Tuesday Intro- Creep Factor x 100

Hosted by Diane @ Bibliophile by the Sea

My Tuesday Intro pick is from, The One I Left Behind,  a NetGalley book that caught my interest the other night as I was browsing through my titles trying to decide which one to read next. The first paragraph is chilling and scary...I couldn't stop reading!!!

cover image courtesy of Goodreads.com

It began with the hands. Right hands, severed neatly at the wrist. They arrived on the granite steps of the police station in empty red and white milk cartons stapled closed at the top, photos of missing children on the back--the whole package wrapped in brown butcher's paper, tied neatly with thin string like a box of pastry.

Based on the opening paragraph would you keep reading?

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 Mari @ MariReads

cover images courtesy of NetGalley

I have no excuses. I have been bad, very bad. Today I'm just highlighting two of the books I requested from NetGalley because I'm ashamed of myself. Don't worry there are plenty more to come for future Mailbox Monday posts. In my defense, all I can say is that the covers of The Longings of Wayward Girls and The Lavender Garden are awesome and the synopsis of both sounded wonderful. Whoever writes those should be paid in GOLD!!

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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 talked about last week:

In The Pleasure Groove- great audio narrated by John Taylor of Duran Duran

What She Wants- fun romance book told from the male POV

The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle- my thoughts on Book One

Bookish Thoughts to share this week:

The Best of Us by Sarah Pekkanen

Two DNF's from my Kindle Spring Cleaning

The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle Book Two

May Book Box- discussion thoughts about the books I will be choosing

What She Wants- Six Sentence Bookish Thoughts #98

cover image courtesy of www.sheilasplace.com

A little about What She Wants (Life in Icicle Falls #4):
What do women want? Jonathan Templar and his poker buddies can't figure it out. So when Jonathan stumbles on a romance novel at the Icicle Falls library sale, he knows he's found the love expert he's been seeking—Vanessa Valentine, top-selling romance author. At first his buddies laugh at him for reading romance novels, but soon they, too, realize that these stories are the world's best textbooks on love. Poker night becomes book club night…and when all is read and done, they're going to be the kind of men women want!

Sheila Roberts has created a small town that I loved coming back to and had me wishing that Icicle Falls really did exist. This time around the reader gets to see the male's POV on romance, figuring women out, learning how to attract the "right" one, and having their own HEA. I adored the male characters in this story and even more so when each of them found themselves lost in the romance story they were reading!! There were many funny, tender, and aha moments while reading What She Wants and it truly made for an enjoyable afternoon of escapism. Now, if I could get my own husband to read one of my romance books!! I have plenty of them and would even help him out with highlighted parts and post-it notes!!!

Recommend? Yes. I thought it was a fun book that left me with a smile on my face and the desire to visit more of the townspeople in Icicle Falls!

Source: NetGalley/Harlequin MIRA

Six Sentence Bookish Thoughts #98
© 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.

The Wind-Up Bird Chronicles Book One Update

My reading buddy

 

 

My Brief Thoughts: I really was amazed at how fast I flew through book one and how MUCH I actually enjoyed all it!! Even though this is my first Haruki Murakami book, it will not be my last. I found this great BINGO game to play while reading his books, thanks to one of Ti's followers on Twitter. I want to thank Ti for hosting this RAL and for encouraging me to step outside of my comfort zone. Saturday is the DEWEY RAT and I will be working my way to the end of this book...can't wait. I feel like I'm getting smarter!

 

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In the Pleasure Groove(audio)- More than Six Sentences Bookish Thoughts

cover image courtesy indiebound.org

What In the Pleasure Groove: Love, Death, and Duran Duran is about:
In his frank, compelling autobiography, John recounts the highs - hanging out with icons like Bowie, Warhol and even James Bond; dating Vogue models and driving fast cars - all the while playing hard with the band he loved. But there were tough battles ahead - troubles that brought him to the brink of self-destruction - before turning his life around.

