Bookend Crossing

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle

2012-01-29T21:28:00.000-05:00

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

It was a dark and stormy night; Meg Murry, her small brother Charles Wallace, and her mother had come down to the kitchen for a midnight snack when they were upset by the arrival of a most disturbing stranger.

"Wild nights are my glory," the unearthly stranger told them. "I just got caught in a downdraft and blown off course. Let me be on my way. Speaking of way, by the way, there is such a thing as a tesseract".

A tesseract (in case the reader doesn't know) is a wrinkle in time. To tell more would rob the reader of the enjoyment of Miss L'Engle's unusal book.

I read this book for some reading challenges I am participating in -- a science fiction challenge, a time travel challenge, and the reading the books featured on the TV show LOST challenge. There could be more that I'll use if for, but those are the main ones. I've wanted to read this book for a long time actually. I would see it in the library and wonder about it. Granted it is a young person's book, but it intrigued me. The main characters were 3 children -- each was special in their own way. Two of the children were brother and sister, Meg and Charles Wallace. Their Father was a scientist working for the government and had gone away while working on a project and hadn't been heard of for some time. Meg, Charles Wallace and their friend, Calvin meet and discover 3 beings: Mrs. Who, Mrs. Whatsit, and Mrs. Which who are going to help them get Father back. They tell the children Father has gone through a tesseract or a wrinkle in time to another place. This is a bit different take on time travel than books I have read before. Young people would like this book because it is full of strange creatures, strange planets and evil beings like IT that have to be challenged in order to get Father back. Even though it is a children's book, it wasn't written in a childish way, so I rather enjoyed it. I wouldn't say that I "loved it," but it kept my attention and I am glad I read it.

View all my reviews

Guardian of Time by Linda Hawley

2012-01-22T23:06:00.000-05:00

Guardian of Time by Linda Hawley

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It’s the near future, and society is government controlled. Technology tracks everyone, personal privacy does not exist, and even food supplies are being monitored. The hope for freedom lies in the operations of an underground organization, GOG, which fights against worldwide oppression. Their most powerful weapon is Ann Torgeson, a paranormally-gifted operative, who unseals The Prophecies with her powers. With the government doggedly pursuing her, she goes underground, fleeing the Pacific Northwest, but not before leaving three murders, one suicide, and an explosion behind her. Will she and her companions survive to change the world after everything twists and turns upside down?(

This is really a different kind of time travel. This book is the 2nd in this series and the story is unfolding more and more. At the end of the last book, we were led to believe that Ann was going down in a plane crash. Common sense told us that that couldn't be because there's more to her story, but it sure sounded like she was gone. This book goes back and sets things up again, and using her Herkimer crystal, Ann believes she helped the pilot steer out of what would have been a fatal crash. Ann is trying to put things together. She remembers more about the Guardian of Time and The Prophecies, meets Chow again, and is taken away from her current life. She further develops her paranormal abilities and discovers a way she can help the human race. This novel is well-written and moves along with events taking place that you don't expect. Of course, there is a cliff-hanger at the end to lead us into the next book!

View all my reviews

Wildflower Hill by Kimberly Freeman

2012-01-20T18:37:00.000-05:00

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

SPANNING THREE GENERATIONS AND HALF THE WORLD, WILDFLOWER HILL IS A SWEEPING, ROMANTIC, AND COMPELLING STORY OF TWO WOMEN WHO SHARE A LEGACY OF SECRETS, HEARTBREAK, COURAGE, AND LOVE.

Emma, a prima ballerina in London, is at a crossroads after an injured knee ruins her career. Forced to rest and take stock of her life, she finds that she’s mistaken fame and achievement for love and fulfillment. Returning home to Australia, she learns of her grandmother Beattie’s death and a strange inheritance: a sheep station in isolated rural Australia. Certain she has been saddled with an irritating burden, Emma prepares to leave for Wildflower Hill to sell the estate.

Beattie also found herself at a crossroads as a young woman, but she was pregnant and unwed. She eventually found success—but only after following an unconventional path that was often dangerous and heartbreaking. Beattie knew the lessons she learned in life would be important to Emma one day, and she wanted to make sure Emma’s heart remained open to love, no matter what life brought. She knew the magic of the Australian wilderness would show Emma the way.

Wildflower Hill is a compelling, atmospheric, and romantic novel about taking risks, starting again, and believing in yourself. It’s about finding out what you really want and discovering that the answer might be not at all what you’d expect.

I read this book as the January selection for our book club. I had never heard of it before, but it was suggested by one of our members. It's the story of a professional ballerina, Emma, who lives in London and gets injured and cannot dance anymore, and her grandmother, Beattie, who leaves her a homestead in Australia. Emma goes to Australia to check out the place and discovers many remarkable things about her grandmother's life that she didn't know. Beattie had quite a life. She was very independent and was put down and picked herself back up several times. The way she handled the things that happened to her was inspiring. Emma went through a period of self-discovery herself and turned her life around so that she cared more about other people and was less self-centered. The book went back and forth with sections about Beattie, then sections about Emma. It moved along and was never dull or sluggish. There was always something happening. The things that happened were predictable in a sense...there were no big twists...and the ending was satisfying. I would have liked to have had one more page though to experience the final reaction. You'll know what that means when you read the book!

Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare

2012-01-15T22:09:00.000-05:00

Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

In the magical underworld of Victorian London, Tessa Gray has at last found safety with the Shadowhunters. But that safety proves fleeting when rogue forces in the Clave plot to see her protector, Charlotte, replaced as head of the Institute. If Charlotte loses her position, Tessa will be out on the street and easy prey for the mysterious Magister, who wants to use Tessa's powers for his own dark ends.

With the help of the handsome, self-destructive Will and the fiercely devoted Jem, Tessa discovers that the Magister's war on the Shadowhunters is deeply personal. He blames them for a long-ago tragedy that shattered his life. To unravel the secrets of the past, the trio journeys from mist-shrouded Yorkshire to a manor house that holds untold horrors, from the slums of London to an enchanted ballroom where Tessa discovers that the truth of her parentage is more sinister than she had imagined. When they encounter a clockwork demon bearing a warning for Will, they realize that the Magister himself knows their every move and that one of their own has betrayed them.

Tessa finds her heart drawn more and more to Jem, though her longing for Will, despite his dark moods, continues to unsettle her. But something is changing in Will; the wall he has built around himself is crumbling. Could finding the Magister free Will from his secrets and give Tessa the answers about who she is and what she was born to do?

As their dangerous search for the Magister and the truth leads the friends into peril, Tessa learns that when love and lies are mixed, they can corrupt even the purest heart.

Another segment in the world that is Infernal Devices! This novel moved along well and was full of new pieces of the puzzle to figure out how the characters in Infernal Devices relate to those in Mortal Instruments. The relationship between Will and Jem and Tessa took a surprising turn. Jem is so kind and good and sweet -- which was mentioned several times by various characters. Will had an epiphany, but it would be a spoiler if I told what it was. Will's family appears on the scene although he cannot contact them. Tessa is searching for what she is which she didn't totally discover -- fodder for the next book. Her brother rears his ugly head again and hurts more of the people he comes in contact with. There were few actual clockwork automatons in this one, but the ones that were featured were definitely beastly. Charlotte and Henry's managing of the Institute in London was questioned by Benedict Lightwood and they set out to prove their worth. Their relationship developed, nay came to a sweet realization, which I really loved.

View all my reviews

One Magic Moment by Lynn Kurland

2012-01-11T07:59:00.000-05:00

One Magic Moment by Lynn Kurland

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Medieval studies scholar Tess Alexander is thrilled for the chance to live in a medieval castle. But then a trip to the village brings her face-to-face with the owner of the local garage, who looks a great deal like the man who married her sister...800 years in the past. She's determined to remain objective about magic and destiny, but she can't help wondering about that mysterious, sword-wielding mechanic.

I haven't read a book by Lynn Kurland for a while, so when I saw this one on the shelf at the library, I had to get it. It didn't disappoint me. I love time travel/historical romance. This was the story of John de Piaget and Tess Alexander. When you start reading Lynn Kurland's books, you get introduced to the MacLeod and de Piaget families and the time gates they employ to go from one century to another -- accidentally and sometimes on purpose. Ms. Kurland writes with a lot of humor and her descriptions make you actually feel the velvet, the wind and the stone. This novel involved a lot of running and driving from one place to another which was a little tiring -- of course, it would have been for Tess (the Future gel) since she had to run from one castle to another. Even though she had a PhD. in medieval studies, she didn't seem to have many problems adjusting to being in the 13th century. Of course, there were so many of John's relatives to describe, that maybe there wasn't time. The reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 is because I think John & Tess's relationship could have been documented more. As I said, they did a lot of running around and I would have liked them to have an opportunity to stop and spend some time together. But I was very happy to have the chance to read this book. Tess's sister, Pippa, and John's brother, Montgomery, are featured in the book that came before this one, "One Enchanted Evening", and there were several times that I wished I had read it first. It's coming in the mail any day. This was a good, clean, time travel historical romance, so if that's your cup of tea (as it is mine), you should pick it up and read it.

View all my reviews

Should I do another reading challenge????

2012-01-07T20:18:00.001-05:00

Well, I am a sucker for those challenges that have certain requirements...and I love bracelets!!! What does that mean? It means I'm signing up for the

For this year’s reading challenge, each month has been assigned a color (along with some common alternate words to add variety). You just have to find a book with that color in the title. That’s it! As you read, come post the title and author of the book for that month. This challenge is hosted by Books Make Me Happy. At the end of the year… anyone who has post EACH MONTH, and completed ALL COLORS, will receive a handmade bracelet with a bead for each color, and a book charm to finish it off. There will also be a grand prize (one random winner, only) basket of lovely, color themed books, but that will be a WIP during the year. In order to qualify for the bracelet, or be entered into the grand prize drawing for the basket, you MUST post each month with your title/author. If you post any reviews about the books you’ve read for this challenge, please post the link in your comment and it will be sent out on Books Make Me Happy Twitter and Facebook streams. *All books must be at least 200 pages, or the ebook equivalent.*

Colors for each month are:

•January – Red (burgundy, claret, crimson, fuschia, garnet, magenta, maroon, ruby, scarlet, rose, cherry)

•February – Purple (violet, lavendar, amethyst, lilac, plum, periwinkle)

•March – Aquamarine (teal, tourquoise)

•April – Clear (transparent, transluscent, crystal, diamond)

•May – Green (emerald, jade, malachite, lime, pine, sage)

•June – Black

•July – Pink (blush, carnation, mauve)

•August - Brown (chocolate, tan, bronze)

•September – Blue (cobalt, cerulean, navy, indigo, sapphire)

•October – White (snowy)

•November – Orange (peach, salmon, coral, tangerine, copper)

•December – Silver (sterling, platinum, chrome, gray)

Now go on over to Books Make Me Happy and join this challenge!!! See you there!

Third Sentence Thursday - #2

2012-01-05T22:31:00.000-05:00

This is the first Third Sentence Thursday of 2012!!! I almost forgot it was Thursday! Glad I didn't. Here's all you have to do to participate:

1.Take the book you are currently reading and post the third sentence.

2.Share your thoughts on the sentence.

3.Go to Proud Book Nerd and post a link to your blog post in the link list. If you don’t have a blog, just leave it in the comments there.

4.Visit one or two of the other blogs to check out their third sentence.

I just finished I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak and it was GREAT! as expected. Now I'm reading One Magic Moment by Lynn Kurland (quite a difference, right?).

This is the teaser from Goodreads:

Medieval studies scholar Tess Alexander is thrilled for the chance to live in a medieval castle. But then a trip to the village brings her face-to-face with the owner of the local garage, who looks a great deal like the man who married her sister...800 years in the past. She's determined to remain objective about magic and destiny, but she can't help wondering about that mysterious, sword-wielding mechanic.
Leave it to Lynn Kurland to get right to the action. I've read nearly all of her books, especially the time travel ones, and they are very entertaining. I love her sense of humor and I just love time travel novels.

Hope you have a great week!

and here's the 3rd Sentence:

"He was no ghost hunter, to be sure, but even he could bear witness to the paranormal activity going on under his nose."

I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak

2012-01-05T20:07:00.000-05:00

I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Meet Ed Kennedy—underage cabdriver, pathetic cardplayer, and useless at romance. He lives in a shack with his coffee-addicted dog, the Doorman, and he’s hopelessly in love with his best friend, Audrey. His life is one of peaceful routine and incompetence, until he inadvertently stops a bank robbery. That’s when the first Ace arrives. That’s when Ed becomes the messenger. . . .

Chosen to care, he makes his way through town helping and hurting (when necessary), until only one question remains: Who’s behind Ed’s mission?

Winner of the 2003 Children’s Book Council Book of the Year Award in Australia, I Am the Messenger is a cryptic journey filled with laughter, fists, and love.

Markus Zusak has been my favorite author ever since I read "The Book Thief". "I Am the Messenger" just cements my opinion! He is brilliant! This story seems pretty regular -- an ordinary guy, Ed, is living his ordinary life with his ordinary friends until one day he causes a bank robber to fail at his attempt to rob a bank. Then the ordinary guy gets a playing card in the mail with 3 addresses on it. He figures out that he is supposed to help someone at each of the addresses... Same old, same old, right? WRONG! Just suffice it to say that there is a twist at the end of this tale that you won't expect and will make you understand why Markus Zusak is the best writer of all time. He keeps you interested with the tasks and activities and different characters so that you don't get bored with the ordinariness of Ed and his life, but...you'll see. Zusak is amazing! And, if after you've read this book, you agree with me that he is amazing, you should read "The Book Thief". If you appreciate the humor in "I Am the Messenger", you'll get "The Book Thief" as well. Not everybody does. His humor is very understated, but he just has funny ideas.

View all my reviews

Comfort and Joy by Kristen Hannah

2012-01-02T18:55:00.000-05:00

Comfort & Joy by Kristin Hannah

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

New York Times bestselling author Kristin Hannah is beloved by readers around the world for her unique blend of powerful emotion and exquisite storytelling. In Comfort & Joy, she offers a modern-day fairy tale—the story of a woman who gets a miraculous chance at happiness.

Joy Candellaro once loved Christmas more than any other time of the year. Now, as the holiday approaches, she is at a crossroads in her life; recently divorced and alone, she can’t summon the old enthusiasm for celebrating. So without telling anyone, she buys a ticket and boards a plane bound for the beautiful Pacific Northwest. When an unexpected detour takes her deep into the woods of the Olympic rainforest, Joy makes a bold decision to leave her ordinary life behind—to just walk away—and thus begins an adventure unlike any she could have imagined.

In the small town of Rain Valley, six-year-old Bobby O’Shea is facing his first Christmas without a mother. Unable to handle the loss, Bobby has closed himself off from the world, talking only to his invisible best friend. His father Daniel is beside himself, desperate to help his son cope. Yet when the little boy meets Joy, these two unlikely souls form a deep and powerful bond. In helping Bobby and Daniel heal, Joy finds herself again.

But not everything is as it seems in quiet Rain Valley, and in an instant, Joy’s world is ripped apart, and her heart is broken. On a magical Christmas Eve, a night of impossible dreams and unexpected chances, Joy must find the courage to believe in a love—and a family—that can’t possibly exist, and go in search of what she wants . . . and the new life only she can find.

This book was really good! I know, it's a romance novel -- a Christmas romance novel to boot, but it was really good. I started it last evening and finished it today. It's the story of Joy, a high-school librarian who's marriage has collapsed into divorce because her husband was sleeping with her sister. Definitely a tragic start for a Christmas novel. Then, after leaving her sister in her driveway, she drives to the airport and on a whim buys a ticket for Hope in Canada. The plane crashes -- yes, the tragedy gets worse. After getting thrown from the wreakage and seeing her mother (who has been dead for 15 years), she decides to walk away from the crash site and have an adventure. She walks through the woods and eventually comes across a closed Bed and Breakfast Lodge manned by a little boy and his father. She spends a few days there and gets very attached to the little boy...and his father...when another surprising twist takes place. I'm not going to ruin it for you, but let me tell you this -- I was surprised and screaming, "No! No! No1" to myself while reading. I had to finish this book today. I couldn't wait. I had to know what happened. It's that kind of book. And, it's a very clean read -- no sex. Sex wouldn't have fit in this story. Love was definitely there. The kind of love that everyone dreams about. A great read!

View all my reviews

Working for the Mandroid's 2012 Science Fiction Reading Challenge

2012-01-02T13:10:00.003-05:00

My daughter is taking a Science Fiction course this year as one of her English Major courses and, since I really like Science Fiction, I decided I would read some of the books on her reading list. So, why not participate in a reading challenge, too? I found this one hosted by Working for the Mandroid. Here are the details:

1. The challenge begins January 1, 2012 and runs through December 31, 2012. Books started before January 1st don't count towards the challenge. Re-reads do count, but a new review must be written. Any format of book counts - hard copy, audiobook, e-book - they aren't picky.

2. A review has to be written and posted for each book in the challenge. If you don't have a blog, they can be posted on Goodreads, LibraryThing, Amazon, Shelfari, Facebook, anywhere else book reviews are accepted and can be linked to.

3. Any books read for another challenge that fit into one of the categories can count towards this one. One book, however, cannot fill multiple categories in this challenge. For example, Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game technically fits into at least four of the categories. It can only count for one though.

