REVIEW - DID NOT SURVIVE

This book is for 3 of my reading challenges.
Outdo Yourself Challenge(67/200)
50 States Challenge(Washington)
52 Books in 52 Weeks(Wk.22)

"Did Not Survive" by Ann Littlewood
Product Description(Amazon.com)
Iris Oakley, pregnant and still recovering from her husband’s murder, wants only to carry on as a keeper at Finley Memorial Zoo in Vancouver, Washington. But she is confronted by a terrifying situation: alone and with no elephant expertise, she must rescue her boss, Kevin Wallace, from being mauled by a zoo elephant. Though she gets him to safety, he dies of his injuries. No one understands why reliable old Damrey attacked the foreman, and Iris inadvertently misdirects the investigation. As zoo staff descend into anxiety and animosity, the welfare of the animals is threatened, as well as the lives of keepers. Rattled coworkers nominate Iris to find out what’s going on. She finds a surprising number of motives to kill the foreman, but Damrey, the elephant, doesn’t have one. Despite the distraction of trying to construct her new life as a single mother, Iris discovers that the elephant keepers are locked in a bitter feud, the new veterinarian is keeping secrets, and an old flame still hates Wallace. New-born clouded leopard cubs cheer up the troubled staff, but even that has its dark side. Adding to the chaos, animal rights activists are picketing the zoo. They want the elephants sent to a sanctuary, but is that a better option for them than the improved exhibit that is on the drawing board? Why isn’t that exhibit under construction as planned? A new foreman shows up with alarming ideas, the police keep dropping by, and animals are disappearing into thin air…
Paperback: 250 pages
Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press (August 1, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1590587472
ISBN-13: 978-1590587478

MY THOUGHTS: This book has lots of mystery and intrigue to it. You not only have a murder, but all the secrets and chaos going on in the zoo. Very well written it kept me on the edge of my seat trying to figure out who did what to whom. And did the murder get solved? Did Damrey, the elephant, get put down for killing Kevin? You'll have to read the book to find out. Really great book to add to your shelf.

MY RATING: 5

[This is a free review book.]

IT'S MONDAY, WHAT ARE YOU READING?

Sheila over at Book Journey is the host for It's Monday, What Are You Reading? Jump over and check this out. You might find your next book.

Last week was kind of slow, but I did get three books finished. You can see my reviews by clicking on the titles.

The Red Badge of Courage - Stephen Crane
Ruby - Lauraine Snelling
Table of Contents - Judy Gelman

I am reading Did Not Survive: a zoo mystery by Ann Littlewood. This is an ARC and so far it's pretty good. As this is a holiday weekend my library is closed so didn't get to borrow any new books. But first thing tomorrow I'll be making a trip to the library. What am I getting?

Here Lies Arthur - Philip Reeve

Gwynna is just a girl who is forced to run when her village is attacked and burns to the ground. To her horror, she is discovered in the wood. But it is Myrddin the bard who has found her, a traveler and spinner of tales. He agrees to protect Gwynna if she will agree to be bound in service to him. Gwynna is frightened but intrigued-and says yes-for this Myrddin serves the young, rough, and powerful Arthur. In the course of their travels, Myrddin transforms Gwynna into the mysterious Lady of the Lake, a boy warrior, and a spy. It is part of a plot to transform Arthur from the leader of a ragtag war band into King Arthur, the greatest hero of all time.
Dearest Enemy - Nan
Susanna LeGrande lost her fiance, her brother and her beloved home to the Union army. But her grief only strengthened her resolve to spy for the Confederacy. The once-pampered Southern belle charmed her way through Washington society, falling brazenly into the arms of Rear Admiral Mitchell B.Longley, a commanding Union sailor. She seduced, used . . . and loved the powerful man. In the heat of ecstasy, Susanna forgot Mitch was her enemy -- she surrendered her body and her heart. But her ruthless betrayal in the name of the South would cost Mitch everything -- his command, his men and very nearly his life. She left a shattered, soulless man in her wake.
And now Susanna's dearest love, her dearest enemy, will show her that the sweet kiss of vengeance is a game he, too can paly . . .
A Murder is Announced - Agatha Christie

