RIVER'S EDGE - Book 3 of 4

This book is for 3 of my reading challenges.
100+ Challenge
Series Challenge
52 Books in 52 Weeks



Product Description(from Amazon.Com)
In the third of the best-selling Cape Refuge series, mayoral candidate Ben Jackson seems to have the election locked. But when Jackson's wife turns up murdered, things begin to shift. Was this the act of a jealous lover? A dangerous client? Or is this all about the election?

This book kept me reading to find out who done it. And of course I had no idea. Miss Blackstock kept me guessing clear to the end. And what a shock it was!! You'll have to read this book to find out who killed Lisa Jackson. All the charcters from the beginning book are there. All the turmoil in their lives, the mystery of who killed Lisa Jackson, and some romance thrown in. Wonderful book!

MY RATING: 5

COMPASS POINTS CHALLENGE 2009

Kristen over at Book N Around has a reading challenge going. I know, but I couldn't resist! The Challenge is called COMPASS POINTS CHALLENGE 2009. You should hop over and check it out!

Between March 1, 2009 and August 31, 2009, you must read one book each with a title echoing the four main compass points: North, South, East, and West. These can be from any genre, fiction or non-fiction but they must have the word north, south, east, or west in the title. Bonus points to anyone reading Ellen Raskin's The Westing Game, which was the inspiration for this challenge.

This is my list of books:

1. The Westing Game - Ellen Raskin
2. South of Hell - P. J. Parrish
3. Lords of the North - Bernard Cornwell
4. East - Edith Pattou

THE DARK GARDEN

This is for my reading challenge The 2nd Canadian Reading Challenge.




Product Description(from Amazon.Com)
Sixteen-year-old Thea is suffering from traumatic amnesia. As she returns home and begins to rediscover who she is, the empty places of her mind fill up with shadowy memories. When she begins to hear voices from the past, she must find out what these ghosts want with her. By facing the ghosts, Thea comes to terms with her life. Her search will have Young Adult readers eagerly turning the pages to the very end.

This is a great book. And the last sentence about keeping you turning the pages to the very end is TRUE! This story grabs you from the first page and won't let you go until the last page. Poor Thea is so confused she doesn't at first know what's going on. She thinks she is crazy. Seeing and hearing things that on one else can. Plus she has a really strange family!

IN THEIR SHOES READING CHALLENGE

I was going places and making comments on blogs for Booking Through Thursday and found another Reading Challenge I really, really, want to do. If you want to check this out you can go here. So here it is:

IN THEIR SHOES
Welcome! The rules are real simple:

1. The challenge starts January 1, 2009 and ends December 31, 2009.

2. Books have to be either a memoir, autobiography, or biography.

3. You can overlap with other challenges:

4. Re-reads count.

5. You pick how many books you want to read.

6. You do not need to make a list. This challenge is flexible and the goal is to have fun and read.

This is my list of books:

1. The Sum of Our Days: A Memoir - Isabel Allende
2. Clear Springs: A Memoir - Bobbie Ann Mason
3. Her Last Death: A Memoir - Susanna Sonnenberg
4. Dog Years: A Memoir - Mark Doty
5. Kitchen Privileges: A Memoir - Marry Higgins Clark

BOOKING THROUGH THURSDAY

Booking Through Thursday is about Collectibles this week. Check it out!

* Hardcover? Or paperback?
* Illustrations? Or just text?
* First editions? Or you don’t care?
* Signed by the author? Or not?

I really like Hardcover books the best. But I will get paperback. As for Illustrations or text, either will do. Illustrations are nice in some books. So you can get an idea of what is going on in the book. I don't have any first editions and I don't think I would like any of those. I would be afraid it would get lost, stolen, or just messed up. I have one book signed my an author. That book is "Secret Confessions of the Applewood PTA" by Ellen Meister. It wasn't actually signed in person by her. I have a place at Cafe Mom and Ellen is there also. She sent me a book plate for my book. She also sent me some book marks of the same book. As I live in a tiny community there really isn't any authors here to sign books. The closed place that an author would be to me is over 60 miles away.

