REVIEW - TRESPASSERS WILL BE BAPTIZED - ELIZABETH EMERSON HANCOCK

This book is for 3 of my reading challenges.
100+ Challenge
Random Reading Challenge
August Reading Challenge

"Trespassers Will be Baptized" by Elizabeth Emerson Hancock
(from inside flap)

Growing up Southern and Baptist in eastern Kentucky, Elizabeth Hancock lived in a world that revolved around church, foreign missions projects, revival meetings, and of course, the Kentucky Wildcats.
In Trespassers Will be Baptized, Hancock draws us into her riotous tales of childhood misadventures, recounting her and her sister Meg's mischievous--if harmless--abuses of pastoral power: stealing Guess jeans from the Africa donation box or hawking backyard swimming pool baptisms during the neighborhood's annual yard sale.
As Hancock lovingly recalls the wisdom imparted by her long-suffering parents as they ministered to their unruly flock, she introduces us to the quirky and unforgettable denizens of her small-town Kentucky youth. There's Aunt Vaney and the hundreds of Christmas cards that decorated her living room, next-door-neighbor Mary Anna and her mysterious Catholic ways, and Ginny and Geneva Gordon, twin ex-debutante Little Lambs Sunday school teachers.
Whether or not you spent time learning Bible verses from felt boards or making Noah's arks from Popsicle sticks, you will fall in love with this magical coming-of-age story and fascinating slice of Southern culture.

MY THOUGHTS: This is a very good book! It at times is hilarious and funny. Other times it makes you cry. If you have been to church as a child, this book will bring back lots of memories of that time. From the time Elizabeth and her sister Meg were little they had been the daughters of the Baptist Preacher. This book is about their life, the good and the bad, that happened to them as children.

MY RATING: 5

REVIEW - DEAD WRONG - J. A. JANCE

This book is for 3 of my reading challenges.
2nd Chance Challenge
100+ Challenge
August Reading Challenge

"Dead Wrong" by J. A. Jance
(from the inside flap)
Juggling a family and a career is never easy--and it's becoming a real challenge for Sheriff Joanna Brady. Coping with the inpending delivery of her second child as well as a staff shortage, the last things Joanna needs are two serious crimes.
First, the body of an unidentified man is found in the desert, all of his fingers savagely severed. Following the scant clues, Joanna learns that the victim was an ex-con who had served twenty years in perison after confessing to the murder of his pregnant wife. During his last days he was seen following and photographing a young woman.
Then one of Joann's officers is brutally attacked and left for dead while on an unauthorized stakeout. Because the officer is one of its own, the department throws its resources into finding her attacker.
But the murder haunts Joanna. Being a sheriff is no longer an empty position she wats to hold--somehow it has become what she is. Her job is to avenge man's inhumanity toward man, and finding out who the victim was and why he is dead is what she has been summoned to do with her life. Strapping on a bulletproof vest, she'll risk everything to see that justice is done.

MY THOUGHTS: This is the second Joanna Brady series book I have read. The writing is very good. It stays on track and connects all the info together. It just all flows together until the end and then tidies it up with the little extra info you thing you won't get. Joanna is trying to link a 20 year old murder to the recent on of the man in the desert. As she starts digging she comes across a conspiracy that started 20 years ago with a grandmother and mother to be. To protect a child soon to born with the 50-50 chance of having HD, Huntington's Disease.

MY RATING: 5

REVIEW - ICE LAND - BETSY TOBIN

This book is for 3 of my reading challenges.
100+ Challenge
Read Your Own Books Challenge
August Reading Challenge

"Ice Land" by Betsy Tobin
(from the back cover)

A Beautiful epic of love, longing, redemption, and enchantment

ICELAND, AD 1000

Warned by the fates of an impending disater, Freya embarks on a dangerous journey deep into the mountains to find a magnificent gold necklace said to have the power to alter the course of history. Meanwhile, the country is on the brink of war as the new world order of Christianity threatens the old ways of Iceland's people, and tangled amid it all are two star-crossed lovers whose destiny draws them together--even as their families are determined to tear them apart.

Infused with the rich history and mythology of Iceland, Betsy Tobin's sweeping novel is an epic adventure of forbidden love, lust, jealousy, faith, and magical wonder set under the shadow of a smoldering volcano.

MY THOUGHTS: This is a very magical book filled with the myths and legends of Iceland. Lots of Mythical persons from Iceland. While reading this I felt like I was there with them all. Ms. Tobin's writing allows your imagination to go along with the story. This is also a ARC of the book. It does not come out until August 25. I want to thank Mary Pomponio, Senior Publicist of Penguin/Plume for allowing me to review this book. You can pre-order this book from Amazon.com If you like Mythology, history and romance you will LOVE this book!!

