Month in Review: December 2012

Here are my reading stats for December! Books read:  15 Books I read (reviewed ones have * and link to review; books not yet reviewed will be linked up once review is posted.) Fated* — Carly Phillips (e-book novella) Baltimore Blues*– Laura Lippman (e-book) Hot Six*– Janet Evanovich (audio) Rococo* — Adriana Trigiani Vets in Love* –Cathy Woodman Hidden Summit* — Robyn Carr Buzz Off* –Hannah Reed The Christmas Cookie…

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It’s Monday…What Are You Reading? (12.31.12)

It’s Monday What Are you Reading , hosted by Sheila, is the perfect way for me to begin my week and allows me to focus on what needs to be read and to see what I have or have not accomplished the previous week. I also enjoy discovering new books by visiting other participants blogs. It’s hard to believe that tomorrow is the first of the new year. The past…

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Stacking the Shelves (27) 12.30.12

  Tynga of Tynga’s Reviews is starting a new meme to spotlight the books we receive each week.  Here’s what I got:          For Review: Lady of Ashes by Christine Trent   I am so excited to read this…Christine Trent is one of my favorite authors. I have loved all her books and this one is the first in a new historical mystery series…look for my review to be…

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Review: Buzz Off by Hannah Reed

Buzz Off by Hannah Reed Berkley September 2010 Format: Paperback, 336 pages First line: If I hadn’t been drinking champagne at noon on Friday, I would have been over at the honey house with Manny Chapman, my beekeeping mentor and owner of Queen Bee Honey, and possibly, just possibly, I might have saved him from what must have been a very painful death. From the back cover: When beekeeper Story…

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Review: Hidden Summit by Robyn Carr

Hidden Summit by Robyn Carr Mira December 2011 Format: Paperback, 347 pages First line: Brie Valenzuela finished her large latte and looked into the empty cup. From the back cover: Sometimes romance is hiding in plain sight… When Connor Danson becomes an unwitting witness to a violent crime, he is forced to leave Sacramento and keep a low profile until the trial is over. He arrives in the tiny mountain…

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Review: Rococo by Adriana Trigiani

Rococo by Adriana Trigiani Ballantine Books April 2006 Format: Paperback, 320 pages First line: I want you to imagine my house. From the back cover: Bartolomeo di Crespi is the acclaimed interior decorator – not to mention the most eligible bachelor – in Our Lady of Fatima (OLOF), New Jersey. From the dazzling shores of the Garden State to the legendary fabric houses of New York City, from the prickly…

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It’s Monday…What Are You Reading? (12.24.12)

It’s Monday What Are you Reading , hosted by Sheila, is the perfect way for me to begin my week and allows me to focus on what needs to be read and to see what I have or have not accomplished the previous week. I also enjoy discovering new books by visiting other participants blogs. It was a busy week with last minute Christmas errands and holiday baking. For the…

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Stacking the Shelves (26) 12.23.12

  Tynga of Tynga’s Reviews is starting a new meme to spotlight the books we receive each week.  Here’s what I got:          For Review: The Fate of Mercy Alban by Wendy Webb   This just peaked my curiosity…haven’t read anything by Wendy Webb before, so I hope I like it!           Purchased:   The Kommandant’s Girl by Pam Jenoff   I’m doing a tour…

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Fall Into Reading 2012: Wrap Up Post

Another challenge has come to a close. As you can see from my list, I finished reading all the books I had listed – this is the first time I was able to get to all the books on my list!!!! I was also able to read an additional 10 books  during this time that were not on my original list. That puts my total number of books read from…

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Review: Baltimore Blues by Laura Lippman

Baltimore Blues by Laura Lippman Harper Collins Publisher October 2009 Format: e-book, 384 pages First line: On the last night of August, Tess Monaghan went to the drugstore and bought a composition book-one with a black and-white marble cover. Synopsis from B&N:  In a city where someone is murdered almost every day, attorney Michael Abramowitz’s death should be just another statistic. But the slain lawyer’s notoriety—and his taste for illicit…

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Review: Vets in Love by Cathy Woodman

Vets in Love by Cathy Woodman Arrow December 2012 Format: Paperback, 400 pages First line: It’s just before nine on Monday morning, and the rush has already begun. From the back cover: Love is in the air in Talyton St. George, Devon’s most romantic town. Glamorous GP Nicci (aka the galloping doctor) and Matt, the very handsome equine vet, have caught each other’s eye. On paper it looks like a…

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Giveaway Winner: The Winter Palace

CONGRATULATIONS to Kirsten winner of  The Winter Palace by Eva Stachniak Random.org selected the winners.    Thanks to all who entered the giveaway and thanks for sharing your favorite historical fiction novel – I have lots of titles I will be adding to my tbr list!

