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Monday, August 30, 2010

Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading and it asks us to...



  • Grab your current read
  • Open to a random page
  • Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
  • BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
  • Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
Here's my teaser this week:

"Hey, all you sods, I can fly and you can't! A natural airman, in case you haven't noticed. And in conclusion, I'd like to add that I'm a girl and you can all get stuffed!"

Leviathan - Scott Westerfeld pg. 36

Sunday, August 29, 2010

Mailbox Monday & What Are You Reading

This is a weekly meme hosted by Chick Loves Lit (august host). Join the fun and post what you got in your mailbox last week!

This is two weeks worth since I skipped last week.










1)Various Bookmarks (contest win)
2)Various Bookmarks (bought on my vacation)
3)The Wake of Forgiveness - Bruce Machart (B&N FL Book Club)
4)Nightshade - Andrea Cremer (Library Thing)
5)In the Dark of Night - John Saul (Bought)
6)Devil's Labyrinth - John Saul (Bought)
7)White Fang - Jack London (Bought)



1)The Complete Patricia Cornwell Companion - Glenn L Feole M.D. & Don Lasseter (Bought)
2)$15 Gift card for Amazon (contest win at Cym Lowell's)



It's Monday What are you reading this week? Hosted by Sheila at One Person's Journey Through A World of Books. This is a meme to list the books completed last week, the books currently being read, and the books to be finished this week.

This is two weeks worth of books for me. I skipped last week's posting.

Books I finished last week:

One Season of Sunshine - Julia London
Sizzling Sixteen - Janet Evanovich
The Darkest Edge of Dawn - Kelly Gay
Radiance - Alyson Noel


Books I am reading this week:

Leviathan - Scott Westerfeld
Soulless - Gail Carriger
Mockingjay - Suzanne Collins (Audiobook)



Books to finish this week:

Leviathan - Scott Westerfeld
Mockingjay - Suzanne Collins (Audiobook)

Saturday, August 28, 2010

She's Gone Country Winners!!!


And the Winners are.....

1) StephtheBookworm
2)Booksync
3)Peechiekeen



I will be contacting the winners by email and you have 72 hour to get your mailing addresses back to me.

Congratulations!!!

Friday, August 27, 2010

Radiance - A Review

Radiance - Alyson Noel (shelf awareness)

Product Details

  • Pub. Date: August 2010
  • Publisher: Square Fish
  • Format: Paperback, 192pp
  • Sales Rank: 1,475
  • Age Range: Young Adult

Synopsis

Riley Bloom has let her sister and crossed the bridge into the afterlife-a place called Here, where time is always Now. She has picked up where she left off when she was alive, living with her parents and dog in a nice neighborhood. When she's summoned before The Council, she learns that the afterlife isn't just an eternity of leisure. She's been assigned a job, Soul Catcher, and a teacher, Bodhi, a possibly cute, seemingly nerdy boy who's definitely hiding something. They return to earth together for Riley's first assignment, a Radiant Boy who's been haunting a castle in England for centuries. Many Soul Catchers have tried to get him to cross the bridge and failed. But all of what was before he me Riley...

My Thoughts:

I got to say I enjoyed this way more than the Immortal series. Unlike Ever, I find Riley like able and a real treat to watch as her story unfolds. Even though she's not of our world anymore, I find that Riley still faces all the uncertainties most preteens face and I liked that aspect.

Bodhi is an intriguing guy and I'm not sure we've seen all there is to him yet but I look forward to seeing his character more in future books. Buttercup is just awesome and I like how Alyson kept the dog included in the story with Riley. It definitely added that little extra something special to the book.

I think this is a great start to a new series of books aimed towards the younger YA area and plan on passing this on to my 12 year old to read.