MY RATING: 5

FRIDAY FILL-INS

Graphic courtesy of Tonya

Janet is hosting Friday Fill-Ins. Want to fill in the blanks? Hop over and get the questions and join in.



And...here we go!

1. I remember, I remember when gasoline was 34 cents and a bottle of coke was 10cents, is that telling my age, oh well.

2. Dear Thomas, my hubby I want you to know I love you lots.

3. Is that my new shoes you chewed up!!???

4. I'm trying to resist the temptation of buying some new scrapbook stuff.

5. I'm saving a piece of Banana Nut Bread just for you!

6. If I made a birthday list getting a new book would definitely be on it!!!

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to getting a pizza a Papa Johns, tomorrow my plans include washing and cleaning my car and Sunday, I want to read, read, and read!

BOOKING THROUGH THURSDAY

What is the question this week at BTT? You could go over and check it out or I'll let you know here. So here's the question for this week.

What’s the best book you’ve read recently?
(Tell me you didn’t see this one coming?)

This is a really tough one this week. I've read so many new to me authors this year plus lots of old favorites. A book I read a few weeks ago, Velva Jean Learns to Drive by Jennifer Niven. About a girl growing up in the Application Mountains during the 30's and 40's. One I recently finished is Mudbound by Hillary Jordan. All about life on the farm in the south. These were both very good books and both were new authors to me.





But I've also read some of my old favorites recently that I really liked. Finger Licken' Fifteen by Janet Evanovich which is a Stephanie Plum book. This one was really funny. Lulu and Stephanie's grandmother enter a barbecue cook off. And of course there is The Narrows by Michael Connelly. This is a Harry Bosch mystery. Harry and the FBI are after a serial killer.





I know I didn't say which one was my favorite. Do I really have to narrow it down to one? That's impossible!! So I'll just leave it the way it is. You can pick which one you like. I'll link them to my reviews and maybe you can pick which one should be my favorite.

REVIEW - THE NARROWS - MICHAEL CONNELLY

This book is for 3 of my reading challenges.
A to Z Challenge(Titles)
100+ Challenge
August Reading Challenge

"The Narrows" by Michael Connelly
(from the inside flap)

FBI agent Rachel Walling gets the call she's dreaded for years: the Poet has returned. Years earlier she tracked the serial killer who wove verses into his crimes. Rachel has never forgotten the Poet--and he has not forgotten her. Former LAPD detective Harry Bosch gets a call, too: from the wife of a friend who has recently died. The death appeared natural, but ties to the Poet make Harry dig deep. So begins the most frightening and masterful novel Michale Connelly has ever written. Bosch finds himself teamed with Walling, at odds with the FBI and in the path of a ruthless murderer. What follows is a taut mystery that swerves from the vistas of the Nevada desert to the Las Vegas strip to the corners of Los Angeles. Through it all, Bosch works at his new found life as a father, balancing his deep love and sense of mission with his profound awareness of evil.

MY THOUGHTS: This is the 3rd or 4th book I have read from Michael Connelly. He is an awesome writer. He doesn't leave out clues, they are all there and if you are following the story, you will most likely figure them out. But he always leaves a few that you won't get until the very end. And the end of the books are always wrapped up so there are no questions, which I really like! So if you want to read a good murder mystery with some good evidence to lead you this is the book for you. If you have never read a book by Michael Connelly, you should!! You don't know what your missing!!

MY RATING: 5

REVIEW - MUDBOUND - HILLARY JORDAN

This book is for 3 of my reading challenges.
100+ Challenge
Random Reading Challenge
August Reading Challenge



"Mudbound" by Hillary Jordan
(from the back cover)
It is 1946, and city-bred Laura McAllan is trying to raise her children on her husband's Mississippi Delta farm when two young men return from the war to work the land. Jamie McAllen, Laura's brother-in-law, is everything her husband is not--charming, handsome, and haunted by memories of combat. Ronsel Jackson, eldest son of the black sharecroppers on the farm, has come home a hero, but is still considered less than a man in the Jim Crow South. We are drawn into their lives as they become players in a tragedy on the grandest scale.

MY THOUGHTS: Wonderful book!! I truly enjoyed this book by Ms. Jordan. I was hooked from page 1 until the end. This is the first book I have read from Ms. Jordan. I sure hope there are more. I really enjoyed her writing style. Flowing from one person to the next without losing the story line. The ending of the book was good, it tidied up all the loose ends and let you know where everyone was and what was happening to them. I like that in a story!