ALANNA: THE FIRST ADVENTURE

This is for one of my reading challenges, Unshelved Reading Challenge. I don't know if it is still going. There hasn't been a post at this site since September 2008. But if you want to check it out the link is here.




Product Description(from Amazon.com)
"From now on I'm Alan of Trebond, the younger twin. I'll be a knight."

And so young Alanna of Trebond begins the journey to knighthood. Though a girl, Alanna has always craved the adventure and daring allowed only for boys; her twin brother, Thom, yearns to learn the art of magic. So one day they decide to switch places: Disguised as a girl, Thom heads for the convent to learn magic; Alanna, pretending to be a boy, is on her way to the castle of King Roald to begin her training as a page.

But the road to knighthood is not an easy one. As Alanna masters the skills necessary for battle, she must also learn to control her heart and to discern her enemies from her allies.

Filled with swords and sorcery, adventure and intrigue, good and evil, Alanna's first adventure begins -- one that will leard to the fulfillment of her dreams and the magical destiny that will make her a legend in her land.

Alanna's journey continues...

Just finished this book today! Absolutely loved this book. Alanna wants so bad to be a knight. That she has given up her female identity so she can do this is awesome. But her secret isn't a secret for long. She has to tell George, the thief, because of her monthly cycle starting and doesn't know what to do. She then has to tell the Jon, the prince. Now I have to read the rest of the books to find out what happens to Alanna!

MY RATING: 5

WHAT ARE YOU READING?

It's time for my weekly feature, What Are You Reading?

I made a trip to the library Monday and got some books. This is what I am reading.

"The Dark Garden" by Margret Buffie



Product Description(from Amazon.Com
Sixteen-year-old Thea is suffering from traumatic amnesia. As she returns home and begins to rediscover who she is, the empty places of her mind fill up with shadowy memories. When she begins to hear voices from the past, she must find out what these ghosts want with her. By facing the ghosts, Thea comes to terms with her life. Her search will have Young Adult readers eagerly turning the pages to the very end.

I am abou 1/4th of the way through this book and already I am wondering what is going on with Thea. It is a mystery that is dark and sinister yet is very quiet and sneaky. It has me wondering if this has something to do with the house Thea's family lives in.

"Alanna: The First Adventure" by Tamora Pierce




Product Description
"From now on I'm Alan of Trebond, the younger twin. I'll be a knight."

And so young Alanna of Trebond begins the journey to knighthood. Though a girl, Alanna has always craved the adventure and daring allowed only for boys; her twin brother, Thom, yearns to learn the art of magic. So one day they decide to switch places: Disguised as a girl, Thom heads for the convent to learn magic; Alanna, pretending to be a boy, is on her way to the castle of King Roald to begin her training as a page.
But the road to knighthood is not an easy one. As Alanna masters the skills necessary for battle, she must also learn to control her heart and to discern her enemies from her allies.
Filled with swords and sorcery, adventure and intrigue, good and evil, Alanna's first adventure begins -- one that will lead to the fulfillment of her dreams and the magical destiny that will make her a legend in her land.

Alanna's journey continues...

I am over half way through this book. It is a series also. So now I have to read the other ones!! If you like books set in magic, knights, and thiefs you will love this book. Alanna has to prove to everyone including herself that she can do the work to become a knight. Only her brother and George, a thief knows who she is a girl being a boy. She has to fight one of the other pages because he is bullying her.

THE CLASSICS CHALLENGE

Over at Trish's place, The Classics Challenge, it's a reading challenge. I can't resist! Am I bad?? Anyway here's the rules and guidelines:

This challenge runs from April 1 - October 31, 2009
**Choose Your Level (Keep reading for Bonus)
1. Classics Snack - Read FOUR classics
2. Classics Entree - Read FIVE classics
3. Classics Feast - Read SIX classics

**Rules/Guidelines
1. Cross-posting with other challenges is allowed (and encouraged!)
2. Audiobooks are fine
3. Re-reads are acceptable, BUT books must be finished after April 1st to count for the challenge
4. Lists don't have to be set in stone; you can change your selections at any time.
5. Have Fun!!
6. You do NOT need a blog to participate.