4. A post will be set up on Working for the Mandroid beginning January 1st for participants to add their review links.

5. At the end of the year, Mandroid will put all the people who signed up for the challenge and finished 6 of the 12 categories in a contest for a not yet determined prize. Those who finish all 12 of the categories will be entered into a different, better contest. Additional contests throughout the year might also become available depending on participation of readers and availability of prizes. Note: The more participants, the more science fiction friendly sponsors, the more contests.

There are 12 categories as mentioned above. Here's a quick look at them. There are more details and book suggestions on the Mandroid site.

~~YA/MG Science Fiction title -~~ ~~This can be anything remotely science fiction written for a younger audience.~~ "A Wrinkle in Time" by Madeleine L'Engle

Adult Science Fiction title - Same as above, but this time with an adult title.

Hugo Winner - Any book that's won a Hugo Award - see the list on the Mandroid site.
Some of them are clearly fantasy books, but for this category, that's okay.

Science Fiction Classic - Pre-1950s - This category would include things like Frankenstein, 1984, anything by HG Wells or Jules Vern, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, you know, classics. Put your high school English caps on! Here's a link to the Classics of Science Fiction website for suggestions.

Science Fiction Modern Classic - 1951-1992 - You can find suggestions for these on the Classics of Science Fiction website, too.

Steampunk - Any book that could be classified as steampunk - a sub-genre of science fiction that denotes fictional works set in an era or world where steam is the primarily use of power. It often takes place in an alternate form of the Victorian era and features futuristic technology twisted to fit in a historical setting. Here's a good list of titles.

Robots/Cyborgs/Androids - Easy enough - books that predominantly feature robots, such as, I don't know, Robopocalypse or I, Robot or even perhaps Cinder. Here's a list.

Spaceships/Aliens - Any book that heavily involves either spaceships or aliens. Here's a list.

~~Time Travel/Alternate History/Parallel Universe -~~ ~~Here's a list of time travel books~~. "One Magic Moment" by Lynn Kurland

Alternate history is a little different. It could be as different as steampunk or as simple as the resulting history caused by the Nazis winning WWII. Here's a list of suggestions.

Parallel universe are two stories occurring simultaneously across two different universes. Examples can be found here.

Apocalyptic/Dystopia/Utopia - Classics include Brave New World and 1984, YA titles include Divergent, The Hunger Games, Matched, Wither, Ashes, the list goes on and on. I'd even say that any zombie titles would fit into this category too. Zombies = Apocalypse

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood is highly recommended by our host. Here's a list of books: apocalyptic, utopia, and dystopia.

Cyberpunk - This is a bit subgenre of a subgenre. Cyberpunk was started in the 1980s and involves stories that tend to be about grungy societies that happen to be inundated with very high tech. It often involves some sort of crazy computer-based alternate reality and/or androids. William Gibson (Neuromancer, Pattern Recognition, Count Zero, pretty much everything he's ever written) and Neal Stephenson (Snow Crash, The Diamond Age) are your guys here. Here's a list of additional choices.

Mad Scientists/Genetic Testing/Environmental Disaster - The three most obvious titles, I think, would be Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde, The Island of Doctor Moreau and Frankenstein. To broaden the spectrum, anything involving genetic testing and altering nature counts. There are additional suggestions on the sign-up post including graphic novels and your standard superhero comics. Here's a starter list of mad scientist titles.

Okay, so my daughter's reading list for her class has several of the titles suggested by the Mandroid site. I should be all set. Want to read some sci-fi this year? Go to this site and sign up! BTW, some of the comments posted here came directly from our host's sign-up post. You can find a much more detailed explanation of the categories there.

Global Reading Challenge 2012

2012-01-01T19:40:00.003-05:00

The Global Reading Challenge (GRC) challenges you to expand your reading boundaries, go where you haven't been before, move a little outside your comfort zone.

You may read any genre so long as the books are fiction.

Decide which level you will attempt, although you can change that later if you wish. I'm trying the Easy Challenge. We'll see where it leads. If you want to see the details of the Medium and Expert Challenge, check out this post.

Use the Mr Linky on the sign-up post to sign up with your name, the level you intend to attempt, and your blog URL. Feel free to include the logo in your blog posts or on your blog (with a link to this page)

Your reading will take place in the calendar year 2012.

The Easy Challenge

Read one novel from each of these continents in the course of 2012:

Africa

~~Asia~~

~~Australasia/Oceania~~

~~Europe~~

~~North America~~

South America (please include Central America where it is most convenient for you)

~~The Seventh Continent (here you can either choose Antarctica or your own ´seventh´ setting, eg the sea, the space, a supernatural/paranormal world, history, the future – you name it).~~

From your own continent: try to find a country, state or author that is new to you.

Sound like fun? I just realized the number of books I read that are set outside of our country, so I thought I would give this a go.

India Was One by An Indian

2012-01-01T19:20:00.000-05:00

India Was One by An Indian

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

…Suddenly, he saw something shiny at the bottom of the abyss. He squinted his eyes to see what it was. He ran back to his binoculars and turned them to see what it was. Sharp barbed wires that separated the two mountains came into focus. He had come as far as he could in his country. But she was standing in another country.

He was in South India and she was in North India…

Have you ever imagined India being divided into two countries? What happens to the millions of Indians who are from South India but are now residing in North India? Kaahi & Jai were two such people who got trapped in this situation. Everything was going smoothly for them and suddenly, their world turned upside down.

How will they get together? Will India become one again?

Take an exciting journey with them from their college days in Mumbai to their life in the US and back to India when they find out that India is divided.

I received this e-book from the author to read and review. I guess since it started out with the main character, Jai, and his wife, Kaahni, on opposite sides of the border between North India and South India, that it would be about their difficulties in getting to each other and the reasons for the separation. It was about that, in the end, but the beginning and about the first half of the book dealt with how they met, their Indian culture and foods, what they did with their friends, their marriage, honeymoon and their first years in the USA. Although it was quite interesting, it moved a bit slowly and the historical and geographical facts that were given sometimes got in the way. The end of the book, after the split occurred, moved very quickly and was exciting. One instance though made me wonder: Jai was talking to his parents in Mumbai about the split and things that were happening and it seemed to me that he got most excited -- upset -- because the cricket matches were cancelled. He seemed to react a lot to that news -- not that the other news didn't disturb him. Maybe it was just the last straw. I really liked Bunty and was saddened by the sacrifice that he had to make. It made me realize how much he and his companions really loved India. The story flowed fairly well, but perhaps it just needs a bit of editing.

View all my reviews

2011 Challenge Wrap-Up

2012-01-01T07:36:00.000-05:00

I did pretty well with the reading challenges I participated in in 2011 -- in my humble opinion. Here's a wrap-up before I put all the tracking bars back to zero:

The Christmas Spirit Reading Challenge 2010 -- Mistletoe Level -- 4 books

101 Fantasy Mini Challenge -- 10/10/10 to 1/31/11 -- 6/13 books

101 Fantasy Mini Challenge -- 2/1/11 to 5/31/11 -- 6/7 books (I Won!)

101 Fantasy Perpetual Challenge -- 30/101 books

Four-Month Challenge Part V -- 250/250 points!

Four Month Challenge Part VI -- 135/250 points

Four Month Challenge Part VII -- 120/250 points

Harry Potter Reading Challenge -- 1/1/11 to 7/31/11 -- 7/7 books

Fall Into Reading -- 9/23/11 to 12/21/11 -- 12/15 books

A to Z Challenge: Books -- 17/26 books

A to Z Challenge: Authors -- 20/26 books

New Author Challenge -- 33/25 books

YA Reading Challenge -- 12/12 books

What's In A Name 4 -- 6/6 books

Romance Reading Challenge -- 10/12 books

Pages Read Challenge -- 18,664/15,000 pages

Historical Fiction Challenge -- 8/12 books

Buck-a-Book Challenge -- 50/50 books -- $50!

Victorian Literature Reading Challenge -- 4/4 books

TBR Lite Reading Challenge -- 6/6 books

Debut Romance Author Reading Challenge -- discontinued by host

Read Your Own Books Challenge -- 2/17/11 to 12/31/11 -- 33/50 books

Christmas Spirit Reading Challenge 2011 -- 11/21/11 to 1/6/12 -- so far 4/6 books

Christmas Spirit Reading Challenge -- movies -- so far 9/20 movies

Mixup Mania Challenge -- 4/1/11 to 3/31/13 -- 46/74 books

That's it! Now I have to change the HTML on all those bars...

it was a great year for reading! I'm looking forward to this year!

Happy New Year!

A New Old Challenge

2011-12-31T23:48:00.000-05:00

When I first started reading again, the first book I read was "A Knight in Shining Armour" by Jude Deveraux. Ever since I have had a soft spot for romance novels even when people criticize them and say they aren't "real" novels. The ones I read I enjoy. So, I'm participating in the Romance Reading Challenge 2012 hosted by The Bookworm. You can find the sign-up post here. Here are the details of the challenge:

It runs from January 1st, 2012 through December 31st, 2012.

"Romance" isn't limited to steamy Harlequin novels. There is a huge selection of books in this category such as contemporary romance, historical romance, romantic suspense and paranormal romance to name a few. As long as the story has romantic love between the two main characters your selection will fit this challenge. The novels do not need to have a happy ending either, there can also be unrequited love.

Choose at least 5 novels to read. You can change your choices at any time. Crossovers between other challenges are fine. I think I'll go with 10 books.

All kinds of books count such as eBooks, Audiobooks...etc.

Go to The Bookworm's blog for suggestions on where to find romance novels and stories.

I have lots of different genres of books that I read. Every once in a while, I just want to take a break and read something fun. Don't you?

New Four Month Challenge -- Part 8 starting January 1st

2011-12-30T09:37:00.005-05:00

Love these 4-month Challenges! This one starts January 1st and goes through April 30th. It is hosted by Book Drunkard. The categories are always interesting and push me to read books I may not have read otherwise. These are the categories for this new challenge:

5 Point Challenges

Read a book by an author who’s first or last name starts with J

Read a book set in ancient Rome

Read a book that is a retelling of a fairy tale

~~Read a book by an author writing under another name~~

~~Read a book you’ve been meaning to read for ages~~

10 Point Challenges

~~Read a book by an author who’s first or last name starts with F~~

Read a book with the word ‘love’ in the title

~~Read a book with a flower in the title or on the cover~~

Read a book with a book on the cover

Read a book set in the wild west

20 Point Challenges

~~Read a book by an author who’s first or last name starts with M~~

Read a book set in ancient Egypt

Read a book about pirates or that is set on a boat

Read the 100th book on your shelf

Read a book you’ve read before

25 Point Challenges

Read a book by an author who’s first or last name starts with A

Read a Dystopian novel

Read a book by an author with 12 letters in their name (combined)

~~Read a book about a royal (fiction or non-fiction)~~

Read a book with an animal in the title or on the cover

I notice that the points add up to 300 as opposed to 250 in previous challenges. As usual, some of the categories are easy and some are not so easy -- an author with 12 letters in his/her first or last name? Hmmm...but that's why they call them "challenges" I guess.

I'm ready to start! Are you? The sign-up post isn't up yet, but I'm sure it will be soon. Ready, set, read!!!

The Christmas Candle by Max Lucado

2011-12-28T08:17:00.000-05:00

The Christmas Candle by Max Lucado

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Journey back to a simpler time, to a small English village where nothing out of the ordinary ever happens. Except at Christmastime.

When a mysterious angel suddenly appears in a lowly candlemaker's shop, the holy and the human collide in a way that only God could imagine.

Glowing bright with a timeless message, The Christmas Candle will warm your heart with a surprising reminder of God's bountiful love.

This is the kind of book you want to read at Christmastime. It was a typical Christmas story, but it inspired me and gave me hope. Everyone needs a boost in their faith once in a while and this was a story of God's ongoing love for us. The characters were lovable, especially Bea and Edward. I loved how they passed on the Christmas Candle gift.

View all my reviews

The Christmas Doll by Elvira Woodruff

2011-12-27T15:16:00.000-05:00

The Christmas Doll by Elvira Woodruff

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Lucy and Glory are orphaned sisters with no real place to call home. Only their memories of a beautiful doll named Morning Glory brighten their bleak lives. One day, the girls find an old, battered doll that Glory senses is their beloved Morning Glory. But Morning Glory is no ordinary doll. And how she leads the girls to the most surprising turn of fortune makes for a heartwarming story that brims with love, hope, and the spirit of Christmas.

My daughter told me I should read this book last year when I was doing the Christmas Spirit Reading Challenge, but I never got to it. So, I decided to read it this year. It is the story of two orphan girls who escape the workhouse and live on the streets in the city. The elder, Lucy, got a job at a doll's shop when she went in to try to sell a doll she had found in the mud. She happened to be wearing her sister Glory's apron upon which she had stitched a little Morning Glory flower. The shopkeeper noticed the flower and was convinced that Lucy had talent for stitching and could be their Hearts Girl for the Christmas season. I know I have told a bit about the story, but there is so much more to tell. It's a sad, but sweet story about the sisters' love for each other and the hope that kept them alive. I know it is a children's book, but it was such a satisfying read for this Christmas season.

View all my reviews

Third Sentence Thursday

2011-12-22T09:42:00.002-05:00

First of all -- Merry Christmas to all! This is the first time I am participating in Third Sentence Thursday, but it sounds easy and fun! Here is all you do:

1.Take the book you are currently reading and post the third sentence.

2.Share your thoughts on the sentence.

3.Go to Proud Book Nerd and post a link to your blog post in the link list. If you don’t have a blog, just leave it in the comments there.

4.Visit one or two of the other blogs to check out their third sentence.

Easy, right? I just started I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak (one of my favorite authors!) and here is the third sentence:

He knows it.

Wow -- not much of a sentence, is it? Markus Zusak writes lots of short sentences, but he is awesome! I've only just begun this book, but my daughter just read it and says it is very funny -- especialy the first part -- and it has a great ending. She also said that it is a great book to read over Christmas break. Markus Zusak's The Book Thief is still my favorite book of all time and I read it several years ago. So, if you are looking for a good book to read over the Christmas holidays, pick up I Am the Messenger!

Read Your Name Challenge 2012

2011-12-22T08:55:00.001-05:00

Victoria at Erik is (so not) Dead! is hosting this challenge again. I love challenges like this! The challenge is to read your name in book title first letters, ultimately spelling out your name.

That means:

Using your first name, or blogger name, or your pet's name, or even your favorite literary character's name; whichever you like, choose books with first title letters that spell out your name. Such as my name: Sharen. the first book's title would start with the letter S, then the next book title begins with H, etc. Make sense?

Rules/Guidelines:

1.Whenever you have finished a book for this challenge and reviewed it: If you have a blog, go to the dedicated blog for Read Your Name Challenge 2012 and leave your review link in the Mr. Linky that will be up. If you do not have a blog, just leave your progress in a comment. :)

2.The challenge runs from Jan. 1st 2012, to Dec. 31st 2012. You may join at any time between Jan 1st and Nov 30th.

3.Last but not least, be sure to sign up using Mister Linky on Read Your Name Challenge 2012! and leave a comment with what name you're going to use and where it came from. :)

Other (minor) Details:

•NAMES ONLY PLEASE! You DO NOT have to use your whole name; just your first name if you want, & initials are okay. No words like: water, book, blue, etc. please, just regular old official NAMES.

•Books read before 1/1/12 do not count. Audio books and eBooks are okay. & Crossovers with other challenges are also okay.

•You could read the books in any order you wish, but then what is the point of READING YOUR NAME out in book title first-letters if you're not going to do it in order?

So, if you want to link up and do this challenge with us, go to Read Your Name Challenge 2012 and sign up! Hmmm...should I use S-H-A-R-E-N or A-L-L-E-L-U-I-A-L-U? I think I'll go with SHAREN, ALLELUIALU has lots of L's and U's. Hope you join us and Good Luck!

Time Travel Reading Challenge 2012 -- Yessss!

2011-12-19T22:30:00.000-05:00

Time travel is what started me reading again -- with "Knight in Shining Armor" by Jude Deveraux. That was many years ago but I still love this genre and I want to join this challenge in 2012.

Here are the rules:

•Challenge runs from January 1, 2012 to December 31st, 2012. You can join anytime.

•Books from other challenges count as long as they are about time travel.

•Books can be children's, middle-grade, YA or adult fiction.

•Write a post and link it below including the URL to that sign-up post.

And the levels:

•Surprise Trip: 1 to 3 time travel books.

•Great Adventure: 4 to 6 time travel books.

•Fantastic Journey: 7 to 9 time travel books

•Mind-boggling Voyage: 10 to 12 time travel books

To sign up and to peruse the great list of time travel books and authors who write time travel, hop on over to The Library of Clean Reads. I'm on my way now!

I think I'll try for the Great Adventure (4 to 6 books) and if I'm lucky and I get more than that read, I'll just move up a level. Can't wait to start!

New Cover Reveal for "Sleepers" by Megg Jenson

2011-12-19T19:25:00.001-05:00

Introducing the new artwork for Megg Jenson's best-selling novel Sleepers.

To celebrate the re-launch of Sleepers in January 2012, Megg is giving it a new cover with artwork from the incredible PhatPuppy.

