Tuesday Intros- Simply Irresistible

Every Tuesday, Diane @ Bibliophile by the Sea

 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 pick this week comes from a book that came highly recommended from Sheree @ The Eclectic Reader. She thought I would really enjoy this series and the steamy romance! Must be because we both have enjoyed our reading of Fifty Shades series!!

Maddie drove the narrow, curvy highway with her past still nipping at her heels after fourteen hundred miles. Not even her dependable Honda had been able to outrun her demons.

 Would you continue reading this one

 based on the opening paragraph?

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.

Our June Host is Burton Book Review

The Flight of Gemma Hardy- TLC Tour book for July 9th, copy courtesy of publisher and TLC.

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Hosted by

 Sheila @ One Person's Journey Through a World of Books

We discuss the books that we've read 

and what we're planning to read for the week.

Read and reviewed last week: 

Reckless (Reviewed by Ryan) - didn't deliver in the end.

After the Fog- was just an okay read for me.

From Black Heels to Tractor Wheels- ugh. gag. 

Books I will be talking about this week:

Happy Hour- a freebie from Amazon

Not sure if I will get anything else reviewed. My husband has monopolized my time from Wednesday of last week until 9:00 pm Sunday evening. I haven't had time to read blogs, comment on blogs, or to read period!!! 

In my book box:

Geesh! I am still reading book 3 in the Filthy Fifty Shades trilogy. It is my husband's fault that I have not completed this book! I'm actually really enjoying it!! After I finished that one I have to get to some review copies for TLC tours.

• Age of Miracles
• Gone Girl
• The Flight of Gemma Hardy

The Pioneer Woman: From Black Heels to Tractor Wheels (audio)- Bookish Thoughts #30

What From Black Heels to Tractor Wheels is about:
Read along as I recount the rip-roaring details of my unlikely romance with a chaps-wearing cowboy, from the early days of our courtship (complete with cows, horses, prairie fire, and passion) all the way through the first year of our marriage, which would be filled with more challenge and strife—and manure—than I ever could have expected.

The Three Reasons Review is a simple way to get your thoughts out there about a book.  The reasons are as follows complete with fancy button:

1.) Reasons you chose this book

I've been reading Ree's blog for a number of years and even bought one of her cookbooks. I liked the person behind the blog and was interested in knowing more about her.

2.) Reasons you liked or disliked this book

10 hours of Ree's voice was almost more than I could take. By about disc 6, I was contemplating throwing the whole audio box out the window, until I realized that I didn't own it and the library would charge me a huge fine!! If I had to hear her go on about her damn Anne Klein jeans or being a stuck-up city girl one more time I could have throttled her. So, I guess you can see that I really didn't care for the audio version of this book at all.....not one dang bit! Aw shucks! I hated hearing about her projectile vomiting when she was sick from flying. Did I need to know what color (chartreuse) her vomit was after she gave birth to her first child??? Did I need to know about the nurses cleaning up her nether regions??? Is she some type of livestock? By the way....who says nether regions???? Whatever!! Her voice is annoying, she is annoying, Marlboro man being referred to as Marlboro man if FREAKING annoying, being a city girl stuck out in the fields of no where is annoying, oh golly how will I survive without my designer brands was annoying.

3.) Reasons you are recommending this book

I'm not. Unless of course you adore Ree and can't get enough of her voice. Which by the way you would think that the author reading their own work would have some type of inflection and personality while reading their own words....wouldn't you? Well, she doesn't. What a horrible experience. I should have thrown it out the window!

P.S. I sat back and reviewed this thinking to myself that I was pretty harsh. I contemplated softening it up a bit, but then decided to just let it rip! 

Source: Public Library

Bookish Thoughts #30

© 2012, 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.

After the Fog by Kathleen Shoop

What After the Fog is about:

In the steel mill town of Donora, Pennsylvania, site of the infamous 1948 "killing smog," headstrong nurse Rose Pavlesic tends to her family and neighbors. Controlling and demanding, she's created a life that reflects everything she missed growing up as an orphan. She's even managed to keep her painful secrets hidden from her loving husband, dutiful children, and large extended family.When a stagnant weather pattern traps poisonous mill gasses in the valley, neighbors grow sicker and Rose's nursing obligations thrust her into conflict she never could have fathomed.

The Three Reasons Review is a simple way to get your thoughts out there about a book.  The reasons are as follows complete with fancy button:

1.) Reasons you chose this book

I said yes to a review copy of this one because I loved the author's earlier book, The Last Letter, and was excited to read her sophomore creation.

2.) Reasons you liked or disliked this book

I was very interested in the subject matter of the book and love to read stories that are based in fact. I found myself to be very engaged into the story until around 3/4's of the way through the book and then I just became tired. I have to say too, that I felt all the swearing (I am not a prude by any means) by Rose just felt wrong and I didn't buy into that coming out of a woman's mouth during that time period. A couple of times, sure. But pretty much every encounter with this character....nope. I honestly felt that there was too much going on and it bogged the whole thing down for me. I will admit that I skimmed the last 50 pages or so....sorry!