**Bonus!! (Optional)
Last year we compiled a list of books that we think might be considered classics one day. I've wiped out that old list so we can start fresh, but to get an idea of what others suggested last year, see HERE. To start off the list, I'm going to suggest Atonement by Ian McEwan.

I will be going for the Classic's Feast - Read 6 books plus I will do the bonus. This is my list:

Gulliver's Travels - Jonathan Swift
The Scarlett Letter - Nathaniel Hawthorne
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn - Mark Twain
The Count of Monte Cristo - Alexander Dumas
The House of Seven Gables - Nathaniel Hawthorne
Kidnapped - Robert Louis Stevenson
MY BONUS BOOK:
Atonement - Ian McEwan

FAVORITE PLACES

Over at Joyfully Retired it's once again time for Favorite Places. Hop over and see some great places.

One of the favorite places me and the hubby have visited is called Metamora. It is near Connersville, Indiana. Metamora is Indiana's treasured 1838 canal town. Nestled in southeastern Indiana's beautiful countryside, Metamora is steeped in history and famous for its preservation of Indiana's oldest and still operating water-powered grist mill. Located 65 miles east of Indianapolis and 35 miles west of Cincinnati.

It is a very nice place to visit. We even got to see the Mill working the day we were there.

THE SUM OF OUR DAYS

This is for 4 of my reading challenges. Read Your Own Books at MizB's and 100+ Reading Challenge at J. Kayes and In Their Shoes Challenge. New Author Challenge.

Product Description(from Amazon.Com)

In The Sum of Our Days, internationally acclaimed author Isabel Allende reconstructs the painful reality of her own life in the wake of the tragic death of her daughter, Paula. Narrated with warmth, humor, exceptional candor, and wisdom, this remarkable memoir is as exuberant and full of life as its creator. Allende bares her soul as she shares her thoughts on love, marriage, motherhood, spirituality and religion, infidelity, addiction, and memory—and recounts stories of the wildly eccentric, strong-minded, and eclectic tribe she gathers around her and lovingly embraces as a new kind of family.

This is a wonderful, witty, and loving book! I really liked it. Isabel Allende is very frank about her life. The death of her daughter, her son's divorce and remarriage, and all the people she seems to "adopt". Very moving book!

MUSING MONDAY

Rebecca is hosting Musing Mondays. Her question this week:

Today’s MUSING MONDAYS post is about the library…

How often do you visit the library? Do you have a scheduled library day/time, or do you go whenever? Do you go alone, or take people with you?

I usually go to the library about every 2 weeks. That all the longer you can keep a book out. I usually get 5 to 8 books, they also have a limit on books, 10 it all you can get at one time. So I am just below the limit. If I don't get them all read, which happens sometimes, I just return them and get them renewed.

My usual time to go to the library is Saturday. Most of the time I go whenever I get done with my books. That could be any day of the week. I usually go in the afternoon, just before heading back to work.

As for anyone going with me, I usually go by myself. I am really the only one that reads at my house. My hubby doesn't read and my son only reads school books. So I go by myself. This is my library!

YOUR BLOG IS FABULOUS AWARD!

Bev over at Merry Weather Book Blog has given me an award. Bev has passed this award on to me. You pass it along to 5 newbie blogs you have read lately.



Here are the 5 I am passing this award along to:

JonJon
Psmith
Dorte
Margot
Sally

FRIDAY FILL-IN'S

Janet is hosting Friday Fill-In's, want to see more, just hop over there and take a peek.

And...here we go!

1. Give me MONEY and I'll SPEND IT.

2. Whenever YOU WANT.

3. I wish YOU A HAPPY BIRTHDAY.

4. GRILLED CHICKEN GO WRAP FROM WENDY'S was the last thing I ate that was utterly delicious.

5. To live in this world YOU HAVE TO BE STRONG.

6. Other than this one, J. KAY'S BOOK BLOG is the last blog I commented on.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to RELAXING, tomorrow my plans include GOING TO THE LIBRARY FOR NEW BOOKS and Sunday, I want to RELAX AND READ!

