First line: My sister Kwan believes she has yin eyes. Why I read this: The publicist promoting the re-release of this book asked if I would be willing to read it. From the back of the book: Set in San Francisco and in a remote village of Southwestern China, Amy Tan’s The Hundred Secret Senses is a tale of American assumptions shaken by Chinese ghosts and broadened with hope.in 1962,…
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First line: I’m shaking as I leave him, still in shock over what just happened. Why I read this: I got a request from a publicist wanting to know if I would be interested in participating in the authors blog tour. Synopsis: What happens when a man comes between one desperately single and one very married sister? Kate’s been depressed ever since yet another long-term boyfriend unceremoniously dumped her. When…
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First line: It has been exactly 350 days since I decided I’d be better off without him. Why I read this: I got a request from a publicist wanting to know if I would be interested in participating in the authors blog tour. Synopsis: Jordan Daniels and Elle Ryan thought their lives would become less complicated when they walked away from their respective relationships one year ago. But instead, they…
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Another reading challenged has come to a close. As you can see from my list, I finished reading 18 out of the 20 books I had listed and I am in the middle of reading one right now. I was also able to read an additional 14 books during this time that were not on my original list. That puts my total number of books read from March 20 to…
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First line: I am not a sentimental woman. Why I read this: I love historical fiction and when I saw this book was touring with Pump Up Your Book Promotions, I requested to be part of it. I’ve also read another book by C.W. Gortner, The Tudor Secret, which I really enjoyed. From the back cover: The truth is, not one of us is innocent. We all have sins to…
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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. Last week managed to be a productive reading week, but not so much with reviews…I foresee…
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In My Mailbox (IMM) is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi @ The Story Siren. Every week I’ll post what books I’ve received either by mailbox/library/store. Borrowed from the library: Playing the Game (audio book) by Barbara Taylor Bradford I have read many books by BTB and have enjoyed them all – was thrilled to see this one in audio! We Are All Welcome Here (audio book) by…
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Please join me in welcomingTara Woolpy, author of Releasing Gillian’s Wolves to Always With a Book! If you missed my review, you can read it here. Today Tara guest blogs about why she included recipes in her new novel. Releasing Gillian’s Wolves is a novel in four parts. Each section begins with a recipe. Since in many ways this is the story of a woman stepping out of the kitchen…
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First line: The moon drew a rippling arrow across the surface of the lake, exposing Edward and Sam making love on the dock. Why I read it: The author contacted me to read and review the book – it is her debut novel. From the back cover: The wife of an adulterous politician must choose between the safety of denial and a new life in the light. Thirty years ago,…
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First line: Tricia McCall was not the type to see apparitions, but there were times – especially when lonely, tired or both – that she caught just the merest flicker of a glimpse of her dog, Rusty, out of the corner of one eye. Why I read this: I was sent this book to review. From the back cover: Conner Creed knows exactly who he is: a hardworking rancher carrying…
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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. Last week was Audio Book Week hosted by Jen at Devourer of Books and I had…
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From the back of the audio case: In eight days they will take her… It all begins with a painting called Guilt. Eve Duncan’s daughter, Jane, has no idea why she painted the portrait of the chilling face that now hangs in a Paris gallery. But the members of a cult that dates back to the time of Christ know both the face and the significance behind it. They believe…
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First line: Some instinct – or maybe just a stir of a breeze – awakened Steven Creed; he sat up in bed, took a fraction of a moment to orient himself to unfamiliar surroundings. Why I read it: I was asked to review Creed’s Honor, which is the second in Linda Lael Miller’s Creed Cowboy’s trilogy. As you might know, I don’t like picking up a book that’s in the…
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In My Mailbox (IMM) is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi @ The Story Siren. Every week I’ll post what books I’ve received either by mailbox/library/store. Purchased: The Tudors: The Complete Story of England’s Most Notorious Dynasty by G.J. Meyers I am obsessed with The Tudors and love picking up books about them to add to my collection! Dreams of Joy by Lisa See Lisa See is coming…
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June is Audiobook Month and Jen at Devourer of Books is hosting a special week dedicated to audiobooks this week. I’m sad to see that this special week is coming to a close. I’ve had a great time meeting new bloggers who love audio as much as I have come to and have added a ton of titles to look for when I need a new audio. Today’s discussion…
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June is Audiobook Month and Jen at Devourer of Books is hosting a special week dedicated to audiobooks this week. I’m going to participate as much as I can. Today’s discussion topic is actually a quick meme that you just have to copy and fill in with your own answers. Current/most recent audiobook: Chasing the Night by Iris Johansen and read by Jennifer Van Dyck Impressions: I’m really enjoying it.…
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Please join me in welcomingCathy Holton, author of Summer in the South to Always With a Book! If you missed my review, you can read it here. Today Darien guest blogs about what inspired her new novel. Enjoy and be sure to enter the giveaway for a chance to win one of 3 signed copies of the book! Love, Class, and Murder in the New South Twenty-five years ago I…
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June is Audiobook Month and Jen at Devourer of Books is hosting a special week dedicated to audiobooks this week. I’m going to participate as much as I can. Today’s discussion topics are about sound effects: Love them? Hate them? Take them or leave them? How do you feel about sound effects in audiobooks? Alternate suggestions: Single narrator vs. multiple narrators vs. full cast, audio dramatizations, etc. Having only listened…
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First line: The body was lying on a table in the basement of the Purdy Funeral Home. Why I read it: I was contacted by the author to read and review this book. From the inside cover: Cathy Holton, author of the popular Beach Trip, returns with an intriguing and mysterious tale of dark deeds and family secrets in a small Southern town. After a personal tragedy, Chicago writer Ava…
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June is Audiobook Month and Jen at Devourer of Books is hosting a special week dedicated to audiobooks this week. I’m going to participate as much as I can. The first discussion topic for this week is “2010-2011, Your Audiobook Year.” And the description for this discussion topic is: Are you new to audiobooks in the last year? Have you been listening to them forever but discovered something new this…
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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. My computer crashed two weeks ago, so I was unable to participate in this meme last…
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In My Mailbox (IMM) is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi @ The Story Siren. Every week I’ll post what books I’ve received either by mailbox/library/store. For Review (0) Library (1) Chasing the Night by Iris Johansen (audio book) Purchased (2) Room by Emma Donoghue Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen Free Downloads (0) Borrowed from family member (0) From Paperback Swap (0) Won (0) What’s in your mailbox?
