Now Read This!

Current Blogging Address has Moved...

2010-07-11T18:17:00.003-04:00

I decided to move my regular blog here...

http://runningawaywithmylife.blogspot.com/

So, if you're looking for me, that's where I am!

My Regular Blog And Updates

2009-07-18T21:43:00.002-04:00

For anyone who still follows this blog, I regularly blog at the following address:

http://bookaddict2.livejournal.com/

This blog was originally set up for all of my book review stuff, but since I have been really busy working on the book I have not had as much time to read. I do get an occasional book read but not as much time to review the books.

Anyways, things are crazy busy in life. I have an introduction and a first chapter written and critiqued (by my good friend Leigh who is amazing at critiquing!). I am working on the next couple of chapters. Also, I am going to be on the local news next week. They are interviewing myself, my husband and my trainer, Tye to do a story on my weight loss journey. It's pretty amazing and scary and awesome! They are going to do the interviews and video on Monday and then it will air next week on WIS-TV 10 on Tuesday night at the 11:00 news.

And that's about it. Life is great and crazy busy. I am thankful to God for all of the many, many blessings He has bestowed on me!!

Just a Quick Update

2009-04-22T17:34:00.003-04:00

I am getting ready to do my very own writing instead of just reviewing what someone else has written. It's kind of exciting. I am formulating ideas and getting all my thoughts together, but expect to hear from me in the next year regarding my very own book that I am going to be working on. Not a whole lot to tell you except that it will be a non-fiction book and I am excited about it :) More later...

Go Be Jesus: Making Your Mark Through Serving Others by Tony Wolf

2009-01-09T09:51:00.003-05:00

It was a real treat to be able to read a book by someone I have known for quite awhile. Tony is a graduate of my alma mater, Roanoke Bible College. I was always impressed with him back then. He is a comedian and singer and just an awesome guy all around. He was always smiling and encouraging and of course could always make you laugh. I'll never forget his songs, Green Eggs and Ham and Ten Little Monkeys. I've always been impressed with his passion for God and his love for youth.

So, I picked up his book because the topic really spoke to me. I really want to be a better servant for God. This book is amazing. Intertwined with personal reflections, Tony really gets into Jesus and His ministry. He makes it clear that in order to truly serve Jesus you have to be willing. You don't need a Bible college degree or any special skills for God to be able to use you. God has already ingrained the talents that He can use through you to serve others. This book is filled with humor and honesty and challenges. Many people assume that just going to church pleases God because after all we have ministers and church staff to do all the work of serving others. Tony debunks that fallacy and reminds us that we are all called to serve. The greatest joy in life is through serving others, being selfless and allowing God to use us to His glory. People don't really recall those famous people who won academy awards or olympic medals as much as they recall teachers who helped them, friends who stood by them or people who have made them feel special and appreciated.

I love the message that our job as Christians is not to go out and point out everyone else's flaws or tell them of their impending doom but to serve them, to show them Jesus in our actions and our love. You can beat someone over the head with the Bible and throw all sorts of scripture at them, but until you model Jesus' love for them, their hearts won't be opened to plant that seed.

God has really worked through Tony's life and his willingness to serve others. I appreciated his candor in the book and his humility to point out his own struggles with his faith and maturity. I look forward to seeing what other ways God intends to use him and his family in the future. Check out his blog sometime http://tonywolf.wordpress.com/ or his website http://www.tonywolf.com/index.html. And you can find his greatest hits on iTunes (although sadly...Green Eggs and Ham is not on there!)

My Absence

2008-12-16T08:53:00.003-05:00

I have to be honest, I have be absent for quite some time. There's a reason too. I am not reading as much as I used to any more. I have committed myself to living a healthier lifestyle...not that reading is unhealthy...and in my desire to be healthier and get fit, I find that I have less and less time for reading. I hope to get back to reading and posting reviews next year, but I honestly don't know when I will get back to it. Right now, my focus is on training for the half-marathon I am doing in April of 2009. So, check back next year...but don't be surprised if it only gets updated once a month or so. I am keeping a pretty busy schedule these days! And if I do get time to read, it's not too likely I will get a lot of time for blogging about my books...if you're interested you can always check out my other blog that gets updated at least once a week...http://bookaddict2.livejournal.com/ Until then, wishing you tons of happy reading :)

Kitty and the Midnight Hour by Carrie Vaughn

2008-10-04T20:28:00.003-04:00

I love this book! It combines vampires, werewolves and talk radio...how much more fun can you get!

Kitty Norville works the midnight shift as a DJ for a radio station in Denver. She is a werewolf and is in the closet. When Kitty gets tired of stupid song requests, she accidentally stumbles onto a novel idea, a new radio show, "The Midnight Hour." Kitty becomes an advice guru for supernatural creatures who are having issues.

The radio station ends up loving the show and it becomes a regular thing and even gets syndicated out to several other places. Kitty offers advice to werewolves, vampires, and witches alike. Her show is a raging success.

Trouble happens for Kitty when she gets outed as a werewolf. A sexy werewolf-hunter is on her trail and the local vampires and werewolves are not happy with Kitty either. They all want Kitty to end her show because it is causing a stir in the human world and people are becoming aware of paranormal beings.

Kitty is a confident hero. She doesn't let others dictate what she does. She ends up being asked by the police to help with some questionable murders.

I look forward to reading more by Vaughn. The other books in the series are Kitty Goes to Washington, Kitty Takes A Holiday, and Kitty and the Silver Bullet. Also two books are due out in 2009...Kitty and the Dead Man's Hand and Kitty Raises Hell.

Moon Called by Patricia Briggs

2008-10-04T20:27:00.003-04:00

Mercy Thompson is living next door to a werewolf. One of her clients at her mechanic shop is a vampire. And her friend who used to own the mechanic shop is a member of the fae community. But Mercy is no average girl herself. She is a shapeshifter. She is able to turn into a coyote at will.

She is a competent, kick butt kind of girl. She doesn't take crap from anyone and tries to help others when she can.

Things get interesting and all mixed-up for Mercy, who normally tries to stay out of trouble with the rest of the paranormal worlds, when a new teenage werewolf shows up at her shop. Mac asks for a job and Mercy agrees to let him help.

Trouble follows Mac and Mercy tries to help by getting him together with her neighbor, the alpha of the local werewolf clan, Adam. There's a little love-hate thing going between Adam and Mercy (more love than hate!) Consequences end up sending Mercy back to her home in Montana with the Marrok (head of all the werewolf clans) Bran who just happens to have been the father who raised her. And we meet Samuel who Mercy had intended to marry when she was a teenager and there are still feelings there.

There's a great, gripping story here. There's a nice little love triangle. There's even politics, as the fae have come out (or been outted) to the human world with some difficulty. So, there's a bit of an X-Men government control issue here.

I found the story thoroughly intriguing and the book was quite hard to put down. I had to go straight into the following two books after finishing this one. In order, the books are Moon Called, Blood Bound and Iron Kissed. Briggs is working on book 4.

My apologies

2008-10-04T20:04:00.004-04:00

I apologize for the delay in posting things lately. I have been reading books that others might not find so interesting, medical books. I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes on August 11th. So, my life has been consumed the past couple of months with devouring information on my disorder. Also, I have been very committed to making lifestyle changes, including the way I eat and getting more exercise. So, there hasn't been as much time on the computer as there was in the past. I will be posting several reviews today of books I have read recently. I will try to get back to posting regularly. It's likely that I will be at a rate of one review a week. I promise to try better :)

Dead Girls Are Easy by Terri Garey

2008-09-16T14:08:00.002-04:00

I first got interested in reading more of Terri Garey's works after reading a story in the anthology "Weddings From Hell." She is very amusing and lighthearted and it was an enjoyable read. So, I ran out and picked this book up to read more by her.

Nicki Sands runs a vintage shop in Atlanta, GA with her friend Evan. When Nicki fails to answer the phone one night, Evan comes over and finds her having a heart attack. Nicki is taken to the hospital and Dr. Joe Bascombe is able to bring her back.

