Mailbox Monday and It's Monday..What Are You Reading? --Tuesday Style!

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.

December Host is: Suko's Notebook

Faithful Place by Tana French- after finishing and loving book two, I had to purchase this with one of my audible.com credits.

Ceremony in Death by J.D. Robb- I'm absolutely addicted to these books on audio. Couldn't resist using my $10.00 coupon to snag 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:

Six Sentence Bookish Thoughts- new way that I will do bookish thoughts

Merry Ex-Mas- perfect holiday read

In the Woods- another stellar read by French

Bookish Thoughts to share this week:

Animal Attraction

Rescue My Heart

Immortal in Death (audio)

In my Book Box:

same books as last week...I'm relaxing right now and going with the holiday flow so my reading has slowed down a bit.

Saturday Snapshot- The Christmas Carol

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!)

added frost frame and title @ picmonkey.com

photo courtesy of Lynette P. who tagged me on Facebook

Last night was opening night for the annual Christmas play at our local Wesleyan Church. This year's play is The Christmas Carol and it was fantastic. Marc plays Fred, Ebenezer's nephew. This is a shot of him with his wife Grace.  Going back to watch it again tonight!!  

In the Woods (Tana French)- Six Sentence Bookish Thoughts #56

What In the Woods is about:
As dusk approaches a small Dublin suburb in the summer of 1984, mothers begin to call their children home. But on this warm evening, three children do not return from the dark and silent woods. When the police arrive, they find only one of the children gripping a tree trunk in terror, wearing blood-filled sneakers, and unable to recall a single detail of the previous hours.  Twenty years later, the found boy, Rob Ryan, is a detective on the Dublin Murder Squad and keeps his past a secret. But when a twelve-year-old girl is found murdered in the same woods, he and Detective Cassie Maddox—his partner and closest friend—find themselves investigating a case chillingly similar to the previous unsolved mystery. Now, with only snippets of long-buried memories to guide him, Ryan has the chance to uncover both the mystery of the case before him and that of his own shadowy past.

After reading Broken Harbor I knew that I needed, absolutely needed to read all of French's book from the beginning. From the very first page I was drawn into Rob and Cassie's world. Dublin has been a city that has captured my attention and is one that I must visit before I die, but I do hope that I never ever experience the ugly, dirty, seedy side that encompasses this book. French is masterful and clever with her writing and left me wanting more, so much more. I tried not to get all flustered and angry at the ending of this book. I've been told that she has a way of dangling her readers over the edge of a big cliff called NO REAL ANSWERS and left wondering if anyone will save them!!

Recommend? Yes. Her writing is solid and her characterization is rich and complete. I conjured up images of the scenes and the people who walked the streets. Even though she has the tendency of not wrapping up everything nice and neat, I have found that I am becoming a bit fond of that. I must be off my rocker....but in a good way!! On to The Likeness before I ring out 2012!

Source: Public Library

Blogger who recommended it:

• Sam @ Booked on a Feeling

Six Sentence Bookish Thoughts #56
© 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.

Merry Ex-Mas- Bookish Thoughts #55

What Merry Ex-Mas is about:
Christmas in Icicle Falls... Between Yuletide traditions, winter sports and mistletoe hanging everywhere, Christmas is the best time of year in Icicle Falls, Washington. But this year it's not so merry-for three of its residents, anyway. But Christmas has a way of working its magic. One of these women is about to rediscover love, another is going to remember what's important in life and the third will find a new dream in the new year. Merry Ex-mas, ladies!


Merry Ex-Mas was the perfect book for me during this hectic time of year. I loved just kicking back and letting the story take me away. I truly want to visit this idyllic town of Icicle Falls and visit all of the quaint stores along Main street. I often wish that I lived in such a small town and owned a little book store that all of my friends visited daily. Sheila Roberts created some lively characters and provided me with plenty of laughs and sighs. Even though I couldn't imagine spending five minutes with my ex-husband, the women of Merry Ex-mas gave me hope that some ex's can put aside the hurts of the past and create a different type of relationship that creates a bit of harmony for the sake of the family.

Recommend? I had fun with this book and got exactly what I expected...a cute story, interesting characters, and some hours spent away from reality!!

Source: e-book via NetGalley

Other bloggers who read and reviewed this one:

• Kaye @Pudgy Penguin Perusals
• Mary @Bookfan

Bookish Thoughts #55
© 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.

New Feature on my blog

Hello Friends,

I've decided to re-invent my Six Sentence Saturday posts because I have way too fun participating in Alyce's Saturday Snapshot Meme every Saturday. I didn't want to let the Six Sentence idea go to waste though and I've now decided to make all of my reviews Six Sentence Bookish Thoughts!! I've never been one to analyze books and to feature in-depth philosophical reviews. I tend to just state why I enjoyed a book and tell you whether I would recommend it or not. I'm always looking for ways to make my reviews shorter because frankly, there are a lot of book bloggers out there to read, however, we as readers only have a limited amount of time to seriously spend each day reading blog posts. I want my readers to have fun when they visit! I want my readers to know that when they come to Life in the Thumb, I won't be taking up too much of their precious time. I like short and sweet and to-the-point. Plus, I'm bit of a lazy blogger at times and run out of witty things to write! Ha!

So, I hope you enjoy this new feature. Feedback is always welcome!

All the best and Happy Reading!
Staci

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.

November Host is: Suko's Notebook

The Comfort of Lies by Randy Susan Meyers- I loved The Murderer's Daughters so when I saw that Randy had a new book coming out I had to request it!! Courtesy of the publisher/NetGalley

Cover of Snow by Jenny Milchman- When I read that Jenny's suspenseful story was in the tradition of Gillian Flynn's I immediately requested it. I love the cover!! Courtesy of publisher/NetGalley

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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:

Six Sentence Movie Thoughts

Blackberry Winter by Sarah Jio- loved it and can't wait for her next book!

Bookish Thoughts this week:

Merry Ex-Mas 

Animal Attraction and Rescue My Heart 

In The Woods 

In my Book Box:

Saturday Snapshot- Winter Waterland

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!)

no photo editing was used. Only frame @picmonkey.com

My husband went up north last weekend to go hunting with his friend. He stopped and took this picture of Tippy Dam. We loved boating here over the summer and in the fall. Here is a shot of it during the beginning of the winter months...quite lovely!