HOW to BE a MILLIONAIRE by Rosey Dow [Book Review]

Author: Rosey Dow
Hardcover: 171 pages

Publisher: Thorndike Press; Large-print edition

Language: English

From the Cover:

Christy Award - winning author Rosey Dow creates a rich Christmas romance in this story from nineteenth-century Colorado. Penny Joshua decides to train a bellboy to act like a millionaire to refer her brother for loan approval. Will a case of mistaken identity lead to a hot spring of shame, or heat up to romance over the Christmas season?

Twitter-Sized Summary

A ruse to garner financing gets more complicated when a case of mistaken identity and a touch of romance are added.

short, sweet, clean #3Words2DescribeU


My Thoughts

How to Be a Millionaire is an okay weekend read. The waiter-millionaire scenario is a bit of a stretch (just go with it). It is also a little too predictable for my tastes, most likely due to its length. [I must admit that I am not a big fan of short-stories and novellas. So of course, I wished that it was longer.] The story was pleasant enough though: easy to read, wholesome, and sweet. For such a short story, the publishers seemed to make some distracting errors in their print editions.

How to Be a Millionaire is a Christian-based read (i.e. clean - no foul language or sex, references to faith). Therefore, I think that it is accessible to a wide range of readers - from younger teens to adults. Through the romance, the story also delivers a gentle message about the fine line between lies and purposeful misdirection.

Recommended for:

• Romance readers
• Historical romance readers
• Christian fiction readers

How do you rate the book?

NOTE: The story seems more like a novella than a novel (making the single story asking price seem a bit steep). I would recommend getting the collection book, Colorado Christmas. It includes all of the individual stories in the series:  How to Be a Millionaire, A Wife in Name Only, and Love by Accident.



Related Posts:

What did I miss? Is it me? Or bad editing?

Top Ten Best Selling Novels for the Year 1960

This is a list of bestselling novels in the United States in 1960, as determined by Publishers Weekly.*


Advise and Consent by Allen Drury

• The novel won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1960.
• ‘Advise and Consent’ at 50 by Thomas Mallon | The New York Times, June 25, 2009
•  Advise and Consent: Film adaptation directed by Otto Preminger and starring Henry Fonda, Charles Laughton, Burgess Meredith, Gene Tierney, and Peter Lawford.

Hawaii by James A. Michener



The Leopard by Giuseppe di Lampedusa



The Chapman Report by Irving Wallace



Ourselves to Know by John O'Hara




The Constant Image by Marcia Davenport



The Lovely Ambition by Mary Ellen Chase




The Listener by Taylor Caldwell



Trustee from the Toolroom by Nevil Shute



Sermons and Soda-Water by John O'Hara



* Publishers Weekly list of bestselling novels in the United States in the 1960s on Wikipedia

Bookin' It with Mad Men: Season One Books

Below is the season one list for the Bookin' It with Mad Men reading group on Shelfari. The list below is compiled from my observations and comparisons to The Definitive ‘Mad Men’ Reading List by Judy Berman (Flavorwire) and the Mad Men Reading List by Billy Parrott (Mid-Manhattan Library).

If I've I missed a book, please let me know.

Season one opens in March 1960 with advertising executive Don Draper meeting his new secretary, Peggy Olson. What other books were Americans reading in 1960?

Episode 1 -  Smoke Gets in Your Eyes

• The Crisis of the Old Order, Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr.



• The View from Chivo, H. Allen Smith




• The Peking Man Is Missing, Claire Taschdjian



La Presidenta, Lois Gould

LA Presidenta

Masterpieces of World Literature in Digest Form, Frank N. Magill

Masterpieces of World Literature in Digest Form

Episode 3 - Marriage of Figaro

• Lady Chatterley's Lover by D. H. Lawrence

Episode 4 — New Amsterdam

• Nursery Friends from France translated by Olive Beaupre Miller; illustrated by Maud and Miska Petersham

Nursery Friends from France

• Italy by Herbert Kubly and the editors of Life

 

Episode 6 - Babylon

• The Best of Everything by Rona Jaffe




• Exodus by Leon Uris

Episode 8 - The Hobo Code

• Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand

Best I've Seen Today: Jill Shalvis on Teenagers

Teenagers suck. That is all. But if you're a teenager, especially one of mine, then my Twitter has been hacked and I love you.
— Jill Shalvis (@JillShalvis) March 21, 2012

This made me laugh out loud in the library. [Evil stares from the librarian.] New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis' next book, Lucky in Love (A Lucky Harbor Novel), will be released on June 1, 2012. Check out her other books in the  Lucky Harbor novel series below. Have you read any of them?

Best I've Seen Today: B*tches in Bookshops

"Read so hard librarians tryin’ ta FINE me­"

I must confess that I don't care for the Jay- Z / Kanye West song, N*ggas in Paris - more so for the weak lyrics than the questionable title. I hate for good music to be wasted on bad lyrics. 