Nicki has never been considered average and no one would ever call her boring. But her trip to the afterlife has given her a new gift, the ability to see dead people. Nicki is now a magnet for dead people with unresolved issues. Try as she might, she can't seem to ignore them or get rid of them without helping them. After all, the voice she heard when she was going to the light told her that it wasn't her time and that she should do unto others as she would have them do unto her. Doesn't that include dead people?

Things get complicated for her when a friend sells her soul to the devil and Nicki gets sucked into this voodoo scene. And her new relationship with Dr. Joe is pretty complicated itself.

All in all, this is a fun and enjoyable read. I recommend it and am looking forward to reading more! Book two in the series, "A Match Made in Hell" is already out.

Seeing Me Naked by Liza Palmer

2008-08-27T13:24:00.003-04:00

I love, love, love this book. I love the concept of how we're never really naked with most people in the sense that we always show others what they want to see. We often don't let people see the real person, the core, because if we're rejected because of that, it's pretty painful. But this book is really awesome!

Elisabeth Page is the daughter of famous novelist, Ben Page. She is also the sister of the new literary wonder, Rascal Page. Her mother is of the Foster family. Elisabeth feels quite average and feels like she is not really a person, more like an extension of her family members.

Elisabeth is a pastry chef. She works at a restaurant called Beverly. She has a 5-year plan to open a patisserie (the plan has since become an 11-year plan going nowhere).

Her lovelife is complicated. She is involved with her childhood friend, Will, a journalist who is constantly out of town. Life is pretty lonely and Elisabeth seems to have resigned herself to this lonely life with her crazy hours at work and her strange lovelife.

Then an exciting career opportunity and an interesting man enter her life. Both are things that her family may not be too keen on. And both are bound to complicate her strangely routine life. Daniel Sullivan, a basketball coach, is so not society-bred and definitely not what her family might find acceptable (or so she thinks).

Will Elisabeth drop her guard and let Daniel in to see her at the core? Will she finally stop stressing over what her family thinks about her decisions and just do what she needs to? Can she step out and grab happiness for herself? Will she let her family see her naked?

Palmer does an awesome job with this novel. It's funny and witty and just a great read. Definitely worth checking this out. I am looking forward to her next novel with eager anticipation.

Conversations With the Fat Girl by Liza Palmer

2008-08-15T13:26:00.003-04:00

I rushed right out to get this the other day based on recommendation of Jane Porter. I knew I would not be disappointed. I finally got around to reading it this morning and I am so glad that I did! It was really awesome!

Maggie and Olivia have been best friends since childhood. They have struggled through life's ups and downs together and helped each other deal with the stigma of being the "fat girl." Both had weight problems but Olivia was more obese. Olivia decides to have weight loss surgery and slims down but decides that she must be a size 2.

Maggie continues to struggle with her weight and accepting herself and loving herself. Maggie and Olivia remain best friends. Olivia gets engaged and asks Maggie to be her maid of honor. Maggie feels unsuccessful in life and puts herself down alot. She is working at a coffee shop and is secretly in love with the bus boy there. She has a Bachelors degree and a Masters but when she didn't get the jobs she applied for after school she just stuck with her dead-end job at the coffee shop.

Maggie is a funny, loving and caring person. Her only real issue is her own thoughts about herself. The book chronicles her struggles and her relationship issues. She hasn't bought into the idea that Olivia has that being size 2 makes your life perfect. Maggie ends up learning alot about herself and life. She finally learns how to stand up for herself and you cheer her on throughout the book!

I am really psyched about her other book Seeing Me Naked and it's next on my reading list!

Bed Rest by Sarah Bilston

2008-08-11T16:29:00.003-04:00

This book cracked me up. Oddly enough, I was in bed resting because I was sick when I got around to reading this, but it was an interesting read.

This is the story of Quinn Harrison "Q" Boothroyd. She is a young British lawyer who is married to an American lawyer and living in New York City. She is somewhat estranged from her family and not very close to his family either. Life keeps her pretty busy with work and she and her busy husband are like ships passing in the night. However, they connected at some point because Q is pregnant.

The book is written in journal format by Q. She goes in for a routine OB exam and is told that her amniotic fluid levels are low and she is put on bed rest for the remainder of her pregnancy (3 months!) Q is used to being so busy she doesn't have any idea how to fill her time of bed rest.

Since she's lying still all day, she tries reconnecting with her husband, finding romance for her co-worker, reconnecting with her family, and provides some legal advice for a sweet Greek neighbor lady. She is also hoping someone will keep her stocked up on food, especially chocolate chip cookies while she is laid up!

You wouldn't think that one could get in much trouble lying in bed all day, but Q manages to find herself in a quite a few adventures. She also manages to figure out what she really wants out of life and who she really is.

This was an enjoyable read. Lots of interesting subplots and the main plot prove for a fun time! Bilston has a new book, Sleepless Nights, coming out in December 2008. I look forward to checking that out also :)

I've Been Under the Weather

2008-08-06T09:42:00.001-04:00

Just a quick note to say that I have been feeling under the weather lately. I will try to post again when I am feeling better. Hope everyone is doing well :)

The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch

2008-08-01T13:44:00.006-04:00

Randy Pausch--This man is simply amazing! I first heard about him several months ago when a friend sent me a you tube video of his last lecture that he did on Oprah. Since then, I have devoured things about him because quite frankly the man is one of the most amazing and inspiring men I have ever read or heard speak.

Okay, so on to his book. For more insights and thoughts I have about this man, please see my other blog www.bookaddict2.livejournal.com later today. I have been crying for the loss of this man that I have never met but desperately wish I had known.

So, The Last Lecture is about "The Last Lecture" that Randy Pausch delivered at Carnegie Mellon University. This talk is generally where professors are to consider their demise and what matters most. This was a particularly interesting time for Randy to receive this request as he had just been diagnosed with terminal cancer. His lecture was "Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams." It wasn't about dying.

Randy chose to give this lecture as a way for his children to have really known him as a person. He talks about brick walls in our lives and their importance, enabling the dreams of others and seizing every moment. This is not a lecture about dying but about living. It's about living life the right way.

I love this book and I loved his lecture. In fact, if you have watched the Oprah one, you really should take the 1 hour and 15 minutes to see the real thing...it's so much better. You can find it here:

So, if you want to read about a really inspiring man, who at the end of his life instead of saying "Woe is me" and laying down and waiting to die, looked at the past 48 years and gave his family, friends and strangers a reason to continue to hope and dream and a desire to live life better, check this out. It is well worth the time you will spend. In fact, you'll probably wish you had had the opportunity to know him too.

He died on July 25, 2008 leaving behind his beloved wife and three children (6 & under) and scores of people who knew and loved him and even more who knew of him and loved him. Clearly, he should have entitled his book, "This Is How You Should Live Your Life."

Again, for more details or my thoughts, check out my other blog. Also the DVD of his last lecture is available at the Carnegie Mellon website (http://www.cmu.edu/randyslecture/index.shtml) for $7.

Touch the Dark (Cassandra Palmer Series #1) by Karen Chance

2008-07-31T16:16:00.007-04:00

Cassie Palmer is a clairvoyant working part-time at a club in Atlanta. She does tarot card reading. She also has the ability to communicate with the spirit realm. She was raised by Master Vampire Antonio who abused her powers. She managed to escape and has been free of his abuse for about three years.

Cassie is forced to turn to the Senate (a bunch of really old vampires who make laws for the supernatural community) for protection when Tony returns to claim her back as his possession.

The Senate wants to make a deal with her for protection. Also, Cassie is fighting off a prophecy that she doesn't want to be the one to fulfill. There are assassins out to kill her and lots of mayhem!

This was an enjoyable read and an interesting tale!! There are two more in this series now, Claimed By Shadow and Embrace the Night.