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First line: A fierce and unseasonably cold September wind blew chilly rain against the windows. Why I read this: I came across Robyn Carr’s Virgin River series earlier this year and I am slowly trying to read them all – this is book 2 and there are 15 in the series as of now…I really need to catch up! Synopsis from Barnes and Noble: John “Preacher” Middleton is about to…
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CONGRATULATIONS to Gwendolyn winner of Friendship Bread by Darien Gee Random.org selected the winners. Thanks to all who entered the giveaway!
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Here are my reading stats for May! Books read: 13 Books I read (reviewed ones have * and link to review) Ten Beach Road* by Wendy Wax Elizabeth I* by Margaret George A Turn in the Road* by Debbie Macomber Pandora’s Daughter* by Iris Johansen Moonlight Cove* by Sherryl Woods Friendship Bread* by Darien Gee 10th Anniversary* by James Patterson The Art of Mending* by Elizabeth Berg Here, Home, Hope*…
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My computer is all fixed…hopefully I will be back on track tomorrow with some reviews and stuff. Thanks for being patient.
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It appears my laptop has been infected with a virus which keeps causing it to crash. Hubby tried to fix it but I now need to take it somewhere to have it looked at. Until then, I will be without a computer so posts with be sparse for the foreseeable future. Hopefully I will be back online within a week!
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From the back of the audio case: It begins with the sudden revelation of astonishing secrets – secrets that have shaped the personalities and fates of three siblings, and now threaten to tear them apart. In renowned author Elizabeth Berg’s moving new novel, unearthed truths force on seemingly ordinary family to reexamine their disparate lives and to ask themselves: Is it too late to mend the hurts of the past?…
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First line: This was the day I was getting married. From the inside cover: Detective Lindsay Boxer finally gets married, but a missing newborn and a series of violent attacks push the Women’s Murder Club back to full throttle before the wedding gifts are even unwrapped. FOR EVERY SECRET Detective Lindsay Boxer’s long-awaited wedding celebration becomes a distant memory when she is called to investigate a horrendous crime: a teenage…
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Please join me in welcoming Deborah Cloyed, author of the new book, The Summer We Came to Life to Always With a Book!If you missed my review, you can read it here.Today Deborah talks about the modern world of dating. An Ode to Modern Dating By Deborah Cloyed When my book The Summer We Came to Life opens, Samantha, age 29, has accepted a marriage proposal from a rich, successful,…
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First line: Birth and death are the two occurrences in a person’s life that seem to say one thing: we are not the ones calling the shots. From the back cover: Every summer, Samantha Wheland joins her childhood friends – Isabel, Kendra, and Mina – on a vacation somewhere exotic and fabulous. Together with their mixed bag of parents, they’ve created a lifetime of memories. This year it’s a beach…
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First line: “We have an idea,” Laila Riley announced when she and Connie Collins turned up in Jess O’Brien’s office at The Inn at Eagle Point on a Saturday night. From the back cover: Jess O’Brien has overcome a lot – the challenges of attention deficit disorder, the near bankruptcy of her beloved Inn at Eagle Point and her self-perception as a screw-up in a family of overachievers. Now she’s…
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First line: Here’s how I knew something about my life had to change. From the back cover: Kelly Mills Johnson becomes restless in her thirty-ninth year. An appetite for more forces her to take stock of her ordinary middle-American existence and her neighbors’ seemingly perfect lives. Her marriage to a successful attorney has settled into a comfortable routine, and being the mother of two adorable sons has been rewarding but…
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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. Didn’t get quite as much reading done as I had hoped last week, but I am…
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In My Mailbox (IMM) is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi @ The Story Siren. Every week I’ll post what books I’ve received either by mailbox/library/store. For Review (2) The Confessions of Catherine de Medici by CW Gortner Creed’s Honor by Linda Lael Miller Library (0) Purchased (5) – From Library and Church Book Sales 1st To Die by James Patterson 2nd Chance by James Patterson Kiss the Girls by…
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Please join me in welcomingDarien Gee, author of Friendship Bread to Always With a Book! If you missed my review, you can read it here. Today Darien guest blogs about what inspired her new novel. Enjoy and be sure to enter the giveaway! The Bread That Inspired a Novel If you’re never heard of Amish Friendship Bread, your life is about to change forever. Mine certainly was. Amish Friendship Bread…
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First line: Leon adjusts the 25mm Plossl eyepiece and swings his scope toward the heavens. About the book: It’s more than just a recipe—it’s a way of life. For fans of Kristin Hannah and Kate Jacobs, Darien Gee’s deeply felt and utterly charming novel follows two estranged sisters, three newfound friends, and—ultimately—a whole town brought together by a simple loaf of Amish Friendship Bread. In Avalon, Illinois, a woman and…
