Missy's Book Nook

~Short Reviews~

2011-09-07T05:54:00.006-04:00

I'm still here....lots of personal problems right now that seem to be trying to take over my life. I am doing my best to not let them take over. It is exhausting, to say the least.

I have read a couple of books since my last post....here are their short reviews:

The Reapers Are The Angels by Alden Bell

Zombies have infested a fallen America. A young girl named Temple is on the run. Haunted by her past and pursued by a killer, Temple is surrounded by death and danger, hoping to be set free.

For twenty-five years, civilization has survived in meager enclaves, guarded against a plague of the dead. Temple wanders this blighted landscape, keeping to herself and keeping her demons inside her heart. She can't remember a time before the zombies, but she does remember an old man who took her in and the younger brother she cared for until the tragedy that set her on a personal journey toward redemption. Moving back and forth between the insulated remnants of society and the brutal frontier beyond, Temple must decide where ultimately to make a home and find the salvation she seeks.

My Thoughts:

I received this book from a Secret Santa....it is definitely not the type of book that I would have chosen for myself. I really liked it!! I was so surprised. I think what held my interest most was the main character...a fifteen year old girl named Temple. She was one tough little cookie, and could really kick some zombie ass. Along in her journey from Florida towards the west coast, she meets a variety of non-meatskins (normal people) a colorful cast of characters that are for the most part, likable. If you are a Zombie novel fan, then I recommend this one.

Very Good!!!

Project 17 by Laurie Faria Stolarz

High atop Hathorne Hill, near Boston, sits Danvers State Hospital. Built in 1878 and closed in 1992, this abandoned mental institution is rumored to be the birthplace of the lobotomy. On the eve of the hospital’s demolition, six teens break in to spend the night and film a movie about their experiences. For Derik, it’s an opportunity to win a filmmaking contest and save himself from a future of flipping burgers at his parents’ diner. For the others, it’s a chance to be on TV, or a night with no parents. But what starts as a dare quickly escalates into a nightmare. Behind the crumbling walls, down every dark passageway, and in each deserted room, they will unravel the mysteries of those who once lived there and the spirits who still might.

My Thoughts:

I wish I could say that I liked this but it was a big disappointment for me. I was prepared to be really spooked by this creepy-sounding novel of 6 teens who spend the night at the old abandoned Danvers Mental Hospital one week before it is to be demolished. The premise of this book definitely did not deliver what I expected. To be fair, it is a YA Novel, so maybe that explains the "teeny-bopperish" atmosphere of the story. Like I said, I was expecting more. If you want to be truly scared....I recommend the movie Session 9. It is also about Danvers, and I promise this movie really delivers. Sorry, Project 17 -

Do Not Recommend

~Some Reviews, Short and Sweet~

2011-08-19T14:28:00.005-04:00

I have been reading at a decent pace lately, I am pretty proud of myself. Although, I should not take any credit...it is the books themselves who carry me through their pages quickly, anticipation growing as I need to know more about the stories. I have read a few more since my last post:

By Accident by Susan Kelly (From Goodreads):

A grieving mother finds solace from her son’s death in a relationship that quickly blurs the line between friendship and intimacy. By Accident portrays a year in the life of a woman after the accidental death of her teenage son. Laura Lucas is numbed by the loss, a loss that is paralleled in the spate of upscale construction—and attendant destruction—in her starter-home neighborhood. It’s about Laura's relationship with a young tree surgeon who slowly becomes a replacement for her son—but also an object of desire.

The story reveals the delicate nexus where solace becomes sex; the role of men and women as unmarried friends; and examines grief in a marriage. It portrays the pain of change and the poignancy of acceptance through Laura's eyes, and occasionally, through the quirky outlook of her ten-year-old daughter. And before the story ends, another brutal, random accident will redefine Laura's life once again.

My Thoughts:

I expected this story to have more lust and desire between the two main characters, Laura and Elliot. Instead, it focuses more on how the Lucas Family deals with the loss of their teenaged son, Whit. Laura is unable to let go, her husband grieves in his own way, and Ebie, their ten year old daughter, watches as her family starts to unravel. That is, until Elliot moves in next door. He is a tree surgeon by trade, a fun-loving, good-looking single 28 year old guy, who slowly begins to bring Laura out of her grieving state. Laura's husband is distrustful, Ebie is delighted, and Laura has mixed feelings. As I said, this story did not go in the direction that I thought it would, but, it was a good read!

Very Good!

Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks:

When a mysterious young woman named Katie appears in the small North Carolina town of Southport, her sudden arrival raises questions about her past. Beautiful yet self-effacing, Katie seems determined to avoid forming personal ties until a series of events draws her into two reluctant relationships: one with Alex, a widowed store owner with a kind heart and two young children; and another with her plainspoken single neighbor, Jo. Despite her reservations, Katie slowly begins to let down her guard, putting down roots in the close-knit community and becoming increasingly attached to Alex and his family.

But even as Katie begins to fall in love, she struggles with the dark secret that still haunts and terrifies her . . . a past that set her on a fearful, shattering journey across the country, to the sheltered oasis of Southport. With Jo’s empathic and stubborn support, Katie eventually realizes that she must choose between a life of transient safety and one of riskier rewards . . . and that in the darkest hour, love is the only true safe haven.

My Thoughts:

I have read some Nicholas Sparks books, but not all of them. Some of them I have started, and had to put down...too predictable, some characters unlikable. The ones that I have read all the way through, I loved (Message In A Bottle, Nights In Rodanthe, A Walk To Remember)....even though they were predictable. I fell in love with the characters and their stories...sometimes it is just nice to get lost in a sweet romance novel. Safe Haven took me by surprise. It was a definite change from Spark's other novels...it was a nice change. It was not just a woman and a man falling in love, over-coming obstacles that lead to a happily ever after. It was so much more. I fell in love with "Katie" a.k.a. Erin, an abused woman on the run from her psychotic husband. I loved the setting of the story, Southport, NC, a small coastal town, very historical and picturesque. The story moved along at a fast pace. I read in in a day, and loved every minute of it. If you haven't read it yet, and are a Nicholas Sparks fan, you're in for a wonderful surprise.

Outstanding!

Best Friends Forever by Jennifer Weiner:

Some bonds can never be broken...
Addie Downs and Valerie Adler will be best friends forever. That's what Addie believes after Valerie moves across the street when they're both nine years old. But in the wake of betrayal during their teenage years, Val is swept into the popular crowd, while mousy, sullen Addie becomes her school's scapegoat.

Flash-forward fifteen years. Valerie Adler has found a measure of fame and fortune working as the weathergirl at the local TV station. Addie Downs lives alone in her parents' house in their small hometown of Pleasant Ridge, Illinois, caring for a troubled brother and trying to meet Prince Charming on the Internet. She's just returned from Bad Date #6 when she opens her door to find her long-gone best friend standing there, a terrified look on her face and blood on the sleeve of her coat. "Something horrible has happened," Val tells Addie, "and you're the only one who can help."

Best Friends Forever is a grand, hilarious, edge-of-your-seat adventure; a story about betrayal and loyalty, family history and small-town secrets. It's about living through tragedy, finding love where you least expect it, and the ties that keep best friends together.

My Thoughts:

I didn't expect to love this book as much as I did! I have not read any other Jennifer Weiner novels, and now that I've read this one, I am excited to try her others. I picked this one up solely because I loved the cover! I was pleasantly surprised! Not only is it about two girls who vowed in elementary school that they would be BFF's, it is also a mystery and adventure story with a romance on the side. It is definitely a chick lit book, but so much more. The characters are likable and believable, and this story is definitely not predictable. Worth reading!!

Very Good!

I am currently reading Fiction Ruined My Family by Jeanne Darst, and Over And Under by Todd Tucker.

Happy Friday everyone ~ Have a fun-filled reading weekend!

Various Reviews ~ Long Time No Post

2011-08-12T10:15:00.004-04:00

Hi All!

I am still here....just have not been blogging in awhile. I have read a few books, here are some short reviews:

From May to December by Pat MacEnulty:

Jen Johanssen is a former porn actor trying to fit into the world of academia. Her sister, Lolly Johanssen, is a cancer survivor. Nicole Parks is in prison for loving the wrong guy. And Sonya Yakowski, also in prison, is a member of a family of traveling criminals, desperately missing her young son. The lives of these four women converge in a Florida prison, where Jen and Lolly have joined forces to put on a grant-funded drama production. Despite their remarkably divergent histories, these women come together in unexpected ways, each beginning to confront and forgive her own past.

My Thoughts:

This is the second Pat MacEnulty book I've read, and I enjoyed it. I liked Sweet Fire better than this one, but I still liked it.....enough to order her other books that I have not read. This story is bittersweet....a tale of two sisters, who have never been very close, who become close in a matter of months. It also portrays women in prison....good women who made mistakes...and choose to better themselves and prepare for life outside prison walls. Great story, in my opinion.

Babylon Rolling by Amanda Boyden:

Ariel May and her husband, Ed, have just moved to New Orleans with their two small children. Their neighbor, Fearius, is a fifteen-year-old just out of juvenile detention. Across the street, an elderly couple, the Browns, are only trying to pass their days in peace, while Philomenia Beauregard de Bruges, a longtime resident and “Uptown lady,” peers through her curtains at the East Indian family next door.With one random accident, a scene of horror across front lawns, the whole neighborhood converges on the sidewalk and the residents of Orchid Street are thrown together, for better and for worse.

My Thoughts:

I couldn't wait to see this....I loved Pretty Little Dirty, so I had high expectations for Babylon Rolling. I had some difficulty with it in the beginning, but once I got going, it was a roller-coast ride! Told in alternating voices of the neighbors of Orchid Street, it is a tale of love, deceit, drugs and alcohol, and redemption. I felt so many emotions while reading Babylon Rolling...and it was one of those books that I thought about when I was not reading it. I looked forward to my lunch hours and evenings when I could pick it back up and see what was happening with Ariel, Ed, Prancie and Joe, and the others. The story takes place just days before Hurricane Ivan is due to hit New Orleans, and during Mardi Gras time. I learned a lot about Mardi Gras that I didn't know, too. Babylon Rolling is not a cut and dried story. It begins with a neighborhood in turmoil, and ends with the aftemath of destruction....and Hurricane Ivan never even makes it to New Orleans. Recommended!

Like Mandarin by Kirsten Hubbard:

It's hard finding beauty in the badlands of Washokey, Wyoming, but 14-year-old Grace Carpenter knows it's not her mother's pageant obsessions, or the cowboy dances adored by her small-town classmates. True beauty is wild-girl Mandarin Ramey: 17, shameless and utterly carefree. Grace would give anything to be like Mandarin. When they're united for a project, they form an unlikely, explosive friendship, packed with nights spent skinny-dipping in the canal, liberating the town's animal-head trophies, and searching for someplace magic. Grace plays along when Mandarin suggests they run away together. Blame it on the crazy-making wildwinds plaguing their Badlands town. Because all too soon, Grace discovers Mandarin's unique beauty hides a girl who's troubled, broken, and even dangerous. And no matter how hard Grace fights to keep the magic, no friendship can withstand betrayal.

My Thoughts:

I was a little disappointed in Like Mandarin. I am not sure what I expected, but I found Mandarin's character a little weak. I guess I was expecting a more shocking idol in her. The premise was very promising, but the story did not deliver.

Willow by Julia Hoban:

Seven months ago, on a rainy March night, sixteen year- old Willow's parents died in a horrible car accident. Willow was driving. Now her older brother barely speaks to her, her new classmates know her as the killer orphan girl, and Willow is blocking the pain by secretly cutting herself. But when one boy - one sensitive, soulful boy - discovers Willow's secret, it sparks an intense relationship that turns the "safe" world Willow has created for herself upside down.

Told in an extraordinary fresh voice, Willow is an unforgettable novel about one girl's struggle to cope with tragedy, and one boy's refusal to give up on her.

My Thoughts:

I liked the story of Willow well enough, but it is not one that will stay in my thoughts for long. I found myself getting aggravated with her throughout the story, especially with how she treats Guy, a boy who clearly adores her, and wants to help her. I am not a cutter, and have never known anyone who is, but I do have an ocd that is somewhat similar, so her descriptions of her disease struck home with me. Julia Hoban did a wonderful job describing the feelings of shame and self-worthlessness of someone who is unfortunate enough to suffer with something as devastating as self-mutilation.

I am now looking forward to starting Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks, and I am half-way through Fiction Ruined My Family by Jeanne Darst.

Happy Friday Everyone!!

Review - Sweet Fire by Pat MacEnulty

2011-07-21T14:25:00.004-04:00

From Goodreads:

"While most people Trish's age are listening to Led Zeppelin and watching Starsky and Hutch on TV, Trish spends the 1970s stealing and cheating to score. Heroin, pharmaceuticals, whatever's available. She travels from Florida to California and Mexico, hustling all the way, and always in the company of the wrong kind of men, whom she attracts wherever she goes. There's not a rehab unit in the country that hasn't thrown her out at least once." With her habit spiralling out of control, it won't be long before Trish hits rock bottom. How low will Trish have to go before she can find the courage to fight her way free of her spiral of self-destruction?

My Thoughts:

I genuinely liked Trish in this fictional novel that reads like a memoir. Trish becomes addicted to heroin at a young age, and by the time she turns nineteen, she is in prison.

Trish's life is a difficult one. She grows up without a father, and always wonders who and where he is. Her mom is a composer and concert violinist, and travels all over the country. Trish is particularly close to her older brother. But when he leaves home, she is on her own. As Trish begins to come-of-age, she takes up with a different crowd, and happens to find the one thing that makes her life a little less painful....a sweet blissful escape....drugs.

I couldn't put this book down, and hated to do so when my lunch hour was up, or it was time to go to bed. Pat writes with her heart, and I believe that Sweet Fire is loosely based on her life, growing up in Jacksonville, FL.

I have one of her other novels waiting for me on my TBR shelf, and I can't wait to get started on it.

Please visit www.patmacenulty.org.

Paperback: 256 pages
Publisher: Serpent's Tail (January 1, 2003)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1852424559
ISBN-13: 978-1852424558

About Me

2011-07-15T09:23:00.000-04:00

This is a test post....thanks!

Pretty Little Things by Jillian Hoffman

2011-07-10T06:54:00.003-04:00

From Goodreads:

Special Agent Bobby Dees knows what grief feels like. He understands the pain of losing a child. And he'll do whatever he can to prevent it from happening again. The phone call that comes on a Sunday morning will take him away from his insular world of grief and sleepless nights - and into a far darker place. A young girl, Elaine Emerson, has gone missing and only Dees has a chance of finding her.It seems that Elaine was last seen waiting to meet her boyfriend - a mysterious figure she met secretly on the internet, who goes by the name of "El Capitan", and whose reality is as cruel and chilling as the worst thing Dees can imagine.

My Thoughts:

I loved Retribution and Last Witness....Pretty Little Things rates right up there with them. I finished this book in 2 days, was unable to put it down. Fast-paced and daring, it kept me guessing until the very end. I love Jillian Hoffman's writing, and I look forward to reading many more of her novels... I hope that she keeps them coming!

Very Good!

Piece of Cake by Cupcake Brown

2011-07-09T09:23:00.005-04:00

There are shelves of memoirs about overcoming the death of a parent, childhood abuse, rape, drug addiction, miscarriage, alcoholism, hustling, gangbanging, near-death injuries, drug dealing, prostitution, or homelessness.
Cupcake Brown survived all these things before she'd even turned twenty.
And that's when things got interesting.

MY THOUGHTS:

The story started out good, but less than halfway through, I felt myself beginning to get angry. Especially reading the parts about Cup and her husband charging up thousands of dollars on credit cards, with no intention of ever paying them. Then, Cup gets a job as a legal secretary, lies on her resume, treats everyone at her workplace like crap...I lost every bit of sympathy I had for this girl who lost her mom so young, and spent years in foster home abuse. I stuck it out and finished the book, but I was not impressed with her going back to school and making something of herself. For so much of the book she treated people terribly....It can't all be neatly wrapped up in the end with a happily ever after.

Fair

WINNER OF AFTER RIVER!!!

2011-07-08T11:16:00.003-04:00

Random.org has chosen a winner for my After River Giveaway!!!

GWENDOLYN

is the winner!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Congratulations!

I have sent an email to Gwendolyn. If she does not respond within 24 hours, I will choose another winner.

Thanks to all who participated ~ More giveaways will be coming up soon, so stay tuned!

~Happy Reading~

The Girl from Charnelle by K.L. Cook

2011-06-26T07:15:00.005-04:00

From Goodreads:

It's 1960 in the Panhandle town of Charnelle, Texas—a year and a half since sixteen-year-old Laura Tate's mother boarded a bus and mysteriously disappeared. Assuming responsibility for the Tate household, Laura cares for her father and three brothers and outwardly maintains a sense of calm. But her balance is upset and the repercussions of her family's struggles are revealed when a chance encounter with a married man leads Laura into a complicated relationship for which she is unprepared. As Kennedy battles Nixon for the White House, Laura must navigate complex emotional terrain and choose whether she, too, will flee Charnelle.

A heartfelt portrait of a young woman's reckoning with the paradoxes of love—eloquent, tender, and heart-wrenching—K. L. Cook's unforgettable debut novel marks the arrival of a significant new voice in American fiction.

My Thoughts:

I was surprised to learn that the author of this book, K.L. Cook, was a man. The story is told from a 16 year old girl's point of view, and he does an excellent job with it. This is the bittersweet story of a young girl growing up in the Texas panhandle in the early 1960's, who falls in love with a married man almost twice her age. A chance encounter brings them together on New Years Eve, 1959, and as that decade ends and a new one begins, they begin an affair that neither one of them could imagine the course that it would take. Laura's life at home is not one of a normal teenage girl, as she has taken on the roll of mother and caretaker to her brothers and her father, after her mother leaves one day, and never comes back. Dealing with the emotional shock from losing her mother and wanting to feel loved and appreciated, the affair that she has with John Letig fills the void of loneliness and loss for her. As anticipated, no affair can end without heartache and grief. Neither one of them is prepared for what the future brings.

Very Good!

After River by Donna Milner

2011-06-25T06:24:00.004-04:00

From Amazon.com:

Before River, everything was perfect. . . .

Growing up on a Canadian dairy farm less than two miles from the American border, fifteen-year-old Natalie Ward knows little of the outside world. But her loving, close-knit family is the envy of young and old alike in the nearby town of Atwood. Natalie adores her three brothers—especially Boyer, the eldest, whom she idolizes. But everything changes one hot July afternoon in 1966 when a long-haired stranger appears at their door—a soft-spoken American, a Vietnam War resister, who will test the family's morals and beliefs, and set in motion catastrophic events that will shatter Natalie's relationships with those she most dearly loves.

My Thoughts:

I didn't want this story to end. This is a beautiful coming-of-age story about Natalie, who lives on a dairy farm with her family in beautiful British Colombia in the 1960's. She is closest to her older brother, Boyer, whose love for knowledge and books mirrors her own. When a stranger shows up one summer day in 1966, Natalie's secure life is turned upside down, with feelings and emotions that she has never had before. The whole Ward family is taken with the stranger, and for awhile, things were good.

The story is narrated by Natalie as an adult, who is preparing to return home to Atwood, to her mother's bedside. She is dying of lung cancer. I was not disappointed in the end of After River...in fact, I felt at peace.

Outstanding!!

Hardcover: 352 pages
Publisher: Harper (April 8, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0061462993

I loved this story so much, I'd like to share it with YOU! I'm giving away my gently used copy of After River! To enter, please leave a comment below. Let me know if you are a new follower (1 extra point) and old follower (2 extra points) and if you blogged or tweeted about my giveaway ( 1 extra point). Giveaway ends on Thursday, July 7, 2011. I will announce the winner on Friday, July 8th. Good Luck!

We Have A Winner!!!!

2011-06-24T12:32:00.004-04:00

The winner of my recent giveaway for my gently used copy of Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers is:

ABI

I have already contacted Abi by email, and have heard back from her.

Thank you to everyone who participated in my giveaway. Please stay tuned for another contest, coming up SOON!!

Leftovers by Laura Weiss

2011-06-15T08:47:00.005-04:00

From Goodreads:

A devastating novel of desperation and revenge from one of today's most compelling new voices in fiction. In this follow-up to her heartbreaking debut, Such a Pretty Girl, Laura Wiess once again spins a shattering tale of the tragedies that befall young women who are considered society's Leftovers.

Blair and Ardith are best friends who have committed an unforgivable act in the name of love and justice. But in order to understand what could drive two young women to such extreme measures, first you'll have to understand why. You'll have to listen as they describe parents who are alternately absent and smothering, classmates who mock and shun anyone different, and young men who are allowed to hurt and dominate without consequence. You will have to learn what it's like to be a teenage girl who locks her bedroom door at night, who has been written off by the adults around her as damaged goods. A girl who has no one to trust except the one person she's forbidden to see. You'll have to understand what it's really like to be forgotten and abandoned in America today.

Are you ready?

My Thoughts:

I enjoyed this story about two best friends with very dysfunctional families. Blair's parents are very well to do, and are never there for her....physically or emotionally. Ardith's parents are party animals, who behave just as badly as the teenagers that hang out at their house, partying by the pool. Blair and Ardith have no one, except each other. When their relationship becomes comprised, the girls must figure out a way to conquer the obstacles in their way that threaten to ruin their friendship for good.

Paperback, 256 pages

Published January 1st 2008 by Simon Spotlight Entertainment

ISBN

1416546626 (ISBN13: 9781416546627)

Outstanding!

~Review and Giveaway~ Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers~

2011-06-08T09:27:00.005-04:00

From Goodreads:

Climbing to the top of the social ladder is hard--falling from it is even harder. Regina Afton used to be a member of the Fearsome Fivesome, an all-girl clique both feared and revered by the students at Hallowell High... until vicious rumors about her and her best friend's boyfriend start going around. Now Regina's been "frozen out" and her ex-best friends are out for revenge. If Regina was guilty, it would be one thing, but the rumors are far from the terrifying truth and the bullying is getting more intense by the day. She takes solace in the company of Michael Hayden, a misfit with a tragic past who she herself used to bully. Friendship doesn't come easily for these onetime enemies, and as Regina works hard to make amends for her past, she realizes Michael could be more than just a friend... if threats from the Fearsome Foursome don't break them both first.

Tensions grow and the abuse worsens as the final days of senior year march toward an explosive conclusion in this dark new tale from the author of Cracked Up To Be .

My Thoughts:

I found myself gasping out loud more than several times while reading Some Girls Are. Wow....talk about a group of MEAN girls, these gals take the cake. I felt so sorry for Regina, who deserved none of the treatment that she was getting from Anna and her crew of meanies. Having been bullied in school, I could relate to a lot of what she was going through, especially the dread of going to school on the mornings after something particularly bad had happened the night before. I love Courtney Summers writing style! I was drawn into the story, and felt as if I knew Regina personally. I am looking forward to reading Ms. Summer's other books ~ They're already on my wish list!

I am giving away my gently used copy of Some Girls Are! Please leave me a comment to enter the giveaway. If you become a New Follower, you will get an extra entry. If you are an Old Follower, you will get two extra entries. Blog or Tweet about my giveaway, you will also get an extra entry.

Please let me know in your comment if you are a new or old follower, and if you have blogged or tweeted about my giveaway....and please be sure to leave an email address where I can contact you if you win.

Winners will be chosen by Random.org on June 24, 2011.

Thanks and Good Luck!

Happy Memorial Day ~ Long Weekend Ahead~

2011-05-26T15:49:00.003-04:00

I just wanted to wish everyone a Happy Memorial Day and to enjoy the long weekend ahead!

My weekend starts at 5:00 today. We are headed down to our cozy beach condo for the weekend for some R&R...we don't have internet access, so I will be in touch next week!

Happy Reading!!

~Booking Through Thursday~

2011-05-26T10:29:00.003-04:00

Do you ever feel like you’re in a reading rut? That you don’t read enough variety? That you need to branch out, spread your literary wings and explore other genres, flavors, styles?

Most definitely, yes. For so long, I only read memoirs. Don't get me wrong, I love them passionately. But I began to feel the need to branch out, and try some new genres.

I tried Paranormal/Fantasy, which I quickly found out was NOT for me. I've never enjoyed historical fiction, but I have found a couple of novels that took place in the US during the Civil War that I really enjoyed. I am getting into more YA Fiction, and some Dystopian Novels.

I've never been one who was comfortable "branching out" and trying new things...but I'm glad that I have. It has opened up all kinds of new doors for me in the literary world.

~Waiting On Wednesday~

2011-05-25T10:38:00.005-04:00

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking The Spine.

The Summer I Learned to Fly by Dana Reinhardt:

Drew's a bit of a loner. She has a pet rat, her dead dad's Book of Lists, an encyclopedic knowledge of cheese from working at her mom's cheese shop, and a crush on Nick, the surf bum who works behind the counter. It's the summer before eighth grade and Drew's days seem like business as usual, until one night after closing time, when she meets a strange boy in the alley named Emmett Crane. Who he is, why he's there, where the cut on his cheek came from, and his bottomless knowledge of rats are all mysteries Drew will untangle as they are drawn closer together, and Drew enters into the first true friendship, and adventure, of her life.

Hardcover, 224 pages

Expected publication: July 12th 2011 by Wendy Lamb Books

ISBN

0385739540 (ISBN13: 9780385739542)

What are YOU waiting for?

~Book Review - Ghellow Road by T.H. Waters~

2011-05-24T06:00:00.000-04:00

From Amazon.com:

Ghellow Road is a literary diary of a young girl's journey through the tangled labyrinth that is her life. Theresa's story begins in a large midwestern city where she is born to loving parents in 1965. For a brief moment in time, her life is full, as is her heart, and the world is hers to receive without consequence. As time passes and Theresa grows, supernatural forces begin to shape her existence, no matter how carefully her father colors the empty spaces of her world. After a series of tragic events, Theresa and her family seek refuge in a small Minnesota town nestled near the shores of Rainy Lake. She creates a new life for herself there, sharing adventures with friends and riding the ups and downs of adolescence. Yet through it all, her mother remains forever lost in the prison of her own mind and forever lost to Theresa. The young girl feels as though she is leading a double life, one that no one else could possibly understand. She begins to peer at the world as if looking through a thick, black veil, never certain which pieces are illusion and which are not. Through the kindness and support of the townspeople, She eventually summons the strength to survive. This is a story of tragedy and triumph. This is the story of my life.

My Thoughts:

I have a fondness of memoirs. I have read some that have been pretty raw and gritty, heart-breaking and mind boggling....but....I have never read one quite like Ghellow Road. Others have skimmed the surface, where Ghellow Road digs deep down into itself, and fleshes out the story of the life of Theresa Waters and her troubled family when she was a teenager, during the 70's and 80's.

She was a happy-go-lucky child, who was a "Daddy's Girl" and enjoyed living and growing up in her hometown of Minneapolis, MN. Her mother always seemed to be floating adrift in her moods, and became depressed easily. Her father was more grounded, and Theresa and her older brother looked to him for guidance and support.

When her father is suddenly gone, Theresa and her brother are thrown head-first into their mother's world of depression and schizophrenia. They are shuffled about, sent to live in foster homes, all the while wondering what they had done wrong, and why didn't their mother want them?

As time progressed, Theresa would shuffle back and forth between her mother's home, and relatives' homes. She was a teenager, and just wanted to fit it, have friends, have a boyfriend. My heart broke for her, especially when a boy she had a crush on hurt her feelings openly. It brought back many memories of MY own junior high school days. She and I shared similar junior high experiences.

Throughout the story, I held my breath, wondering when and if things were ever going to settle down for Theresa. Would she have a secure home? Would her mom get treated for her mental illness and be a real mother to her? Would she ever feel accepted? I yearned for "normal-ness" for her.

Ghellow Road is a painful and honest account of Theresa's life, and I applaud her for being able to pen her story for the world to read. To quote her, I admire her for being able to finally "Live Out Loud".

Paperback: 302 pages
Publisher: Verefor Publishing Company LLC (October 14, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0982893116
ISBN-13: 978-0982893111

Outstanding!

*a BIG hug and Thank You to Theresa for contacting me, and giving me the opportunity to read and review her story ~ Theresa, you are awesome*

~Book Review - How It Ends by Laura Wiess~

2011-05-21T07:16:00.007-04:00

From Goodreads:

All Hanna's wanted since sophomore year is Seth. She's gone out with other guys, even gained a rep for being a flirt, all the while hoping cool, guitar-playing Seth will choose her. Then she gets him -- but their relationship is hurtful, stormy and critical, not at all what Hanna thinks a perfect love should be. Bewildered by Seth's treatment of her and in need of understanding, Hanna decides to fulfill her school's community service requirement by spending time with Helen, her terminally ill neighbor, who she's turned to for comfort and wisdom throughout her life. But illness has changed Helen into someone Hanna hardly knows, and her home is not the refuge it once was. Feeling more alone than ever, Hanna gets drawn into an audiobook the older woman is listening to, a fierce, unsettling love story of passion, sacrifice, and devotion. Hanna's fascinated by the idea that such all-encompassing love can truly exist, and without her even realizing it, the story begins to change her.

Until the day when the story becomes all too real...and Hanna's world is spun off its axis by its shattering, irrevocable conclusion.

My Thoughts:

How It Ends has been sitting on my shelf for months, so I am not sure what inspired me to pluck it off of the shelf Thursday evening....from the first page I was captivated. I totally connected with Hanna, and felt her anguish over longing for Seth. She envisioned them together as a couple, and it was idyllic. In reality, Seth was a hurtful, selfish jerk and unfortunately Hanna found this out on a very personal level. What she thought was going to be a loving relationship with him, turned into a heart-breaking situation for her. That, coupled with losing her special relationship with her Gran (her neighbor Helen) was almost too much for her to bear.

She called Helen "Gran" because they had been close since she was a tiny girl. Helen had looked after Hanna, while her parents worked at sorting things out in their marriage. Helen's house became a refuge for Hanna, and they had shared many special hours together.

You sidled close and touched my hand. "Are you going away too?" "Oh sweetheart, no," I said, and in that heartbeat the bond was formed, the promise made, and the emptiness inside of me was filled with the rush to comfort and protect, to earn this trust you put in me, ME, no blood relation, The Grandma Helen a courtesy title given by your parents to the childless lady in the neighboring farmhouse with a passion for books, stray cats and hungry deer, who fed the birds and loved a creaky old man named Lon who sang Beatles' songs and still had shoulders strong enough for a little girl's piggyback rides. "No, Hanna. Wild horses couldn't drag me away." pg 2

So when Helen's health begins to decline, Hanna doesn't want to face the fact that Helen will not be around forever. Hanna must complete 60 hours of Community Service as part of her school work, so she asks her guidance counselor if she would be able to take care of Helen each day after school. What is terribly sad, is that as a child, she had spent almost every day with Helen. Now, as a teenager, it had been years since her daily visits with her. Hanna was not prepared for what was in store for her.

Helen had begun listening to books on tape. Hanna began listening to them daily, while visiting with her. She is drawn into "How It Ends"....the audio book that Helen is currently listening to. And with each new chapter, Hanna becomes more emotionally involved in the story.

How It Ends is an emotional roller-coaster ride story.....filled with love, sadness, and realization that life can be painful and beautiful at the same time~

"Stay Gran," I said and I wanted it to be an order but it came out a plea. "I need you. I do." I didn't even try to stop the tears. "Who am I going to talk to if you go? You said that you would never leave me, Gran. You said so. Please stay." pg 317

Paperback: 368 pages
Publisher: MTV; Original edition (August 4, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 9781416546634

Very Good!

The Rapture and Bad Dreams

2011-05-20T14:45:00.010-04:00

Supposedly The Rapture is coming tomorrow....May 21, 2011. The first I heard of it was today. I was already feeling uneasy this morning, due to a bad dream I had last night.

How many of you have ever dreamed that one of your parents has passed away? You wake up shaken and scared, and it takes you a moment to get your bearings and realize that it was just a dream. That happened to me Thursday night/Friday morning. My mom had been on my mind because I hadn't been to the nursing home to see her yet this week, and I was planning on going to spend my lunch hour with her today. Maybe it was the guilt that I was feeling from not seeing her yet this week that brought on the dream, I don't know. Anyway, in the dream, I got a phone call, telling me that I needed to come right away. When I got there, a CNA was sitting on my mother's bed, holding her, and I just got there in the nick of time. I got to hold her and hug her while she passed on. Like I said, it was an upsetting dream, but, I was so glad that I had gotten there in time....

I have felt melancholy all day. When lunch time rolled around, I drove over to the nursing home, with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in tow. She wasn't in her room, so I searched the hallways, until I found her in the lunch line. The staff lines everyone's wheelchairs up outside the dining room right before chow time. When I got to mom's chair, and turned her around, I expected a smile and hello ~ she is usually always glad to see me nowadays. Today I got a scowl, and an "I'm not hungry!" grumble. " I brought peanut butter and jelly!" I sang out. Still, she scowled at me and said "You eat it." Terrific.

We went back to her room, and I set everything out on her tray table. I gave her her large print Readers Digest that comes to my house for her, and she opened it up and started reading. The nurse came in to give her medications, and she was grouchy once again. "I don't want that!" she snapped. "Mom, just drink it down, okay?" I cajoled, smiling at her. "What are YOU so happy about?" she glowered at me. The nurse and I just looked at each other helplessly. She took her meds, then settled back in to read. I watched her while I ate, pleased with the fact that she was reading. Mom had always been an avid reader, but since her stroke, she lost interest. I watched her mouth soundlessly form words, and thought "this is great...." Several long minutes passed, then when she turned the page, I saw what she had been reading:

"MAGNETIC KNEE BRACE!" the ad screamed.... "fits under clothes to support and relieve knee pain. Lightweight neoprene and nylon brace has 16 sewn-in-magnets that surround the entire knee. According to ancient Chinese healing principles, magnets may increase blood flow to sore, stiff joints. One size adjusts to fit all."

She hadn't been reading an article or story. She was reading an advertisement. For some reason, this made me terribly sad. My heart sank into my stomach. The way she was silently mouthing the words, and really concentrating hard I thought she was into a good story. This is a woman who had always loved Joy Fielding, David Balducci, and Anne River Siddons.

My lunch hour was about over, so I cleaned everything up. "I'm going back to work now, mom." I leaned over to kiss her on the head. She hugged me and said "I love you sweetheart. Please stop by again...."...all traces of grouchiness gone. Leaving her room and walking down the hall, hot tears spilled down my cheeks.

Even if the world DOES end tomorrow, my mom loves me. And I love her. And we were together today, no matter what the circumstances.

Proverbs 31:25: She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. 26: She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. 27: She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. 28: Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her:

Follow Friday 40 and Over

2011-05-20T10:08:00.002-04:00

Hosted by Java at Never Growing Old

~Cat Thursday~

2011-05-19T10:12:00.005-04:00

Welcome to Cat Thursday, hosted by Michelle at The True Book Addict. Join in the fun by posting a favorite cat picture....LOl Cats, or your own personal photo....whatever strikes your fancy. It's all for the love of cats.....Enjoy!

This is a photo of my cat Mittens, when she was a kitten. She is a lot bigger now. She is very vocal and loves to climb....she is also a lap kitty!

~Waiting On Wednesday~

2011-05-18T10:56:00.005-04:00

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking The Spine.

Here's my pick!

How To Save A Life by Sara Zarr:

Jill MacSweeney just wants everything to go back to normal. But ever since her dad died, she's been isolating herself from her boyfriend, her best friends--everyone who wants to support her. You can't lose one family member and simply replace him with a new one, and when her mom decides to adopt a baby, that's exactly what it feels like she's trying to do. And that's decidedly not normal. With her world crumbling around her, can Jill come to embrace a new member of the family?

Mandy Kalinowski knows what it's like to grow up unwanted--to be raised by a mother who never intended to have a child. So when Mandy becomes pregnant, she knows she wants a better life for her baby. But can giving up a child be as easy as it seems? And will she ever be able to find someone to care for her, too?

Critically acclaimed author and National Book Award finalist Sara Zarr delivers a heart-wrenching story, told from dual perspectives, about what it means to be a family and the many roads we can take to become one.

Hardcover, 352 pages

Expected publication: October 18th 2011 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

ISBN

0316036064 (ISBN13: 9780316036061)

What are YOU waiting for?

~Favorite Animal Stories~

2011-05-11T15:15:00.004-04:00

While I am still in the middle of reading a great memoir right now, and don't have any reviews to write, I thought I would write a short post about my favorite pet/animal stories.

Some are true, some fictional, but these are my top favorites. If you are a pet lover, and haven't read any of these, you need to add them to your TBR list!

~Homer's Odyssey by Gwen Cooper~

~My Cat Spit McGee by Willie Morris~

~When Katie Wakes by Connie May Fowler~

~One Good Dog by Susan Wilson~

~The Art of Racing In The Rain by Garth Stein~

~Wesley the Owl: The Remarkable Story of an Owl and His Girl by Stacy O'Brien~

~Snowflake In My Hand by Samantha Mooney~

~Bark If You Love Me by Louise Bernikow~

~Grayson by Lynne Cox~

~Giv: The Story of A Dog and America by Boston Teran~

~The Dog Who Rescues Cats: The True Story of Ginny by Phillip Gonzalez~

~The Blessing of the Animals: True Stories of Ginny, the Dog Who Rescues Cats by Phillip Gonzalez~

~The Autobiography of Foudini M. Cat by Susan Fromberg Schaeffer~

What are YOUR favorites?

Happy Mother's Day Katie

2011-05-08T07:00:00.001-04:00

My mother and I have come "full circle" in our relationship with each other. Ours began as a loving relationship.....was rocky through my teens and early twenties.... we became best friends and confidants during my first mistake marriage, and even closer after my loving second marriage. Two years into my second marriage, I began to notice little things that were not right with my mom.

Thanksgiving Day Weekend 2006 she had put chili in the crock pot that morning...at dinnertime when we went to serve it, the crock pot had never been plugged in. Warning bells and red flags went up. I became the one that had to call her, many times getting her answering machine when I knew that she was home. Over the humming of the long distance phone lines, her words began sounding tired and slurred, as she started telling the same stories over and over again. She would cut our phone conversations short. Never before had we ever hung up without being on the phone with each other at least 30 minutes. When questioned about her health, she would always cut me off, telling me that she felt fine. I felt her pulling away from me.
In September 2007, my mom suffered a mild stroke. She was also diagnosed with Emphysema and COPD. She could no longer live alone. After she was released from the hospital, she went to live with my brother. Three short months later, she came to my house. It was then that the trouble started.

My mom was my best friend.....and in 5 short months, she became my enemy. I only wanted the best for her. I wanted her to quit smoking, take her medicine and wear her oxygen. Instead, she grew angry with me. She got livid if I didn't go out and buy her cigarettes, and got even angrier when I asked that she please smoke outside. She told me she hated my cooking, and that I wasn't taking good care of her...that my husband took better care of her than I did. She was grouchy with my pets, whom she had always loved and spoiled. I looked at my husband in helpless surrender.....my mother hated me.

After a back injury, and a broken hip, my mother went to live in a nursing home. I was devastated....I had always vowed never to let that happen. We could not provide the care that she needed, so the difficult decision was made.

After she went into the home, I would fall asleep each night, thinking "I want my mommy.......". My mom....who had cared for me unselfishly all through my childhood and beyond..... she used to wash my waist-length hair, and comb it out gently after my bath, using No More Tears - That product and its fragrance has the exact opposite effect on me to this day, bringing tears to my eyes when I catch its scent, memories flashing in my mind of warm summer evenings, freshly bathed and ready to be tucked in. She would to read to me every night. I would fall asleep to the sound of her husky voice reading: Where The Wild Things Are, Daddy Long Legs, The Secret Garden and Charlotte's Web. Her cool fingers would brush back the hair from my hot forehead when I was sick. Playing The Fish Game with me in our upstairs bathroom....turning off the light and putting her hand over one of the brightly colored fish on our wallpaper, then turning on the light and asking me to guess what color she was hiding. My mom....who sewed alot of my clothes....gave me the most amazing birthday parties, taught me how to twirl a baton, took me for picnics in the park, made lunch for me every day (peanut butter and jelly, always with the crusts cut off) and drove me to and from school every day, singing along with the radio "Crocodile Rock" and "The Lion Sleeps Tonight". She was my biggest fan when I made the cheerleading squad, and came to every game...she listened to my stories about my days at school, and held me and kissed my tears away when some silly boy broke my heart. We shopped together for my prom and graduation dresses... she took me out for drinks on my 18th birthday, bought me my first pair of designer jeans...... and stayed up all night with me the night before my first wedding, taking care of me, sick with an upset stomach, asking me if I was sure I wanted to get married...I wanted that mom back, and was afraid that she was gone forever.

She stopped speaking to me. I would go to visit her at the nursing home....bring her flowers, books, candy, milk shakes. She would turn her head away from me and stare at the wall. I quit going to see her. I stayed away.

This went on for 3 months. Until finally, I decided that I couldn't live this way. I missed my mother. Even though I knew that the stroke had changed her, and that she would never be the same again, I had to try to repair the damage that had been done. I had to learn to forgive. I went to therapy. I did my homework. And I began visiting my mother, and talking to her.....even though she turned her face to the wall when I spoke....I kept talking. "I joined Weight Watchers, Mom...I've lost 5 lbs. My job is going great....I'm reading a really good book right now.....Steve got a promotion......" Finally, one day she turned her wheelchair around to face me. She looked at me...and nodded. I was reminiscing out loud to her and got teary-eyed. I heard a husky dry voice ask "Why...are...you.....crying?" She had spoken to me.

Today, she is back to her old self. During our visits, we laugh, she cusses like a sailor, like she always has, and we have a good time. She is a favorite with the nurses. I can truly say that we have weathered the storm together, and came out unscathed. I could not have done it without the support of my therapist, my loving husband, and a strong-will to bring my mother back. Now at the end of our visits, she kisses and hugs me, and tells me "I love you, Sweetheart...thanks for coming to see me." There will never be another Katie Mingrone....she is my one-in-a-million ~ I love you, Mom.

Follow Friday 40 And Over!

2011-04-29T13:15:00.003-04:00

Hosted by Java at http://nevergrowingold.blogspot.com.

Book Review ~ Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen~

2011-04-27T15:32:00.005-04:00

From Goodreads:

Though he may not speak of them, the memories still dwell inside Jacob Jankowski's ninety-something-year-old mind. Memories of himself as a young man, tossed by fate onto a rickety train that was home to the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth. Memories of a world filled with freaks and clowns, with wonder and pain and anger and passion; a world with its own narrow, irrational rules, its own way of life, and its own way of death. The world of the circus: to Jacob it was both salvation and a living hell.

Jacob was there because his luck had run out - orphaned and penniless, he had no direction until he landed on this locomotive 'ship of fools'. It was the early part of the Great Depression, and everyone in this third-rate circus was lucky to have any job at all. Marlena, the star of the equestrian act, was there because she fell in love with the wrong man, a handsome circus boss with a wide mean streak. And Rosie the elephant was there because she was the great gray hope, the new act that was going to be the salvation of the circus; the only problem was, Rosie didn't have an act - in fact, she couldn't even follow instructions. The bond that grew among this unlikely trio was one of love and trust, and ultimately, it was their only hope for survival.

My Thoughts:

This is another novel that I was hesitant to read, due to all of the hype. When I started seeing the movie previews on TV, I picked the book up and began to read.....and hated to put it down. What a wonderful, engaging story! I didn't expect to love it as much as I did. Jacob tugged at my heartstrings, especially the scenes of him in the nursing home. There were characters that I hated in the beginning, but grew to love toward the end. And, of course, there was Rosie the Elephant. I loved her the most, I think. This novel is also filled with real photos from circus's past. I found it to be a very memorable read....and I am listing it as one of my top reads of 2011. If you haven't read it yet, you need to! You're missing out on a five star story!

ISBN

1565125606 (ISBN13: 9781565125605)

www.saragruen.com

Outstanding!

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

2011-04-18T10:33:00.007-04:00

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV.

Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister's place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before—and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that will weigh survival against humanity and life against love

My Thoughts:

This is a book that I did not think I would ever read, let alone enjoy. When I found a paperback copy of it at TJ Maxx awhile back, I picked it up, thinking....."maybe I'll save this for a rainy day." Saturday morning, after steam-cleaning my carpets, I decided to curl up with a book for the rest of the day. It was overcast and the weather people were calling for storms, so I browsed my shelves, and picked up The Hunger Games. Awesome choice! I read for the rest of the day, during tornado warnings (we are all fine....luckily the tornado missed Garner but did unfortunately hit downtown Raleigh, NC) and finished it yesterday. I was surprised at how much I loved this story! This week I will be looking for Catching Fire and Mockingjay. I am glad that I finally read this book. I know that I am probably one of the only bloggers left that had not read it....I am not one to give into a lot of hype over a book. I'm glad that I had put this one away for a rainy day....it was well worth it!

Highly Recommended!

Outstanding!

A Short Post

2011-04-14T12:18:00.002-04:00

I'm back....sort of. I still don't have the reading spark BUT I am slowly making my way through Diane Chamberlain's The Courage Tree....which is pretty good. I am reading at a very slow pace. Which is fine, actually...I have all the time in the world, now that I have not been bringing any more books into the house. I have not received any books at all, since January. That has given me a kind of "peace"....I felt so panicked before....so many books, not enough time. Since the New Year, I have sat back and relaxed, and realized that I was making reading more of a chore than an enjoyment. I felt stressed to read read read, then review review review, that it took the fun out of reading AND my blog. So! I am back, but at a slower pace.

Other BIG news......my husband and I were finally able to achieve a huge dream of ours...we bought a condo at the beach! It is not on the beach, but is on the Intercoastal Waterway, in Little River, SC. We found a place that we fell in love with, and everything else seemed to fall into place. Our closing was on 3/31, so we have enjoyed a couple of weekends down there already. We are going back Easter weekend, and I can't wait!

What's been going on with everyone else????