How To Sleep With A Movie Star by Kristin Harmel

2008-07-30T13:48:00.003-04:00

At 26, Claire Reilly is the youngest senior celebrity editor in the business. She is entertainment editor for Mod magazine, a magazine directly in competition with Cosmopolitan and Glamour. She has a boyfriend, Tom, that she has been with for over a year. From the outside, it would appear that she has it all, great job, great guy and great friends.

However, Claire is currently in a sexual drought even though she has live-in boyfriend. She thinks it's just timing or her. She works with several backstabbing women who hate her out of jealousy for what she has accomplished. Her boss has no business running a magazine and assigns her things that make no real sense, because she insists that she must get her circulation figures above Comso's.

After handing in her last minute assignment to come up with 10 Reasons to Have a One-Night Stand, her boss tells her nevermind it'll be used in the next issue because you just got a one-on-one interview with the hottest male actor out, Cole Brannon. You have to meet him tomorrow for brunch and your article must be completed by the following day to have it edited by the woman who hates your guts.

So, she puts aside her plans to try and figure out what is going on between her and her boyfriend and fix it to get ready to interview Cole Brannon. Sometimes the stars are just regular people like us but then sometimes they are just not nice people.

So, is Cole Brannon a normal nice guy? Will Claire figure out what's going in her relationship? Will her nemesis destroy her? Will her boss get a clue about running a magazine? Check this out to find out all your answers!

I thought this was a really good book. It delves into the craziness of celebrity life and being a journalist at some of the big name magazines. It was a great read :)

Odd Mom Out by Jane Porter

2008-07-29T11:42:00.003-04:00

Marta Zinsser is a strong independent woman. She has no need for a man in her life, even to have a baby. Her nine year old daughter, Eva, is her whole world. When she finds out that her mother is gravely ill, she decides to move back to Seattle so Eva can get to know her grandmother. Marta runs an advertising agency out of her home.

Marta is not the average suburbanite mother in Seattle though. She is a working mother with a style all her own. She doesn't need Prada and Gucci, she is happy in her camoflage pants, oversized shirt and her chunky boots. She signs Eva up for school and signs up to volunteer and be involved with Eva's schooling. This is a disaster for her in epic proportions. Marta doesn't fit in and she doesn't really care. She is self-confident and doesn't need the approval of the other moms. However, Eva needs that approval from her peers and her mom's wackiness is not winning her many friends.

So, Marta tries to make the best of both worlds for Eva. She tries her best to understand why Eva is desperate for the approval of her peers. She meets and falls in love with a billionaire and then has to decide where he fits into her life.

This is a definitely a laugh out loud book! There are just so many witty moments between Marta and the other moms and Marta and Eva. I thoroughly enjoyed this. Jane has a way of just making her characters real and it's refreshing! I enjoyed getting to know Marta and the other characters. One of the characters from this book (Tiana Tomlinson, Marta's best friend) is going to be the focus of Jane's new book coming in July 2009. Check out Jane's book...you'll enjoy them :)

Arousing Suspicions by Marianne Stillings

2008-07-28T10:34:00.004-04:00

Nate Darling has issues. He moved away from San Francisco with his father after his parents split up over 20 years ago. His father is now deceased and he has decided it may be time to move back to mend fences with his older brother. He is a lieutenant with the SFPD and has been asked to investigate a claim against a dream interpreter who has been accused of being a fraud and of soliciting. Could this dream interpreter be his dream girl?

Tabitha March has not had the easiest of lives. Her father walked out on her mom and her. Her first marriage ended in divorce after she caught her husband cheating. She is a part-time legal transcriber and a dream interpreter. Her psychic abilities are tactile, she must be touching the object or person to get visions. When holding hands with her clients, she is able to visualize their dreams.

Tabby and Nate's paths cross when he investigates the allegations against her. Nate has an appointment set up under a false name to try and get Tabby to offer him her extra services. Tabby senses he is not on the level and ends up asking him to leave when he implies that he wants her extra services. Though they each find the other attractive, there is too much at stake for them to reach out to the other.

Next, Tabby goes to the police when she runs across an article in the paper about a recent murder that very closely mimics one of her client's dreams. There she meets Nate again and learns that he was investigating her. She is outraged by the allegations against her. She tells Nate why she is there and he, the skeptic, doesn't believe her.

Will Nate be able to bypass his skeptic nature and embrace Tabby's profession and her? Will Tabby be able to open her heart up to this man who doesn't trust her calling? Will they be able to work together to track this killer down before he kills Tabby too?

It's a great read. I enjoyed the tension between Nate and Tabby...a love-hate relationship. Also the back stories are pretty interesting like how Tabby got her psychic abilities, Nate's family issues, Tabby's family issues, etc. There are two others in this series, Satisfaction and Killer Charms. They also look promising.

No Posting This Week

2008-07-21T15:14:00.002-04:00

So, my family is in for a visit and things are just way too insane for me to try and post any reviews this week!! I can barely formulate any thoughts with all the noise and fussing and laughing and craziness that I have in the house! Those of you who are parents I am sure understand and are laughing at me! I love these kids and I fully intend to enjoy spoiling them while they are here! So, I will start back with more book reviews next week!

The Woods by Harlan Coben

2008-07-18T08:46:00.003-04:00

"I see my father with that shovel." When I read this sentence a couple months before the book premiered, I was instantly hooked. I had to know what his father was doing with that shovel! Of course, I read the rest of the first chapter at that point too, but I knew this book was going to be awesome!! There was no doubt in my mind that Coben had dished up another edge of your seat thriller and boy, did he deliver!!

Twenty years ago, four teenagers who were at summer camp walked away from their cabins one night. Two were found murdered and two were never seen or heard from again. Paul Copeland is still mourning his sister. He is the prosecutor in Essex County raising his daughter alone after his wife died from cancer. He gets drawn back into this when a homicide victim is found that may be one of the missing campers and clues seem to point to him. In addition, his actions the night that the four campers went missing are called in to question. Cope has lots to deal with including his first love, his mother's desertion, his family secrets and the rape case he is currently trying.

This book is great! My friend, Jess, had never read a Coben before this one. She was reading it because we were heading down to a booksigning to meet him and because I kept raving about how great he was. I still remember her response. She said,"I saw where he was going with the story but he got me in the end. I had no idea that was going to happen! That was awesome!" And so my rep remains in tact, read a Coben. He's awesome...I have yet to have a disappointed reader. In fact, the general response is "I'm hooked and sleep deprived because I can't put it down until I am finished!"

Bipolar Disorder Demystified: Mastering the Tightrope of Manic Depression by Lana R. Castle

2008-07-17T12:42:00.002-04:00

Okay, today's post is a bit more of the informational type. For those of you who don't know, I was diagnosed back in 2004 with bipolar disorder type 2. This book was an amazing resource to me and a great help to my family. Many people think that all bipolars can be lumped together and that's just not true. There are many variations of it and some of them are able to be treated with medicine whereas others have more difficulties.

Lana Castle is someone who understands bipolar because she has lived with it for over 40 years. She reveals details of her life and gives valuable tools and resources. But the greatest thing is that she lets those of us out there who are suffering from it know that we are not alone and there is hope.

This book gives great tips on how to better manage your life with bipolar. It informs your loved ones about the disorder and how to deal with it. I found great wisdom and insight in this book, but mostly I didn't feel so overwhelmed and alone after reading it. Before reading this, I was ashamed for people to know that I had a mental illness. But after reading this I understood that even though there is a stigma attached to mental illnesses that it was part of me and I didn't do anything to cause the chemical imbalance in my brain. I have since been through treatment with medications as well as counseling. Currently, I am able to control mine without medications and I hope that I will be able to continue this way.

If you or a loved one have bipolar and need that extra help to understand your disorder and manage it, I highly recommend this book. Also, try The Bipolar Disorder Survival Guide by David J. Miklowitz, PhD.

