Saturday, January 30, 2010

Library Loot - January 30, 2010




I am still working on my other library books, but I did get a few new ones too!



Night Embrace (Dark Hunter #3) by Sherrilyn Kenyon



I loved the first 2 books, so I can't wait to read this one!







Blood Promise (Vampire Academy #4) by Richelle Mead


I just read #3 and loved the book and can't wait to see what happens in this book!





I am returning the rest of the Patricia Cornwell books to the library for now. The first one was okay, but there are so many more books I would rather read, so 2-4 are going back without reading them--I will probably read them at a later date.



Graceling by Kristin Cashore


My Goodreads friend Aths said this looks like an interesting book, so I decided to get it.









White Oleander by Janet Fitch



Reading this book in February with my pen pal Aths!







Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater




Sounds like a great book!




Where the Heart Is by Billie Letts



I saw this movie, so thought I would like the book!







The Road by Cormac McCarthy

This seems to have a lot of good reviews, so I thought I would check it out!







Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger


My Goodreads friend Aths was reading this, so I thought I would check this one out too.


I have to admit that the last 6 books I requested because my Goodreads friend Aths looked over my books to read and thought these looked interesting, so I checked them all out!

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Goodreads Bookswap - More Books!

I got a few more books in the mail today from Goodreads Bookswap. A couple of these will be good for my erotica reading challenge!

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson








Branded by Fire by Nalini Singh
Riding Wild by Jaci Burton

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Books I got from Book Swap on Goodreads

Okay, I checked out Book Swap on Goodreads and got a little crazy. Here is what I got. It's such a good deal. All you have to pay is about $3.00 for shipping. When you are done, you can put them on the swap and someone else can read them! Hopefully I got some good reads! Here is what I got:







The Red Tent by Anita Diamant






Lifeguard by James Patterson & Andrew Gross











Addicted by Zane






44 Scotland Street by Alexander McCall Smith











The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows






Mrs. Kimble by Jennifer Haigh









Fascinated by Bertrice Small, Susan Johnson, Thea Devine, and Robin Schone





Review of Postmortem by Patricia Daniels Cornwell


This was an okay book. I got through it pretty quickly, but it wasn't the most exciting mystery I have ever read. I have the next three books in this series, and I will see how they are. I have to admit that during parts of the book I fell asleep. Sometimes I got a little confused on who was who because there are so many names to keep track of. I am not sure if I am ready to read the next books yet. I may read something else first. I just hope they get better. I have to give it a 3 out of 5.

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

TEASER TUESDAYS asks you to:

Grab your current read.


Let the book fall open to a random page.


Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.


You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!

Please avoid spoilers!

He couldn't have seen the knife.

He couldn't have seen it until the lights were on, and by then Lori should have been subdued, the killer's knife at her throat. Why should the survival knife on the desk have mattered to him? It didn't make any sense.

p. 88 Postmortem

Monday, January 25, 2010

Review of Shadow Kiss by Richelle Mead


I love this series. This book took me a little longer than expected. I didn't fly right through it until I got to the last 100 pages. It had a twist at the end that I was not expecting, and I can't wait to read the next book. I just really could feel what Rose was feeling, especially her feelings toward Dimitri. Her first priority is always her friend Lisa because of their bond, but she goes to counseling and the counselor keeps telling her that she has to start thinking about herself and what she wants. Well, you will have to read it to see where her heart leads her and what she has to do. I give this book 5 stars!
I do have to say though, I almost felt like crying at the end. I don't know if I am going to like what is going to happen in the next book to one of the characters, but I did just put it on hold at the library.

Mailbox Mondays


The Little Giant of Aberdeen County by Tiffany Baker.

Thank you for this book and I can't wait to read it!




How to be Famous by Heidi Montag & Spencer Pratt
I won this at http://metroreader.blogspot.com/2010/01/winners.html. Thank you for this great giveaway.
This looks like a fun book to read!

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Review of Fallen by Lauren Kate:

I am really not too sure how to rate this book. It started out kind of slow and I couldn't really figure out what was going on, but it kept me reading because I wanted to find out why Luce was so drawn to Daniel. Daniel would seem to warm up to her, then turn cold. Luce was seeing shadows and didn't know what it all meant. I think I would give it 4 stars. It was worth reading and the end keeps you wondering what is going to happen next.

The next book "Torment" comes out in September 2010, and it will be interesting to see what happens next.

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Tueser Tuesdays - January 19, 2010







TEASER TUESDAYS asks you to:
Grab your current read.
Let the book fall open to a random page.
Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!
Please avoid spoilers!



The uniformity of the shadows had never been comforting, but these latest variations were a new level of disconcerting. Did it mean more kinds of shadows were finding their way to her? Or was she just getting better at distinguishing them? p 209 from Fallen by Lauren Kate

Saturday, January 16, 2010

Review - Up for Renewal by Cathy Alter


This book wasn't what I thought it would be and I kept trying to push myself to read it. I got to page 152 and really didn't care what happened next, so I decided enough is enough. I am going to put this book away and switch to something worth reading. I gave it 1 star.

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Library Loot - January 12, 2010

Okay, I went crazy when I was reserving books at the library. I had my list suspended, but forgot to check the dates, and ended up with 19 library books waiting for me. I felt a tad--well okay pretty-embarrassed when I told them my name and they said "oh yeah" and then went over the the shelves and pulled a whole box out just for me. Yes, I had a whole copy paper box of books to pick up. I was excited too though. I started going through the books and really couldn't decide what to start with first! There is nothing more exciting than a box full of books!
Okay, here we go:
The first book I decided to start reading is Up for Renewal, What Magazines Taught Me About Love, Sex and Starting Over by Cathy Alter.
"Up for renewal is a charming, hilarious look that proves that it is possible to change your life in just one year. Using the improbable guide to women's magazines, Cathy Alter transforms her relationship, her job, her body, even the color of her living room. She got me laughing out loud, and also vowing to try her recipe for Mexican Chicken Soup." - Gretchen Rubin, author of the blog The Happiness Project, www.happiness-project.com

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
(from the back cover) Once I'm on my feet, I realize escape might not be so simple. Panic begins to set in. I can't stay here. Flight is essential. But I can't let my fear show.





Shadow Kiss (Vampire Academy #3) by Richelle Mead


I read the first 2 books in this series and can't wait to read this one.





Mystic River by Dennis Lehane
(From the inside cover) A tense and unnerving psychological thriller, Mystic River is also an epic novel of love and loyalty, faith and family, in which people irrevocably marked by the past find themselves on a collision course with the darkest truths of their own hidden selves.



Postmortem (Kay Scarpetta #1) by Patricia Daniels Cornwell


From Goodreads: Four women with nothing in common, united only in death. Four brutalized victims of a brilliant monster - a "Mr. Nobody", moving undetected through a paralyzed city, leaving behind a gruesome trail of carnage... but few clues. With skilled hands, an unerring eye, and the latest advances in forensic research, an unrelenting female medical examiner - Kay Scarpetta - is determined to unmask a maniac. But someone is trying to sabotage Kay's investigation from the inside. And worse yet, someone wants her dead...





Body of Evidence (Kay Scarpetta, #2) by Patricia D. Cornwell



from Goodreads:

Someone is after Beryl Madison -- spying on her, making threatening phone calls. Terrified, she flees to Key West. When she comes back home it's not harassment that's waiting...it's murder. Someone kills her, someone she trusted enough to open her door to. Police work begins with Dr. Kay Scarpetta, Chief Medical Examiner. She finds laboratory clues no one wants to believe. So she follows them herself, putting her professional career -- and her life -- on the line. "Cornwell makes looking through a microscope as exciting as hot pursuit." (Washington Post)




All That Remains (Kay Scarpetta # 3) by Patricia Cornwell

from Goodreads: A serial killer is loose in Richmond, specializing in attractive young couples whose bodies are inevitably found in the woods months later -- minus their shoes and socks. After months of exposure to all the elements, all that remains of this killer's victims has in every case left Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Kay Scarpetta unable even to determine an exact cause of death. Frustrated that her high-tech forensic skills have apparently proved useless, Kay enlists the help of and ace crime reporter and a psychic whose powers have been vouched for by the FBI. Racing against time, Kay finds she must draw upon her own personal resources to track down a murderer skilled at eliminating every clue. All that remains to her now is her courage and intuition and the will to stop a killer before he can strike again.

Cruel & Unusual (Kay Scarpetta, #4) by Patricia D. Cornwell

from Goodreads: "Killing me won't kill the beast" are the last words of rapist-murderer Ronnie Joe Waddell, written four days before his execution. But they can't explain how Dr. Kay Scarpetta finds Waddell's fingerprints on another crime scene -- after she'd performed his autopsy. If this is some sort of game, Scarpetta seems to be the target. And if the next victim is someone she knows, the punishment will be cruel and unusual...