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It’s Monday…What Are You Reading? (12.17.12)

It’s Monday What Are you Reading , hosted by Sheila, isthe perfect way for me to begin my week and allows me to focus on what needs to be read and to see what I have or have not accomplished the previous week. I also enjoy discovering new books by visiting other participants blogs. Well, it ended up being a rather productive week – due partly to the fact that…

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Review: Fated by Carly Phillips

Fated by Carly Phillips Penguin Group December 2012 Format: Netgalley ARC e-book First line: Kate Andrews loved a man in uniform. Synopsis from Goodreads: New York Times bestselling author Carly Phillips presents a never-before-published novella set in a quaint upstate New York town—where Serendipity’s finest show exactly what they’re made of… Kate Andews is the original rebound girl. But she has had enough and has vowed to never be someone’s…

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Review: The Quilter’s Apprentice by Jennifer Chiaverini

The Quilter’s Apprentice by Jennifer Chiaverini Plume April 2000 Format: Paperback, 272 pages First line: Sarah leaned against the brick wall and tried to look comfortable, hoping no one walking by would notice her or wonder why she was standing around in a suit on such a hot day. From the back cover: When Sarah McClure and her husband, Matt, move to Waterford, Pennsylvania, she hopes to make a fresh…

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Review: Hot Six by Janet Evanovich (audio)

Hot Six by Janet Evanovich Read by CJ Critt Recorded Books 2001 Length: 9.5 hours From the back of the audio case: Stephanie Plum, America’s favorite bounty hunter, returns to the streets of Trenton, New Jersey for another rousing adventure. With high-spirited sidekicks like the bizarre Grandma Mazur and ex-hooker Lula, its easy to see why Stephanie’s fan base grows every day.  While trying to make an honest buck apprehending…

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Book Beginnings Friday: Dreams of Joy

Please join Rose City Reader every Friday to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires.  Please remember to include the title of the book and the author.  I’m reading Dreams of Joy by Lisa See: The wail of a police siren in the distance tears through my…

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Review: Harvest Moon by Robyn Carr (e-book)

Harvest Moon by Robyn Carr MIRA February 2011 Format: e-book, 400 pages First line: “I need to see you,” Phillip said. Synopsis from B&N: Rising sous-chef Kelly Matlock’s sudden collapse at work is a wake-up call. Disillusioned and burned out, she’s retreated to her sister Jillian’s house in Virgin River to rest and reevaluate. Puttering in Jill’s garden and cooking with her heirloom vegetables is wonderful, but Virgin River is…

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It’s Monday…What Are You Reading? (12.10.12)

It’s Monday What Are you Reading , hosted by Sheila, isthe perfect way for me to begin my week and allows me to focus on what needs to be read and to see what I have or have not accomplished the previous week. I also enjoy discovering new books by visiting other participants blogs. I can’t believe there are only 21 days left in 2012…I have quite a bit of…

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1st Annual Historical Holiday Blog Hop – December 10 – 17 (CLOSED)

This blog hop is hosted by Amy at Passages to the Past This is the first time I am participating in a blog hop and I’m quite excited. I love reading historical fiction and have definitely found my niche – I adore anything Tudor related, but I’ve also become quite enamored with Russian historical fiction, particularly anything to do with Catherine the Great, so my giveaway is for a paperback…

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Review: Chasing Fire by Nora Roberts (audio)

Chasing Fire by Nora Roberts Read by Rebecca Lowman Brilliance Audio Length: 15 hours, 10 minutes Synopsis from Goodreads: There’s little else as thrilling as firefighting – at least to Rowan Tripp. The Missoula smoke jumpers are in Rowan’s blood: her father is a legend. She’s been fighting fires since her eighteenth birthday. At this point, returning to the wilds of Montana for the season feels like coming home –…

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Book Beginnings Friday: Rococo

Please join Rose City Reader every Friday to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires.  Please remember to include the title of the book and the author.  I’m reading Rococo by Adriana Trigiani: I want you to imagine my house. It’s a classic English country cottage, nestled…

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Review: Merry Christmas, Alex Cross by James Patterson

Merry Christmas, Alex Cross by James Patterson Little, Brown and Company November 2012 Format: Hardcover, 400 pages First line: The rear door to St. Anthony’s Church had been left open. From the inside cover: Detective Alex Cross is ripped away from his family on Christmas Eve – but that’s nothing compared to what awaits him on Christmas Day. SILENT NIGHT It’s a snowy Christmas Eve, and Detective Alex Cross is…

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Review: Postcards from the Dead by Laura Childs

Postcards from the Dead by Laura Childs Berkley October 2012 Format: Hardcover,  336 pages First line: A dazzling night filled with gigantic floats, silver beads, dizzying lights, fire-twirling flambeaus, and a crowd that was fueled by too much Dixie Beer and Southern Comfort. From the inside cover: New Orleans is in the throes of another fantastic Mardi Gras celebration when the party gets crashed by a murderer. Now a scrapbooking…

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It’s Monday…What Are You Reading? (12.3.12)

It’s Monday What Are you Reading , hosted by Sheila, is the perfect way for me to begin my week and allows me to focus on what needs to be read and to see what I have or have not accomplished the previous week. I also enjoy discovering new books by visiting other participants blogs. After a busy couple of weeks, my husband and I headed up to our cabin…

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Month in Review: November 2012

Here are my reading stats for November! Books read:  11 Books I read (reviewed ones have * and link to review; books not yet reviewed will be linked up once review is posted.) Sleep No More* — Iris Johansen The Hot Flash Club Strikes Again*– Nancy Thayer (audio) The Perfect Hope*– Nora Roberts The Lincoln Conspiracy* — Timothy O’Brien Stake & Eggs* — Laura Childs High Five* — Janet Evanovich…

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Stacking the Shelves (25) 12.2.12

  Tynga of Tynga’s Reviews is starting a new meme to spotlight the books we receive each week.  Here’s what I got:          For Review: Vets in Love by Cathy Woodman   This looks like a cute, fun story – perfect for the holidays!         Purchased:   The Winter Palace by Eva Stachniak   I’ve had my eye on this book for a while and can’t…

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