2010 Reading From My Shelves Project

Diane is hosting a great challenge for next year and this is one that I really want to get serious about!! Read all about it below and then visit her blog to sign up and grab her button!



Here are the rules:

• grab the button
• decide how many books you want to read from your shelves (minimum of 20 - no maximum)
  
• find a new home for the books once you read them
• post the titles and the authors of books you've read and passed on
• project runs from January 1, 2010 through December 31, 2010

Doesn't sound too hard does it??? I want to go for 50!! Hopefully, this will be one challenge I complete!!!

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- Glad I read but no big deal
2 of Hearts- Why did I finish this?
Joker Card - Don't bother (why did I?)


Table Manners by Mia King
I loved her first book, Good Things, which introduced me to Deidre McIntosh and she quickly became a character that I really felt an affinity to. I was happy to hear that King decided to write a sequel to tie up the loose ends from her first book. I again, loved Deidre, but there were times when I felt the writing wasn't as tight as it should've been and that this was written as an after-thought. Don't get me wrong, it's a fun book to read. But, the plot was cliche at times and I know King can do so much better than that. I know it feels like I'm thrashing this book doesn't it???.....I'm really not trying to be negative, I enjoyed it, but I wish it would've matched the first one in the caliber of writing.
My Rating:






The Missing: Seasons of Grace Book 2 by Beverly Lewis
Call me old fashion, but every time I read one of Lewis' books I just want time to stop. I love her simplistic writing, it totally matches the simple way of living that the Amish are so known for. There are a few new revelations in this one, but nothing earth shattering. I don't mind that at all, because I read these books for comfort. Visiting the Amish community in her books makes me wish I really knew how to cook from scratch, that I could quilt by hand, didn't care what time it was, and stopped to enjoy the little things in life. If you don't mind knowing how these books will end then I think you will find yourself smiling and wanting a snickerdoodle when you're done.
My Rating:






The Grand Sophy by Georgette Heyer
Oh my, this book was a pure treat. While I love Austen, I do find her hard to read. That's why I watch the movies a thousand times and then I don't have quite so hard of a time following the action in the books. Heyer writes in a style that reminds me of Austen, but one that I can totally understand and enjoy!! I found myself laughing out loud of some of the antics of Sophy. Even though I knew exactly how everything was going to turn out, I didn't care because I loved this book that much!!!

My Rating:

Book Giveaways!

The Last Dickens
I reviewed and hosted this book on a Book Tour last month. I really enjoyed it. Read my review here if you're interested!!
Synopsis:
Boston, 1870. When news of Charles Dickens’s untimely death reaches the office of his struggling American publisher, Fields & Osgood, partner James Osgood sends his trusted clerk Daniel Sand to await the arrival of Dickens’s unfinished novel. But when Daniel’s body is discovered by the docks and the manuscript is nowhere to be found, Osgood must embark on a transatlantic quest to unearth the novel that he hopes will save his venerable business and reveal Daniel’s killer.

Danger and intrigue abound on the journey to England, for which Osgood has chosen Rebecca Sand, Daniel’s older sister, to assist him. As they attempt to uncover Dickens’s final mystery, Osgood and Rebecca find themselves racing the clock through a dangerous web of literary lions and drug dealers, sadistic thugs and blue bloods, and competing members of Dickens’s inner circle. They soon realize that understanding Dickens’s lost ending is a matter of life and death, and the hidden key to stopping a murderous mastermind.


Now and Then by Jacqueline Sheehan
I hosted this book yesterday on my blog and totally enjoyed this time traveling experience.
Synopsis:
Anna O'Shea has failed at marriage, shed her job at a law firm, and she's trying to re-create herself when she and her recalcitrant nephew are summoned to the past in a manner that nearly destroys them. Her twenty-first-century skills pale as she struggles to find her nephew in nineteenth-century Ireland. For one of them, the past is brutally difficult, filled with hunger and struggle. For the other, the past is filled with privilege, status, and a reprieve from the crushing pain of present-day life. For both Anna and her nephew, the past offers them a chance at love.

Will every choice they make reverberate down through time? And do Irish Wolfhounds carry the soul of the ancient celts?

Click on the image below to enter for these books and check out the other ones available for November!!

TLC Tour Stop: Now and Then by Jacqueline Sheehan

Anna O'Shea has failed at marriage, shed her job at a law firm when she and her recalcitrant nephew are summoned to the past in a manner that nearly destroys them. Her 21st Century skills pale as she struggles to find her nephew in 1844 Ireland. For one of them, the past is filled with privilege. For the other, the past is brutally difficult, filled with hunger and struggle. Will every choice that they make reverberate through time? And do Irish wolfhounds carry the souls of the ancient Celts?




