JustmeJoanne

Gone To Ground by Brandilyn Collins

2012-02-11T09:41:00.000-08:00

This book was sent to me by Vera at Luxury Reading for review.

The very small town of Amaryllis, Texas, population 1700, has experienced the murders of six women over the past 3 years. The latest has just happened and each victim is found stabbed in her bedroom closet. Each victim has been stabbed with a paring knife from her own kitchen with one wound. The women are all of different ages and races.

Cherrie Mae is the local cleaning woman. She cleans homes from all over the town, including the mayor's home. While cleaning the mayor's manor, she comes across something that is damning to the mayor and does not know what to do with the information.

Tully is pregnant with her husband's child and gets disturbing information about her husband and the latest of the murder victims. She has information that she doesn't know what to do with also.

Deena is the local hairdresser and is disturbed by her brothers' activities concerning the latest murder. Her brother is really not "all there" and is the target of many of the town folks' taunts and rude comments.

Trent Williams is a reporter who has been covering the murders and has won a Pulitzer Prize in doing so. He and Deena are in contact, so the women have a little more information to try to solve the crimes.

This novel was a nice read. The chapters are written as if these women are speaking and I loved that you could actually hear them talking, right down to the southern dialect.

The ending is good. You are not made to believe in anyones guilt until the very end. Easy to read and enjoy, a little murder mystery to put your crime-solving skills to the test.

http://brandilyncollins.com/

Letters In Cardboard Boxes by Abby Slovin

2012-02-05T13:59:00.000-08:00

This book was sent to me by the author, Abby Slovin, for review.

Parker is living at home, by herself, as her parents have travelled the world all of her life as archaeologists. Her grandmother, Dotty, has always been the constant in her life.
Dotty and Parker talk all of the time about travel and they often write letters to each other while sitting across the table from each other. The letters are created as if they are far away and in many countries and cities.
Parker is a bit of a loner and depends on Dotty for companionship. So it is hard for Parker to understand when Dotty starts developing a loss of memory, probably because of Alzheimer's or dementia, we are never really alerted which.
Parker decides to go live with Dotty and take care of her, until it becomes too dangerous for Dotty to be living in her home.
After moving dotty to the proper care facility, Parker starts to learn of things in Dotty's life that she feels she should have asked about and really should have known.
This story is emotional and rather hard to read happen. There is so much sorrow when it comes to watching this happen to someone, especially as close as these two women were.
The book was well-written and intriguing with a good story line. I really didn't feel as connected as I felt I should have been, as I didn't really learn to like Parker as much as I wanted to to help me feel her pain.

http://www.abbyslovin.com/

Four Below by Peter Helton

2012-01-30T11:07:00.000-08:00

This book was sent to me for review by Nancy at BestSellersWorld.

Detective McLusky is a disgruntled DI in Bristol, England. Not happy about his social life, his food, his office, etc.
There is a murder of an individual who is found in Leigh Woods, partly buried and stoned to death. The murder victim is a drug addict and so we are going down the path of believing that this is probably just that, a deal gone bad.
Within days, there are many drug related deaths that are not as easily explained away. It seems as if these drug deaths are caused by the addicts ingesting heroin that has been laced with anthrax, causing very disgusting deaths.
With all of this taking place, the death toll keeps going up, with victims being heroin/anthraxed to death, and others who are being found in the woods having been brutally killed with stones and beaten.
The story is well written, but I feel that it could have been carried further. There were so many characters in the last part of the book that we really didn't get to know and I did not understand their relevance, even in the end. The ending was really rather clipped and unsatisfying, as it seemed to be written just to tie up the ending.

http://www.peterhelton.com/

Courtney Comes Clean by Maer Roshan

2012-01-19T08:16:00.000-08:00

This book was sent to me by Vera from Luxury Reading for review.

I have to be honest and say that I really do not have much knowledge of Courtney Love's music or life other than the gossip that I read in magazines. I really had never heard any of her music.
She seems to be a very intelligent, drugged-out trainwreck. Maer Roshan spent about a year with Courtney and writes about all of the paranoia that she experiences about her finances, her reputation, etc. Courtney Love has been an addict since she was 15 years old and has tried to rehabilitate over and over again, without much success.
She really appears to be a tragic figure that people will have a tendency to just dish dirt about. She really kind of fuels that with her actions and things that she does to acquire attention in the wrong manner. Does she use her fame as the widow of Kurt Cobain to fan some of these stories? I get the sense that it helps to fuel some gossip, but there is also the fact that she lost custody of their daughter, Frances Bean Cobain, that adds to all of this.
I don't really think that this book had all that much depth to it. I think that Maer Roshan could have spent more time helping us to understand the woman more thoroughly and maybe get some real feedback about who she is. I did not walk away from this book with much more knowledge about her than I walked in with.

http://www.thefix.com/content/maer-roshan

Tidings of Fear by Ericka Scott

2012-01-15T13:50:00.000-08:00

This book was sent to me by Romance Junkies for review.

Lia has been called back to her hometown of Camel Cove, California, after the disappearance of her sister, Sylvie and Sylvie's son, Deion, whom Lia did not even know about. Lia and Sylvie have been estranged for about seven years, soon after the deaths of their parents. Lia had tried to tell Sylvie that she was psychic and thinks that she could have prevented the deaths, but Sylvie thought that Lia was being silly and the two went their separate ways.
Lia became a photojournalist and Sylvie pursued a career working for the government in an agency set up to protect the President from assassination attempts.Lia's career was progressing, but Sylvie's had run into problems and almost resulted in the death of the president. Sylvie had eventually written a book about how women could protect themselves from harm and it had become a best-seller.
Sylvie had been living with her lover, Margaret, and therefore, Lia wasn't sure how the birth of Deion was handled, whether through an affair or an adoption.
Lia finds herself involved again with a professor that she had a torrid affair with when she attended college seven years ago. Jared Trimble was her professor and lover and had a huge obsession with crossword puzzles, beyond his ability to attract many female admirers. She also comes to know one of Sylvie's former superiors in the government, Mark Powers, who also has a fascination with crosswords.
All of the 3 characters seem to have their own suppositions about the disappearance of Sylvie and her son. The local paper has had crosswords in recent months that have clues in them about the disappearance and murders of 7 other women and their children and the most recent puzzle contains the names of Sylvie and Deion.
The story is a quick read, although I found the characters not to be fleshed out much. There are many suppositions made during the book that lead you to believe some things and not really understand why you are led to believe them. But that is what a mystery is supposed to be about, right?
The writing is good, you want to turn the page and figure it out and that is what it's supposed to do.

erickascott.com

Losing Clementine by Ashley Ream

2012-01-13T03:39:00.000-08:00

This book was sent to me by Vera at Luxury Reading for review.

Clementine Pritchard is a semi-successful younger artist who has determined that her life is not as she would wish it to be and has decided to clean up her life and commit suicide in 30 days. We are living her life with her for those 30 days as she sells her furniture, finds a new home for her cat, resolves things with her ex-husband, etc. We are with her as she visits restaurants and orders all of her favorite things, taste the fine wines that she has always wanted to try, and we are also there as she learns things that she might not have had the opportunity to do was she not intending to finish her life to the fullest.
Although the book makes you believe that the ending is probably already known, you really come to love Clementine and enjoy going through all of her experiences. The book is written with humor & sadness that you will absolutely enjoy. The whole thought of someone wanting to end their life is tragic, but the author, Ashley Ream, makes you understand the trials of what Clementine is trying to accomplish.
The story makes you ponder all that you might want to do before your end, if you had the chance to do that.

Ashley Ream has quickly become an author that will go on my list as someone to continue to watch. I could not help not wanting to turn the page and experience Clementine's last 30 days with anticipation.

ashleyream.com

Contest: Win Stephen King's new book "Wind Through The Keyhole", A Dark Tower Novel

2012-01-09T09:30:00.000-08:00

Contest: Win Stephen King's new book "Wind Through The Keyhole", A Dark Tower Novel

The Visionary by Pamela S. Thibodeaux

2012-01-01T06:40:00.000-08:00

This book was sent to me by Romance Junkies for review.

Alex Broussard has acquired a mansion that is in desperate need of updating and repair. The mansion is in Louisiana and he is in need of architects and designers who can restore the manor to it's proper state.

Alex calls upon T&T Enterprises to see if they would be interested in doing this work for him. Taylor and Trevor Forrestier, male and female twins, are two of the best and Taylor has been written up as genius in the designing field.

There is so much history about the manor that Alex has purchased and Taylor would not have turned this job away, no matter what her brother would have said. And the strong attraction between herself and Alex put another stamp on her approval.

Alex senses a very strong bond between the twins and at times it is hard to understand the extreme closeness that they share. Then, we learn the truth about what the twins had to endure as children who were abused by their father and the need for the two of them to be so tied to each other. They only had each other to rely on and therefore, need the bond strongly.

Taylor has tried to reach to God to alleviate her demons, but Trevor is not as quick to embrace a God he feels betrayed them. Trevor does not understand how the Almighty would let this go on without punishment for their tormentor.

Eventually Taylor and Pastor Hebert get through to Trevor about letting go of the pain and anger and releasing his demons. Pamela Thibodeaux has written a good novel with solid characters. You really do feel the strong connection between Taylor and Trevor and are hoping that both of them can get beyond the horrific childhood and become separate individuals who can lead their own lives, but still have each other to depend on. I really want to commend Pamela Thibodeaux for tackling such a tough issue in a contemporary romance and making it work.

pamelathibodeaux.com

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

2011-12-22T12:35:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Hoping to have more on the blog next year and to have read more exciting books. Want to write more on a personal basis also. Thank you for being my friends and please forward my blog to all of your friends, so we can all be friends together!

Whispers of Innocence by Michael Davis & Candace Morehouse

2011-12-15T11:20:00.000-08:00

This ebook was sent to me by Romance Junkies for review.

Drake works for the government taking down large drug kings in Mexico. While working as a witness protector, his family is attacked by drug kings and he loses his wife, Kelly, and experiences the injury of his son, Eddie.

