BW29: B is for Books and Blogs

Books, books, books. We all love books and blogs about books and websites about books and authors talking about books. So, today, I'm going to share a few blogs, websites and author sites I enjoy reading.

I went to Bouchercon a couple years back and one of the panels I attended was the introduction of MULHOLLAND BOOKS, an new imprint of Little, Brown and Company. The imprint would focus on suspense novels: crime novels, thrillers, police procedurals, spy stories, even supernatural suspense. And the authors: Marcia Clark, (yes, the one of OJ fame), Mark Billingham, Duane Swierczynski, and Sebastian Rotella to name a few. New to me authors that definitely piqued my interest. Mullholland's website is great and chock full of original fiction to read including Mark Billingham's original short story, THE WALLS which is available to read or listen to in audio book form.

I know I've probably mentioned them before, but they bare mentioning again. MURDERATI is a group blog of murder mystery authors who enjoy discussing everything from, what else, murder to what's going on in their lives and how it relates to writing. There have been a few new additions to the group so be sure to check them out. I'm slowly making my way through reading each author's books and they keep making life difficult for me by adding new authors. *grin* I'll never run out of reading material.

Since I'm involved in A Round of Word in 80 Days, a writing challenge, I've discovered some great independent and self published author you should check out.

Kait of Fang and Shadow

Laurel of Creative Moments

Claire of Doing it Write Now

Also book bloggers whom I've been following it seems like forever and love talking about books.

Candace of Beth Fish Reads: She covers the books offered by several imprints.

Staci of Life in the Thumb: She loves all things Darcy.

Jackie of Literary Escapism: I've discovered many fantasy and paranormal books through her posts.

That ought to keep you all busy and your wishlists feed for a while.

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Link to your most current read. Please link to your specific book review post and not your general blog link. In the Your Name field, type in your name and the name of the book in parenthesis. In the Your URL field leave a link to your specific post. If you have multiple reviews, then type in (multi) after your name and link to your general blog url.


If you don't have a blog, tell us about the books you are reading in the comment section of this post.

BW24: W is for what shall we read next?

Despite all the books we have on our shelves, sometimes nothing sounds good.  And you sit there and stare at the pile, wondering what am I in the mood for? What should I read next? Well, I discovered through Jenners of Life With Books, (she's a hoot by the way, be sure to check her blog out) some widgets that will help you decide or pick something new to read.  Great when doing a theme based book challenge. 

Whichbook.net is an interesting search engine with 12 choices and their opposites from such as happy  or sad, beautiful or disgusting, easy or demanding, etc.  You get to make up to four choices, then press go and see what books come up.   I recently discovered through this process a really interesting book called Salamander by Thomas Wharton.  It's on my shelves waiting to be read.  You can also come up with some rather interesting finds and unusual names.   

Picking 'happy', 'larger than life', 'optimistic', and 'short', the first thing that came up was "The Voluptuous Delights of Peanut Butter and Jam" by Lauren Liendenberg.   Stop. I know what you're thinking but nope.  There isn't anything hinky about it. I looked it up and sounds rather interesting.   You can get lost for a while, plugging in various choices and seeing what the engine comes up with.   A fun diversion and who knows, you may just discover a new author or interesting book.

Other interesting book search engines:

The Book Seer

What Should I Read Next

Library Things Zeitgeist

Or pick a book randomly using Random.org and New York Times Best Seller Listing.  Plug in 1950 to 2011 into the Random generator, then go to the New York Times list, pick the year, then your birth month and see what comes up. 

Have fun! 

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Link to your most current read. Please link to your specific book review post and not your general blog link. In the Your Name field, type in your name and the name of the book in parenthesis. In the Your URL field leave a link to your specific post. If you have multiple reviews, then type in (multi) after your name and link to your general blog url.

If you don't have a blog, tell us about the books you are reading in the comment section of this post.

BW22: U is for Unicorn Pegasus Kitten

Clash of the Geeks

Funny how life works out sometimes.  Friday night I was just about to go to bed, but before I did, checked my stat counter and found I had gotten an extreme number of hits in a couple hours for an old post I'd written back in 2010 about a painting created by Jeff Zugale for Wil Wheaton (remember Wesley of star trek fame) and John Scalzi and a fan fiction contest. Check it out here and watch their hilarious video. It'll give you some insight into their minds. Anyway, when one of my posts suddenly starts getting lots of hits, somebody's mentioned it somewhere. So I followed the various worm trails until I discovered that Wil had tweeted while doing storytime at the Phoenix Comicon being held this weekend in AZ:

@Wilw If you're in the theater for Story time, look up the Unicorn Pegasus Kitten painting now. It's important.

My post came up # 1 on the google search over Wil Wheaton or John Scalzi. Odd but true and I kind of got a kick out of that. What he should have said was look up www.unicornpegasuskitten.com while I give a reading out of the book. Well, I figured it was just the universe talking to me, because I was in the midst of brainstorming "U" ideas.

Honesty, I had totally forgotten about the painting and the book created as a result of the contest. The end result is Clash of the Geeks with offerings by Wil Wheaton, John Scalzi, Patrick Rothfuss, Catherynne Valente, Stephen Toulouse, Rachel Swirsky, Scott Mattes, Bernardette Durbin, and John Anealio. All the proceeds benefit the Lupus Foundation of America.

The book is available in ebook format on the Clash of the Geeks website for free with voluntary payments strongly encouraged which will go to the Lupus Foundation. Check it out and you are all on the honor system here. If you choose to download it, be sure to donate. I did. Nudge, nudge, wink, wink.