The villagers of Chipping Cleghorn are agog with curiosity when the Gazette advertises “A murder is announced and will take place on Friday, October 29th, at Little Paddocks at 6.30 p.m.” A childish practical joke? Or a spiteful hoax? Unable to resist the mysterious invitation, the locals arrive at Little Paddocks at the appointed time when, without warning, the lights go out and a gun is fired. When they come back on, a gruesome scene is revealed. An impossible crime? Only Miss Marple can unravel it.
The Darkest Evening - William Durbin

In the 1930s, some 6,000 Finnish Americans traveled to Karelia, a province in Northwestern Russia, hoping to leave the Depression behind and to establish a workers’ paradise. Based on these true events, The Darkest Evening chronicles the story of Jake Maki, whose father, caught up in the socialist fervor washing over their Finnish mining community in Minnesota, moves their family to the Soviet Union.
Instead of finding the utopia they were promised, Jake and his family encounter only disappointment and hardship. When Stalin’s secret police begin targeting Americans for arrest, his worst fears are confirmed, and Jake leads his family on a daring midwinter escape attempt on cross-country skis, fleeing toward the Finnish border.

That's my plan for now, we'll see how it goes.

REVEIW - TABLE OF CONTENTS

This book is for 2 of my reading challenges.
The Foodie Challenge

Outdo Yourself(66/200)

"Table of Contents" by Judy Gelman & Vicki Levy Krupp
Product Description(Amazon.com)
Have you ever wished you could enjoy an Italian dinner with Frances Mayes? Or swap recipes with Jacquelyn Mitchard? It's all possible in this unique cookbook that features recipes drawn from the works of today's bestselling authors, along with intimate insights that help bring their most beloved books to life.

The delectable recipes featured in this bibliophile's cookbook include:

Lisa See's Won Tons
Tom Perrotta's Minestrone Soup
Elinor Lipman's Veal Marengo
Janice Y. K. Lee's Indonesian Ginger Chicken
Sara Gruen's Salmon en Cro?te with Hollandaise Sauce
Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus's Plum Torte
Lisa Genova's White-Chocolate Challah Pudding with Raspberry Sauce

And much, much more! With more than 100 dishes and drinks created by fifty of today's brightest writers, this cookbook will become a feast for your mind--and your soul!

MY THOUGHTS: I won this book from the Foodie Reading Challenge hosted by Margot. Margot has a great book blog, Joyfully Retired. You should check her blog out. She has lots of interesting stuff over there. As for this book. It's full of receipes from authors. I was surprised that I had read about a fourth of the books listed by the authors. One of those authors is Amy Greene, she wrote Bloodroot. My book club read this book a couple of months ago. And you can see my review here. Amy has two recipes, Appalachian Cathead Biscuits and White Gravey. I also can't forget my favorite author, James Patterson. I just read his new book Tick Tock. You can see my review here. He has a receipe for Isabelle's Wacky Cake. It sounds a lot like the recipe I have for Wacky Cake I got from my Great Aunt. There are lots of yummy sounding recipes in this book and they are all from authors. If you like to read and cook you really need to get a copy of this book!

MY RATING: 5

I am also linking to Beth over at Beth Fish Reads for Weekend Cooking. Lots of great books and recipes over there.

REVIEW - RUBY

This book is for 3 of my reading challenges and a wrap up.
Outdo Yourself Challenge(65/200)
What's In A Name 4(Gem)Wrap Up
50 States Challenge(North Dakota)

"Ruby" by Lauraine Snelling
(from back cover)
Ruby Torvald and her younger sister, Opal, set out on a daunting journey to seee their long-lost, dying father once more and claim their inheritance. But instead of the promised treasure, the sisters discover something most shocking. Bold determination in the face of scandal is the only was to redeem her father's legacy. Does Ruby have it in her?
Hardcover: 285 pages
Publisher: Bethany House (2005)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0739436295
ISBN-13: 978-0739436295

MY THOUGHTS: This is the first of a series of books by Lauraine Snelling. I really enjoyed reading about Ruby and Opal. Their trip from New York to North Dakota is full of adventures. They finally get to Little Missouri, that's the town where their father is. Their inheritance is a building called Dove House. It's a saloon and Ruby soon turns it into a hotel. But she has to find the money box or she will loose everything. Ruby wants to give up but she stays because she made her father a promise. Does Ruby keep Dove House and does she keep her promise? You'll have to read the book to find out.