He is devastated and decides that he wants to move back to his hometown of Alta Vista and seek treatment for his son that is not offered by any regular doctor. The treatment is offered by the COG camp (Children of God) and is considered risky.

At this point, we are getting to know Micki (Michaela), who grew up in the COG camp, but escaped and became a journalist. Her mission in returning to Alta Vista is to learn more about all of the drugs being dealt and how come there are so many dealers that are constantly going in and out of the same jail door.

As these two characters get involved with each other and learn of each others' histories, you can actually feel the chemistry between the two. There is a lot of history between the two that comes together at the end and the ride to learn it is worth the time.

The characters are very well fleshed and the story is a little dragged at the beginning, but knowing the history of the two makes the end all that much better.

candacemorehouse.com

Little Girl Gone by Drusilla Campbell

2011-11-18T12:12:00.000-08:00

This ARC was sent to me by BestSellersWorld for review.

Madora Welles is seventeen and bent on living a wild, free life. She is still reeling after losing her father to suicide at the age of twelve.

Madora and her best friend, Kay Kay, attend a party at night that is rife with alcohol and drugs. Madora is given a puff of a new-to-her drug called crank and is immediately wiped out.

That is when her savior appears. Willis is a strong and calming influence and treats her with respect and Madora believes that he really loves her and can protect her.

Madora fights her mother about the relationship and finally ends up leaving to go live with Willis. They go to live an an old abandoned shack in the mountains. For a short time, Madora is a waitress at a local restaurant. After a period of time, Willis insists that Madora stay at home and take care of the house.

Madora adopts and cars for stray animals, including a baby coyote and a Pit Bull puppy that she names Foo.

Willis is attempting to get into medical school to become a doctor. He works with teh elderly and does work in convalescent homes and also has private clients.

Willis brings home a girl, Linda, who is pregnant. He places this girl in an abandoned trailer on the lot and ties her to the bed. He has Madora feed and take care of her while he is working. Madora highly dislikes the girl, but takes care of her because that is what is expected.

We now meet Django Jones, who is suffering the loss of his parents in a sports car accident. His father was a well-known rock musician and Django has always had a life of luxury and the ability to have a lot of material possessions. He has been brought to live with his aunt, Robin, and Django and Madora connect at this point through Foo, the pet dog of Willis and Madora.

This book makes you understand the longings of lost souls and brings to light the manipulations of predators who prey on such individuals and the abilities they possess to brainwash them.

The fine line between Madora's reality and Django's reality is drawn and hard to cross. The real world is as far from Madora as we are from Pluto. Drusilla Campbell does a great job of drawing you into Madora's unreality.

http://drusillacampbell.com/

Dracula, My Love by Syrie James

2011-10-28T16:31:00.000-07:00

This book was sent to me by Romance Junkies for review.

Mina and her best friend Lucy are taking some time to gather themselves before they both get married. They are spending time in Whitby with Mina's mother and enjoying the ease of a summer vacation.

Mina will be marrying her love since childhood, Jonathan Harker. They both grew up as orphans and are both not of means.

Lucy, on the other hand, has grown up with wealth and has the means and the beauty to have invoked many gentlemen to want to betroth her. She has made her decision from the 3 that have proposed.

While vacationing in Whitby, Mina becomes concerned about Jonathan, who has been sent to do business with a Count Dracula in Transylvania. Mina does not hear from him as often as normal.

Worried about Jonathan, she meets a man who introduces himself as Mr. Wagner. Mina is drawn to him, as he is handsome and very intelligent and talks to her about all of the things that she is interested in. She is slowly falling in love with Mr. Wagner, but avoids making any kind of commitment, as she loves Jonathan and will stand by him.

The truth is revealed when Mina is told that Jonathan is at a hospital in Transylvania and is delirious and close to the end.

The story from here is intense and you actually feel the tug-of-war going on inside Mina for her love and loyalty between two men who are so far removed from each other.

This is a good story and you definitely feel the struggle that she feels about these two very different individuals.

http://www.syriejames.com/

The Reading Promise by Alice Ozma

2011-09-06T18:17:00.000-07:00

This book was sent to me by BestSellersWorld for review.

Alice and her Dad, Jim, started a reading streak, where he would read to her, that lasted for 3,218 nights. It was difficult at times, but they managed to always find the time to do it.

Jim was an excellent librarian. There was a divorce between him and his wife and Jim was raising two daughters on his own.

Obviously he had a great love for books that he was able to pass on to at least one daughter, Alice.

The chapters are wonderful. Alice gives us the time table and a quote to lead each one. Usually the quote will fit in very nicely with the chapter.

This book was a pleasure to read and at the end, there is a contract to consider using to promise to read to, read with or just read and to protect that right and pleasure.

This book actually reinforced for me my love and defense of my love of books and all of the pleasure and joy that I feel about books and the learning and fun that they can bring. Joy to Alice Ozma!!!

Broetry by Brian McGackin

2011-08-28T05:39:00.000-07:00

This book was sent to me by the author for review.

This is really a cute little book of poems, definitely more male based than flowery poems that you would expect from a book of poetry. There are some very good poems, some not so understandable, only because I am a woman and don't think like a man.
Kind of neat to get a male perspective on life. There were a couple of poems that I really could relate to, as I have two sons who act and talk the same way.
Definitely worth the read. Very good language and very readable.

http://www.brianmcgackin.com

Hope's Boy by Andrew Bridge

2011-08-27T10:11:00.000-07:00

Andrew loves his mother, although she was really unable to care for him past the age of seven. She hears voices and goes a little crazy sometimes. But, she always told him that she would be there for him.

Andrew is placed into a foster home (really a corrections facility that needed a use by the state), and is fostered out to the Leonard family. Mrs. Leonard lived through the camps in Germany and is a very uptight individual with many strange rules.

Andrew is always hoping that his mother will come and get him, but he grows up and remains with the Leonard family, while other foster children come and go. Andrew learns to stay to himself and always hope that Mom will come get him.

The beginning of this book really pulled at my heart, as Andrew is a grown man working to rectify the foster care system in California. He goes into a room in the basement of the facility where he started and there is a young boy, about 11, named Jeffrey, who is on a mattress with one blanket and an ever-beaming light. He is huddled into a ball and barely speaking to anyone.

Andrew grows in his foster home and becomes an attorney. His constant need to be with his mom is ever prevalent in the book. I hope that Andrew Bridge can make a difference in the lives of children who may not necessarily have to be placed in foster care and really should be with their parents. Let's hope his voice lends some weight to the problem.

The book was written well and kept me compelled. Just such a heart-break that there are so many children who are separated from their parents when they really don't need to be.

The Five People You Meet In Heaven by Mitch Albom

2011-08-01T09:59:00.000-07:00

Eddie has worked at Ruby Pier, an amusement park near the ocean, for his entire life, right after being in the armed forces during the war. Eddie is the maintenance man who takes care of the rides and making sure that they stay safe. There is an accident on one of the rides and Eddie loses his life.

Eddie is transported to heaven and there is where we start his journey meeting the five people who will make this story what it is.

Some of the people Eddie meets in heaven make absolute sense to me, but there was one that didn't and that was the last one. It made sense to have that person be there, but I really thought that person should have been numbered differently.

This book makes you wonder if some day you will enter the gates of heaven and meet your five people and who they might wind up being. Just thinking about that makes the book worth reading.

mitchalbom.com

Hitler's Niece by Ron Hansen

2011-08-01T09:41:00.000-07:00

Adolf Hitler is a nobody who can't draw, can't do well in a school atmosphere and has a genuine hatred for the Jewish people. He comes to his half-sisters apartment to maybe get something to eat and is introduced to his young niece, Angelica (Geli, pronounced gaily) Raubal.

Hitler is in his take Germany-by-storm phase, and is doing well, and requests his sister and niece to live with him as his caretakers.

He falls in love with his beautiful niece, although she is probably not feeling the same way about him. She eventually comes to love him, even in his weirdness. The relationship is strange and not always very kosher.

Although this is written as a novel, I am sure that most of the history in this book is factual. Unfortunately, the one part of the book that you would love to know the truth about will never be known for a fact, as it is of a personal nature and the persons are deceased. I walked away from reading this book with a strong, fresh hatred for Adolf Hitler, not that I liked him to begin with.
Ron Hansen definitely did a lot of research on a woman who doesn't have too much history written about her and filled in gaps with aplomb.

Poe's Children edited by Peter Straub

2011-07-09T12:47:00.000-07:00

It is my personal opinion that a short story needs to grab you within the first two paragraphs. There were some in this collection of horror stories, written by a lot of authors that I was unfamiliar with, that did just that. But most of those were written by authors that I have familiarity with: Stephen King, Joe Hill, Dan Chaon, Neil Gaiman, to name some. There were some new to me authors that wrote well and I will seek their other works, but some just did not make too much horrific sense to me.
There was one particular story at the end of the book that I found extremely well-written; Insect Dreams by Rosalind Palermo Stevenson. The writing was definitely first-class and the story kept you compelled, although why it should be labeled a horror story is beyond me.
The book is definitely worth picking up, although there are probably stories that people will want to skip over.

Shattered Wings by Bryan Healey

2011-05-29T11:05:00.000-07:00

This book was sent to me by the author for review.

John is alone and wondering what has happened to his love, Charlie, and his little girl, Cassie.

John has a very good job and lives with his lover, Charlie in a beautiful home in upper New York. John loves coming home every day to house-husband Charlie and the little girl that they worked so hard to adopt, Cassie.

John is at work one day and is released from his position because of down-sizing. He is unable to tell Charlie, so he dresses for work each day and he sits in teh park as he applies for positions from his phone.

John feels that he can not tell Charlies, so he relies on his compensation to carry the family through until he can get another job.

John has plenty of interviews, but nothing is going as John would like them to, he either doesn't have enouth diversity or he has too much earnin power for the positions he has applied for. He begins to feel desperate and reverts to an old vice that had caused a turmoil between he and Charlie in the past; drinking.

We learn about John's childhood and his early relationship with Charlie and others through flashbacks. These are quite interesting and make you see the John that people both loved and disliked in the past.

