Saturday, January 26, 2008

Real Murders By Charlaine Harris


Rating: 4/5


Review: I thought this book had a very old fashioned feel to it. It was set in modern day, but at times it felt like I was reading a story that was taking place in the 50's. The lead character is a fun person, but a little too drab at times. The storyline was fast most of the way through, but slowed to a crawl towards the end. The final revealing of the real killer was a bit anti-climatic. I don't want you thinking this was a terrible story, though. I liked the characters well enough, and I'd love to see how things develop between Roe and her beaus. I will most likely read the next book in the series.


Book Description: Though a small town at heart, Lawrenceton, Georgia, has its dark side-and crime buffs. One of whom is librarian Aurora "Roe" Teagarden, a member of the Real Murders Club, which meets once a month to analyze famous cases. It's a harmless pastime-until the night she finds a member killed in a manner that eerily resembles the crime the club was about to discuss. And as other brutal "copycat" killings follow, Roe will have to uncover the person behind the terrifying game, one that casts all the members of Real Murders, herself included, as prime suspects-or potential victims.

Enchantment By Donald Spoto


Rating: 4/5


Review: I didn't realize just how much I actually didn't know about Audrey Hepburn. I knew that she was a superb actress, a humanitarian, and that she was a loving person. That's all, though. This woman has been through a lot. Just the section about her childhood was enough to amaze me. Another thing I didn't know was that Cary Grant was supposed to play the older brother in Sabrina. Oh my gosh, that movie would have been so much better if he had actually taken that role. I founf out a lot of things like that. If you love classic movies, and if you particulary enjoy Audrey Hepburn, than you should most certainly read this book.


Book Description:Her name is synonymous with elegance, style and grace. Over the course of her extraordinary life and career, Audrey Hepburn captured hearts around the world and created a public image that stands as one of the most recognizable and beloved in recent memory. But despite her international fame and her tireless efforts on behalf of UNICEF, Audrey was also known for her intense privacy. With unprecedented access to studio archives, friends and colleagues who knew and loved Audrey, bestselling author Donald Spoto provides an intimate and moving account of this beautiful, elusive and talented woman.Tracing her astonishing rise to stardom, from her harrowing childhood in Nazi-controlled Holland during World War II to her years as a struggling ballet dancer in London and her Tony Award–winning Broadway debut in Gigi, Spoto illuminates the origins of Audrey’s tenacious spirit and fiercely passionate nature.

Thursday, January 24, 2008

Beg For Mercy By Toni Andrews


Rating: 4/5


Review: This was an extremely fast read. The characters were interesting, especially Mercy Hollings. She is able to make people do things with her mind. It was a different spin on the paranormal for me, which made it more exciting. I can't say that this was one of my favorite books, but I am intrigued enough to want the next book in this series or whatever it intends to be.


Book Description:I've never been certain I'm human
Oh, the X-rays and blood tests are normal, and most people have no reason to suspect I'm more than I appear to be. But if I tell you to do something? You do it—no ifs, ands or buts.
I call my power the 'press.'
My name is Mercy Hollings, and if you think that having the power to control people makes my life easy, you're dead wrong.
Because when I get angry, everyone around me is at risk—Sukey, my friend who has frightening taste in men; my clients, who, ironically, come to me for help; my neighbors, who regard me as a loner; and Sam, a man who wants to know my darkest secret.
I have hurt people in the past, and I don't want that to happen again. But now a powerful stranger is threatening the new life that I've made for myself.
And I'm afraid my anger is taking over.

Monday, January 21, 2008

Eclipse By Stephenie Meyer


Read: January 2008


Rating: 5/5


Review: Extremely good, of course. This writer continues to amaze me with her talent. She makes it all seem so real! I love it! I really cannot wait for the next book in this series, and I am dying to know what will become of Jacob.


Book Description: Readers captivated by Twilight and New Moon will eagerly devour Eclipse, the much anticipated third book in Stephenie Meyer's riveting vampire love saga. As Seattle is ravaged by a string of mysterious killings and a malicious vampire continues her quest for revenge, Bella once again finds herself surrounded by danger. In the midst of it all, she is forced to choose between her love for Edward and her friendship with Jacob--knowing that her decision has the potential to ignite the ageless struggle between vampire and werewolf. With her graduation quickly approaching, Bella has one more decision to make: life or death. But which is which?

Glory In Death By J.D. Robb

Read: December 2007

Rating: 5/5

Review: Very good, as usual. I am really glad that I started this series from the beginning, because it it so much fun seeing how Eve and Rourke's relationship develops. It is also a much better way to get a good idea of who Eve is, and how much she has struggled. We also first meet Peabody in this book, Eve's future partner.