Author's Website: Alyson Noel

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Sizzling Sixteen - A Review

Sizzling Sixteen - Janet Evanovich (Ebook)

Product Details

  • Pub. Date: June 2010
  • Publisher: St. Martin's Press
  • Sold By: Macmillan
  • Format: eBook
  • Sales Rank: 75

Synopsis

Bounty hunter Stephanie Plum has inherited a “lucky” bottle from her Uncle Pip. Problem is, he didn’t specify if it brought good luck or bad luck!

My Thoughts:

I'm going to make this short and sweet. I just love this series. It is comforting to know I can pick up one of these books and find myself laughing out loud at least one time, for whatever antic one of the characters has done. While this wasn't my favorite of the series, it was a solid read and I look forward to more.

Author Website: Janet Evanovich

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Our Vacation to the San Juan Islands

Okay normally I don't post a whole lot of personal stuff on my blog. I don't know why, but I just had to share some pictures from our trip to the Lopez Island (one of the islands in the San Juan Island chain). My Brother in Laws girfriends family owns a small cabin on a private beach on Lopez and they invited us up to spend a few days with their family. I am so glad we went. I fell in love with the islands and can't wait to go back.

On the way to Lopez from Anacortes, Wa.


The ferry dock on Lopez welcoming us.

The view from the front door (the beach is literally 15 ft from the door)

Friday Harbor on San Juan Island. We island hopped over the day before we had to leave to eat some very yummy homemade ice cream.

A sailboat sailing into the sunset as we were docked at Orcas Island, waiting to go back to Lopez.


Lopez saying goodbye to us. This was our sunset on the last night we were there. It was breathtaking literally. Looked like the sky was on fire.

I fell in love with the islands and can't wait to go back. I had a cold the entire time I was there, but I really didn't care. I loved spending time with family and beach combing every morning. I gathered up so many shells to bring home (which I put in jars to remember our trip). We're only an hour away from the beach where we live now, but you never find whole shells there. Too much foot traffic I guess, but on Lopez our beach was private and the shells were everywhere.

Lopez Village is this tiny, quaint town with great shops, yummy restaurants and great people. My souvenir gathering this trip was bookmarks and I came home with about 8 or 9. We went to their Saturday Market and there was so much fantastic homemade stuff and yummy organic foods.

There is no hunting on the island and there was deer everywhere and bunnies galore! We befriended a local bunny who lived next to the cabin and I think we all wanted to bring him home with us. Though I highly doubt our 3 dogs, 1 cat, and 1 bird would have been too thrilled with the idea.

We had no cell service at the cabin (had to walk up the beach a ways to get messages from home). I have to admit being unplugged for 5 days was almost refreshing. Only checking my phone 2 times a day was nice. We truly got the opportunity to relax and enjoy our surroundings.

I've been home 3 days and I already miss the island and the atmosphere there. I really can't wait to go back and explore the islands some more!

Monday, August 23, 2010

Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading and it asks us to...



  • Grab your current read
  • Open to a random page
  • Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
  • BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
  • Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
Here's my teaser this week:

There was nothing between me and the ground, except forty-six stories of air. Oh God, Oh God, Oh God, Oh God...

The Darkest Edge of Dawn - Kelly Gay pg. 175

Sunday, August 22, 2010

This weeks Mailbox Monday and What Are You Reading...

Will be postponed until next Monday. We just got back from 5 days in the San Juan Islands and I am bushed and have so much to catch up on. Until then I'll leave you with this gorgeous photo from the islands...

Friday, August 20, 2010

One Season of Sunshine - A Review

One Season of Sunshine - Julia London (publisher)

Product Details

  • Pub. Date: June 2010
  • Publisher: Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing Group
  • Format: Mass Market Paperback, 416pp
  • Sales Rank: 25,819

Synopsis


Should some questions be left unanswered?

Adopted as an infant, Jane Aaron longs to know the identity of her birth mother and why she gave her up. Her only clue is the name of the small Texas town where she was born, so she’s come to Cedar Springs for answers.