This story was well-written and the plot was great. My only problem was that John was not someone I felt inclined to like. He never came across to me as strong as he should have been, having been married to a man and having fought for the adoption of a baby girl as a gay couple. I did feel sorry for him and all of the trials that he goes through and wanted very much for things to turn around for him.

There was a problem grammatically with the word "passed" being used instead of the appropriate "past".

Will definitley choose another book by Bryan Healey to read, as the writing was great. This book was definitely worth the read.

http://bryanhealey.com/

Fall by Colin McAdam

2011-05-06T11:17:00.000-07:00

This book was sent to me from Romance Junkies for review.

Noel & Julius are roommates at an exclusive boarding school in Canada. They are both diplomat's sons, but very different in temperament and social standings. Noel is the loner and doesn't really have many friends. Julius is the star athlete with lots of friends and a very beautiful girlfriend, Fall (Fallon).
Julius starts to include Noel in things that involve him and his friends and also starts to talk about his meetings with Fall while he and Noel are in bunkbeds at night. He shares some of the relationship problems and things that occur between him and Fall.
Noel starts to obsess about Fall and starts to fall in love with her, not telling Julius that this is what he is feeling. He becomes more inclined to listen and imitate Julius in certain things.
There comes a time after a prank on other boys in the home when Julius is gated for bad behavior, making it impossible for him to have his meetings with Fall. Noel becomes the go-between, passing notes and information to Fall from Julius.
During this time, Fall disappears. There doesn't seem to be a whole lot of urgency at first, everyone thinking that maybe her mother took her to Cuba with her. It then becomes known that Fall is nowhere to be found. The police are brought in and we learn some things about her relationship with Julius and also with Noel.
This book is written from the points of view of 3 individuals: Noel, Julius & William, Julius' family driver.
Noel is intelligent and a little strange and you are certainly brought right into his thoughts. Julius is a little harder to read, not much more than thoughts. William is a base player, a little guttural and doesn't seem to have much substance.
I was really quite taken with the writing from Noel's point of view. I was made to feel that he was what we all would consider a "weird" individual. He is the epitome of the strange person that we all think about when we think about "Son of Sam", or a serial killer-type of person. There seems to be justifications for anything that he is feeling at any moment.
The only thing that really bothered me was the ending of the book. There is really no clear cut ending. We never really find out where Fall is or what has really happened to her, or who may have done it to her. Nevertheless, I liked the book and thought that it was a pull into the mind of an individual that I would not want to run into anytime soon. I was very drawn in to the mind of Noel.

colinmcadam.com

Tsunami Blue by Gayle Ann Williams

2011-04-12T13:25:00.000-07:00

This book was sent to me from Romance Junkies for review.

Kathryn "Tsunami Blue" O'Malley has the gift of listening to the sea and talking to it and knowing when a tsunami would be coming. The world has been devastated by monster tsunami's and is currently only islands. Blue lives on an island in a remote section and lives by herself and her dog, Max. She stays in seclusion, as her gift of transmitting her predictions on the radio waves makes her a goddess to some, a demoness to others.
Blue and her dog are out one night and come upon a very beautiful man who appears to be dead. Blue takes the very large man back to her humble hut and restores him back to life. After she awakens, she discovers that he has a tattoo on his arm with a 666 and a snake running through the numbers. That can only mean that her Dark Angel, Gabriel Black, is a Runner. Runners are her worst enemies. They are the most vile creatures still on the planet. They steal, rape & murder with no remorse.
Runners are invading her island and Gabriel Black grabs her and brings her to his ship, leaving Max behind to fight the beasts that the Runners call pets.
From here it is adventure after adventure for these two individuals. There are children, other Runners, Uplanders, etc to have to deal with.
The story is exciting and the language use is graphic. If you don't like gore, I would recommend you don't read the book. But if you can deal with the violence, the romance part is pretty hot. These are some very fiery individuals and together they have a fiery mix.
I loved the language use in this novel. You could picture every movement written about.The only thing I found lacking was some of the fore-story about her family and the involvement of her Uncle Seamus. Will definitely read another book by Gayle Ann Williams. Her use of language really brings you into the story.

gayleannwilliams.com

Thr3e by Ted Dekker

2011-03-26T13:40:00.000-07:00

This book was sent to me from BestSellersWorld for review.

Kevin Parsons is an extremely intelligent seminary student in California. He considers his dean, John Francis, one of his best friends and most valued advisor.
Kevin is leaving the seminary to go home when his cell phone rings and as he answers, is greeted by a raspy-voiced individual who has a riddle for Kevin that he must solve. He must also confess his sin within 3 minutes or the car will blow up.
Kevin has no idea what he caller could be seeking with the confession and can not solve the riddle. He pulls his car into an almost deserted Wal-Mart and the car then blows up.
This makes Kevin and his story the headlines of the day. The FBI is drawn in with Jennifer being the main figure. Jennifer has just lost her brother, Roy, to a man called the "Riddle Killer" and she is convinced that these are the same individual.
We then start to learn about Kevin's childhood and living with his aunt Balinda, her husband Eugene and his cousin, Bob, who is retarded. Things were not normal for Kevin, but he has stepped away and started living his life on his own.
As this story progresses and you are drawn into the minds of these characters, it becomes so compelling. There are major secrets about Kevin's childhood including his friendship with a girl named Sam and incidents with a boy that tried to interfere with their friendship.
Ted Dekker definitely put twists and turns into the story and will have you guessing right until the very end of the book. I would definitely consider him a new must-read author for me.

http://www.teddekker.com/

1 Dead In Attic: After Katrina by Chris Rose

2011-03-13T14:34:00.000-07:00

Chris Rose is a reporter for the Times-Picayune in Louisiana. He continued to write his column for the paper after Katrina devastated New Orleans.
How this man was able to survive and forgo his devastation and continue to see the good and the bad during this disaster is the most striking part of these vignettes about life in the aftermath.
The stories of refigerators that line the roads, appliances being sunk into potholes big enough to do that in, how some people didn't experience any devastation, how some holed up in their homes and didn't face it, how some brought major crime to the area, how some went out of their way to help others, even with just a smile or a touch.
I felt a poignant feeling reading this, as I was reading this as Japan became devastated by it's own horrific weather-related undoing. It makes you ponder what you would do in such a situation.
Cudos to Chris Rose and people like him who are working toward making Louisiana a community again, however slowly that happens.

The Mistress House by Leigh Michaels

2011-03-07T11:49:00.000-08:00

This book was sent to me by Fresh Fiction for review.

5 Upper Seymour Street becomes the address of three very willful women with strong desires to be taken seriously about who they are and what they want, irregardless of society's views of what they should become.
From the Earl of Hawthorne and Anne Keighley, to Lord Coulton and Felicity, to Marquis Julian and Georgianna, the house sees it's share of outrageous affairs.
All of the women in this novel are not willing to give in to society's demands of what they are expected to be. All are willing to give all that they can to be independent of what is considered to be the moral choices they should make.
The story is well-written and fun. These ladies are all great characters and the men are all chivalrous to a tee.

http://www.leighmichaels.home.mchsi.com/

The Strain by Guillermo Del Toro & Chuck Hogan

2011-02-21T10:05:00.000-08:00

This book was sent to me by Fresh Fiction for review.

At New York's JFK Airport, Flight 753 from Berlin, Germany, arrives and suddenly stops dead. All shades are drawn and there is no communication with the pilot's or with the passengers. Dr. Eph Goodweather, head of a CDC rapid-response team investigating biological threats, is called upon to enter the plane.

He encounters a scene that one can only imagine. All passengers, pilots, flight attendants are dead on the plane. There are no signs of abuse, guns, knives, or any other sort of killing instruments. People are still in their seats, some holding hands.

The bodies are removed from the plane and brought to area hospitals and morgues for family members to claim. It is discovered that there are four people who are still alive, but without any real memories of the trauma that they have been through.

As this is occuring, we are introduced to a gentleman who runs a pawn shop in New York, Setrakian, who is a survivor of the Holocaust and has knowledge of the entity that will be pervading New York with this accident with the plane. He has been chasing this particular beast since being incarcerated at Treblinka and escaping with his life.

Inside the plane is discovered a very large case that is filled with dirt. That case disappears from the plane with no knowledge of its contents.

We are taken through a whirlwind of knowledge of the beast that has been unleashed on New York by the mechanisms of a very rich individual who is very power-hungry and knows that the beast can not come outside of his continent without an invitation to cross running water.

This book would be better as a movie. Very slow at the beginning and then moves too fast to the conclusion. I got very comfortable with learning about the families and the histories of the characters, but then things were just thrown in and made to make the conclusion as it was. Really believe that Guillermo Del Toro should stay with movie-making. The language really lends itself to visual and not necessarily to reading.

http://guillermodeltoro.com/
http://authors.simonandschuster.com/Chuck-Hogan/23149246

Why? Because We Still Like You by Jennifer Armstrong

2011-01-24T03:39:00.000-08:00

This is a nice little book about the history of the personalities who were the original Mickey Mouse Club. I remember watching the re-runs as a toddler. The book delves into the kids who made the show so popular and all that they endured and still endure as the original Mouseketeers.

Some stayed in the business, others ventured into other things. Some stayed for all 3 seasons, some never even appeared on camera. You get to know the likes and dislikes of the cast members and the routines that were required to keep the mouse ears.

Definitely well researched and the author was able to get in touch with many of the members of the club. Most of the members stay in touch and gather for anniversaries. Nice piece of history.