Synopsis: An adoptee raised in a foreign land, sixteen-year-old Lianne was content with her life as handmaiden to the queen, until a spell cast on her at birth activated. Now she's filled with uncontrollable rage and access to magic she thought had been bled from her people years ago. Even her years of secret training in elite hand-to-hand combat and meditation can’t calm the fires raging inside her.Her heart is torn between two boys, the one she’s always loved and the one who always ignored her. But when the kingdom threatens to tear itself apart due to rumors surrounding the queen’s alleged affair, who will Lianne protect and who will she destroy?

On sale now for only 99 cents!

If you want to read a review of Sleepers, here's a link to some you can find on Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11815829-sleepers .

What are your Top 10 Christmas Movies?

2011-12-15T14:16:00.000-05:00

My husband came across this article listing the Top Ten Best Christmas Movies of All Time. I'm sorry, but I have to disagree. Here is the article's list:

10. Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol - the 1951 adaptation. The author also suggests the musical version - Scrooge. (Okay, I can live with that one.)

9. 1947 telling of Miracle on 34th Street. (Love that one, too.)

8. Gremlins (Whaatt?? Don't get it.)

7. Elf (Okay, I love Elf, too.)

6. The Bishop's Wife (also a favorite of mine)

5. A Christmas Story (I expected this to be on the list, but I never even heard of it until I was in my 30's.)

4. 1941 (Never heard of it. )

3. The Nightmare Before Christmas (You've got to be kidding.)

2. Brazil (Excuse me, what? Is that a Christmas film?)

1. Die Hard (This is just too bizarre. What has this world come to?)

Here's my list -- these are the movies/shows my family watches EVERY year and I also included the animated ones because it wouldn't be Christmas without them:

1. White Christmas (a classic -- I saw it with my Dad at the big movie theatre in our small town when I was 5 and every year since!)

2. Miracle of 34th Street (watch it every year at Thanksgiving)

3. It's a Wonderful Life (a great movie -- can you hear those bells ringing, Clarence?)

4. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (my husband had my Dad record this when it was on and we were attending a work Christmas party when we were dating)

5. How the Grinch Stole Christmas (the animated version is still the best -- at least in our house)

6. Unaccompanied Minors (this is a more recent film, but it was hilarious in the theater and just as hilarious every year we watch it on DVD)

7. The Santa Clause (just watched it again the other night...the first one is the best)

8. A Charlie Brown Christmas (Wouldn't be Christmas if we didn't watch this.)

9. The Bishop's Wife (this is also one I saw when I was young and loved it ever since)

10. An American Christmas Carol (Henry Winkler did this one and, though it is hard to find, it a great rendition of the classic tale.)

How about you? Can you make a list of 10 of your favorite Christmas films? Let's see it!

Where Are You Reading Challenge

2011-12-13T18:35:00.001-05:00

This sounds like a great challenge! The idea is to read a book that takes place in each of the 50 states of the United States. You set up a map on Google Maps and place a marker where your book takes place. I haven't done it yet, but I'm looking forward to setting up my map as soon as I get done here.

The challenge runs from January 1, 2012 through December 31, 2012. You determine which state to use from where the main character spends the most time. For example, if your main character is from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, but the story is about her living and working in New York City, you would use New York as the state. If the book goes from one state to another, you use the state where most of the book takes place. If you read a book that takes place in another country, you can use that, too. Books read from areas outside the 50 states get you bonus points. A drawing will be held for those who read 10 or more books outside of the U.S. using random.org.

So, why don't you join us on our tour of the U.S. (and the world) by visiting BookJourney and signing up!

I'll keep you posted and provide a link for my map when I get it going so you can see how cool it is.

Loveswept Holiday Hop

2011-12-11T22:00:00.002-05:00

Blessed Advent and Happy Holidays to everyone! Romance At Random is celebrating their Loveswept line with a random e-book Giveaway to 25 winners plus an opportunity to win one Grand Prize from www.romanceatrandom.com. Enter here to be included in the FREE random e-book drawing (25 winners will pick up their FREE book from Net Galley) and then stop on by www.romanceatrandom.com and comment to enter the drawing to be the ''ONE” Grand Prize winner, to win a selection of great books! Good Luck & Happy Holidays to all!

INCREASE your chances to win by visiting all of the participating 'Loveswept - Holiday Hop' sites! Winners will be contacted after 1/10/12.

This Year It Will Be Different by Maeve Binchy

2011-12-09T22:28:00.000-05:00

This Year It Will Be Different by Maeve Binchy

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

From the New York Times bestselling author of Circle of Friends and The Glass Lake comes This Year It Will Be Different, a stunning new work that brings us the magic and spirit of Christmas in fifteen stories filled with Maeve Binchy's trademark wit, charm, and sheer storytelling genius. Instead of nostalgia, Binchy evokes contemporary life; instead of Christmas homilies, she offers truth; and instead of sugarplums, she brings us the nourishment of holidays that precipitate change, growth, and new beginnings.

In "A Typical Irish Christmas," a grieving New York widower heads for a holiday in Ireland and finds an unexpected destination not just for himself, but for a father and daughter at odds. The title story "This Year It Will Be Different" also delves into the emotions of a person at mid-life--a woman with a complacent husband and grown children who are entering a season that can forever alter her life, and theirs. In "Pulling Together," a teacher not yet out of her twenties sees her affair with a married man at a turning point as Christmas Eve approaches--and she may be off on a new direction with some unusual friends. And in the delightful tale "The Hard Core," the four most recalcitrant residents of a nursing home are left alone at Christmas with the owner's daughter in charge: the result is sure to be disaster--or the kind of life-affirming renewal that only the spirit of the season can bring.

This book was a collection of great stories about Christmas celebrations. Many of them involved men, women or families from Ireland, Britain or Australia. There were stories for everyone from all walks of life and in all sorts of situations. My favorite was the one about the Irish schoolteacher who was supposed to get married but her fiance left her. Many years later, her students kept asking her what she was doing for Christmas and finally she told them she was going to America -- to New York City. They asked her to make a wish on the Statue of Liberty for them and she agreed. She found $200 in the back of her passport that she put there in anticipation of her honeymoon. She went to New York City and used the $200 to take a tour of the city. On that tour, she went to the Statue of Liberty and made a wish that the students would get their performance hall built. While she was on that particular trip, she met a man and they became good friends. The man had lost his very good friend, Stephan, within the last year. He told him he would build him an auditorium, but he couldn't do it in New York because he and Stephan were gay and his family objected. So, he and the schoolteacher decided to build Stephan's auditorium in Ireland for her students. They both got their wishes. There are lots of other stories like this one in this wonderful book. Great for reading by the fire on a cold December night.

View all my reviews

Christmas Joys

2011-12-05T22:13:00.000-05:00

As I was cleaning the other day (yes, I was doing that!), I came across this book:

432 things to do...Wow! I've decided to list 10 of them to get you started enjoying this time leading up to Christmas.

1. Be the first to wish everyone you meet a Merry Christmas.

2. Buy a pair of red flannel pajamas that you only wear on Christmas Eve.

3. Take the family to see a small-town Christmas parade.

4. Don't count calories from December 15th through January 2nd.

5. Never select a Christmas tree after dark.

6. Mend a broken relationship with a friend or relative during the holidays.

7. Take a basket of Christmas goodies to a notoriously grumpy neighbor.

8. Be nice to sales personnel. They're often wearier than you are.

9. Don't schedule yourself too tightly during the holidays. Before making an appointment, ask yourself, "Can this wait until after Christmas?"

10. Take a holiday family photograph each year in the same spot, such as by a favorite tree in your yard. In years to come, you'll have a wonderful record of the growth of your family, as well as the growth of the tree.

So, get started! Christmas is a season. Sometimes the things we do leading up to it are just as memorable (sometimes more memorable) than the actual day.

The Quiet Little Woman by Louisa May Alcott

2011-12-02T16:50:00.000-05:00

The Quiet Little Woman: Tilly's Christmas, Rosa's Tale : Three Enchanting Christmas Stories by Louisa May Alcott

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Everything about The Quiet Little Woman: A Christmas Story by Louisa May Alcott is heartwarming, starting with the extraordinary tale of its origin. Alcott wrote the story for three girls who emulated Little Women's March sisters by founding their own literary publication, but the magazine was lost for many years; this story is now being published in book form for the first time. The Quiet Little Woman tells the story of Patty, a young girl living hopelessly in an orphanage, who is rescued at Christmas time by a kindly woman named Aunt Jane. Also collected in this small, beautiful (and not coincidentally, Christmas stocking-size) volume are two of Alcott's other holiday stories; one of them, "Rosa's Tale," is a really lovely fable about a horse who speaks at midnight on Christmas Eve.

This book is a collection of three precious little Christmas stories by Louisa May Alcott. Louisa wrote them for five girls who began as fans but ended up dear friends of hers. The stories are perfect for the Christmas season and tell of awakening to the plight of others and being generous in order to ease their troubles. My favorite was "Tilly's Christmas" and told of a little girl who found an injured bird on the path and took it home to take care of. Her friends didn't think she should be she said her mother told her that she should look after her neighbors. Her care was rewarded by a Christmas Eve visitor who had heard the girls' conversation and was inspired to lighten Tilly and her mother's burden. All three stories made me feel warm and happy at the end. Just right for a chilly December night.

View all my reviews

The Map of Time by Felix J. Palma

2011-11-30T10:42:00.000-05:00

The Map of Time by Félix J. Palma

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Map of Time by Felix J. Palma. Set in Victorian London with characters real and imagined, The Map of Time is a page-turner that boasts a triple play of intertwined plots in which a skeptical H.G. Wells is called upon to investigate purported incidents of time travel and to save lives and literary classics, including Dracula and The Time Machine, from being wiped from existence. What happens if we change history?

When you get to Part Three of this novel and the author says to make sure your attention doesn't stray from the page even for an instant because there is an amazing discovery to be had and it will be well worth the effort -- he is sooooo right! I have realized that the reason I love to read -- I was going to say fantasy & time travel, but I won't limit it to those genres -- is because I am astounded by the way an author can develop several different stories and wind them all together throughout his/her book to come up with an amazing ending. This is what Felix Palma does in "The Map of Time". And his fabrications are so plausible (to borrow that word from the H.G. Wells in his story) that I was tempted to actually look up an account of H.G. Wells' life to see what happened to him after he wrote "The Time Machine"! As I read the first section of the novel, I wondered what it all meant and how the horrific crimes of Jack the Ripper were going to be connected to H.G. Wells. Just when I was about to get depressed about it, suddenly there was a plot twist and we were in H.G. Wells' kitchen. There is so much to this novel...so many surprises. I think this novel will appeal especially to writers of fiction or people that wish they were writers. You get to see inside the writer's mind as he develops a story. Palma pops in and offers narration and information that he can see because "he can see everything". I liked the way we could be in H.G. Wells' thoughts as he figured things out. The love story in the middle was sweet, but the third section was my favorite because it was so fantastic and even in that section were twists and turns. The ending was perfection. I hope I haven't given too much away -- I don't think I could because there is so much to take in. Palma is a genius and his novel is worth the time taken to read all 600+ pages.

View all my reviews

Gratitude Giveaway Winners

2011-11-28T15:58:00.001-05:00

The winners of an e-copy of

in the Gratitude Giveaway are:

1. Melissa

2. Laura H.
3. Melissa Snyder
4. Anne
5. Colleen Maurina
6. Donna @ The Happy Booker

Congratulations!

An Interview and a book release!

2011-11-25T14:42:00.001-05:00

This is an interview with Shelli Johannes-Wells, author of Untraceable - Coming Nov 29th!

A new young adult wilderness thriller with a missing father, a kickbutt heroine, and of course - two hot boys.

Available in paperback and ebook at Amazon, B&N, iTunes, and other sellers. But more about that later...

What books have influenced your life the most?

Hm, writing wise – I would say James Patterson’s Kiss The Girls and James Hall’s Gone Wild, and Pippy Longstocking

Life wise – I would say classics like Fahrenheit 451, Kahlil Gibran’s Prophet, and the Teachings of Dali Lama. They got me through some bad times.

In your wildest dreams, with what author would you like to co-author a book?
JK Rowling. I would like to learn about how she outlines. She outlined the entire Harry Potter series before she ever wrote a word. That intricacy amazes me and I’d love to see how she did it.

Favorite foods?
Breakfast - Smoked salmon bagel on everything bagel with garlic cream cheese – Not to be specific.
Lunch – quesadilla and salad
Dinner - Seared tuna/spicy tuna roll
Snacks – spicy Cheetos, spicy hummus and crackers.

If you were a superhero, what would your name be?
SuperScribe – I would beat people with my words. 

Where do you get your information or ideas for your books?
Mostly in my head – scary right? I get ideas from articles, news, people things say. There are stories all around us – we just need to pay attention to see or hear them.

How did you choose the genre you write in?
I have always loved thrillers. When I was a teen – we didn’t have them. I would sneak my mom’s James Patterson, Iris Johannsen, and Steven King books. I love those books where you stay up all night and can’t stop reading because they are so good. I wanted to give people that feeling. Plus my life is simple and low key. I’m a mom and wife and I love that but I live through my stories.

What do you like to do when you aren’t writing?
If I am not with my family or friends and not exercising (which trust me I do not do enough of) – I am writing or reading or watching movies. It’s what I love.

What does your family think of your writing?
My hubby is very supportive. I used to work in Corporate America as an executive. I wanted to write – he was the one who supported me leaving that field and encouraged me to stay home and write.

I think at first my parents were like – what? You had a huge paying job and an MBA and you want to write. But they have been supportive.

Please tell us in one sentence only, why we should read your book?
It’s a wilderness thriller with a kickbutt girl character in today’s world, an unsolved mystery, and - of course – 2 hot boys  What else do you need?

Who or what inspired you to become an author?
I never really wrote until I had my daughter. So I say it was her. Maybe it was because I finally got a chance to breathe and sit because I wasn’t working. Once I had her and was on maternity leave – I just started writing and never stopped.

What is your favorite number?
13 (What can I say - I root for the underdog so I think he gets a bad rap) and 8 (infinity sign standing on its feet)

Is there anything you would like to say to your readers and fans?
Make your mark on this world. Whether it be small or big. Every one matters.

The book is a contemporary wilderness thriller with a strong girl as the Main Character.

"Grace is a spunky, independent, nature girl who doesn't need a boy to save her. With wilderness survival, a juicy love triangle, and more twists and turns than a roller coaster, this fast-paced novel had me holding my breath until the very last page—and still begging for more!"
-Kimberly Derting, author of the The Body Finder

"This thrilling story is a dramatic entanglement of mystery, deception and teen romance. The action flows like a brisk mountain stream interspersed with rapids, holding suspense to last page."
- Kirkus Reviews

16-year old Grace was reared in the wilderness. Her first pet was a bear named Simon. Her first potty, an oak tree. And, her first swing, a forest vine. Grace has lived in the Smokies her whole life, patrolling with her forest ranger father who taught her everything he knew about wildlife, tracking, and wilderness survival. But when Grace's dad goes missing on a routine patrol, unlike everyone in her sleepy mountain town, she refuses to believe he’s dead. When a Cheetos bag and stolen government file materialize, Grace is convinced she’s one step closer to proving all the non-believers wrong.

Then one day while out tracking clues, Grace is rescued from imminent danger by Mo, a hot guy with an intoxicating accent, that’s definitely not from her neck of the woods, and a secret. Grace has never felt a connection like this before, certainly not with her ex-boyfriend, the adoring, but decidedly unrugged Wyn.

Now with renewed confidence, Grace travels deeper into the wilderness that has always been her refuge only to learn that her father's disappearance is not a mere coincidence. Soon she’s enmeshed in a web of conspiracy, deception, and murder. And it’s going to take a lot more than a compass and a motorcycle (named Lucifer) for this kickass heroine to emerge from an epidemic that’s spreading like wild fire, threatening everything and everyone she’s ever loved.

Untraceable - Coming Nov 29th!

Available in paperback and ebook at Amazon, B&N, iTunes, and other sellers.

The LOST Perpetual Challenge

2011-11-17T21:02:00.000-05:00

I discovered this perpetual challenge to read the books mentioned on LOST!!! I watched ALL the episodes of LOST with my daughter this summer and we are hooked! I am totally in to this challenge!

There is a dedicated blog for the challenge here. These are the details of the challenge:

1)This is a perpetual challenge--which means there's no end in sight! You have plenty of time to read the books mentioned on LOST. It starts for you the moment you sign up!

2) You can choose books from the LOSTpedia Book List, the LOST book club on ABC, or the LOST books list on DarkUFO. Feel free to look in other places as well!

3) Sign the Mister Linky on the dedicated blog with your blog url if you have one, if not with just your name or twitter handle. You can follow us on Twitter at @LOSTreading. Please also consider posting about the challenge on your blog so that others can learn about it!

4) Email lostbookschallenge@gmail.com to be added as a contributor to the dedicated blog. You can post your reviews in their entirety on the dedicated blog or a snippet with a link back to your blog.

5) You can also post other items and notes of interest to LOST fans on the LOST Book Challenge blog.

6) Have fun! There's no end date so this should be a fun way to revisit our favorite show again and again!