La Shea Delaney (Twitter: @lashea_delaney) & Annabelle Quezada (Twitter: @annabelleqv) to the rescue on this one. They go hard on this parody for book lovers. Definitely mad hoydenish.

Check out the video below and the lyrics on Annabelle Quezada's Hecho/Visto blog post, B*tches in Bookshops.


A couple of things in the lyrics made me SMH at myself.

On bookmarks:

"I am now marking my place
Don't wanna crease on my page
Don't let me forget this page
I got bookmarks at home
But I forgot one for the road
AQ: I got a bookmark I can loan
La Shea: Know how many bookmarks I own?"

I don't dog-ear or crease pages in books - not even my own. I have freebie bookmarks from the library stashed all over the place - like loose change. I found two under the seat of my car today (and a "missing" sleeve of CDs from a Reading Lolita in Tehran audiobook - don't ask).

I don't know how many bookmarks I own. I mostly use regular bookmarks and receipts (see Kasia's Goodreads Poll: What do you use for bookmarks?) to mark my place in books with spines. How 'bout you?

On highlighting:

OMG! I cringed when she highlighted in the book. I don't even write or highlight in textbooks. Oddly, I do find it interesting to see what others have highlighted in books (#dontjudgeme). No wonder the Kindle's highlight and share function appeals to me. Voyeurism without the damage.

I think that Annabelle and La Shea should host a reading challenge with all of the books mentioned in the song. Don't you?

B*tches in Bookshops Reading Challenge ... Read So Hard, You Get Paper Cuts. I could see it.

The Hunger Games Tribute Guide [Book Review]

Author: Emily Seife

Paperback: 128 pages   

Publisher: Scholastic Press

It's been a while ... I got a copy of The Hunger Games Tribute Guide to refresh my memory on what happened in the first novel of The Hunger Games trilogy before watching the movie. I think calling it the "ultimate" guide is a bit of a stretch. It kind of reminded me of the play bills that you get at a theater. You get a high-level "Capitol" overview of the game (from how the tributes are chosen and groomed, up to just before the game starts) and pictures of the movie characters.  It's spoiler-free.

Pictures: If you have been following the progress of the movie on the Web (even a little bit), you've probably already seen most of the pictures in the book (in stills or in the trailer). There is not much new to see. There are pictures of each tribute with a caption listing their name, district, gender, height and weapon of choice in the arena. Unfortunately, most of the tributes have no name listed. Even though many of the tributes were only referenced by district number in the book, it was still somewhat of a letdown to see "Tribute Girl" or "Tribute Boy" listed on most of the profile pictures.

Having already read the book and seen most of the pictures, The Hunger Games Tribute Guide didn't really add much to my fan experience. I liked the The Hunger Games: Official Illustrated Movie Companion better.

Recommended for:

• People who have not read The Hunger Games
• People who want The Hunger Games collector items  

Everyone else:

• Flip through it at the library or bookstore

POLL: Why did you read THE HUNGER GAMES TRIBUTE GUIDE book?

POLL: Why did you read THE HUNGER GAMES TRIBUTE GUIDE book?

Best I've Seen Today: 1000 Words Can Make You Immortal

Like this graphic? Get more content marketing tips from Copyblogger.

Happy Birthday Queen Latifah!

Dana Owens (b. March 18, 1970), better known as Queen Latifah, is a singer, rapper, author, spokesperson, and actress. Her work in music, film and television has earned her a number of awards, including:

• a Golden Globe Award for Life Support 
• two Screen Actors Guild Awards for Chicago and Life Support
• a NAACP Image Award for Bringing Down The House 
• an Emmy Award nomination for Life Support
• an Academy Award nomination for Chicago

What is your favorite Queen Latifah book?
I have added Put on Your Crown: Life-Changing Moments on the Path to Queendom to my reading list for the year.

What is your favorite Queen Latifah film or TV role?
My favorite movies are Set It Off and Chicago.

Re-Reading "The Hunger Games" & Got My Hunger Name

Picked up a copy of The Hunger Games to re-read in preparation for the movie release.

Stopped by http://hungernames.com and got my Hunger Name.

It's Portia Thistlewood.

I was killed in the 9th Hunger Games by ingesting poison.

Damn. Was not expecting that.



Have you read the book yet? What's your Hunger Name?

Weather Girls - It's Raining Men

I am dancing in my chair to the Weather Girls' song, It's Raining Men while searching for my first man in uniform book from the Goodreads' I Love A Man In Uniform list recommended by Brianna, The Book Vixen. I am participating in her Men in Uniform Reading Challenge. I think Dear John by Nicholas Sparks will be my first choice. What do you recommend?

