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.

April Host is :

Cindy's Love of Books

One Breath Away- review copy courtesy of Media Muscle

After the Fog- review copy courtesy of SparksPoint

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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:

The Light- reviewed by Ryan (Middle School Fiction)

Mr. Darcy Forever- one of the best P&P variations I've read!

These Girls- good read about women's friendships

Books I will be talking about this week:

Song Remains the Same- Wednesday

The Snow Child- Thursday

In My Book Box:

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

Wolf Who Loved Me

Deep Down True

These Girls: a Novel by Sarah Pekkanen

These Girls by Sarah Pekkanen-

In her third novel, These Girls, internationally bestselling author Sarah Pekkanen examines the lives of three women working and living together in New York City and shows that family secrets may shape us all, but it’s the rich, complicated layers of friendship that can save us.

Cate, Renee, and Abby have come to New York for very different reasons, and in a bustling city of millions, they are linked together through circumstance and chance. Cate has just been named the features editor of Gloss, a high-end lifestyle magazine. Cate’s roommate Renee will do anything to nab the plum job of beauty editor at Gloss.Then there’s Abby, whom they take in as a third roommate.

Pekkanen’s most compelling, true-to-life novel yet tells the story of three very different women as they navigate the complications of careers and love—and find the lifeline they need in each other.

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

Many of my blogging friends have read this author's past work and really enjoyed it. When I was offered the chance to read her latest release I relished the opportunity!

2.) Reasons you liked or disliked this book

I thought the author did a really great job of bringing the three women's friendship to a complete circle in the end of the story but there were a few times when I wasn't totally believing Cate and Renee's connection with Abby. That part I felt could have been more fleshed out and then I'm sure I would've bought into that storyline a bit more. I loved Renee's vulnerability and I think many of us that have faced weight issues could see a bit of ourself in her. Cate was a woman that I thought I could be friends with and I understood why she distanced herself from having a relationship. I could also understand how reckless and careless one can be when wildly in love at twenty. I felt her pain.

3.) Reasons you are recommending this book

This was a good read about friendships and the lengths that a person would go to in order to GET that job. I'm always game for books that center around women and their friendships so if you're interested in those themes this would be a book to add to your wish list!

Author: Sarah Pekkanen
Published: April 10, 2012
Publisher: Washington Square Press
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Source: Kortney@ Sparkpoint Studio, LLC




Disclaimer: 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.

Book Review #10
© 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. 

Mr. Darcy Forever by Victoria Connelly

What Mr. Darcy Forever is about:
Estranged sisters Sarah and Mia Castle have spent a lifetime fighting over the men in their lives. They finally begin to make amends at the annual Jane Austen Festival in Bath, England. During the festival, the sisters realize that they can't bear to be apart. They discover that their sisterhood forms a bond stronger than their mutual connection as Jane Austen addicts. And in true Jane Austen fashion, they each begin to lose their hearts to dashing gentlemen

"I think you're right,' Shelley said.  'Why is life a constant disappointment?' "Because we read fiction,' Mia said, and Shelley nodded, knowing it was true.~location 780 on my Kindle

This has to be one of the most enjoyable P&P variations that I've read in a long time. I was captivated by the contemporary feel of the story, yet at times I felt as if I was back in Austen's day walking alongside her while she was in Bath.  The sister's storyline was almost parallel to Marianne and Elinor's from Sense and Sensibility which was another added bonus to reading this book because S&S has to be one of my absolute favorites of Austen's works. There wasn't a dull moment and I found myself laughing, sighing, and every once in a while a bit sad.

Recommend? For those that love Austen and can't get enough of the variations of her books this is a must read! But I also think it's a great story about sisters and that bond that can never really be broken. It really is a good choice for anyone who loves a great love story and who wants to just get lost in the pages of  the lives of likable characters!

Author: Victoria Connelly
Source: review copy from Sourcebooks Landmark
Genre: P&P Variation/Romance
Pages: e-book
Published:  April 1, 2012
*Uncorrected eARC via NetGalley


Disclaimer:Thank you toSourcebooks Casablanca/NetGalley 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 MYexperience while reading this novel.
Book Review #9
© 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. 