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Link to your most current read. Please link to your specific book review post and not your general blog link. In the Your Name field, type in your name and the name of the book in parenthesis. In the Your URL field leave a link to your specific post. If you have multiple reviews, then type in (multi) after your name and link to your general blog url.

If you don't have a blog, tell us about the books you are reading in the comment section of this post.

BW13 - L is for linky love

I'm currently reading an e-book by an author I discovered during ROW80 called Hush Money by Susan Bischoff.  Another one of my blogging authors I stumbled over.  Over the past year, a few aspiring writers I've been following have had their first books published or decided to self publish. Of course, I just had to read their books. Or new to me authors who've been around awhile but I just discovered them.     So today I thought I'd throw a little linky love their way and introduce you to some of them.   Check out their blogs, check out their books.

Jody Hedlund - her debut novel The Preacher's Bride 

Susan Bischoff of Hunting High and Love -  the Talent Chronicles

Kait Nolan (hostess of Row80)  - The Mirius Novella Trilogy

Michelle Davidson Argyle of The Innocent Flower - debut novel "Cinders" 

Karen Harrington's of Scobberlotch - "Janeology "

K.M. Weiland's of Wordplay - "A Man Called Outlaw", plus "Behold the Dawn" and nonfiction writing book:  "Crafting Unforgettable Characters: A Hands-On Introduction to Bringing Your Characters To Life."

C.J. Darlington's "Thicker than Blood" and "Bound By Guilt"

Christine Fonseca - "Emotional Intensity in Gifted Students."  Excellent, excellent book and she's recently released "101 Success Secrets for Gifted Students." 

Susan Helene Gottfried of West of Mars - "Trevor's Song" and "the Demo Tapes Year 1 and Year 2"

Follow them for a while and get to know them.  I have read or have most of their books in my TBR stack waiting to be read.  Happy Reading!

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Link to your reviews:

BW 2: A is for Authors Who Blog

The blogosphere is a wonderful place, full of information and fascinating facts and ideas.  I've discovered it is also a great place to find out about books, the authors who write the books, books, the publishers who distribute the books, books and the online stores who sell the books, books and..... Well, you get it, books!  And if you have a passion for books like me, well then it a huge playground to romp around in. 

I follow a lot of authors. Some after I started reading their books.  Then, there are those who I heard about through book bloggers, checked out their blogs and loved the fact I could read excerpts of their books on their sites.  And if I loved their writing style, would buy one of their books.  Writing style is important to me.  It is what sells me on a story.  Does it grab me from the start or make me go 'meh.'   

Also, what sells me is the author themselves.  Are they friendly and warm and positive.  Or are they negative and whiny and self possessed.   I've come across some books I would have liked to read, but the author turned me off.   I know you are supposed to keep the author separate from their works.  The story is just a story and it is fiction after all but sometimes it is difficult to separate one from the other.  

Last year, since I read so books by authors who blog, joined in on a Blogging Author Reading Project.  I decided to keep the project going this year.  Go check it out and then come on back.   Over the past couple years, I've made friends with writers whose books debuted last year.  Of course, I had to read their books, no question about it.  They are in my stacks to read this year.   

Some great blogs I think you should check out this year are: 

Murderati  - a group blog of 14 mystery writers including Pari Noskin Taichert, Alafair Burke, Allison Brennan, Brett Battles, Cornelia Read, J.D. Rhoades, J.T. Ellison, Louise Ure, Robert Gregory Brown, Zoe Sharp, Toni McGee Causey, Stephen Jay Schwartz,  Alex Sokoloff and Tess Gerritsen.

The Deadline Dames - a group blog of paranormal romance authors including Devon Monk, Jackie Kessler, Jenna Black, Karen Mahoney, Keri Arthur, Lilith Saintcrow, Rachel Vincent, Rinda Elliot and Toni Andrews.

The Kill Zone - a group blog of mystery and thriller writers including Clare Langley, Hawthorne, Kathryn Lilley, Joe Moore, Nancy Cohen, Michelle Gagnon, Jordan Dane, John Gilstrap, Joe Hartlaub, John Ramsey Miller and James Scott Bell.   

These are just a few group blogs I've discovered and have been slowly making my way through reading their books.  Not a stinky one in the bunch.  Well worth following and checking out their books. 

What authors have you discovered online that made you decide to pick up and read on of their books?  

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Link to your current reviews

Please link to your specific book review post and not your general blog link.  In the Your Name field, type in your name and the name of the book in parenthesis.  In the Your URL field leave a link to your specific post. If you have multiple reviews, then type in (multi) after your name and link to your general blog url. 

If you don't have a blog, tell us about the books you are reading in the comment section.

 

Book Week 32 - Finding books

Book Week 32 

What book are you in the mood for today?  Have you been hearing about a certain book in the news or noticed it in the bookstore and wondered if it is any good. Do you have a favorite author and no matter what they write, read all their books.  Where do you go to find out more about their books?   Why the blogosphere, of course.   Recently Online PhD programs announced the winners of the top 2010 50 book blogs.    There are quite a few people on the list - authors and bloggers who are well worth checking out.

I follow over 100 book, author and writing blogs and have discovered many old books, new to me authors, new and interesting books that I ordinarily wouldn't have read.  A few of my favorite book and author bloggers:

Beth Fish Reads
Carrie of Books and Movies
3 R's Blog 
Age 30 +
Literary Escapism
Snapshot
Reading Extravaganza
Joyfully Retired
Murderati - group mystery author blog
Bookworm
Running with Quills - group romantic suspense author blog
Life in the Thumb
Heidenkind's Hideaway
The Kill Zone - group mystery author blog
Hey Lady, Watcha Readin?