MY RATING: 5

REVIEW - THE LIE - FREDRICA WAGMAN

This book is for 4 of my reading challenges.
Read Your Own Books Challenge
100+ Challenge
20 in 2009 Challenge - COMPLETED
August Reading Challenge

"The Lie" by Fredrica Wagman
(from the back cover)
Ramona Smolliens has a chance meeting on a park bench with an older man, Solomon Columbus. The two become lovers, and soon Ramona is leaving the home of her mother and recently deceased father for marriage and the trappings of adult life. She takes with her a dark family secret, the sort of secret one simply did not talk about, one that would stalk her as she matured into her role as wife and mother. Coming of age in 1950's America. Ramona gets her cues about a woman's role from the world around her, and about female sexuality from the silver screen. When experience teaches her that Hollywood's ideal is in fact "the lie," truth and desire collide with a force that is deeply moving and unforgettable.

MY THOUGHTS: Have you ever read a book that totally confused you? This book did that while I was reading it. I couldn't figure out the plot of the book and what it was trying to say. Until the ending. I don't know if that's good or not. Ramona is 17 years old, her father has just died and she meets Solomon Columbus who has also lost his mother. They becomes lovers reluctantly on Ramona's part and then get married. As their life comes around, Ramona thinks' Solomon is cheating on her. She talks to her mother, which she hates and loves, about this. Ramona is waiting for her mother to say she loves her, but she never does. And all the time this is going on, Ramona is having troubling thoughts about her own life and what happened when she was a child. You don't find out what the secret is until the very end and the ending is so surprising!! I wasn't expecting that at all. Total shock!!

MY RATING: 4

*************************************************

20 in 2009 WRAP - UP

I have finished this reading challenge. Here is my list of books I read for this challenge. I will also link them to my reviews.

1. Dog Years - Mark Doty
2. Kitchen Privileges - Mary Higgins Clark
3. The Promise of Lumby - Gail Fraser
4. City of Bones - Michael Connelly
5. Velva Jean Learns to Drive - Jennifer Niven
6. "C" is for Corpse - Sue Grafton
7. Dead Man's Bones - Susan Wittig Albert
8. Finger Lickin' Fifteen - Janet Evanovich
9. Falling into the Sun - Charrie Hazard
10. With Malice Toward None - Stephen B. Oates
11. The Black Echo - Michael Connelly
12. Bare Bones - Kathy Reichs
13. Around America - Walter Cronkite
14. "D" is for Deadbeat - Sue Grafton
15. A Thousand Splendid Suns - Khaled Hosseini
16. Grave Secrets - Kathy Reichs
17. Now What? - Laura Berman Fortgang
18. E is for Evidence - Sue Grafton
19. Garden Spells - Sarah Addison Allen
20. The Lie - Fredrica Wagman

This was a great challenge and pushed me to finish it. I also got a lot of reading done for several of my other challenges. Thanks for having this challenge.

REVIEW - GARDEN SPELLS - SARAH ADDISON ALLEN AND NEW AUTHOR CHALLENGE WRAP-UP

This book is for 5 of my reading challenges.
100+ Challenge
New Author Challenge - COMPLETED
Four Month Challenge
20 in 2009 Challenge
Random Reading Challenge

"Garden Spells" by Sarah Addison Allen
(from the inside flap)
The Waverley's have always been a curious family, endowed with peculiar gifts that make them outsiders even in their hometown of Bascom, North Carolina. Even their garden has a reputation, famous for its feisty apple tree that bears prophetic fruit, and its edible flowers, imbued with special powers. Generations of Waverley's tended this garden. Their history was in the soil. But so were their futures.
A Successful caterer, Claire Waverley prepares dishes made with her mystical plants--from the nasturtiums that aid in keeping secrets and the pansies that make children thoughtful, to the snapdragons intended to discourage the attentions of her amorous neighbor. Meanwhile, her elderly cousin, Evanelle, is known for distributing unexpected gifts whose uses become uncannily clear. They are the last of the Waverlye's--except for Claire's rebellious sister, Sydney, who fled Bascom the moment she could, abandoning Claire, as their own mother had years before.
When Sydney suddenly returns home with a young daughter of her own, Claire's quiet life is turned upside down--along with the protective boundary she has so carefully constructed around her heart. Together again in the house they grew up in, Sydney takes stock of all she left behind, as Claire struggles to heal the wounds of the past. And soon the sisters realize they must deal with their common legacy--if they are ever to feel at home in Bascom--or with each other.