MY RATING: 5

MY WRAP UP
There were six categories of books to read for this challenge.

A book with a number in the title: Thirteen Reasons Why - Jay Asher

A book with jewelry or a gem in the title: Ruby - Lauraine Snelling

A book with a size in the title: A Pizza the Size of the Sun - Jack Prelutsky

A book with travel or movement in the title: Goodbye, Vietnam - Gloria Whelan

A book with evil in the title: Speak No Evil - Allison Brennan

A book with a life stage in the title: Two Old Women - Velma Wallis

Thanks to Beth over at Beth Fish Reads for hosting this reading challenge. I had lots of fun hunting down all my books.

SATURDAY SNAPSHOT

Alyce over at At Home With Books is the host for Saturday Snapshot. Hop over and check out all the pictures everyone is sharing.

We had a couple visitors to our backyard this week. I took these pictures through the back door window, it's plexiglass, so they are kind of foggy looking. I didn't want to open the door, it would have scared them away.
Bunny

Bunny

Chipmunk

Chipmunk

FRIDAY FAVORITES

My Friday 56 and Book Beginnings come from the book Ruby by Lauraine Snelling.

Synopsis(Amazon.com)
Ruby Torvald and her young sister, Opal, have received an inheritance from their long-lost father who left home years ago to seek his fortune in the Black Hills. When they leave their comfortable situation in Chicago and arrive at the mining town of Medora to claim their inheritance, the sisters discover that rather than the legacy of gold they expected, their father has left them a shocking bequest. Ruby’s bold determination in the face of scandal leads the reader on a journey both heartwarming and inspiring.

Freda over at Freda's voice is the host for The Friday 56.

Rules:
*Grab a book, any book.
*Turn to page 56.
*Find any sentence that grabs you.
*Post it.
*Add your (url) post below in Linky.
It's that simple.

P. 56
Ruby tried to keep from laughing. She ordered her lips to narrow into rigid lines, but instead they turned up at the corners.

Katy over at A Few More Pages is the host of Book Beginnings.

How to participate: Share the first line (or two) of the book you are currently reading on your blog or in the comments. Include the title and the author so we know what you're reading. Then, if you would like, let us know what your first impressions were based on that first line, and let us know if you liked or did not like the sentence.

Scolding never did any good.
Ruby Tovald, hands on her hips, glared at her nine-year-old sister. No, of course Opal had not meant to break the Dresden shepherdess. Of course she had only been looking at it.
But how often had she been told to look, not touch?
"Opal, you knew better."

This beginning didn't really grab me. But I kept reading and it got better further into the book.

ARMCHAIR BEA

The topic today at Armchair BEA is book blogging. They have a list of suggestions for the post today.

* How do you utilize social networking in relation to your blog? What may be the pros and cons of doing so?
* Share some of your favorite blogging technical tips.
* Create a "rule list" of things you should and shouldn't be doing on a book blog.
* What are your tips for balance life and blogging?
* What genre do you blog about and why?
* How do you keep your blog fresh and interesting to your readers & yourself?
* There are quite a few book blogging events out there. Which are your favorites and why? How do they affect your blog directly?

I not really sure what I'm going to write about. So I'll just do some rambling. I'm not a technical person. Sometimes I get really frustrated about doing some things because I don't know how to do it. Like putting a little picture of your blog up so when you visit you get that instead of the blogger symbol. I know it has a name but can't think of it right now. Anyway, I've seen several ways of doing this but just can't figure it out. I've tried several times and I just give up.

As for rules, well my mom made sure I had manners. Saying thank you and your welcome. To me that is one of the rules of blogging. You have to be nice. You don't like rude people popping onto your blog and leaving you rude comments do you? I sure don't like it. So I try to find something I like about the blog I visit.