"Cause tonight for the first time
Just about half past ten 
For the first time in history
It's gonna start raining men"

Check me out at Goodreads: Tallulah Scribbles, MAD Hoydenish

Check out Weather Girls' video It's Raining Men on YouTube.com

It's Raining Men! Join the Men in Uniform Reading Challenge

I am excited to join the 2012 Men in Uniform Reading Challenge hosted by Brianna, at The Book Vixen. What's not to love about a man in uniform? I am signing up for the Sergeant level (read 1 – 5 men in uniform novels). Do you have any qualifying recommendations? Click the banner to join me and for complete challenge details.

As soon as I saw this challenge, I started hearing the Weather Girls singing It's Raining Men. I knew it was meant to be.

0 out of 5 books read - % Done 

1.

Chance to win a copy of "Being Lara" from Lola Jaye by posting a poem!*

Lola Jaye's latest book, Being Lara: A Novel, will be released this week (on Amazon March 13, 2012). To celebrate, she is offering participants the chance win to a copy of Being Lara by creating and posting a poem on her website.* As an extra challenge, she has supplied a list of words that must be included in your submission. I am in it to win it! Check out my entry below.

*see her website for complete details

• Check out Lola Jaye's other books: By the Time You Read This and Reaching for the Stars: How You Can Make Your Dreams Come True
• Follow her on Twitter: @LolaJaye

I Need A Sweet
by Tallulah Scribbles

After I put on my socks and laced up my smock
I headed to the kitchen - straight to the icebox
I opened the door to major heartbreak
There wasn't enough stuff for a sweet to bake
Oh what mistake!
Oh how could this be?
No fruitcake, no cheesecake, no cupcakes for me
Just potatoes, milk and brown lettuce
The ingredients list drove me to cuss
So I decided to buy a sweet at Bakers-R-Us
And I ran down the street to catch a red bus

Preppin' for THINK LIKE A MAN In Theaters 4/20/12

The movie adaptation of Steve Harvey's book, Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man: What Men Really Think About Love, Relationships, Intimacy, and Commitment, is opening in theaters on April 20, 2012. The movie, Think Like a Man, stars Michael Ealy, Jerry Ferrara , Meagan Good, Regina Hall, Kevin Hart, Taraji P. Henson, Terrence J, Jenifer Lewis, Romany Malco,Gary Owen, Gabrielle Union, and Chris Brown. That's quite an ensemble cast.

I just picked up a copy of the book today.

Have you read the book? What did you think?

Keep up with the movie:

• Official Movie Site
• Follow on Twitter @ThinkLikeAMan & #ThinkLikeAMan
• Visit on Facebook   

Best I've Seen Today: Charlie Sheen DIRECTV TV Commercial 2012

#BestIveSeen2day: Charlie Sheen DIRECTV TV Commercial 2012



"Don't reenact scenes from Platoon with @CharlieSheen!" Unless you are using the Platoon Pvt. Chris Taylor Action Figure. Gotta get me one so I can be #winning.

Best I've Seen Today: Real Housewives of Disney

I have never watched any of the Real Housewives television shows. SMH. I would totally watch the Real Housewives of Disney though. It was the best Saturday Night Live skit of the night. Lindsay Lohan could make a comeback playing Rapunzel.

Watch the latest Saturday Night Live episodes on Hulu.

#WaysToGetOffThePhone - Go Julian Smith on 'Em

"I am reading a book. I am reading a book. Don't you ever interrupt me while I am reading a book!"




Follow Julian Smith on Twitter!

Nobody's Gonna Break My Stride - That includes you, CHIME

Okay. I realize that I have decided to join the 150+ Reading Challenge for 2012 with 2 months already gone. I have some serious ground to cover.

I decided to listen to some audiobooks to help speed things up. Or so I thought. I downloaded a bunch of books from OverDrive - including Chime by Franny Billingsley. I don't really read fantasy books so I was hoping that Chime would be a good introduction. Not so much ...

I cannot remember the last time that I was unable to finish a fiction book. I must confess that Briony, the main character, has me SO CONFUSED. The chanting. The repetition. I keep rewinding the audio, thinking that I must have missed something [nope].  I empathize with the novel's first line:

"I've confessed to everything and I'd liked to be hanged. Now, if you please" - Briony, in Chime by Franny Billingsley     

Me too, Briony. Hang me too. I feel like I am going through some faux acid trip with you.

Yesterday, I really considered giving up on the book. But then ...

REALITY CHECK: YOU HAVE 150 BOOKS TO READ. YOU ARE ALMOST HALF WAY THROUGH CHIME. YOU NEED TO PUT CHIME IN THE READ COLUMN. SUCK IT UP.

I could hear Break My Stride by Matthew Wilder playing in my head. Perhaps reading a hard copy would be easier. "Nobody's gonna break my stride," that includes you, Chime.

No book left behind ...





Check out Matthew Wilder performing Break My Stride on YouTube.com.