MY THOUGHTS: I had heard so much about this book. I was well worth the wait in reading it. As I was reading this book I could feel the magic. Sydney and running from an abusive boyfriend and the only place she can think to go is back home to Bascom, North Carolina. She loads her belongings and her daughter Bay into the old beat up car and heads home. As Claire is trying her best to discourage Tyler, her neighbor, from making advances on her. Sydney goes back to cutting hair and she meets an old friend. This of course leads to the show down with the abusive boyfriend when he shows up one evening while they are having a dinner in the garden. The Apple Tree saves them all from him.

MY RATING: 5
************************************************************************************

This book also wraps up a reading challenge for me. The New Author Challenge. I had lots of fun picking out my books for this challenge. I read several books (genres) that were out of my comfort zone. They were all new authors to me. I'm sure other people have read these authors but they were still new to me. Which one was my favorite? I would have 2 of those from this list. Velva Jean Learns to Drive by Jennifer Niven and Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen. I will be reading more of these authors books. Below is my list of books I read for this challenge. I am linking them to my reviews if anyone wants to read what I had to say.

1. The Sum of Our Days - Isabel Allente
2. The Senator's Wife - Sue Miller
3. Sonata For Miriam - Linda Olson
4. Last Mango in Texas - Ray Blackston
5. Work in Progress - Kristin Armstrong
6. The Genius - Jesse Kellerman
7. Jantsen's Gift - Pam Cope
8. Married by Mistake - Abby Gaines
9. Elephant Run - Roland Smith
10. The Lightning Thief - Rick Riordan
11. Uglies - Scott Westerfeld
12. Riders of the Purple Sage - Zane Grey
13. Heaven - Angela Johnson
14. Retribution - Jilliane Hoffman
15. Irish Cream - Andrew M. Greely
16. Dog Years - Mark Doty
17. The Promise of Lumby - Gail Fraser
18. Velva Jean Learns to Drive - Jennifer Niven
19. Dead Man's Bones - Susan Wittig Albert
20. Falling into the Sun - Charrie Hazard
21. With Malice Toward None - Stephen B. Oates
22. Bare Bones - Kathy Reichs
23. A Thousand Splendid Suns - Khaled Hosseini
24. Now What? - Laura Berman Fortgang
25. Garden Spells - Sarah Addison Allen

Have you read any of the books from my list? Let me know, I'll come by and see your review.

TUESDAY BOOK MEMES

It's Tuesday, Where are You? Raidergirl is hosting over at her place, An Adventure in Reading. Go check out where everyone is this week!

I am in Bascom, North Carolina with my sister, niece and Aunt. We have some strange powers about us which makes people a little nervous around us. We have an apple tree that throws apples at us. At this moment I am trying to get the neighbor from making advances on me by feeding him herbs and flowers that will stop him.

Teaser Tuesday is over at MizB's place, Should Be Reading. Got a good teaser to share? Hope over and check out everyone's teaser this week!

Claire glanced over to the house next door. "Do you think Fred would let me buy it back?"
"I don't see why not. Got another customer for it?" "
"No."
Sydney piped in and said, "She probably wants to use it on Tyler."
Claire gave her a look, but it was only hafhearted.
She was right, after all.

P. 130 Garden Spells - Sarah Addison Allen

REVIEW - E IS FOR EVIDENCE - SUE GRAFTON

This book is for 4 of my reading challenges.
Support Your Library Challenge
100+ Challenge
20 in 2009 Challenge
August Reading Challenge

"E is for Evidence" by Sue Grafton
(from the inside flap)
It was the silly season and a Monday at that, and Kinsey Millhone was bogged down in a preliminary report on a fire claim. Something was nagging at her, but she couldn't pin it. The last thing she needed in the morning mail was a letter from her bank recording an erroneous $5,000 deposit in her account. Kinsey had never believed in Santa Claus and she wasn't about to change her mind now. Resigning herself to a morning of frustration, she phoned the bank and, assaulted by canned carols, waited on hold for an officer to clear up the snafu.
It was with something less than Christmas cheer that Kinsey faced off only minutes later with California Fidelity's Mac Voorhies. Voorhies was smart, humorless, stingy with praise, and totally fair. He was frowning now. "I got a phone call this morning," he said, his frown deepening. "Somebody says you're on the take." Suddenly the $5,000 deposit clicked into place. It wasn't a mistake. It was a setup.