My heart broke a little bit when I realized that I was quickly coming to the end of this audio book. John became a treasured friend, someone who I quickly became accustomed spending my early morning driving time with, and also someone who I daydreamed about since the early 80's from the first moment I listened to Planet Earth!! I loved every single moment that I spent listening to John as he told his story of a young lad growing up in Birmingham, being a teen in the 70's music scene, meeting Nick Rhodes, and becoming a driving force behind Duran Duran. What I LOVED most was how authentic John was in telling his story. He didn't sugarcoat any of his mistakes, his drug and alcohol abuse, and being a lousy boyfriend. He was also such a true gentlemen by NOT dishing the dirt on his fellow bandmates and friends, and for that I respect him.

Recommend? If you were a Duranie then YES, of course you MUST read this. I was in love with John Taylor from the first moment I saw him. I knew one day that my last name would be Taylor...had to be,  because I was so going to marry this man!! (Got the same last name just a different guy!!) I saved my money so that I could buy the teen mags that always had some type of poster of Duran Duran or one of the guys. My bedroom walls were one big Duran Duran collage with John being the main focus. What I learned from this audio was that all those years mooning over a fantasy has led me to now realize that John Taylor is so very human, down-to-earth,  and truly someone I would be honored to call friend!

* Warning:  Listening to this audio book can lead to hours spent on YouTube watching Duran Duran videos, interviews, and singing at the top of your lungs....Her name is Rio and she dances on the sand.....

Source: Audible.com
Narrator: John Taylor (I admit to pretending that he was sitting beside me in the car telling his story)
Length: 7 hours and 55 minutes

Six Sentence Bookish Thoughts #97
© 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 Intros- The Last Camellia

Hosted by Diane @ Bibliophile by the Sea

My Tuesday Intro pick comes from Sarah Jio's newest and highly anticipated release, The Last Camellia. I know that I can't wait to read this one!!!

Prologue- A cottage in the English countryside April 18, 1803

The old woman's hand trembled as she clutched her teacup. Out of breath, she hadn't stopped to wash the dirt from under her nails. She hovered over the stove, waiting for the teakettle to whistle as she eyed the wound on her finger, still raw. She'd clumsily cut it on the edge of the garden shears, and it throbbed beneath the bloodstained bandage. She's tend to it later. Now she needed to come to her senses.

Based on the opening paragraph, would you continue to keep reading?

Posted with Blogsy

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 Mari @ MariReads

cover images courtesy of Goodreads

Yes, I've been naughty...again. Shouldn't really come as any surprise to my friends that I've been browsing shopping at NetGalley. I couldn't resist The Glass Wives and I love Bohjalian's work so requesting The Light in the Ruins was a total no-brainer. Plus, I've been feeling pretty good about working my way through my Kindle this month, so I used that success to justify adding more.  Hey, I never said that it made sense!!

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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 talked about last week:

Scarlet (audio version) Lunar Chronicles #2- LOVED IT!!!!!!!!

A Perfect Proposal- charming Brit Chick Lit

Bookish Thoughts to share this week:

In the Pleasure Groove (audio) by John Taylor of Duran Duran

What She Wants by Sheila Roberts

Wind-Up Bird Chronicles- brief update on Book One

April Kindle Book Box:

I'm coming into the home stretch with only one book left to read which I'm currently working on....Cover of Snow. Overall, I am having a great time reading my Kindle books and deleting them as I go!!

Saturday Snapshot- April Showers bring snow?

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. (no pictures from the internet!)

The wind howled all night and the temperature continued to drop. I woke up to let the dogs out this morning to find this on my back steps. Gotta love Michigan and this crazy weather!!!!

*Photo taken with iPhone 4, Instagram filter used.

Posted with Blogsy

A Perfect Proposal- Six Sentence Bookish Thoughts #96

image courtesy of NetGalley

What A Perfect Proposal is about:
From the moment Sophie hits the bright lights of Manhattan she's determined to enjoy every minute of her big adventure. So when an evening at an art gallery throws her into the path of Matilda, a spirited old lady who invites her to Connecticut for Thanksgiving, Sophie willingly accepts, much to the dismay of Matilda's grandson Luke. 


Katie Fforde once again wrote a book that helped me escape the daily grind for a few hours. I'm such a sucker for Brit Chick Lit and this is one that I really adored!! Sophie is such a sweet, caring, and sympathetic character. I was able to like her immediately and suspend all disbelief as her story took me from England, to America, and back to England, where she unexpectedly finds her HEA. Matilda was a character that I took quickly to my heart as I have a soft spot for older people and their life stories. The ending was perfect and overall the reading experience was very enjoyable!!