Balancing life and blogging is sometimes hard to do. If you have to fight to get it done it's probably going to burn you out. Blogging should be fun! Not a chore. I blog about what I like which is books. Or book related things. Reviews, memes and once in awhile I throw something personal in about my life. This is why I started blogging, to keep track of the books I read. I started out just doing that and then one day someone stopped by and left me a comment. Wow, what a thrill that was! I didn't even know how to get to their blog in those days. But I sure learned. And admit it we all like getting comments.

To me blogging is all about having fun. And it's also a personal issue. I don't blog for someone else. I blog for me. And if you don't like it you can always move on to the next blog. So that's my take on the subject today. Me rambling. What are your thoughts on book blogging? Let me know and I'll come visit you.

THEME THURSDAY..........

is over at Kavyen's place, Reading Between Pages. The theme this week.......

CONVERSATION

My conversation comes from Ruby by Lauraine Snelling.

This is a conversation between Ruby and Rand Harrison.

"When we reopen, we will serve three meals a day, have rooms to let, and there will be card playing in the west salon."
"Salon? Lady, this Little Missouri. We don't have salons here, only saloons, where the liquor flows, and Dove House the---" He stopped and glared at her. "How come you have your little sister in a place like this?"


Synopsis(Amazon.com)
Ruby Torvald and her young sister, Opal, have received an inheritance from their long-lost father who left home years ago to seek his fortune in the Black Hills. When they leave their comfortable situation in Chicago and arrive at the mining town of Medora to claim their inheritance, the sisters discover that rather than the legacy of gold they expected, their father has left them a shocking bequest. Ruby’s bold determination in the face of scandal leads the reader on a journey both heartwarming and inspiring.

ARMCHAIR BEA

Armchair BEA today is......suggested posting topic is all about Relationships!

I'm going to use the blogger relationships I've found. All those nice people who stop by your place and leave comments. I love getting comments, it keeps me in touch with what's going on out there in the book world. Who got new books, what they are reading, when they get to read, why they like the book, and where they got the book. You meet some really nice people through blogging. Plus you have the added adventure of visiting them in their own town, city, country without doing all the traveling. Which I don't get to do. So to me it's like traveling all over the world and meeting new people.

Then of course you have reading challenges and book memes that keep you connected. I am a reading challenge addict. All of my reading challenges are on my sidebar and they are linked to that page. As well as the memes I do. I'm always looking for new ones. And any new meme I bump into around the blogospeare is a wonderful thing. You get to meet new people that way too. One of the new people I've met through a reading challenge is The Book Gatherer. She usually pops over and checks out my posts and then I pop over to her place. Like yesterday, she came over to check out my Neddlework Tuesday. Heather over at Books and Quilts does this feature every week. Heather is also a blogging friend I've made. She is an avid reader and she makes some beautiful quilts.

Anyway, the book gatherer stopped by yesterday so I popped over to check out her post. She was giving out an award to 15 people she meet through blogging. And I was one of them! Wow, thanks so much. I also went and checked out the people she listed and found another meme I'm dying to try. It's over at Lazy Girl Reads. The meme is Library Thursday. All about what you get at the library. And 99% of my books come from the library so this will be a good one for me. She is also doing Armchair BEA.

Do you see the relationships here? You visit one place and you find another one to go visit. It's like candy for the book worm. All those places to visit and books to find out about. It's awesome!!

As for the award given me, I'm a little lazy about putting up all those names and links, so I'm going to let you decide if you want it. If you are reading this, then you are very welcome to this award. But there is a catch to this.

This award requires me to share seven interesting facts about myself. Well, they may not be that interesting but here goes. It's pretty boring around here most of the time.

1) I am an amateur photographer. I love taking pictures, but hate having my picture taken.
2) I crochet and quilt.
3) I have new grandbabies, yes as in more than one. Twins, Bella and Luke.
4) I retired from my job in 2010, I worked with kids in a program for after school for 15 years.
5) We have 2 miniature dachshunds, Katie and Bubba. They of course are NOT dogs, they are humans in dog bodies. lol
6) I live in a house that is over 150 years old. It is showing it's age too!
7) I drive a 1986 Ford Taurus that has 209,000 miles on it. It has a few quirks to it but it runs pretty good.