Which author or book blogs do you follow?

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Book Week 29 - Coffee House Mysteries

Book Week 29

Photo by Kunjan Karon

"the perfect cup of coffee is a mystifying thing. To many of my customers, the entire process seems like some sort of alchemy they dare not try at home."  - On What Grounds

Cozy mysteries come in all shapes and sizes with interesting themes:  books, crafting, ghosts, wine and coffee to name a few.  I discovered Cleo Coyle's cozy Coffee House Mysteries a couple years back and love her style, the characters in the story line, the stories and the interesting recipes using coffee.  And what could be more fitting as I sit down to write this post with the smell of espresso permeating the kitchen as my husband prepares his morning shot. 


On What Grounds, the first book in the series introduces us to Clare Cosi, who manages the Village Blend Coffeehouse in Greenwich Village, New York.  She discovers her assistant manager unconscious in the back of the store one morning, coffee bean strewn everywhere. The police decide she had an accident, but Clare doesn't agree and sets out to investigate what happened.  Throughout the series, she puts her culinary and sleuthing talents together to investigate and help solve crimes.  The stories are wonderfully written and narrated by Clare.  Along the way, you learn about all types of coffee and all the recipes mentioned in the story are listed in the back of the book.   Have you ever tried Coffee Marinated Steak with Hearty Coffee Gravy? How about Cuppa Joe Mocha Drop Cookies or Gardner's No Bake Mocha Rum Balls.  Some recipes may be found at Coffee House Mystery and the rest you'll just have to read the books to find the recipe. Even if you aren't a coffee drinker, the recipes are mouth watering and enticing. 


Books in the Series

#1 On What Grounds
#2 Through the Grinder
#3 Latte Trouble
#4 Murder Most Frothy
#5 Decaffeinated Corpse
#6 French Pressed
#7 Espresso Shot
#8 Holiday Grind
#9 Roast Mortem - Due out August 2010

Check out The Guide to Cozy Mysteries at Cozy Mystery List.  Learn about cozy mysteries, discover new releases and cozy mystery authors.  Who is your favorite cozy mystery author?



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Link to Reviews:

Book Week seven -- G is for Grace, Gratitude, and Giving

 

Happy Valentine's Day 

Monday is Clean Monday for the Eastern Church and Wednesday is Ash Wednesday for the Western Church.   The beginning of Lent.  For those who don't celebrate Lent, it is a period of 40 days (not including sundays) symbolic of the 40 days Jesus spent in the desert.   Lent is a period of prayer, reflection and abstinence in preparation for Easter.  It is a period of giving - whether it's giving up something, taking up something or giving to others. 

Some folks give up blogging or using the internet all together so if you notice it's a bit quiet around here, and not as many people are posting links to reviews, you'll know why.  I debated about it, but the internet is an outlet that keeps me sane, plus I could hardly skip out on you guys, could I.   Twitter and Face book however, I can live without for 40 days.  I've been limiting my book purchases until I get through the books on my huge, teetering to be read pile.   So I will continue with my book buying ban for the next 40 days.  However my wish list will continue to grow from all the interesting books you all have introduced me too.

I'll be reading some interesting books however.   Whether you are Catholic or not, Pope Benedict is an excellent writer and theologian.   Last year I read "Jesus of Nazareth" (review) which just blew me away and just made me want to read more of his books.  This year I will be reading "The Apostles"  and "Lent and Easter Wisdom" by Thomas Merton.   I read "Seven Storey Mountain" (review) last year which actually turned out to be quite interesting.  Also in store is "Nelson's Illustrated Guide to Religions" by James Beverely which I received through Thomas Nelson's Book Blogger review program.   It's a comprehensive guide to over 200 religions, sects and cults from a christian perspective.  I've been meaning to read it for quite a while, but it is one of those books I know will take time.  

What do you think of when you hear the word Grace.   Besides Grace Kelly that is.  Theology wise, it is the influence or spirit of God operating in humans to regenerate or strengthen them. (thank you dictionary.com)  Which for some reason reminds me of Pilgrims Progress written by John Bunyan.  He also wrote "Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners" a personal biography.  Pilgrim's Progress is an allegorical tale about a young man named Christian on a journey from his hometown, City of Destruction to Celestial City.  His journey is filled with interesting people - Pliable and Obstinate, Help, Worldly Wiseman, Mercy, Mr. Legality as he travels through and past the Slough of Despond, Wicket Gate, Hill Difficulty and the Valley of Humiliation to name a few.   I read it years ago and thinking it would interesting to read it again.


And on the lighter side - have you heard of "The Guinea Pig Diaries" by A.J. Jacobs.  He also wrote "The Year of Living Biblically" which is a very interesting, educational, fun read. It's all about what  happens when an agnostic Jewish man decides to follow the bible literally for a full year.  Now, with Guinea Pig Diaries, he becomes a human guinea pig.  I haven't read it yet, but plan to. 

Author Birthday's this week are

George Shannon (2/14),  children's author of picture books such as

Norman Bridwell, (2/15)  the brilliant creative of Clifford the Big Red Dog,

 

And the late author Andre Norton (2/17) who wrote over 100 books including many science fiction and fantasy books such as  the Witch World Saga.  Norton was the first woman to be awarded the Gandalf Grand Master of Fantasy and the Nebula Grand Master Awards.    