Book Description: The first victim was found lying on a sidewalk in the rain. The second was murdered in her own apartment building. Police Lieutenant Eve Dallas had no problem finding connections between the two crimes. Both victims were beautiful and highly successful women. Their glamorous lives and loves were the talk of the city. And their intimate relations with men of great power and wealth provided Eve with a long list of suspects--including her own lover, Roarke. As a woman, Eve was compelled to trust the man who shared her bed. But as a cop, it was her job to follow every lead..to explore every secret passion, no matter how dark. Or how dangerous.

Inkspell By Cornelia Funke

Read: November 2007

Rating: 4/5

Review: Not quite as good as the first book in this trilogy or series(I'm not sure which). It was a little harder to get into, which is dissapointing, because you actually get to go inside the Ink World with the characters. I just thought it would be far more exciting.

Book Description: Although a year has passed, not a day goes by without Meggie thinking of INKHEART, the book whose characters became real. But for Dustfinger, the fire-eater brought into being from words, the need to return to the tale has become desperate. When he finds a crooked storyteller with the ability to read him back, Dustfinger leaves behind his young apprentice Farid and plunges into the medieval world of his past. Distraught, Farid goes in search of Meggie, and before long, both are caught inside the book, too. But the story is threatening to evolve in ways neither of them could ever have imagined.

The Undomestic Goddess By Sophie Kinsella


Read: November 2007

Rating: 5/5

Review: This was such a fun book, and a very light read. The characters were realistic and enjoyable. I will definitely read more books by this author.

Book Description:Workaholic attorney Samantha Sweeting has just done the unthinkable. She’s made a mistake so huge, it’ll wreck any chance of a partnership. Going into utter meltdown, she walks out of her London office, gets on a train, and ends up in the middle of nowhere. Asking for directions at a big, beautiful house, she’s mistaken for an interviewee and finds herself being offered a job as housekeeper. Her employers have no idea they’ve hired a lawyer–and Samantha has no idea how to work the oven. She can’t sew on a button, bake a potato, or get the #@%# ironing board to open. How she takes a deep breath and begins to cope–and finds love–is a story as delicious as the bread she learns to bake. But will her old life ever catch up with her? And if it does…will she want it back?

Saturday, January 19, 2008

Garden Spells By Sarah Addison Allen

Read: November 2007

Rating: 5/5

Review: This was a great book for women. It had a little bit of magic, a little romance, and sisterly love. It was also a quick read. In fact, I read it so quickly, that I can barely remember it, so I really want to read it again sometime.

Book Description: Two gifted sisters draw on their talents to belatedly forge a bond and find their ways in life in Allen's easygoing debut novel. Thirty-four-year-old Claire Waverley manifests her talent in cooking; using edible flowers, Claire creates dishes that affect the eater in curious ways. But not all Waverley women embrace their gifts; some, including Claire's mother, escape the family's eccentric reputation by running away. She abandoned Claire and her sister when they were young. Consequently, Claire has remained close to home, unwilling to open up to new people or experiences. Claire's younger sister, Sydney, however, followed in their mother's footsteps 10 years ago and left for New York, and after a string of abusive, roustabout boyfriends, returns to Bascom, N.C., with her five-year-old daughter, Bay. As Sydney reacquaints herself with old friends and rivals, she discovers her own Waverley magic. Claire, in turn, begins to open up to her sister and in the process learns how to welcome other possibilities.

Friday, January 18, 2008

Late Summer and Fall 2007 List

  • Nineteen Minutes By Jody Picoult(5/5)- A powerful story, one that really makes you think.
  • This Pen For Hire By Laura Levine(3.5/5)- It some good parts, but overall it wasn't very entertaining to me.
  • Naked in Death By J.D. Robb(5/5)-I had read a couple of books from this series out of sequence and decided I needed to read them all. This is the first of the series, and it is excellent.
  • Twilight By Stephanie Meyer(5/5)-This book absolutely consumed me. It was extremely good. It is about vampire, though, so you have to like that kind of genre.
  • The Venetian Mask By Rosalind Laker(4/5)- It was an interesting story, but not my favorite of this author's.
  • Cell By Stephen King(4/5)-The beginning is extremely graphic, but it soon settles down into a surprisingly good book.
  • Watermelon By Marian Keyes(5/5)-So good!
  • Deep Storm By Lincoln Child(4/5)-A great book that will give you goosebumps at the end.
  • Outlander By Diana Gibaldan(4/5)- A great romance with a little bit of time travel.
  • Water For Elephants By Sara Gruen(5/5)- An amazing Book! Everyone must read this story! Oh my gosh it was just so good!
  • Poison Study By Maria V Snyder(5/5)- Very good fantasy with great characters and a fantastic storyline.
  • New Moon By Stephanie Meyer(5/5)- This writer really gets the emotions on the page and you feel every one of them. Excellent book. Great series!
  • The Shining By Stephen King(4/5)-A classic, obviously, but very very different from the movies.
  • Magic Study By Maria V Snyder(5/5)-Not quite as good as the first book in this series, but still a great read. I am so looking forward to the next one.

