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Thursday, February 28, 2013

I Guess I don't have Super Powers after all.......

 
I've been sick since Monday. Haven't felt good enough to blog or read blogs. But I'm getting better, even though I swear Kleenex and Dayquil have been my best buddies all week. After day one I stopped using the little cup that came with the Dayquil and just started chugging it like a drunk. I sound like a man today, but I do feel a bit better. So, I'm staying quiet for a while. Wish me luck!!
 

Monday, February 25, 2013

Mailbox Monday and It's Monday...What Are You Reading?




Mailbox Monday 
is a gathering place for readers to share the books that
came into their house last week and explore great book blogs. 
Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.

Covers courtesy of Goodreads
Well, can I just say that I'm blaming all of these new books on Mary, Ti, and JoAnn? Let me explain why. Early Sunday morning I turn on my iPad just to do some browsing and came across Mary's Sunday post and I notice the Ciji Ware title right away. So, of course I have to then go to Amazon to see what the price is for my Kindle.  $4.99!!! I bought it immediately. Then I also remembered Ti posting about The Painted Girls being today's special value...which led me to buying that one for $2.99. And while I was browsing through the titles I couldn't resist The Bucolic Plauge because of JoAnn's love for this book and actually getting to meet the authors earlier this year!! I lost control...but all three of these titles cost me $10.00.....how can you resist that??
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Hosted by
We discuss the books that we've read 
and what we're planning to read for the week.


Read and talked about last week:
The Long Way Home (TLC Tour Book) - loved this sweet book!
Joy for Beginners- fantastic narrator and a solid read.

Bookish Thoughts this week:
Lost Dogs and Lonely Hearts
Divergent

February Book Box:








Finished: Almost Home, India Black, Divergent...hopefully I will till get to Every Day before the month ends!

Saturday, February 23, 2013

Saturday Snapshot- Beauty of Michigan


Saturday Snapshot
It's easy to participate- just post a picture that was taken by
you, a friend, or a family member, and add your link
on Alyce's site. (no pictures from the internet!)


No filters, taken with HTC Inspire phone by Matt T.
My husband has been enjoying the snow in Michigan!! This is a photo that he took with his cell phone as he rode along the Pine River in the northern part of Lower Michigan.

Friday, February 22, 2013

Joy for Beginners (audio)- Six Sentence Bookish Thoughts #82

Cover image courtesy of Goodreads

What Joy for Beginners is about:
At an intimate, festive dinner party in Seattle, six women gather to celebrate their friend Kate's recovery from cancer. Wineglass in hand, Kate strikes a bargain with them. To celebrate her new lease on life, she'll do the one thing that's always terrified her: white-water rafting. But if she goes, all of them will also do something they always swore they'd never do-and Kate is going to choose their adventures.

Bauermeister has been gifted with the talent of being an amazing writer. Once again she has pulled me into the lives of these characters and made me care what happened to them. I loved being able to get a glimpse into each woman's life and personality. Erica is able to make the reader use all of their senses when reading, or in my case listening to one of her stories. I found myself identifying with Marion on so many levels, so many in fact that it was a bit eerie!!

Recommend? Absolutely, especially if you're already a fan of Erica's work, then you would really appreciate this one. The narrator did a fantastic job on this audio and made it very, very enjoyable to listen to!!

Narrator: Cassandra Campbell
Length: 7 hours 55 minutes
Source: Purchased from audible.com

Book Friends who influenced me to read (listen) to this one:
Margot@Joyfully Retired
Jill@Rhapsody in Books
Diane@Bibliophile By the Sea (audio)
Les@Prairie Horizons
Linda@Silly Little Mischief



Six Sentence Bookish Thoughts #82
© 2013, Staci of Life in the Thumb. All Rights Reserved. If you reading this on a site other than, Life in the Thumb or Staci's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

The Long Way Home- TLC Book Tour Review

Cover image courtesy of TLC Book Tours

What The Long Way Home is about: (in my own sorry words!)
Ellie loses everything due to her father's ponzi scheme and finds that all she has left to her name is a house in St. Dennis that her mother left her in her will. The only catch is that she has to live in the home for six months before she can sell it. Thinking that she would flip the house quickly, Ellie isn't prepared for the attention and love that comes her way in the form of hunky contractor Cameron, and also the acceptance from the townspeople of St. Dennis. What will she decide to do when her six months is up?
click here for the synopsis from TLC

Reading Stewart's book felt like being home with close friends and family. I loved the characters and how real they all became in my mind. One of the biggest things I noted was the author didn't create unnecessary conflict and really allowed the two main characters to fall in love with each other. This was so refreshing for me and left me wanting to know more about St. Dennis and those that call it home.

Recommend? If you love books that center around a town with believable and flawed characters then I truly feel you would love this book and Mariah Stewart's series, The Chesapeake Diaries. I know I will be back for more!!

Source: TLC Book Tours, Ballatine, and NetGalley



Disclaimer: Thank you to TLC Book Tours for sending me a review copy. I was not compensated for my review. My thoughts on this book were in no way influenced by the author or publicist.They are my personal reflections based solely on MY experience while reading this novel.



Six Sentence Bookish Thoughts #81
© 2013, Staci of Life in the Thumb. All Rights Reserved. If you reading this on a site other than, Life in the Thumb or Staci's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Tuesday Intros: Divergent


 posts the opening paragraph (maybe two) of a book
 she decided to read based on the opening paragraph (s).
 Feel free to grab the banner and play along


My Tuesday Intro pick is Divergent. I finally got to this one and already I'm finding myself very intrigued!!

photo image www.veronicarothbooks.blogspot.com
There is one mirror in my house. It is behind a sliding panel in the hallway upstairs. Our faction allows me to stand in front of it on the second day of every third month, the day my mother cuts my hair.


Would you continue reading this one
 based on the opening paragraph?

Monday, February 18, 2013

Mailbox Monday and It's Monday...What Are You Reading?



Mailbox Monday 
is a gathering place for readers to share the books that
came into their house last week and explore great book blogs. 
Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.


Cover images courtesy of Goodreads
I have been a bit naughty in requesting books from NetGalley, but who can blame me with these two authors and their newest titles??? I couldn't resist The Best Man because I loved the last two books of Higgins that I've read recently. And then Jill Mansell!! Need I say more?? I think I'm going to devote March and April to getting caught up on all of her books that I have on my Kindle and on my bookshelves!! Thinking of You sounds wonderful and Mansell has never let me down!
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Hosted by
We discuss the books that we've read 
and what we're planning to read for the week.


Read and talked about last week:
India Black and the Rajah's Ruby (novella)- great way to get to know India!
India Black and the Shadows of Anarchy- Love India and can't wait to read the first two books
The Likeness- another stellar book from French!!

Bookish Thoughts this week:
Almost Home- TLC Tour
Joy for Beginners (audio)

February Book Box:








Finished: Almost Home, India Black, and now reading Divergent

Saturday, February 16, 2013

Saturday Snapshot- Morning snow


Saturday Snapshot
It's easy to participate- just post a picture that was taken by
you, a friend, or a family member, and add your link
on Alyce's site. (no pictures from the internet!)

photo taken with iPhone 4 camera

Last weekend brought around 9 inches of snow to my neck-of-the-woods and the next morning everything had that crystallized look to it. I put on my husband's boots and clomped around outside take pics with my phone. I really like how this one turned out. I did lighten it a bit in the editing process on PicMonkey because the upper left hand corner was too dark. If you click on the photo to make it bigger you can see the crystallized snow much better. This is a tree out in my yard that still has some red berries on it which if you look closely you can see!!

Friday, February 15, 2013

The Likeness- Bookish Thoughts

Cover image from www.tanafrench.ccom

What The Likeness is about:
Cassie Maddox return to unravel a case even more sinister and enigmatic than the first. Six months after the events of In the Woods, an urgent telephone call beckons Cassie to a grisly crime scene. The victim looks exactly like Cassie and carries ID identifying herself as Alexandra Madison, an alias Cassie once used. Suddenly, Cassie must discover not only who killed this girl, but, more importantly, who is this girl?


Wow! Tana French is blowing my socks off, people!! Her story drew me in and never relinquished its hold on me until the very last page. There were moments that I did have to suspend belief only in the fact that Cassie and Lexie looked and acted so much alike that none of her friends questioned whether it was her or not???!! Beyond that little quibble, there was nothing else that kept this book from being a 5-star read for me. French creates an atmosphere that has the hairs on my neck standing up on end.

Recommend? Hell, yeah!

Source: My personal library



Six Sentence Bookish Thoughts #80
© 2013, Staci of Life in the Thumb. All Rights Reserved. If you reading this on a site other than, Life in the Thumb or Staci's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.


Thursday, February 14, 2013

India Black and the Shadows of Anarchy- Bookish Thoughts

cover image courtesy Goodreads
What India Black and the Shadows of Anarchy (Madam of Espionage #3) is about:
Revolt has spread across Europe and reached the shores of England--anarchists have begun assassinating lords and earls, one by one. Now India must infiltrate the ranks of the underground group responsible for those attacks, the sinister Dark Legion. To stop their dread plot, India will go from the murkiest slums of London to the highest levels of society, uncovering secrets that threaten her very existence.

India Black is a saucy mouthed madam and I love her! Carol Carr brings to life a character that I can't get enough of and one who isn't afraid to speak her mind, nor to take control of situations that so obviously need a capable woman to run! The idea of a brothel owner being an undercover spy for the English government is pretty stinking cool and also a little bit out there in the realm of feasibility, but it worked for me!!  I found myself laughing out loud at India and her antics. I flew through this book and instantly felt the NEED to go to my library and get the first two!

Recommend? If you like a fun main character who calls it likes she sees it, mix in a handsome and somewhat mysterious British Spy love interest, and the added bonus of the Victorian England setting, then this series could be a winner for you!

Source: Carol Carr and NetGalley


Six Sentence Bookish Thoughts #79
© 2013, Staci of Life in the Thumb. All Rights Reserved. If you reading this on a site other than, Life in the Thumb or Staci's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.


Wednesday, February 13, 2013

India Black and the Rajah's Ruby (novella)- Bookish Thoughts




What India Black and The Rajah's Ruby is about:
India Black uses her wit and wiles as both a madam and a spy, proving she’s the best there is when it comes to undercover work....
Drawn into intrigue by her lover Philip Barrett, India finds herself being used as a pawn to help him steal a valuable jewel. Turning the tables, she proves that India Black answers to no man, no matter how attractive he may be…

This novella struck the perfect note for me. I felt that the author did a great job with setting the back story as to how and where India Black got the start-up money for her brothel. I really enjoyed India's character and laughed my way through this short story.

Recommend? Absolutely. It was fun and satisfying. I didn't feel that the author wrote it as a "gimmick" type of book. It was a quick read and I wanted more!!

Source: Author and NetGalley



Six Sentence Bookish Thoughts #78
© 2013, Staci of Life in the Thumb. All Rights Reserved. If you reading this on a site other than, Life in the Thumb or Staci's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.




Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Tuesday Intros: Dogs and broken hearts!!


 posts the opening paragraph (maybe two) of a book
 she decided to read based on the opening paragraph (s).
 Feel free to grab the banner and play along!

My Tuesday Intros pick is, Lost Dogs and Lonely Hearts. I came across this author after reading a Trisha Ashley book during the holidays. I love Brit Chick Lit and who can resist this cover??? Not me! I decided to include the second paragraph because the first one really didn't point the reader in any direction.

Checked out from library

  When February started, Rachel Fielding had a middling-to-glamorous career doing PR for internet companies, a boyfriend who regularly bought her flowers and dressed better than she did, a cleaner, and a skin-age three years younger than her actual age, which was thirty-nine.
  By the second week, however, she had, in one simple maneuver, managed to lose the love of her life, her Chiswick flat and her job. Rachel also discovered, that same morning, her first grey streak, which stood out a mile in her thick dark hair, and got a text from her sister Amelia, accusing her of forgetting her niece's fifth birthday "because not having children doesn't mean you can be so bloddy selfish."

Would you continue reading this one
 based on the opening paragraph?


Sunday, February 10, 2013

Mailbox Monday and It's Monday...What Are You Reading?



Mailbox Monday 
is a gathering place for readers to share the books that
came into their house last week and explore great book blogs. 
Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.



The other day I received a package in the mail. When I saw the return name on the envelope I admit to doing a happy Snoopy dance. I ripped it open and what did I find, but this beautifully wrapped book with a card tucked underneath the adorable pink polka-dot ribbon. I knew what was under the wrapping paper but I loved looking at the package so much that I waited two whole days before opening it! I so can't wait to read BETH HOFFMAN'S newest novel, Looking for Me!!!
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Hosted by
We discuss the books that we've read 
and what we're planning to read for the week.


Read and talked about last week:
The Fault In Our Stars by John Green- stellar YA...5 star book!

Bookish Thoughts this week:
The Likeness
India Black and the Shadows of Anarchy
India Black and the Rajah's Ruby (novella)

February Book Box:











Finished: India Black, currently reading Almost Home

Saturday, February 9, 2013

Saturday Snapshot- Michigan is a Winter Playground!


Saturday Snapshot
It's easy to participate- just post a picture that was taken by
you, a friend, or a family member, and add your link
on Alyce's site. (no pictures from the internet!)



My husband has been spending all of his days off riding his snowmobile. He sent me this picture yesterday and it blew me away!! I think it could be a postcard!! I told him to try to stop more often and take photos because Michigan in the winter is absolutely gorgeous!!!

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

The Fault In Our Stars- Six Sentence Bookish Thoughts # 77



What The Fault In Our Stars is about:
The Fault in Our Stars is the story of Hazel Lancaster and Augustus Waters, two Indianapolis teenagers who meet at a Cancer Kid Support Group.

Each time I read a John Green book I know that I'm in for an amazing experience. I think this is some of the best writing I've ever had the honor to read. I've read some heated discussions where people feel John didn't have the right to tell this story of young kids diagnosed and dying from cancer. I disagree. We are all together on this ride called life and sometimes that means writing and discussing life altering events that make us uncomfortable, angry, and hopeless. If we don't share experiences with one another how will we learn empathy?

Recommend? Yes. It will break your heart, but it is all worth it.

The following dialogue hit me in the gut:

  We sat out there in the silence for a minute and then Gus said, "I wish we had that swingset sometimes."
  "The one from my backyard?"
  "Yeah. My nostalgia is so extreme that I am capable of missing a swing my butt never actually touched."
  "Nostalgia is a side effect of cancer," I told him.
  "Nah, nostalgia is a side effect of dying," he answered.
Above us, the wind blew and the branching shadows rearranged themselves on our skin. Gus squeezed my hand.
"It is a good life, Hazel Grace."
p. 236
Source: I borrowed it from my son, Marc.



Six Sentence Bookish Thoughts #77
© 2013, Staci of Life in the Thumb. All Rights Reserved. If you reading this on a site other than, Life in the Thumb or Staci's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.


Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Tuesday Intros: John Shors newest!


 posts the opening paragraph (maybe two) of a book
 she decided to read based on the opening paragraph (s).
 Feel free to grab the banner and play along!


My Tuesday Intro Pick is John Shors newest release, Temple of a Thousand Faces. I read Cross Currents a few years ago and it the story still resonates with me today. I can't wait to dive into this book later this month!!


Angkor, Late Monsoon Season, 1177
  The temple of Angkor Wat had been designed to house the Hindu Gods but looked as if it had been built by them. Rising from the top of the massive, terraced temple were five towers shaped like lotus buds, the central and tallest of which stretched upward for two hundred feet. These towers symbolized the peaks of Mount Meru, the core of the Hindu universe, where the Gods resided and from where all creation sprang. The wide, square moat surrounding Angkor Wat represented the cosmic ocean, and the walls near the moat were meant to remind Hindus of the mountain ranges at the distant edges of the world.


Would you continue reading this one
 based on the opening paragraph?

Sunday, February 3, 2013

Mailbox Monday and It's Monday...What Are You Reading?


Mailbox Monday 
is a gathering place for readers to share the books that
came into their house last week and explore great book blogs. 
Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.


courtesy of Goodreads
I won a hardcover copy of The Woman From Paris, from Harvee @ Book Dilettante. I really look forward to reading it this year!! Thanks again, Harvee!!
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Hosted by
We discuss the books that we've read 
and what we're planning to read for the week.


Read and talked about last week:
Magic Hour (audio)- great story but not sure if I would pick another audio with this narrator.
Mockingjay- Final book in the Hunger Games trilogy and I loved it!

Bookish Thoughts this week:
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
Library Loot post 

In my BookBox for the month of February:


Saturday, February 2, 2013

Saturday Snapshot- Love Is


Saturday Snapshot
It's easy to participate- just post a picture that was taken by
you, a friend, or a family member, and add your link
on Alyce's site. (no pictures from the internet!)


I took this photo when my youngest nephew was just a few weeks old. I absolutely LOVE black and white photos and this was one of my favorites from that day I spent with my brother's family and newest addition. I also love this picture because that look of love on his big sister's face just grabbed my heart!