"As for courage and will - we cannot measure how much of each lies within us, we can only trust there will be sufficient to carry through trials which may lie ahead." - Andre Norton

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Link to your current read where ever you are in the cycle. In order that everyone may know what book you are reviewing this week, please link to your specific book review post and not your general blog link.

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WEEK 52

"House of Reckoning" by John Saul
(from inside flap)
After the untimely death of her mother, fourteen-year-old Sarah Crane is forced to grow up quickly in order to help tend her family's Vermont farm and look after her grieving father, who's drowning his sorrow in alcohol. But their quiet life together is shattered when her father is jailed for killing another man in a barroom brawl and injuring Sarah in a drunken car crash. Left in the cold care of a loveless foster family and alienated at school, Sarah finds a kindred spirit in classmate Nick Dunnigan, a former mental patient still plagued by voices and visions. And in eccentric art instructor Bettina Phillips, Sarah finds a mentor eager to nurture her talent for painting.
But within the walls of Bettina's ancestral home, the mansion called Shutters, Sarah finds something altogether different and disturbing. Monstrous images from the house's dark history seem to flow unbidden from Sarah's paintbrush--images echoed by Nick's chilling hallucinations. Trapped for ages in the shadowy rooms of Shutters, the violence and fury of long-dead generations have finally found a gate way from the grave into the world of the living. And Sarah and Nick have found a power they never had: to take control, and take revenge.

MY THOUGHTS: This is a great book. It will grab you from the first chapter, you won't be able to put it down. I got the book on Saturday and finished it this morning. Following Sarah through her accident, therapy, and placement into foster care was like seeing first hand the system through which children go through. The foster family Sarah is put into is just in it for the money and soon Sarah is the cook and house cleaner. As Sarah starts school she is soon shunned because of her injury because she walks with a limp from her broken hip. Then Sarah meets Nick and her Art Teacher. Things start happening that can't be explained logically. The Art Teacher is reputed to be a witch by all the town folk. Nick is deemed crazy. Then Sarah is called evil. When all three of them come together at the house, Shutters, things begin to fall into place and soon the drawings and visions make sense.

MY RATING: 5


52 Books in 52 Weeks is over for the year. This is my 52nd book. This is my wrap up of that challenge.

This is the last week of the year and should have you starting book 52. Next Thursday, the last day of the year, we'll be wrapping up our 2009 Read 52 Books in 52. Questions to think about for our wrap up. Did you manage to read 52 books this year? Even if you didn't, how many did you manage to read? Did you discover a new author or a new genre. Did you rediscover an old classic or reread a book from years gone by? What book are you finishing up the challenge with? Have you started your wish list for 2010? Congratulations on making it through the year and thank you to all who followed our progress through out the year. Lots of good books, interesting discussions and new discoveries coming up next year.

I did read 52 books for this challenge. My 52nd book was House of Reckoning by John Saul. Here is my list of books. I did read some books that I don't usually read and I also read some books by new authors to me. Which one was my favorite? I can't really narrow it down to one. There are several that I really enjoyed reading. You can see the reviews on all my books here.

Week 1 - The Book Thief - Markus Zusak
Week 2 - The Martin Chronicles - Ray Bardbury
Week 3 - In Defense of Food - Michael Pollan
Week 4 - The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
Week 5 - High Noon - Nora Roberts
Week 6 - The Pagan Stone - Nora Roberts
Week 7 - The Good Earth - Pearl S. Buck
Week 8 - The River's Edge - Terri Blackstock
Week 9 - The Senator's Wife - Sue Miller
Week 10 - Airborn - Kenneth Oppel
Week 11 - A Treasury of Peter Rabbit and other stories - Beatrix Potter
Week 12 - Skybreaker - Kenneth Oppel
Week 13 - StarClimber - Kenneth Oppel
Week 14 - Betrayals - Carla Neggers
Week 15 - World Without End - Ken Follett
Week 16 - The Woman Who Rides Like A Man - Tamora Pierce
Week 17 - Lioness Rampant - Tamora Pierce
Week 18 - Shadow Music - Julie Garwood
Week 19 - What Jamie Saw - Carolyn Coman
Week 20 - Elephant Run - Roland Smith
Week 21 - The Lightning Thief - Rick Riordan
Week 22 - Alias Grace - Margaret Atwood
Week 23 - Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret - Judy Blume
Week 24 - The Bride's Necklace - Kat Martin
Week 25 - Retribution - Jilliane Hoffman
Week 26 - Specials - Scott Westerfeld
Week 27 - City of Bones - Michael Connelly
Week 28 - Falling into the Sun - Charrie Hazard
Week 29 - Bare Bones - Kathy Reichs
Week 30 - A Thousand Splendid Suns - Khaled Hosseini
Week 31 - E is for Evidence - Sue Grafton
Week 32 – The Narrows – Michael Connelly
Week 33 – Ice Land – Betsy Tobin
Week 34 – Dead Wrong – J. A. Jance
Week 35 – Dancing With Ana – Nicole Barker
Week 36 – A Mercy – Toni Morrison
Week 37 – The Stone Diaries – Carol Shields
Week 38 – The Poisonwood Bible – Barbara Kingsolver
Week 39 – The Dangerous Days of Daniel X – James Patterson
Week 40 – The Story of Edgar Sawtelle – David Wroblewski
Week 41 – The Seamstress of Hollywood Boulevard – Erin McGraw
WEEK 42 – The Help – Kathryn Stockett
WEEK 43 - The Bone Garden – Tess Gerritsen
Week 44 – The Last Oracle – James Rollins
Week 45 – The Manufactured Identity – Heath Sommer
Week 46 – The Blue Notebook – James A. Levine
Week 47 – March – Geraldine Brooks
Week 48 – Betrayal in Death – J. D. Robb
Week 49 – A Season of Gifts – Richard Peck
Week 50 – The Cost of Dreams – Gary Stelzer
Week 51 – Deadly Codes – JP O’Donnell
Week 52 – House of Reckoning – John Saul