Portal by Imogen Rose

2011-01-18T06:06:00.000-08:00

This book was sent to me by Romance Junkies for review.
Arizona (Darley/Stevens) awakens to her mother driving a Hummer 2 instead of the Hummer 3 that she is accustomed to. She has just taken her SAT's at Princeton High School in New Jersey and must have fallen asleep on the ride home.
When they pull in to the driveway, a man greets them. This is not the father, Dillard, that she knows. This man's name is Rupert and her younger sister greets him with much affection.
Arizona enters a world that is only vaguely familiar. Her dog Gertrude is there, but she is now in California with a new home and also a new personality. This Arizona is not the tomboy of New Jersey, but a cheerleader on the debate team.
Arizona also discovers that there are certain people from her other side, friends that are somehow here, not back in New Jersey.
This book is very easy to read and interesting. It is a little too young adult for my taste, but I believe that the younger set would like this book. Many references to things teen, right down to Uggs, cell phones, PDA's and fashions that suit that generation.
I believe that I will read the other two books in the series so that I can find out the end of Arizona's story. The ending lent itself to wanting to do so.

http://imogenrose.com/

What The Dickens by Gregory Maguire

2011-01-02T06:12:00.000-08:00

There is a poor creature that is born in a tuna can and he is alone. He encounters a cat and wants to be her gift giver. He encounters a grisset and becomes fodder for her newborn babies. He acquires his name by accident. What-the-Dickens accidentally encounters another of his kind who is taking something from under the pillow of a child. She is Pepper and is a tooth fairy.
He follows her to her home and encounters strange skibberee, of which he is one, who have all kinds of rules and prejudices about maintaining their society. He is abolished, as a loner, but insists on helping, therefore trying to make himself feel as part of the whole.
This story is read as a inner story. There are three children being watched by a cousin of 21 who are in a house that is lacking in running water, electricity and parents during a hurricane or tornado. The young man is reciting the story so the children will not become upset and does a very good job at keeping the children occupied with it.
This was a cute novel. I love the fact that Gregory Maguire wrote it in the present tense. That makes it more vital and the lessons learned by the creatures and the children are prevalent to our times.

http://gregorymaguire.com/

Love Bites by Adrienne Barbeau

2010-12-20T12:57:00.000-08:00

This book was sent to me by Bestsellersworld.com for review.
Osvanna Moore is a 500-year-old Vampyre and owns Anticipation Studios in Hollywood. She is the Chatelaine of the Vampyres of Hollywood. Her group includes dead-to-us stars such as Charlie Chaplin, Orson Welles, Mary Pickford, Tyrone Power, as well as some very alive-to-us actors and others.
Osvanna is paired up with Detective Peter King, who had dealt with Osvanna on an instance in Palm Springs a couple of weeks before. Peter learned of her true nature at that time and wants to become involved with Osvanna personally. That is a feeling that is shared by Osvanna. Just that there is a strong trust that needs to be developed between such a creature and a human.
The pair become involved in another case and have to rely on each other for safety. The story dragged at times, but there was always some action going on, whether it be with Osvanna and her group, or with Peter and his cases.
I found the book more interesting by the fact that the chapters were either from Peter's point of view or Osvanna's. And Adrienne Barbeau made the book a good stand-alone, as she always made you aware of what had happened in the first novel.
I really liked the characters and was rooting for their getting together, whatever they had to go through to get there. Well-written and exciting.

Embers by Laura Bickle

2010-12-02T17:14:00.000-08:00

This book was sent to me from Romance Junkies for review

Anya Kalinczyk is an arson investigator by day in Detroit. At night, she is part of the Detroit Area Ghost Researchers and eliminates demons and evil spirits. She has special powers as a Lantern. She can ingest demons and ghosts and therefore eliminate them.
Anya has a medium, Sparky. Sparky is a salamander and is very protective and ever-present. Anya feels a sense of isolation because of that and finds it hard to form relationships with men.
Anya is investigating some very strange and hard to pinpoint arsons leading up to the historically bad Devil's Night in Detroit. She meets Drake Ferrer, who is the only other Lantern she has ever encountered. His means with his powers are vicious and nothing like the way that Anya uses her powers to rid the city of evil.
This was a well-written novel of Urban Fantasy and this is my first try at the genre. This was an excellent way to be introduced to the genre. Laura Bickle made Anya's character compelling and her story was very strong. Am looking forward to reading the next installment in the series, Sparks, and will write the review for that one also.

http://www.laurabickle.com/

Wormfood by Jeff Jacobson

2010-11-12T09:33:00.000-08:00

This ARC was sent to me by Fresh Fiction for review.

Arch Stanton is living with his crack-shot Grandmother in a trailer that is owned by the local restauranteer, Fat Ernst. Arch lost his parents and grandfather and he and his grandmother are having a hard time making ends meet. Arch works for Fat Ernst as his busboy, cook, janitor, errand boy.
Fat Ernst has sent the Sawyer brothers, Junior and Bert, to pick Arch up for work on Friday. Junior and Bert are the definite bad boys in town. They drive a truck that has a bull-head ornament on the front and the back is full of dead animals that they get paid to collect.
On the way to the restaurant, they come upon the funeral procession for Earl Johnson, the town's richest farmer. The Sawyer's get so mad at all of the Stetson-wearing, rich farmers in the line, that they decide to one-up them and start throwing dead animals at the cars in line. This causes an accident with the hearse, which causes the coffin to come out of it's berth and land in the mud at the side of the road.
This book takes a real hilarious turn at this point and doesn't look back. We spend the next 2.5 days with these characters and experience humor and horror in a well-packaged mix. This really would make a funny horror movie, in comparison to any of the "Scream" movies. Although I found this funny to read, there were some real instances of physical horrors. One of them really made me cringe, and it takes a lot to do that, being the huge Stephen King fan that I am.
The only down side to this is that I thought the title should be different. The worms are in the story, but don't play the most major role in it. Jeff Jacobson has a great way with words, again being very visual. You can just picture a lot of what he writes.

Do Witches Make Fishes? by Jason Mayo

2010-11-05T07:21:00.000-07:00

This was sent to me for review by Bestsellersworld.com

This is a really fun book to read to a younger child. The poetic pentameter works very well, almost as well as Dr Seuss, and the emphasis can be placed on different words with each reading. This is a lesson on eating your dinner and what could happen if you don't. The drawings are very large and very colorful. The only down part of the story is that I thought the ending could have been made clearer. It is a little unclear about the good ending and the boy understanding the benefits of eating his food and the changes that took place with his decision.

The Black Cougar of Vernon Secondary by Marisa Chenery

2010-10-21T16:51:00.000-07:00

This e-book was sent to me from LASR reviews for review.
What will this school year be like without her only friend?
Mika Taylor is starting school again, but this year she is alone. Her very best friend, Cathy, has moved and Mika doesn't have many friends. She is treated as a loner, with others making fun of her. She does not dress in the popular clothing and always seems to have her face in a book.
Sylvia is the most popular girl in school and is consistently picking on Mika. Sylvia is the cheerleader and a bit bullyish.
Mika has had a crush on Trent Hunter for about 2 years now. He is in her first period class and seems to be looking at her a lot, although she can't really figure out why, what with her being the school freak and all. Trent is full-blooded Okanagan Indian and gorgeous, probably able to attract any female he would like.
Trent shows an interest in Mika from the first day and they become friends at first, with a relationship starting very slowly. Mika notices from time to time that Trent's eyes are changing from his beautiful brown to a gold, shining pupil and has read enough romance novels to wonder if he is capable of shape-shifting into a cat of some sort.
There is a legend in Vernon Secondary about a black cougar that has never really been proven. Mika wonders about that legend and where the cougar initially came from. She has many thoughts about Trent becoming that black cougar and how awesome that might be.
There is an incident, after Mika and Trent have started to form a relationship, where someone has duped Mika into going to a very wooded and densely protected area near the reservation. Mika is hesitant to go, but she believes that Trent has invited her to go hiking with her. Although the trick is pulled and Mika is left in a vulnerable situation, Trent comes in to save the day.
After this incident, there is some unrest between the two and they part ways for some time. Mika is trying to understand what could have gone wrong between them. She starts befriending another boy and it seems as if Trent has also moved on to being with the worst person that Mika can think of, Sylvia.
You will have to read the novel to find out if these two make their way back to each other. The story is very sweet and easy to read. I really liked the characters, they were like neighbors and friends to me. There is not a lot of paranormal writing, just the fact that it is part of the story is all that is really gotten into.

http://marisachenery.com/

Ribbon of Rain by Pam Champagne

2010-10-13T17:01:00.000-07:00

This e-book was supplied to me for review from Romance Junkies.

Kat Tenney has just discharged from the military after serving in Iraq. She is living in a lodge in remote Maine that she inherited from her parent's after they were murdered. Kat is very angry that there have been no answers about the murder of her parents. It seems that they were murdered with no motive.

Jude Callahan is assigned a case involving some stolen gems and is dispatched to the lodge in Maine to investigate. He is a city man, heart and soul, and is angry to be assigned this mission in the backwoods of Maine.
He canoes himself, rather clumsily, and is greeted, not very cordially, by Kat and her dog, Red. He is immediately attracted to this little spitfire of a woman and tells her why he is there. Kat informs him that she doesn't have a clue about any stolen gems or her parent's involvement in the theft.
Kat agrees to help him try to find proof of anything that may be at the lodge and they become closer than either thought could be possible, after only knowing each other for so short a time.
A friend from Iraq shows up, Cody, and there is instant tension between the two men. Cody is a good friend and loves Kat because of the times in Iraq when she saved his life. Jude has fallen very hard for Kat because of the fire that she has in her soul.
The trio discover secrets that are taking place in the area that the lodge is located and become involved in some very dark and dangerous intrigue. They become friends, enemies and cohorts in a very short period of time.
Kat often hears words from her dead grandmother, who loved Kat as if she were her own. Her grandmother used to call her Marunga, Ribbon of Rain (Rainbow). Her grandmother gives her the advice and Kat learns to listen to her wiseness.
This book was very enjoyable to read. There was a solid balance of romance, fun, suspense and some very dark intrigue. The mixture was well done and there was never too much of any of the elements to be boring or overpowering. This is one of the better of light romance novels I have read in a long time.

2010-10-04T03:42:00.000-07:00

RASPUTIN'S DAUGHTER BY Robert Alexander

Maria is the daughter of Rasputin, one of the most loved/hated men in Russian history. Maria has seen her father perform miracles and she has also seen some vile things about her father. She is having a hard time deciding whether her father is the miracle faith healer and saintly man that the Tsaritsa and Tsar have come to love or the peasant who is out to ruin the royal family. She has encounters with both sides of her father and at times is on his side and at others, against him.
I think that this was well written and really makes you wonder about the legend that was Rasputin.