MY THOUGHTS: Kinsey on the take, I don't believe it! Kinsey takes herself on as a client to find out what the $5,000 is about. It has something to do with the Warren/Woods fire she is investigating, but she can't quite put her finger on. As she starts digging, an old case comes into light, of a supposed suicide of an employee of Warren/Woods. Where all the forensic's gathered came up missing. Then the person who wrote the policy for Warren/Woods comes up missing a well. Where did he go and what does he know about all this? An explosion that kills a woman and puts Kinsey in the hospital leaves lots more questions. And to top it all off Kinsey's ex-husband shows up asking for forgiveness. So are all these occurrences connected or just coincidences? You will have to read the book! Sorry can't say anything else without giving it away.

MY RATING: 5

REVIEW - NOW WHAT? 90 DAYS TO A NEW LIFE DIRECTION - LAURA BERMAN FORTGANG

This book is for 5 of my reading challenges.
Read Your Own Books Challenge
100+ Challenge
New Author Challenge
20 in 2009
August Reading Challenge




"Now What? 90 Days to a New Life Direction" by Aaura Berman Fortgang
(from the back cover)

In Now What? pioneering life coach Laura Berman Fortgang shares the process that she has used so successfully with hundreds of clients to help them make major changes in their lives. Whether it's moving on from a dead-end job, discovering an entirely new creative outlet, or answering the age-old question "What am I meant to do with my life?" this book provides a clear and infinitely practical ninety-day program to discover a new direction for your life.
Readers will learn from the success stories of Berm Fortgang's clients, including:
*A woman who left her unfulfilling job to discover the rewards of doing motivational work with professional athletes.
*A high-fashion shoe executive who found more gratifying work helping adoption agencies around the world place children in permanent homes.
*A highly paid corporate consultant who became a minister.
Full of inspiring and empowering exercises and tools, Now What? guides readers--day by day and step by step--through a process that will lead to true life satisfaction and fulfillment.

MY THOUGHTS: I don't usually read how to books. But this one grabbed me for some reason. Maybe it's because I am about to take a drastic change in my job or personal problems, who knows! I didn't actually do the exercises, well I did a couple of them, just to see what would happen. If you are looking for a way to figure out what you want to do with your life, need some encouragement, or just wonder about it, this is the book for you. There's lots of useful information to find out what it is you want to do with your life. There are also lots of inspiring stories my Ms. Fortgang.

This is one of the exercises in Chapter 1. "What Do You Hate."

"If you haven't already, ask yourself what you hate about your current work or life situation. What is most disturbing? Be specific. Avoid generalizations, like "I hate not making enough money." Write instead how much money you are short: "I despise making $4,000 a month short of what would make me comfortable," or "I can't stand having to work past 5:30 every night" instead of saying "the hours stink," or "The place is poorly lit and the politics are overwhelming" versus "The place is rotten." In a life-oriented (vs. work-oriented) situation, you might say, "I want better relationships with my family." A more specific way to say it would be: "I wish I was not afraid to tell my son how I feel" or "I can't stand seeing my daughter only once a month" or "My spouse is not respectful of my opinion." Make a thorough list. These complaints will make it easier to name what you do want at the end of this chapter."

I did this exercise and I have to tell you I was really surprised by what I hate. Because you have to be honest when your doing this, so you can't hedge around and just put some things. Very inspiring book!

MY RATING: 5
>

PAGES READ CHALLENGE

Kathrin over at Secret Dreamworld of A Bookaholic is hosting the Pages Read Challenge. I joined this challenge back in January. I have been keeping track of my pages on my sidebar. But I was over at Kristi's place, Passion for the Page, and love the way she has her's set up. So I am doing the same thing. My original total was 20,000 but I have upped that to 50,000.

1.The Boy in The Striped Pajamas - 247
2.The Book Thief - 757
3.Cape Refuge - 567
4.A Map of the World - 389
5.Martian Chronicles - 181
6.Cirque de Freak- 256
7.Chew on This - 304
8.A is for Alibi - 214
9.In Defense of Food - 331
10.Golden Girl and other stories - 119
11.Bones - 353
12.The Lovely Bones - 509
13.Southern Storm - 557
14.Organic Food - 111
15.The Golden Compass - 574
16.The Body in the Library - 198
17.High Noon - 713 [JANUARY TOTAL 6049]