I'm off to sign up and look at those booklists. Who's with me?

GRATITUDE GIVEAWAY!!!

2011-11-16T21:41:00.003-05:00

The Gratitude Giveaway Blog Hop is to say "Thank you" to all my followers, old and new.

This Hop is hosted by I Am A Reader Not A Writer and co-hosted by All-Consuming Books. The Hop runs until November 27th so you will have plenty of time to visit all 300 participating blogs and enter all their giveaways!!! All the giveaways are easy, one entry giveaways. So, here goes...sound the trumpets!!!

To win

one e-copy of

all you have to do is

BE a follower or BECOME a follower

and complete the entry form in the right sidebar.

You can read my review of "The Magi" here.
I gave it 5 stars!
Actually, Kevin & I are giving away 5 copies,
then for every 10 new followers,
we will give away one more -- up to 10, so enter!

Leaving a comment would be nice...but you don't have to...but it would be nice...

Anyway, after you enter MY giveaway, you should hop around to all these other blogs and check out what they are giving away:

GOOD LUCK!

IF YOU ARE FROM THE U.S.A.,

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

The Magi by Kevin Turner

2011-11-16T14:32:00.001-05:00

The Magi by Kevin M. Turner

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thirteen-year-old Elijah Hawk has never heard of the Magi. He doesn't know about the secret power they have. He has never been to Savenridge, the Magi city hidden deep inside the northern forests. Most of all, Elijah is unaware of the dangers hunting him, in search for something he has. After one terrifying night, however, all of that changes!

Kevin Turner invited me to read and review this book. He suggested I read an excerpt on his website before I said yes. After reading that excerpt, I immediately told him I would LOVE to read the rest of the book and review it. The action takes off right from page 1! The rest of the book moves along as well. From being chased by a man with yellow eyes to climbing down a canyon to rescue his uncle, Elijah is on some wild adventure! His family is attacked and his father tells him to run -- that there is a plan. So, he runs to his uncle and, while he is staying there going through his parents things, he discovers references to The Magi. This sets him off to try to find out more. Eventually, after his uncle disappears, he ends up at an Academy, then is taken to Savenridge (a hidden city) by a friendly teacher. Elijah starts training in the ways of the Magi and discovers he has special gifts. I really liked this book. It was action-packed and it didn't drag. Every scene was interesting and thought-provoking. When I have talked about it with other people, I tend to compare it to "The Lightning Thief", however, "The Magi" is written for a more mature reader. I liked "The Lightning Thief" but it was obviously written for a junior-high level reader. "The Magi" could be read by anyone and enjoyed. This is the first in a series. I can't wait to read the next one.

View all my reviews

8: The Previously Untold Story of the Previously Unknown 8th Dwarf by Michael Mullin

2011-11-16T07:58:00.001-05:00

8: The Previously Untold Story of the Previously Unknown 8th Dwarf by Michael Mullin

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Written in verse, this is the previously untold story of the previously unknown 8th dwarf, named Creepy. He is banished to the basement for being different and, well, weird. Yet he plays a vital - and of course previously unknown - role in the popular tale of Snow White (whose title character is an intruder Creepy refers to as "the Maid").

I won an e-copy of this book in the Giveaway Hop Nov. 8th - 11th. I had been seeing descriptions of it around the blogosphere and I was curious about it. It is written completely in verse -- rhyming verse! The story is not really a children's story because there are parts that are "suggestive" but nothing really happens. And I guess you would expect a dwarf named Creepy to think like that. Creepy is the 8th dwarf in the Snow White story. He irritates the other 7 dwarves so badly that they send him to the cellar to live. They go on with their lives never giving him a thought. Then Snow White comes and we get to see what happens from Creepy's perspective under the floorboards. First he gets an eyeful of dirt because she is SWEEPING! Then she does dishes and cooks. The 7 dwarves come home from working the mines to find her and they say she can stay if she cooks and cleans for them. Hmmmm... Anyway, you probably remember the story -- the old witch comes to visit and tries to kill Snow White through various means. Well, Creepy saves her a couple of times when she falls over near his peephole in the floor. Then the old witch brings her a poisoned apple and Snow White bites into it and falls by the door -- away from Creepy's peephole. He is going to have to come out of the cellar to save her... I'm not going to tell you what happens because I don't want to give away the story completely. I really enjoyed reading this story. It is short and puts a different little twist on this popular fairy tale. Creepy is so midunderstood. Get a copy and see for yourself!

View all my reviews

What's In A Name 5 Challenge

2011-11-14T11:29:00.001-05:00

I actually finished "What's In A Name 4" so I'm excited to sign up for "What's In A Name 5" starting next year. This challenge is hosted by Beth Fish Reads. The categories seem really accessible, so it should be fun! Here's the scoop...

Between January 1 and December 31, 2012, read one book in each of the following categories:

~~1. A book with a topographical feature (land formation) in the title:~~ ~~Black Hills, Purgatory Ridge, Emily of Deep Valley~~ Wildflower Hill by Kimberley Freeman

2. A book with something you'd see in the sky in the title: Moon Called, Seeing Stars, Cloud Atlas

3. A book with a creepy crawly in the title: Little Bee, Spider Bones, The Witches of Worm

4. A book with a type of house in the title: The Glass Castle, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, Ape House

5. A book with something you'd carry in your pocket, purse, or backpack in the title: Sarah's Key, The Scarlet Letter, Devlin Diary

6. A book with a something you'd find on a calendar in the title: Day of the Jackal, Elegy for April, Freaky Friday, Year of Magical Thinking

The book titles are just suggestions, you can read whatever book you want to fit the category.

Other Things to Know

•Books may be any form (audio, print, e-book).

•Books may overlap other challenges.

•Books may not overlap categories; you need a different book for each category.

•Creativity for matching the categories is not only allowed but encouraged.

•You do not have to make a list of books before hand.

•You do not have to read through the categories in any particular order.

Sooooo...what are you waiting for? Go make your own post and sign up here.

THE WINNERS...

2011-11-12T17:13:00.002-05:00

The Winners of the 6 copies of the e-book "Dreams Unleashed, 2nd edition" are:

1. Konstanz Silverbow

2. Mary @ Sweeping Me

3. Marianne

4. Brendajean

5. Judy Cox

6. Saba

Congratulations!

My Heart Remembers by Kim Vogel Sawyer

2011-11-12T16:06:00.000-05:00

My Heart Remembers by Kim Vogel Sawyer

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

United by blood, divided by time, will three orphan train siblings ever find one another again?

Orphaned in a tenement fire, three Irish-immigrant children are sent to Missouri to be adopted. Despite eight-year-old Maelle's desperate attempts to keep her siblings together, each child is taken by a different family. Yet Maelle vows that she will never stop searching for her brother and sister... and that they will be together one day in the future. Seventeen years later, Maelle is still searching. But the years have washed away her hope... and her memories. What are Mattie and Molly doing now? Where has life taken them? Will she ever see her brother and sister again?

This book made me cry...twice! It was soooooo good. It's the story of 3 children who lose their parents in a tenement fire New York in the late 1800's. They are sent West on an orphan train and subsequently separated. Maelle, the eldest, promised the other two that she would find them again and gave each of them one of "ties to home" that her father had given her when he made her leave the tenement with her brother and baby sister. He also made her promise to "take care of the wee ones". The three siblings grew up separately, but eventually all were involved in "taking care of the wee ones" -- orphans who were made to work long hours in factories and on ranches under arduous conditions. The story is predictable, but so wonderful. You keep saying in your mind, "but your sister is right over there" or "your brother is just down the road" so that when they actually get together it is very poignant. As I said, it made me cry. The book was very well-written. I love a book I can't put down and this one was one of those. It will tug at your heartstrings.

View all my reviews

Dreams Unleashed 2nd edition by Linda Hawley

2011-11-08T13:46:00.002-05:00

Dreams Unleashed, 2nd Ed by Linda Hawley

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I read the 1st edition of this book last summer, so I was prepared for the cliff-hanger ending and I didn't have to concentrate as hard to keep straight whether I was in the present, past or a dream. So as the book progressed it was exciting to me right away. I can't pinpoint the actual editing of the 1st edition, but I did feel that the text was more cohesive and flowed well in the 2nd edition. As I stated earlier, after you get in sync with the dates and time, the action just keeps accelerating right up to the end! Or, should I say "up to the end of this book" because it's part of a trilogy and definitely leads you right in to the next in the series. The concept of putting yourself in another place through a dream was wild, but believable for me. I started clicking through all sorts of possibilities in my head as I was reading. I also liked that the author included current happenings, as close as a couple of months ago, to add to the perception of reality. Tagging people through their driver's license was disturbing, but it gave me something to think about. As I have said before in my reviews, I like time travel. This was a different kind of time travel because you aren't stuck in one place -- unless that happens further on in the series -- but the reader feels that Ann was really in those other places for a time. It was a very interesting book based on a great concept with current events and I can't wait for the next volume to see what happens!!! Luckily I won't have to wait long as the next book, "Guardian of Time" is already on my e-reader.

View all my reviews

A New Giveaway -- November 8th through 11th

2011-11-07T22:00:00.003-05:00

I've met some wonderful authors by being included in Inspired Kathy's list of reviewers and I am participating in this Giveaway and the next few to help promote their works. Here is the current giveaway:

This one is hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and Tristi Pinkston. On this blog, there will be FIVE winners -- to start. For every 10 NEW FOLLOWERS, I will add another winner up to TEN. Winners will receive an ebook of Dreams Unleashed, 2nd edition by Linda Hawley.

I read the 1st edition and reviewed it here. The 2nd edition was professionally edited and seems to have a better flow -- but it's still the same great story! I reviewed it here. All you have to do to enter the giveaway is:

1. Become a follower if you aren't already.

2. Complete the entry form.

3. Leave a comment.

I will announce the winners on November 12th. Ebooks will be awarded via Smashwords coupon. You can read it now and you won't have to wait for the 2nd volume in the Trilogy because Guardian of Time was just published on October 27th!

After you enter my giveaway, hop on over to the other blogs on this list!

2011 Christmas Spirit Reading Challenge!!!

2011-11-07T21:54:00.001-05:00

I've been waiting for this challenge to be posted! And here it is:

November 21, 2011 through January 6, 2012 (Twelfth Night or Epiphany).

- Cross-overs with other challenges are permitted and encouraged!
- These must be Christmas novels, books about Christmas lore, a book of Christmas short stories or poems, books about Christmas crafts, and for the first time...a childrens Christmas books level!

- visit this POST for a list of new Christmas books for 2011.

These are the levels:

* Candy Cane -- read 1 book

* Mistletoe -- read 2 to 4 books

(this is the level I completed last year, so I'll start here)

* Christmas Tree -- read 5 or 6 books (for the Christmas fanatic!)

There are two additional levels:

* Fa La La La Films

(Watch a bunch or a few Christmas movies...it's up to you! )

* Visions of Sugar Plums

(read books with your children this season and share what you read)

The additional levels are optional, but you still have to complete one of the original levels.

The most important rule? Have fun!!!

So get into the Christmas Spirit and go here to sign up for this challenge!

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

2011-11-03T14:08:00.001-04:00

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night.

But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway—a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will. Despite themselves, however, Celia and Marco tumble headfirst into love—a deep, magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands.

True love or not, the game must play out, and the fates of everyone involved, from the cast of extraordinary circus performers to the patrons, hang in the balance, suspended as precariously as the daring acrobats overhead.

Written in rich, seductive prose, this spell-casting novel is a feast for the senses and the heart.

Yes, this book was amazing! Whenever I read a book like this -- with twists and turns in the plot and mysteries to figure out -- I am amazed at how a person can come up with these things. Erin Morgenstern wove a wonderful tale about this Night Circus and all of the elements behind it. This was a story about two people, an intricate challenge, a love story, and an adventure. There were so many things to love about it. My favorite characters were the Murray twins and Bailey. The Murray twins were born on the opening night of the circus which gave them special gifts. Bailey was just an ordinary boy who went to the circus on a dare and fell in love with it and with one of the twins. I can imagine this book being transformed into a marvelous movie with lush transformations and plenty of magic. One of the other reasons I loved this book -- and the reason that I purchased it in the first place -- was the narration of Jim Dale. He makes every book he narrates come alive. As the "man in the gray suit" tells Widget (one of the twins), "You never know how your words are going to affect people." The words of this book will stay with me for a long time. Thank you, Erin Morgenstern and Jim Dale, for giving us this gift. I'm planning to purchase the actual book just to read the prose.

View all my reviews

Embrace the Highland Warrior by Anita Clenney

2011-11-02T09:13:00.000-04:00

Embrace the Highland Warrior by Anita Clenney

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

When the powerful demon that left Shay for dead discovers her empty grave, he comes seeking retribution, believing she possesses an ancient book he has sought for centuries. Knowing she can't fight the demon alone, Shay returns to her clan and the Scottish Warrior who betrayed her...the only man she's ever loved, where she discovers that betrayal isn't always what it seems. Sometimes it's far worse.

Don't you just love those books that when you reach a certain point the action keeps building and you CAN'T put it down until you finish it? This book was like that. It's full of wonderful Scottish warriors and damsels in distress, fighting vampires and demons, and it has mysteries and clues woven in. I love the blend of past and present. My daughter, who's studying novels and writing, tells me that when you write it has to be believable even if it's fantasy. I can picture these characters in flesh and blood even though it would be strange to have a family of brawny Scots living next to you. Strange, but AWESOME! The way Anita Clenney writes about them, it's totally believable. This series is great! I could do with a little less sex, but then I guess they are Scottish warriors and they can't help it. Anyway, I can't wait for the next volume to be published!

View all my reviews

THE WINNER IS......

2011-11-01T06:32:00.001-04:00

THE WINNER OF THE BRAND NEW COPY OF

IN THE

CHOSEN USING RANDOM.ORG

TARA W.

I will be contacting the winner via e-mail today! Congratulations!

and if you didn't win this time, come back and try again
Tuesday, Nov. 8th thru Friday, Nov. 11th
for the

What's in a Name Challenge 4

2011-10-24T22:54:00.000-04:00

Hurray!!! I finished the What's in a Name Challenge for 2011!!!

Here's my wrap-up:

1. Number -- The Thirteenth Chime by Emma Michaels 1/29/11

2. Jewel or gem -- Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling 1/6/11

3. Size -- Little Princes by Conor Grennan 10/24/11

4. Travel/movement -- Caleb's Crossing by Geraldine Brooks 5/16/11

5. Evil -- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling 1/20/11

6. Life Stage -- Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf 4/28/11

I can't believe I finished the whole thing!

Little Princes by Conor Grennan

2011-10-24T22:09:00.000-04:00

Little Princes: One Man's Promise to Bring Home the Lost Children of Nepal by Conor Grennan

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book WAS amazing! It was so easy to read and this is a great story. Conor Grennan went to Nepal to work with the orphans at the Little Princes orphanage and never expected to become so involved with them. His descriptions of the children were so wonderful I could see them jumping around and hanging all over him. I fell in love with them as I read his book. He was so courageous to take on this mission -- to find the families of the children who were taken away to Kathmandu and left there. Their families thought they were sending them away to a better life and an education, but the man they sent them off with kept them in a home and charge tourists to come see them. Anyway, Conor helped many of the families find out about their children and some of them even came to get them and take them back home. It was a very inspiring book and, as I said, very very easy to read. It just flowed from one page to the next. It was great!

View all my reviews

SPOOKTACULAR Giveaway Hop

2011-10-23T23:01:00.004-04:00

The SPOOKTACULAR Giveaway Hop is here!!! This hop is hosted by Kathy at I Am A Reader Not A Writer and Rhianna at The Diary of a Bookworm. The hop lasts from 12:01 AM on October 24th through 11:59 PM on October 31st.

What is a giveaway hop, you say?

Simple - Each participating blog hosts a giveaway and then we link up together allowing our followers to hop easily from one giveaway to another. There are over 400 blogs involved in this hop! Each blog hosts their own giveaway...it has to be book-related, but it can be books, swag, amazon or barnes & noble gift cards, etc. I am giving away a copy of:

Embrace the Highland Warrior

by Anita Clenney

The book will be sent direct from the publisher to you! Check it out here and come back and read my review. This is the 2nd book in the series. My review of the first book, Awaken the Highland Warrior is here.

All you have to do is fill in the form to the right and leave me a comment (I love comments, doesn't everyone?). I will contact the winner by November 2nd to get your mailing address so I can give it to the publisher. I apologize to our international friends, but I can only mail to addresses in the USA and Canada.

After you are done entering my giveaway, check out some of these other blogs:

Atonement by Ian McEwan

2011-10-16T21:47:00.000-04:00

Atonement by Ian McEwan

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book has been on my shelf the longest. I bought it because it is a classic. I really like the way it was written. The story was intriguing and the characters very well-developed. You get to know each of the main characters by experiencing their lives. And the threads were all woven together at the end providing two possible endings to their story. My favorite character was Briony. She began as a precocious child dreaming of becoming an author who witnessed events that changed the rest of her life and the lives of her sister, Cecilia, and the son of their servant, Robbie. The three lives took completely separate paths different from those that had been planned. They spanned the years of World War II with Cecilia becoming a nurse and eventually Briony following in her footsteps. Robbie went to prison and then enlisted in the infantry deployed in France. The way McEwan wrote about their experiences was superb. You could really feel what they were feeling. And the ending was satisfying. I realize why it is considered a classic and McEwan is considered by Esquire "our era's Jane Austen."