Handsome ad executive Asher Price lost his wife, the beautiful, mysterious Susanna, in a terrible car crash eighteen months ago. When he hires Jane as the nanny for his two children, sparks fly. Jane finds herself falling in love with both Asher and his children, but begins to suspect that Susanna was not the perfect mother and wife the family portrays her to have been.

As Jane gets closer and closer to finding out the truth about both her own and Susanna’s past, devastating secrets begin to emerge that may be more than anyone can bear. Will the truth bring Jane and Asher closer together or tear them apart forever?


My Thoughts:

I wasn't sure if I would enjoy this one or not, but I was drawn into Jane's story almost immediately.

Jane is adopted and quite unsure of herself. She feels she needed to find her birth family even though she had a wonderful, supportive adoptive one. She wants to know where she comes from and she doesn't think she can move forward with her life until she finds out. She seems stuck. I can understand this.

Enter Asher and his two lonely, troubled children. They lost their mother 2 years ago and are in desperate need for attention and Jane becomes their nanny to earn a living while looking for her birth parents. I adored the children, even Riley and her preteen blues. My heart ached for their loss and it ached for Asher as well, who is trying very hard to take care of his kids and his struggling business. No fun for anyone involved. Even though I thought Asher spent too much time at work, it was very apparent that he loved his kids. Made it hard to not like him.

I found the book to be a heartwarming read. I found it easy to get wrapped up in the story and had it finished in a couple days of reading. I would certainly pick up another one of Julia's books to read in the future. I think she is a fine storyteller.

Author's Website: Julia London

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Wildthorn - A Review

Wildthorn - Jane Eagland (Netgalley)


Product Details

  • Pub. Date: September 2010
  • Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
  • Format: Hardcover, 350pp
  • Sales Rank: 305,681
  • Age Range: 12 and up

Synopsis

They strip her naked, of everything—undo her whalebone corset, hook by hook. Locked away in Wildthorn Hall—a madhouse—they take her identity. She is now called Lucy Childs. She has no one; she has nothing. But, she is still seventeen—still Louisa Cosgrove, isn't she? Who has done this unthinkable deed? Louisa must free herself, in more ways than one, and muster up the courage to be her true self, all the while solving her own twisted mystery and falling into an unconventional love . . .

Originally published in the UK, this well-paced, provocative romance pushes on boundaries—both literal and figurative—and, do beware: it will bind you, too.

My thoughts:

I don't often read historical novels but every once in awhile something draws me into one. I can honestly say, the cover of this book is what pulled me in. There's just something about it that makes you want to open and explore the story within and I'm glad I did.

This book started out with a heck of a hook. You have one character saying she's someone and all these other people saying she's someone else. Your immediately drawn into the mystery of Louisa Cosgrove. Is she or isn't she Louisa?

The story continues on leaving the reader grappling for clues and information. I wanted to believe her but at the same time, I was afraid she was really mad. Great storytelling!

Wildthorn is such a devastatingly horrible place and my heart ached for all the characters committed there. Such atrocities happened within those walls. All those poor girls! I just wanted to throttle the staff there. Makes you stop and think for a moment.

I will say, I had a bit of a hard time with the dual storyline going the majority of the book. It was like reading two books at the same time. A little distracting but in the end I think it really adds to the book.

Author's Website: Jane Eagland

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

CSN upcoming review

You read the headline right. I've become a Preferred Blogger with them and will be doing a second review for them. Hmm what to get this time?

We can always use some new cookware items like a le creuset cookware item.


Or maybe a heart rate monitor to use while I'm in Zumba class.


Or maybe I will go with something book related this time, like this gorgeous bookcase.



Decisions, decisions. Whatever I do decide, I'm sure it will be awesome. So keep you're eyes out for my review and in the meantime go check out CSN's webpage.

Monday, August 16, 2010

Teaser Tuesday

Sunday, August 15, 2010

Mailbox Monday & What Are You Reading

This is a weekly meme hosted by Chick Loves Lit (august host). Join the fun and post what you got in your mailbox last week!

I picked up a few more books this last week.





