Week 51

"Deadly Codes" by JP O'Donnell
(from back cover)
Daniel Cormac Gallagher, Jr., a Boston private eye, is hired to investigate the death of Jennifer Clark, tragically killed in a car bombing in her own driveway.
Gallagher has been commissioned by Jeanne Campbell, Jennifer's twin sister, to find a mysterious woman--Jennifer's secret lesbian lover who vanished immediately after the bombing. While the authorities continue to pursue their suspicions that the terrorist act may have been intended for Jennifer's husband, Bill, who holds a top-secret position in the counter-intelligence division of the National Security Agency, Jeanne reveals intricate details to Gallagher that intrigue him enough to take on the case. While Gallagher begins searching for the missing woman, he has no idea that a bounty has been placed on his own head--two hired gunmen are plotting to kill him. Gallagher's search takes him to Washington D.C., where he discovers that the car bombing is only a backdrop to a complex, treasonous scheme to sell code-breaking formulas to a hostile enemy nation.
As the violent mystery unravels, Gallagher finds himself under deadly attack from two shocking but powerful forces--one he knows and another he never expects.


MY THOUGHTS: I didn't know this author's work before this book, he has another book before this one. It is called "Fatal Gamble". This won't be the last book I read from JP O'Donnell. I really liked his way of writing, it was fast paced and caught you from the beginning of page one. I really liked Gallagher's character very much. He's a great private eye. He uses clues and reason for finding who he's looking for. As he is looking for the missing woman, unknown to Gallagher, there has been a hit put out on him from someone in Las Vegas. Only this time they are not only after him but his new wife. Can he find this missing woman and solve the case? Do the hit guys get their target? You'll have to read the book to find out.

MY RATING: 5

WEEK 50

"The Cost of Dreams" by Gary Stelzer
(from back cover)
Flora Enriquez trusts that she has found safe haven for her young family in the remote U.S. Southwest, after fleeing the murderous environs of her homeland where her parnets were slain in a civil war. Only to find that all of her life's greatest challenges, by far, still lie before her.

MY THOUGHTS: Flora, her sister and 2 brothers walk from Central America to the Southwest, U.S. to find freedom. Flora's whole village and family are killed in a civil war there. So Flora and what's left of her family walk to freedom. As Flora works and goes to school, she eventually gets her degree for teaching and her green papers. She meets and falls in love with Monte. They marry and have 2 children. Then one day Monte's brother comes to the tiny town where they live. He is looking for drugs that he thinks Monte and Flora have stolen from them. Flora is almost killed and Monte has killed his brother. Flora is "stolen" by Margarette and taken along on their migratory drive looking for work. Margarette is delusional, thinking Flora is her dead daughter come back to life. As Flora is hauled all over the south west and then to the north, she comes across a woman who she remembers from her childhood, Kate. Kate and her nephew are in Flora's village on a mission trying to help them. Kate leaves and her nephew stays. Her nephew comes up missing. Flora and Kate's chance meeting takes them to Mexico looking for a healer to fix Flora's paralyzed legs. This is a review book and it's really good!! This is Gary Stelzer's first book and I really enjoyed reading this book. He takes you along the path with Flora as you travel with her. If you get a chance to read this book, do, it's really good!

A SEASON OF GIFTS - RICHARD PECK

WEEK 49

"A Season of Gifts" by Richard Peck
(from inside flap)
One of the most adored children's book characters of all time is the eccentric, forceful, bighearted Grandma Dowdel, star of the Newbery Medal-winning A Year Down Yonder and Newbery Honor-winning A Long Way from Chicago. And it turns out that her story isn't over--not even close.
It is now 1958, and a new family has moved in next door to Mrs. Dowdel--a family in desperate need of her help(whether they realize it or not). There's twelve-year-old Bob, shy on courage in a town full of bullies; his Elvis-obsessed older sister, Phyllis, who just might be on the verge of spinning out of control; Bob's little sister, Ruth Ann, ready and waiting for a larger-than-life role model; and even Bob's two parents, the young minister and his wife, who are amazed to discover that the last house in town might also be the most vital.
As Christmas rolls around, the whole family will realize that they've found a true home, and a neighbor with remarkable gifts to share.

MY THOUGHTS: This is the book pick for my book club this month. I have never read any of Mr. Peck's books. You can be sure I will be reading more of them. I loved this book. All the characters jump off the page at you while your reading. Bob is telling the story of his family's move to a small rural town in Illinois. His father is a minister and they have moved here because his father was given a new church, which is in sad disrepair, and needs lots of work. The first paragraph of this book grabs you and doesn't let you go. You have to read it to find out what happens to this old house. Who lives in it? Is it really hunted? This is the first paragraph from the book. You have to read this book!!! It's really good!!!

You could see from here the house was hunted. Its crooked old lightning rods pointed bony fingers at the sky. It hadn't had a lick of paint since VJ Day, maybe the war berfore that. A porch sagged off the side. The kitchen screen door hung from a hinge. Only the snowball bushes crowding its foundations seemed to hold the place up.