Demons Are A Ghoul's Best Friend by Victoria Laurie

2008-07-16T14:39:00.004-04:00

I love, love, love this series! I cannot wait for March 2009 to roll on around so I can read the next one in the series!

M.J. Holliday, ghost hunter, is asked by her good friend, Karen, to investigate Northelm Boarding School near Lake Placid, New York. Karen's niece, Evie, claims she was attacked in the school by a crazed man with a hatchet. The school and Evie's dad, however, think she has had a psychotic break or something because the security video feeds simply show Evie running for her life from no one.

M.J. agrees to take the case and the team, her partner, Gilley, and the newest partner, Dr. Delicious...I mean, Dr. Steven Sable, head up to Lake Placid with Karen to uncover the truth about what happened to Evie.

They encounter some opposition from Evie's dad and the dean at the school, but mostly from the evil hatchet wielding ghost itself. Hatchet Jack is no ordinary ghost and he's dangerous. M.J. is really going to have to focus hard to catch this ghost.

There's more romantic sparks between Steven and M.J. Gilley's ghost fears increase. And they uncover information on Hatchet Jack that was pretty well-protected.

I intended to read only a couple of chapters of this before bed last night, but I never found a good stopping point until I reached the end! So, I sacrificed some sleep, but it was well worth it. It was a fun and witty read and kept me enthralled until the last word!

Nice Girls Finish First by Alesia Holliday

2008-07-15T12:16:00.004-04:00

"Its hard to meet guys when you sell sex toys for a living." I loved that opening sentence and it hooked me! I knew I was in for a fun read :)

Kirby Green is VP of Marketing for Whips and Lace Manufacturing, a sex toy company. She is feisty and funny and has a bit of a chip on her shoulder. She's just had to fire three employees who weren't performing up to par and her boss rather than being supportive, questions her decision. He challenges her to a double dog dare and she accepts. The challenge, Kirby must find someone to say she is nice in the next 30 days or not only will she not be going on her planned 3-week vacation to Italy, but she also will lose her job.

Her assistant, Brianna, is a nice girl who is getting run over by everyone in her life. She dreams of being an opera singer. Her fiance wants her to focus on planning their wedding so she can settle into life singing to their babies.

Can Kirby find someone who thinks she is nice? Can Brianna learn to stand up for herself and her dreams? Romance sparks between Kirby and her boss...and Brianna and her best friend. This all makes for a very fun and interesting read! Kirby and Brianna both seem to think the other has an idyllic life.

The story is told in first person narratives from both Kirby and Brianna's perspectives. I found it be very enjoyable and fun.

I've read a couple of Alesia Hollidays' books before and always found them enjoyable. And for those out there that read paranormal romance...Alesia Holliday is Alyssa Day.

Scent of Darkness (Darkness Chosen, Book 1) by Christina Dodd

2008-07-14T11:00:00.004-04:00

Ann Smith is a down-to-earth, ordinary secretary who is in love with her handsome and mysterious boss, Jasha Wilder. Poor Ann only intended to bring Jasha a fax and seduce him. She has come up with the perfect way to get his attention...she has a makeover, laser eye surgery and a boost to her confidence. She is at his house to drop off some paperwork when she sees him transform from a wolf to a man. When she finds out he isn't human, it definitely quiets her libido. Dumbfounded, she is unsure what she should do and she runs, which of course leads to a chase!

When Jasha catches Ann, we learn the story of his family's curse. Jasha's ancestor, Konstantine Varinski made a deal with the devil to get about 150 more years of life, the ability to heal almost instantly and the ability to shapeshift. It worked pretty well with more children being born and raised into this pact. Then Jasha's father, Konstantine Wilder, fell in love with a gypsy and ran off and married her. They had 4 children and raised them outside of their family. The bloodline of the family is thinning and they aren't as powerful anymore because of Konstantine's breaking the deal. So, the extended family has decided to exterminate the Wilders to reinstate their power.

The only way to save the Wilder family is for four religious icons to be reunited. One such icon has chosen Ann. Now, can Ann get past the shapeshifting to help save the Wilders? Will she fall in love with the real Jasha?

It's a great story. I love that Dodd also weaves in some info from the next book to get you hooked early. It's a great paranormal romance. Currently there are three in the series. Book two is Touch of Darkness and Into the Shadow recently came out. Definitely worth checking out!

The Frog Prince by Jane Porter

2008-07-12T13:34:00.006-04:00

I love this book...it is a modern day fairy tale! It's so much fun and you get swept up into the story and the characters. Jane is amazing at crafting characters with whom you connect.

Holly Bishop is the proverbial good girl. She does follows the rules, is kind to others and tries to do right by all. She marries the man she thought was Prince Charming and was prepared to live out her happily ever after when he confesses on their honeymoon that he's not sexually attracted to her!?! So 14 months later, she has no marriage, no self-esteem and no life.

She moves to San Francisco to start life over. She gets a job as an event planner. Her boss, Olivia, is her polar opposite, tiny figure, outgoing, and confident. She takes Holly under her wing and tries to help her get back into life and she also mentors her at work to help her be a better event planner.

This is a good story. It's about taking someone who life has kicked pretty hard and watching them pick up the pieces and put it back together and come out stronger. There's romance and there's humor and it's a wonderful read.

You might have noticed by now that I love Jane's work. I enjoy her plots as well as her characters. She has an amazing talent! I look forward to reading more by her :)

What's a Ghoul to Do? by Victoria Laurie

2008-07-10T20:14:00.003-04:00

M. J. and her partner, Gilley are ghost hunters. They have been hired by Dr. Steven Sable to help determine what happened to his grandfather. There are strange happenings at his family's lodge (the site of his grandfather's apparent suicide) and Dr. Sable believes that things are not quite what they seem.

M. J. is a sassy, independent heroine. She believes it is her duty to help ghosts to cross over. Gilley is her partner and best friend. He brings much comedic relief. Dr. Sable doesn't speak English quite so well, his language flubs are usually pretty amusing. The romantic spark between M. J. and Dr. Sable is also pretty interesting.

I enjoyed this book. It was light and funny and I can't count the amount of times I laughed out loud while reading this. The writing is great. The characters are well-developed and the story is excellent.

This was my first time reading anything by this author and I found it so enjoyable that I intend to check out some more (as soon as my TBR pile decreases a bit!) Definitely worth checking out!

Sweet Home Carolina by T. Lynn Ocean

2008-07-08T08:30:00.002-04:00

Jaxie Parker is a successful executive in advertising and public relations. She lives in Atlanta and enjoys the high life. Her boss decides to send her on a pro-bono assignment to save his coastal hometown, Rumton, SC. The town is in need of some serious PR. It's inhabited by mostly older people and doesn't really hold much attraction to passersby. So, Jaxie's assignment is to find a way to revitalize this community. If she doesn't, this town will go broke and end up being a ghost town.

Jaxie learns that there is more to this town than meets the eye. The townspeople are fun and interesting. And she uncovers a history filled with pirates that could give this town just the boost that it needs. Now a businessman shows up and is trying to buy the land from the townspeople. He has other ideas for revitalizing that wouldn't be quite what the townspeople desire.

To complicate matters even more for Jaxie, a co-worker, Justin Connor arrives to help her. He was always annoying to her in the past, but will he prove helpful to her now?

This book has quite a bit to enjoy. There are ghosts, sunken treasure, family secrets, romance and mystery. It's definitely a fun read. I truly enjoyed it. Rumton, SC is a fictional town but after reading this I would want to visit it :)

I originally got this book as an advanced reading copy and sent it to my Mom because she was needing some reading materials while Dad was sick. She called me when she was done to say that it was very good and that I needed to read it too. So, I did. And interestingly enough, I met this author shortly after that at a booksigning. She's really neat and very interesting. This book was her second novel and she has since published her third. Her first book was Fool Me Once and that was also a fun read. Her latest leans more into the mystery side, it's Southern Fatality.