18.Mister Sandman - 268
19.Little Women - 509
20.The Pagan Stone - 542
21.The Good Earth - 313
22.Nine Days a Queent - 184
23.Wild Food Plants of Indiana - 215
24.By the Time You Read This - 541
25.Cosbyolgy - 205
26.The Secret Life of Bees - 302
27.The Sum of Our Days - 301
28.Alanna: the first adventure - 216
29.The Dark Garden - 237
30.River's Edge - 521 [FEBRUARY TOTAL 4354]

31.Someone Else's Ghost - 227
32.Julie & Julia - 471
33.Breaker's Reef - 480
34.Anne of Green Gables - 240
35.Sonata for Miriam - 287
36.The Senator's Wife - 306
37.Detective - 400
38.Treasure Island - 273
39.Airborn - 525
40.In The Hand of The Goddess - 209
41.Austenland - 197
42.A Treasure of Peter Rabbit and Friends - 280
43.Swiss Family Robinson - 377 [MARCH TOTAL 4276]

44.Skybreaker - 369
45.Until You - 759
46.The Beach House - 458
47.The Killer's Cousin - 229
48.Uplift - 376
49.Starclimber - 390
50.Betrayals - 393
51.World Without End - 1014
52.Last Mango in Texas - 252
53.B is for Burglar - 211 [APRIL TOTAL 4451]

54.A Caribbean Mystery - 245
55.The Woman Who Rides Like a Man - 228
56.Lioness Rampant - 308
57.Everlasting - 484
58.Shadow Music - 573
59.Coraline - 184
60.G is for Gumshoe - 261
61.What Jamie Saw - 144
62.Work in Progress - 228
63.The Second Mrs. Gioconda - 160
64.The View from Saturday -230
65.The Genius - 548
66.The Mighty Queens of Freeville - 224
67.Jantzen's Gift - 304
68.Married by Mistake - 268
69.Elephant Run - 318
70.The Lightening Thief - 375
71.Uglies - 499 [MAY TOTAL 5581]

72.Pretties - 447
73.Alias Grace - 468
74.The Bridge of San Luis Reye - 235
75.The Tale of Peter Rabbit - 18
76.Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret - 149
77.Riders of the Purple Sage - 335
78.Heaven - 157
79.Magyk - 564
80.The Bride's Necklace - 536
81.Retribution - 727
82.Irish Cream - 595 [JUNE TOTAL 4131]

83.Specials - 372
84.Dog Years - 267
85.Kitchen Privileges - 212
86.The Promise of Lumby - 462
87.City of Bones - 522
88.Velva Jean Learns to Drive - 404
89.C is for Corpse - 213
90.Dead Man's Bones - 479
91.Finger Lickin' Fifteen - 308
92.Falling into the Sun - 479
93.With Malice Toward None - 493
94.The Black Echo - 584
95.Bare Bones - 437
96.Around America - 317
97.D is for Deadbeat - 240 [JULY TOTAL 5549]

98. A Thousand Splendid Suns - 372
99. Grave Secrets - 315
100. Now What? - 262
101. E is for Evidence - 180
102. Garden Spells - 290
103. The Lie - 214
104. Mudbound - 423
105. The Narrows -545
106. Ice Land - 354
107. Dead Wrong - 362
108. Trespassers Will be Baptized - 276[AUGUST TOTAL - 3593]

109. In The Woods - 429
110. Dancing With Ana - 170
111. Black Hills - 472
112. Dewey - 464
113. Thief of Hearts - 360
114. A Mercy - 196
115. City of Bones - 629
116. Benny & Shrimp - 209
117. The Real Wizard of Oz - 289
118. The Stone Diaries - 361
119. A Circle of Souls - 341
120. The Poisonwood Bible - 546
121. Faefever – 501
122. The Man Who Loved Books Too Much – 274[SEPTEMBER TOTAL - 5088

123. Z-Z-Zoink! – 32
124. Only the Cat Knows – 347
125. The Dangerous Days of Daniel X – 269
126. You Have the Right to Remain Puzzled – 433
127. The Quilter’s Legacy – 495
128. Rashi’s Daughters – 423
129. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle – 904
130. Made in the U.S.A. -518
131. One for the Money – 290
132. The Seamstress of Hollywood Boulevard – 371
133. Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café – 403
134. The Christmas Letter – 126
135. The Key – 126
136. The Sea OF Monsters – 279
137. Moon River and Me – 308
138. The Help – 721 [TOTAL FOR OCTOBER - 5931]

139. The Bone Garden – 629
140. Nibble & Kuhn – 279
141. Aesop’s Fables - 224
142. The Recipe Club - 363

TOTAL SO FAR 50,075

FROM THE LIBRARY

I went to the library yesterday to get some books. Had my list and went searching. This is what I brought home. You can find all these books at Amazon if you want to find out what they are about. Or just click on the name of the book and you will go right to that page at Amazon.