Another 2007 List (Spring and Summer)

  • The Tall Pine Polka By Lorna Landvik (4/5)-Interesting characters, great scenery, and a fun read. It did start out a bit slow, however.
  • The Traveler By John Twelve Hawks(5/5)- Fast-paced, intriguing characters, adventure, excitement, and powerful. It would make an awesome movie!
  • Every Which Way But Dead By Kim Harrison(5/5)- A fun and interesting take on the paranormal.
  • Moon Called By Patricia Briggs(5/5)-Exciting tale of werewolves and "walkers".
  • Death At Wenwater Court(4/5)- a very light read. Fun British slang from the 1920's, and a lovely amateur sleuth happily solving a crime.
  • Storm Front By Jim Butcher(4/5)-A refreshing fantasy complete with wizards, powerful magic, and evil lurking in the dark.
  • Inkheart By Cornelia Funke(5/5)-An absolutely beautiful book. I loved this one so so much!
  • The Glass Castle By Jeanette Walls(5/5)-Very interesting true story, and surprisingly entertaining. The author had a positively atrocious childhood, but managed to keep the story light and fun to read.
  • Divided in Death By JD Robb(5/5)- I loved this book! The Eve Dallas series is wonderful, and completely engaging. Eve is one of my all time favorite characters!
  • Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows By J. K. Rowling(5/5)-Heartbreaking, of course, in many ways. But still, a wonderful book! A perfect end to the Potter saga.
  • Lean Mean Thirteen By Janet Evanovich(5/5)- Funny as all get out, of course!
  • Exit Strategy By Kelley Armstrong(4/5)-Pretty good, but not exactly memorable.
  • The Cinderella Rules By Donna Kauffman(4/5)-A fun, romantic, and light read. There was even a dash of intrigue thrown in.
  • Candy Apple Dead By Sammi Carter(3.5/5)-It was just barely interesting enough to keep me reading. I was a little bit disappointed to tell you the truth.
  • 1st To Die By James Patterson(5/5)- An excellent mystery. Don't even bother with the tv series based on his books, because it isn't even close.
  • Anybody Out There By Marian Keyes(5/5)-Wonderful! I love the Irish family, the humor, and the strong storyline. Keyes is a wonderful, spunky little Irish writer, and I plan to read all of her books.

The Red Tent By Anita Diamant

Read: May 2007

Rating: 5/5

Review: This book was so beautifully written, and I highly reccomend it to all women whether they are religious or not. Because, that's what this book is all about, really. Women, and their strength to endure. Very powerful stuff.

Book Description: Her name is Dinah. In the Bible, her life is only hinted at in a brief and violent detour within the more familiar chapters of the Book of Genesis that tell of her father, Jacob, and his twelve sons. Told in Dinah's voice, Anita Diamant imagines the traditions and turmoils of ancient womanhood--the world of the red tent. It begins with the story of the mothers--Leah, Rachel, Zilpah, and Bilhah--the four wives of Jacob. They love Dinah and give her gifts that sustain her through childhood, a calling to midwifery, and a new home in a foreign land. Dinah's story reaches out from a remarkable period of early history and creates an intimate connection with the past.

Thursday, January 17, 2008

Early 2007

The following are some books I read early last year, with my ratings after each one.
1. Eat, Pray, Love By Elizabeth Gilbert (4/5)
-This was a fun and interesting book.
2. The Time Traveler's Wife By Audrey Niffenegger (4/5)
-This one was very different, and quite intriguing.
3. Angels Fall By Nora Roberts (4/5)
4. Blue Smoke By Nora Roberts (4/5)
-Please, do not bother with the movie version of this book, it isn't even close.
5. Bitten By Kelley Armstrong (5/5)
-Easily one of my favorite books of all time. I highly highly reccomend it to all paranormal lovers. It is a very different and wonderful take on werewolves.
6. Marley and Me By John Grogan (5/5)
-A bittersweet book that is well worth the tears.
7. Creepers By David Morrell (4/5)
-A good chiller.
8. White Lies By Jayne Ann Krentz (4/5)
9. The Quiet Game By Greg Iles (4/5)
10. Proof Positive By Philip Margolin(3/5)

Lagging Behind

Hello to any potential Blog Readers out there. I am going to try to catch up on my reading journal here. I almost reached my goal of 50 books last year, but I was just shy of 2, darn it. I will set the same goal for this year, however, and see how I do.