My TBR Pile & Currently Reading Pile

2008-07-07T17:18:00.006-04:00

Many have asked about what I am currently reading. Well, there's alot and there's alot in what I refer to as my TBR pile (To Be Read). So, here's a quick peek at what's in line for reading for me (in no particular order):

The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch
Into the Shadow by Christina Dodd
Twilight Fall by Lynn Viehl
A Quick Bite by Lynsay Sands
A Vintage Murder by Michele Scott
What Witches Want by Laura Stamps
Jacob by Jacquelyn Frank
Promise Not to Tell by Jennifer McMahon
Dark Fever by Karen Marie Moning
Dark Protector by Alexis Morgan
When Darkness Comes by Alexandra Ivy
Heartstopper by Joy Fielding
Sebastian by Anne Bishop
Belladonna by Anne Bishop
Kitty and the Midnight Hour by Carrie Vaughn
The Dream Thief by Shana Abe
Tangled Webs by Anne Bishop
The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory
Arousing Suspicions by Marianne Stillings
Same Sweet Girls by Cassandra King
Alone by Lisa Gardner
Moon Called by Patricia Briggs
Amber and Blood by Margaret Weiss
Queen of Darkness by Shana Abe
The Food of Love by Anthony Capella
Embrace the Night by Karen Chance
Iron Kissed by Patricia Briggs
Blood Bound by Patricia Briggs
The Pillars of the World by Anne Bishop
Sleep Softly by Gwen Hunter
Must Love Dragons by Stephanie Rowe
Sex & the Immortal Bad Boy by Stephanie Rowe
The House of Gaian by Anne Bishop
The Invisible Ring by Anne Bishop
Tacked to Death by Michele Scott
Shadows and Light by Anne Bishop
Dark Needs at Night's Edge by Kresley Cole
Wicked Deeds on a Winter's Night by Kresley Cole

and much much more! (After all, that was just a peek!)

And currently I am reading the following:

The Witches of Dixie by Laura Stamps
Weddings from Hell by Maggie Shayne, Jeaniene Frost, Terri Garey, and Kathryn Smith

So, as you can see I am keeping pretty busy. There's lots to read and some days I wish that I could sit and just read all day. But there's always something that needs to be done! Expect more reviews as I finish up the two I am currently reading, but I also have plenty of ones I have already read to keep the reviews going until I get through my piles!

It must be noted though that the TBR pile is an ever-growing thing. It is constantly having things added as I find new authors I enjoy or my favorites put out new books and such. I am addicted to books and I don't intend to do anything about it :)

Happy Reading!

Full Moon Rising (Riley Jensen, Guardian, Book 1) by Keri Arthur

2008-07-07T08:45:00.002-04:00

Riley Jensen is a rare hybrid of werewolf and vampire. She and her brother, Rhoan, work for Melbourne’s Directorate of Other Races, which polices all supernatural races and protects humans from these sometimes predators. Riley works in the office and has no real desire to become a guardian (a.k.a. assassin) like Rhoan. When Rhoan goes missing her guardian instincts come out and she goes into mode to find him.

Riley is also subject to the call of the moon during the weeklong period before the full moon. With this rising heat, her werewolf side brings out a raw passion that needs to be soothed. Riley has two willing werewolf partners that can soothe that ache.

Riley has to battle between the two pressing needs...to find her brother and to soothe the savage beast within her. And to make matters more interesting, a naked vampire, Quinn, shows up at her doorstep (she shares a flat with Rhoan). Quinn definitely has Riley's heart skipping a bit faster.

There are a few subplots working here, but again I am not a spoiler. All I will say is this, if you love paranormal romance, check this out. It's really good and the romance is hot!

The series has several books in it. Full Moon Rising is followed by Kissing Sin, Tempting Evil, Dangerous Games, Embraced By Darkness, and The Darkest Kiss. I am really enjoying the series and seeing Riley grow into her role as guardian.

Night by Elie Wiesel

2008-07-04T12:59:00.006-04:00

In this book, Elie Wiesel, who survived the holocaust and death camps recalls the horrors of those days. He talks about the survivor guilt that he has and the horrible things that they underwent. He questions how God could allow these acts to occur. It is a heartbreaking retelling of his life experience. You have to read this book with a box of tissues next to you because it will definitely bring you to tears.

Night is an awesome, emotional work and I fully suggest it to others. It will definitely make you appreciate what you have in life a lot more. There are two other books in this series (though they work well as stand-alones as well) Dawn and The Accident. I have yet to read the other two but they are definitely on my list of books to be read. I suppose, I will need tissues for that too!

Happy 4th of July! More book reviews to come on Monday :) Have a great weekend!

Don of the Dead: A Pepper Martin Mystery by Casey Daniels

2008-07-03T08:31:00.003-04:00

Pepper Martin has never had to work for a living. She has all the best clothes, Luis Vuitton, Chanel, etc. She has a great fiance. Until her father the surgeon is convicted of medical insurance fraud and ended up in prison. Her mother went into hiding in Florida. Her fiance ran away. Now, Pepper is penniless and has to get a job.

Pepper takes a job as a tour guide in the cemetery. It doesn't sound like a difficult job, you take depressing, morbid people out to look at graves. But with Pepper the mundane is impossible. On one of her tours, she hits her head on a mausoleum/gravestone.

This brings a whole new joy to her life...she can now communicate with the dead. And well, these dead are not quite so happy about not having moved on! So, now Pepper has to help the dead by finding out why they have not moved on.

Her first client is Gus Scarpetti, a crazy mafioso, who wants her to hunt down his killers! Pepper as a sleuth is quite amusing! In her sleuthing she encounters a hunky cop, Quinn Harrison. She also met Dr. Dan Callahan at the hospital after hitting her head. These two men provide an interesting angle as Pepper is drawn to both of them.

This was a light fun read. It crosses up a bit of paranormal romance with cozy mystery. I thought it was an excellent first in the series. It has since been followed up with The Chick and the Dead and Tombs of Endearment.

Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

2008-07-02T11:08:00.003-04:00

In honor of my hubby's birthday today, I am going to blog one of his all-time favorites and mine, Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman. This is a particularly fascinating story. It reminds me of an Alice in Wonderland for adults version (not x-rated or anything, but told on an adult level!)

Richard Mayhew is a normal everyday man. He's a good-hearted businessman who is engaged to a very demanding woman. One day he happens upon a girl in need and assists and finds that no good deed goes unpunished. From this point on, Richard is drawn into London Below, which is not quite the same as the reality he's been living in. He's torn between the two realities.

Richard encounters some interesting characters along the way. Door is the young girl that he helps that brings him into this odd world and puts him in danger from the mercenaries hunting her. Her family has been murdered and she's on the run and is trying to figure out why. There is also the Marquis of Carabas who is quite tricky and works on a system of favors. Also, there is Hunter, one of the best hunters in London Below, she becomes Door's bodyguard. Not to mention the mercenaries out to kill him, Vandermar and Croup, they are truly horrific beasts. London Below (also known as the Underworld) is a well-thought out shadow world.

I was quite mesmerized upon reading this and quickly found myself caught up in this story. Gaiman is a master storyteller and this is a classic story. I definitely recommend checking this out!

Claiming the Courtesan by Anna Campbell

2008-07-01T08:14:00.004-04:00

I loved this book. This was recommended to me by author, Jane Porter. This was Campbell's debut novel and I thought it was great! This is a dark historical romance. It's not your classic historical romance. It's edgy. I believe this book is one you either love or hate there really isn't an in between.

Verity Ashton has risen to the ranks of the best of the best as courtesan "Soraya." She has all the symbols of society and success, but it is all a means to an end. Men duel just to have an hour of her company. She chooses her lovers and the contracts that she accepts. And she will choose when to enter her retirement and leave "Soraya" behind, or will she?

Justin Kinmurrie, the Duke of Kylemore, has waited five years for Soraya's to be available and he pursues her wholeheartedly. He is granted a one-year contract to be her lover. After being pressured by his mother to find a bride, Justin decides to make his mistress his wife. But does the courtesan Soraya want to be duchess?