That's it, pretty boring stuff if you ask me. And here is the award I promised you. Just leave me a comment and let me know you took one. I'll come and visit you.

REVIEW - THE RED BADGE OF COURAGE

This book is for 5 of my reading challenges.
Outdo Yourself Challenge(64/200)
War Through The Generations(Civil War)
A - Z Challenge(Titles)
52 Books in 52 Weeks(Wk.21)
Color Coded Challenge(Red)

"The Red Badge of Courage" by Stephen Crane
(from back cover)
With no idea of the horrors of war, young Henry Fleming has romantic notions of the hero he will be. But those illusions are destroyed when he enters his first battle. Now Henry must make a decision, perhaps the most difficult decision he will make in his life: run or fight.
(Amazon.com)
Mass Market Paperback: 240 pages
Publisher: Simon & Schuster; Unabridged edition (April 26, 2005)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 9781416500254
ISBN-13: 978-1416500254

MY THOUGHTS: This book is written beautifully. As your reading you can see and feel the conflict Henry is having. The anger, heartache, and fear. Henry goes into this war thinking he will be a hero, but when it comes to fighting in a battle, he's scared, as he should be. He isn't ready for the blood, the death, and the togetherness of his regiment. This gives you the insight into one persons thoughts about war. Does Henry run or fight? You'll have to read the book to find out. If your looking for a Civil War book to read or a classic, this is the one to read.

MY RATING: 8-12

NEEDLEWORK TUESDAY

Heather over at Books and Quilts does this weekly feature called Needlework Tuesday. She shares what she is working on. She's working on a quilt that is going to be beautiful when it's finished. So also got inspired by my doily that I've been working on. She got all her stuff out, needle, thread and pattern and went to work. Heather made a really pretty little doily and I love the thread she used. It's very colorful. Head over and check out this cute little doily.

As for my doily, I didn't get a chance to finish it off this week. It's been pretty busy here. The babies had several appointments so was busy with them. And doing some spring cleaning in the "junk room". Darn I should have taken a picture. Well, no way am I showing that mess off!!! Anyway I found my quilt I was working on a couple years ago and decided to get it out and do some work on it. It's my Bee Quilt.

I hand quilting it. Here are some close ups. Just click on the picture to get a closer look.

ARMCHAIR BEA

Have you went to check out the Armchair BEA challenge? You should, they have lots of interesting stuff over there. Today's question:

Today’s suggested posting topic is “Best of 2011!”
We'd love to have you share some of your favorite books so far this year, and/or the books being promoted at BEA that you hope will end up among your favorites for the year!

I am going with a list of my favorite books this year. If you want to check them out, they are all linked to my reviews.


Elvis & Olive - Stephanie Watson

Tourist Season - Carl Hiaasen

Frankenstein - Mary Shelley

Thirteen Reasons Why - Jay Asher

Two Old Women - Velma Wallis

Bloodroot - Amy Greene

Keeper - Kathi Appelt

Threads West - Reid Lance Rosenthal

ARMCHAIR BEA

Ok so I'm not really up to date on some things. I have never heard of BEA. But it seems to be on a lot of people's minds. I've been bumping into it at blogs I've been visiting. The Book Gather stopped by and left me a comment and said something about a BEA challenge, and since I'm addicted to challenges I had to go and find out about this one. So off I went and found out about it. WOW, this is poplar. So I guess I better jump on the bandwagon as today is the first day of BEA. Oh, and for people like me that don't know what BEA is......it's Book Expo America. It's like a giant book carnival, I think. Anyway here are a couple questions they ask.

Tell us about yourself.
Ok, I am a wife, mother, and new grandmother of twins, Bella and Luke. I also love to read....well, I'm kinda of obsessed with books. Some days I get to read lots and other days none.....which makes me grumpy. I also like to crochet and scrapbook. So I am also an amateur photographer. I also hate having my picture taken. Which is kind of weird considering I like to take lots of pictures. Anyway this is me....kind of. I was trying to take my own picture which is kind of hard to do, if only I had longer arms it would work.

