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

Mailbox Monday

is hosted by Jenny Q. @ Let Them Read Books (December Host)
We share what books that we found 
in our mailboxes last week.

 

Ex-Boyfriend's Handbook- review copy from Sourcebooks
Vixen (Flappers #1)- Shelf Awareness
Nocturne- unexpected copy from Vanguard Press ( I love this author!)

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Hosted by Sheila
One Persons Journey Through a World of Books
Weekly meme where we discuss the books you've read
and those you plan to read in the coming week.

Read and reviewed last week:

Queen Hereafter- wonderfully descriptive historical fiction 4/5

Pemberley Ranch- refreshingly original take on P&P 4.5/5

The Perfect Christmas- cute Christmas story 3/5

The Perfect Love Song- not a bad way to spend a few hours 3/5

Tentative reviews for this week:

The Winter Sea- Wed

Books on the Nightstand:

still working on getting to these!!!

Life in the Thumb will be silent for the holidays 
December 23-December 26

Holiday Tag!

I was tagged for this by Lisa at Lit and Life"
Check out her blog where she will be hosting the Gilmore Girl Challenge 2011 and Fairy Tale Fridays.

When do you usually know and feel that it's finally the holidays?

After the first big snow, the lights are up and the Christmas songs are on 24/7.

What do you want for Christmas this year?

A phone call from my son Mitch who is at boot camp in San Diego.

Do you go all out with decorations?

Not really...my tree has blue/red bulbs with bows as hangers and white lights.

To top it off there is a blue star. I lost most of my decorations when our basement flooded

earlier this year...will have to replenish my garland and lights!

What are you doing Christmas Eve?

I usually make snack foods and then we watch "It's a Wonderful Life."

What are you doing Christmas Day?

Opening presents and having dinner. Our extended family lives over 3.5 hours

away so it will be just the three of us.

It's Christmas time. What are you reading?

Various Christmas books that I downloaded on my son's Kindle and a few

review books that I need to finish.

Favorite movie to watch during the holidays?

"It's a Wonderful Life" and "A Christmas Carol" plus any cute movies that may be

on. I love Elf too so we'll probably watch that one too.

Favorite Christmas song?

I love my entire CD of Christmas songs by Straight No Chaser.

Favorite holiday drink?

New Year's Eve vodka shots!

 

How is your Christmas shopping going?

Everything is done!! Now I just need to wrap!

If you could spend Christmas Day anywhere else, where would you spend it?

London, England

Any holiday traditions?

Watching It's a Wonderful Life and then my traditional dinner on Christmas.

Favorite thing about the Holidays.

Being with my family.

 

Please play along if you wish to!!!

Six Sentence Saturday

Welcome to Six Sentence Saturday.

Where I try to express my thoughts on recent reads using only 6 sentences!!!!.
At the end of each review I will post a
rating scale of 1-5 using the cute and original (lol) Playing Cards.
Rating scale will be as follows:

5 of Hearts- You must read this book NOW!!
4 of Hearts- A great read, put it on your TBR list.
3 of Hearts- Happy that I read it...a good read.
2 of Hearts- Just O.K but nothing to write home about.
Joker Card - Don't bother (why did I?)

The Perfect Christmas - Debbie Macomber
All Cassie wants for Christmas is the perfect match and she's willing to spend a lot of money to make this happen.She enlists the help of a matchmaker- Simon Dodson who analyzes her with a cold, discerning eye and leaves her questioning why she started any of this in the first place. I found this story to be a sweet, sentimental, and yes, very predictable read. But I knew it going in and I didn't have any high expectations for this book. By doing that I was able to enjoy it for what it was...a romantic Christmas read that made me smile from time to time.
My Rating:

The Perfect Love Song: A Holiday Story - Patti Callahan Henry
source: Vanguard Press
I started this book in November and felt very disconnected from the point-of-view so I put it back on the shelves to read later. I'm glad that I finally picked it up as it was an enjoyable light Christmas read. The story is very predictable once again and I absolutely knew how it was all going to end, but that was okay with me once I accepted this book for what it was. I liked the female characters in the book a lot, and I even enjoyed Jimmy's rise to fame and how singers are manipulated by their handlers and lose control of their lives. I did in fact, fall in love with the wedding being held in Ireland and of course, my heart did a bit of a pitter-patter over that because I just think being married in another country would be so exciting! Overall, this was a good read and a pleasant way to spend a cold, snowy day!
My Rating:

  © 2010, 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.