CATCH UP ON REVIEWS

To see my complete review you can go to my place, Just Books. Just click on the title of the book and you will go right to that page.



WEEK 45
"The Manufactured Identity" by Heath Sommer



As a psychological thriller "The Manufactured Identity" is a strange tale that will keep you reading the book. From one moment to the next the characters are keeping you on your toes. The first chapter will grab you as soon as you read it. You read about a guy that can't remember who he is and has thousands of dollars on him. Wouldn't you want to know what happened and where all that money came from. As you keep reading and meeting all these people you begin to wonder what they all have in common. But you will have to read the book to find out! Besides that the book cover is really awesome!

WEEK 46
"The Blue Notebook" by James A. Levine



This book is about Child Prostitutes. Although I really wanted to read this book, once I started it I couldn't put it down, but I couldn't read it, it was very disturbing, I had to stop now and then because I couldn't read on. But I had to pick it back up and continue on. I wanted to find out what happened to Batuk. It is a very disturbing book. Knowing that this is going on in the world and no one to help these children. But be warned there is lots of sexual talk that is very frank and to the point. Very descriptive sexual talk.

WEEK 47
"March" by Geraldine Brooks



This is the first book I have read from Geraldine Brooks. I enjoyed her writing very much. As I read Little Women years ago as a child and more recently re-read it again, I often had questions about Mr. March. Little Women doesn't actually tell you anything about the Civil War. Geraldine Brooks goes beyond the book Little Women and answers all those questions with extra thrown in. Mr. March's experiences are not good ones, but then war is not a very good thing to experience. Mr. March's ideas of what it was going to be like and what it really was like was a little naive. But he does come home to his wife and his little women. As to whether he is a whole person after his experience is another question all together.

WEEK 48
"Betrayal in Death" by J. D. Robb




This is my first J. D. Robb book and it won't be my last. I really enjoyed this book. I really like the character of Eve. She's a very through and quick on her feet cop. She is also a very loving wife. In return Roarke, her husband is a millionaire, but is also a very normal down to earth guy. As Eve is searching for clues to Yost's where abouts, Roarke steps in and helps Eve to track down Yost. While in the process they uncover a robbery that is actually the reason for all the murders. A 7 billion dollar robbery! While they are trying to track down who is behind the contracts and what it has to do with Roarke they stumble onto the robbery and links them all together. Do they get Yost? You'll have to read the book to find out.

CATCH UP TIME

WEEKS 42, 43, AND 44

You can see my reviews of these books at my place, Just Books. Just click on the name of the book and you will go right to my review.

The Help - Kathryn Stockett



The Bone Garden - Tess Gerritsen



The Last Oracle - James Rollins

WEEK 41 REVIEW

WEEK 41

"The Seamstress of Hollywood Boulevard" by Erin McGraw
(from back cover)
Trapped in Kansas at the turn of the twentieth century, Nell Plat is seventeen, unhappily married, and the mother of two baby girls. No realiity could be further from her secret dreams of glamor and excitement, dreams that tmpt her to do the unthinkable: she runs way to the woderland of Los Angels and its burgeoning motion picture industry.
Nell becomes Madame Annelle, costumer to glittering Hollywood in the Roaring Twenties. But a knock on the door threatens to rip apart the seams of her own carefully consturcted costume, and Nell is forced to confront the legacy of her abandonment and deception. Can she rework the delicate fabric of her life?

MY THOUGHTS: This book is about starting over. Turning your life into something that it wasn't and once you have that, the consequences of that decision. Nell is a young girl with nothing in sight except marriage and children. She lives in a shoddy on the parries of Kansas. Her only hope of getting out of the life she doesn't want is to runaway. She has her second child within a year of the first and can't see the end of the road coming to any good. Nell leaves her two babies behind and heads for California. The only thing Nell knows how to do well is sew. As Nell gets customers to sew for and builds up her clientele, she meets George and falls in love. She and George want a child, but Nell doesn't think she can a child again after the botched birth of her second child she left in Kansas. But Nell does get pregnant and Mary is born. When everything is going along great, Nell's past comes knocking at her door. Now she has to reveal everything to George and hope it all woks out. Will it work out? You'll have to read the book to find out.

REVIEW FROM WEEK 39 AND 40

WEEKS 39

"The Dangerous Days of Daniel X" by James Patterson & Michael Ledwidge
(from back cover)
From the day that his parents were brutally murdered before his very eyes, Daniel X has used his secret abilities--like being able to manipulate objects and animals with his mind--to hunt down their assassin. Finally, with the help of The List, bequeathed to him by his parents' dying breath, he is closing in on the killer.



MY THOUGHTS: This book wasn't what I thought it was. I have never read a book like this by James Patterson. It is a Science Fiction book. It is also about a teenager who has secret abilities. He is an alien living on our planet as a human. Another alien came here looking for THE LIST. That is why his parents were killed. Now Daniel is hunting down all the aliens on that list. He has some help from people he has made up to be his friends. He also has his mom and dad, that he has made up from his memories of them. They are as real as if they were there. He is also just 15 years old. This is a very good book and I really enjoyed it a lot.

WEEK 40

"The Story of Edgar Sawtelle" by David Wroblewski
(from back cover)
Born mute, speaking only in sign, Edgar Sawtelle leads an idyllic life with his parents on their farm in remote northern Wisconsin. For generations, the Sawtelles have raised and trained a fictional breed of dog whose thoughtful companionship is epitomized by Almondine, Edgar's lifelong friend and ally. But with the unexpected return of Claude, Edgar's paternal uncle, turmoil consumes the Sawtelles' once peaceful home. When Edgar's father dies suddenly, Claude insinuates himself into the life of the farm--and into Edgar's mother's affections.