Fallen by Lauren Kate

from the cover: There's something achingly familiar about Daniel Grigori. Mysterious and aloof, he captures Luce Price's attention from the moment she sees him on her first day at the Sword & Cross boarding school in sultry Savannah, Georgia. He's the one bright spot in a place where cell phones are forbidden, the other students are all screw-ups, and security cameras watch every move. Even though Daniel wants nothing to do with Luce--and goes out of his way to make that very clear--she can't let it go. Drawn to him like a moth to a flame, she has to find out what Daniel is so desperate to keep secret . . . even if it kills her. Dangerously exciting and darkly romantic, Fallen is a page turning thriller and the ultimate love story.

The Maze Runner by James Dashner
from the inside cover: When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name. He has no recollection of his parents, his home, or how he got where he is. His memory is black. But he’s not alone. When the lift’s doors open, Thomas finds himself surrounded by kids who welcome him to the Glade, a large expanse enclosed by stone walls. Just like Thomas, the Gladers don’t know why or how they got to the Glade. All they know is that every morning, for as long as they could remember, the stone doors to the maze that surrounds them have opened. Every night, they’ve closed tight. Every thirty days a new boy is delivered in the lift. And no one wants to be stuck in the maze after dark. The Gladers were expecting Thomas’s arrival. But the next day, a girl springs up—the first girl ever to arrive in the Glade. And more surprising yet is the message she delivers. The Gladers have always been convinced that if they can solve the maze that surrounds the Glade, they might be able to find their way home . . . wherever that may be. But it’s looking more and more as if the maze is unsolvable. And something about the girl’s arrival is starting to make Thomas feel different. Something is telling him that he just might have some answers—if he can only find a way to retrieve the dark secrets locked within his own mind.

Okay. That is all I am going to list for now. That is enough. I will be lucky to get through all of these let alone the books I didn't list yet!

Happy Reading!

Teaser Tuesdays


TEASER TUESDAYS asks you to:
Grab your current read.
Let the book fall open to a random page.
Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!
Please avoid spoilers!

Up for Renewal What Magazines Taught Me About Love, Sex and Starting Over by Cathy Alter:
"Another side effect of having an amalgam of magazine articles in my head at all times was that I was paying way more attention to fashion than I ought to. This month, the whole peasant look had me really stressed out." P. 70



Review: The Year of Pleasures by Elizabeth Berg

Title: The Year of Pleasures
Author: Elizabeth Berg
Type of Book: Romance
Pages: 206


I saw this book on the shelf on my last trip to the library and thought it sounded like a good book to read, and it did end up being a good book.

Betta was married to her solemate John. He had cancer and died at the beginning of the book. Betta sells their home in Boston and travels to the midwest which is what John said she should do. This story is a glimpse into her life and what it is like to lose the love of your life. She reconnects with old friends, and makes new friends in the process.


"It's true that when someone you love dies, part of you dies, too. And then must be reborn. And many people were reborn, they suffered through their pain and emerged victorious: their love for the lost one revered but put away, their lives now open to a separate course. Others never did quite recover. I'd made a promise--many promises--to John to be among those who not only survived but thrived" (p.136)


When I read this book, I felt like I was looking into the life of an old friend. I really felt what Betta was feeling. She tried hard to keep going and do things that her husband John would have thought she should do. I was glad she got back in touch with her old friends.




Sunday, January 10, 2010

REVIEWS: The Devil Wears Prada, The Adoration of Jenna Fox, and Frostbite

The first book on the list is The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger

Andrea got a "dream job" at Runway Magazine. It wasn't exactly what she wanted to do. She wanted to be a writer, but she thought if she got her foot in the door, it would lead to better things. Miranda was her boss, but she definately was a bitch. She wanted Andrea to be at her beck and call at all times. Andrea could not leave her desk for a second and always had to be able to be contacted by Miranda. Her job did have perks. She got a lot of designer clothes and got a lot of fashion sense. Andrea's boyfriend didn't like all the hours that she had to put in though.

I gave this book 4 stars. I liked it, but it wasn't one of my most favorite books. What I liked about it was that Andrea was just a plain girl and trying to do everything she could to please Miranda, even though she seemed like nothing was ever good enough for her. I didn't like Miranda at all. I don't know if I could have stuck with Miranda after the way she treated her employees. I can just imagine how fashionable Andrea became after working at Runway, but she had to pay a price for some people that meant a lot to her.