Ryan's Review: The Light (Morpheus Road #1) by D.J. MacHale

The Light (Morpheus Road #1) by D.J. MacHale
Marshall Seaver is being haunted. In the first installment of this chillingly compelling trilogy, sixteen-year-old Marshall discovers that something beyond our world is after him. The eerie clues pile up quickly, and when people start dying, it’s clear whatever this is it’s huge. Marshall has no idea what’s happening to him, but he’s soon convinced that it has something to do with his best friend Cooper, who’s been missing for over a week. Together with Coop’s sister, Marsh searches for the truth about what happened to his friend, ultimately uncovering something bigger than he could ever have imagined


Morpheus Road is about a teen named Marshall Seaver and the amazing events that happen to him in one week. Ya, you heard me...one week. It all started with him and his dad getting into an argument and he breaks one of his mother's gifts. Then it begins, he gets haunted by a drawing that he drew himself which he named Gravedigger.  All Marshall wanted was a happy summer, but his best friend Cooper gets into some trouble with the police and soon ends up missing. So Marshall goes looking for him and tries to figure out why he is being haunted. Altogether this makes a fantastic adventure with tense excitement and creates a strong curiosity within me to find out what comes next in the book!

Recommend? Yes, I would definitely recommend this book. Many people would like this story, but people who like mystery and horror will LOVE this book. This was my first mystery/horror combination read and I thought it was amazing! I am extremely happy to have chosen this book because it was a real kicker for me to delve into reading a new genre!

Rating: 9/10
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! Look for more reviews from Ryan in May and June!

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.

April Host is :

Cindy's Love of Books

The House of Tyneford- review copy courtesy of Plume

Due or Die- I begged Kaye @ Pudgy Penguin for this one and she sent it to me!

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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:

Crooked House (audio)- absolutely loved this one! Brilliant audio book!

I Thought You Were Dead (audio)- loved this one too...great audio book!

Books I will be talking about this week:

Ryan's Review- Middle school book

Mr. Darcy Forever (review book)- Thursday

These Girls (review book)- Friday

In my Book Box:

I'm on Spring Break this week so I'm not sure what I want to do yet. Part of me wants to read stuff from the library and my shelves, while the other part says..."Get those review books done!"

What Would You Do?

Saturday Snapshot- family photo

Saturday Snapshot

is hosted by Alyce of At Home With Books.

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.

(left-right) Marc, me, my Dad, my Mom, Mitch, and Amber

This photo was taken last Sunday, a day before my oldest son had to head back to Okinawa.  It was a bittersweet day and it went by way too fast. But I'm thankful for the time that I was able to spend with Mitch and with my family.

I Thought You Were Dead (audio) - Bookish Thoughts #21

What I Thought You Were Dead is about:
For Paul Gustavson, a hack writer for the wildly popular For Morons series, life is a succession of obstacles. His wife has left him, his father has suffered a debilitating stroke, his girlfriend is dating another man, he has impotency issues, and his overachieving brother invested his parents' money in stocks that tanked. Still, Paul has his friends at Bay State bar, a steady line of cocktails, and a new pair of running shoes (he’s promised himself to get in shape). And then there’s Stella, the one constant in his life, who gives him sage advice, doesn’t judge him, and gives him unconditional love. However, Stella won’t accompany Paul into his favorite dive bar. "I'll roll on dead carp, I'll even eat cat turds, but that place grosses me out." Stella, you see, is Paul's aging Lab-shepherd mix, and she knows Paul better than he knows himself.

Why I wanted to read it: Since I've decided to dive into audio books this year, I have been religiously (seriously) going through Diane (Bibliophile by the Sea) and JoAnn's (Lakeside Musing) past posts about their favorite books they've listened to. Both of these wonderful ladies write such thoughtful and well constructed reviews and they have not steered me wrong. I picked this one from Diane's blog because I'm a huge dog lover and thought the whole concept of a dog being able to communicate with its owner was so very clever!

Source: Purchased from Audible.com

• I loved the narrator on this audio. He did such a great job of delivering Paul's voice and making him at times sound so sad, and then so very pathetic! I also thought he nailed Stella's character perfectly. She just came across to me as a dog with huge personality. I believed it when Stella spoke and what came out of her mouth had me laughing out loud on more than one occasion.
• At first glance this book could really sound dumb...I mean talking dog and all, right? That is so not the case. This is such a touching story and I cried on more than one occasion. It's really all about the human experience of love, loss, family, forgiveness, and moving on. 
• I found myself rooting for Paul and I loved how he tried to reach out and have a relationship with his father even though it was via IM on the computer and his father was limited in answering yes or no to Paul's questions.
• Stella is an old soul. I loved her so much...her story made me cry.

This was one of the best audio experiences I've had to date and the story itself was wonderfully articulated by Josh Clark. I loved listening to this one daily and I honestly didn't want the story to come to an end. If you're looking for great audios, do yourself a HUGE favor and visit Diane and JoAnn's blogs. You will not be disappointed!

Bookish Thoughts #21

© 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.