My thoughts:

I jumped at the chance to read this book and then host a Tour Stop on my blog. Why? Because I had just recently finished Lost & Found and totally fell in love with the entire story and cast of characters, most especially the dog! The first thing that struck me was that Now & Then had a totally different feeling to it, right from the very first page. I found that really refreshing. Sometimes author's get stuck in a rut and one book reads like the last one, but that didn't happen here. It's really hard to paraphrase this novel because the story is complicated, but not in a bad way. It starts off in the present day, and then the next thing you know Anna and her nephew Joseph get ripped from this world and find themselves in Ireland circa 1844. As you read you think to yourself, "How in the hell is the author going to make the connection here?"
I said that often but then I quit trying to figure out the WHY and just relaxed and let the story take me where it wanted. The pieces fall into place... and you begin to realize how past choices can have such a major affect on present day situations and relationships. Saying much more would really ruin the reading experience so I will end with a gentle nudge and tell you that you won't regret the time you spend reading Now & Then.......a favorite read of mine for 2009!

Favorite passage:

"Glennie was for the living. When my wife and sons died, it was Glennie who kept me from slitting me own throat, or turning to drink. She told me to honor them by living. She said the dead, the fairies, and God, all of them grow sad when we throw away the sights and smells of this life. When we sing, they sing. When we love, they love." They fell back on the blanket-covered hay. "I always knew that it would come to talk of fairies. Should we make them all happy? Will you make love with me?" she asked.

P.S. This book made me want an Irish Wolfhound!!!



Thanks again to TLC for asking me to be a part of this wonderful book tour and a huge thank you to Jacqueline Sheehan for using her talent with words to create this magical book!!

Check out other tour stops for this book here.

Library Loot- November 4

Hosted by Eva at A Stripped Armchair and Marg at Reading Adventures.
We share what we each picked up at the library during the week.

I've been working really hard at being good at the library. I really, really want to get my library loot read before it has to go back, so I've been requesting books to come to me next year, have not been "browsing" the shelves, and only picking up a book here and there. Also, I've been reducing the number of books that I request as ARCs. I love doing Book tours so I won't be worrying about those. And if you check out my other blog, Giving Books Back, you'll see that I have a lot of DNR ARCs going out this month. Please head over there and see if anything strikes your fancy!!

Here's what I brought home this week:

Something, Maybe by Elizabeth Scott
** I felt the need to read a sweet romantic YA book. I think this one will fit the bill, don't you?

Of course, being unknown isn't helping her get noticed by gorgeous, confident Josh, who Hannah knows is her soul mate. Between trying to figure out a way to get him to notice her, dealing with her parents, and wondering why she can't stop thinking about another guy, Finn, Hannah feels like she's going crazy. She's determined to make things work out the way she wants....only what she wants may not be what she needs.

Teaser Tuesdays and It's Tuesday...Where Are You?

It's Tuesday...Where Are You?

~I'm currently in London with twin sisters who have just inherited their dead aunt's flat. There is a mystery here between the dead aunt and her twin (the girls' mother) that I have yet to figure out. The other people that live in the apartment building are very eccentric. This should be an interesting stay here.

Her Fearful Symmetry

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TEASER TUESDAYS asks you to:
Grab your current read.
Let the book fall open to a random page.
Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!
Please avoid spoilers!

"What?" said Valentina, alarmed.
"It just got super cold in here. Didn't you feel it?"
Valentina shook her head and said, "It's the ghost."

p. 147 from Her Fearful Symmetry

Mailbox Monday- November 2

Mailbox Monday
is hosted by Marcia at The Printed Page.
We share what books that we found in our mailboxes last week.

Children of Dust: A Memoir of Pakistan
**courtesy of Caitlin at FSB Associates
I'm always interested in reading about someone's life in another country and this sounds fascinating!!

Ali Eteraz's Children of Dust is a spellbinding portrayal of a life that few Americans can imagine. From his schooling in a madrassa in Pakistan to his teenage years as a Muslim American in the Bible Belt, and back to Pakistan to find a pious Muslim wife, this lyrical, penetrating saga from a brilliant new literary voice captures the heart of our universal quest for identity.


How to Catch and Keep a Vampire: A Step-by-Step guide to Loving the Bad and Beautiful

** Courtesy of Sellers Publishing
In this book, she has created a road map to show readers how a vampire relationship can be achieved and conducted in harmony with everyday existence

What came for you?