Weekly Geeks

Over at Weekly Geeks this week the question is:

For this week's edition of Weekly Geeks, we're going to take a closer look at character names. What are some of your favorite character names?
Go to Google or a baby name site like this one or this one, and look up a favorite character's name. What does their name mean? Do you think the meaning fits the character? Why or why not?

Since I just finished reading "The Secret Life of Bees" by Sue Monk Kidd I put in the name of Lily. This is what it says about Lily:


Meaning: Its source is an English expression meaning "The lily flower."

Languages: This girl's name is used in Dutch.

Nickname For: Lilian and Lillian

Nicknames: Lil

Compound Forms: Lilyanne and Lilybeth

I then put in my name, Sherrie:


Meaning: Its source is a French expression meaning "Dear."

Popularity: The name Sherrie ranked 512th in popularity for females of all ages in a sample of the 1990 US Census.

Though this name has fluctuated in use, it has been quietly present throughout the last century.

Arts and Music

* ''Oh Sherrie''
o A 1984 hit recorded by Steve Perry.
Here is a video from You Tube of Steve Perry singing "Oh Sherrie". It starts out kind of funky, but wait, it gets going.





Alternative Spellings: Lili, Lillee, Lillie, Lilly and Lylli

Variant Forms: Lilia, Lilian, Lilith, Lilla, Lilli and Lillia

Non-English Forms: Lilike

Popularity: The name Lily ranked 89th in popularity for females of all ages in a sample of 2000-2003 Social Security Administration statistics and 652nd in popularity for females of all ages in a sample of the 1990 US Census.

BOOKING THROUGH THURSDAY

Over at Booking Through Thursday the question is:

Storage - “How do you arrange your books on your shelves? Is it by author, by genre, or you just put it where it falls on?”

My books are just put on the shelf where there is room. At the moment the shelf is full. But this is just one book shelf I have access too. I another one in the den, but there is so much junk in front of the book shelf I can't get to it. Besides it's full too. So I'm either going to have to get another book shelf or quite buying books. But can't do that so..........Ummm, I'll have to improvise someway! I'll think of something!! Maybe!!

THE SECRET LIFE OF BEES

This is for three of my reading challenges. The Winter Reading Challenge and The 100+ Reading Challenge. Books into Movies Challenge over at CozyMurders
52 Books in 52 Weeks



Product Description(from Amazon.com)
"The bees came the summer of 1964, the summer I turned fourteen and my life went spinning off into a whole new orbit, and I mean whole new orbit. Looking back on it now, I want to say the bees were sent to me. I want to say they showed up like the angel Gabriel appearing to the Virgin Mary, setting events in motion I could never have guessed." So begins the story of Lily Melissa Owens, a plucky girl, rich in humor despite heart wrenching circumstances. Living on a peach farm in South Carolina with her harsh, unyielding father, her entire life has been shaped around one devastating, though blurred, memory- the afternoon her mother was killed. Four at the time, she remembers innocently picking up the gun. And, she has her father's eyewitness account of the gun firing. People remind her it was an accident, yet she's inhabited by a torturous guilt. Lily's only real companion is Rosaleen, a tender, but fierce-hearted black woman who cooks, cleans and acts as her "stand-in mother."

South Carolina in 1964 is a place and time of seething racial divides. When violence explodes one summer afternoon, and Rosaleen is arrested and beaten, Lily is desperate, not only to save Rosaleen, but to flee a life she can no longer endure. Calling upon her colorful wits and uncommon daring, she breaks Rosaleen out of jail and the two of them take off, runaway-fugitives conjoined in an escape that quickly turns into Lily's quest for the truth about her mother's life.

Following a trail left ten years earlier, Lily and Rosaleen end up in the home of three bee-keeping sisters. No ordinary women, the sisters revere a Black Madonna and tend a unique brand of female spirituality that reaches back to the time of slavery. As Lily's life becomes deeply entwined with theirs, she is irrevocably altered. In a mesmerizing world of bees and honey, amid the strength and power of wise women, Lily journeys through painful secrets and shattering betrayals, finding her way to the single thing her heart longs for most.