Recommend? Sure!! If you like Brit Chick Lit then you need to add Fforde to your list of books to read. The stories and characters are charming!

Source: NetGalley and St. Martin's Press

Six Sentence Bookish Thoughts #96
© 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.

Scarlet (audio)- Six Sentence Bookish Thoughts #95

What Scarlet is about:

Cinder returns in the second thrilling installment of the New York Times-bestselling Lunar Chronicles. She’s trying to break out of prison—even though if she succeeds, she’ll be the Commonwealth’s most wanted fugitive. Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit’s grandmother is missing. It turns out there are many things Scarlet doesn’t know about her grandmother and the grave danger she has lived in her whole life. When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information as to her grandmother’s whereabouts, she has no choice but to trust him, though he clearly has a few dark secrets of his own. As Scarlet and Wolf work to unravel one mystery, they find another when they cross paths with Cinder. Together, they must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen who will do anything to make Prince Kai her husband, her king, her prisoner.

Scarlet blew me away!! There is no Sophomore Slump going on with Marissa Meyers Lunar Chronicles series. The story advanced rapidly and I loved the pacing, excitement, and the way Meyers twisted Scarlet and Cinder's story lines together....fantastic! And let's talk about Wolf for a minute, can we??? By the end of this story I was crushing on Wolf like a school girl!! I can't wait for the next installment, which sadly isn't until 2014, but I won't hesitate to pre-order it and until then will be obsessively checking the calendar!

Recommend? YES!!! I started this series on audio and will continue listening to it. I love the narrator's voice and once again she did a stellar job!!!

Narrator: Rebecca Soler
Length: 11 hours and 19 minutes
Source: Audible.com

Six Sentence Bookish Thoughts #95
© 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.

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 Mari @ MariReads

cover image courtesy of www.sarahjio.com

I was so excited to find an email from the publishers of Sarah Jio's latest release, The Last Camellia, offering a NetGalley issue of this book. I've been pretty blessed to be able to review her books before their release dates. She continues to amaze me with her writing prowess and her stories draw me in immediately!! I can't wait to get to this one!!

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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 talked about last week:

The Comfort of Lies- really enjoyed this one from Randy Susan Meyers

Unrivaled- this was a sweet book with a pretty cover. Not a bad way to spend an afternoon.

Bookish Thoughts this week:

A Perfect Proposal 

Scarlet (Lunar Chronicles #2) audio version

April Kindle Box:

I keep plugging along with my Kindle reads. I do admit to reading a "smut" book last week. But in my defense the library only gave me 2 weeks to get it done and I never expected to get it quite so fast!! I've finished to date: The Comfort of Lies, Unrivaled, Heart Like Mine, A Perfect Proposal, and right now I'm reading What She Wants. 

Saturday Snapshot- Stormy skies

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. (no pictures from the internet!)

I took this photo earlier this week when the rain started to move across Michigan. This is from my back yard and shows how dark blue the sky became right before the storm came knocking! We are experiencing flooding that has closed down roads, rerouted buses, and swallowed up cars in the ditch. We have a reprieve this weekend but by Monday the rains are expected back once again!!!

photo taken with iPhone 4. No filters, just frame from Instagram

Posted with Blogsy

Unrivaled - Six Sentence Bookish Thoughts

cover image via goodreads.com

What Unrivaled is about:
Lucy Kendall always assumed she'd help her father in his candy-making business, creating recipes and aiding him in their shared passion. But after a year traveling in Europe, Lucy returns to 1910 St. Louis to find her father unwell and her mother planning to sell the struggling candy company. Determined to help, Lucy vows to create a candy that will reverse their fortunes.  St. Louis newcomer Charlie Clarke is determined to help his father dominate the nation's candy industry. Compromise is not an option when the prize is a father's approval, and falling in love with a business rival is a recipe for disaster when only one company can win. Will these two star-crossed lovers let a competition that turns less than friendly sour their dreams?