'Pemberley Ranch' by Jack Caldwell

Genre: Jane Austen Variation/Historical Romance Fiction
Author: Jack Caldwell- let's hear it for a man writing Austen variations!!!
About (from Sourcebooks)
In the aftermath of the Civil War, the Bennet family has just moved from Ohio to the town of Rosings, Texas, set on creating a fresh start. But their daughter Beth still prefers the familiarity of Ohio to the plains of Texas-that is, until she encounters Will Darcy, the reclusive owner of Pemberley Ranch. Will and Beth are instantly smitten, but pride, prejudice, and a gang of villains determined to take over Rosings threaten to keep them apart. This fresh idea in the world of Jane Austen re-tellings brings together the world of Pride and Prejudice with the struggles of the antebellum South.

1.) Reasons you chose this book

It's no secret...I love Jane Austen and never turn up the opportunity to rediscover her characters in an unique and original story.  Plus, I think Sourcebooks pretty much rocks when it comes to Austen re-tellings and they've rarely have steered me wrong.

2.) Reasons you liked or disliked this book

• This was an absolute refreshing and original take on Pride and Prejudice. Who would have thought that I would totally fall for it hook, line, and sinker? Especially because it takes place in the United States and after the Civil War. Not exactly my romanticized England, but let me tell you it WORKS!!!
• I found that I actually liked his pairing of couples more than the original ones from Pride and Prejudice. 
• The plot of the story was very well thought out. There was nothing contrite or predictable . 
• I was very impressed with Caldwell's steamy romantic scenes...loved them!!!
• The only thing I found that I didn't like was the way Fitzwilliam came across...he sounded a bit dumb and just a tad stereotypical of southern talk.

3.) Reasons for recommending

• It's so original....and fresh! You get to see a different side of some characters and the setting really blew me away. I loved the way Caldwell blended in the Civil War, the grievances of the North and the South, the truly evil bad guys, and of course, the wonderful romance of  Will (Darcy) and Beth (Elizabeth).

Rating: 4.5/5 



Thank you to Danielle @ Sourcebooks 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.Source:  Danielle @ Sourcebooks, Inc Publicity
Author: Jack Caldwell

Published: December, 2010

Publisher:  Sourcebooks

Pages: 384

Genre: Jane Austen Variation/Historical Romance

ISBN: 9781402241284

 

  © 2010, 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.

Special offer from Sourcebooks in honor of Jane Austen's 235th Birthday

I wanted to post this special offer from Sourcebooks that will be effective on Thursday, December 16, 2010.
If you want to add some free Jane Austen variations to your Kindle, Nook, or other reading devices now is the time to do it!! I've already checked out the entire list and can not wait to download these books to my iTouch and my son's Kindle (he'll really love me when he sees all of these on his Kindle won't he??).

Thursday, December 16^th is Jane Austen’s 235^th birthday!

Sourcebooks, the world’s leading publisher of Jane Austen fiction, is offering a unique deal to readers who want to celebrate Jane by reading special editions of all six of Austen’s beloved novels in a 21^st century format.

Special e-book editions of Pride and Prejudice, Emma, Sense and Sensibility, Northanger Abbey, Persuasion and Mansfield Park will be available for free for one day only. These celebratory editions include the full novels, plus the legendary color illustrations of the Brock brothers, originally created to accompany the books in 1898.

In addition to the Jane Austen classics, readers can also enjoy these bestselling Austen-inspired novels. The following bestselling e-books will be free on December 16th in honor of her birthday:

Eliza’s Daughter by Joan Aiken

The Darcys & the Bingleys by Marsha Altman

Mr. Darcy Takes a Wife by Linda Berdoll

What Would Jane Austen Do? by Laurie Brown

The Pemberley Chronicles by Rebecca Ann Collins

The Other Mr. Darcy by Monica Fairview

Mr. Darcy’s Diary by Amanda Grange

Mr. & Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy: Two Shall Become One by Sharon Lathan

Lydia Bennet’s Story by Jane Odiwe

Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy by Abigail Reynolds

Available wherever eBooks are sold.