Here's where some people have issues. There is a chemistry between these two and it runs hot and cold throughout. The hero and heroine are not typical. They are flawed but that's what makes this a good story. This is not your innocent, virginal heroine nor is this your upstanding hero. You see the good, the bad and the ugly in this romance and perhaps that's what makes it so good.

I personally thought the story was compelling. The writing was amazing. I think Jane Porter put it best when she said, "Fierce passion, heightened stakes, an all or nothing story."

And if you like this novel, check out her latest book, Untouched.

The Blonde Theory by Kristin Harmel

2008-06-30T08:52:00.002-04:00

I was intrigued by this book after reading the back cover. I was looking for a book that was light and funny and just a good read. I got what I bargained for in this book. When I am looking for this type of read, I am not too interested in the story being completely believable...it is fiction after all. After all, most of what I read I am not likely to see happening here in my neck of the woods. So, for me, this was an excellent book.

Harper Roberts is a patent attorney who also has a degree in chemical engineering. She is a smart and beautiful blonde with a great personality, truly the whole package. The story opens with her facing a break-up with her live-in boyfriend, Peter, who claims she emasculates him because she is too successful. Harper thought things were going well. She decides then that she must not be girlfriend material.

We then fast forward to three years later, when Harper, 35, is still single since the break-up. All of her friends believe something has to change and they challenge her to a dating experiment. Harper should dumb herself down for two weeks while dating this would encompass her looks, her vocabulary, her wardrobe, and how she treats others. So her friends teach her to be the dumb blonde and set her up on many dates. Her friend, Meg, is getting recaps as she is working this into a story on dating for her magazine. What Harper finds out about dating and relationships is hilarious!

Definitely a cute read! I intend to check out some of her other works too. Prior to this book, there was How To Sleep With A Movie Star and her newest release is The Art of French Kissing.

Harry Potter Books by J. K. Rowling

2008-06-29T15:56:00.003-04:00

I am going to do this in an all-in-one post. First, because I think that they are all excellent books for all ages. Second, I refuse to go into a lot of details on the books because I hate being the one who spoils things. So, basically, if you are looking for intimate knowledge in this post, you won't be getting any spoiler details!

It's kind of funny how I ended up reading this series. Jason and I were in Hilton Head and his co-worker was raving about the Harry Potter books and the first movie was due out. So, Jason got interested and came home and said let's go see the movie. I was really reluctant (mostly because it seemed more like a kid's movie) and said "Nope, not until you read the book first!" So, we picked up the Harry Potter And The Sorcerer's Stone and we read it together each night reading a couple of chapters (though I read more!) and finished it in about a week or so. I admit, I was hooked. It's a great story line and it's fun and imaginative and definitely can take you to another place! So, from that point on, we've read every Harry Potter book together. And we do watch the movies too, but Jason has always thanked me for saying we had to read it first because the books are always better than the movies!

So, for those of you have been living under a rock, here's a synopsis...

Harry Potter has spent the first ten years of his life living with a family who detests him. The Dursleys (Aunt Petunia, Uncle Vernon and his cousin, Dudley) "inherited" him after Harry's parents were killed. They treat Harry with much disdain. He sleeps in a small space under their stairs and his life is quite depressing. He simply does not fit in and is quite isolated.

One day, Harry gets a letter from a place called Hogwarts (there are actually hundreds of letters that have arrived) and it announces that Harry is a wizard. With this letter, Harry is brought out of his miserable existence into the world of witches and wizards. Harry is a hero in this magical world...the one who survived He Who Must Not Be Named (AKA Voldemort), the evil wizard who killed his parents and many others.

Once Harry gets off to school to be trained to be a wizard, there are many trials ahead. He finally has friends and he is treated with love. Over the course of the books, you watch the boy and his friends grow and mature into adults.

Rowling created a great fantasy that children of all ages can relate to! Her writing captures feelings that children today experience and the characters are easy to connect with. It is not written so much as a children's book either. When reading it, you don't feel as if you are being talked down to. Life is not simple in this book. There is a battle between good and evil and there are casualties along the way.

All in all, I felt Rowling did an excellent job with this series. And I definitely feel that the books are so much better than the movies (and I do love the movies!). This is a series I know we will share with our children one day!

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr. and Eric Carle

2008-06-28T09:29:00.012-04:00

Okay, this is a special post! This is my absolute all-time favorite children's book! I remember this from when I was a child. It is also a must-have for any parent!

It does a great job of teaching for pre-school children. It works on colors, animals and rhyming. The phrases are easy for small children to remember. Children of this age love repetitive phrases and this book provides them. In fact, I can recall at the age of 3, my nephew was quoting it to his 2-year old sister as she was looking at the pictures while they were riding in the car. There is no story in this book, but at the age it is aimed children can rarely sit down for longer than a few minutes for a story anyways. This is an awesome book!

The illustrations are also amazing! Eric Carle's artwork is simply beautiful in this book! The colors are vivid and intriguing to little ones.

This is definitely in my must-read pile for children. In fact, I have given this as baby shower gifts or baby gifts very often. It is still a favorite of my young nieces and nephews.

And there are more now...check out Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear? and Panda Bear, Panda Bear, What Do You See? and Baby Bear, Baby Bear, What Do You See?. They are all equally wonderful. The Panda Bear one focuses on endangered species which is really cool! We happily own all of them (and have no children yet, but are ready for when we do!)

Brown Bear just celebrated it's 40th anniversary. Here's a neat website with ideas for classrooms to go along with it, but I think some can be adapted for one child also. http://www.brownbearandfriends.com/classroom/BrownBearActivityGuide.pdf

So, if you have a pre-schooler, go get this book and the others. If you have a baby, grab them in board book version! They are well worth it and will quickly become favorites with your children!

The Summoner (Chronicles of the Necromancer, Book 1) by Gail Martin

2008-06-27T08:12:00.005-04:00

When his brother, Jared, executes the royal family in order to become King, Prince Martris "Tris" Drayke of Margolan, flees with three good friends for his life. Tris discovers along the way that there is a little bit more to him than meets the eye. He has always been able to communicate with the ghosts in the castle, even though others could only see them during the Feast of the Departed. What Tris doesn't know is that his grandmother the legendary sorceress Bava K'aa has trained him to be the next great sorcerer. Bava K'aa locked those memories away until there came a time when he would need them. And now is the time that these memories are coming back to him.

When Jared takes over the kingdom, he rules the kingdoms through fear with his Fireclan mage, Foor Arontala, at his side. He decides that he needs a bride and to force Princess Kiara Sharsequin of Isencroft to become his bride. She creates one last excuse to stall the wedding plans and goes on her Journey with the Sisterhood hoping to find a way to save her father (who is under some type of wasting spell) and her land and ultimately avoid an unwanted marriage.

There is also much more to Foor Arontala than even Jared knows. He has his own agenda, like releasing the Obsidian King who had been banished to a Soulcatcher Orb by Bava K'aa after the threat he caused to the Winter Kingdom and Margolan.

Tris and his group are journeying to a place that will unlock the hidden memories and provide further information on his calling.

This was a powerful first book. It has been criticized by some for having similar elements to other books and/or movies, but there really isn't a whole lot of brand new ideas coming out in this genre. It was a very good book.

The cover first attracted me when I saw it in my recommendations from Amazon.com. So, I picked this up thinking it would be a good book for Jason and I ended up reading it first. I read this while I was in Houston with Jason. I was afraid that sitting in an office all day I would be bored out of my mind, but this book kept my interest pretty well. I have the second book, The Blood King, and hope to get into that really soon. And it looks like the third book, Dark Haven, is due out in February 2009.

There is a book trailer for this available here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BaaGqiXqiE.

HeartSick by Chelsea Cain

2008-06-26T11:55:00.004-04:00

Archie Sheridan is a seasoned cop. He spent ten years on the Beauty Killer Task force. He is captured by the lovely serial killer, Gretchen Lowell. He is physically and emotionally tortured before Gretchen calls 9-1-1 because she can no longer sustain his life. And then she turns herself in.