1) She's gone Country - Jane Porter (publisher)
2) Radiance - Alyson Noel (Shelf Awareness)
3) Darkest Edge of Dawn - Kelly Gay (blog tour)
4) Guardian of the Gate - Michelle Zink (bought ebook)




It's Monday What are you reading this week? Hosted by Sheila at One Person's Journey Through A World of Books. This is a meme to list the books completed last week, the books currently being read, and the books to be finished this week.

Books I finished last week:

Linger - Maggie Stiefvater (audio version)
Wildthorne - Jane Eagland (review coming next week)

Books I am reading this week:

One Season of Sunshine - Julia London
Eat, Pray, Love - Elizabeth Gilbert (audiobook)


Books to finish this week:

One Season of Summer - Julia London
We're going on vacation mid week with family. I doubt I'll get much read but I'm going to try to get some reading time in.

Friday, August 13, 2010

Linger Audiobook - A Review

Linger - Maggie Stiefvater Audiobook

Narrated by: Jenna Lamia (Grace), Pierce Cravens (Sam), Dan Bittner (Cole), and Emma Galvin (Isabelle)

Product Details

  • Pub. Date: July 2010
  • Publisher: Scholastic, Inc.
  • Format: Hardcover, 362pp
  • Sales Rank: 184
  • Age Range: Young Adult

Synopsis

In Maggie Stiefvater's Shiver, Grace and Sam found each other. Now, in Linger, they must fight to be together. For Grace, this means defying her parents and keeping a very dangerous secret about her own well-being. For Sam, this means grappling with his werewolf past . . . and figuring out a way to survive into the future. Add into the mix a new wolf named Cole, whose own past has the potential to destroy the whole pack. And Isabelle, who already lost her brother to the wolves . . . and is nonetheless drawn to Cole.

At turns harrowing and euphoric, Linger is a spellbinding love story that explores both sides of love - the light and the dark, the warm and the cold - in a way you will never forget.

My Thoughts:

Lets just start with I love the new Sam narrator! He sounds more his age than the other one. Jenna is just as good as she was in Shiver, and I love the two new narrators for Cole and Isabelle, Dan and Emma. Oh I almost forgot to mention Sam sings in the audiobook, really sings. I thought that was very cool aspect they added in.

Linger continues on with Maggie's lyrical writing style. There's just something about it that draws me in. Maybe my love of wolves in general help out a bit but I just love this series. Parts of this book had me literally on the edge of my seat.

I'm loving the addition of Cole and enjoyed getting to know him some. I kinda missed the other wolves we got to know a bit in the first one. It's not like they're not there, they're just more in the background this time.

If I had any gripe, it would be about Grace's parents. Last book they couldn't be bothered and now they've done a complete 360? Kind of seems unrealistic and it was a bit annoying at times. Other than that, I loved the book.

~EDIT~ I wrote this right after I finished it a couple days ago. Now that I've had time to think about it, maybe her parents 360 isn't all that surprising. As a parent watching my oldest, who's going to be 18 very soon, I've realized he'll be out of the house soon. It makes you want to hold on even tighter. Maybe that's what Grace's parents are starting to feel.~


Author's Website: Maggie Stiefvater

Thursday, August 12, 2010

Infinite Days - A Review

Infinite Days - Rebecca Maizel (Publisher)

Product Details

  • Pub. Date: August 2010
  • Publisher: St. Martin's Press
  • Format: Paperback, 336pp
  • Sales Rank: 20,780

Synopsis

"Throughout all my histories, I found no one I loved more than you...no one."

Those were some of Rhode's last words to me. The last time he would pronounce his love. The last time I would see his face.

It was the first time in 592 years I could take a breath. Lay in the sun. Taste.

Rhode sacrificed himself so I, Lenah Beaudonte, could be human again. So I could stop the blood lust.

I never expected to fall in love with someone else that wasn't Rhode.

But Justin was...daring. Exciting. More beautiful than I could dream.