Blonde - Joyce Carol Oates


Garden Spells - Sarah Addison Allen


E is for Evidence - Sue Grafton

Yesterday evening was also my library book club meeting. For the month of August we are reading:



In The Woods - Tana French

REVIEW - GRAVE SECRETS - KATHY REICHS

This book is for 6 of my reading challenges
2ND Chance Challenge
100+ Challenge
Suspense & Thriller Challenge
4 Month Challenge
20 in 2009
August Reading Challenge

"Grave Secrets" by Kathy Reichs
(from inside flap)
It was a summer morning in 1982 when soldiers ravaged the village of Chupan Ya, Raping and killing women and children. Twenty-three victims are said to lie in the well where, twenty years later, Dr. Temperance Brennan and a team from the Guatemalan Forensic Anthropology Foundation now dig. No records were kept. To their families, there dead are the "the disappeared." Forensic anthropologist for the medical examiners in North Carolina and Montreal, Tempe is in Guatemala for a month's service to help some families identity and bury their dead. She digs in a cold, damp pit where she finds a hair clip, a fragment of cloth, a tiny sneaker, her trowel touches something hard: the hip of a child no more than two years old. It's heartbreaking work. Something savage happened here twenty years ago. The violence continues today. The team is packing up for the day when an urgent satellite call comes in. Two colleagues are under attack. Shots ring out, and Tempe listens in horror to a woman's screams. Then there is silence. Dead silence. With this new violence, everything changes, both for the team and for Tempe, who's asked by the Guatemalan police for her expertise on another case. Four privileged young women have vanished from Guatemala City in recent months. One is the Canadian ambassador's daughter. Some remains have turned up in a septic tank, and Tempe unfortunately knows septic tanks. Teaming with Special Crimes Investigator Bartolome Galiano, and with Montreal detective Andrew Ryan, who may have more than just professional reasons to join her on the case, Tempe, soon finds herself in a dangerous web that stretches far beyond Guatemala's borders. The stakes are huge. As power, money, greed, and science converge, Tempe must make life-altering choices.

MY THOUGHTS: This is the second book from Kathy Reichs that I have read. Very good book, what I really like the most about her writing is the way she leaves the end of a chapter. With the next clue so you have to go to the next chapter to find out what it is. After the shooting of a companion, Tempe is asked to help with a supposed serial killing. They get the bones out of the septic tank. Tempe isn't allowed to inspect the bones. They are whisked away by the local DA. She only gets a glimpse. As Tempe and Sgt. Galiano search for clues they start piecing together a conspiracy that will lead to Tempe being poisoned. It all revolves around Stem Cell Research and the people who are involved being the deadly conspirators that are willing to kill for the money they will make from producing Stem Cells for the black market. This conspiracy reaches to the top of the legal system.

MY RATING: 5

REVIEW - A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS - KHALED HOSSEINI

This book is for 7 of my reading challenges.
A - Z Challenge(Titles)
100+ Challenge
New Author Challenge
20 in 2009 Challenge
Take a Chance Challenge
Random Challenge
August Reading Challenge

"A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini
(from inside flap)
A Thousand Splendid Suns is a breathtaking story set against the volatile events of Afghanistan's last thirty years--from the Soviet invasion to the reign of the Taliban to post-Taliban rebuilding--that puts the violence, fear, hope, and faith of this country in intimate, human terms. It is a tale of two generations of characters brought jarringly together by the tragic sweep of war, where personal lives--the struggle to survive, raise a family, find happiness--are inextricable from the history playing out around them. Propelled by the same storytelling instinct that made The Kite Runner a beloved classic, A Thousand Splendid Suns is at once a remarkable chronicle of three decades of Afghan history and a deeply moving account of family and friendship. It is a striking, heart-wrenching novel of an unforgiving time, and unlikely friendship, and an indestructible love--a stunning accomplishment.