The book opens with Archie on medical leave and Gretchen in prison after striking a deal. Archie is addicted to Vicodin and Xanax and his favorite obsession is Gretchen. They are still connected.

When another serial killer enters the scene striking out at young teenage girls, Archie is asked to step in and lead the task force. Susan Ward enters as a journalist who is to chronicle the search for the killer as well as Archie's return to work and his relationship with Gretchen.

We are never really given a motive for why Gretchen killed the people she did or why she let Archie live. This adds to the suspense and makes Gretchen quite a villain because we long to understand what caused her to do the things she did. This book is bloody, violent and disturbing. There are flashbacks to Archie's time in captivity which are chilling.

It is an outstanding thriller and I look forward to reading her next novel, Sweetheart when it comes out. Be prepared for the violence, it is after all about serial killers.

The Five Love Languages How to Express Heartfelt Commitment to Your Mate by Gary Chapman

2008-06-25T12:29:00.007-04:00

What is your love language? How do you give and receive love? These are important questions when you are in a relationship. If you are not aware of how your partner gives or receives love, then you may not realize that they are expressing love to you. It's as if you are speaking two different languages.

The languages of love are quality time, words of affirmation, gifts, acts of service and physical touch. Some people are fluent in more than one language whereas others only understand one of them.

This book helps you to identify what language or languages you and your spouse speak. It will help you to be better communicating your love to one another. Keeping love alive in a marriage is hard work but it's even harder when you the love isn't being communicated between partners.

Alot of the things that Chapman says are common sense. Since we live in a day and age where common sense seems to be thrown out the window, this book is a good reminder.

I read this book when I was in college. I found it to be an excellent book and I try to find the love languages in my relationships so I know how better to communicate with all of my loved ones. There are also many other love language books by Chapman for specific relationships, like children, teenagers and there is even a Five Languages of Apology.

Kiss of Midnight by Lara Adrian

2008-06-24T10:34:00.006-04:00

Gabrielle Maxwell witnesses a murder and barely escapes with her life. She calls the police and reports what she saw. The police find no evidence of any foul play and even though Gabrielle insists she's not lying, she's not sure that she's completely sane. She does, however, have the photographs on her cell phone.

Lucan Thorne shows up pretending to be a detective. He is actually the leader of the Order, a bunch of warriors who police the vampires and terminate the rogues who are bloodthirsty murderers. Lucan is very attracted to her and is about to take her blood when he discovers a mark on Gabrielle which indicates that she is a Breedmate, "a human gifted with unique blood and DNA properties that complemented those of his kind." Taking her blood would have claimed her as his own.

Unfortunately for Gabrielle, life as she knows it is about to change. It is dangerous for her to be unprotected, especially when the rogue whose crime she witnessed is after her. When she finds out the truth of who Lucan is and what she really is, will she allow Lucan to protect her? The chemistry between these two is sizzling.

Lara and I became friends on Myspace when I was working at the bookstore. She sent me an advanced copy of this book at that time and I have been hooked on the Midnight Breed series ever since then. She is an amazing new talent in the paranormal romance field. Kiss of Midnight is the first in the series. Lara is able to keep her series fresh and gave a new twist on where vampires came from and what they represent.

So far in the series, there are 4 books. The books that follow this one are Kiss of Crimson, Midnight Awakening and Midnight Rising. Book 5 Veil of Midnight is due out December 30, 2008. With each book the series just gets better.

Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella

2008-06-23T08:09:00.004-04:00

This book is hilarious! I laughed so much when reading this. In fact, I read this while I was at my Mom's and ended up staying up until 3 a.m. to finish it. I couldn't put it down to go to sleep! It's great fun and definitely worth a read!

Samantha Sweeting is a workaholic attorney who is golden. She does not make mistakes and is in line for partnership. She has sacrificed everything to get where she is. In her family, it's all about being successful. Everything is perfect until Samantha misses a post-it note and ends up losing the firm a substantial amount of money.

That's when this book takes a hilarious turn. Samantha is frantic and out of her mind. So, she gets on the metro and randomly gets off at an exit. Her head is pounding as she walks around aimlessly. She goes up to a house to ask for aspirin and ends up inteviewing for a job as a housekeeper.

Samantha, in the midst of this headache, aces the job interview and gets some pain relief medication and asks for a place to lay down. She awakes the next morning to realize that she has accepted the post here and that she doesn't know the first thing about cooking or cleaning. She originally intends to tell them about the mix-up, but when she finds out that her career may be over, she decides to stick it out. How hard can keeping house be?

Her employers aren't too difficult to fool. After all Samantha can order in gourmet food and hire out for someone to do the laundry. The gardener isn't quite so easy to manipulate, not to mention, he's hot!

Watching this story unfold is enjoyable. There is drama and romance. Samantha learns that there are different definitions of success and that there is more to life than just work! I love this book and intend to fully delve into her other works soon!

Tuesdays with Morrie: An Old Man, a Young Man, and Life's Greatest Lesson By Mitch Albom

2008-06-20T07:28:00.003-04:00

I love this book because it's messages are simple. It's a reminder that in life, it's not the things we own but the people we love that make all the difference. I laughed and I cried but I really enjoyed this book.

This is a true story about Morrie Schwartz, a history professor at Brandeis University. He has been diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease) and is dying. A former student, Mitch Albom, who is now a well-known sports writer, hears about his teacher on an interview with Nightline (Ted Koppel). He decides to pay his former teacher a visit.

From this point, the visits become regular Tuesday meetings (14 of them) where Morrie imparts his wisdom about life to Mitch. He talks about living life simply and connecting with those you love. Morrie teaches Mitch how to really live through his dying.

This can be a hard book to read...hard as in emotional at times as you learn to love Morrie as Mitch did and watching him die is difficult for the reader. But it is so worth the read. What Morrie teaches Mitch is nothing new but little things that we daily overlook and forget in the “Busy”ness of life.

So, grab a couple to tissues and enjoy the read. It's not lengthy and the lessons from it are valuable. I highly recommend this book. It's been awhile since I read and I think it might be time for a re-read!

Amber and Ashes by Margaret Weis

2008-06-19T08:12:00.003-04:00

This author is one of my husband's favorites. He convinced me to read this book because he thought I just might like it! And he was right, I enjoyed it!

Some who may have read the Dragonlance series in which Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman write together may recognize the world that this book is set in as well as the gods in the book.

Mina, a cleric, is mourning the loss of her goddess, Takhsis. She believes her life is over and then she meets Chemosh, God of Death. He does not want her death, but her faith. Chemosh wants to be ruler of the Pantheon of Evil. Mina joins him and begins helping his rise to power.

Rhys is a monk who gives up on his god when he is brother falls victim to Mina's seduction and becomes one of the vampire-like followers of Chemosh. He, in turn, pledges himself to the evil goddess Zeboim so that he can stop Chemosh's rise to power.

There are several other interesting characters in the book, but the provide more of a supporting role.

I will admit that I did find myself on occasion asking Jason about aspects from the other books about this world and the War of Souls, but I didn't feel lost I just wanted more information. The other trilogy that you find some of the characters and other details in are from the Dragonlance Chronicles which includes Dragons of Autumn Twilight, Dragons of Winter Night and Dragons of Spring Dawning.

All in all, I found it to be a very interesting beginning in the trilogy. Book two is Amber and Iron and it was great also. I have book three Amber and Blood in my to be read pile now, so I am looking forward to delving into it!

Murder Uncorked by Michele Scott

2008-06-18T07:40:00.001-04:00

When I was working at the bookstore, I tried to read a little bit from every genre. I admit that I was not able to do that. Some genres are just more interesting to me than others...non-fiction tending to be less interesting for me. One of our customers at the time was really into the “Cozy Mystery.” Most “cozy mysteries” take place in a small town with normal everyday people and they generally do not involve all the gory details or adult situations/language that other mystery/thrillers might include. The hero/heroine is usually an amateur sleuth who gets involved for their own personal reasons. All in all, they are a fun and engaging read without the added gore and violence. So, I picked this book and gave it a try.