I thought Unrivaled was a "sweet" story that not only entertained me, but also taught me a bit of a history lesson in regards to the beginning of the candy business here in the United States and across the pond! This is a gentle read and for the most part Mitchell did a good job keeping the story light in regards to the faith aspect of it. I got a bit caught up in the two families  feuding, sabotaging, and trying to best the other with creating the candy that everyone wanted to eat! This book made for an enjoyable way to spend an afternoon.

Recommend? For those that enjoy gentle reads every now and again then this would make for a fun addition to your reading list! Overall I thought it was a good book.

Source: NetGalley and Bethany House Publishers

Six Sentence Bookish Thoughts #94
© 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.

The Comfort of Lies- Six Sentence Bookish Thoughts

cover image via www.randysusanmeyers.com

What The Comfort of Lies is about:
A little girl’s birthday triggers a collision course for three women—the woman who gave birth to her, the woman whose husband fathered her, and the woman who adopted her—forcing them to face the damages of infidelity and make decisions about marriage, motherhood, and their careers. 

I absolutely loved Randy Susan Meyer's novel, The Murderer's Daughters, so it was an absolute no-brainer for me to pick up this one! I thought Randy Susan wrote a pretty tight storyline and I felt that the whole scenario was very plausible. What I was surprised about was my own reaction to Tia....if I met her in-real-life I think I would have to slap her. There was that needy and all-about-me attitude that absolutely swallowed her entire personality and there was NO sympathy from me with her heartache over deciding to give up her child for adoption. As a woman I understood Juliette and her need to know everything about her husband's affair, no matter how painful, because she needed to deal in truth. The title of the book makes complete and perfect sense when you finish this book...and had me wondering how many of us out there are doing the same thing about taking comfort in the lies we tell ourselves and others?

Recommend? I wouldn't hesitate to tell my friends about this book. I was totally invested from the first chapter and couldn't turn the pages fast enough!

Source: NetGalley and Atria Books

Six Sentence Bookish Thoughts #93
© 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 Intros- Cover of Snow

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 Tuesday Intro Pick comes from Cover of Snow. I thought the synopsis sounded pretty good when I requested it from NetGalley..let's hope it is!!

cover image courtesy of www.jennymilchman.com

My husband wasn't in bed with me when I woke up that January morning. The mid-winter sky was bruised purple and yellow outside the window. I shut bleary eyes against light that glared and pounded.  A second later I realized my toes weren't burrowing into the hollows behind Brendan's knees, that when I flung out my arm it didn't meet his wiry chest, the stony muscles gone slack with sleep. I slid my hand toward the night table, fingers scrabbling around for our alarm clock. Seven-thirty. It was late. As if drugged, my brain was making sense of things only after a dull delay. But it was full hour past the time I always woke up. We always woke up. Brendan slept a cop's sleep, perpetually ready to take action, and I had been an early riser all my thirty-five years.

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.

April Host is Mari @ MariReads

cover image courtesy of Goodreads

I wanted to see the movie, Admission and read some favorable reviews of the book that the movie is based upon. So when Amazon offered the Kindle version  for $1.99 it was pretty simple to click the "buy it now" button.

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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 talked about last week:

Spring Kindle Reading- April is all about cleaning the books off of the Kindle

While We Were Watching Downton Abbey- another great women's book by Wax

A French Affair- lovely way to pass the time

Bookish Thoughts this week:

Comfort of Lies

Unrivaled

April Kindle Box:

I'm actually doing pretty good with these! I've read The Comfort of Lies, A French Affair, Unrivaled, and Heart Like Mine. I'm pretty sure I can get the other three done this month!!

A Heart Like Mine- Six Sentence Bookish Thoughts #92

What A Heart Like Mine is about:
Her father’s new girlfriend is nice enough, but Ava still holds out hope that her parents will get back together and that they’ll be a family again. But only days after Victor and Grace get engaged, Kelli dies suddenly under mysterious circumstances—and soon, Grace and Ava discover that there was much more to Kelli’s life than either ever knew. Narrated by Grace and Ava in the present with flashbacks into Kelli’s troubled past, Heart Like Mine is a poignant, hopeful portrait of womanhood, love, and the challenges and joys of family life.