What book are you looking forward to reading the most in 2011?
The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong

It has already been released, but my library hasn't got it yet. So I'm waiting..........patiently. Well maybe not, I keep asking every time I go to the library.

If you could have lunch with any author, living or not, who would it be and where/what would you eat?
It would definitely be James Patterson. He's my all time favorite writer. I would cook a meal at my house for him. Fried Chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, and corn. Also some biscuits. We could have a little chat about his books and how he comes up with all his ideas for them.

NEW READING CHALLENGE

I was over at Cheryl's place, CMash Loves to Read. She has this feature she runs every Sunday called Sunday's Shinning Star. She has a blogger guest highlighted. Her guest this week is Rebecca at Confessions of a Page Turner. Rebecca is new to blogging so I popped over to check her place out. She has some really great stuff over there. You should check it out. And guess what I found at Rebecca's place. A new to me reading challenge. It's over at TIF Talks Books. It is the Fairy Tale Challenge. I thought I would join in as I love to read a good fairy tale, who doesn't like happily ever after. Here is the info:

Fairy (Level 1): Read 1 original tale. Read 1 modern tale. Watch 1 film. (Total of 3 selections.)
Dwarf (Level 2): Read/watch any combination of original tales, modern tales, or films, resulting in 6 total selections.
Royal Prince or Princess (Level 3): Read/watch any combination of original tales, modern tales, or films, resulting in 9 total selections.
Happily Ever After (Level 4): Read/watch any combination of original tales, modern tales, or films, resulting in 12 total selections.

Since I am new to this challenge and almost half the year is over, I am going with the Fairy level 1. And since I'm a list person this is my list of books.

1. Peter Pan - J. M. Barrie
2. The Heart of Glass - Vivian French
3. Peter Pan: Return to Never Land(Movie)

So hop over and check all three places out. You might find something you like.

REVIEW - SPEAK NO EVIL

This book is for 4 of my reading challenges.
Outdo Yourself Challenge(63/200)
Romantic Suspense Challenge
What's In A Name 4(Evil)
50 States Challenge(California)

"Speak No Evil" by Allison Brennan
Product Description(Amazon.com)
Silence is deadly.
The murder of eighteen-year-old Angie Vance was exceptionally vile–her mouth was sealed with glue, an obscenity scrawledwas across her skin, and she was suffocated in a garbage bag. The killing seems personal, so police detective Carina Kincaid focuses her efforts on the victim’s much older ex-boyfriend, Steve Thomas. But without physical evidence, Carina can’t make a collar or a case. She also can’t stop Sheriff Nick Thomas, the prime suspect’s brother, from conducting his own unwelcome investigation.
Though Nick is still scarred and unsteady from a recent confrontation with a serial killer, he’s determined to prove his brother’s innocence. But his confidence is shaken when he learns of Steve’s dark side, and when a friend of the murdered girl meets a similarly gruesome fate. With no time to lose, Carina and Nick work together to trap a psychopath, before another unlucky woman faces an unspeakable end.
Evil has spoken. Now see what it can do.
Mass Market Paperback: 432 pages
Publisher: Ballantine Books (January 30, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 9780345495020
ISBN-13: 978-0345495020

MY THOUGHTS: What do you get when you mix an LAPD Detective and a Montana Sheriff? Carina is the lead detective in a serial killing. Nick solved a serial killing. They both are working together to find out who is the killer. But along the way there is some romance. So do they catch the killer? Do Carina and Nick get together? You'll have to read the book to find out.

MY RATING: 5

SATURDAY MEMES

Alyce over at At Home With Books is the host for Saturday Snapshot. Freda over at Freda's Voice is the host for Quote it Saturday. Head over and check these ladies out. Some really good stuff to see.

SATURDAY SNAPSHOT

The twins, Bella and Luke having a bath. They take their bath in the kitchen sink, but they are almost too big. They will be graduating to the bathtub soon.


QUOTE IT SATURDAY


A baby is God's opinion that the world should go on.
Carl Sandburg

Having a child is surely the most beautifully irrational act that two people in love can commit.
Bill Cosby