This is book one in the Wine Lover's Mysteries. I admit that I don't like wine and don't know anything about wine, but I didn't find that to be any problem with reading these. There are also recipes and wine suggestions in the book which is really cool.

Nikki Sands is an actress waiting for her big break and waitressing to pay the bills. She knows her wines and pairs them with meal suggestions well. Her big break comes in the form of a blonde bimbo on whom she spills a drink. Of course the bimbo makes a huge to-do and Nikki ends up quitting her job. Enter the hunk who was dining with bimbo...Derek Malveaux. Derek is the owner of a Napa Valley winery and was so impressed with her knowledge of wines that he offers her a job there. With no other prospects for employment, Nikki flies with him to check it out.

Once Nikki gets settled in, she notices something strange at the guest cottage and goes to investigate. What does she find...a dead body, Derek's top winemaker. Having played a detective on television, Nikki decides to do some investigating.

And there is definitely chemistry between Nikki and Derek. This adds to the charm of this story.
This book has lots of fun, twists and turns. The characters are charming and easy to relate to. Michele is able to provide information about the world of wine without making a novice feel overwhelmed. It's witty and fun.

Here's my note of interest: I have had the chance to correspond with Michele through our friendship on MySpace. She's really neat and her books are great. I was hoping to get her to come to SC for a book signing...of course, with her in CA that was a bit difficult to arrange. However, she did send me a couple of autographed books which was awesome and unexpected! I am hooked on this “cozy mystery” writer.

There are a few more in the Wine Lovers Series, Murder By the Glass, Silenced By Syrah and the upcoming A Vintage Murder. She also writes a great Horse Lovers Mystery series which is really good also. In that series are Saddled with Trouble, Death Reigns In and Tacked to Death.

Halfway to the Grave by Jeaniene Frost

2008-06-17T08:29:00.003-04:00

This book I picked up mostly because the cover was interesting. For any of you out there thinking of writing a book, big tip...you can sometimes judge a book by it's cover. Nowadays, especially with newer authors, the covers do help to sell the book. If your book cover is cheesy...it's not likely to sell as well.

Anyway, this book is awesome. Half-vampire Cat Crawfield is a vampire hunter. She is kicking butt and taking names hoping to find her father who destroyed her mother's life. One night Cat picks the wrong vampire. Bones is a master vampire who is also a vampire bounty hunter. After Cat is captured by him, they begin an unlikely alliance. Bones will train Cat and kill the vampires he selects in exchange for help in finding her father. This unlikely partnership gives us many laughs and a good romance.

The characters are well-developed and the love story is awesome. If you are a Buffy the Vampire Slayer fan, you are sure to love this! It's a fast-paced, action-packed book. I was really impressed with Frost's ability to jump into a genre that's a bit packed with the vampire books and bring us something fresh and new. So, if you like urban fantasy or paranormal romance, this is definitely worth a try.

Book two in the series, One Foot in the Grave is already out. Book three, At Grave's End is set for release some time in December of 2008 or January of 2009.

Hold Tight by Harlan Coben

2008-06-16T15:13:00.002-04:00

You knew it was coming...in fact, I didn't do my initial blog with this one because I didn't want everyone to think I was maybe obsessed or something...but here it is, my first Harlan Coben review :)

Hold Tight is awesome. It is great book that delves into the question of "How far would you go to protect your children while allowing them to maintain some privacy?" In this day and age, there are so many things that children can get into and so many ways for them to hide things. It used to be if you wanted to know what your kids were up to you read their diary or "cleaned" their rooms. Now, you have to spy on their e-mails, IMs, phone calls, etc. So, as parent, you have to ask yourself "Where do I draw the line on this?"

And that's where we enter this story with Mike and Tia Baye who are trying to understand their 16-year old, Adam whose best friend just committed suicide. As Adam has become more withdrawn, the Bayes install spyware on the computer to monitor him. What ensues afterwards is an intricate thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat. There are other subplots including somone killing seemingly random women, a child in need of a kidney transplant and a horrible family secret.

In his usual style, Coben takes these subplots and intricately wraps them up in a neat bow...just not the way you expect him to. He is a master storyteller and things unfold with no unanswered questions when the story closes. It's a suspenseful rollercoaster ride all the way to the end!

Give him a read and you may see why I am obsessed!!

Interesting side note here...I had the opportunity to meet him last year when The Woods came out. My girlfriends, Jess and Meghan, and I went to Mt. Pleasant, SC for a booksigning just to meet him. It was an awesome experience!! He's a very humble and down-to-earth guy. I am looking forward to the next awesome thriller :)

Here's a pic from our signing in May of 2007!

Mrs. Perfect by Jane Porter

2008-06-16T15:12:00.005-04:00

Meet Taylor Young. On the outside, her life is picture perfect. Taylor is a wonderful wife, mother, friend, organizer, etc. She has it all or so it seems. What happens when the image of perfection is shattered and others see a glimpse of what life really looks like for Taylor? You see the good, the bad, the ugly and the funny. This is a great book about real friendship and self-image and about what matters in life...not our possessions or positions.

This is technically part of a series that Jane is writing. The first one is Odd Mom Out and coming July 2009 Not Just A Pretty Face. The cool thing is if you pick this one up first you meet some of the characters but you wouldn't feel lost if you started with this one. My personal suggestion is for you to start with Odd Mom Out because I like starting at the beginning (I'm a little mental like that!)

As usual I love how Jane Porter takes us right inside the life of her character. She takes characters that you are not quite sure you connect with or even like and makes them human. She dissects them so that not only do you end up liking them, but you also see a bit of yourself in them.

This book is amazing! And if you like this you should check out some of her others. Flirting With Forty has just been adapted into a movie for Lifetime TV, due out around Christmas. Odd Mom Out has some of the same characters in this book but a different look at the mom whose life isn't cookie-cutter and how she fits into the social scene. The Frog Prince was an amazing look at life in the dating pool. And coming in July of 2009 is Not Just A Pretty Face. Jane Porter is a definite must-read for a thought-provoking expose, as well as a charming and downright funny look at life. It's interesting to be reading a book with a character that you love to hate and then you not only see a bit of yourself in the character, but you end up loving that character at the end!

And interesting note here...I met Jane through MySpace. I love her books and she has been a blessing to me in many ways. When things were really down last year for me, she sent me an advanced copy of Odd Mom Out so I could have some good reading and smile and laugh a bit. And this past Valentine's Day, she sent me a better gift than what I got from my hubby...a care package with candy and books...it was awesome. (I have a feeling next year my hubby will be getting me some books or something shiny instead of just a nice meal out! To be fair, I loved his gift too, but it didn't last as long as Jane's did!) Thanks Jane!!

Here's a book trailer for Mrs. Perfect:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EroXy12Mmgg

My New Book Blog

2008-06-16T14:56:00.000-04:00

Well, after a few hints from friends, I decided to jump right in an start blogging on what I am reading. I posted my first suggestion on my MySpace page and then was told I should have a separate blog just for my books. So, here it is. I will post my blog from MySpace here and then add as I go.

Just so you know, I have a habit of giving less information on a book rather than more. I hate to spoil books for other people and I love how some authors can pull you in to their story in the very first words and paragraphs. Also, I read a little bit of everything so you will notice that my taste can jump from romance to science fiction to mystery to non-fiction.

So, let me know if you read something I have suggested and what your thoughts are on it. I always love to hear what other people think of the books I suggest!

I am hoping to keep this blog rolling pretty well...I have come to a slow-down on my projects and hope to get back to reading more often now!

I am going to start the blog off with some of my favorite authors and people that I believe are must-reads!

So, here goes....happy reading to you!