'Queen Hereafter' by Susan Fraser King (TLC Tour Stop)

Genre: Historical Fiction
About the book (from TLC) :

Queen Hereafter chronicles the life of Margaret of Scotland, a contemporary of the infamous Lady Macbeth, and a woman destined for sainthood.
Margaret, a young Saxon princess, is shipwrecked with her family on the coast of Scotland and forced to accept sanctuary from the recently widowed warrior-king Malcolm Canmore of Scotland.  Malcolm sees a political prize in Margaret, and promises to help her brother, the outlawed rebel Edgar of England, in return for his sister’s hand in marriage. When Malcolm brings a female bard, Eva, to court as a hostage to ensure good behavior of her kinswoman, his conniving enemy Lady Macbeth, Margaret, and Eva expect to resent one another.  Instead, they discover an unlikely bond as outcasts of a sort–Eva a wild Celtic spirit captive among her enemies, Margaret suppressing her passions as she endures increasing pressure as a queen and a mother of princes.

Why I wanted to read this book: I am very fond of historical fiction and once again I knew absolutely nothing about Queen Margaret of Scotland.
 
What worked for me:

• Margaret found herself in a very bad situation. She felt her calling was to be nun and instead she finds herself as a pawn for her brother's desire to win back the throne of England. She was a very complex and unusual woman. I admired her piety, but at times I thought she went too far with her devotion to God and her prayers. If she were to be alive in present days I would consider her an anorexic. She ate very little and actually felt bad about the nourishment that she did intake. She felt the need to pray constantly and to pray for hours. She did however do many good deeds. She fed the hungry, clothed the poor, and educated the girls. She was a huge asset for King Malcolm and even though they were not a "love match" at the beginning, I truly feel that she loved Malcolm and he loved her.
• I finally understood why Queens were often portrayed as cold-hearted towards their children. Margaret's mother advised her not to get too close to the babies as they most often died. Margaret finally found out that her own mother lost two children and she felt such an overwhelming amount of love and sympathy for her mother. But even though she knew her children could die at any time, she never put them second and amazingly enough she had eight children and all of them survived into adulthood!!!
• I really enjoyed that the book took place in Scotland and it inspired me to look up some of the buildings that were talked about within the story.
• Even though Eva was not a true character I absolutely loved the way the author wove her story into the plot. It worked and added another dimension to all of the characters. I especially enjoyed learning more about bards. I truly find them fascinating!

Recommend?  A resounding YES! If you are a fan of historical fiction you will enjoy this one and if you're interest includes learning about medieval queens then add this book to your list! Queen Margaret was canonised as a saint in 1250. I found her to be a remarkable and very interesting woman.

My Rating: 4/5


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.

About Susan Fraser King

With graduate degrees in art and art history, former college lecturer SUSAN FRASER KING is the author of several bestselling novels praised for lyrical style and historical accuracy. Raised in upstate New York and a frequent visitor to Scotland, she lives in Maryland with her family.
For more info on Susan Fraser King, please visit her website.

 
Please visit the other tour stops HERE.

© 2010, 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.
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Mailbox Monday and It's Monday...What Are You Reading?

Mailbox Monday

is hosted by Jenny Q. @ Let Them Read Books (December Host)
We share what books that we found 
in our mailboxes last week.

The Weird Sisters- for TLC Tour Feb. 9th
The Lotus Eaters- for TLC Tour Jan. 10th
Fierce Eden- review book (Feb) from Sourcebooks

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Hosted by Sheila
One Persons Journey Through a World of Books
Weekly meme where we discuss the books you've read
and those you plan to read in the coming week.

Read and reviewed last week:

Salting Roses- great southern fiction 4/5

A Darcy Christmas- a nice read for the holidays 3/5

Dating Mr. December- a delightful and charming romance 4/5

Tentative reviews for this week:

Queen Hereafter- TLC Tour stop Tuesday

Pemberley Ranch- Wednesday

Heart with Joy- Thursday

Six Sentence Saturday:

The Perfect Christmas

Hide in Plain Sight

On my nightstand: