Books I have read while slacking on my blog

10-27-08 --- Twilight by Stephanie Meyer --- 5 stars
11-4-08 --- Thanksgiving by Janet Evanovich --- 4 stars
11-13-08 --- 7th Target by James Patterson --- 5 stars
11-14-08 --- New Moon by Stephanie Meyer --- 5 stars
11-18-2008 --- Matters of Seduction by Amanda Stevens --- 4 Stars
11-23-08 --- Sweet Talk by Susan Mallery --- 3 Stars
11-25-08 --- Foul Play by Janet Evanovich --- 5 stars
11-29-08 --- The Baby Wait by Cynithia Reese --- 3 Stars

12-2-08 --- The Cowboy and the Angel by Marin Thomas --- 4 1/2 stars
12-4-08 --- Cinderella and the Cowboy by Judy Christenbury --- 5 Stars
12-10-08 --- His Mistletoe Bride by Cara Colter --- 2 stars
12-15-08 --- Mistletoe Murder by Leslie Meier --- 4 stars
12-20-08 --- Santa Baby by Jennifer Crusie --- 4 stars
12-23-08 --- Wanted: Christmas Mommy by Judy Christenbury --- 3 1/2 stars
12-26-08 --- Tales of Beedle Bard by J.K. Rowling --- 3 stars

1-1-09 --- Code of Honor by Kathryn Shay --- 3 Stars
1-5-09 --- London Bridges by James Patterson --- 5 Stars
1-12-09 --- Double Threat Christmas by Terri Reed --- 3 Stars
1-22-09 --- Eclipse by Stephanie Meyer --- 5 Stars
1-27-09 --- Blessings of the Heart/ Samantha's Gift by Valerie Hansen --- 4 Stars
1-31-09 --- Knit One, Kill Two by Maggie Sefton --- 5 Stars

2-4-08 --- This Pen for Hire by Laura Levine --- 4 Stars
2-7-09 --- Plum Spooky by Janet Evanovich --- 5 Stars

Dawn's Light by Terri Blackstock

I love love love this series!!!! But this had to be my least favorite. For one it is the end of the series, I feel like I lost a bunch of friends when I turned that last page. It was also the most depressing book in the series.

After all that the Branning family has been through you would think that things would start turning around when the pulses stop and electricity starts to be restored. However things get worse for the Branning family. It tests everyone in the areas faith.

In the end it all was for a purpose like all things in life but it was still sad!! I rated it 5/5

Big Bad Wolf by James Patterson

Awesome awesome series and book!! I have yet to be disappointed with this series. 

I never thought that I would cry reading about Alex Cross and his family and life. He is now in the FBI and juggling a budding long term relationship as well as family life.

As he is closing in on the sicko that is buying and selling men and women the worst turn in the series happens and I bawled my eyes out a lot of the rest of the book. 

It rated a 5/5

Spells and Sleeping Bags by Sarah Mylnowski

What a great series. Rachel ends up having magical powers and heads off to camp with her 2 sisters.

Of course the magic is used and not in the way that they had hoped when using it. There were some weird turns and twists in this book but it was sooooo cute. I  loved it :)

I rated it a 5/5

Conversations with the Fat Girl

I read this book with a bunch of skeptism. I am not a timy girl and hate book that make me feel fat as I read them. 

The beginning of the book was ok bordering on good. The Middle was good. I did not like the end. It ended up being a pity me party all in all. I wont read any more about this.

I rated it 3/5

Murder Takes the Cake by Gayle Trent

This was sent to me as an ARC. It is a debut novel about a cake decorater that becomes and investigator when she finds a dead body.

When I first read about the book, my thought was, "Oh great, another culinary mystery." But I was pleasantly surprise. Yes it was a culinary mystery but it was its own book. I will definitely read the next in the series. 

I gave it a 4/5

Banned Book Week

The 27th Banned Books Week: Celebrating The Freedom To Read

Read about it at the American Library Association (ALA).

I just saw this on Jace Scribbles Blog and thought it would be fun to do.

If you do this too plz leave a comment and let me know

How to play:

1: Copy this list.
2: Highlight the ones you have read (or at least remember reading) in RED.
3: Tag five people to play.


Here’s my pathetically short list.

1. Scary Stories (Series) by Alvin Schwartz
2. Daddy’s Roommate by Michael Willhoite
3. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
4. The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
5. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
6. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
7. Harry Potter (Series) by J.K. Rowling
8. Forever by Judy Blume

9. Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson

10. Alice (Series) by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
11. Heather Has Two Mommies by Leslea Newman
12. My Brother Sam is Dead by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier
13. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
14. The Giver by Lois Lowry
15. It’s Perfectly Normal by Robie Harris
16. Goosebumps (Series) by R.L. Stine
17. A Day No Pigs Would Die by Robert Newton Peck
18. The Color Purple by Alice Walker
19. Sex by Madonna
20. Earth’s Children (Series) by Jean M. Auel
21. The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson
22. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
23. Go Ask Alice by Anonymous
24. Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers
25. In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak
26. The Stupids (Series) by Harry Allard
27. The Witches by Roald Dahl
28. The New Joy of Gay Sex by Charles Silverstein
29. Anastasia Krupnik (Series) by Lois Lowry
30. The Goats by Brock Cole
31. Kaffir Boy by Mark Mathabane
32. Blubber by Judy Blume
33. Killing Mr. Griffin by Lois Duncan
34. Halloween ABC by Eve Merriam
35. We All Fall Down by Robert Cormier
36. Final Exit by Derek Humphry
37. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
38. Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George
39. The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
40. What’s Happening to my Body? Book for Girls: A Growing-Up Guide for Parents & Daughters by Lynda Madaras
41. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
42. Beloved by Toni Morrison
43. The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
44. The Pigman by Paul Zindel
45. Bumps in the Night by Harry Allard
46. Deenie by Judy Blume
47. Flowers for Algernon by Daniel KeyesM
48. Annie on my Mind by Nancy Garden
49. The Boy Who Lost His Face by Louis Sachar
50. Cross Your Fingers, Spit in Your Hat by Alvin Schwartz
51. A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein
52. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
53. Sleeping Beauty Trilogy by A.N. Roquelaure (Anne Rice)
54. Asking About Sex and Growing Up by Joanna Cole
55. Cujo by Stephen King
56. James and the Giant Peach by Roald DahlM
57. The Anarchist Cookbook by William Powell
58. Boys and Sex by Wardell Pomeroy
59. Ordinary People by Judith Guest
60. American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis
61. What’s Happening to my Body? Book for Boys: A Growing-Up Guide for Parents & Sons by Lynda Madaras
62. Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume
63. Crazy Lady by Jane Conly
64. Athletic Shorts by Chris Crutcher
65. Fade by Robert Cormier
66. Guess What? by Mem Fox
67. The House of Spirits by Isabel Allende
68. The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline Cooney
69. Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
70. Lord of the Flies by William Golding
71. Native Son by Richard Wright
72. Women on Top: How Real Life Has Changed Women’s Fantasies by Nancy Friday
73. Curses, Hexes and Spells by Daniel Cohen
74. Jack by A.M. Homes
75. Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo A. Anaya
76. Where Did I Come From? by Peter Mayle
77. Carrie by Stephen King
78. Tiger Eyes by Judy Blume
79. On My Honor by Marion Dane Bauer
80. Arizona Kid by Ron Koertge
81. Family Secrets by Norma Klein
82. Mommy Laid An Egg by Babette Cole
83. The Dead Zone by Stephen King
84. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
85. Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison
86. Always Running by Luis Rodriguez
87. Private Parts by Howard Stern
88. Where’s Waldo? by Martin Hanford
89. Summer of My German Soldier by Bette Greene
90. Little Black Sambo by Helen Bannerman
91. Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
92. Running Loose by Chris Crutcher
93. Sex Education by Jenny Davis
94. The Drowning of Stephen Jones by Bette Greene
95. Girls and Sex by Wardell Pomeroy
96. How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell
97. View from the Cherry Tree by Willo Davis Roberts
98. The Headless Cupid by Zilpha Keatley Snyder
99. The Terrorist by Caroline Cooney
100. Jump Ship to Freedom by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier

 

Review: Since You're Leaving Anyway, Take Out the Trash

I just finished this book and boy was it good. It encompassed everything that I look for in a book. It had mystery, romance, humor, and drama.

Debbie Sue Overstreet is the stereotypical west Texas girl, born and raised in a small town called Salt Lick. She once was married to what she still finds the sexiest man in texas, and happens to be the Sherriff of this small town. Debbie Sue owns a small hair salon and therefore is the center of the gossip line there. 

When a muder happens to someone they know they whole town stops by to see what the latest scoop is. With all this going on Debbie Sue has to figure out what she wants in her life and also who. She has to get rid of the demons from the past as she is dealing with everything else under the sun going on in this small town.

A great story, I can't wait to read the next in the series. I rated it a 4/5.

Review: The Good Daughter by Wendi Lee

Another great find by my bff Amy!!!!

This was kind of a weird book. It started out really fast and with no wait on the suspense so I was sure that it was going to stall out in the end. I am glad to report that I was totally wrong. It kept me turning the pages all the way through to the end. Lee even had the side storylines well worked out. 

I can kind of compare it to a subdued Stephanie Plum series. Lee definitely is going to get Janet Evanovich a run for her money. A must read for all mystery fans.

I rated this book a 4/5

New List of Books to Look at

As I was reading through my blogs that I follow regularly I hit upon Literary License and they had posted a link to a list of the top 75 books every women should read. I have read 11 of them. Guess I better get to reading more of these lol. How many have you read??

Also they have a list of top 75 books every man should read. I have read 6 of these. But my husband has only read 4 lol. What about you?? 

How did you do with these lists??? 

This also makes me wonder where the list came from. I know a lot of books that women should read and men to read as well. Maybe one day I can get a list going of the ones that I think that people should read lol. One day one day lol. 

Review: We Bought a Zoo by Benjamin Mee

I got this as a Advanced Readers Copy and was very pleased with it. Benjamin Mee and Weinstein Books has a sure fire hit on their hands with this book!

Some parts of the book were emotionally tough to get through, however by the time you get to that part you already feel that you are part of the family. You also begin to feel as you are part of the team at the zoo.

Benjamin (not to be confused with his father Ben) goes looking for a better place to live with his family and ends up buying a delapitated zoo. In this memoir, you follow his entire family through the trials and triumph of owning this zoo and trying to get it up and running while knowing nothing about running a zoo. He is used to being a journalist but takes this task to hand as if he is a old soul in the zoo business.

I felt that I was there with them because of the great flowing writing style of Mee. I wish we would have learned more about the animals as well as the rest of the family in the book but overall it was a great book

I rated it a 4 out of 5. A definate recommendation from me.

Review: Crimes of the Sarahs by Kristen Tracy

First of all I want to say that I normally read through a book whether I like it or not. It's got to be a very stressful book if I don't finish it.

I saw this book in the young adult section of my local library and thought it looked cute and I love the idea. I believe there once was a movie with the same plot.

However, as I started to read the book it got too confusing I couldn't follow the story line being that I was trying to keep the Sarah's straight. Let me tell you that there are 4 Sarahs obviously and they all have different last initials. So I tried and made it about halfway through the book and had to put it down. I read other reviews that said they liked it so I am guessing that this book and I just didn't click together well.

But a cute idea and story. I just found it a bit confusing. I rated it a 1/5 being that I couldnt pull myself to finish it.

Buddy Reads

I have updated my reading plan for the next books on Mount TBR.

If you want to read any of these with me just let me know.

My great friend Amy read books together all the time and I just love it.

It's like an online book club really, we are always up to chatting about books, either email me or leave a comment here.

While you are at it check out her blog too, we both have a very eclectic taste in our book choices.

Review: Sweet Revenge by Diane Mott Davidson

Well this was an ok book, it took a long time to pick up unlike the rest of the books. However, when it picked up I didn't want to put it down. Goldie gets caught in the worst situations ever in this book. Julian, Marla, Tom, Arch were there of course to offer the support but it makes you think how much are these guys going to be able to handle.

Davidson has a total hit with the series even if this wasnt the best one in the series. I love the family dynamics in this series as funny and convoluted as they are. 

The surprise twist had a previous character come back into the story all though I'm not completley sure why. I of course thought I had the murderer picked out but was totally wrong, however I'm still baffled by the ending lol.

This one ranked a 4 out of 5. I would like to recommend this one to anyone who is reading the series already lol. 

Calling all mommy's who read to their kids

May be the best giveaway I have seen latley. This book just looks to cute go to The Friendly Book Nook's review of the book Hold Your Horses by Sandra Tayler and look below for the chance to win it.

good luck

Another great contest

While blog surfing today I found this great contest! It's for all 3 Lori Andrews Books. Go check it out :) good luck :):):)

Reading Questionaire found on LibraryThing

Ok i found this one on LibraryThing but it was originally published in the Shelf Awareness publication. I saw a lot of people have filled it out so Ill fill it out too lol

Thanks to the Kittling blog for the idea!!

On your nightstand now:
On my nightstand now is Sweet Revenge by Diane Mott Davidson and also The Good Daughter of W. Lee. I am about halfway through Sweet Revenge and am enjoying it however it seemed to take longer to get good then the others in the series. I can't wait to finish it tho I'm really baffled about the outcome of this one. The Good Daughter is the next for me to read. It's a buddy read with my Best Bud Amy. We do a lot of reads together and this is the next on the master plan lol.

Book you've "faked" reading:
No, I have never "faked" it as far as a can remember, with all i do in a day if i have the book in my hand and it's open then i am reading it as i dont get much time to read so i dont have time to fake it.

Book you've bought for the cover:
I don't buy very many books really, but I am horrible about picking books at the library just because of the covers. The latest was the Sarah Mylnowski series, All about Rachel. Great series if I do say so myself.

Favorite book when you were a child:
I had 2 favorites when I was younger and they were Dear Mr. Henshaw and Are You There God, It's me Margaret. I read these so much that I owned no less then 3 copies each lol they just kept falling apart. I have recently gotten them again from the library to reread. I also found out that Are You There God is part of the most challenged books I just can't believe that lol.

Book that changed your life:
The best life changing book?? I guess I have 2 of them, Catcher in the Rye and A Child called It.  Of course for different reasons. Catcher in the Rye was an eye opening expierce in the general life situation and  A Child Called It really touched me because I am a parent. I recommend both of these books to everyone.

Favorite line from a book:
I can't remember what book but it's one of my life philosophies: When you think your life is as bad as it gets just turn the next corner and you will change your mind for ever.

Top five favorite authors:
Oh another hard one lol. This changes constantly I am always on the lookout for new authors. but here goes with the list right now

1. VC Andrews

2. Diane Mott Davidson

3. James Patterson

4. Sarah Mlynowski

5. Nora Roberts

Books you recommend as regeneration when people say, "I'm bored by almost all contemporary American writers"

I would have to recommend Catch in the Rye for a classic type book. Or for something newer the Alex Cross series or the Goldie Bear series by Diane Mott Davidson.

Book you can't believe that everyone has not read and loved:
I hate to say it but it would have to be the Harry Potter series

Book you are an "evangelist" for:
The Goldie Bear Series by Diane Mott Davidson and The Stephanie Plum Series by Janet Evanovich

Book you most want to read again for the first time:
Catcher in the Rye would be a good one to read again for the first time. However I would like to read the Harry Potter Series and the Stephanie Plum Series for the first time again too lol.

Frogs and French Kisses Review

Frogs and French Kisses by Sarah Mlynowski is the second book in a young adult series called All About Rachel. This is a very cute series, I love the family aspect that is bestowed in these books. The mother is a hoot in this book with the different parent philosophies that she has with her two daughters. The girls have been through a lot with the divorce and also with school things going on.

Miri is a witch and is just learning to use her magic but is only supposed to be using it for good purposes. However, her big sister, Rachel (who is not a witch) tries to get Miri to use the powers to help her with things that are going on at school. This entire series so far has made you ask the question, when will they all learn.

I rated this book 4 out a 5. A very light read for anyone who needs a good giggle.

Sunday Salon

This is my first Sunday Salon. It is a weekly blog on what I am reading today. Please check it out. And comment here to let me know you were here, I appreciate all of you stopping by and would love to check out your blogs.

Ok so on to the Salon stuff lol. Well with church and all today, (sunday school kickoff and picnic and things like that) I didn't get much reading done only a couple of hours. I'm reading Sweet Revenge by Diane Mott Davidson. The last book in the series. I like this series but this book its taking forever to pickup like the others in the set. I am about halfway through the book now so anything can happen.

thanks for stopping by. i look forward to reading your blogs

Awesome East Contest

Another great find today on one of the blogs that i follow

Here is the link go here and read about it, it's prolly about the easiest contest I have seen.