Grief-stricken and bewildered, Edgar tries to prove Claude played a role in his father's death, but his plan backfires--spectacularly. Forced to flee into the vast wilderness lying beyond the farm, Edgar comes of age in the wild, fighting for his survival and that of the three yearling dogs who follow him. But his need to face his father's murderer and his devotion to the Sawtelle dogs turn Edgar ever homeward.

MY THOUGHTS: I have heard of this book a lot, hopping around book blogland, and saw different opinions of it. I got the book Saturday at the library and was a little awed by how thick it was. 904 pages long. But once I started it I couldn't put it down. It kept calling me to finish it. I wanted to find out what happened to Edgar's father and what his uncle had to do with all this. As Edgar searches out the whys and hows a terrible accident happens that sends Edgar and three of dogs into the wilds of Northern Wisconsin. Edgar does a lot of growing up while on the run and finally figures out being home with his mother and dogs is what he wants. So he heads home to find a way to implicate his uncle in his father's death. I didn't really like the ending to this book. I left questions that would have liked answered. Other than the ending this book was written beautifully. I felt like I was with Edgar and the dogs while they were growing up together. Awesome book!!

REVIEW - THE POISONWOOD BIBLE - BARBARA KINGSOLVER

WEEK 38




"The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
(from inside flap)

The Poisonwood Bible is a story told by the wife and four daughters of Nathan Price, a fierce, evangelical Baptist who takes his family and mission to the Belgian Congo in 1959. They carry with them everything they believe they will need from home, but soon find that all of it--from garden seeds to Scripture--is calamitously transformed on African soil. What follows is a suspenseful epic of one family's tragic undoing and remarkable reconstruction over the course of three decades in post colonial Africa.
The novel is set against one of the dramatic political chronicles of the twentieth century: the Congo's fight for independence from Belgium, the murder if its first elected prime minister, the CIA coup to install his replacement, and the insidious progress of a world economic order that robs the fledgling African nation of its autonomy. Against the backdrop, Orleanna Price reconstructs the story of her evangelist husband's part in the Western assault on Africa, a tale indelibly darkened by her own losses and unanswerable questions about her own culpability. Also narrating the story, by turns, are her four daughters--the self-centered, teenaged Rachel; shrewd adolescent twins Leah and Adah; and Ruth May, a prescient five-year-old. These sharpe observant girls, who arrive in the Congo with racial preconceptions forged in 1950s Georgia, will be marked in surprisingly different ways by their father's intractable mission, and my Africa itself. Ultimately each must strike her own separate path to salvation. Their passionately intertwined stories become a compelling exploration of moral risk and personal responsibility.

MY THOUGHTS: This book has been on my TBR(to be read)list forever. I have heard about it and all the people who have told me about this book said it was really good.
It is a fairly long book, 546 pages, but if so full of info on Africa and history that it keeps you turning the pages to find out what happens. The book starts out with Orlenna telling her story from Sanderling Island, Georgia. The book is put into sections like the bible. The first one is Genesis. As the family goes through their stay in Africa, of their trials and tribulations, they describe their life and all that happens to them. They each in turn have their own version of Africa. But of all the girls telling the story, Leah and Adah are the ones I like the most. They seem to have a better understanding of what's going on there in Africa. The political upheaval, the petulance, and the diseases that can wipe out whole villages. If you haven't read this book, put it on your list and read it. It's a truly awesome book!

THE STONE DIARIES - CAROL SHIELDS

WEEK 37




"The Stone Diaries" by Carol Shields
(from inside flap)
The Stone Diaries is one ordinary woman's story of her journey through life. Born in 1905, Daisy Stone Goodwill drifts through the roles of child, wife, widow, and mother, and finally into her old age. Bewildered by her inability to understand her place in her own life, Daisy attempts to find a way to tell her story within a novel that is itself about the limitations of autobiography.
Her life is vivid with incident, and yet she feels a sense of powerlessness. She listens, she observes, and through sheer force of imagination she becomes a witness of her own life; her birth, her death, and the troubling misconnections she discovers between. Daisy's struggle to find a place for herself in her own life is a paradigm of the unsettled decades of our era.

MY THOUGHTS: As I followed Daisy's life in this book, I was amazed at how much this resembled my mother's life. Daisy's mother dies the day she gave birth to Daisy. So Daisy doesn't have a mother to help her along the path. But she does have a good friend of her mother's, Clemitine, who takes Daisy to raise. When Daisy is 11 years old her father comes and gets her and they move to Bloomington, Indiana. Daisy is a smart girl and goes to college, which very unusual in the 1920's. Daisy also marries but her husband falls out a window on their honeymoon and dies. So Daisy is left wondering what to do with her life. She goes back to Canada, the country of her birth place, and meets and marries the son of her "Aunt" Clemintine. Has her children and raises them up. I don't want to give too much away so am stopping here. A really good book!!!