View all my reviews

Another Challenge for Fall 2011

2011-10-01T11:49:00.007-04:00

I'm doing really well on my challenges this year, so I set out to find this one -- Fall Into Reading 2011. It is sponsored by Callipidder Days and started September 23rd. It lasts until December 21st -- FALL. I'm going to be reading anyway -- there's no question about that -- so I might as well join a challenge and keep me sparked up. Here's the list I will be working on this Fall:

1. "One Day" by David Nicolls -- finished 9/27/11
2. "Atonement" by Ian McEwan -- finished 10/16/11
3. "Embrace the Highland Warrior" by Anita Clenney -- finished 11/2/11
4. "Little Princes: One Man's Promise to Bring Home the Lost Children of Nepal" by Conor Grennan -- finished 10/24/11
5. "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern 11/3/11
6. "The Map of Time" by Felix J. Palma 11/30/11
7. "My Heart Remembers" by Kim Vogel Sawyer 11/12/11
8. "8: The Previuosly Untold Story of the Previously Unknown 8th Dwarf" by Michael Mullin 11/15/11
9. "The Magi" by Kevin Turner 11/16/11
10. "Dreams Unleashed" 2nd edition by Linda Hawley 11/8/11
11. "The Quiet Little Woman" by Louisa May Alcott 12/2/11
12. "This Year It Will Be Different" by Maeve Binchy 12/9/11

Wow! That's some list. I better get off the computer and start reading.

I've updated this list to the ones I actually read. I did pretty well, in my humble opinion. Hope you did too!

Book Blogger Hop 9/30 - 10/3

2011-10-01T08:27:00.000-04:00

It's time for the Book Blogger Hop again! Crazy-for-Books hosts this Hop every weekend. Aren't sure if you are a book blogger??? Here’s HER take: Do you have a blog? Do you blog about books/authors? Do you write book reviews on your blog? Do you rave about books and authors on your blog? Is your blog content primarily about books? Then you are most likely considered a book blogger! So, if you've decided you ARE a book blogger and would like to hop with us, go on over to Crazy-for-Books and link up! But come right back!

Every week we answer a question to help us get to know each other better. This week's question is:

“In honor of Banned Books Week, what is your favorite “banned or frequently challenged book”?”

Click here for 2010-11 list in PDF format. You can also click HERE to view past years and choose from any of those titles!

I find I've read several Banned Books on the 2010-2011 list. My two favorites are:

I couldn't put either of them down. The first was very suspenseful and AWESOME. It didn't give me nightmares, but I'm not 14. The second was "gritty" but AWESOME as well! I wouldn't have liked it if there was too much sex in it. Yes, there was some, but it didn't take away from the story.

Can't wait to read your comments!

One Day by David Nicolls

2011-09-27T12:36:00.000-04:00

One Day by David Nicholls

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

At first I didn't think it would be amazing. I only read the book because I didn't get to see the movie -- yet. However, this book is amazing. It takes you on a roller-coaster ride that is life and connects you with Emma and Dex in a significant way. Whoever cast Anne Hathaway as Emma is a genius. I couldn't see anyone but her playing that role. Maybe it was the suggestion of her because I knew she was cast as Emma, but I could clearly see her in every line, every action, and every facial expression throughout the book. I love Emma. I love her attitude, her spirit and the way she loves Dex as a true best friend. Em and Dex, Dex and Em. They just go together. Dex, on the other hand, is pretty much a rake. But he does love Emma, whether he wants to admit it or not. I love him, too. He grows on you. This book is so good. I can't tell you much more without spoiling it, but it made me laugh, it made me cry...an hour after I finished it I was still tearing up. Simply amazing. Go out and get this book and read it! Now I have to get to the movie and see if it does it justice. I'll take my box of tissues.

View all my reviews

Follow the Blurb Challenge

2011-09-20T22:40:00.000-04:00

I came across this reading challenge today and thought it sounded really interesting. It's called "Follow the Blurb."
A blurb on the cover of a book is usually written by an author who writes in the same genre, but occasionally you find a quote from a high-profile, but seemingly random author. After noticing a few of these peculiar choices, the host of this challenge started wondering - if she followed the blurbers, where would they lead her?

The plan is simple. Choose a book to read. Once you finish that book, choose a blurb from the front or back cover and read a book written by the quoted author. Read 10 books in this fashion, just to see where you end up. Will all the books have a common theme? Will they be in the same genre? Will all of the authors be the same gender or ethnicity? Will they all have the same publisher? Are they all equally well known? Or will the books appear to be nothing more than a completely random list?

For the challenge, only read books that have blurbs, so given the choice between a few authors blurbing the same book, make sure to choose to move on to an author that has cover blurbs next.

The challenge runs for the year, July 1, 2011 to June 30, 2012. I'm going to try it -- even though I don't need to acquire any more books (never stopped me before). If you'd like to try this little experiment with me, go to Reading with Tequila.com leave a comment and sign up. Let's see where this leads!

The House at Riverton by Kate Morton

2011-09-20T19:30:00.002-04:00

The House at Riverton by Kate Morton

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Well, this was a very good story -- but it was very long. There were several different stories going on and when I was reading the last chapters, I had trouble remembering the first chapters. I grew very attached to the main character especially in her aged state. She was very loyal to the family at Riverton. I liked Hannah as well because of her attempt at independence and making a way for herself. Emmeline seemed to have such a fun life -- a real "twenties" life. I was expecting a surprise at the end and i wasn't disappointed, but I expected more revelations. I don't want to give anything away, but if you read the book you'll know what I mean. I like Kate Morton's works, this one was just a bit too long.

View all my reviews

Book Blogger Hop Tour 9/16 - 9/19

2011-09-16T15:14:00.000-04:00

Welcome to the Book Blogger Hop!

Are you a book blogger? Are you a reader? Then welcome to the place where all of us connect over the weekend and chat about books! This Hop is hosted by Crazy-for-Books!

Every week we answer a question to help get to know each other. This week's question came from Twitter!
Thank you to @fangswandsfairy for a great blogger-focused question!

“As a book blogger, how do you introduce yourself in your profile?”

Hmmm...this is what my profile says:

I play piano at my Church, have a great husband and 3 wonderful children. I have always loved to read. I have a stack of books TBR beside my chair. I also like to be on my computer which sometimes keeps me from my books.

Looks like I should update it because it really doesn't say what kind of books I like to read. I will have to work on that. Thanks for the question! What about you? What does your profile say about the books you like? Can't wait to find out!

Have a great weekend!

Spooktacular Giveaway Hop

2011-09-16T14:55:00.003-04:00

Spooktacular Giveaway Hop - Oct 24th to 31st - Co-hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and Rhianna @ TheDiaryofaBookworm

What is a giveaway hop?

Simple - Each participating blog hosts a giveaway and then we link up together allowing our followers to hop easily from one giveaway to another.

For followers this means lots of chances to win free books.

For blogs hosting a giveaway it means lots of new visitors.

It's a win-win!

Each participating blog will host their own giveaway. I am giving away a $10 Barnes & Noble gift card!
How do you win, you say? Simple! I'll have an entry form posted and you put in your name, your e-mail address and if you are a follower. You must be a follower to win. The giveaway is only for US and Canada residents. AND, I love comments, so leave one please!

Come back on October 24th and see the great list of blogs participating. So far there are 201!

See you then!

Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman

2011-08-24T16:41:00.001-04:00

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Twelve-year-old CeeCee is in trouble. For years she’s been the caretaker of her psychotic mother, Camille— the crown-wearing, lipstick-smeared laughingstock of an entire town. Though it’s 1967 and they live in Ohio, Camille believes it’s 1951 and she’s just been crowned the Vidalia Onion Queen of Georgia.

The day CeeCee discovers Camille in the front yard wearing a tattered prom dress and tiara as she blows kisses to passing motorists, she knows her mother has completely flipped. When tragedy strikes, Tootie Caldwell, a previously unknown great-aunt comes to CeeCee’s rescue and whisks her away to Savannah. Within hours of her arrival, CeeCee is catapulted into a perfumed world of prosperity and Southern eccentricities—a world that appears to be run entirely by women.

While Tootie is busy saving Savannah’s endangered historic homes from the wrecking ball, CeeCee encounters a cast of unforgettable, eccentric characters. From the mysterious Thelma Rae Goodpepper, who bathes in an outdoor tub under the watchful eyes of a voyeuristic peacock, to Oletta Jones, the all-knowing household cook, to Violene Hobbs, the loud-mouthed widow who entertains a local police officer in her yellow see-through peignoir, the women of Gaston Street keep CeeCee entertained and enthralled for an entire summer.

But CeeCee’s view of the world is challenged in ways she could have never imagined: there are secrets to keep, injustices to face, and loyalties to uphold. Just as she begins to find her ballast and experiences a sense of belonging, her newfound joy collides with the long-held fear that her mother’s legacy has left her destined for destruction.

Laugh-out-loud funny, at times heartbreaking, and written in a pitch-perfect voice, Saving CeeCee Honeycutt is a spirited Southern tale that explores the intricate frailties and strengths of female relationships while illuminating the journey of a young girl who loses her mother but finds many others.(less)

When I first heard of the book "Saving CeeCee Honeycutt" I thought it was one of those chic books. Then I kept seeing it on the blogosphere and people were claiming it was very good. So, I saw it on the shelf at our local store, it was relatively short and the cover was pretty, so I bought it. Turns out, it IS really good! CeeCee is 12 and she has taken care of her mother who has slowly gone insane, for most of her young life while her father is absent most of the time. When her mother dies in a freak accident, CeeCee's Great Aunt Tootie comes to take her to Georgia. Aunt Tootie is a lovely woman and the most gracious female character I have ever read. She helps CeeCee adjust to a new city, buys her new clothes, and helps her work through her grief. Aunt Tootie has a housekeeper/cook named Oletta who teaches CeeCee a lot about life and takes her on a couple of great adventures. Aunt Tootie has a whole group of women-friends who take it upon themselves to save all the old family homes in Savannah when the city tries to have them torn down. Her neighbors are quite eccentric women, too. There are only 2 men in the whole novel -- one is CeeCee's father and the other is the policeman one of Tootie's neighbors is having an affair with. All the women have unique personalities and are very interesting in their own right let alone how the interact with CeeCee. This novel takes place in the 60's in Savannah, GA, so civil rights is a big issue. If you are interested in that time period, coming-of-age books, and the relationships between women, you will like this book as much as I did. Go pick it up -- and the cover is pretty!!!

View all my reviews

Blog Hop Tour -- August 12--15

2011-08-13T09:03:00.001-04:00

I feel like I've been away for a long time. It has been a busy summer! I wanted to check in with all my blogging friends before they think I have gone extinct! So, I thought I would do the Blog Hop Tour this weekend...

Are you a book blogger? Are you a reader? Then welcome to the place where all of us connect over the weekend and chat about books!

Not sure what a book blogger is and if you are one? Do you have a blog? Do you blog about books? Do you write book reviews on your blog? Do you rave about books and authors on your blog? Is your blog content primarily about books? Then you are most likely considered a book blogger!

How it Works

As long as you meet the qualifications of a book blogger, you may add your book blog link into the linky list at Crazy-for-Books.com. But before you do that, there are a few requirements. Read up, to save yourself a headache with the linky!

1. Before you add your link, you must post about the Hop on your blog and link directly back to the DIRECT POST for this Hop, like this. The linky is going to review the link that you enter in your submission, looking for a link to this post on your blog. If it doesn’t find one, your link will not be approved. This is called back linking and the hostee, Crazy-for-books.com had to institute it because people were taking advantage of the Hop and getting some free advertising without promoting the Hop themselves. You can read more about this here.

2. While you are creating your post, answer the following question (there’s a new prompt each week)!

“Let’s talk crazy book titles! Highlight one or two (or as many as you like!) titles in your personal collection that have the most interesting titles! If you can’t find any, feel free to find one on the internet!”

Here's my answer: Jane Bites Back by Michael Thomas Ford

Two hundred years after her death, Jane Austen is still surrounded by the literature she loves—but now it's because she's the owner of Flyleaf Books in a sleepy college town in Upstate New York. Every day she watches her novels fly off the shelves—along with dozens of unauthorized sequels, spin-offs, and adaptations. Jane may be undead, but her books have taken on a life of their own.

To make matters worse, the manuscript she finished just before being turned into a vampire has been rejected by publishers—116 times. Jane longs to let the world know who she is, but when a sudden twist of fate thrusts her back into the spotlight, she must hide her real identity—and fend off a dark man from her past while juggling two modern suitors. Will the inimitable Jane Austen be able to keep her cool in this comedy of manners, or will she show everyone what a woman with a sharp wit and an even sharper set of fangs can do?

WHAT'S YOUR ANSWER? Leave a comment!

HAPPY WEEKEND!!!

Wish You Were Here by Rita Mae Brown

2011-07-27T19:25:00.000-04:00

Wish You Were Here by Rita Mae Brown

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Curiosity just might be the death of Mrs. Murphy--and her human companion, Mary Minor "Harry" Haristeen. Small towns are like families: Everyone lives very close together. . .and everyone keeps secrets. Crozet, Virginia, is a typical small town-until its secrets explode into murder. Crozet's thirty-something post-mistress, Mary Minor "Harry" Haristeen, has a tiger cat (Mrs. Murphy) and a Welsh Corgi (Tucker), a pending divorce, and a bad habit of reading postcards not addressed to her. When Crozet's citizens start turning up murdered, Harry remembers that each received a card with a tombstone on the front and the message "Wish you were here" on the back. Intent on protecting their human friend, Mrs. Murphy and Tucker begin to scent out clues. Meanwhile, Harry is conducting her own investigation, unaware her pets are one step ahead of her. If only Mrs. Murphy could alert her somehow, Harry could uncover the culprit before the murder occurs--and before Harry finds herself on the killer's mailing list.

I chose this book because it takes place in Crozet, VA not far from Charlottesville. I love that area and the author, Rita Mae Brown actually lives in the area, so I was intrigued by that. Secondly, my book club decided to read a "cat mystery" for July AND I love my cat. The mystery of the murderer lasted to the very end of the book and it wasn't obvious until...say...3/4 of the way through. I liked that. The murders were kind of gruesome, however they weren't described in detail and you found out about them after the fact, so that wasn't so bad. I loved Harry, the main character, and her animals - Mrs. Murphy, her cat and Tucker, her Corgi. Their antics and discovery details were priceless. Their conversations and the way they tried to tell Harry their ideas were great. Cozy mysteries are not my favorite genre, but they aren't bad. I probably won't run out and buy the next book in the series, but as I said, I did enjoy it. It's a great book for cat/animal lovers and mystery-lovers.

View all my reviews

The Dream Crystal by Mark O'Bannon

2011-07-24T20:30:00.004-04:00

The Dream Crystal by Mark O'Bannon

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

All of the world's dreams are about to die. The Shadow People have come. Always near, they linger in the darkness, ready to devour dreams, hopes, aspirations and desires. . .

Aisling, having lost her dream of becoming a fashion designer, learns that she's a Faerie changeling. Disquieted by the fact that her faerie parents are kidnappers, she has decided to rescue the human child she was exchanged for, but her "sister" is no longer among the faeries, having been taken by the Shadow People. Ith, the Lord of Shadows, is trying to control the dreams of mankind, which are under the protection of the faeries, so they're at war.

Aisling, who doesn't believe in dreams any longer, is falling in love with a handsome, mysterious stranger - one of the Shadow People.

Hmmm...it seems fairies are the new thing and for that, this book if right on. This is the story of a girl who is going to fashion designer school and finds out that she was switched at birth and is actually a fairy. The story is pretty good, except that the descriptions of what every character is wearing in each scene was a little distracting. It also seemed to go round and round in circles a bit in places. There were good guys and bad guys but sometimes the good guys seemed bad and the bad guys seemed good. A little confusing. Anyway, I was honored to be asked to review it, but I probably won't read the sequel. Sorry, Mark.

View all my reviews

2011 YA Reading Challenge

2011-07-01T09:07:00.000-04:00

I have completed the "Mini YA Reading Challenge" by reading 12 YA novels so far this year. Wow! It's only July 1st! Anyway, here is my list of the book I read:

1. The Thirteenth Chime by Emma Michaels
2. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
3. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
4. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
5. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
6. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
7. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
8. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
9. Heist Society by Aly Carter
10. City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare
11. Dreams Unleashed by Linda Hawley
12. If I Stay by Gayle Forman

I'll probably read more YA novels through the rest of the year, but I didn't want to overload myself with challenge requirements this year. I wanted to actually finish many of the challenges I started. And I've been doing it! Yay me!

Thanks to Jamie Loves YA for hosting this challenge.

If I Stay by Gayle Forman

2011-07-01T08:19:00.000-04:00

If I Stay by Gayle Forman

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I hesitate to say this book was "amazing". Hmmmm...although I really liked it. Why are young adults so fascinated by death and live & death decisions? They are young for Pete's sake. I'm in my 50's and I have just started thinking about what it will be like to be old and what will happen to my family when I die.

