist, sweet (just enough sweetness, not overly at all!), plenty of cranberries and a wonderful crunch. Some of the issues I have had with gluten free muffins is that they are gummy. Yuck. Canyon Bakehouse's muffins definitely do not have a gummy texture. The texture is perfect and the amount of crunch was wonderful! I love the little poppy and pumkin seeds. My picky child loved them too! I heated mine up and spread a bit of Irish butter on it. Yum!

PhotobucketPhotobucket

After that, of course, we put our bread in the freezer to maintain their quality. After all, no preservatives!

Yesterday afternoon we had sandwiches for lunch after a trip to our local Trader Joe's. So, we decided to break out with the Mountain White. Emma had a Almond Butter and Apricot Preserves Sammy and I used the Rosemary Apricot Chicken Salad I bought from TJ's.

Emma gave me a thumbs up from her sandwich and I dug in to mine. Oh my goodness! If I didn't know better I would never have thought these were gluten free! No dryness, no crumbles, and flexible! And the taste was lovely! Very muted and a low key flavor and very yummy! Especially after nuking the frozen slices, they taste fresh baked! The slices were just the right size and held up quite nicely for a chicken salad sandwich!

PhotobucketPhotobucketPhotobucket

Last one we tried was the whole grain hamburger buns. I decided to have my sister over (non-gluten intolerant) for bison burgers and sweet potato fries. Wow. Between my sister, Emma and I, not a word was said as we happily munched away on our burgers. As you can see from the photo, the size was perfect for the burger. The thickness was perfect (I don't like thin burger buns) and the grains were very obvious!


Photobucket

The taste was outstanding. The texture was like every day whole wheat burger buns, flexibly and tasty!
PhotobucketPhotobucket

I still need to try the Rosemary & Thyme Focaccia, San Juan 7-Grain and the Cinnamon Raisin, but I can already tell I will not be disappointed.

Head on over to Canyon Bakehouse's website, read the story behind their decision to create gluten free goods (Josh(one of the owners) wife is a celiac), and see if they are in a store near you and if they aren't, you can order online and I also suggest speaking up to your local health food grocer and ask them to carry their line! Their products are fantastic!



Disclaimer: Thank you to Canyon Bakehouse for providing their products for review. Although these items are complimentary, it didn't affect my ability to give a fair and honest review. I was not given any monetary compensation, just some breads!



Get your swagga on!

Have you heard of Swagbucks? Swagbucks is a search engine that combines the best of google, ask and various websites into one search engine that allows you to earn swagbucks which you can exchange for prizes. I usually just get the Amazon.com giftcards (I am a book nerd, after all!) but they offer a great selection of prizes, contests and other ways to earn Swag!

Click on the image below and sign up!

Search & Win


Canyon Bakehouse Gluten Free Breads review

I have had some pretty rotten gluten free breads or the ones that are yummy tasting are ridiculously priced.

I was sent some breads from Colorado's Canyon Bakehouse to sample and review and boy oh boy, they didn't play around when it came to trying out there products. I received a large box full of their products.

1 loaf of the San Juan 7 Grain bread
1 loaf of the Mountain White bread
1 loaf of the Cinnamon Raising bread
Photobucket

A package of their Rosemary Focaccia
Photobucket

A four pack of the Cranberry Crunch Muffins
Photobucket

And last but certainly not least, their newly launched whole grain hamburger buns
Photobucket

First thing my daughter and I did? Crack open the muffins. Holy moly these are out of this world!!!! They are moist, sweet (just enough sweetness, not overly at all!), plenty of cranberries and a wonderful crunch. Some of the issues I have had with gluten free muffins is that they are gummy. Yuck. Canyon Bakehouse's muffins definitely do not have a gummy texture. The texture is perfect and the amount of crunch was wonderful! I love the little poppy and pumkin seeds. My picky child loved them too! I heated mine up and spread a bit of Irish butter on it. Yum!

PhotobucketPhotobucket

After that, of course, we put our bread in the freezer to maintain their quality. After all, no preservatives!

Yesterday afternoon we had sandwiches for lunch after a trip to our local Trader Joe's. So, we decided to break out with the Mountain White. Emma had a Almond Butter and Apricot Preserves Sammy and I used the Rosemary Apricot Chicken Salad I bought from TJ's.

Emma gave me a thumbs up from her sandwich and I dug in to mine. Oh my goodness! If I didn't know better I would never have thought these were gluten free! No dryness, no crumbles, and flexible! And the taste was lovely! Very muted and a low key flavor and very yummy! Especially after nuking the frozen slices, they taste fresh baked! The slices were just the right size and held up quite nicely for a chicken salad sandwich!

PhotobucketPhotobucketPhotobucket

Last one we tried was the whole grain hamburger buns. I decided to have my sister over (non-gluten intolerant) for bison burgers and sweet potato fries. Wow. Between my sister, Emma and I, not a word was said as we happily munched away on our burgers. As you can see from the photo, the size was perfect for the burger. The thickness was perfect (I don't like thin burger buns) and the grains were very obvious!


Photobucket

The taste was outstanding. The texture was like every day whole wheat burger buns, flexibly and tasty!
PhotobucketPhotobucket

I still need to try the Rosemary & Thyme Focaccia, San Juan 7-Grain and the Cinnamon Raisin, but I can already tell I will not be disappointed.

Head on over to Canyon Bakehouse's website, read the story behind their decision to create gluten free goods (Josh(one of the owners) wife is a celiac), and see if they are in a store near you and if they aren't, you can order online and I also suggest speaking up to your local health food grocer and ask them to carry their line! Their products are fantastic!



Disclaimer: Thank you to Canyon Bakehouse for providing their products for review. Although these items are complimentary, it didn't affect my ability to give a fair and honest review. I was not given any monetary compensation, just some breads!
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