WEEK 36 REVIEW - A MERCY - TONI MORRISON

"A Mercy" by Toni Morrison
(from back cover)

In the 1680's the slave trade in the Americas is still in its infancy. Jacob Vaark is an Anglo-Dutch trader and adventurer, with a small holding in the harsh North. Despite his distaste for dealing in "flesh," he takes a small slave girl in part payment for a bad debt from a plantation owner in Catholic Maryland. This is Florens, who can read and write and might be useful on his farm. Rejected by her mother, Florens looks for love, first from Lina, an older servant woman at her new master's house, and later from the handsome blacksmith, an African, never enslaved, who comes riding into their lives.
A Mercy reveals what lies beneath the surface of slavery. But at its heart, like Beloved, it is the ambivalent, disturbing story of a mother and a daughter--a mother who casts off her daughter in order to save her, and a daughter who may never exorcise that abandonment.

MY THOUGHTS: This is a good book. It is told from the view of all the characters in the book. Jacob and his wife Rebecca, Lina, Sorrow, and Florens the slaves at the farm, and the indentured men loaned out to Jacob, Willard and Scully. This is also the time of church controlling the people, their thoughts and lives. Witchcraft and demons are also abundant. Lina is the more sensible of all the slaves. She is the oldest of them. Sorrow is a young girl coming into womanhood. She is attracted to the blacksmith. Which leads to her having a child. Florens is a very troubled child not knowing what is to become of her. And also The Pox is prevalent at the time. Which is thought to be the work of the devil. Babies and children die at a high rate. Rebecca has lost 3 infants and her oldest child dies from a kick from a horse. Which is believed that all these deaths are due to the children not being fully immersed in water and baptized. The last chapter of the book is Florens mother telling her why she let her be taken by Jacob. This is the last paragrah of the chapter, to me it tells the whole story. This is Florens mother talking.

It was not a miracle. Bestowed by God. It was a mercy. Offered by a human. I stayed on my knees. In the dust where my heart will remain each night and every day until you understand what I know and long to tell you: to be given dominion over another is a hard thing; to wrest dominion over another is a wrong thing; to give dominon of yourself to another is a wicked thing.
Oh Florens. My love. Hear a Tua Mae.

WEEKS 33, 34, 35

I'm not behind on reading, just behind on posting them. I totally forget about them and I've been sick for the last few weeks. Sinus infection and Bronchitis.

Week 33

"Ice Land" by Betsy Tobin
(from the back cover)

A Beautiful epic of love, longing, redemption, and enchantment

ICELAND, AD 1000

Warned by the fates of an impending disater, Freya embarks on a dangerous journey deep into the mountains to find a magnificent gold necklace said to have the power to alter the course of history. Meanwhile, the country is on the brink of war as the new world order of Christianity threatens the old ways of Iceland's people, and tangled amid it all are two star-crossed lovers whose destiny draws them together--even as their families are determined to tear them apart.

Infused with the rich history and mythology of Iceland, Betsy Tobin's sweeping novel is an epic adventure of forbidden love, lust, jealousy, faith, and magical wonder set under the shadow of a smoldering volcano.

MY THOUGHTS: This is a very magical book filled with the myths and legends of Iceland. Lots of Mythical persons from Iceland. While reading this I felt like I was there with them all. Ms. Tobin's writing allows your imagination to go along with the story. This is also a ARC of the book. It does not come out until August 25. I want to thank Mary Pomponio, Senior Publicist of Penguin/Plume for allowing me to review this book. You can pre-order this book from Amazon.com If you like Mythology, history and romance you will LOVE this book!!

WEEK 34

"Dead Wrong" by J. A. Jance
(from the inside flap)
Juggling a family and a career is never easy--and it's becoming a real challenge for Sheriff Joanna Brady. Coping with the inpending delivery of her second child as well as a staff shortage, the last things Joanna needs are two serious crimes.
First, the body of an unidentified man is found in the desert, all of his fingers savagely severed. Following the scant clues, Joanna learns that the victim was an ex-con who had served twenty years in perison after confessing to the murder of his pregnant wife. During his last days he was seen following and photographing a young woman.
Then one of Joann's officers is brutally attacked and left for dead while on an unauthorized stakeout. Because the officer is one of its own, the department throws its resources into finding her attacker.
But the murder haunts Joanna. Being a sheriff is no longer an empty position she wats to hold--somehow it has become what she is. Her job is to avenge man's inhumanity toward man, and finding out who the victim was and why he is dead is what she has been summoned to do with her life. Strapping on a bulletproof vest, she'll risk everything to see that justice is done.

MY THOUGHTS: This is the second Joanna Brady series book I have read. The writing is very good. It stays on track and connects all the info together. It just all flows together until the end and then tidies it up with the little extra info you thing you won't get. Joanna is trying to link a 20 year old murder to the recent on of the man in the desert. As she starts digging she comes across a conspiracy that started 20 years ago with a grandmother and mother to be. To protect a child soon to born with the 50-50 chance of having HD, Huntington's Disease.

Week 35

This was a really short book. 170 pages, so read it pretty fast.

"Dancing With Ana" by Nicole Barker
(from the back cover)

Beth is a lucky girl....She comes from a loving family. She has three best friends. She loves to surf and lives five minutes from the beach. She also recently discovered that the boy she's grown up with has the most amazing green eyes...Beth has every reason to smile. Every reason to be happy. Every reason to feel blessed. Then why is she sticking her fingers down her throat?

MY THOUGHTS: This is a very short book and is very good. It gives insights into a why a person would want to loose weight and also gives you insights into anorexia. Beth is a typical teenager, best friends, going to the beach, and a new boyfriend. She is also suffering from losing her father to divorce. She starts the diet to loose a few pounds and it soon escalates into an out of control situation that she doesn't know how to stop or what's causing it. With the help of her friends, family and her new boyfriend she gets through this situation and learns to eat again.