3.) Reasons you are recommending this book

I really think that sometimes my reading goes off-kilter because of my mood at the time I'm reading the book. For whatever the reason, I just couldn't keep my head in the story. I loved the whole visiting nurse aspect of the story and actually found the mill and the deathly fog interesting. I just wish that the author would have cut the story by about a hundred pages and tightened up the plot.  But with all of that being said, I would read another book by Kathleen even though this one didn't work for me.

Rating: 7/10

Author: Kathleen Shoop

Published: May 8, 2012

Publisher: Create Space

Genre: Historical Fiction

Source: SparkPoint Studio

Disclaimer: Thank you to Kim and SparkPoint Studio 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. 

Review Book #15
© 2011, 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. 

Ryan's Last Review!- Reckless by Cornelia Funke

Synopsis written by Ryan:
Jacob Reckless, that's his name when he's everything but reckless. But one reckless journey with his brother , Will, has Will changing into the very creature that cursed him. The creature, a Goyl, are ruthless, short tempered, and have skins of stone that wreak havoc when it comes to doing battle. For years, these creatures were unorganized and hunted by humans, but with the first king, Kami'en, the humans are now the hunted! No cure has been found to reverse the single swipe of a Goyl's claw that makes your skin turn to stone and puts hatred in your eyes. But Jacob is stubborn and will not quit trying to find a way to save his brother. Also, to further complicate things, a prophecy told by the Goyl king's lover, the Dark Fairy, speaks that a Goyl in jade skin will make him invisible. So guess what color Will's skin is changing? Jade! This makes him a huge target. Will Jacob find a cure and save his brother in time?

Recommend? As great as the story line sounds, it has its faults. First is that you are rushed into the story with little detail or knowing of how or what happened to Will. Second, when you are reading through the book it feels as though the author has little planned and it just going with it. This brings up situations that wind up being dead ends! For example, Jacob finds information about his father's disappearance and that's the end of it, nothing more ever said about his father. If the author would fill in the gaps of information and make new roads for the dead ends, this book would have amazed me.

Rating: 6/10

Source: Middle School Library

Read and reviewed by Ryan B. Ryan is currently in the eighth grade and loves to read just about anything I throw at him! He stops into the library almost on a daily basis always  eager to find the next great book to read!
** I just want to give a big shout out to Ryan for all of his fantastic reviews this year and to put it in stone how much I'm going to miss him when he heads over to the high school!!! 
  ~ Mrs. Taylor

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@Barrie Summy

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.

Our June Host is Sassy Brit at Alternate-Read.com

Ocean Beach by Wendy Wax- I'm very very excited to read this one!! Review copy courtesy of Joan Schulhafer Publishing Company.

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Hosted by

 Sheila @ One Person's Journey Through a World of Books

We discuss the books that we've read 

and what we're planning to read for the week.

Last Week's Bookish Thoughts:

Thrush Green- charming book!

The Wolf Who Loved Me- quite fun and I need to read more from this series!

Books I will be talking about this week:

After the Fog- review book

The Pioneer Woman: Black Heels to Tractor Wheels (audio book)

In My Book Box:

Finishing book 3 of the Fifty Shades Trilogy!!

Below Stairs - library book

Gone- Library Book

Friday Fitness- revived

It's been over two years since I did my last Fitness Friday update! Wow, I'm totally ashamed of myself for falling off the fitness wagon and finding myself almost at the same weight from three years ago. It wasn't until I received an email from a friend who stated that my success with Weight Watchers was an inspiration to them and made them decide to get back on WW again. Talk about hard to look at myself in the mirror after that email! So, needless to say, my friend's email has inspired me to get my weight and health back in check. I have no one to blame for gaining back the twenty pounds I lost. What I know to be true is that I stopped counting my points, stopped moving, and suffered a bout of depression that lasted over a year. I'm one of those people who eat their feelings and when I'm sad I eat. I've really focused hard on the reasons why I eat and have been trying my best to redirect my actions when I know that I am sad. On top of that, my husband was just recently diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes and even though it has been hard to deal with, I truly think it will be a blessing to both of us. My husband stopped smoking over a year and a half ago, when he did that he picked up eating as his bad habit. Now, he's paying the price. But he won't do his battle alone. We all are eating what he eats and I don't bring any "junk" food into the house. He's already lost a few pounds and is starting to feel better. Soon I expect that we will be able to take longer walks together. It's something that I'm really looking forward to doing with him again!



So my goals are very simple. I want to eat fresh foods, good protein, good carbs, and start adding more activity to my life. I'm not going to post every Friday because I feel that it's a pressure that I'm not ready to put upon myself. I pretty sure that I can commit to every other Friday and when I start feeling better about everything I will more than likely end up making this a weekly habit again. I will also be brutally honest here. I'm not going to lie about my weight, my failures, or any of the bad parts of this journey. I hope that maybe by reading this post it might inspire someone else to want to start a better life for themself! If you do, please feel free to share your story with me!!



Starting weight on March 12, 2010: 171

Ending weight on September 10, 2010: 153

Starting weight on June 1, 2012: 172