Anyway, I did really like this book. It was well-written and the backstories blended seamlessly with the present. It felt as though they were put in at just the right places. I loved the fact that the two main characters were musicians. It gave a facet to the story that inspired me because I'm a musician, too. Mia's family was so cool -- so different from her, but loving and supportive of her love of classical music and her life's quest to be a cellist. I feel as though these characters will have a place in my memory for a long time. I feel as though I know them and, no dear daughter, I didn't cry. Amazing, right? I know.

View all my reviews

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

2011-06-28T13:59:00.001-04:00

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Three ordinary women are about to take one extraordinary step...

In 1962 Jackson, Mississippi, two African-American maids and one white Junior League socialite—seemingly as different from one another as can be, will nonetheless come together for a clandestine project that will put them all at risk. And why? Because they are suffocating withing the lines that define their town and their times. And sometimes line are made to be crossed.

In pitch-perfect voices, Kathryn Stockett creates three memorable women whose determination to start a movement of their own forever changes a town, and the way women—mothers, daughters, caregivers, friends—view one another. A deeply moving novel filled with poignancy, humor, and hope, The Help is a timeless and universal story about the lines we abide by, and the ones we don't.

The book was definitely AMAZING! I listened to the audiobook and the Narrators were wonderful. They captured the essence of each woman so well. Telling stories of black women working for white families in Jackson, Mississippi in the 1960's was definitely taking a big risk. It opened my eyes to conditions there and then and also the few stories of the good things that started to happen as a result of the book -- fictional or not -- were hopeful. I wanted to read (listen to) this book before the movie comes out in August and I am so glad I did. The characters crept into my heart and have remained there. I really liked Abeline, Winnie & Skeeter as well as Miss Celia. They were all so strong in their own ways. I don't want to give anything away, but I must say I was a little surprised at the ending. If you haven't read this book, you should.

View all my reviews

Awaken the Highland Warrior by Anita Clenney

2011-06-25T07:44:00.003-04:00

Awaken the Highland Warrior by Anita Clenney

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A man from another time...

Faelan is from an ancient clan of Scottish Highland warriors, charged with shielding humanity from demonic forces. Betrayed and locked in a time vault, he has been sleeping for nearly two centuries when spunky historian Bree Kirkland inadvertently wakes him. She's more fearsome than the demon trying to kill him, and if he's not careful, she'll uncover the secrets his clan has bled and died to protect...

Could be the treasure she's been seeking all her life...

When Bree inherits an old treasure map, she discovers a warrior buried in her backyard. But the warrior isn't dead. Bree shocks Faelan with her modern dress and her boldness, and he infuriates Bree every time he tries to protect her.

With demons suddenly on the move, Bree discovers that Faelan's duty as protector is in his blood, and that her part in this fight was destined before she was born. But nothing is ever what it seems...

Anita Clenney, the author of this book, asked me to read and review it and I am honored to do so. I really enjoy reading time travel books mainly because of the reactions of the unsuspecting (in most cases) time traveler to the time to which he/she has been transported. This book did not disappoint in that regard. As a bonus, in this book you get the exciting warriors vs. demons aspect. Faelan is trapped in a time vault for 150 years and released by Bree, an adventurous Civil War expert. While each is trying to figure out whether the other is a good guy or a bad guy, they fall in love -- of course -- and together they set out to destroy Faelan's assigned demon and save the world. This book is well-written and exciting. There is a little sex but it doesn't distract you from the story. There's the whole family bonding together to fight the enemy (which I love) and they are Scottish -- what can I say? On a personal note, I realized when reading this book that when I started reading novels again, especially ones with a strong female character, that I pictured myself as that young, strong, adventurous woman. Now that doesn't quite fit -- I'm picturing myself as the mother in this book. That is very amusing to me for some reason. This book is the first in a series, so watch for the others soon. There were some tiny loose threads left hanging in this book that I'm interested to see woven in. I'm looking forward to reading more.

View all my reviews

Dreams Unleashed by Linda Hawley

2011-06-16T07:19:00.002-04:00

Dreams Unleashed by Linda Hawley

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I received this book from the author and read it on Kindle for the PC. I had never used Kindle for the PC before and I was a little worried about losing my place when my mouse took off on its own, but it was okay. For the first third of the book, I had to really concentrate to keep straight whether I was in the present, past or a dream. Eventually I got all the threads on the right needles and then the book started to get exciting. The action just kept accelerating right up to the end! Or, should I say "up to the end of this book" because it's part of a trilogy and definitely leads you right in to the next in the series. The concept of putting yourself in another place through a dream was wild, but believable for me. I started clicking through all sorts of possibilities in my head as I was reading. I also liked that the author included current happenings, as close as a couple of months ago, to add to the perception of reality. Tagging people through their driver's license was disturbing, but it gave me something to think about. As I have said before in my reviews, I like time travel. This was a different kind of time travel because you aren't stuck in one place -- unless that happens further on in the series -- but the reader feels that Ann was really in those other places for a time. It was a very interesting book based on a great concept with current events and I can't wait for the next volume to see what happens!!!

View all my reviews

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

2011-06-12T13:31:00.000-04:00

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What an epic tale! I did really like it, but I don't think I would have liked it as much if I had actually read the book. Listening to it was much better because it took so long and so many words to go from one scene to the next. Not having the book on hand, I never knew how much of the book was left! It seemed to go on and on...and after a while I just wanted to know what happened in the end. Did she ever get back to Mr. Rochester? What had happened at Thornfield after she left? Would she really go to India with Sinjun? All these questions went on in my mind while she was describing EVERYTHING. I just wanted her to go already -- stop thinking and DO something. Anyway, I guess that's what I was supposed to be thinking. It was a great listen! I'm very glad I got the chance to finally experience this novel. I find that I'm liking Victorian literature much more than I ever thought I would. If you haven't read Jane Eyre, you should give it a listen. I hightly recommend it.

View all my reviews

Hearts Through Time by Marie Higgins

2011-06-07T08:28:00.000-04:00

Hearts Through Time by Marie Higgins

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A love story that transcends time . . .

When a woman claiming to be a ghost from 1912 appears in Nick Marshal¹s office and begs for help in solving her murder, he thinks he has lost his mind. A scandal that rocked Hollywood almost destroyed his law practice, so he doesn¹t need any more fireworks as he rebuilds his life. Still, he is intrigued by Abigail Carlisle¹s plea, and he needs clients, even if this one insists she¹s dead. The more secrets Nick uncovers, the deeper he falls for the beautiful ghost.

Abigail believes Nick is her heart¹s true desire, but how can happily-ever-after happen when she¹s already dead? The more time she spends with him, the more real she becomes, until Nick can finally touch her.

In a strange turn of events, Nick is suddenly whisked back to 1912, two weeks before Abby¹s murder, but she doesn¹t remember him. When he attempts to win her over so he can save her from a tragic destiny, Abby thinks Nick is courting her for her inheritance. But even if he can rescue her and make her trust him again, how can they be together forever?

My favorite genre is "time travel" and this novel didn't disappoint. It is the story of a twentieth century lawyer, Nick Marshall, who meets the love of his life -- but she's a ghost. She was told by her grandmother in 1912 that she would meet a man with the initials "N.M." who would help her. Nick investigates her case in the twentieth century and as he is doing so, he falls in love with her. After he returns a vital piece of evidence to her, she disappears and he travels back to 1912. Believe me, the things I've told you won't give the plot away. There are plenty of things to discover in this case. Some of them you can figure out, some are unexpected twists. The novel moved along very easily. Although I am very happy in the present, this novel made it seem possible to travel between times. It was a very clean romance, a little sappy at times, but not too much. There were plenty of characters to think about and they all had their little quirks and unique personalities. I won this book on the Leprechaun Hop & Giveaway Tour and I'm really glad I did.

View all my reviews

Fairer Than Morning by Rosslyn Elliott

2011-06-07T08:02:00.000-04:00

Fairer than Morning by Rosslyn Elliott

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Ann dreams of a marriage proposal from her poetic suitor-until she meets a runaway apprentice who knows what a truly noble man is.

In 1826, Ann Miller travels to Pittsburgh with her widowed father and two young sisters, only to find that a mysterious man has pursued them all the way from Ohio. Is Ann's father just a circuit minister, or is he hiding something that may endanger them all?

Will Hanby indentures with a Pittsburgh saddler maker, only to discover that his master is a cold-hearted tyrant. After years of abuse, Will becomes a prisoner of his own mind. But then lovely Ann Miller comes to stay next door and her compassion lights a long-dark part of Will's soul. His renewed courage puts his life in jeopardy as he begins to assist fugitive slaves.

Will's murderous master and Ann's questions about her family may keep both of them bound in the shadows forever. Or will they find freedom-together?

This is a debut romance from Rosslyn Elliott and the first in a series. The story begins in the early 1820's in the area where Ohio and Pennsylvania meet. It follows a young girl growing up on her father's farm paralleled by the life of a young man who is an indentured apprentice to a saddler near Pittsburgh. The girl's father is also a saddler by trade as well as a circuit minister. There's plenty of history woven through this tale including the beginnings of the Underground Railroad. It is labeled a "romance" but there is substance here. Faith in God in very trying times comes through and the conversion of the young man is very uplifting. I would recommend this novel to any historical fiction fan -- the characters are real people as indicated in the Afterword. Don't be put off by the "romance" genre, there's plenty of action and adventure and, in my opinion, it is very well-written.

View all my reviews

Splash Into Summer Giveaway Hop Tour!!!

2011-05-24T23:01:00.003-04:00

Welcome to the

Splash Into Summer Giveaway Hop!

This hop is hosted by I Am a Reader, Not a Writer AND Page Turners Blog. This is my second giveaway tour! The Lucky Leprechaun Giveaway Hop drew over 270 participating blogs! This one should be even better! Each participating blog offers book-related giveaways. We are all linked together so you can hop from one blog to another easily. The Hop runs from Thursday, May 25th to May 31st. (The post goes up at 12:01 AM on May 25th!)

My giveaway is simple. The prize will be a Barnes & Noble gift card for $25. The winner will be chosen using Random.org.

To enter, just FOLLOW this blog, leave me a comment, then complete the entry form on the right side panel. Last day to enter is May 31st. Until then, grab a link and hop around!

GET READY FOR SUMMER

AND SOME GREAT READING!!!

REMEMBER: FOLLOW MY BLOG,

LEAVE ME A COMMENT,

AND PUT YOUR NAME & E-MAIL ADDRESS

IN THE FORM IN THE RIGHT SIDE BAR

TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY.

THANKS & GOOD LUCK!

BOOKTALK at Fresh Grounds -- April 27th Books set in the 60's

2011-05-21T22:35:00.003-04:00

Our Book Club met at Fresh Grounds, our local coffee shop, on

April 27th to discuss our selection of the month -- books set in the 60's. We each read a different book and this is how our booktalk went:

Stella read "Couples" by John Updike and said that she just couldn't get into it. Couples were changing partners, etc. and that isn't her style of book. This is what it said on Goodreads: Couples is the book that has been assailed for its complete frankness and praised as an artful, seductive, savagely graphic portrait of love, marriage, and adultery in America. I can see why Stella didn't like it.

Betty read "The Secret Life of Bees" by Sue Monk Kidd. She really liked it and said it went faster than several of the books she has read lately which meant it was good! Lily's mother died when she was 4 and her father was very strict. He used to make her kneel on grits if she did anything wrong. She had a nanny named Rosaleen, a black woman. Rosaleen was very excited when President Johnson passed a law giving blacks the right to vote. She and Lily walked downtown so Rosaleen could register, but on the way they ran into 3 white men who beat her up. Rosaleen got arrested and ended up in the hospital because she "fell". Lily went to see her and decided she was going to run away and she was taking Rosaleen with her. Lily's mother had had a picture of a black Madonna which was from a jar of honey. Lily and Rosaleen decided to try to find the place where the honey came from, so they left. When they got to the farm, they met May, June & August -- three women who lived there. Rosaleen and Lily decided to stay for a while. Every night, they all knelt down in the living room in front of the black Madonna and said the Rosary. Eventually, Lily's father figured out where she was and he came to get her. She decided to stay with the women because they showed her what love was and her father had no idea of what that meant.

Linda read "Saving CeeCee Honeycutt" by Beth Hoffman. Linda especially liked this book because it takes place in Savannah, GA, where she lived from 2003 - 2005. CeeCee Honeycutt was a young girl whose mother was mentally challenged. CeeCee tried to take care of her, but when she got to be around 12 years old, she began to be embarrassed by the things she did. The people in their town knew about the woman's condition, but they made fun of her anyway. One day, when her mother was out walking, she got hit by an ice cream truck and died. CeeCee's father didn't know what to do with her and left her on her own. Her only friend was an elderly neighbor. However, her aunt came from Savannah to take CeeCee home with her. Most of the book was about the little girl learning to live in Savannah. Her aunt had a black cook who took a liking to the little girl. The cook couldn't read, so CeeCee shared her books with her and the cook shared her life experience with CeeCee. All the characters in the book were women and several had eccentricities that were amusing. Linda says that there was still a definite division between races when she lived in Savannah in 2003-2005, so she can imagine what it would have been like in the 1960's. She said when she finished the book, she wished there were a sequel to show how CeeCee grew up after those experiences.

Pat read something that was very different from the books she usually reads:

"Stanyan Street and Other Sorrows" by Rod McKuen.

It is a book of poetry. She shared her favorite poem from the book -- "Thoughts on Capital Punishment". Here it is for you:

Thoughts on Capital Punishment by Rod McKuen

There ought to be capital punishment for cars
that run over rabbits and drive into dogs
and commit the unspeakable, unpardonable crime
of killing a kitty cat still in his prime.

Purgatory, at the very least
should await the driver
driving over a beast.

Those hurrying headlights coming out of the dark
that scatter the scampering squirrels in the park
should await the best jury that one might compose
of fatherless chipmunks and husbandless does.

And then found guilty, after too fair a trial
should be caged in a cage with a hyena’s smile
or maybe an elephant with an elephant gun
should shoot out his eyes when the verdict is done.

There ought to be something, something that’s fair
to avenge Mrs. Badger as she waits in her lair
for her husband who lies with his guts spilling out
cause he didn’t know what automobiles are about.

Hell on the highway, at the very least
should await the driver
driving over a beast.

Who kills a man kills a bit of himself
But a cat too is an extension of God.

We thought it was outstanding!

World of Pies by Karen Stolz

First-time novelist Karen Stolz has created a cozy, poignant and exquisitely written episodic tale of family, food, and love. Set in a small town in Texas in the 1960's, where "there wasn't a lot to pick from, summer-wise: counter-girl at Jerry's Dairy King, shampoo girl at Barb's Tint n' Clip; the maid job at the Bluebonnet Motel," a young girl named Roxanne comes of age.

I wanted to read this book because it looked fun! It was on a list I found of books whose story took place in the 60’s and the author of the list said it was her favorite. This book just begins in the 60’s. Each chapter deals with a different social issue. The first one is about equality. Roxanne’s father thought up the idea of a Pie Fair to attract people to their little town of Annette, Texas. Her mother played bridge with a number of ladies in the town. One of them was planning to enter a pie made by a colored woman, Mary Ellis, who did her cooking. Roxanne’s mother said that shouldn’t be allowed – that each woman should bake her own pie -- and her husband eventually backed her up, but she was ostracized from the bridge club that summer.

The following chapters follow Roxanne through her life and stops at eventful periods to give us a taste of how it is. I liked it because I remember some of the things that were happening. I grew up in the 60's too. Roxanne would have been a little older than I, but not much. The story tells how it was to live in a small town, but the things they were dealing with could have happened anywhere -- racism, old flames coming for a visit, the assassination of President Kennedy, the war in Vietnam and its affect on those who fought it, homosexuality, losing a parent, getting married, deciding whether to have children, aging parents...this book dealt with everything! And it was entertaining while doing it. Roxanne discovers that women can hold jobs she never imagined, that her father would do anything for her mother – even take swimming lessons with children, and all the relationships she formed with co-workers and friends. The author sent one of the characters, Roxanne’s cousin, to Vietnam to return a broken man with typical postwar issues who wanders through life for a while escaping through drugs and alcohol until Roxanne convinces him to get help. Later in the story he takes over her father’s business in Annette, gets married and settles down.

The book was very easy to read because the language the author uses just flows along. Granted it is a short book, but even a short book can be boring. This one wasn’t. I really felt as though I was there in Annette, Texas experiencing the things that Roxanne was experiencing. It is a typical coming-of-age story, but I could relate to it. Even though I never experienced some of the things Roxanne did, I could have – I knew others who did. The author wraps up the story really well. There are no questions about what happened to this one or that one. The book was satisfying and I enjoyed it.

Thanks for checking out our Booktalk! Our May selection is Gardens of Water by Alan Drew, we agreed to read The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson for June, and we are reading a "cat mystery" for July!

Caleb's Crossing by Geraldine Brooks

2011-05-16T08:30:00.000-04:00

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

In 1665, Caleb Cheeshah-teaumuck was the first Native American to graduate from Harvard College. Here, Pulitzer Prize winner Brooks imagines that Caleb was befriended by Bethia Mayfield, whose minister father wants to convert the neighboring Wampanoag and makes educating Caleb one of his goals. Bethia, herself desperate for book learning, ends up as an indentured servant in Cambridge, watching Caleb bridge two cultures.

I'm definitely a fan of historical fiction and this time period -- America in the 1600's is especially interesting to me. "Caleb's Crossing" is more about the female narrator, Bethia, than about Caleb. Having read "Tale of Wonders," I could hear the similarities between Bethia and Anna, narrator of that work. As I was reading, I just naturally fell in love with Bethia and admired her ambition and her love of learning and her desire to prove that women were just as capable of great thought as men. Her friendship with Caleb was so dear and so sad. The spark that Bethia ignited in him to begin his journey through the educational wilds of English schooling was exciting. The fact that that journey virtually destroyed him was quite sad. For most of the book, I thought thst Bethia would end up with Caleb because she loved him so, but she truly did love him as a brother. At the end of the book, I asked myself this question, "What benefit was gained to try to impress English ways of speech and literature on this native American?" He did show his prowess and his genius in his efforts, but living among the English/Americans caused him to lose the health and strength he once had. If I wasn't an optimistic person, this book would have depressed me. There were so many deaths of characters that became so beloved and even those that you didn't even get to know. So many deaths. Is that what life was like in the 1600's? Could have been, I guess. Don't forget to read the Afterword. It explains a lot. I truly liked this book, even though so many people died. I liked experiencing things from Bethia's perspective. As in "Year of Wonders," as I read I felt I WAS her. In my opinion, that is one sign of a great author. And Geraldine Brooks is a great author, in my opinion.

View all my reviews

Blog Hop Tour - Friday, May 7th

2011-05-06T11:13:00.000-04:00

Haven't blog hopped in a while. It's nice to be back.

In the spirit of the Twitter Friday Follow, the Book Blogger Hop hosted by Crazy-for-books.com is a place just for book bloggers and readers to connect and share our love of the written word! This weekly BOOK PARTY is an awesome opportunity for book bloggers to connect with other book lovers, make new friends, support each other, and generally just share our love of books! It will also give blog readers a chance to find other book blogs to read! So, go to Crazy-for-books.com, grab the logo, post about the Hop on your blog, and start HOPPING through the list of blogs that are posted in the Linky list!!

The Hop lasts Friday-Monday every week, so if you don't have time to Hop today, come back later and join the fun! This is a weekly event! And stop back at Crazy-for-books.com throughout the weekend to see all the new blogs that are added! There are over 200 links every week!!

RULES - of course there are rules:

Your blog should have content related to books, including, but not limited to book reviews.

1. Enter your book blog link in the Linky List, including the genre that you review!

In your link, please state the main genre that you review: eclectic, contemp. fiction, ya, paranormal, mystery, non-fiction, etc. Example: Crazy-for-Books (contemp. adult fiction)

2. Post about the Hop on your blog. Spread the word about the book party! The more the merrier! In your blog post, answer the following question (new question each week!).

This weeks question comes from Twitter! Thanks to Melissa (aka Miel_et_Lait) who blogs at Miel et Lait.

"Which book blogger would you most like to meet

in real life?"

My answer: Hmmm...I would like to meet Julie from Booking Mama! She seems to have the same ideas I have -- or used to have when my kids were younger. I like that she started a book club that meets after school. I worked with a group of kids 6-7-8th grade several summers when we were in reading competitions. We would read books and get together and talk about them (and eat pizza, of course). Our group ended up WINNING the competition the last year we entered. We only had 1/2 the students of the other teams, but we read ALL the books and the kids were AWESOME!

3. Visit other blogs in the Linky List! Make new friends! Follow new book bloggers! Talk about books! Rave about authors! Take the time to make a quality visit! Check out other posts and content, make a new friend! Don't randomly follow someone if you never intend on actually following them! No spamming please! (Please do not leave your link and not visit other blogs - it's just not cool and not in the spirit of the Hop!)

And just as an FYI - this event is not something you should feel that you have to participate in every week. If you want to join in and link up once a month, GREAT! It's up to you how often you participate!

So get on over to Crazy-for-books.com and link up!

4MC5 -- I did it! I actually read all the books!

2011-05-01T07:35:00.000-04:00

Once again, I participated in the Four Month Challenge. This one extended from December 1st through April 30th and I completed it! It's the first time I actually read for each of the categories! Here's the rundown of the books I read:

5 point challenges
Favorite author - The Masque of the Black Tulip by Lauren Willig
YA book - Harry Potter & The Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling
book written in 2010 - A Bolt from the Blue by Diane A.S. Stuckart
color in the title - A Redbird Christmas by Fannie Flagg
set in another country - The Time of the Doves by Merce Bodoreda

10 point challenges
family name in the title - Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
book you've read before - Harry Potter & The Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling
Fantasy - Harry Potter & The Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling
been meaning to read - Harry Potter & The Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling
set in your country - State of the Onion by Julie Hyzy

15 point challenges
written before your birth - The Cricket on the Hearth by Charles Dickens
suggested by a blog - Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
set in a country you want to visit - Fortunata & Jacinta by Benito Perez Galdos
A memoir, bio, of someone alive - Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt
1st in a series - Heist Society by Aly Carter

20 point challenges
memoir, bio of a person passed - Queen Dolley by Dorothy Clarke Wilson
classic you've never read - The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde
need for another challenge - Santa in Montana by Janet Dailey
1st in a series - The Thirteenth Chime by Emma Michaels
book with food in the title - World of Pies by Karen Stolz

That's it! Yay! Bring on Four Month Challenge 6!

Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf

2011-04-28T08:39:00.000-04:00

Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Virginia Woolf's stream-of-consciousness masterpiece follows Clarissa Dalloway through the course of a day as she prepares to host a party in the evening. The beautiful June day brings back memories from her happy schoolgirl years. She wonders about her choice of husband—was she wrong to have married reliable Richard Dalloway, refusing the exciting Peter Walsh, and what was the place of her schoolgirl love? The story travels back and forth in time, densely weaving the texture of an intelligent, upper class woman's life lived within the strictures of post-WW I England.

Only Virginia Woolf can take an ordinary day and make a book out of it. "Mrs. Dalloway" is the story of a day in the life of Clarissa Dalloway as she prepares for a party she is giving that evening. That sounds so simple, but the book is anything but simple. Virginia weaves in and out of the characters' heads with such wonderful descriptions, then seques from one character to another before you even realize it. After I finished the book, I read the Reading Guide questions. How did I miss all that? I was so enthralled by the language that I totally missed the clock striking the hours and the variety of women she used as opposed to the lack of comparable men figures. I mean I realized these things after I read the questions, but I guess I wasn't reading "like an English professor". Anyway, Virigina Woolf is amazing. She was so talented and her descriptions are incomparable with anyone else. She is my favorite classic author. I love Virigina Woolf!!!

View all my reviews

City of Fall Angels by Cassandra Clare

2011-04-26T17:09:00.000-04:00

City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

City of Fallen Angels takes place two months after the events of City of Glass. In it, a mysterious someone’s killing the Shadowhunters who used to be in Valentine’s Circle and displaying their bodies around New York City in a manner designed to provoke hostility between Downworlders and Shadowhunters, leaving tensions running high in the city and disrupting Clary’s plan to lead as normal a life as she can — training to be a Shadowhunter, and pursuing her relationship with Jace. As Jace and Clary delve into the issue of the murdered Shadowhunters, they discover a mystery that has deeply personal consequences for them — consequences that may strengthen their relationship, or rip it apart forever.

Meanwhile, internecine warfare among vampires is tearing the Downworld community apart, and only Simon — the Daylighter who everyone wants on their side — can decide the outcome; too bad he wants nothing to do with Downworld politics. Love, blood, betrayal and revenge: the stakes are higher than ever in City of Fallen Angels.

Cassandra Clare is amazing! Her books never fall in to that "sequel" status. Each book just continues to be as incredible and exciting as the last one. This book is primarily about Simon. Since he is a "Daylighter", a vampire who can go out in the daytime, he could be very valuable to Downworld groups, but he doesn't want to have anything to do with them. He's dating two girls at once -- one a werewolf and one a Shadowhunter, he's decided to leave home and live on his own, and of course he still loves Clary. Now I haven't spoiled the story by telling you any of these things because you find out right off and everyone who has read the other books in the series knows that Simon loves Clary and would do anything to protect her. Of course, Clary loves Jace and that couple has challenges in this book, too. All the characters are just as stunning as they were in the first 3 books and having read "Clockwork Angel", some of the back stories become clearer. If you loved the first 3 Mortal Instrument books, you will love this one, too. I can't wait until the next volume is printed!

View all my reviews

Follow Friday -- April 8th

2011-04-07T23:48:00.000-04:00

To join the fun and make now book blogger friends, just follow these simple rules:

1.(Required) Follow the Follow My Book Blog Friday Host { Parajunkee.com } and any one else you want to follow on the list

2.(Required) Follow our Featured Bloggers - http://mykeepershelf.blogspot.com/

3.Put your Blog name & URL in the Linky thing at Parajunkee.com .

4.Grab the button and place it in a post, this post is for people to find a place to say hi in your comments

5.Follow Follow Follow as many as you can, as many as you want, or just follow a few. The whole point is to make new friends and find new blogs. Also, don't just follow, comment and say hi. Another blogger might not know you are a new follower if you don't say "HI"

6.If someone comments and says they are following you, be a dear and follow back. Spread the Love...and the followers

Every Friday we also answer a question. This week's question is:

DO YOU JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS COVER?
My answer is: Yes, definitely. There are some books I won't even take off the shelf because of their covers (those are the ones with the bare-chested men on them) AND others that I immediately grab because of the covers. It may be superficial of me, but I have to feel comfortable walking around with a book and if the cover is embarrassing, I won't read it. It's just me.

What do you think? Make a comment and let me know!

World of Pies by Karen Stolz

2011-04-07T12:54:00.000-04:00

World of Pies: A Novel by Karen Stolz

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

First-time novelist Karen Stolz has created a cozy, poignant and exquisitely written episodic tale of family, food, and love. Set in a small town in Texas in the 1960's, where "there wasn't a lot to pick from, summer-wise: counter-girl at Jerry's Dairy King, shampoo girl at Barb's Tint n' Clip; the maid job at the Bluebonnet Motel," a young girl named Roxanne comes of age. Whether it's a pie-baking contest that becomes a lesson in racial politics and courage; a crush on the new mailman (who is a woman); or dealing with the death of her beloved father and her mother's remarriage, Roxanne never fails to touch our hearts. And if that weren't enough, the recipes following each chapter--which range from Christina's Lemon Meringue Pie to Doreen's Frozen Fruit Salad--evoke a cozy sweet sensation that makes it seem as though there could be no better place to live than tine Annette, Texas.

I read this selection because our book club decided to read books set in the 60's for this month. We will each read a different book. I looked up "books set in the 60's" and this was one of them. This book is about Roxanne, who is heavy into baseball at the beginning of the book but her mother wants to teach her how to make pies because there is going to be a Pie Fair in their little town. The book follows Roxanne through her life and stops at eventful periods to give us a taste of how it is. I liked it because I remember some of the things that were happening. I grew up in the 60's too. Roxanne would have been a little older than I, but not much. The story tells how it was to live in a small town, but the things they were dealing with could have happened anywhere -- racism, old flames coming for a visit, the assasination of President Kennedy, the war in Vietnam and its affect on those who fought it, homosexuality, losing a parent, getting married, deciding whether to have children, aging parents...this book dealt with everything! And it was entertaining while doing it. I really liked it.

View all my reviews

Monthly Mixup Mania Challenge

2011-04-04T22:05:00.000-04:00

The Challenge is to read a book for each letter in the year. That's right, a title for the J in January and the A in January, etc.... 74 books total! Official Start date: April 1, 2011, because we're fools to try this but any book read since 1-1-11 counts ;) End date: March 31, 2013, yes, two years, because well, we have other challenges to do ;)

Guidelines:

1. only one letter per book
2. books can be moved around if it fits better somewhere else after you've read it
3. the letter doesn't have to be the first word, just the first letter of a word in the title (a, an, and the do not count)
4. reviews aren't necessary but a quick "I read for letter... it was about... I did/not like it" would be nice.
5. if you decide to join in, create a post on your blog telling others then go to Monthly Mixup Mania and link up (to the actual post, not just your blog's home page)
6. a blog is not necessary, just comment on that month's post
7. if you get stuck, an author's name will do in a pinch but try to have more titles than names
8. the most important thing is to have fun!

If you want to join me in this challenge, go to the dedicated blog here.

State of the Onion by Julie Hyzy

2011-04-01T12:57:00.004-04:00

State of the Onion by Julie Hyzy

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Never let them see you sweat-that's White House Assistant Chef Olivia Paras's motto, which is pretty hard to honor in the most important kitchen in the world. She's hell-bent on earning her dream job, Executive Chef. There's just one thing her nemesis is vying for it, too. Well, that and the fact that an elusive assassin wants to see her fry.

This was an interesting, dramatic, quick-moving book. There were puzzles to figure out and several chase scenes, but nothing too graphic or bloody even though there were shootings. Olivia Paras, Ollie to her friends, was a quirky, independent young woman living in Washington, D.C. and working as an assitant chef at the White House. She is also in the midst of a relationship with a Secret Service agent and in line for the executive chef position when her boss retires -- which is very soon. She gets caught up in an assassination plot when she gets between the Secret Service and an intruder on the White House lawn and clobbers him with the engraved silver skillet meant as a retirement gift for her boss. Of course, our heroine has lots of curiosity which doesn't work to her advantage and gets her several warnings from her Secret Service boyfriend and his colleagues. Meanwhile she has to deal with another set of personalities and problems in her daily work in the White House kitchen including the TV-show host who also wants the executive chef position. There is a lot happening in this book, but it's all good. I liked it especially since my son is a chef and I could relate to the problems the White House kitchen experienced planning state dinners and dealing with personal tastes in food. This is a the first book in a series. I expect the others to be just as entertaining.

View all my reviews

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

2011-03-31T18:30:00.000-04:00

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was an audiobook narrated by Jim Dale -- my absolute favorite narrator! I had never actually read the book, so listening to it was very entertaining. What an imagination Lewis Caroll must have had. Alice's mind worked in very amusing ways. I burst out laughing in several places. I'm sure the people around me who had no idea what I was listening to were questioning my sanity. One adventure after another kept getting stranger and stranger. I suppose it was to be expected since, as Alice says, "so many queer things have happened today". I loved listening to this book. It was so much fun. I also especially liked the two additions at the end of the book -- one a Christmas message from Lewis Caroll and the other from a faery! Great way to experience a Victorian classic.

View all my reviews

It's Monday, March 28th, and What Am I Reading?

2011-03-28T13:41:00.001-04:00

This week I am reading two books at once...I know, but...

The first is "Mrs. Dalloway" by Virginia Woolf.

Virginia Woolf's stream-of-consciousness masterpiece follows Clarissa Dalloway through the course of a day as she prepares to host a party in the evening. The beautiful June day brings back memories from her happy schoolgirl years. She wonders about her choice of husband—was she wrong to have married reliable Richard Dalloway, refusing the exciting Peter Walsh, and what was the place of her schoolgirl love? The story travels back and forth in time, densely weaving the texture of an intelligent, upper class woman's life lived within the strictures of post-WW I England.

The second is "State of the Onion" by Julie Hyzy (such an interesting name).

Never let them see you sweat-that's White House Assistant Chef Olivia Paras's motto, which is pretty hard to honor in the most important kitchen in the world. She's hell-bent on earning her dream job, Executive Chef. There's just one thing her nemesis is vying for it, too. Well, that and the fact that an elusive assassin wants to see her fry.

They are both good for very different reasons. "Mrs. Dalloway" is classic Virginia Woolf and that should be all that one needs to say. She is just brilliant, in my opinion. "State of the Onion" is exciting from the very first page -- I'm only on page 22, but it's been very exciting so far.

At the end of this week, I will start my April book club selection, "World of Pies" by Karen Stolz. We decided to have each member of our club read a book set in the 1960's. We like to do "booktalks" where each of us reads a different book and reports on it. We intersperse booktalks with all of us reading the same book.

So, what are YOU reading this Monday?

The False Princess by Eilis O'Neal

2011-03-27T18:50:00.001-04:00

The False Princess by Eilis O'Neal

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Princess and heir to the throne of Thorvaldor, Nalia's led a privileged life at court. But everything changes when it's revealed, just after her sixteenth birthday, that she is a false princess, a stand-in for the real Nalia, who has been hidden away for her protection. Cast out with little more than the clothes on her back, the girl now called Sinda must leave behind the city of Vivaskari, her best friend, Keirnan, and the only life she's ever known.

Sinda is sent to live with her only surviving relative, an aunt who is a dyer in a distant village. She is a cold, scornful woman with little patience for her newfound niece, and Sinda proves inept at even the simplest tasks. But when Sinda discovers that magic runs through her veins - long-suppressed, dangerous magic that she must learn to control - she realizes that she can never learn to be a simple village girl.

Returning to Vivaskari for answers, Sinda finds her purpose as a wizard scribe, rediscovers the boy who saw her all along, and uncovers a secret that could change the course of Thorvaldor's history, forever.

A dazzling first novel, The False Princess is an engrossing fantasy full of mystery, action, and romance.

I didn't know exactly what to expect from a debut romance author, but this story is intriguing. The romance between Sinda and Kiernan grows from a long-standing friendship. You can feel the connection, but there aren't any sexy scenes to distract from the plot. It is true love. There is a mysterious puzzle to figure out along with an interesting map containing old runes, wizards and magic, mistaken identities, a villain, an oracle, and a girl who never knew she had magic until one day it was released. I really liked this book. The twists and turns kept me reading, so it went fairly quickly. The characters were believable and lovable. I look forward to reading more from Eilis O'Neal.

View all my reviews

FOLLOW FRIDAY -- March 25th

2011-03-24T22:29:00.000-04:00

Hello Friday friends! This is a stop on the Follow Friday blog hop tour hosted by Parajunkee.com . Every week lots of bloggers link up and hop from one blog to the next. There is also a question or task to answer to help us get to know each other better -- or just for fun! This week's task is:

GIVE US 5 BOOK-RELATED SILLY FACTS ABOUT YOU

hmmmm......

1. I do laundry just so I can read while the clothes spin...

2. I listen to audiobooks by the fireplace until I wake up and realize I dozed off and missed a chapter...

3. I convinced my husband to buy me a bookcase to get my books off the floor by my chair -- now there are books on the floor in front of the full bookcase...oh well

4. I bought an MP3 player so I could listen to my audiobooks while walking around the house doing chores...

5. I believe you can never have too many books...(well that's not silly, but I ran out of silly facts)

Off you go to Parajunkee.com to link up and join the blog hop fun!!!

AND THE WINNER IS...

2011-03-21T11:42:00.001-04:00

THE WINNER OF THE LUCKY LEPRECHAUN GIVEAWAY IS:

BRANDIDID

I had 149 entries in the giveaway and I used Random.org to choose the winner.

The prize is a $25 Barnes & Noble gift card purchased from

our parish Catholic school.

The winner gets a gift card, the school gets a percentage of the sale, and I get to participate in a great giveaway hop! It's a win, win, win!

This was so much fun. Thanks to the organizers and to all of the bloghoppers who visited my blog. I also want to thank Response-O-Matic for providing a way to make a form easily and my daughter for pointing the way to their site.
I think I'll do another giveaway hop soon.

Have a great Monday everyone!

Heist Society by Aly Carter

2011-03-21T06:00:00.001-04:00

Heist Society by Ally Carter

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I feel as though I am giving every book 5 stars, but they really deserve it. I have been reading some great books lately. This one in particular was really fun to read. I'm reminded of the television series I used to watch with my Dad, "To Catch A Thief". It was a combination of that and "Mission Impossible". This group of young thieves put their heads together to re-steal (apparently not really stealing) some masterpieces to rescue Kat's father all the while dodging a notorious crime boss. The story moved all around Europe which kept it very interesting and the relationships between the characters were obvious but not overdone -- a thieving family who stuck together. Their solution to cracking the security of a very secure museum was very clever and when I finished the book, I wanted to read another one right away. I have to wait until June though. Oh well, my bookshelves are very full so I'll have plenty to read until then.

View all my reviews

Lucky Leprechaun Giveaway Hop! (#222)

2011-03-16T22:00:00.004-04:00

Welcome to the

Lucky Leprechaun Giveaway Hop!

This hop was organized by I Am a Reader, Not a Writer. This is the groundbreaking giveaway for my blog! There are over 270 blogs participating in this Hop and offering book-related giveaways. We are all linked together so you can hop from one blog to another easily. The Hop runs from Thursday, March 17th to March 20th. (The post goes up at 12:01 AM on March 17th!)

Since this is my first giveaway, I'm starting out small and simple. The prize will be a Barnes & Noble gift card for $25. The winner will be chosen using Random.org.

To enter, just FOLLOW this blog, leave me a comment, then complete the entry form on the right side panel. Last day to enter is March 20th. Until then, grab a link and hop around!

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!!!

MY FORM IS UP AGAIN,
SO PLEASE JUST FOLLOW THIS BLOG
AND LEAVE ME A COMMENT
AND PUT YOUR NAME & E-MAIL ADDRESS
IN THE FORM IN THE RIGHT SIDE BAR
TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY.
THANKS & GOOD LUCK!

TOP 10 CHARACTERS FROM BOOKS I WOULD WANT AS FAMILY MEMBERS

2011-03-15T08:05:00.001-04:00

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. This feature was created because they are particularly fond of lists at The Broke and the Bookish. They love to share their lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!

All you have to do is create a post with your own Top Ten Tuesday list and link back to The Broke and the Bookish AND add your name to the Linky widget so that everyone can check out other bloggers lists! If you don't have a blog, just post your answers as a comment. Have fun with it! It's a fun way to get to know your fellow bloggers.

This week is all about those characters in books that we wish were in our family! Next week the topic is Top Ten Bookish Pet Peeves (all those things that annoy you in a story, with book covers, bookstores, etc.)

So here it goes---these are some characters that I would adopt into my family.

1. Mom – Molly Weasley from Harry Potter – anyone who could raise that brood is awesome and I have always wanted red hair. Actually, Molly reminds me of my own mother. She was a character in her own right although she may not have wanted her children to think so – I know how that is since I’m a lot like her.

2. Having Fred & George for brothers would be a blast, too. They were always up to something entertaining and they were very loyal to their family. Life with the Weasleys would never be boring. (Can you tell I just finished the Harry Potter series?)

3. Dad – I would agree with Jamie on Liesel’s Dad from The Book Thief. That is one of my all-time favorite books, too. He does remind me of my Dad. He works hard and stands up for what he believes in in a quiet but strong way. Yes, that's him.

4. One Sister would be Hermione from Harry Potter because I think she could use a sister although having one might have meant that she wouldn’t hang out with Ron and Harry as much, but having a sister that is that smart would be amazing, wouldn’t it?

5. Another sister would be Katniss from The Hunger Games. Was there ever a more devoted sister? I would be safe in every situation – except the last one, I guess. But in my fictional story that wouldn’t happen.

6. I would have to have Eliza Makepeace from The Forgotten Garden as a cousin. Even though she left Ivory on the ship alone (that was silly), I liked her spunk and her independent nature. And she told great stories.

7. Virginia Woolf would be my bosom friend. I love her attitude in A Room of One’s Own and the way she said things just clicked with me. Maybe I could avoid her walking into that river. I would hope I could have stopped her if she was my friend.

8. Another friend would be Cassandra from The Forgotten Garden. She was loyal and true to her grandmother and I think she would be a loyal and true friend, too.

9. And Luna from Harry Potter. She is one of my favorite characters just because she is so out-there and dreamy all the time. Definitely an optimist. Maybe she could be my daughter. I could definitely see myself blowing up because I miscalculated a spell. Anyway, I love Luna.

10. Finally, I have to agree again with Jamie, I would want old Jacob from Water for Elephants for my grandpa. I never knew any of my grandparents so I always adopted some of the elderly people in the neighborhood as my own. Jacob was amazing. He had great stories and a lot of spunk which I value highly. I would want my grandpa to do what he did at the end of Water for Elephants – not telling what it is here, but those of you who have read it will know what I mean.

Wow! I actually got 10 on my list! Granted the selections are limited, but I drew from things I have read recently. That was fun!

P.S. -- I just thought -- I would add Church from The Mortal Instruments for our cat!!!

The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton

2011-03-14T14:37:00.001-04:00

The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A foundling, an old book of dark fairy tales, a secret garden, a maze, an aristocratic family, a love denied, a mystery - The Forgotten Garden is a captivating, atmospheric and compulsively readable story of the past, ghosts, family and memories from best-selling author Kate Morton.

Thirty-eight year old Cassandra is lost, alone and grieving. Her much loved grandmother, Nell, has just died and Cassandra, her life already shaken by a tragic accident ten years ago, feels like she has lost everything known and dear to her. But an unexpected and mysterious bequest from Nell turns Cassandra's life upside down and ends up challenging everything she thought she knew about herself and her family. Inheriting a book of dark and intriguing fairytales written by Eliza Makepeace Rutherford - the Victorian authoress who disappeared mysteriously in the early twentieth century - as well as a cliff-top cottage on the other side of the world, Cassandra takes her courage in both hands to follow in the footsteps of Nell, on a quest to find out the truth about their history, their family and their past; little knowing that in the process, she will also discover a new life for herself.

This was a very long book, but the way it was laid out kept you reading without getting bored. This is really a tale of 3 women whose mothers abandoned them in one way or another. Eliza's mother died, Nell's mother put her on a ship and never came back, and Cassandra's mother dumped her at her grandmother's house. That may not have been how the authoress planned to have the story perceived, but that's how I saw it. The tale is fascinating. It begins on a ship bound for Australia and a little girl. The authoress gives you just enough to start you asking questions, then switches to one of the other threads. I can't tell you which one because I listened to the story on an MP3 player and I can't go back and look. Nevertheless, my point is you get a little bit here and a little bit there, then you are taken back to fill in gaps in the first bit, and so on. It really is genius. I love puzzles and figuring out plots, so this book was perfect for me. And the narrator was Australian which made it even better! The descriptions of Australia and Cornwall made me feel as though I was there. I could smell the earth in the garden and the maze. The characters seemed very real with personalities all their own. Eliza, the little independent orphan; Rose, the beloved invalid cousin; Cassandra, the obedient granddaughter; Mary, the loving village girl and true friend. Don't be discouraged by the size of this tome. You will read it quickly and long for it not to end. I'll be looking for more books by Kate Morton.

View all my reviews

IT'S FRIDAY -- TIME TO BLOG HOP!!

2011-03-11T07:52:00.002-05:00

In the spirit of the Twitter Friday Follow, the Book Blogger Hop hosted by Crazy-for-books.com is a place just for book bloggers and readers to connect and share our love of the written word! This weekly BOOK PARTY is an awesome opportunity for book bloggers to connect with other book lovers, make new friends, support each other, and generally just share our love of books! It will also give blog readers a chance to find other book blogs to read! So, go to Crazy-for-books.com, grab the logo, post about the Hop on your blog, and start HOPPING through the list of blogs that are posted in the Linky list there!!

The Hop lasts Friday-Monday every week, so if you don't have time to Hop today, come back later and join the fun! This is a weekly event! And stop back throughout the weekend to see all the new blogs that are added! We get over 200 links every week!!

RULES:

Your blog should have content related to books, including, but not limited to book reviews.

1. Enter your book blog link in the Linky List.
In your link, please state the main genre that you review: eclectic, contemp. fiction, ya, paranormal, mystery, non-fiction, etc.

Example: Crazy-for-Books (contemp. adult fiction)

2. Post about the Hop on your blog. Spread the word about the book party! The more the merrier! In your blog post, answer the following question (new question each week!).

This week's question comes from Ellie who blogs at Musings of a Bookshop Girl:

"If I gave you £50 (or $80) and sent you into a bookshop right now, what would be in your basket when you finally staggered to the till?"

3. Visit other blogs in the Linky List! Make new friends! Follow new book bloggers! Talk about books! Rave about authors! Take the time to make a quality visit! Check out other posts and content, make a new friend! Don't randomly follow someone if you never intend on actually following them! No spamming please! (Please do not leave your link and not visit other blogs - it's just not cool and not in the spirit of the Hop!)

Oh, and this tour DOES NOT accept Twitter links. If you add them, they will be deleted.

Sooooo, here's my answer: I just went to a going-out-of-business sale at a Borders store, so this should be easy. Of course, things were 50-70% off so that made a difference, but...I would buy a classic that I have never read, a book for my Victorian Reading Challenge like "Jane Eyre", a book of poetry - a relatively short one, a hard-cover historical about a Queen, and a biography for my husband. That should do it!

SO HOP OVER TO CRAZY-FOR-BOOKS.COM AND LINK UP! IT'S GREAT FUN!

I'M DONE WITH HARRY POTTER!!!

2011-03-09T16:20:00.002-05:00

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I can't believe I'm finished with the whole series! It was definitely amazing! J.K. Rowling is a genius. This part, the Deathly Hallows, was crammed full of action. And it wasn't that hard to follow. I mean there were surprises, but Harry's and Hermione's calculations seemed reasonable. I liked getting the backstory on the various characters -- Dumbledore, Snape, Lily. Yeah, that was great. And the ending lived up to the rest of the books. Wonderful, exciting, dramatic! There's only one thing I didn't really like and that was the Epilogue. I thought it was cheesy. I mean you read all through this book, all of these adult things happening, and then the Epilogue gives you a childlike finish. Just my opinion though. I mean it was a nice epilogue, but kind of childish in my opinion.

Regardless, if you are one of the 1% of the population who hasn't read Harry Potter (like I was), you should definitely read it. Better yet, get it on DVD or cassette tape and listen to Jim Dale read it to you. He is fantastic!

View all my reviews

The Importance of Being Ernest by Oscar Wilde

2011-03-05T22:02:00.002-05:00

The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This play was hilarious! It was certainly Victorian in its words and the things that the characters believed. Very well-done. I could just see the characters acting it out in my mind. Lady Bracknell was so obviously high-brow and uppity, and the girls very silly. I loved it!

View all my reviews

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling

2011-02-28T22:36:00.002-05:00

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

All these books are amazing. The details that I learned from listening to the audiobooks makes me wonder how I could possibly have thought I knew what was going on just seeing the movies. The books are so much better. My favorite character in this book has to be Harry. He is trying so hard to figure things out and he's growing up and he realizes he really likes Ginny. He takes care of his friends in lots of ways and he's collecting all this valuable information in his head. Just amazing. Can't wait to start Deathly Hallows, but I fear I won't be able to stop at the midway point. I'm going to have to finish the whole thing before the movie comes out. We'll see...

View all my reviews

Another Challenge

2011-02-27T11:40:00.000-05:00

I have no idea why I feel as though I need another reading challenge...but I do. This one is a really good one -- Read Your Own Books Challenge! My daughters constantly tell me to "read the books on your shelf first" and "you don't need more books, look how many you have". They should be happy I'm participating in this challenge.

This challenge is hosted by Jamie at Jamie's Bookshelf. Here's how you can be a part of it:

1. Please create a post for the challenge...then go to Jamie's Bookshelf and put the link to your challenge post (NOT your blog homepage.) in the comments under her challenge post.

2. As long as the book(s) you are reading are books that you CURRENTLY own they count towards this years challenge.

3. The object is to read as many of your own books, regardless of format, as possible by the end of the year.

4. Challenge goes from February 17, 2011 - December 31, 2011.

So let's get started! Since February 17th, I've finished "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" and "A Bolt from the Blue" by Diane A.S. Stuckart. Two down, a lot to go...

Follow Friday - February 25th

2011-02-25T06:45:00.000-05:00

It's Friday again and time to join the Over 40 Bloggers in their Follow Friday Bog Hop. Java from Never Growing Old hosts this one and I've met some really interesting people hopping around. So, go on over to Never Growing Old and check out her amazing site and link up.

Happy Friday!

Teaser Tuesday - February 22nd

2011-02-21T16:26:00.001-05:00

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

•Grab your current read

•Open to a random page

•Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

•BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

•Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

This week I'm finishing up "A Bolt from the Blue" by Diane A.S. Stuckart. It's a Leonardo daVinci Mystery. Here's my teaser:

     "Come on; let's take a closer look," I urged and scrambled over the wall. Tito followed more slowly, so that I had already climbed into its bed by the time he reached the wagon.
     "What do you think you are doing?" he demanded in a soft undertone. "The stable master might step in at any minute."
     "Then you must keep an eye out and warn me, for I am looking for clues."

(well, I accidentally closed the book before I could see what page the teaser was from -- it was in the middle)

This book is full of escapades where Leonardo's apprentices get into trouble. It moves quickly and never gets dull. I recommend it!

February 18th Follow Friday!!!

2011-02-18T14:06:00.000-05:00

Happy Follow Friday!!! Every friday or really Thursday evening Parajunkee.com reminds us to get together and say HI! If you want to join in the fun, we need to know how to find you, so please go to Parajunkee.com and add your link in the Mr. Linky. Parajunkee also feature one blog on Friday. Each week is a different feature from the book blogging community. They are picked randomly or she gives in after multiple harassing emails. Just depends on the week. If you want to be next week's feature...leave your link.

The feature this week is...

Aaron (Book Addict) of Dreaming About Other Worlds

Aaron is a science fiction fan. He has a question for us:

If you are a fan of Science Fiction what is your favorite book? If you haven't read Science Fiction before...any inkling to? Anything catch your eye?

These are a few of his Science Fiction faves:

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clark
Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein
Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein

I've read Ender's Game and really liked it. I've also been meaning to read Stranger in a Strange Land and actually had it out of the library, but didn't get to it in time -- that was several years ago. I put it on my TBR list again for this year.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling

2011-02-17T14:47:00.002-05:00

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Well, I'm done with it! It was very, very long, but I enjoyed it immensely. So much happened and there were so many different parts. Listening to the audio cassettes was just wonderful. The only voice I didn't like was Luna's. It wasn't high and dreamy enough, but other than that Jim Dale continues to amaze me. I especially like his Professor McGonigal voice and Snape is very distinctive. And then there's Umbridge -- what a disgusting woman. Anyway, I'm done with it and now I have to figure out how I can get the next lot. I may even resort to reading the book!

View all my reviews