MY THOUGHTS: This is a wonderful book, I couldn't put it down. I was so intrigued by all the lives in this story. Mariam, who is born out of wedlock, and a shame to her family. Mariam is wed to a man 3 times older than her, more or less against her will. But Mariam makes the best of her life with Rasheed. Laila, her whole family is killed during a rocket attack. She is taken in my Mariam and Rasheed. But Rasheed wants her for his second wife. Laila agrees knowing she is already pregnant with Tariq's child. To keep her child from being born a bastard she agrees to the marriage to Rasheed. Aziza is born and is raised at Rasheed's child, but he knows she isn't his child and threatends Laila with abandoning her to the streets. Laila becomes pregnant again and a son is born, Zalmai. Which makes Rasheed very happy. As the years go along Mariam and Laila become friends out of necessity. To protect each other from Rasheed's increasing brutality.
There is so much conflict in this book, things that we as women take for granted. Freedom to dress, work, go to school, raise a family. These things that are an everyday thing for us can sometimes lead to a beating or worse for the women here. Very heart-wrenching book!!

MY RATING: 5

BOOKS, BOOKS, AND MORE BOOKS!!

There is little business here in our town that is going out business. It's kind of like a used anything store. They would buy overstock, dented, or unused items from stores and then mark it down and resell it. That's where we got lots of our canned goods at. Most of the time the canned goods were .25 or .50 each. Big difference from the grocery store.

Anyway, I'm getting off the subject here. My hubby bought what was left of their inventory. He brought it all home, two truck loads of the stuff, went through some of it, and guess what I found! BOOKS, lots of Books. So far I've found 3 boxes of them. I got them all sorted out yesterday.



These are the Romances. Historical Romance, Contemporary Romances, Suspense Romances and a few plain romances.



And these are the Novels, Fiction and Non-Fiction. And some self help books.



There is a 3rd box, but haven't gotten that one brought into the house and sorted. It's sitting on top of my car. So I guess I'll be doing some really heavy reading for awhile.

AUGUST READING CHALLENGE

I was over at J. Kaye's place looking around. She always has interesting stuff to read over at her place. Anyway, I noticed a reading challenge. The reading challenge is over at Pizza's Book Discussion. Here are the particulars:

I have just started a book challenge. It is called the "August Reading Challenge". At the start of August, I will hold a contest to see who reads the most books in August.

The winner will not recieve a prize but will win an award to put on the side of their blog, which I will post at the end of August.

WHEN YOU JOIN THE CHALLENGE, PLEASE POST THIS ON YOUR BLOG ALONG WITH A LINK BACK HERE SO THEY CAN SIGN UP, ALL SIGN UPS MUST BE DONE HERE IN THIS WIDGET SO THAT I CAN DECLARE THE WINNER. ON YOUR POST ADD THE BOOKS YOU HAVE READ IN AUGUST SO I CAN COUNT THEM, A PERFECT EXAMPLE OF THIS CAN BE FOUND HERE.

This is where I will be keeping track of the books I read in August.


1. The Narrows - Michael Connelly
2. Mudbound - Hillary Jordan
3. The Lie - Fredrica Wagman
4. Garden Spells - Sarah Addison Allen
5. E is for Evidence - Sue Grafton
6. Now What? - Saura Berman Fortgang
7. Grave Secrets - Kathy Reichs
8. A Thousand Splendid Suns - Khaled Hosseini
9. D is for Deadbeat - Sue Grafton
10. Ice Land - Betsy Tobin
11. Dead Wrong - J. A. Jance
12. Trespassers Will Be Baptized - Elizabeth Emerson Hancock
13. Paula Deen's Kitchen Classics - Paula Deen

REVIEW - D IS FOR DEADBEAT - SUE GRAFTON

This book is for 4 of my reading challenges.
Support Your Library Challenge
100+ Challenge
20 in 2009
August Reading Challenge



"D is for Deadbeat" by Sue Grafton
(from the back cover)
The client came to Kinsey Millhone with an easy job--just deliver $25,000 to a fifteen-year-old kid. A little odd, and a little too easy, but Kinsey took Alvin Limardo's retainer check anyway. It turned out to be as phony as he was. In real life, his name was John Daggett, a chronic drunk with a record as long as your arm and a reputation for sleazy deals. Be he wasn't just a deadbeat. By the time Kinsey caught up with him, he was a dead body--with a whole host of people who were delighted to hear the news. But how do you make a stiff pay up what he owes you?

MY THOUGHTS:
A drunk, a fatal car accident, and $25,000. What do they all have in common? Alvin Limardo, A.K.A. John Daggett. This is what Kinsey has to work with when she starts this investigation. As the clues come together Kinsey finally figures out what everyone is doing and who is linked to the fatal car accident that killed 5 people. This is the one clue that links all of them together. Who was the murderer of John Daggett, his daughter Barbara, Lovella Daggett, Billy Polo, or Tony Gahan. You'll have to read the book to find out. I'm not telling!

MY RATING: 5