I never expected to be sixteen again...then again, I never expected my past to come back and haunt me...

My Thoughts:

This is the second really good book I had the pleasure of reading this week.

I found this book to be nothing short of great. The characters were interesting. The idea behind the story was unique and held my attention. Oh and the vampires? They're vampires! They like to kill and drink blood and all that good stuff. Don't get me wrong I love most of the vampire books out these days but I have to admit I missed vampires being vampires.

I enjoyed Lenah's character and watching her transform from blood thirsty vampire to human and regaining her sense of humanity. It's not a transformation we normally see these days in vampire books. It's usually the other way around. It was a refreshing change of pace.

I liked most of the characters. Tony being one of my absolute favorites. He's a painter and he painted a picture I wish I could really see. Just hearing about it makes me long to see it come to life.

Also I have to say I was caught off guard more than once with stuff that happened. By the end of a book, I usually have a good idea of how it will all play out. Not this time. I was surprised by a few things that happened. Admittedly this added to my enjoyment.

Author's Blog: Rebecca Maizel

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. WOW spotlights forthcoming titles that we absolutely can't wait to read.

It's been awhile since I've participated in this one.


Secrets and Shadows - Shannon Delany

Release date: February 15, 2011


I just read 13 to Life not too long ago and just loved it. I just found out when this book was going to be released, so of course I had to use it for a WoW posting.

Monday, August 9, 2010

Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading and it asks us to...



  • Grab your current read
  • Open to a random page
  • Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
  • BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
  • Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
Here's my teaser this week:

I release you..
I release you, Lenah Beaudonte.
Believe...and be free.

Those were the last words I can remember. But they were formless, said by someone whose voice I did not recognize.

Infinite Days - Rebecca Maizel pg1 (arc copy, subject to change)

Sunday, August 8, 2010

Mailbox Monday & What Are You Reading

This is a weekly meme hosted by Chick Loves Lit (august host). Join the fun and post what you got in your mailbox last week!

Only one book this week, which with the amount of books in my TBR pile, is just fine with me lol.





























1) Italian for Beginners - Kristin Harmel (PBS)

My cat so nicely posed with the book today. Eboneezer is her name, but in reality we call her cat or kitten. She answers to all three. Heck she'd probably answer to anything if it meant you had friendly pettings in store for her. She is extremely social.




It's Monday What are you reading this week? Hosted by Sheila at One Person's Journey Through A World of Books. This is a meme to list the books completed last week, the books currently being read, and the books to be finished this week.

Books I finished last week:

Crescendo - Becca Fitzpatrick
Infinite Days - Rebecca Maizel (review to come this week)
Billy Blockade - Stephen King

Currently Reading:

Linger - Maggie Stiefvater audiobook
Wildthorne - Jane Eagland



Books to Finish this Week:

Linger - Maggie Stiefvater audiobook

Friday, August 6, 2010

Water for Elephants Audiobook - A Review

Water for Elephants - Sara Gruen (my library Audiobook)

Narrated by: John Randolph Jones and David LeDoux

Product Details

  • Pub. Date: November 2009
  • Publisher: HighBridge Company
  • Format: Compact Disc
  • Sales Rank: 17,580


Synopsis

As a young man, Jacob Jankowski was tossed by fate onto a rickety train that was home to the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth. It was the early part of the great Depression, and for Jacob, now ninety, the circus world he remembers was both his salvation and a living hell. A veterinary student just shy of a degree, he was put in charge of caring for the circus menagerie. It was there that he met Marlena, the beautiful equestrian star married to August, the charismatic but twisted animal trainer. And he met Rosie, an untrainable elephant who was the great gray hope for this third-rate traveling show. The bond that grew among this unlikely trio was one of love and trust, and, ultimately, it was their only hope for survival.

My Thoughts:

This was a good audiobook. The narrators were excellent and drew me into the story easily. Listening to both narrators reading the young Jacob and the old Jacob was wonderful. It's something that wouldn't have worked well for me had I read the book.