I loved this book!! It is so full of powerful love and family! Even though Lily lost her mother at an early age and an unfortunate accident, she has found another mother, actually several mothers. Lily also learns about a different kind of religion than her own. I was really surprised by the ending of this book. I never thought it would end that way. I am planning on watching the movie this weekend. I just hope it doesn't disappoint me as movies usually don't do the books justice. P.S. I saw the movie 3/25/09 and it is really good. It pretty much stuck to the book. YEA!!!

MY RATING: 5

WHAT ARE YOU READING?

Time for my weekly feature "What Are You Reading?" If you want to join in, just leave me a comment, OK!

"The Sum of Our Days" by Isabel Allende
I am reading this for my Book Club. Read this month and discuss in March. I haven't actually started this book yet. It will be next.



Product Description(from Amazon.com)
In The Sum of Our Days, internationally acclaimed author Isabel Allende reconstructs the painful reality of her own life in the wake of the tragic death of her daughter, Paula. Narrated with warmth, humor, exceptional candor, and wisdom, this remarkable memoir is as exuberant and full of life as its creator. Allende bares her soul as she shares her thoughts on love, marriage, motherhood, spirituality and religion, infidelity, addiction, and memory—and recounts stories of the wildly eccentric, strong-minded, and eclectic tribe she gathers around her and lovingly embraces as a new kind of family.


What I am currently reading is "The Secret Life of Bees" by Sue Monk Kidd. I will finish this today. I really like this book. Haven't seen the movie. But that will be next. Maybe this weekend I'll rent it. Not sure about that. My experience with books into movies hasn't been very good. The book is always so much better that the movie, my opinion anyway. I am sure everyone in the world has probably read this book already! I'm a little behind the times. But I really like the book so far!



Product Description(from Amazon.com)
Sue Monk Kidd's ravishing debut novel has stolen the hearts of reviewers and readers alike with its strong, assured voice. Set in South Carolina in 1964, The Secret Life of Bees tells the story of Lily Owens, whose life has been shaped around the blurred memory of the afternoon her mother was killed. When Lily's fierce-hearted "stand-in mother," Rosaleen, insults three of the town's fiercest racists, Lily decides they should both escape to Tiburon, South Carolina--a town that holds the secret to her mother's past. There they are taken in by an eccentric trio of black beekeeping sisters who introduce Lily to a mesmerizing world of bees, honey, and the Black Madonna who presides over their household. This is a remarkable story about divine female power and the transforming power of love--a story that women will share and pass on to their daughters for years to come. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

TEASER TUESDAYS

Miz B over at Should Be Reading is hosting the Tuesday Teasers. Check it out!!

* Grab your current read.
Let the book fall open to a random page.
Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!
Please avoid spoilers!

No one knocked on the door and dragged us off to jail. Mary had made us a curtain of protection.
P. 92 "The Secret Life of Bees" by Sue Monk Kidd

I GOT TAGGED!!

I got tagged by Margot over at Joyfully Retired.

Here's how it works:

Find your 5th photo file folder, then the 5th photo in that file folder. Then pass the meme to 5 people.

This is my son and hubby. They were fishing all that day. They came home with a bucketful of Blue Gill. This photo is them cleaning the fish. And yes it's dark out. I said they were gone all day!



I will be passing this along to:

Heather at Books and Quilts
Charley at Bending Bookshelf
Nola at Alamo North
Yvonne at Socrates Book Reviews
Becky at Becky Workman

BLOG IMPROVEMENT PROJECT - WEEK 4(BLOG BASICS)

Over at Kim's place Grey Sky Eyes is the Blog Improvement Project. If you want to do some work on your blog, you should check this out.

Things to do this week: Focus on Blog Basics. Kim has a list of things we can work on over the next 2 weeks.