Snake Dance by Angelica Hart & Zi

2010-09-23T10:43:00.000-07:00

This was an e-book sent to me from LASR for review.

We are entered into a world of fowl and adders & asps living in turmoil from each other. There is a definite separation between the two worlds.
The ruler of the fowls is expecting the birthing of his descendant and is shocked to find that he is of the adder genre and is therefore banished for life to Raffia, the continent of the banished.
There is a second birthing to which everyone is in attendance. The birthing is of wRen, the most perfect specimen to be found in the pod. She has been claimed by the ruler as his for mating, when she is old enough to do so.
wRen is of an independent nature and does not want to be claimed by the ruler. She has an encounter with veIper, the banished descendant, and falls immediately in love with him.
We are told about some very evil happening between the rulers and some of the female fowl that inhabit their continent. wRen wants to let people know what is going on, but knows that to let others know, would be pointless.
The book is a good example of good versus evil and the language, at first hard to understand, becomes easier to meld into. As you continue reading, you learn that most of the sci-fi language is getting easier and more understandable to read.

Night Glitter by Jill Shure

2010-09-18T17:10:00.000-07:00

This book was sent to me from RomanceJunkies for review.
Jeri Devlin, our heroine from Night Jazz, has decided to stay in the past with her husband Lex, instead of falling back into the future with her brother and his fiance. She loves Lex and has fallen in love with the time of the Great Depression. She and Lex are doing well financially and they are very in love.
Lex is stricken with TB and Jeri has him placed in a private sanitarium, which is costing a lot of money. So Jeri must find a way to make a living that will pay for his medical care. She moves to California and tries to find relatives that she remembers being alluded to by her family in the future.
She locates her cousin, Lorena, and lives in her brothel and travels to Hollywood to find employment as an actress or secretary. She ends up working for a woman who is a has-been actress whose father is one of the biggest producers in Hollywood. There is much involvement here, including with the husband of this actress.
I really enjoyed the first book, thought it was fun. This one was OK, just didn't like the change in the mores of Jeri. She becomes involved with some good people, but has changed so much from the first book.
I would love to see Jill Shure write more continuous books in this series, as I would love to travel with Jeri to more eras.

http://jillshure.com/

Miles From Nowhere by Nami Mun

2010-09-11T15:43:00.000-07:00

Seem to be on a homeless kick lately.
Joon has left home after her father leaving the house and her mother pretending to die in the front yard. Her mother has chosen to completely block her out, not talking to her or even reacting when Joon tries to talk to her.
We are taken on a journey through Joon becoming a homeless young lady at the age of 15. She lives in a home, is befriended by a young lady named Knowledge, they skip the shelter and Joon's truly homeless life is started.
She and Knowledge remain friends and street buddies for a while. Joon works in a dance club (brothel), tries to become an Avon lady, gets pregnant, tries to do away with the pregnancy, becomes addicted to drugs, tries to recover from that.
This is a very sad tale, but there were no connections. You were constantly skipping through time and there were some predicaments that Joon encountered that we never get the answers to. You never really find out if she in fact bettered things for herself, or if someone helped her do that. The hope was always there to be taken, but Joon never had the confidence to take her life into her own hands and overcome the problems that were besetting her.
My hope for Joon is that she realized that life had something to offer her and that she took advantage of some good things.

http://milesfromnowherethenovel.wordpress.com/

All God's Children: Inside the Dark and Violent World of Street Families by Rene Denfeld

2010-09-07T11:21:00.000-07:00

There is a body of a young girl found on the train tracks in Oregon. She has been beaten and burned beyond recognition. It is found out that her name is Jessica and that she had been involved with a family living on the streets.
The street families have their own "laws" and if you do not abide by them, you pay the price.
This book was very well researched and you are quickly pulled into the street life and the different families that reside in Oregon. What is the hardest to realize is the violence of members who claim to be Wiccan and don't want anything to do with our "normal" society.
They have formed families and they turn on each other for their "laws" being broken, whether or not the "laws" were really broken or it was just implied that they were.
Be warned that this is an extremely violent group of people and if you have a weak stomach when it comes to this stuff, don't read the book.
I guess my biggest question is, what appeal is there to living on the streets and living by the code of the families? There were some very intelligent and well familied individuals involved in this book. Are kids really just looking for that kind of freedom? But where do they get the idea that this is the freedom, since the rules of the street families seem so much harsher than that of the normal world?
This was just sad and really makes you think about the roles that parents play and how hard it is being a parent and wanting the best for your children, when they believe that what they are seeking is much more important. Unfortunately, there are lots of influences upon a teenager and you hope for the best.

http://renedenfeld.com/

Caterwauler by Chris Masuda

2010-08-23T11:21:00.000-07:00

This book was sent to me from Bestsellersworld for review.

This book is written in diary form about a young man, Wes, who has been unemployed and becomes employed by a porn shop for the graveyard shift. We are treated to instances of people of all walks of life coming into the store to make purchases, going off into the video rooms, talking to Wes, etc.
Wes is a deep thinker, maybe too much so. We really don't learn a lot about his history, so we aren't privy to understanding why he has such fear about forming relationships with anyone, including the co-worker that we as readers can see he is falling in love with.
One conversation that takes place between Wes and a homeless man is extremely mind-bending. Some of the conversation is very understandable, but parts of it felt like reading a little bit of babble.
The book was very interesting and allows you to put your life on a back-burner and ponder the good and bad of society.
I hope that Chris Masuda continues writing and perfecting his craft.

Steal Away by Amber Green

2010-08-22T09:09:00.000-07:00

This is an e-book supplied by LASR for review.

Twilight is a picker in the south and is going to jump a train headed for Harlem, New York to become a singer. She will have to jump and avoid the Pinkerton guards. She succeeds this mission and meets two men who become involved with her and their own escape.
They travel in a box car loaded with rice and hide under the rice when circumstances demand that. Twilight learns that the two men are lovers and that the feelings that she has for one of them probably will not come to fruition. We will see!
They have to make a small stop in Atlanta after the train has been stopped. They stay with old friends of Stone's, the gentleman of the pair who has a history in New York of dancing.
Twilight becomes involved with Hector, the second of the two men, which makes Stone extremely uncomfortable, as he is very much in love with Hector. Stone's history becomes quite evident in this area of the book, and we are taken for a wild ride after this.
They end up in New York to escape some of that history and are treated to some adventure. Quite action-packed in phases, this book is written well and brings you back to a time when things were not as accepted as they are now.
I really felt that the relationship between Twilight and Stone was the most enjoyable. He begrudged her the relationship with Hector, but loved Hector enough to understand that every individual is different and needs their own relationships.
As a work of erotic fiction, it was spicy, but not hot. We are given an insight into a gay coupling, but not so much on the heterosexual end. The story was good and the characters, especially Stone, were people you were rooting for.

Summer & Shiner by Nolan Carlson

2010-08-17T17:28:00.000-07:00

This e-book was sent to me from LASR for review for Aurora.

Randall, Kansas in the late 1940's and life is very simple for Carley and Troop. They are the co-founders of the Mustang gang and butt heads with the Spiders and the founder of that gang, Mick, and his devilish dog, Devil.
Carley and Troop rescue a raccoon who is caught in a trap left by a careless hunter over the winter.
Shiner, the raccoon, becomes Carley's pet and is with him everywhere he goes. Carley & Troop have many adventures over the summer, including initiations into the gang, miracles that are observed and friendships that get stronger every day.
Nolan Carlson has written a very good story about an era that is so much simpler than today. No talk about internet, cell phones, TV, etc. Carley reads Moby Dick for pleasure and listens to the radio and goes to free movies on Saturdays.
The story really makes one long for a much simpler time.

http://nolancarlson.com/

Apparitions by Raven Bower

2010-08-08T15:42:00.000-07:00

Thhttp://ravenbower.com/is was an e-book sent to me for review for LASR.

Bailey Khane is an author of novels that tell the stories of young girls that are murdered heinously. What people do not know is that the novels are the real stories of these girls who appear to her as apparitions. Their spirits are wanting Bailey to find the murderer.
Andy Bennett is a private investigator who has read at least one of Bailey's books. The book in question is so accurate in the description of the murder of his sister, Erika, that he believes that Bailey had something to do with the crime.
Bailey lives alone in a cabin on a lake in White Sands, Michigan, and surrounds herself with silver and any other weapon, including a guard dog, Thor, against evil.
The real source of this carnage comes from a very unexpected source and that is really part of the real pull of this story.
This book is really for the reader of horror. Raven Bower does a really good job of creating a novel that keeps you reading and her use of language is top-rate. I hope that she continues writing in this genre. We need more women writing this kind of novel.

http://ravenbower.com/

Five Magic Words by Valentine Dmitriev

2010-07-29T10:13:00.000-07:00

This book was sent to me from Romance Junkies for review.

Agatha Archer has decided to use her quiet Saturday to grab her pencils and sketchbook and go into the quiet glen where her favorite quiet spot is. She draws illustrations for her best friend Rainie's children's books.
She quietly walks into the glen and sees a good looking gentleman sitting on her favorite log. She stands aside and sketches his features and notes how handsome the man truly is.
Silas, the man on the log, is trying to sort his mind of life's problems. Quiet from work, the memories of his dead wife, and the complexities of trying to raise his son weigh on his mind.
He becomes aware of Agatha's presence and speaks to her, noticing how beautiful she is with her bronzed golden hair, her beautiful face and her height, comparable to a Dryad.
Agatha notices the ring on his left hand and leaves hurriedly. She has a history with married men and tries to avoid them like the plague. Silas just wants to get to know her and can not figure a way to let her know that he wears a wedding ring for the memory of his wife.
The two are drawn back together under circumstances caused by his son, Jamie's, doing. Both of them love children and Jamie is a strong bond between the both of them.
Agatha so wants to hear her Five Magic Words and be able to love Silas like she would want to. You will have to read the book to see whether that happens for these people.

Valentine Dmitriev writes a very descriptive novel with some very beautiful prose. We learn a lot about these characters through memories and their histories are very interesting. I just did not find the connection between the characters was delved into as much, so there really didn't feel like there was a great love between these two people. Not a lot of romance in the novel. That is by design though, with the feelings of Agatha definitely taken into account.

http://valentinedmitriev.com/MAIN/VALENTINE-Page.asp?p=3

Daemon's Mark by Caitlin Kittredge

2010-07-28T11:07:00.000-07:00

This book was sent to me from Romance Junkies for review.

Insoli Luna Wilder is a cop working for CSC in Nocturne City. She has been called to the scene of the death of a young female were whose heart has been removed. Luna smells magick and knows that there is more to the murder than is obvious.
She is at the morgue when the young girl's family comes to identify her and they are from a very strong pack. They threaten Luna about finding out who murdered their daughter.
Luna gets involved and finds herself shipped like cattle to Russia with many other young girls.
This is extremely action-packed and quite a quick read. Luna is definitely a very tough woman with a lot to prove. Sometimes you don't know how she makes it through, being as beat on as she is.
I have every intention of reading the first four novels in this series, wanting to get to know the real history of Luna. The book was a good stand-alone novel, so don't feel put off if you haven't read the first ones. This is a good writer and I will most likely be adding more of her books to my ever-growing TBR pile.

http://www.caitlinkittredge.com/

Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin

2010-07-16T04:00:00.000-07:00

Elizabeth (Lizzie, Liz) Hall awakens to find herself on the bottom bunk in a cabin on a ship called the S.S. Nile. On the top bunk is a young African American girl with beautiful braids and Liz believes that she is dreaming and that Thandi, the girl with the braids, is a queen.
Liz learns the truth slowly, that she had died on Earth and is being transported to her life on Elsewhere. She learns that time travels backwards on Elsewhere and you get younger, rather than older. She meets her grandmother, who passed away on Earth before Liz was born.
We follow Liz through her ups and downs on Elsewhere. She meets her favorite rock star and has the ability to talk to the people on Earth, with consequences.
The book was a little short on story. I think that with this idea, so much more could have been done with developing more characterization and plot. The premise of the plot was good, just don't think that it was taken as far as it could have been.

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

2010-07-10T04:52:00.000-07:00

Melinda begins high school as the outcast who called the police to a party that took place in the summer before the start of school. She has never been asked why she called the police and her best friends have abandoned her.
Melinda carries a very real secret with a lot of pain involved. She is holding back speaking to most people and her grades and social life come to a dismal fall.
Melinda has quite the personality, something that the reader is aware of, but not necessarily the people that she deals with.
This book is very well written, you really do feel Melinda's pain, you just don't know the reason behind it until the end of the book. So sad that people she considered her friends don't bother to try to find out the reasoning behind her call to 911.
Says so much about the torment that is adolescence, the hormonal changes and angst to becoming one's self.

Detectives Don't Wear Seat Belts by Cici McNair

2010-07-05T12:16:00.000-07:00

This book was sent to me for review for Bestsellersworld.

Clarissa "Cici" McNair grows up in the southern United States with a mother who is artistic and fun, and a father who really hates his daughter, the reason is never really explained.
She is a woman who has a real flair for flights-of-fancy and leaves her home and travels to Europe and basically lives on the wings of prayers.
She holds many different kinds of positions in her travels, from being an author, working at the Vatican radio station, etc.
She comes back to the United States to live with her mother and decides thqt she would be interested in becoming a Private Detective. She phones from the yellow pages a bunch of P.I. firms and wants to be hired, with no P.I. or law enforcement experience. She does just that.
She falls into becoming a P.I. and learning the business as she goes along. It seems to fit like a glove and she becomes very good at it.
The stories are interesting, if they had a beginning and an ending. We never really learn a lot about some of them, maybe because of a legal reason.
The book skips around a lot and often becomes hard to follow. You can never catch up with which agency she is working with or what city she is in. I think a little more continuity to the book would have helped to make it more enjoyable, but you have to give the woman a lot of credit for tackling life and dreams with such gusto.

Of Lights in the Night: Friends & Adventure by Sean Noonan

2010-06-18T13:44:00.000-07:00

Elannah and Sam have just enjoyed a wonderful evening with their parents, watching fireworks. They are snug in their beds and sleeping.
They are now, in their dreams, on their new bikes and racing through the sky to meet up with their friend Rodger the Badger. Rodger informs them of a fireworks display being put on by the Great Wizard Grumphspawn, the best ever seen.
We are treated to the display in wonderful prose. Through the mind of a child, you can envision the beautiful displays taking place for the crowd that has gathered.

The story is complete with a love of family, with each child displaying many emotions, especially love and kindness toward each other and others. This is definitely a positive story with great adventure and well worth the read. You will be captivated by the descriptive language and the true emotions portrayed.
The drawings by Sean Noonan's young daughter are very well done and encompass the story well.
I will look forward to the next installments and the new adventures of Elannah & Sam.

2010-06-18T09:57:00.000-07:00

This book was sent to me from Romance Junkies for review.

Unleashed by Katie MacAlister
Jas is an animal control officer in for quite a turn as she discovers a jaguar who is not all that he appears to be.

Cat Scratch Fever by Connie Brockway
An aging orange tiger cat plays the lead role in the pairing of a widowed father and a socially inept geneticist.

A Cat's Game by Vicki Lewis Thompson
Hollywood's hottest actor and his past girlfriend from high school meet again and have some dealings with a blue-eyed, leash walking cat.

These stories were all very endearing and fun to read.

http://katiemacalister.com/
http://conniebrockway.com/
http://vickilewisthompson.com/

2010-06-12T13:32:00.000-07:00

This book was sent to me from Bestsellersworld for review.

Haven Moore is living in Snope City, Tennessee with her widowed mother and her very controlling grandmother in her grandmother's very stately home. She is an outcast at school and creates beautiful dresses for her classmates with her best friend, Beau, who is also kind of an outcast, as he is gay.
Haven has experienced fainting spells since she was 4 years old. During these spells, she relives a past life as Constance. She is in love with Ethan in her spells.
Haven discovers that her father had been writing down and researching things for himself about reincarnation and the Outoboros Society in New York. The Society helps those that have experienced past lives bring talent and good things to the world.
Haven leaves her small town and goes to New York to find her past love. She finds him and the Society. Things from there in this book get extremely muddy.
We follow Haven as she finds her past love and tries to understand the Society that is supposed to help those who have experienced past lives. Unfortunately, life does not always run smoothly, and we find that there is evil in all forms.
I found the book to be well-written, just that at certain points it got fuzzy. You were never too sure if people were good, bad or just indifferent. Thought the book could have been a little less complicated.

2010-06-01T16:37:00.000-07:00

This book was sent to me via Romance Junkies for review.

Jeri Devlin is being fired from her job as an advertising executive for Dore' Advertising Agency in California. Her brother has been missing for 5 months, and her heart is really with him.
She goes to New York and installs herself in the same room that he was in when he disappeared. She tries the bed massager and wakes up in 1929.
She adjusts well to living in that era and falls in love with a gentleman who has quite a reputation, Lex Rose. They have their tribulations, but Jeri is definitely in love.
This novel was very well researched and was a pretty fun read. The descriptions of the life style and the clothing were fantastic.
You definitely know that Jeri is from our time, as she thinks and acts more independent than the women of the era she is visiting. Really fun to compare the old times with all of the changes that the world has gone through since that era.

http://jillshure.com/

Only The Lonely by Susan Gabriel

2010-05-15T16:32:00.000-07:00

This book was generously mailed to me by Laurie Saunders for review and I was absolutely thrilled to be able to do this for her and Black Velvet Seductions.

Summer "Solstice" Stone is a late-night DJ on WKZM with a show that is called "Only the Lonely". Summer takes calls from lonely people and has conversations with them and tries to make them feel less lonely. She is also a "Perceiver". She can tell when someone is a vampire.

Summer is on the air one night when a gentleman calls named Lucien. She senses that he may be more than just a lonely caller. He mentions things that noone would be able to know.

She meets Lucien and falls head-over-lust for him. At first it is just a tryst, but then becomes a love hold on Summer. She has fallen so in love with Lucien, irregardless of what he is.

This has some very steamy scenes and really makes one want to bed a hundreds-year-old vampire. Summer shows no fear about bedding this beast, rightly so.

This is a very good story. Well-written and definitely worth the read. You feel for Lucien and the trials that he has to live by.

http://www.susangabriel.com/

Looking For A Love Story by Louise Shaffer

2010-05-07T17:20:00.000-07:00

This book was sent to me for review from Romance Junkies.

Jake has asked to have a "talk" with his wife, Francesca. Francesca is coming off of a wild ride as a best-selling author about 2 years ago and has been approached about writing a new novel. Jake and Francesca were married with all the surrounding publicity about her first book.
Francesca knew and loved the fact that Jake was a photographer to the stars and the up-and-coming, including her when she was just getting known. She loved him because of his shallowness.

Francesca learns of Jake's goings-on with one of her best friends and publishers and ends up alone. She is trying without success to write another novel to compare to the popularity of the first one.

She gets desperate enough to advertise her services as a ghost writer for anyone looking to use those services. "Chicky" responds to her ad and hires her to write the story of her parents, who were performers in Vaudeville in the 1920's.

This is where the story takes off. We are drawn into the '20's and get to know the story of Ellie, Joe & Benny, all performers with different agendas for their futures. We are taken into the personalities, desires and politics involved in getting to the top of the Vaudeville ladder.

Louise Shaffer has written a very enjoyable book with characters that you really feel strongly about, whether it be you like them, disregard them, or don't like them. The story-within-a-story is the very best part of this book. You will have the pleasure of two stories wrapped into one.

http://louiseshaffer.com/

Rally Fever by Crea Jones

2010-04-27T11:03:00.000-07:00

This book was mailed to me by Laurie Saunders from Black Velvet Seductions to review.
Marly is raising her sister Janine's little boy, Peter, after Janine left with a biker that no one knew. This took place after the girls' beloved father left home with no word as to where he had gone.
Marly attends the Sturgis Bike Rally every year as an artist who paints leather vests, jackets, etc and has to leave Peter with her mother, who is a very bitter woman.
Marly is the good sister of the two. Rather innocent and naive. She attends the Rally and encounters Luke Grey, an ex-bike racer and producter of parts for bikes. She quickly falls in love, regardless of the danger she associates with most bikers.
Bad things happen to her sister while she is at the Rally and a truth becomes known to her that jeopardizes her trust in people she is very close to.
This is a well-written novel with some fun, some mystery and a good plot. I kind of had this figured out before the end, but that was just me. Will continue to look for more books from this author and will continue to locate more books from Black Velvet Seductions.

Have A Little Faith by Mitch Albom

2010-04-17T11:11:00.000-07:00

Rabbi Albert Lewis has asked Mitch Albom to write his eulogy when he passes away. Mitch grew up with the Rabbi, but had moved away and was not as religious as when he was younger. Doesn't feel good about writing a eulogy without getting to know the rabbi as a man, rather than as just a religious icon.

We get to know the rabbi as well as Mitch. We learn of his faith, his wanting to help everyone he comes into contact with, his life in general. His willingness to open his mind to other religions and faiths.

The book makes you ponder, whether a little or a lot, your faith and reasoning behind your following closely or not. Doesn't make you want to go out and purchase a religious tome, just makes you ponder and maybe sing a little, too.

http://mitchalbom.com/

I'm Looking Through You: Growing Up Haunted by Jennifer Finney Boylan

2010-03-27T16:26:00.000-07:00

I had actually picked this book up under the impression that it was written about a child who had grown up in a haunted house.

This is in fact about a haunted child growing up in a haunted house. Young Jimmy really wants to be young Jenny, with the dresses, underthings, and desires of a young lady. Written very well and you fall in love with the individual, whether at a young age as a young boy, troubled because he wants to be a she, or as an older woman after having gone through the change to become what she always desired to be.

Jennifer has an awesome sense of humor, reflected in her writing. She is a college professor and I personally would love to be in on one of her classes. This is a very impressive woman, who has gone through a very rough time gently.

http://jenniferfinneyboylan.com/

An Exact Replica of a Figment of My Imagination by Elizabeth McCracken

2010-03-12T11:27:00.000-08:00

This book was issued to me for review from Bestsellersworld.

Elizabeth McCracken loses a child and also has a child in this book. We are with her in France as she revels in her pregnancy, her first, at an older age. We are with her as she learns that the baby is not alive and with her as she goes through the birth of her stillborn baby boy, Pudding.
This had to have been a very tough, but maybe therapeutic thing for this author to do. This book will absolutely have you bawling and laughing, mostly bawling. Elizabeth McCracken is such a brave woman to have the capacity to share with us all of the emotions that she experienced during this rough & emotional time.
There is a death of a child and a birth of a child in this book. Both are amazingingly written about.

http://elizabethmccracken.com/

Damaged by Kia Dupree

2010-03-06T13:11:00.000-08:00

This book as mailed to me for review from Bestsellersworld.

Camille Logan is a young girl who has been abandoned by her mother and is being raised by her grandmother in ghetto Washington, DC. Her grandmother is not really able to care for her and she is entered into the foster care system and is placed in a home with the Brinkley's, outwardly a church-going, steady family with 3 boys.

What is happening inside the home is a far cry from the image that is being seen from the outside. The father is abusing Camille and her other female foster sister, Danica. This goes on for years and Camille meets a young man, Chu, who focuses all of his attention and money on her and essentially takes her in at the ripe age of about 15.

Life happens and Camille eventually ends up walking the streets as "Nectar", living an existence that most of us would not even know the first thing about. From there we learn about what it takes to live in that particular lifestyle.

This book was written so true to the dialect & lifestyle that probably pervades the seedier side of almost any city. Kia DuPree has done a great job of making you feel that you are a part of this.

I really felt that this book could have had an ending. The author left you with nothing. Is Camille's life getting better? Will she stay off the streets? Will she and Rob get together? There were absolutely no answers.

http://kiadupree.com/

Musings on Minutiae

2010-02-27T16:40:00.000-08:00

Weston Locher has written a cute little book about his life. Things that he thinks about and things that have happened to him, most on the funny side. Has some very humorous situations made funnier by adding his thoughts. My absolute favorite was about a covert spelling bee being invaded by the cops. This book is so much fun to read, you will finish it in no time and then think about some of the incidents later, when your life starts acting up on you.

The Sister by Poppy Adams

2010-02-21T09:30:00.000-08:00

Two sisters are going to get together after about 50 years of being apart and barely speaking to each other. We are going to spend the next 3 days getting to know their whole history.

Clive Stone is a well-documented lepidoterist and his wife, Maud, is quite the socialite. Vivian is the first born and is followed about 3 years later with the birth of Virginia. Vivi loves the work that her father does and follows him and learns everything that he can teach her about moths. Ginny follows more in her mother's footsteps.

There is an accident when the girl's are younger, with the fall of Ginny from a parapet and the consequence of that being that she will never have children. There is some consternation on the part of the family and friends that Vivi may have pushed Ginny, but we are made to believe that that is not the case.

The book then proceeds to get very lavish with lepidoterist terminology and it almost lost me as a reader at that point. There are way too many scientific terms and explanations than are necessary to tell this tale.

A lot of things happen in this tale that don't really have much of an explanation and that makes it hard to understand or "feel" about. I found the ending flat and don't really know if I was right about how I felt about the characters or if it was a total turnaround of what we have been led to believe all along in the book.

Poppy Adams writes well and the language is fun to read, just am not sure about the ending.

If someone reads this and can give me a little insight into the ending, please do.

Letters To Penthouse XXXVI

2010-02-13T16:50:00.000-08:00

This book was sent to me for review from Bestsellersworld.

This is a book of letters that were written to Penthouse explaining incidents of people and their sexual happenings. Whether they were written by actual individuals or not, they are just snippets of people having sex, whether real or imagined. You have people from truck drivers to the very highest of society. The letters are just that, letters about having sexual experiences. Not for the faint of heart or for those who would rather have their own lives and not hear about others having their own lives. Very, very explicit.

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

2010-02-07T12:50:00.000-08:00

This book takes you back to the anxieties of high school and trying to fit in, anywhere, during that rough period of life. Hannah is relatively new to the town, so probably more at risk for being singled out than her contemporaries. Incidents occur and rumours start flying, so she gains a reputation that is not deserving.

This book brought back all of those feelings of wanting so badly to fit in and be friends, with the dishonesty and backlash of teen angst. You will cry, you will laugh. Just hoping that teens don't read this and think that there is no way out of things. Those of us who have lived and survived the teen years would so want to talk to her and make her understand that life goes beyond that rough road.

He Crashed Me So I Crashed Him Back

2010-01-24T06:05:00.000-08:00

This was generously mailed to me by Bestsellersworld for review.

It is 1979 and NASCAR racing is not a sport that most of the country is watching on TV. On a very snowy Sunday in February, the country is pounded by winter weather and a lot of the major sports are not having games because of that. CBS decides to broadcast the Daytona 500 to fill up their time slot.

The fans are treated to the whole race, where in the past they were given highlights only. The end of this race was exciting, as a fight ensued between 3 of the good ol' boys, Bobby Allison, Donnie Allison & Cale Yarborough.

This started a trend in the sports reporting field to cover more of these races, because it ended with such a fanfare. In fact, NASCAR still uses this coverage sometimes to advertise itself. Who knew that auto racing could get so physical? Reporters were flocking to each race now wondering who would get into a fist fight with whom.

This book was definitely written for the veteran NASCAR fans. Most of the names that are written about in this book are either gone or retired and really not part of the sport anymore.

Mark Bechtel writes about the season and is very generous with the tidbits about the competitiveness of this sport and the personalities involved. Only a hint of today's NASCAR is exposed, as this is before it became the second most popular sport.

Well written and pretty interesting. Again, definitely written for the veteral NASCAR fan.

FROSTBITE

2010-01-12T12:13:00.000-08:00

Rose and Lissa are continuing their education at St. Vladimir's and Rose is continuing her training as a guardian. She is scheduled for a test with a very prominent guardian when horror strikes. The Strigoi are on the move. They are mixing with humans to eliminate the royals.
This book was slower building than the first one, but once you are involved, this is the book that will make you want to continue reading the series. Rose grows so much in this book, both mentally and emotionally. Strong character, but we can see that she has a lot of heart also.
The bond between her and Lissa is not as strong in this book, but the action taking place is outside of that connection in this book.
Was a little lost at the beginning half of the book, was going to put it down and start something different, but glad that I did not. Very good book, and again, will definitely keep reading the series.

http://richellemead.com/

Tell Me Something True by Leila Cobo

2010-01-02T05:24:00.000-08:00

I was given a copy of this book from Bestsellersworld for review.

We are joining Gabriella on her annual visit to her deceased mother's native country of Colombia, where the social classes are extremely seperate. Her Nini (grandmother) is very wealthy.

On this visit, Gabriella finds a diary written by her mother for her specifically. She finds things out that make her question her mother's and her own self worth.

Gabriella then proceeds to date a man who is the antithesis of everything that her mother's family is about. She falls in love with him and almost parallels the actions of her mother.

In my eyes, Gabriella was a little selfish and I thought that the ending could have been different. As well-written as the book was, I didn't really feel compelled to like Gabriella. She was just not that strong of a character.

http://leilacobo.com/site/home/

Nothing Personal by Jaci Burton

2009-12-16T03:34:00.000-08:00

Faith is a plain Jane working for Ryan McKay, who is an absolute hunk. Ryan must marry and proceed to get his new wife pregnant within a year to fulfill his grandfathers will.

Faith ends up being the new wife. Faith is still a virgin, so she is a little nervous about the whole contract thing.

If you read one romance, this is the one to read. Very light, but you are really pulling for Faith the whole book. As naive as she is, she is always faithful to her heart and to her true self.

Really don't read too much romance, but this was an enjoyable break from some of the heavier stuff that I would normally be reading.

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

2009-12-12T12:43:00.000-08:00

This is not normally a genre that interests me. I really liked the start of the book. Didn't feel the need to know about what happened before the beginning of the book, the characters were interesting with enough references to what compelled them from the past. There were mentions of the things that had gone on before and they were inserted very nicely without being really involved.

Rose & Lissa are best friends with different backgrounds. Rose is a dhampir (sort of human) and Lissa is a royal Moroi. These two races depend on each other to survive, with the dhampir race watching over the Moroi race.

Rose will be Lissa's guardian and is doing a very good job so far. Will have to see what happens in the upcoming books, but I believe that Rose will turn out to be one of the best, as her absolute love for Lissa is so strong.

Book is definitely written for a younger audience, but this one is so much better than others that I have tried to read, and could not get into.

Her Name Was Beauty

2009-12-05T12:38:00.000-08:00

A copy of this book was mailed to me for review for Bestsellersworld.

Beauty is born into a multi-racial family and is very loved by her parents.

As time goes and Beauty is going to attend school, her parents, Selena & William, are concerned about how she will handle school and how others will treat her.

Good short, lesson-learning tale.

I hope that Deborah Williams, MD will continue writing. I will definitely be one of her readers.

Men With Red Ties

2009-12-05T12:29:00.000-08:00

Received a copy of this book for review from Bestsellersworld.

It is obvious from the start of this book that there will be sorrow. Alina and her co-workers at a New York dance club have come to this country believing that they will get educated and find the man of their dreams and live a very happy, fulfilling life.

It seems that the girls' expectations of such are not becoming reality. They experience life and have affairs with married, rich men who treat them as toys. Hearts and expectations get broken.

Nastya Polikarpova writes well, as if she is taking words right from her heart to the paper.

Just makes it sad that the vision these girls are looking for isn't happening and that part of that is their own fault. Thoughts of being rescued by a white knight really are for novels.

The Last Bridge by Teri Coyne

2009-11-22T06:24:00.000-08:00

How intense this book is! Teri Coyne has written a book that is almost devastating to read, but you need to finish. Alexandra "Cat" is a beautiful young girl who experiences abuse by her father, and lack of compassion from her mother. The story starts where she is informed that her mother has committed suicide and we are learning the story from there.

This is a novel that you will need to have the temerity to want to finish. Pretty hard to read about the abuse of this child and not want the author to make someone pay for all of the heart-break and pain. Will not spill about how this ends, but the author sure did make you want to find out the finish.

The Keeper by Sarah Langan

2009-11-14T14:05:00.000-08:00

Bedford, ME is a dying little town. People are alcoholic, they watch Susan Marley like a hawk, and things are just rotten. Liz Marley is an unpopular girl until she pairs up with Bobby. Her sister haunts the town and we are given clues about why this girl has left the home that she grew up in.

Sarah Langan's first novel is quite good with language and schematics, but I hope that the second novel brings more of the true story to the forefront, as this one did not. Never really got to the nuts and bolts of everything that was going on.

Stairway To Heaven

2009-11-07T17:47:00.001-08:00

Well done book about the gravesights of famous and some not so famous musicians. Filled with little tidbits about the cemeteries, the stones, the lives of the interred. I am quite impressed that fans are still coming and honoring their "guitar heroes" many decades after their actual passings. Well done book.

2009-11-02T11:07:00.000-08:00

Corn Flakes with John Lennon by Robert Hilburn

This book was sent to me for review by Bestsellersworld.

Robert Hilburn grows up with a real passion for music and songwriting. Becomes a rock and roll reviewer for a newspaper. Has the opportunity to meet a lot of really heavy hitters in the music world including John Lennon, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Elvis, Elton John, Kurt Cobain and others.

The book was interesting, but Mr. Hilburn definitely has his favorites, all of which are great musicians and songwriters, but he has infinitely left out some other great artists from this book. He is entitled to write about his favorites, but I think that he could have included some of the other artists that "he" maybe didn't think were the best.

Interesting, with some great stories about some really good artists, but found that it really didn't include enough about music and what it means to others.

Such a revelation about MM (Marilyn Monroe)

2009-10-25T09:09:00.000-07:00

Sarah Churchwell has really done her research on Marilyn Monroe. Writes very collegiately, but understandably. Takes you through many biographies and fictional writings about Marilyn and all of the suppositions about who this woman really was. I have been a fan of Marilyn's for just about all of my life and never realized that so many opposing things had been written and had never really proved. The author proceeds to debunk a lot of stuff that people may take for fact, but in fact is never proven. Author writes well and, again, never states what she thinks are the facts.
"But we all believe in the Marilyn we choose, make up the Marilyn we require. We desire the Marilyn we want to have, or think we deserve; we identify with the Marilyn we think we are, or want to be." Sarah Churchwell

Finally checking back in!

2009-10-15T07:22:00.000-07:00

"Fences such as the one at the heart of The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
still exist; it is unlikely that they will ever fully disappear. But whatever reaction you have to this story, I hope that the voices of Bruno and Shmuel will continue to resonate with you as they have with me. Their lost voices must continue to be heard; their untold stories must continue to be heard; their untold stories must continue to be recounted. For they represent the ones who didn't live to tell their stories themselves. "
John Boyne
Dublin, 2006

Have been reading quite a bit lately, but haven't been posting about the books. Have read Easy on the Eyes by Jane Porter. Not really that much into chick lit, but it wasn't a bad read. Read The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton and really liked the writing and the story. Will definitely pick up another of her books very soon. Have been trying to read books that are on others wishlists at PBS so that I can give others a chance to read them. Have been getting a lot of my wishes fulfilled on that site and really am trying to reciprocate by reading the books that people are really looking for.
Am currently reading The Boy In The Striped Pajamas. Think that it is wonderful coming from a child's point of view. Have heard some reviews stating that they can not believe that this child was so naive. I personally think that a nine year old boy who has led kind of a sheltered life would be naive to all the carnage and destruction that was Nazi Germany. How aware were any of us at 9?

Some people should never be parents

2009-08-27T11:14:00.000-07:00

A friend of my daughter's is a mother of an 8 year old boy. She always sends him to his room and never spends any time with him. She lets other people believe that he is afflicted with ADD. He has never been diagnosed with that syndrome. She talks about how he has ADD all the time, even in front of him, which makes him believe that he has this going on.
Such a self-centered little witch!!! Really, really dislike her and her treatment of her son.

The Girl in the Green Sweater

2009-07-15T12:23:00.000-07:00

It is absolutely amazing to me every time I read a Holocaust survival book, that we as human beings can put each other through this stuff. This was written about her life as a child living in the sewers of Poland to escape being found and killed just because she and her family were Jewish. They were not even real practicing Jews! Very strong family bond with her and her family. Heartbreaking and really written as if she was still the child that was experiencing the terror. I found it so compelling that while they were living in the sewer with the rats, they made friends with the rats and that her brother made pets of a few of them. They learned how to live with the rats because they existed. Why couldn't the humans involved in the Holocaust have just tolerated the fact that they were Jewish and just different than other people?

Would love to go to the Holocaust Museum in Washington just to be able to see this sweater on exhibit. Having read the book could really put a history to the article of clothing.

We are closer to the end of the world than to that minute that has just passed by, because that is lost forever.

2009-07-06T11:13:00.000-07:00

Finished the Erotica novel that I was reading. Only OK. Guess I'm just not into that type of book very often. Have started and am half way through a book for review called Mind's Eye by Hakan Nesser and was pulled in right away. It was translated from Swedish and written so well! Guess it is a series and thankfully it is the first in the series. Extremely well written and has some really intense writing.

Weekend with my little girl

2009-06-26T10:34:00.000-07:00

So looking forward to the weekend with Victoria. Just a chance for grandma and "Little Girl" to spend some wonderful time together in a home setting. She means the absolute world to me and don't get to spend as much time with her as I would like. Just having a chance to let her run around the back yard, maybe visit with great grandma's, etc.

Finished The Circus Fire

2009-06-24T11:17:00.000-07:00

Finished The Circus Fire last night. Great writing by Stewart O'Nan. Guess I am a little disappointed that we don't find out who "Little Miss 1656" was, but really felt the anguish of people that were involved in this horrendous accident.
Am now going to start a book of short stories by Bret Lott entitled The Difference Between Women and Men. Sounds like there will be some good stories to read here. Will definitely let you know.

The Circus Fire by Stewart O'Nan

2009-06-17T10:07:00.000-07:00

This book is so interesting so far. Really draws you into the moment. At this point, people are just starting to watch the show. Such anticipation about this, as you know the history. Very compelling writing by the author and drags you right into the book.

Can't seem to find anything good to read

2009-06-04T13:48:00.000-07:00

Haven't read anything real good lately. Really have to find the time to sit and read for a change. So much has been going on lately that there doesn't seem to be any time to have to myself.
The last book that I read was a Y/A book named ...Ordinary Farm and was OK. Just didn't really have a great plot and was definitely written for younger readers. Have been trading a lot and receiving a lot of really good books, but haven't found one recently that makes me want to just sit down and concentrate on it alone.

2009-04-28T11:13:00.000-07:00

Just can't believe that the weather has become so hot so soon. Am so tired of taking care of Jeffrey and hate feeling that way. Just would love to have about a week with no distractions but some good books to read and maybe some cold diet sodas. So tired of feeling that life doesn't have all that much to offer, even though I know that it does.

2009-01-06T12:16:00.000-08:00

Just can't seem to wrap my mind around whether I will have a job in the next few weeks or not. Can't seem to understand why someone would come in and buy a business that is floundering. Am so scared of losing my home and any sense of stability that I have been experiencing (not that it has been really great or anything)!

Name your favorite book

2008-07-23T12:29:00.000-07:00

Please come share your favorite book with me. Would love to hear about your favorite of all time.