I really thought about my life and my job, and it made me all the more thankful of how good I have it. I love my job. I don't have to be someone I am not, and I have a great boss. Also, somehow after reading this book, I have been organizing everything like crazy. At work I have been organizing and at home. I don't know if it was the book that prompted this or what it was, but it feels good!


Okay, next up is The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson

Jenna was in a terrible accident and was in a coma. She came out of the coma finally, but couldn't remember much about her life. Her parents had videotapes of her life, which they encouraged her to watch. She watched the videos and was on year ten. She saw a thin red line under her chin which was a scar. She went into the bathroom and looked, but she had no scar. She wondered if a scar could disappear in 7 years? She started to wonder what was really going on in her life and why she could remember some things and not others. It's amazing and scary what she ends up finding out about herself.

It makes me wonder if someday the details of this book may actually become a reality. I think sometimes technology just goes to far. Let people be who they are and don't try to mess with fate.

I gave this book 5 stars.

The last book for today is Frostbite, A Vampire Academy Novel by Richelle Mead

I bought the first book in this series and loved it, so I checked this second book out from the library. I liked this book even better and gave it 5 stars.

Rose just loves her tutor Dimitri, but he seems to have his eye on someone else. Her friend Mason has a crush on her, but she is just not sure if she feels the same way about him. There is a huge Strigoi attack and the students of St. Vladmir's have to go on a ski trip where they will be protected from the Strigoi. Three students decide to strike back against the Strigoi, and Rose and Christian go to try and rescue them and get in a lot of danger.

I really got into Rose's character, and really hoped that Dimitri would find out how much she really loved him. She really grew up a lot in this book.

Out of the three books, I have to say that this was my favorite. I read it all in one day.

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Teaser Tuesdays




TEASER TUESDAYS asks you to:Grab your current read.Let the book fall open to a random page.Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!Please avoid spoilers!


"Just as she was describing exactly how Miranda likes her coffee (tall latte with two raw sugars), a breathless blonde girl I remembered as one of the many fashion assistants walked in carrying a wicker basket the size of a baby carriage. She hovered just outside Miranda's office, looking as though she thought the soft gray carpeting might turn to quicksand under her Jimmy Choos if she dared to cross the threshold."


P. 52 from The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger

Mailbox Monday

I was lucky enough to get Beyond the Dark by Lora Leigh, Angela Knight, Emma Holly, and Diane Whiteside from my great friend Staci for Christmas!

The Goodreads description:

A daring collection of never-before-published erotic desire from four of the hottest names in paranormal romance.

Four of the most sizzling authors of paranormal romance take readers beyond their wildest fantasies, to a seductive midnight world of erotic suspense, demons, mages, vampires, and knights. A world of queens with devilish secrets, and of demons with secret desires. So dangerous and fun, readers may never want to come back down to earth again...

I am excited to read this book. It will be my first book in the erotic reading challenge for this year! This book is right up my alley!

Here is Staci's Blog: http://lifeinthethumb.blogspot.com/

Thanks again Staci!


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Also, I received these two books from Lauren at Lauren's Crammed Bookshelf. Not only that, but they are both signed by the author Darlene Ryan! She also sent me a very cute cloth Christmas bag with a candy cane, some marshmallow Santas and Dove chocolates! What a nice treat!

http://laurenscrammedbookshelf.blogspot.com/2009/11/contest-for-five-minutes-more-and.html


Responsible by Darlene Ryan
"Teachers, for the most part, don’t know anything about real life. If they did they’d have much better jobs than teaching geometry and the history of the stupid middle ages to a bunch of kids who aren’t listening anyway.”


Kevin Frasier is in a new high school—his fourth so far. When he falls in with Nick and his friends, Kevin ends up going along as they bully and threaten their way through the school. Then Nick starts tormenting Erin. When she stands up to him the harassment takes a dangerous turn and Kevin is forced to be responsible for his choices.


Five Minutes More by Darlene Ryan

“I play the Five Minutes More game. Five minutes. I can stand anything for five minutes. Even my father being dead.”




D’Arcy desperately wants her father’s death to have been an accident. Then she learns the truth. Why would her father choose suicide? Why didn’t she see the signs? How will she manage alone? Then D’Arcy becomes friends with Seth. Now will things get back to normal or will she have to call on strengths she didn’t know she had to make a new kind of normal, five minutes at a time?

Thank you Lauren for these books and the candy!