1. Write (or update) your “About Me” Page — Make sure you can see your About Me from the main page of your blog because someone just arriving at the site should be able to easily see a little information about you.
UPDATED

2. Update your contact information.
UPDATED

3. Add some sort of picture of yourself (if you’re comfortable with that).
UPDATED

4. Update your Blogroll — Blogging Startup has a good series on blogrolls starting with “Does My Blog Need A Blogroll?” — check out some of the other entries, they’re pretty short and interesting.
UPDATED

5. Create a link to your Archives on your front page (there are a lot of widgets for this, or you can find other ways to do it — either way, it’s important to do so people who want your archives can find them to get a sense of what they can expect from your blog)
DONE

6. Add a link (or make sure a link is there) so readers can subscribe to your blog via RSS.
DONE

7. Get to work on other basic blog maintenance you’ve been meaning to do.
ADDED LABELS

FAVORITE PLACES

Over at Joyfully Retired Margot has this weekly feature going over at her place, Your Favorite Places. You should check it out. Great photos and places to see.

One of my favorite places is Goddard, Kentucky. That is my hubby's place of birth. It is at the bottom of the Appalachian Mountains. His family used to own the mountain there called "P Ridge". This is also where his family members are buried at. They are at the little church in Goddard. There is also a covered bridge there.





This next photo was taken at the top of "P Ridge". We always wanted to build a home there. It is so quiet and peaceful there.

COSBYOLOGY

This book is for one of my reading challenges. The Essays Reading Challenge. You can check it out over at Carrie's place, Books and Movies.
Product Description(from Amazon.com)
In this wonderfully funny collection of stand-up material that touches on everything from childhood and marriage to school, sports, and work, Bill Cosby returns to his early days of comedy to give us a look at the funny side of life. Fusing his classic jazzy timing and edgy humor with the intelligence and perception that have made him a huge star, Cosby writes about his first experiences skiing, lying to his mother as a child, and fretting about ingrown hairs in midlife.




Great Book! Very funny, but what would you expect from Mr. Cosby! My favorite part is the first time skiing story. He tells about buying the clothes, sunglasses, boots and ski's. Then while he is all dressed for skiing he gets into his friends car with a heater running full blast. He starts sweating and by the time he gets to the ski resort he has 10 lbs of sweat in his ski clothes. It's really funnier when he tells it!

MY RATING:5

MUSING MONDAY

Rebecca is hosting Musing Mondays over at her place, Just One More Page. Pop over and visit her to see what everyone says this week.

Today’s MUSING MONDAYS post is about book reviews…
Do you read any non-blogging book reviews? If so, where (newspaper, library etc)? Do you have any favorites sources you'd like to share?

I read lots of blogger reviews of books. That's where I get ideas for books to read. But I also check out the
NY Times. They have some great reviews of books also. I also go to Amazon.com a lot for reviews. That's my favorite place to go! I also have a place at Good Reads and Shelfari. I get some great book reviews from there. Well, that's about it for now. Go check out all the other folks Musings on book reviews!

BY THE TIME YOU READ THIS

This book is for two of my reading challenges. The 2nd Canadian Book Challenge and 100+ Reading Challenge.
Product Description(from Amazon.com)
Detective John Cardinal is on the hunt for an ingenious killer even as he mourns his own wife’s tragic death in this thriller of heart-stopping suspense

Autumn has arrived in Algonquin Bay, and with it an unusual spate of suicides. The most shocking victim yet is Detective John Cardinal’s wife, who has finally succumbed to her battle with manic depression. As Cardinal takes time to grieve, his partner, Lise Delorme, handles an unsavory assignment: a young girl appears in a series of unspeakable photos being traded online, and background elements indicate she lives in Algonquin Bay. Delorme is desperate to find the girl before she suffers more abuse.

When Cardinal receives a string of hateful anonymous notes about his wife’s death, he begins to suspect homicide. His colleagues believe he is too distraught to think clearly, and he’s forced to investigate alone. In doing so, he comes up against a brand of killer neither he—nor the reader—has ever seen before.
In his most masterful and thrilling novel yet, Giles Blunt confirms his reputation as a rising international star in crime fiction, and positions Detective John Cardinal among the finest characters in the genre.



This book was kind of slow getting started. But once I got into it, it pretty fast. How awful it would be to find your spouse dead and have to investigate that death yourself? Not being able to grieve? I don't want to go to much into details, as I don't want to give the book away in case someone hasn't read it. But you will be fully surprised by the details that Mr. Blunt puts into this book.

MY RATING: 5