After reading A Heart Like Mine, I can now understand why so many of my book friends really like this author's writing. I found myself instantly drawn into the whole drama of a blended family, secrets, and the heartache of losing a parent. I loved the story being told from the three females POV and also the shifting of time between each of their stories to fill in the gaps to create a complete picture. My only quibble was with the ending, which felt a bit rushed and tied too neatly in a perfect bow.

Recommend? If you are drawn to stories about families, secrets, and second chances then I think you would enjoy this book. Amy has a great style and I easily read this book within a few days. I will be reading her other titles!

Source: NetGalley and Washington Square Press

Six Sentence Bookish Thoughts #92
© 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.

A French Affair- Six Sentence Bookish Thoughts #91

cover image courtesy of www.katiefforde.com

What A French Affair is about:
Gina and Sally Makepiece have inherited a stall in the French House - an antiques centre nestled in the heart of the English countryside. Gina is determined to drag the French House and its grumpy owner into the twenty-first century. Bearing all the attributes of a modern-day Mr Rochester, Matthew Ballinger is less than happy with the whirlwind that has arrived on his doorstep. The last thing either of them want is to fall in love.

I found A French Affair to be a wonderful way to escape the world for a few hours. I absolutely fell in love with the whole idea of finding "smalls" and antiquing for a living. I love flea markets and the thrill of the find. Pair that with an idyllic setting, a sister who is your best friend, and a grumpy, but oh so adorable leading man, and I say that is a recipe for fun reading!

Recommend? If you love British Chick Lit then yes, you should put this one on your list. I liked Katie's book and will make sure to add her titles to my ever-growing love affair with all things British!!!

Source: NetGalley and Sourcebooks

Six Sentence Bookish Thoughts #91
© 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.

While We Were Watching Downton Abbey- Six Sentence Bookish Thoughts #90

cover image via www.authorwendywax.com

What While We Were Watching Downton Abbey is about:
When the concierge of The Alexander, a historic Atlanta apartment building, invites his fellow residents to join him for weekly screenings ofDownton Abbey, four very different people find themselves connecting with the addictive drama, and—even more unexpectedly—with each other…

While We Were Watching Downton Abbey was completely and utterly.....delightful!! I found myself really liking Sam, Claire, Brooke, and most especially Edward. What is so funny about this book is that I suggested to my friend a few months ago that a group of us go to her house on Sundays to watch Season 3 of Downton Abbey together, which is exactly what we will be doing! There were so may parallels between the women's stories and our own and how we tend to forget all of our worries when we're talking about Downton Abbey.

Recommend? Yes! I love how Wendy really has her pulse on women's friendships and real-life situations. I felt that I could have sat down with these three characters on any given Sunday evening and left with life-long friends!!

Source: NetGalley and Berkley Trade

Six Sentence Bookish Thoughts #90
© 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.

Spring Kindle Reading!

Button made by Staci@Life in the Thumb

I've felt pretty guilty about having so many NetGalley books waiting for me on my Kindle so I decided to make April a month that was dedicated to only books from NetGalley. Sam at Booked On a Feeling loved the idea too!! We decided to jump into Spring Kindle Cleaning together and thought we would just have fun with it!!! So I took a picture of my Kindle with a screen showing nothing but NetGalley books and made a fun little button for our endeavor!! I'm pretty sure I will be doing this again in June...and again in September!! It feels great to get some of those books cleared off the Kindle and I like having a pal to help keep me honest!! If you want to play along feel free to copy my button and let us know how you're doing.

Twitter #springkindlecleaning2013
Instagram #springkindlecleaning2013

Sam's Books can be found here: Knocking Out NetGalley Reads in April
My Books are below:

Tuesday Intro- What She Wants!

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 Tuesday Intro pick is What She Wants by Sheila Roberts. I read one of her Icicle Falls books, Merry Ex-Mas and loved it! I'm looking forward to visiting again!

cover image courtesy www.sheilasplace.com

Working in such close quarters with a woman that you could bump knees (thighs, and maybe even other body parts) was probably every man's dream job. Except Dot Morrison's knees were knobby and she was old enough to be Jonathan Templar's grandmother. And she looked like Maxine of greeting card fame. So there was no knee (or anything else) bumping going on today.

Would you continue reading this one

 based on the opening paragraph?