This isn't one of those fast paced books that keeps you on edge the whole time. Instead it's one of those books that slowly draws you in and keeps your attention to the end. I enjoyed hearing about Jacob's life in the circus. I loved Rosie! Probably my favorite character in the book even if she's just an elephant heh.

I'm having a hard time writing this review though and I'm not sure why. I enjoyed the book but it's not one of those books that has you screaming from the top of the mountains but I would have no problem recommending it to anyone.

Author's Website: Sara Gruen

Thursday, August 5, 2010

Crescendo - A Review

Crescendo - Becca Fitzpatrick (publisher)

Product Details

  • Pub. Date: October 2010
  • Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
  • Format: Hardcover, 432pp
  • Sales Rank: 5,585
  • Age Range: Young Adult

Synopsis

The sequel to the New York Times Best selling phenomenon, Hush, Hush!

Nora should have know her life was far from perfect. Despite starting a relationship with her guardian angel, Patch (who, title aside, can be described anything but angelic), and surviving an attempt on her life, things are not looking up. Patch is starting to pull away and Nora can't figure out if it's for her best interest or if his interest has shifted to her arch-enemy Marcie Millar. Not to mention that Nora is haunted by images of her father and she becomes obsessed with finding out what really happened to him that night he left for Portland and never came home.

The farther Nora delves into the mystery of her father's death, the more she comes to question if her Nephilim blood line has something to do with it as well as why she seems to be in danger more than the average girl. Since Patch isn't answering her questions and seems to be standing in her way, she has to start finding the answers on her own. Relying too heavily on the fact that she has a guardian angel puts Nora at risk again and again. But can she really count on Patch or is he hiding secrets darker than she can even imagine?


My Thoughts:

Wow oh wow. I loved this book!

I was sent on a roller coaster ride of emotions all the way through this book and they never let up. Right on down to the last page even. That doesn't happen often.

Once again Becca pulled me right into Nora's story and kept me guessing and trying to figure out just what the heck was going on. I spent most of the book either making guesses or being ticked at one character or another or just plain not sure.

The plot is nothing short of fantastic. Full of twists and turns. I was left wondering which was was up a couple of times. It was like trying to piece together a big, confusing puzzle. I was never quite sure which piece fit where.

In conclusion, I loved it. I Want more. I didn't want it to end. I think anyone who enjoyed Hush, Hush will feel the same way I do. When it's released, go get it, you won't regret it.

Author's Website: Becca Fitzpatrick

Monday, August 2, 2010

Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading and it asks us to...



  • Grab your current read
  • Open to a random page
  • Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
  • BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
  • Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
Here's my teaser this week:

Weeks ushers me into a high-ceilinged, narrow room with a stone floor. It has a row of windows like slits, high up in one wall, and along the opposite wall are shelves stacked with linen. A musty smell pricks my nose, a smell of unwashed clothes and damp.

Wildthorne - Jane Eagland (this is in ebook format unsure of exact page. Also it's an arc teaser subject to change on final printing.)

Sunday, August 1, 2010

Mailbox Monday & What Are You Reading


This is a weekly meme hosted by Chick Loves Lit (august host). Join the fun and post what you got in your mailbox last week!

Only a couple this week.
























  1. Perfect Nightmare - John Saul (bought)
  2. Touching Darkness - Scott Westerfeld (bought)


It's Monday What are you reading this week? Hosted by Sheila at One Person's Journey Through A World of Books. This is a meme to list the books completed last week, the books currently being read, and the books to be finished this week.

Books I finished last week:
The Mermaid's Mirror - L.K. Madigan
Water For Elephants - Sara Gruen Audiobook


Currently Reading:

Crescendo - Becca Fitzpatrick
Linger - Maggie Stiefvater audiobook




Books to Finish this Week:

Crescendo - Becca Fitzpatrick
Linger - Maggie Stiefvater audiobook