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First line: “I think Dad wants to get back together,” Bethanne’s daughter, Annie spoke with studied nonchalance. From the inside cover: In the middle of the year, in the middle of her life, Bethanne Hamlin takes a road trip with her daughter, Annie, and her former mother-in-law, Ruth. They’re driving to Florida for Ruth’s 50th high-school reunion. A longtime widow, Ruth would like to reconnect with Royce, the love of…
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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. As busy as last week was, I did manage to get in a lot of reading…
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First line: It was dark where she was crouched but the little girl did as she’d been told. From the back cover: A tiny girl is abandoned on a ship headed for Australia in 1913. She arrives completely alone with nothing but a small suitcase containing a few clothes and a single book – a beautiful volume of fairy tales. She is taken in by the dockmaster and his wife…
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In My Mailbox (IMM) is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi @ The Story Siren. Every week I’ll post what books I’ve received either by mailbox/library/store. For Review (1) The Summer We Came to Life by Deborah Cloyed Library (1) When the Killing’s Done by TC Boyle (book club book) Purchased (3) 10th Anniversary by James Patterson The Confessions of Katherine Howard by Suzanne Dunn Secret Daughter by Shilpi Somaya…
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From the back of the audio case: For as long as she can remember, successful young physician Megan Blair has tried to silence the voices in her head – voices that bring her to the edge of madness and terror. Megan possesses psychic powers that have been dormant for years, hidden deep in the past she’s tried so desperately to forget. But now everything has come to a boiling point…
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About the book: Alycia Ripley was always obsessed with Alice in Wonderland. In her latest book she uses that obsession to paint a fantastical and thrilling tale of good versus evil. This is not the Alice of your childhood. It’s an entirely new slice of Wonderland for a very modern audience. Cruel office managers, sadistic cheerleaders, and a two-headed contractor are only some of the obstacles Alice must face and…
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Please join me in welcomingMargaret George, author of Elizabeth I to Always With a Book! If you missed my review, you can read it here. Today Margaret guest blogs about choosing which voice to use in writing. Finding Your Voice—Writing in the Third Person—or First? Big choice—major fork in the road—third person or first? If you choose wrong, you’ll have to go back and start all over. They each have…
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First line: Felice Peretti, otherwise known as Pope Sixtus V, stood swaying before the stack of rolled Bulls. Synopsis from publisher: One of today’s premier historical novelists, Margaret George dazzles here as she tackles her most difficult subject yet: the legendary Elizabeth Tudor, queen of enigma-the Virgin Queen who had many suitors, the victor of the Armada who hated war; the gorgeously attired, jewel- bedecked woman who pinched pennies. England’s…
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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. Last week was a busy week, but I did make it to the author meet…
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First line: Heather Donovan propped open the front door and stood just inside the brightly lit storefront in Chesapeake Shores so she could inhale the scent of sea air from the bay across Shore Road. From the back cover: Single mom Heather Donovan’s dreams of home and family are tantalizingly within reach when she settles in Chesapeake Shores. The welcoming arms of the boisterous, loving O’Brien clan embrace her and…
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In My Mailbox (IMM) is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi @ The Story Siren. Every week I’ll post what books I’ve received either by mailbox/library/store. For Review (1) Summer in the South by Cathy Holton Library (0) Purchased (2) Home Safe by Elizabeth Berg Dream When You’re Feeling Blue by Elizabeth Berg Free Downloads (0) Borrowed from family member (0) From Paperback Swap – (0) Won (0) – …
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From the back of the audio case: Callie Perry is a successful family photographer living in tony Bedford, New York. She adores her children, has great friends, and actually doesn’t mind that her workaholic husband gets home at 9 p.m. every night. Steffi is Callie’s younger sister, and unlike her irrefutably settled sibling, Steffi has never grown up. She’s always been a free spirit, living in Manhattan. But she will…
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The local mom-and-pop bookstore near me, Books and Greetings, has author visits all the time. I’ve been a few times – to see children’s book author Jane O’Connor (she writes the Fancy Nancy books) and then Nicholas Sparks when he was touring with his latest book, Safe Haven. Last night Elizabeth Berg was there. I became familiar with Elizabeth Berg’s work from my blogging friend Sheila over at Book Journey.…
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