XOXO

Missy

Update

2011-01-29T07:26:00.003-05:00

I still don't feel much like reading. I've read a few books since I last posted, and I'll admit that they were very short, easy reads. That seems to be all that my brain can handle these days.

I read Lockdown; Escape From Furnace by Alexander Gordon Smith, and WOW! What a read!

From Goodreads:

Furnace Penitentiary: the world’s most secure prison for young offenders, buried a mile beneath the earth’s surface. Convicted of a murder he didn’t commit, sentenced to life without parole, “new fish” Alex Sawyer knows he has two choices: find a way out, or resign himself to a death behind bars, in the darkness at the bottom of the world. Except in Furnace, death is the least of his worries. Soon Alex discovers that the prison is a place of pure evil, where inhuman creatures in gas masks stalk the corridors at night, where giants in black suits drag screaming inmates into the shadows, where deformed beasts can be heard howling from the blood-drenched tunnels below. And behind everything is the mysterious, all-powerful warden, a man as cruel and dangerous as the devil himself, whose unthinkable acts have consequences that stretch far beyond the walls of the prison. Together with a bunch of inmates—some innocent kids who have been framed, others cold-blooded killers—Alex plans an escape. But as he starts to uncover the truth about Furnace’s deeper, darker purpose, Alex’s actions grow ever more dangerous, and he must risk everything to expose this nightmare that’s hidden from the eyes of the world.

I also read The Clearing by Heather Davis, which was such a sweet story!

In this bittersweet romance, two teens living decades apart form a bond that will change their lives forever.

Amy is drawn to the misty, mysterious clearing behind her Aunt Mae’s place because it looks like the perfect place to hide from life. A place to block out the pain of her last relationship, to avoid the kids in her new town, to stop dwelling on what her future holds after high school.

Then, she meets a boy lurking in the mist—Henry. Henry is different from any other guy Amy has ever known. And after several meetings in the clearing, she’s starting to fall for him.

But Amy is stunned when she finds out just how different Henry really is. Because on his side of the clearing, it’s still 1944. By some miracle, Henry and his family are stuck in the past, staving off the tragedy that will strike them in the future. Amy’s crossing over to Henry’s side brings him more happiness than he’s ever known—but her presence also threatens to destroy his safe existence.

In The Clearing, author Heather Davis crafts a tender and poignant tale about falling in love, finding strength, and having the courage to make your own destiny—a perfect book to slip into and hide away for awhile.

I have TOO many books in my house at the moment and its freaking me out...I have no room and no desire to get any more.....this is the first time ever that I haven't felt excited about books or reading. I am going through my shelves right now and getting rid of many.....I already have 2 garbage bags full to take to donate. It is so sad because a lot of them have been on my shelves for 2 & 3 years and I've not read them. I just feel that this is something I have to do in order to find my way out of my funk. Wake County's huge annual Library Used Book Sale is coming up on February 18th, and I've promised my best reading buddy Cindy that I would go with her. I usually buy upwards of 30+ books, but I can't see myself doing that this year. That's what's been going on with me. I appreciate you guys checking in on me periodically.....makes me feel special! Thanks to Marce, for missing me...it was your comment that prompted me to post today.

Happy Reading and Happy Weekend!!

Taking A Break

2010-12-31T08:00:00.003-05:00

As you can tell, I haven't been keeping up with my blog regularly like I used to. I've been having trouble concentrating on reading and staying interested in books. I've started 3 different books and haven't been able to finish any of them. Lately I have preferred watching TV over reading which is SO not like me. I think I need to take a break for awhile.

I'll be back when I feel refreshed!

Thanks for continuing to follow my blog.....I wish all of you the best in 2011 ~ Happy New Year!

"We will open the book. It's pages are blank.
We are going to put words on them ourselves.
The book is called Opportunity and
it's first chapter is New Years Day."

~Edith Lovejoy Pierce

2010-12-24T07:22:00.002-05:00

Merry Christmas ~ Let's not forget what this season is all about~

~Mailbox Monday~

2010-12-20T06:00:00.000-05:00

This is what I received last week!

Full Dark, No Stars by Stephen King:

A new collection of four never-before-published stories from Stephen King.

1922
The story opens with the confession of Wilfred James to the murder of his wife, Arlette, following their move to Hemingford, Nebraska onto land willed to Arlette by her father.

Big Driver
Mystery writer, Tess, has been supplementing her writing income for years by doing speaking engagements with no problems. But following a last-minute invitation to a book club 60 miles away, she takes a shortcut home with dire consequences.

Fair Extension
Harry Streeter, who is suffering from cancer, decides to make a deal with the devil but, as always, there is a price to pay.

A Good Marriage
Darcy Anderson learns more about her husband of over twenty years than she would have liked to know when she stumbles literally upon a box under a worktable in their garage

A Pocketful of Names by Joe Coomer:

Inhabiting an island off the coast of Maine, left to her by her great-uncle Arno, Hannah finds her life as a dedicated and solitary artist rudely interrupted one summer when a dog, matted with feathers and seaweed, arrives with the tide. The dog quickly endears himself and easily adapts to Hannah's schedule, but he is only the first in a string of unexpected visitors. He is soon followed by a teenager running from an abusive father, a half sister in trouble, a mainland family in need, and a trapped whale. Now in the midst of a community that depends on her for support and love, Hannah faces new emotional challenges as a series of family secrets are uncovered, each one more alarming than the last.

What was in YOUR mailbox last week?

I've been lazy.....

2010-12-12T16:25:00.004-05:00

I've not been blogging much lately, and I apologize. I am going through another slow reading phase. I've had a bad run of books lately. I've got a lot of things going on at the moment, so I am hoping to get back on track by the New Year.

I did receive my Secret Santa gift in the mail, from an awesome new friend, Heather Figearo, author of the blog Raging Bibliomania. She instinctively knew what my favorite things were, because they were all in my gift package! I got a pair of fuzzy slipper socks with penguins on them, a bag of Lindsor Truffle chocolates, 2 bottles of nail polish, and the novel "Oogy", which I have been dying to read! Thank you again, Heather, I am enjoying everything. Please go by and visit her blog and say hi~

I hope that everyone has a wonderful holiday season, filled with family, fun and warm memories. Don't forget to relax and find time for yourself....curl up with a good book and cup of hot tea or cocoa.....

XOXO

Night Road by Kristin Hannah

2010-12-07T12:22:00.005-05:00

From Goodreads:

Jude Farraday is a happily married, stay-at-home mom who puts everyone’s needs above her own. Her twins, Mia and Zach, are bright and happy teenagers. When Lexi Baill enters their lives, no one is more supportive than Jude. A former foster child with a dark past, Lexi quickly becomes Mia’s best friend. Then Zach falls in love with Lexi and the three become inseparable. But senior year of high school brings unexpected dangers and one night, Jude’s worst fears are confirmed: there is an accident. In an instant, her idyllic life is shattered and her close-knit community is torn apart. People and Jude demand justice, and when the finger of blame is pointed, it lands solely on eighteen-year-old Lexi Baill. In a heartbeat, their love for each other will be shattered, the family broken. Lexi gives up everything that matters to her the boy she loves, her place in the family, the best friend she ever had while Jude loses even more. When Lexi returns, older and wiser, she demands a reckoning. Long buried feelings will rise again, and Jude will finally have to face the woman she has become. She must decide whether to remain broken or try to forgive both Lexi…and herself. Night Road is a vivid, emotionally complex novel that raises profound questions about motherhood, loss, identity, and forgiveness. It is an exquisite, heartbreaking novel that speaks to women everywhere about the things that matter most.

My Thoughts:

I won this ARC from Librarything Early Reviewers. I was excited to read it because I loved Firefly Lane. However, the characters in Night Road kept me from enjoying it. I felt a strong dislike for Jude. I thought that Mia and Zach acted like spoiled rich kids. Lexie was really the only character that I could connect with, but I felt she was a typical orphan down-on-her-luck character. The story just did not seem real to me. Sorry folks, Night Road was not my cup of tea.
Fair

~Teaser Tuesday~

2010-12-07T06:00:00.000-05:00

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

* Grab your current read*
* Open to a random page*
*Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page *

BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! ;)

My teaser today comes from Gray Baby by Scott Loring Sanders:

~Unlike the diminutive Charlie, who zipped around in the truck like it was his second living room, the man had to hunch a little as he walked. He had solid blue tattoos up and down his wiry arms, and because there were no other colors, and because there were so many of them, Clifton couldn't discern one from the other.~ pg. 147

What's YOUR teaser today????

~Mailbox Monday~

2010-12-06T06:38:00.000-05:00

I received 3 books last week, all from Goodreads Swap!

The Inn at Lake Devine by Elinor Lipman:

In 1962 Vermont, Natalie's mother is told that a summer resort does not accept Jews. When Natalie tries to enter the world that has excluded her, she succeeds beyond her wildest dreams through the sheerest of accidents.

The Walk by Richard Paul Evans:

"My name is Alan Christoffersen. You don’t know me. ‘Just another book in the library,’ my father would say. ‘Unopened and unread.’ You have no idea how far I’ve come or what I’ve lost. More important, you have no idea what I’ve found." —Prologue

What would you do if you lost everything—your job, your home, and the love of your life—all at the same time? When it happens to Seattle ad executive Alan Christoffersen, he’s tempted by his darkest thoughts. A bottle of pills in his hand and nothing left to live for, he plans to end his misery. Instead, he decides to take a walk. But not any ordinary walk. Taking with him only the barest of essentials, Al leaves behind all that he’s known and heads for the farthest point on his map: Key West, Florida. The people he encounters along the way, and the lessons they share with him, will save his life—and inspire yours.

Aimee by Mary Beth Miller:

After she is accused of playing a role in her best friend's death, a young woman battles depression, anger, guilt, loneliness, and the problems of her own family as well as those of the families of her old friends.

What's in YOUR mailbox today???

Teaser Tuesday

2010-11-30T07:00:00.000-05:00

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

* Grab your current read*
* Open to a random page*
*Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page *

BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! ;)

Today's teaser comes from Night Road by Kristin Hannah:

~She'd watched from a distance as her immature, coltish boy had become a man. Grief had shattered him, fatherhood had put him back together.~ pg. 307

What's YOUR teaser today????

WE HAVE WINNERS!

2010-11-29T17:04:00.004-05:00

First of all, I must apologize if I sound a little shaky...I have crawled from the depths of my sick bed to announce my giveaway winners this evening!!! (Did that sound dramatic? :) ) Seriously, I am suffering from a nasty stomach bug, but seem to be on the mend, thank goodness!

The winner of my GRATITUDE GIVEAWAY of the three books by Alyson Noel is:

TIFFERZ19

Congratulations Tiffany!! I have sent Tiffany an email. If she does not respond in 72 hours, another winner will be chosen.

The winners of my 300 FOLLOWERS GIVEAWAY are:

bookloversdiary
tarter95
natashajennex

The three winners will each get a $10.00 Gift Card from Amazon.com! I have emailed the winners and all have 72 hours to respond. If I don't hear back, other winners will be chosen.

I want to thank ALL of you for joining in these Giveaways, and being loyal followers of my blog.

I hope that all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday, and wish all of you Happy Holidays ahead, filled with family, friends, shopping and reading!

XOXOXO

~Sweetie~ by Kathryn Magendie

2010-11-27T08:21:00.004-05:00

Over-weight, bespectacled twelve-year-old Melissa is captivated by wild-mountain-girl Sweetie. As the two friends explore the Western North Carolina mountains where Sweetie lives, they learn about friendship and family, loss and love, loyalty and betrayal. Before the tragedy that changes their lives, and causes Melissa to lose her friend to the mountain spirits, the two become friends, blood sisters, confidants, and caretakers of secrets. At the end of that summer, Sweetie makes a sacrifice that only twelve-year-old Sweetie could make for her mother, and alternatively, Melissa makes a selfish decision, then can only stand by and watch as her friend is there, then gone.

My Thoughts:

I loved every minute of this story. A beautiful coming-of-age tale set in Appalachia in the 1970's, tells the story of Melissa and Sweetie; Shy, overweight Melissa, and brash, outspoken Sweetie, who become fast friends. It is a story of a summertime friendship, spent roaming the Smoky Mountains of North Carolina's Haywood County. Two friends who become "bound sisters" for life, each needing something from the other. Author Kathryn Magendie lives and works in the very same area where this story takes place. Her love for the mountains shines through in her story, with beautiful details of the flowers, rocks and creeks where the girls play. This book is now one of my top favorite Coming-of-Age stories (which include Roseflower Creek by J.L. Miles, Prayers and Lies by Sherri Wood Emmons, Walking Through Shadows by Bev Marshall, Where the Woodbine Twines by Sherry Austin, The Star Lite Drive In by Marjorie Reynolds, Summer of the Redeemers by Carolyn Haines...Just to name a few!) "Sweetie" is a character that I will never forget~

A West Virginia native, Kat Magendie came home to Maggie Valley via South Louisiana, where she reclusively writes and co-edits/publishes The Rose & Thorn online journal. Visit her at www.kathrynmagendie.com

**Many thanks to Deborah Smith at Bell Bridge Books for the opportunity to read and review "Sweetie"**

What are YOU Waiting for Today??

2010-11-24T10:08:00.005-05:00

Waiting On Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine.

My Waiting On Wednesday pick for today is But I Love Him by Amanda Grace.

From Goodreads:

Tonight was so much worse than anything before it.
Tonight he didn't stop after the first slap.

At the beginning of senior year, Ann was a smiling, straight-A student and track star with friends and a future. Then she met a haunted young man named Connor. Only she can heal his emotional scars; only he could make her feel so loved-and needed. Ann can't recall the pivotal moment it all changed, when she surrendered everything to be with him, but by graduation, her life has become a dangerous high wire act. Just one mistake could trigger Connor's rage, a senseless storm of cruel words and violence damaging everything-and everyone-in its path.

This evocative slideshow of flashbacks reveals a heartbreaking story of love gone terribly wrong.

This title will be released on May 8, 2011.

What are YOU waiting for today????

Teaser Tuesday

2010-11-23T07:00:00.000-05:00

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

* Grab your current read*
* Open to a random page*
*Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page *

BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! ;)

My teaser today comes from Almost Perfect by Brian Katcher:

~In the strange world of male bonding, questioning someone's sexuality and hygiene was a way to demonstrate friendship and camaraderie. Unfortunately for Chad, I was overly sensitive about my sexual identity that day.~ pg. 115

What's YOUR teaser today?????

~Mailbox Monday~

2010-11-22T07:16:00.000-05:00

I had a great haul last week. I got a few books from PBS, and it was my birthday on Saturday! Thanks to my husband, I received 4 new books from him, from my wish list!

The Tension of Opposites by Kristina McBride:

It’s been two years since Noelle disappeared. Two years since her bike was discovered, sprawled on a sidewalk. Two years of silence, of worry, of fear.

For those two long years, her best friend Tessa has waited, living her own life in a state of suspended animation. Because how can she allow herself to enjoy a normal high school life if Noelle can’t? How dare she have other friends, go to dances, date boys, without knowing what happened to the girl she thought she would share everything with?

And then one day, someone calls Noelle’s house. She’s alive.

A haunting psychological thriller taken straight from the headlines, The Tension of Opposites is a striking debut that explores the emotional aftermath of a kidnapping on the victim, and on the people she left behind.

Tragedy at Tin Can Holler by Rozetta Mowery:

"Tragedy in Tin Can Holler" is a captivating must read true story of a family's past transgressions revealing a serial killer during the great depression, incest and child abuse, lies and betrayals and domestic violence buried for decades! The vicious murder of the author's mother haunted her for 48 years, but discovering the truth about her mother's murder was just the tip of the iceberg. Her story is spell-bounding as she unveils the hidden secrets that shocked the residents of 3 counties in southeast Tennessee.

The Daily Coyote by Shreve Stockton:

Developed from her tremendously popular blog, writer and photographer Shreve Stockton presents an inspiring journal of her experiences raising an orphaned coyote as a beloved pet.

Horns by Joe Hill:

Ignatius Perrish spent the night drunk and doing terrible things. He woke up the next morning with a pair of horns growing from his temples.

At first, Ig thought the horns were a hallucination, the product of a mind damaged by rage and grief. He had spent the last year in a lonely, private purgatory, following the death of his beloved, Merrin Williams, who had been raped and murdered under inexplicable circumstances. A mental breakdown would have been the most natural thing in the world. But there was nothing natural about the horns, which were all too real.

Once, the righteous Ig had enjoyed the life of the blessed. But Merrin's death damned all that. The only suspect in the crime, Ig was never charged or tried. And he was never cleared. Nothing Ig can do or say matters. Everyone it seems, including God, has abandoned him. Everyone that is, but the devil inside. . . .

Now Ig is possessed of a terrible new power—a macabre talent he intends to use to find the monster who killed Merrin and destroyed his life. It's time for a little revenge . . . it's time the devil had his due . . .

What was in YOUR mailbox????

Feathered by Laura Kasischke

2010-11-21T08:38:00.002-05:00

Afterward, Terri will tell everyone that, from the beginning, she knew something terrible was going to happen on spring break.

Something bad was going to happen.

She knew.

It was supposed to be the perfect vacation: hot guys, impeccable tans, and no parents. But for two high school seniors, an innocent car ride will drive them into the heart of their worst nightmare.

Feathered is a provocative and eerie tale that flies readers from safe, predictable suburbia to the sun-kissed beaches of Cancún, Mexico, and into mysterious Mayan ruins, where ancient myths flirt dangerously with present realities.

Feathered by Laura Kasischke

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Three friends travel to Cancun for Spring Break, and the unthinkable happens.

This was a good story that seemed all too real. I noticed that it was published after Natalee Holloway's disappearance, and the story was eerily similar.

Two of the three girls decide to tour the Mayan Ruins with an older man, who is not a certified Tour Guide. Their friend stays behind at the hotel to party with some other kids that she has met. What transpires is a nightmare that is all too real.

The book kept me guessing right up until the end - it did not disappoint. Great read!

View all my reviews

300 FOLLOWERS GIVEAWAY!

2010-11-19T12:49:00.004-05:00

Happy Friday!

So much is going on in Blog Land right now ~ Lots of Giveaways and Holiday Cheer ~ So....I'm going to add ANOTHER GIVEAWAY into the mix~

This one is all my own.....and......it is because of you, my followers. I have now reached over three hundred followers, and I'm thrilled. Now, I know a lot of my newest followers have joined me because of my Gratitude Giveaway contest....and that's fine. I hope that you all will continue to follow Missy's Book Nook even after the contest is over.

Now, for my Three Hundred Follower Giveaway! Three lucky followers will each win a $10.00 Amazon Gift Card! To enter, just leave me a comment:

Old Follwer +2 extra entries
New Follower +1 extra entry
Friend on Goodreads +2 extra entries

Add 'em up for me, and please be sure to give me your email address, so that I may notify you if you win. This contest will run from November 20th through November 27th, 2010. The winner will be announced the week after Thanksgiving. All winners will have 72 hours (3 days) to respond. If I do not hear back from you, another winner will be chosen.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone, and thanks a bunch for following "Lil' ol' ME! XOXO!"

Prayers and Lies by Sherri Wood Emmons

2010-11-18T09:26:00.003-05:00

From Amazon:

When seven-year-old Bethany meets her six-year-old cousin Reana Mae, it's the beginning of a kinship of misfits that saves both from a bone-deep loneliness. Every summer, Bethany and her family leave Indianapolis for West Virginia's Coal River Valley. For Bethany's mother, the trips are a reminder of the coalmines and grinding poverty of her childhood, of a place she'd hoped to escape. But her loving relatives, and Bethany's friendship with Reana Mae, keep them coming back.

But as Bethany grows older, she realizes that life in this small, close-knit community is not as simple as she once thought. . .that the riverside cabins that hold so much of her family's history also teem with scandalous whispers. . .and that those closest to her harbor unimaginable secrets. Amid the dense woods and quiet beauty of the valley, these secrets are coming to light at last, with a force devastating enough to shatter lives, faith, and the bond that Bethany once thought would last forever.

Spanning four decades, Sherri Wood Emmons' debut is a haunting, captivating novel about the unexpected, sometimes shocking events that thrust us into adulthood--and the connections that keep us tethered, always, to our pasts.

My Thoughts:

You know that feeling that you get when you first start reading a book and you quickly fall in love with the main character? You hang on to their every word and feel the same emotions that they are feeling? That's how it was between me and Bethany Wylie. Bethany and her parents and her three sisters spend every summer on the Coal River in West Virginia. Her parents were born and raised there, and there were numerous aunts, uncles and cousins to visit with. Bethany forms a special bond with one of her cousins when she is seven years old. Reana Mae is six, and they become sisters and soul mates. What transpires over the next four decades between the two of them and their families range from poetic to painful...unimaginable and unbelievable. It had me wondering ~ Could their friendship remain strong?

I was in Wendy's yesterday, eating a salad while reading this book, and my mouth literally dropped open during one chapter. I lost a little lettuce and blue cheese, but I tell you, it was well worth it.

Prayers and Lies made me laugh, cry, and yearn to crawl into the pages to be with Bethany and Reana Mae, to hug them and tell them that everything will be okay.

Sherri Wood Emmons has written a beautiful coming - of - age novel that has now earned a spot in my favorite Top Ten Reads ever. I certainly hope that she is working on her next novel...I'll be waiting for it~

Visit Sherri's website at www.sherriwoodemmons.com

It's Giveaway Time!

2010-11-17T00:01:00.001-05:00

It's that time of year again...to give thanks for everything that we have.....family, health, friends and BLOG FOLLOWERS!

The Gratitude Giveaway was kindly put together by Kathy (Inspired Reader) iamareadernotawriter, in honor of our followers to show our appreciation to you all! Over 170 blogs are participating in this awesome giveaway! Here's your chance to find some fabulous new blogs to add to your list to follow, to visit your old friends, and enter some very enticing giveaways, all book-related. It is truly a time to be thankful! Please visit the Gratitude Giveaway Link to see all participating blogs and enter their giveaways!

I'm giving away 3 books, all to one lucky winner!

Radiance
Evermore
Shadowland
All by Alyson Noel!!

I want to keep it simple, so to enter the giveaway, please only comment ONE TIME.

Please let me know if you are a NEW FOLLOWER. If you are new, you get one extra entry.

If you are an OLD FOLLOWER, you will get two extra entries.

If you are my friend on GOODREADS you will get one extra entry.

In your comment PLEASE LEAVE AN EMAIL ADDRESS WHERE I CAN REACH YOU IF YOU WIN.

The winner will be announced on November 29th, 2010.

Thanks to everyone: New and old followers alike; Have a Blessed Thanksgiving and Good Luck!

Thanks for being a faithful follower of Missy's Book Nook! XOXO

Teaser Tuesday

2010-11-16T06:30:00.000-05:00

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

* Grab your current read*
* Open to a random page*
*Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page *

BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! ;)

My teaser this week comes from Prayers and Lies by Sherri Wood Emmons:

~Sitting in the mud on that muggy day, I found my real sister. I was seven, Reana Mae was six, and I had no way of knowing just how intertwined our lives would become. Pg. 9~

What's YOUR teaser today???

The Compound by S.A. Bodeen; A Real Page-Turner!

2010-11-14T07:43:00.006-05:00

From Goodreads:

Eli and his family have lived in the underground Compound for six years. The world they knew is gone, and they've become accustomed to their new life. Accustomed, but not happy. For Eli, no amount of luxury can stifle the dull routine of living in the same place. with only his two sisters, only his father and mother, doing the same thing day after day after day. As problems with their carefully planned existence threaten to destroy their sanctuary - and their sanity - Eli can't help but wonder if he's rather take his chances outside. Eli's father built the Compound to keep them safe. But are they safe - or sorry?

My Thoughts:

I loved it! It was so neat to envision The Compound, filled with all of the luxuries that the wealthy Yanakakis family was accustomed to in their "real" home above ground, before the nuclear attack. Rex, the family patriarch, filled their underground space with movies, music, and even a gym. The family is "kept in the dark" so to speak, for 6 long years. Until their son Eli becomes suspicious of his father, and attempts some sneaking around behind his father's back. What he stumbles across is shocking...not only to him, but to the rest of his family as well. This was a fast-paced page turner that I highly recommend.

Very Good!

Reading level: Young Adult
Paperback: 272 pages
Publisher: Square Fish; First Edition edition (September 1, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0312578601
ISBN-13: 978-0312578602

My Thoughts on Wrong Number by Rachelle Christensen

2010-11-13T18:32:00.003-05:00

When Aubree Stewart receives a mysterious phone call on her way to work, she doesn't know what to think. At first she assumes it's some kind of prank. But the call isn't a practical joke, and Aubree soon finds herself swept up in a world of danger, intrigue, and murder. With help from the FBI, Aubree races to protect herself and what's left of her family, but the one thing she forgets to protect is her own heart.

My Thoughts:

Quick, enjoyable thriller with romance included. The mystery kept me on the edge of my seat, and the puzzle pieces didn't fit together until the very end. The characters were totally likable, and I especially enjoyed the relationship between Aubree and Wyatt, the park ranger. I fell in love with Aubree's baby, Scarlett, and feared for their safety while they were on the run.

I think this novel was very well written, and will be looking for more by Rachelle Christensen. Stop by Rachelle's blog at www.rachellewrites.blogspot.com or visit her website at www.rachellechristensen.com.

Very Good!

Paperback: 208 pages
Publisher: Bonneville Books; 1st edition (March 8, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1599553643
ISBN-13: 978-1599553641

My Thoughts on The Help by Kathryn Stockett

2010-11-11T17:28:00.003-05:00

From Goodreads:

Three ordinary women are about to take one extraordinary step. Twenty-two-year-old Skeeter has just returned home after graduating from Ole Miss. She may have a degree, but it is 1962, Mississippi, and her mother will not be happy till Skeeter has a ring on her finger.

Skeeter would normally find solace with her beloved maid Constantine, the woman who raised her, but Constantine has disappeared and no one will tell Skeeter where she has gone.

Aibileen is a black maid, a wise, regal woman raising her seventeenth white child. Something has shifted inside her after the loss of her own son, who died while his bosses looked the other way. She is devoted to the little girl she looks after, though she knows both their hearts may be broken.

Minny, Aibileen’s best friend, is short, fat, and perhaps the sassiest woman in Mississippi. She can cook like nobody’s business, but she can’t mind her tongue, so she’s lost yet another job. Minny finally finds a position working for someone too new to town to know her reputation. But her new boss has secrets of her own.

Seemingly as different from one another as can be, these women will nonetheless come together for a clandestine project that will put them all at risk. And why? Because they are suffocating within the lines that define their town and their times. And sometimes lines are made to be crossed.

In pitch-perfect voices, Kathryn Stockett creates three extraordinary women whose determination to start a movement of their own forever changes a town, and the way women — mothers, daughters, caregivers, friends — view one another.

A deeply moving novel filled with poignancy, humor, and hope, The Help is a timeless and universal story about the lines we abide by, and the ones we don’t.

My Thoughts:

There aren't enough words to express how much I loved this book. I waited so long to read it, too...just because I usually do not read hyped-up New York Times Bestsellers. Was I ever wrong. This story opened my eyes to what was happening in the early 1960's, right around the time I was born. I fell in love with Aibileen, Minny and Miss Skeeter. When you love the characters in a book it's such a wonderful feeling; although I did not care one bit for Miss Hilly. LOL!

For anyone who HAS NOT yet read The Help....what are you waiting for? Yes....it is that good. Go out and buy a copy for yourself....and several others to give as gifts for the holidays. You will not be disappointed!

Sunday Reflections

2010-11-07T06:58:00.003-05:00

I've been a bad book blogger. (Hand Slap, please!) I never ever thought that I would be as neglectful of my blog as I have been lately. It seems that I am in a sort of "funk" that won't lift. My reading time is non-existent as of late. The household is in a sort of upheaval at the moment.

My husband has been having to work late every night and every Saturday to get a project finished in time for a deadline. Our dinner schedule is thrown off, which means we're eating late, things are being done at odd hours....evenings have always been my reading time....at least 2 hours before I go to bed. If I'm not reading, well, then I feel I've got nothing to blog about. I have still been keeping up with my Teaser Tuesdays, but that is about it. I have missed being able to browse everyone's blogs and see what you all have been up to.

Which is what prompted me to post this reflection this morning. I was crushed when I visited Dar's blog this morning and learned of Buddy's passing. It felt like a punch in the stomach.

Since I started this blog, I have come to think of all of you as friends as well as fellow book lovers. Dar was one of my first friends when I started this blog and made me feel very welcome here. It is difficult to realize that in the time that I have been away from my blog, things happen...some terrible, some good. I just know that in the past, when I have gone through many a similar situation, that all of my blog friends have been there for me, and I appreciate every loving thought and comment that I receive.

Blogging is hard work and takes a lot of dedication....which so many of you have. I love visiting and reading your blogs and please know that you are appreciated, even if I don't have time to comment. And to Dar.....I'm so so sorry for your loss. To Cecile: whom I haven't been in contact with for months, who Friday sent me the longest email catching me up with what's been going on in her life. To all of you.....I promise I haven't forgotten what you mean to me. You're in my thoughts daily.

Teaser Tuesday

2010-11-02T06:46:00.001-04:00

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

* Grab your current read*
* Open to a random page*
*Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page *

BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! ;)

My teaser today comes once again from The Help by Kathryn Stockett:

~I saw that dress four days ago and I knew it looked hussified - of course she had to pick the one with the low neckline - but I had no idea what would happen when she stuffed herself inside it. She's popping out like a corn cob in Crisco."~ pg. 318

I am LOVING this book!!!

What's YOUR teaser today??

At Long Last.....

2010-10-29T12:28:00.003-04:00

I think I am probably the only person on the planet that has NOT read The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins! It's been on my wish list forever! On my lunch hour today, I went to TJ Maxx to browse around. They had some books.....a choice few, and The Hunger Games was one of them, at a very very decent price. Needless to say, it went into my cart, with 4 other AWESOME books. The others I bought are a big SECRET because they are going to be part of the GRATITUDE GIVEAWAY beginning November 17th, and running until November 28th. These new books will be included, along with some other ***GOODIES***. Be sure to pop back by during that time to enter the giveaway.

TGIF!!!!

Teaser Tuesday!

2010-10-26T09:56:00.002-04:00

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

* Grab your current read*
* Open to a random page*
*Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page *

BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! ;)

My teaser today comes from The Help by Kathryn Stockett:

~He rubs his brow with his white shirtsleeve and I see why his shirts are always so dirty. And he is sort of handsome. For a white man.~ pg. 139

What's YOUR teaser today?

Review - One Good Dog by Susan Wilson

2010-10-21T12:26:00.007-04:00

From Goodreads:

Adam March is a self-made “Master of the Universe.” He has it all: the beautiful wife, the high-powered job, the glittering circle of friends. But there is a price to be paid for all these trappings, and the pressure is mounting—until the day Adam makes a fatal mistake. His assistant leaves him a message with three words: your sister called. What no one knows is that Adam’s sister has been missing for decades. That she represents the excruciatingly painful past he has left behind. And that her absence has secretly tormented him all these years. When his assistant brushes off his request for an explanation in favor of her more pressing personal call, Adam loses it. And all hell breaks loose.

Adam is escorted from the building. He loses his job. He loses his wife. He loses the life he’s worked so hard to achieve. He doesn’t believe it is possible to sink any lower when he is assigned to work in a soup kitchen as a form of community service. But unbeknownst to Adam, this is where his life will intersect with Chance.

Chance is a mixed breed Pit Bull. He’s been born and raised to fight and seldom leaves the dirty basement where he is kept between fights. But Chance is not a victim or a monster. It is Chance’s unique spirit that helps him escape and puts him in the path of Adam.

What transpires is the story of one man, one dog, and how they save each other—in ways they never could have expected.

My Thoughts:

I love Susan Wilson's writing. I own one of her other books, Beauty, which I loved so much that I bought a copy for my own personal bookshelf. One Good Dog easily fits into that category...I loved it THAT much that I am adding it to my shelves.

At first, I hated the main character, Adam. He is a pompous ass. After he gets what I think he deserves, the story takes on a different twist. Adam must work so many hours of community service as penance for his crime. It is during this time that he begins to metamorphosis into an honorable man. He works at a men's homeless shelter, he runs very low on money. He is forced to live in a tiny apartment and has to do without all of the luxuries that he has become accustomed to. He adopts a dog without really meaning to....he tells himself he will "foster" the dog until other arrangements can be made. Then, he meets Gina, who owns the pet store across the street from his apartment. It is a "chance" meeting that grows into something more. Adam's life changes drastically into something he never imagined.

I didn't want this story to end. Fortunately, it ends on a grand note, and I was completely satisfied at the end. I did need some Kleenex, though. Recommended!

Hardcover, 320 pages

Published March 2nd 2010 by St. Martin's Press (first published 2010)

ISBN

0312571259 (ISBN13: 9780312571252)

Outstanding!

It's Friday!

2010-10-15T06:00:00.000-04:00

Friday Finds is hosted by Should Be Reading.

An enchanting book for Tweenagers to Keenagers set in the early 1940's. Connee discovers that staying in the home of wealthy cottage owners is both exciting and lonely. Sally, who becomes her best friend, lures her into mischief and adventure in the elegant summer resort - Bella Vista - managed by Connee's parents. Sally's big brother, Joe, challenges them to outsmart his tormenting antics. Connee learns that false pride can thwart her happiness and that Sally,though carefree, has a painful secret.The action takes place in the mountains of North Arkansas during a period of history when there was no air conditioning. All over the nation, those who could afford it escaped the sweltering heat of their city homes and spent whole summers in the cool of resorts. Lazy days were spent fishing, playing cards, or just sitting on screened porches to enjoy the cool breezes. They rode horses at dawn, swam in pools or lakes, and at night foxtrotted or jitterbugged to the music of Big Bands. Author Constance May Waddell (Connee) discovered her childhood diaries, musty with age. Tears fell on the moldy pages as she re-read them. She decided that now was the time to keep the promise she'd made to Roseanne Matofsky (Sally) as Roseanne lay dying at the age of forty-one. Constance would write the stories of their delightful teen escapades so that Roseanne's children and grandchildren could hear them just as Constance had told them to her own. This is a book of real happenings, captured through the eyes and reality of a young girl in a different time and a different place. Waddell hopes those who read it will experience an era when children could safely catch rides with strangers and when it was not unusual for whole families to work together in a business.

Paperback: 152 pages
Publisher: AuthorHouse (March 28, 2002)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0759679940
ISBN-13: 978-0759679948

What did YOU find today?????

~Waiting On Wednesday~

2010-10-13T10:50:00.005-04:00

Waiting On Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

My pick today comes from a recommendation from Shellie at Layers Of Thought!

The Fates Will Find Their Way: A Novel by Hannah Pittard:

Sixteen year-old Nora Lindell is missing. And the neighborhood boys she left behind are caught forever in the heady current of her absence.

As the days and years pile up, the mystery of her disappearance grows kaleidoscopically. A collection of rumors, divergent suspicions, and tantalizing what ifs, Nora Lindell's story is a shadowy projection of teenage lust, friendship, reverence, and regret, captured magically in the disembodied plural voice of the boys who still long for her.

Told in haunting, percussive prose, Hannah Pittard's beautifully crafted story tracks the emotional progress of the sister Nora left behind, the other families in their leafy suburban enclave, and the individual fates of the boys in her thrall. Far more eager to imagine Nora's fate than to scrutinize their own, the boys sleepwalk into an adulthood of jobs, marriages, families, homes, and daughters of their own, all the while pining for a girl—and a life—that no longer exists, except in the imagination.

A masterful literary debut that shines a light into the dream-filled space between childhood and all that follows, The Fates Will Find their Way is a story about the stories we tell ourselves—of who we once were and might someday become.

Hardcover, 256 pages

Published February 1st 2011 by Ecco

ISBN

006199605X

What are YOU waiting for???

Review - The Sky Always Hears Me And The Hills Don't Mind

2010-10-11T12:27:00.006-04:00

From Goodreads:

I borrow the car again from Grandma and drive out to my hill. I scream I AM A BIG FAT ZERO, plus I AM SWEARING OFF KISSING FOREVER, and I HATE BEING A SECRET SEX FIEND, about sixteen times each. Then I sit very still and watch a hawk swirl over the fields. I have to get a new life before I go crazy.

Sixteen-year-old Morgan lives in a hick town. Her mom was killed in a car accident when she was two, her dad drinks, and her stepmom is a non-entity. Her boyfriend Derek is boring and she can't stop staring at her coworker Rob's cute butt. Then there's the kiss she shared with her neighbor Tessa . . . But when Morgan discovers a devastating secret about the one person she completely trusted, her entire world crashes and she must redefine her life and herself.

Compelling and complex, The Sky Always Hears Me is a fast-paced narrative with raw humor and a heart-wrenching twist.

My Thoughts:

A cute story about Morgan, a high school girl who lives out in the middle of "Central Nowhere" in Nebraska. She's a typical teen who has lots of friends, a boyfriend, and excels in school. She has a favorite spot that visits frequently, that she calls The Hill. It is where she goes when she wants to scream out her frustrations, whatever they may be. She also enjoys writing fortunes on Post It Notes and leaving them random places for others to find. The story covers her relationship with her grandmother, in which some family secrets are revealed that throws Morgan into tailspin. Partner that with her break-up with her long-time boyfriend, kisses from a girl who adores her and a new relationship with a guy that she works with at the grocery store, and you have one FANTASTIC novel that is just begging to be read! Loved it!

Very Good!

Reading level: Young Adult
Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: Flux; 1 edition (September 8, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0738715042
ISBN-13: 978-0738715049

Review - Ten Minutes From Home: A Memoir by Beth Greenfield

2010-10-09T06:00:00.000-04:00

From Goodreads:

Ten Minutes from Home is the poignant account of how a suburban New Jersey family struggles to come together after being shattered by tragedy.

In this searing, sparely written, and surprisingly wry memoir, Beth Greenfield shares what happens in 1982 when, as a twelve-year-old, she survives a drunk-driving accident that kills her younger brother Adam and best friend Kristin. As the benign concerns of adolescence are replaced by crushing guilt and grief, Beth searches for hope and support in some likely and not-so-likely places (General Hospital, a kindly rabbi, the bottom of a keg), eventually discovering that while life is fragile, love doesn’t have to be.

Ten Minutes from Home exquisitely captures both the heartache of lost innocence and the solace of strength and survival

My Thoughts:

Ten Minutes From Home is a well written memoir by Beth Greenfield, which tells the heartbreaking story of a car accident that takes the life of Beth's little brother Adam, and her best friend Kristen. In 1982, a drunk driver causes her family's accident. Beth chronicles her years after the accident, growing up in a home full of sadness and despair. She doesn't know how to deal with her grief, and becomes angry with her parents, especially her mother, because her mother outwardly expresses her sadness to anyone and everyone, which becomes an embarrassment to Beth.
Beth learns over the course of years how to deal with her grief and loss, with the help of school counselors and therapists. She and her parents grow close again.
Although I have never had to deal with this kind of loss personally, I felt Beth's pain....her sadness and guilt, and completely understood her actions as she grew into a teenager, acting out in order to receive her parents attention. This is a very good memoir, one I will remember for a long time.

Very Good!

Hardcover, 288 pages

Published April 27th 2010 by Harmony (first published 2010)

ISBN

0307462056

Finally Friday!!

2010-10-08T06:00:00.000-04:00

Friday Finds is hosted by Should Be Reading.

A scalding exploration of love, marriage, fidelity, and betrayal.

"Meet me at five," the voice said on the answering machine. Four ordinary words yet, when heard by the wrong person, enough to change the course of a marriage.

Marooned in Hollywood while writing a screenplay based on his latest bestselling novel, Miles King records in his journals his escalating conviction that his glamorous wife, a New York-based journalist named Maggie, is having an affair with Miles's favorite student.

Amidst the sun-buffed egos and the longing for connection and fame he encounters at every cocktail party and no-name bar in Hollywood, Miles finds unexpected comfort in an affair of his own with Lucy, a young mother whose open, eager mind sparks an irresistible passion in him. A potent brew of lust, guilt, anger, and betrayal, Miles's journals reveal his constantly shifting emotional state and the perils he must navigate as his fantasies become increasingly hard to distinguish from reality.

In Hollywood Savage, acclaimed novelist Kristin McCloy probes one modern man's psychological depths with stunning accuracy, and illuminates the ways men and women try desperately to reveal themselves to one another, while still always keeping a part of their hearts a secret.

What did YOU find today???

Review: Blackout Girl by Jennifer Storm

2010-10-06T13:45:00.005-04:00

From Goodreads:

"Where the hell am I? How did I get here?"

Beginning at the age of 12, Jennifer Storm asked herself these questions many times after waking from alcohol-induced blackouts. During her teens and early twenties, Storm turned to alcohol to deal with the traumas in her life. In addition to alcohol, she also experimented with drugs, and eventually began using crack to deal with the deep black hole of sadness, loss, and unworthiness that she felt inside herself.

That is, until she awoke in a hospital psych ward and saw bandages on her wrists. "The doctor came in and said I was a very lucky girl to be alive," she explains, "and for the first time in my life, I believed it." She agreed to transfer to a rehabilitation center, though she wondered how life would be without alcohol and drugs. "Even as I asked myself this question, I quietly just knew I would never need them again. That inherent knowledge gave me a greater sense of peace than I had ever felt before. It was intoxicating in a whole new way."

My Thoughts:

I enjoyed this memoir more when it got towards the end, and Jennifer was in her healing process. The beginning and middle parts were difficult for me to read, mainly because I felt so angry at her for her actions. Her behavior was so self-destructive...and I felt sorry for her parents. This is why I gave it a three star rating. However, towards the end of her story, I warmed up to her a great deal. She overcomes her addictions, attends college, and chooses a profession that is perfect for her. I found this to be a good but challenging read.

Good

Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Hazelden Publishing (February 15, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1592854680
ISBN-13: 978-1592854684

Teaser Tuesday

2010-10-05T06:00:00.000-04:00

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

* Grab your current read*
* Open to a random page*
*Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page *

BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! ;)

My teaser today comes from Room Full of Mirrors: A Biography of Jimi Hendrix by Charles R. Cross:

~The guitar became his life, and his life became the guitar. With the instrument in hand, his next fixation became finding a band.~ pg. 65

Whats YOUR teaser today???

Review: Before I Say Goodbye by Ruth Picardie

2010-10-03T07:37:00.006-04:00

From the back cover:

Ruth Picardie was thirty-three when she died, a month after her twins' second birthday and just under a year after she was first diagnosed with breast cancer. For Ruth, a journalist, it seemed natural to write about her illness. She published only seven columns for Observer Life magazine before she became too sick to continue, but her moving, funny and very human account drew a huge response from readers all over England.

Before I Say Goodbye juxtaposes these columns with correspondence from readers, e-mails to her friends, letters to her children and reflections by her husband and her sister. The result is a courageous and moving book, entirely devoid of self-pity, that celebrates the triumph of a brave and wonderful woman's spirit.

My Thoughts:

With October being Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I wanted to read and review an appropriate book for the theme, and fortunately this was the book that I chose. I've had this book for quite awhile, wanting to read it, but waiting for the spirit to move me to pluck it off of my shelf.

Ruth's story is not one of bemoaning her predicament. It is the story of her life before and after her horrendous diagnosis; life with her husband and her children, the love of her job, the silliness that is shared between her and her friends, and her crass view of cancer...its intrusion into her life.

Her lump, when first detected by Ruth herself, was determined by her doctors as being a "fibroadenoma", a non-cancerous lump of the breast. Pacified by the diagnosis, Ruth and her husband Matt wiped the worry from their minds. Approximately a year after that diagnosis, the lump began to grow. Ruth returned to her doctor demanding answers. By that time the lump had turned cancerous....a very aggressive type of cancer, which quickly spread to her bones, lungs, liver and brain.

Ruth mentions in her book that she had to demand to be given MRI's and CT Scans to detect the cancer's spread. I can't imagine a doctors careless indifference about listening to a patient in pain. It is scary and surreal that this actually happens.

"Death is a hard concept for adults to grasp too. Through tear-blurred vision, it was easy to imagine that she might suddenly sit up and order a glass of fruit juice or a mug of hot chocolate. It takes not minutes, nor even months, but perhaps years for one to register and accept, at every stratum and substratem of one's being, the loss of a loved one. Even now it feels unreal most of the time. How could it have happened, after all? It wasn't part of the plan."

~After Words by Matt Seaton, pg. 131.

Very Good!

Paperback: 128 pages
Publisher: Penguin UK (May 1998)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0140276300
ISBN-13: 978-0140276305

Early detection saves lives! Check your breasts once a month, and get your yearly mammograms. ~Find A Cure~

Book Review - Nightlight by Janine Avril

2010-09-30T13:59:00.004-04:00

From Amazon.com:

A spare and beautiful memoir of family secrets and its consequences.

While in her twenties, Janine Avril learned a shocking family secret, one that set her on a deeply personal journey into her past. Her earliest memory was of her mother complaining about a bizarre pain in her ankle, one she linked to a ski accident she’d been in as a young girl. When Janine was twelve, growing up in the wealthy and predominantly Jewish suburb of Roslyn, New York, her mother was diagnosed with a deadly cancer and died three years later. While a junior at Cornell University, Janine learned that her father, a popular French chef and entrepreneur, was sick with full-blown AIDS. It was nearly five years later when Janine received an unexpected phone call from her uncle, forcing her to re-evaluate her childhood. Inspired to understand as much as she could about her parents, she finally discovers a powerful link between her father and herself, and her past becomes illuminated like the nightlight that once protected her from the darkness of her youth.

My Thoughts:

Janine's story is so heartbreaking, it's almost unbelievable. I can't imagine losing both of my parents the way that she did. Understandably she was quite bitter towards the end, but I feel that she used that to her advantage to become the person that she always wanted to be. From her father she was constantly seeking his approval and acceptance, which he did not often give. Her parents did not share what was really going on with their illnesses to protect their children, which ultimately left them hurt and confused. I greatly admire Janine and her will to put her anguish into words for everyone to read. I also loved her reference to "night lights" ..... the safety and comfort of their illumination during the dark hours.

About the Author:

Janine Avril teaches high school English and has taught college writing at Brooklyn College and New York City College of Technology. Janine is the founder and host of Girlsalon, a forum for lesbian/queer writers to showcase their talents. She has been published in the Los Angeles Times Magazine, Velvetpark Magazine, and Topic Magazine for her piece “Eavesdropping” and featured in Time Out New York, Gay City News and www.lesbiannation.com. Janine’s Web sites are www.janinesays.com and www.girlsalon.org.

Very Good!

Paperback: 248 pages
Publisher: Alyson Books (September 1, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1593500122
ISBN-13: 978-1593500122

*This book was received from Paperbackswap.com.

Book Review - Ghostbread by Sonja Livingston

2010-09-29T13:00:00.003-04:00

From Goodreads:

"When you eat soup every night, thoughts of bread get you through." Ghostbread makes real for us the shifting homes and unending hunger that shape the life of a girl growing up in poverty during the 1970s.

One of seven children brought up by a single mother, Sonja Livingston was raised in areas of western New York that remain relatively hidden from the rest of America. From an old farming town to an Indian reservation to a dead-end urban neighborhood, Livingston and her siblings follow their nonconformist mother from one ramshackle house to another on the perpetual search for something better.

Along the way, the young Sonja observes the harsh realities her family encounters, as well as small moments of transcendent beauty that somehow keep them going. While struggling to make sense of her world, Livingston perceives the stresses and patterns that keep children--girls in particular--trapped in the cycle of poverty.

Larger cultural experiences such as her love for Wonder Woman and Nancy Drew and her experiences with the Girl Scouts and Roman Catholicism inform this lyrical memoir. Livingston firmly eschews sentimentality, offering instead a meditation on what it means to hunger and showing that poverty can strengthen the spirit just as surely as it can grind it down.

My Thoughts:

Memoirs are my favorite reads, and Ghostbread is easily going to be added as a favorite! Sonja Livingston pours her heart and soul into her story of growing up during the 1970's in the Rochester, NY area. Living with her single mother and siblings, life was tough. The family was poverty-stricken and times were hard. There was always church in Sonja's life...a bright spot for her to meet friends and neighbors. It took me back to a time when you knew everyone on your block, all of the neighborhood kids played together, and were called in to supper when the streetlights came on. Livingston's prose is gritty and honest...this is a powerful memoir that demands to be read.

Teaser Tuesday

2010-09-28T06:00:00.001-04:00

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

* Grab your current read*
* Open to a random page*
*Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page *

BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! ;)

My teaser today comes from Ghostbread by Sonja Livingston:

~There was nothing pretty about my lunchbox, nothing to see but the huge old head of Kwai Chang Caine, the crime-fighting monk from TV. And if you looked at it, that's all you'd see - Caine's old head, cracked by the dent, looking like the shell of an overcooked egg.~ pg. 46

What's YOUR teaser today?

Book Review - Fireflies in December by Jennifer Erin Valent

2010-09-27T12:16:00.005-04:00

From Amazon.com:

"When her best friend Gemma's parents are killed in a house fire, Jessilyn Lassiter's parents take the girl in. Trouble is, the year is 1932, Gemma is black, the Lassiters are white, and they live in a small Virginia town. Spunky Jessilyn is 13 years old, but her story will appeal to readers of all ages. Winner of the Christian Writers Guild's 2007 Operation First Novel contest, Valent's debut is both heartwarming and hand-wringing as it shows how one family endured the threats small and large of a prejudiced community while maintaining moral integrity. The cast of characters is rich. Jessilyn's mother wrestles with the social cost of challenging convention, her father is a dream dad and the neighbor's wisdom is as spicy as her cake. Jessilyn's romantic interest and penchant for trouble keep the tone light while the plot reminds readers of the evil that ordinary human beings are capable of doing, even in the name of righteousness. The book stares down violence and terror, making its affirmation of surprising goodness believable."

My Thoughts:

This is an awesome novel. I was hooked by the very first page, and kept reading until I finished. I enjoy books with this theme.....I like to think about how things were when my grandmother was a young woman, back in the early 30's. This story is rich in history, and friendship. It is about the love of a close-knit white family who reaches out to care for an orphaned negro girl. Borders are crossed that will cause outrage among the residents of a small southern community. I loved the character Jessilyn! She was a fiesty 13 year old, wanting to grow up too fast, then is faced with very grown-up situations that she is not quite sure how to handle. With the love and support of her parents and her new-found-friend Luke Talley, Jessilyn finds out what it takes to cross the lines of segregation in Southern Virginia in 1932.

I highly recommend this book - It definitely earns 5 stars!

Outstanding!

Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. (December 8, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1414324324
ISBN-13: 978-1414324326

TGIF!

2010-09-24T06:50:00.005-04:00

Friday Finds is hosted by Should Be Reading.

My find today is Rescuing Olivia by Julie Compton:

When Olivia Mayfield arrived in Florida, hoping to escape her rich, powerful father and controlling ex-boyfriend, the attraction between her and Anders Erickson was immediate and mutual.

To Anders, a Florida biker who spent his life drifting and working at jobs that belied his intelligence, Olivia was a beautiful, down-to-earth woman who appreciated his simple ways. For Olivia, the carefree Anders represented an oasis of kindness and tranquility.

But after the two are involved in a horrific motorcycle accident, Anders finds himself plunged into a terrible nightmare. The severely injured Olivia mysteriously disappears from the hospital, and her father will stop at nothing to prevent Anders from discovering the truth. When he embarks on a quest to find answers, Anders uncovers not only Olivia's traumatic past, but evidence that her life could be in danger.

In a desperate search against time that takes him all the way from his Florida home to the quaint New England town of Olivia's youth and to the wild, haunting African savannah of her birth, Anders is tested to his limits. And as he struggles to save the woman he loves, can he reconcile his own tortured past and, in doing so, save himself as well?

At the intersection of suspense and family drama, RESCUING OLIVIA touches on the cutting edge science of memory-blocking drugs and the social and psychological issues of domestic violence. The novel is another riveting read from a talented new writer who never fails to mine the most compelling emotional terrain.

What did YOU find today????

Teaser Tuesday

2010-09-21T12:22:00.004-04:00

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

* Grab your current read*
* Open to a random page*
*Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page *

BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! ;)

My teaser today comes from Three Little Words by Ashley Rhodes-Courter:

~Thinking about that moment is like peeling a scab off an almost-healed wound. I still believed everything would return to normal. Little did I know, I would never live with my mother - or see Winky - again.~ pg. 9

What's YOUR teaser today?

Friday Finds!

2010-09-17T06:00:00.000-04:00

Friday Finds is hosted by Should Be Reading.

My find today is All Of Yesterday's Tomorrows by Corey Cotta:

It was supposed to be a relaxing vacation. Even though he can’t spend time in the warm waters of Belize, policeman Conrad Bishop is happy to spend time with his girlfriend, Amber, at a private beachfront home in Nantucket. After a tranquil evening walking the beach, Conrad wakes at 3:00 AM, turns on the television, and hears a disturbing news report about a deadly influenza plague—the direct result of a terrorist attack on the United States.

Rushing into his bedroom, he finds his girlfriend unconscious and suffering from a high fever. When he tries to take her to the hospital, the town is in a panic. Cars clog the road, and he’s forced to return to the beach house. Amber never regains consciousness, and by that evening, she is dead.

Grief stricken, Bishop is suddenly thrust into a world that changes by the minute. Terrorists attack every major city in the United States with car bombs and invade American embassies overseas. With a small group of survivors, Conrad struggles to stay alive. His fight will take him to the very steps of the White House and have him waging a valiant crusade to keep a dying nation alive.

What did YOU find today???

Book Review - Cheap Cabernet by Cathie Beck

2010-09-15T06:00:00.001-04:00

From Amazon.com:

I didn't know that people come into our lives, and sometimes, if we're terribly lucky, we get the chance to love them, that sometimes they stay, that sometimes you can, truly, depend on them.

Cathie Beck was in her late thirties and finally able to exhale after a lifetime of just trying to get by. A teenage mother harboring vivid memories of her own hardscrabble childhood, Cathie had spent years doing whatever it took to give her children the stability--or at least the illusion of it--that she'd never had. More than that, through sheer will and determination, she had educated them and herself too. With her kids in college, Cathie was at last ready to have some fun. The only problem was that she had no idea how to do it and no friends to do it with. So she put an ad in the paper for a made-up women's group: WOW . . . Women on the Way. Eight women showed up that first night, and out of that group a friendship formed, one of those meteoric, passionate, stand-by-you friendships that come around once in a lifetime and change you forever . . . if you're lucky.

My Thoughts:

This is a beautiful, powerful memoir which I enjoyed from beginning to end. Cathie Beck was lonely for companionship. She put an advertisement in the newspaper, announcing the start up of a womens group called WOW (Women On The Way). She meets Denise, who becomes her best friend, confidante and sister in sorrow. Together, they enjoy hours of girl-talk, movies, yard sales, and drink wine....preferably "Cheap Cabernet". Although they couldn't be more different than night and day, they both desperately need something from each other. Denise is brash, outspoken and assertive. Cathie is quiet, reserved and cautious. They become inseparable. When Denise tells Cathie that she has "the good kind of MS", Cathie's worry for her friend is only slightly minimized. That is, until she begins to witness the physical signs of Denise's heart-wrenching illness. As Denise gets sicker, she begins to push Cathie away, while Cathie fights to remain close to Denise and help her any way that she can. Cheap Cabernet is more than just a memoir about friendship, it is a statement made by the author to live each day to its fullest, enjoy each and every moment and never take anyone or anything in your life for granted~

Outstanding!

Please visit www.cathiebeck.com

Paperback: 336 pages
Publisher: Voice; 1 edition (July 20, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1401341543
ISBN-13: 978-1401341541

**Book received from Librarything's Early Reviewers Program**

Teaser Tuesday

2010-09-14T06:00:00.000-04:00

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

* Grab your current read*
* Open to a random page*
*Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page *

BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! ;)

My teaser today comes from Cheap Cabernet by Cathie Beck:

~From the back of the Chrysler, she laughed and waved to strangers like she'd just been crowned queen of the parade, wrapped tight in full-blown love and outrageous fun and in a body that, she forgot for the moment, didn't work. For those moments, she had the undivided attention and the the unabashed admiration and the complete, unbridled adoration of her handsome, sexy, smarter-than-anyone husband.~ pg.76

Whats YOUR teaser today?

Book Review - The Last Time I Saw You by Elizabeth Berg

2010-09-13T13:11:00.005-04:00

From Amazon.com:

From the beloved bestselling author of Home Safe and The Year of Pleasures, comes a wonderful new novel about women and men reconnecting with one another—and themselves—at their fortieth high school reunion. To each of the men and women in The Last Time I Saw You, this reunion means something different—a last opportunity to say something long left unsaid, an escape from the bleaker realities of everyday life, a means to save a marriage on the rocks, or an opportunity to bond with a slightly estranged daughter, if only over what her mother should wear. As the onetime classmates meet up over the course of a weekend, they discover things that will irrevocably affect the rest of their lives. For newly divorced Dorothy Shauman, the reunion brings with it the possibility of finally attracting the attention of the class heartthrob, Pete Decker. For the ever self-reliant, ever left-out Mary Alice Mayhew, it’s a chance to reexamine a painful past. For Lester Hesennpfeffer, a veterinarian and widower, it is the hope of talking shop with a fellow vet—or at least that’s what he tells himself. For Candy Armstrong, the class beauty, it’s the hope of finding friendship before it is too late. As Dorothy, Mary Alice, Lester, Candy, and the other classmates converge for the reunion dinner, four decades melt away: Desires and personalities from their youth reemerge, and new discoveries are made. For so much has happened to them all. And so much can still happen. In this beautiful novel, Elizabeth Berg deftly weaves together stories of roads taken and not taken, choices made and opportunities missed, and the possibilities of second chances

My Thoughts:

Loved it! I read this book in an evening, and enjoyed every minute of it. I love Elizabeth Berg's writing style, and her characters are easy to relate to. I liked how she had a cast of different characters narrate each chapter of the story, so I felt that I knew each one of them intimately. There were some I felt sorry for, some I just couldn't like, and one who I fell in love with. I think that I especially enjoyed this because I have yet to go to one of my class reunions, and this story painted a perfect picture of what it would be like to actually attend one... how even though it's been 40 years since graduation, some people just never change. Great read!
Outstanding!

Hardcover: 256 pages
Publisher: Random House (April 6, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1400068649
ISBN-13: 978-1400068647

Book Review - The Bottoms by Joe Lansdale

2010-09-12T09:00:00.006-04:00

Synopsis:

Joe Lansdale, author of several horror novels, Westerns, and some outrageous thrillers, is something of a cult writer. The Bottoms, which may be the breakout book that moves Lansdale beyond the genre category, is a resonant and moving novel. Though there is a mystery at its core, it is at heart a coming-of-age story, with a more literary bent than Lansdale usually demonstrates. Harry, an elderly man, tells the story of a series of events that occurred in his 11th year, when the mutilated, murdered bodies of Negro prostitutes began turning up in the county where his father was the local constable. Harry and Tom, his younger sister, find the first one. Only their father, Jacob Crane, seems to care about finding justice for the victims, who are dismissed out of hand as unimportant by the local branch of the Ku Klux Klan, which warns Jacob off any further investigations. Harry and Tom think they know who's responsible: the Goat Man, a creature who's said to lurk beneath the swinging bridge that crosses the Sabine River, where the first body was found. In fact, the Goat Man has something to do with the murders, and the secret of who he is and what he really did is the key to the unsolved slayings. But that takes second place to the artfully explicated character of Jacob and Harry's changing relationship with him in the course of the loss of his boyish innocence. This is a masterfully told story and a very good read.

My Thoughts:

I loved this book! This is one of those stories that I didn't want to end. The story is narrated by Harry Collins, who is in a nursing home, reflecting back upon his youth, the years 1933-34, during The Great Depression. He and his family lived in East Texas, where he and his little sister Tom ran wild and played in The Bottoms, an area close to their home, alongside the Sabine River. There was a legendary creature called The Goat Man, that supposedly inhabited The Bottoms and Harry and Tom were always looking for him, hoping to catch a glimpse of this legendary creature. When a series of murders occur, Harry is almost sure it is the work of The Goat Man. What ensues is something that no one in this small town could ever imagine. This is a GREAT read!

Outstanding!

Paperback: 336 pages
Publisher: Vintage (December 7, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0307475263
ISBN-13: 978-0307475268

Book Review - Tap, Tap by David Martin

2010-09-09T07:00:00.000-04:00

What if your best friend started killing your worst enemies? For Roscoe Bird, this nightmare becomes a reality when an old childhood friend comes knocking at his door.

Peter Tummelier talks about past hurts and old enemies as if time has stood still. But when bodies start turning up, murdered in horrifying ways, suspicion is placed on Roscoe. And Roscoe knows the one person-the only person-who could have committed these deeds.

But the question is why? How can he reach into the twisted depths of Peter's mind to understand his diabolical motives? And how can Roscoe clear his name as the prime suspect of the murders? But most of all, how can Roscoe avoid becoming Peter's next victim-the victim Peter has been waiting for...

My thoughts:

This book was a definite change of pace from what I usually read. It was a creepy surreal story of friendship and revenge. There were actually parts of this book that made me laugh out loud, even though the story was shocking and even disturbing at times. The character Peter Tummelier, friend of Roscoe Bird's who vowed to get revenge on whomever drove Roscoe's father to commit suicide, made a very poor Vampire, which added a comedic twist to the story. I would have liked a better ending to the story as well....I kind of felt like I was left hanging. All in all, this was an entertaining read. I'm going to check out some of his other books.

Good

Paperback
Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks (1996)
ASIN: B000OTNCBQ

w...w...w...wednesdays

2010-09-08T10:20:00.004-04:00

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

* What are you currently reading?
* What did you recently finish reading?
* What do you think you’ll read next?

My Answer:

I am currently reading The Bottoms by Joe R. Lansdale

I just finished reading Tap Tap by David Martin

I plan on reading Cheap Cabernet: A Friendship by Cathie Beck next.

Teaser Tuesday

2010-09-08T10:01:00.003-04:00

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

* Grab your current read*
* Open to a random page*
*Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page *

BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! ;)

My teaser today comes from The Bottoms by Joe Lansdale:

~When I looked I saw a gray mess hung up in brambles. The moonlight was shining across the water and falling on a face, or what had been a face, but was more like a jack-o'-lantern now, swollen and round with dark sockets for eyes.~ pg.18

What's YOUR teaser today?

Book Review - A Year and A Day by Leslie Pietryzk

2010-09-05T09:14:00.004-04:00

From Publishers Weekly

In this heartfelt if familiar coming-of-age novel set in smalltown Shelby, Iowa, in 1975, Pietrzyk (Pears on a Willow Tree) chronicles a year in the life of 15-year-old Alice Martin after her mother's suicide. "Once you get through this first year, you're fine," the high school principal promises her, reading from a manual. But Alice isn't so sure. Three days after her mother's death, as Alice tries to fill her place by preparing Sunday morning pancakes, her mother speaks to her, providing advice on cooking, makeup and driving, but rarely answering the questions Alice really wants answered: Who is my father? What happened to him? How could you leave me? All Alice and her older brother, Will, know is what their great-aunt Aggy tells them: their mother moved away at age 17 and came back pregnant, with a baby in her arms. Over the course of the year, Alice uncovers secrets, unravels mysteries and finds that nothing and no one are what they seem. Her baseball-star brother runs away to see the Red Sox, Alice herself dallies with the school's bad boy and Pietrzyk allows the reader hints of why Alice's mother might have killed herself. Eccentric mothers and long-suffering daughters are a dime a dozen in recent fiction, but Pietrzyk paints a rich picture of life in rural Iowa, from summer jobs detassling corn to the suffocating force of conformity. As one Shelby housewife advises Alice, "Fitting in is so important. Everything is simpler that way."

My thoughts:

This is a wonderful story of a 15 year old girl who loses her mother, and spends a year questioning why, all the while hearing her mother's voice speaking to her, coaching her, teaching her, and telling her things that she did not know when her mother was alive.

Alice Martin is a typical teenager...hanging out with friends, having crushes on boys, and cherishes the times that she spends with her mom. Her mother, however, occasionally falls into deep depressions, and it was during one of these spells, that she kills herself. Alice, her 17 year old brother Will, and her Aunt Aggy struggle to find the answers why Annette Martin decided to do what she did.

Alice knows that nothing will ever be the same again, and wrestles with the fact that her mom is gone forever, and there are a lot of unanswered questions. When she begins hearing her dead mother's voice in her thoughts, she is not afraid. Her mother's voice stays with her for a year and a day, answering many of Alice's questions.

This is moving coming-of-age story with a beautiful ending.

Very Good!

Paperback: 368 pages
Publisher: Harper Perennial (March 1, 2005)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0060554665
ISBN-13: 978-0060554668

WooHoo! Friday at Last!!

2010-09-03T10:08:00.005-04:00

Friday Finds is hosted by Should Be Reading.

My find for today is A Fine Dark Line by Joe R. Lansdale:

From Booklist ~
Lansdale makes a rich stew of memory and mystery in the voice of Stanley Mitchel Jr., who is 13 in 1958 and is writing down, in midlife, what he recalls. His parents own the drive-in in Dewmont, Texas; his dad calls his mom "Gal"; his sister, Callie, is turn-your-head pretty and feisty besides. Stanley finds in the burnt ruins behind the drive-in a cache of love letters. Stanley--innocent enough at the beginning of the story to still believe in Santa Claus--is fascinated by the letters and soon learns that the fire marked the deaths of two young women, long ago. Those deaths ripple through the pages, as Stanley struggles with knowledge of good and evil: his friend Richard's abusive dad; the black cook's stalker boyfriend; the drive-in projectionist who faces twin demons of age and alcohol. Stanley's mother, father, and sister are vivid, glowing personages. Stanley doesn't unravel everything, but race and power, and what people do to each other in the name of desire and religion, coalesce to a mighty climax.

Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Mysterious Press (October 1, 2003)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0446691674
ISBN-13: 978-0446691673

What did YOU find today???

What are YOU waiting for?

2010-09-01T05:00:00.000-04:00

Waiting On Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

My pick this week for Waiting on Wednesday is Pretty Little Things by Jilliane Hoffman:

Thirteen-year-old Lainey Emerson is the middle child in a household that police are already familiar with: her mother works too much and her step-father favors his own blood over another man’s problems—namely, Lainey and her wild older sister, Liza. So when Lainey does not come home from a Friday night out with her friends, it is dismissed by the Coral Springs Police Department as just another disillusioned South Florida teen running away from suburban drama and an unhappy home life.

But Special Agent Bobby Dees, who has headed up the department’s di4cult Crimes Against Children (CAC) Squad in Miami for more than a decade, is not quite so sure. Nicknamed “The Shepherd” by colleagues, he has an uncanny ability to find the missing and bring them back home—dead or alive. Haunted by the still unsolved disappearance of his own daughter, Bobby recognizes the all too familiar up-swell inside him, the gut feeling that Lainey Emerson is no runaway.

A search of Lainey’s computer and a talk with her best friend reveal Lainey was involved in a secret Internet relationship, spawned over a chat room, and nurtured through untraceable instant messages. Bobby fears she may be the victim of an on-line predator, and he fears she may not be the only one.

Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Vanguard Press (May 31, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1593156383
ISBN-13: 978-1593156381

What's YOUR teaser today?!?

2010-08-31T05:00:00.000-04:00

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

* Grab your current read*
* Open to a random page*
*Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page *

BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! ;)

Today my teaser is from A Year and a Day by Leslie Pietrzyk:

~Most girls at school wore makeup, at least some eye shadow and blush, a little lip gloss. Girls who wore real lipstick--not just a clear slick of shiny pink--were the girls who climbed into guys' cars after school, got driven off with a big rush and roar, their hands limply trailing out open windows as the rest of us pretended we weren't watching, wondering which empty park they were headed to, wondering were they really going to do that?~ pg 43.

What's YOUR teaser today?

Book Review - The Perfect Age by Heather Skyler

2010-08-30T14:58:00.006-04:00

From Amazon.com:

Helen is just fifteen, lanky and striking. She is a lifeguard at the pool at The Dunes hotel this summer—her first job, a step toward independence in a world beginning to treat her as an adult and a woman. Her mother, Kathy, watching Helen grow up, suddenly finds herself in a place equally uncertain: her children getting older, her stable marriage perhaps too stable, the slow days of summer leaving her adrift. When she meets Helen's boss, the manager at the pool, she chooses an affair that opens her to the idea of a different sort of life.

Following Helen and Kathy through three summers, this novel is an intimate picture of two sexual awakenings under one roof and their aftershocks on a family. Heather Skyler shows us that the validity of life's deepest experiences—love, betrayal, acceptance—is never compromised by age.

My Thoughts:

This story parallels a daughter's coming-of-age, and her mother's exploration of an affair outside of her marriage. It takes place over the span of three summers, in Las Vegas.

15 year old Helen and her boyfriend Leo have been dating forever, and Leo wants to move their relationship to the next level. Helen is not sure she is ready....until she sees her mother with another man, who happens to be Helen's supervisor at work, Gerard. At once, Helen feels the need to lash out and hurt her mother any way that she possibly can, and she knows that actions speak louder than words.

Kathy, Helen's mother, becomes attracted to Gerard, surprising herself. Her marriage has reached the point where she and Edward, her husband, have settled into a comfortable normalcy. When she meets Gerard, she experiences feelings that she hasn't had in a long time. She takes a chance to explore them, to see where they lead.

I found this novel to be reminiscent of Amy and Isabelle by Elizabeth Strout. A beautiful story of intimate family secrets, and the love between a mother and daughter, both longing for something different in their lives. Ms. Skyler captures perfect images of Las Vegas in the sweltering summer heat, and proving that love, at any age, is irresistible. I read this book in two nights.....loved it!
Outstanding!

Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company (May 23, 2005)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0393326888
ISBN-13: 978-0393326888

Book Review - The Girl Among Thorns by Linda Settles

2010-08-29T08:15:00.001-04:00

A true-life story of courage and endurance:

Sometimes it's hard to remember what life was like before "the secret" began to happen. Sometimes it's easier to forget the moment, the day, the nightmare that changed everything. And we go on...talking, laughing, and living just as if it didn't happen. But it did happen, and that changed the course of our history.

Chelsey Ann Davenport survived "the secret" and she was determined that none of her siblings would ever go through what she did. She thought she could protect them from the thorns.

My Thoughts:

Wow...what a chilling story this is. Chelsey Ann Davenport is a victim of sexual abuse at the hands of her father. It begins at the age of five. She feels that she must endure her fate to protect the other members of her family. She suffers so her brothers and sisters and her mother will be spared from her father's violent angry beatings. Her mother is aware of what is going on, but is powerless to stop it. Chelsey is able to confide in a counselor at school, but other than that, she endures her abuse quietly, all the while wishing that her father would die. The quiet strength that she exudes is to be commended, and one can only hope that her spirit is not permanently broken from years of suffering at the hands of someone whom she should be able to love and trust. This is a heartbreaking story with an uplifting ending.

Very Good!

Paperback: 290 pages
Publisher: Edict House Publishing (May 1, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0979023866
ISBN-13: 978-0979023866

About the Author

Linda Settles, counselor, author, wife and mother is also a survivor of sexual abuse. She writes on this topic to reach out to others who have been victimized in the past and help them face the future with the determination of a survivor, the courage of an activist on behalf of others who may suffer still, and the hope of a wounded warrior who will not be satisfied to live any longer with the limitations imposed on her by the pain of her past. Linda lives in the mountains of Virginia with her husband and two daughters. She is active in her church and in recovery ministries. She is a writer and a speaker at womens conferences, to recovery groups, and in abuse recovery workshops.

Book Review - The Water Dancers by Terry Gamble

2010-08-28T07:36:00.004-04:00

From Goodreads:

Terry Gamble's The Water Dancers is the story of Rachel Winnapee, a poverty-stricken, sixteen-year-old Native American orphan who goes to work at the opulent March family summer home on the shores of Lake Michigan in the post-World War II summer of 1945. A young woman with no delusions about her place in this world of privilege, she quickly adapts to her role as an obedient servant expected to remain silent and unobtrusive while catering to her employers' wishes. Surrounded by a wealth she never imagined, she strives to remain invisible, until she is assigned the task of caring for the family's tragically scarred, emotionally shattered young scion, Woody March.

A veteran who lost a leg in the Pacific conflict, Woody is haunted by his injuries and battlefield experiences -- and by the loss of the older brother he emulated -- and now desires only relief from his twin agonies of pain and memory. He recognizes a kindred spirit in this gentle and mysterious child-woman who is so unlike anyone he has ever known yet who understands the depths of human suffering. In Rachel's eyes, Woody is a noble, tortured prince, and her fervent wish to help ease his torment soon metamorphoses into more intense and irrevocable feelings of love and need.

But if Rachel is a young woman with no future, Woody's has already been mapped out in intricate detail: as the last surviving March son, he is to run a successful banking business, marry the well-bred Elizabeth, and raise a family who will carry on the March name with distinction. Yet the obligations he never questioned prior to the war are becoming increasingly odious to him -- especially now, as he feels himself becoming irresistibly drawn to Rachel in ways no one else in his world would understand or tolerate. As the relationship between two lost and damaged souls intensifies, they move toward the one pivotal event that will alter their lives in ways both heartbreaking and profound.

An unsparing portrayal of the conflicts of race, culture, and class that lays bare the complex passions and deepest yearnings of the human heart, Terry Gamble's The Water Dancers possesses a lyrical, strong, and assured artistry and heralds the arrival of a major new American novelist.

My Thoughts:

I loved this story! This book was a nice change from what I normally read. Through the story, I was able to visit the state of Michigan, Harbor Point, on the water, and the surrounding areas. I learned so much about the area and felt like I was actually there.

This engrossing tale tells the story of Rachel Winnapee, an Indian girl who is hired by The March Family Matriarch, Lydia, to work in their summer home, as a servant. The year is 1945, and The March's son Woody, is returning from WWII, wounded. He will need a nurse to care for him at home. After the nurse that was hired gets fired for alcoholism, Rachel takes her place, and she and Woody fall in love. Their relationship can never be revealed, as Woody is engaged to be married, and Rachel is considered the poor, hired help. Their romance is bittersweet, lasting for just one summer, but something transpires that changes Rachel's life forever.

As a rule, I do not read historical romances, but....this book was an exception. I enjoyed it immensely! I read it quickly, and I will never forget it. Highly recommended!

Very Good!

Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: Harper Perennial (May 25, 2004)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0060542675
ISBN-13: 978-0060542672

Book Review - House Rules by Rachel Sontag

2010-08-25T10:20:00.005-04:00

From Goodreads:

Rachel Sontag grew up the daughter of a well-liked doctor in an upper middle class suburb of Chicago. The view from outside couldn't have been more perfect. But within the walls of the family home, Rachel's life was controlled and indeed terrorized by her father's serious depression. In prose that is both precise and rich, Rachel's childhood experience unfolds in a chronological recounting that shows how her father became more and more disturbed as Rachel grew up.
A visceral and wrenching exploration of the impact of a damaged psyche on those nearest to him, House Rules will keep you reading even when you most wish you could look away.

My Thoughts:

While I enjoyed reading this memoir, it was difficult to read about the mental/verbal abuse that Rachel's father bestowed upon her. I would visibly cringe at times at some of the things that her father said to her, all the while Rachel was constantly seeking love and acceptance from him.

Besides experiencing a strong dislike for the father, I felt ambivalence towards Rachel's mother and sister. I felt that Rachel's mother should have supported her more....although I think I understood why she couldn't (or wouldn't). Her life with her controlling husband was already a living hell and she did not want to make things worse. Rachel's sister was more or less the "invisible" child, where Rachel was on the receiving end of her father's constant attention, whether it be good or bad.

House Rules is a truly compelling memoir that was arduous to read but almost impossible for me to put down. Highly recommended!

Very Good!

Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: Harper Perennial; Reprint edition (March 24, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0061341231
ISBN-13: 978-0061341236

Mailbox Monday

2010-08-23T08:00:00.000-04:00

Mailbox Monday is hosted by Marcia at The Printed Page.

Here's what I received in the mail last week:

The Unnamed by Joshua Ferris

Soon by Jerry Jenkins

After The Wall by Jana Hensel

Long Voyage Back by Luke Rhinehart

The Boy Who Loved Tornadoes by Randi Davenport

Leave The Building Quickly by Cynthia Kaplan

What was in YOUR mailbox???