Grab A Book From Our Stack

"Sophie--The Incredible True Story of the Castaway Dog"

2012-02-13T16:54:00.002-05:00

"Sophie: The Incredible True Story of the Castaway Dog" by Emma Pearse tells the true story of Sophie, a dog who was lost at sea but managed to survive for over two months on her own! I almost lost my dog so I could really identify with what the owners were going through. This is a heartwarming, feel good story for sure!

(Gerard's review: My rating: 4 of 5 stars)

Here's how I almost Lost Our Dog: Our Sweet Dog, Abby, Is Fighting For Her Life

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

We are donating 50 cents for each legitimate comment we receive on all our blogs to Caroline's Kids Pet Rescue to help homeless cats this month.

"The Dark Rose" by Erin Kelly is WOW!

2012-02-10T20:00:00.000-05:00

The Dark Rose by Erin Kelly tells the story of two people: Paul, a young boy and Louisa, a woman. They both have things hidden in their past. I really loved this book a lot! It took me only a day and a half to finish because I couldn't wait to get back to it. It's definitely a page turner that is hard to put down with a shocking ending. This is a double WOW book for sure! I already ordered Erin's previous book. I highly recommend this one!
(Gerard's review: My rating 5 stars out of 5)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

We are donating 50 cents for each legitimate comment we receive on all our blogs to Caroline's Kids Pet Rescue to help homeless cats this month.

"The Violets of March" by Sarah Jio

2012-02-10T05:57:00.001-05:00

"The Violets of March" by Sarah Jio is a very interesting romance novel with mystery as well. It’s about a successful New York author who is recently divorced and goes to visit her aunt Bee at her beach house in Bainbridge to get away and think things through. While there, she discovers a diary about a woman’s similar experience to hers and gets drawn into trying to piece the bits and pieces together about her grandmother’s story.

I liked this book because it is not predictable from the start like many romance novels are. I didn’t understand what drew men to her like bees to honey, but it kept my interest all through. It’s about following your heart and knowing your true love will last forever. I enjoyed this light and entertaining read. If you like romance novels, I highly recommend it!
(Karen's review: My rating 4 out of 5 stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

We are donating 50 cents for each legitimate comment we receive on all our blogs to Caroline's Kids Pet Rescue to help homeless cats this month.

"Expecting Adam" by Martha Beck

2012-02-09T05:47:00.000-05:00

Expecting Adam by Martha Beck is a wonderful story about John and Martha who are expecting the birth of their son. They discover late in her pregnancy that their boy is going to have Downs Syndrome. I really enjoyed this book. It is told by Martha and has both funny and sad parts. It has all the emotion you could ever want. Give it a try, it's well worth reading!
(Gerard's review: 3 out of 5 stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

We are donating 50 cents for each legitimate comment we receive on all our blogs to Caroline's Kids Pet Rescue to help homeless cats this month.

"Through My Eyes" by Tim Tebow with Nathan Whitaker

2012-02-08T10:00:00.000-05:00

A book for Football Lovers

I enjoyed the first half of Through My Eyes by Tim Tebow about his background. I learned that he was homeschooled and didn't know that homeschoolers could still play on school teams, but he did. I liked reading about his training and his work ethic. He has two older brothers and lived on a farm. About halfway through the book though, he goes into specific games and gives a play-by-play narrative which I found boring after awhile and quit reading it to move to something more interesting. I suppose if you are really into the nuts and bolts of football, you would enjoy it. I expected to read more about his off the field experiences, but there was only a little about that.
(Karen's review 2/8/12)

I knew about Tim Tebow, the football player. Now after reading Through My Eyes by Tim Tebow, I feel I know about the person. I enjoyed this book some; really liked the parts when he told about growing up and sharing his faith in God, which he is very strong about doing. I enjoyed his family stories and his thoughts on football and game situations. The only drawback was the game-to-game stuff in his college career was kind of boring, but overall, a pretty good read.
(Gerard's review 7/10/11)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

We are donating 50 cents for each legitimate comment we receive on all our blogs to Caroline's Kids Pet Rescue to help homeless cats this month.

Teaser Tuesday: "The Snow Child" and "Through My Eyes"

2012-02-07T04:30:00.000-05:00

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along, so I thought I would play for fun! Just do the following

Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teaser.

Gerard's: I just finished The Snow Child and LOVED it.

They held her close, and a few drops of snow fell to the floor. Quickly she slipped from their arms and ran out the door.

Taken from page 116 of The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey.

Karen's:

I would end up doing things above and beyond whatever was expected to get an edge. I also began working out at odd times of the day and night, thinking, I'll bet there are no other kids in Jacksonville working out right now.

Take from page 33-34 of Through My Eyes by Tim Tebow (non-fiction).

We are donating 50 cents for each legitimate comment we receive on all our blogs to Caroline's Kids Pet Rescue to help homeless cats this month.

"The Snow Child" by Eowyn Ivey

2012-02-06T19:22:00.000-05:00

Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey tells the story of a couple trying to make a life in the Alaskan wilderness. This book had me from page one until the end. I liked the writing and cared about the characters. I LOVED it and had trouble putting it down. It's a double WOW book for sure!
(Gerard's review: 5+ stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

We are donating 50 cents for each legitimate comment we receive on all our blogs to Caroline's Kids Pet Rescue to help homeless cats this month.

"Night Train" by Clyde Edgerton

2012-02-06T10:00:00.000-05:00

Night Train by Clyde Edgerton tells the story of two young boys in the south, one white, and one black, who are really into music and play in a band. The story kind of hops around. It is a quick read but not much substance. I liked it all right, but can't recommend you read this one.
(Gerard's review)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

We are donating 50 cents for each legitimate comment we receive on all our blogs to Caroline's Kids Pet Rescue to help homeless cats this month.

8 Class Pets+1 Squirrel/1 Dog=Chaos by Vivian Vande Velve

2012-02-05T15:30:00.000-05:00

A wonderful story about a squirrel being chased by a dog, (our dog's favorite pastime). They wind up in a grammar school where other animals get in on the action. I learned things about these animals that I did not know. Great book for kids of all ages and any adults who are young at heart!

(Gerard's review)

We differ on this book. I did not like it very much because all the animals were against the dog and all the dog was doing was chasing the squirrel which is a perfectly normal thing for a dog to do. No wonder Abby didn't want to look at the book when I took a picture of it! I did think the writing was well done because each chapter a different animal wrote. That part was pretty cute.
(Karen's review)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

We are donating 50 cents for each legitimate comment we receive on all our blogs to Caroline's Kids Pet Rescue to help homeless cats this month.

"Fragile" by Lisa Unger

2012-02-03T19:16:00.000-05:00

Fragile by Lisa Unger is a good contemporary fiction novel about a missing teen girl, Charlene, that brings back memories for a lot of people about another missing girl who was found dead years before. The story takes place in a small town near New York City where people generally live out their entire lives and know each other very well since they grew up together, but still manage to keep secrets. There are many interesting characters in Fragile who are connected through past events. Ricky’s girlfriend turns up missing and his dad, the police detective, heads up the investigation that conjures up some guilty feelings from his past when he let an innocent teen confess to a murder he knew the kid did not commit.

There are so many aspects this book hits that makes it an excellent choice for a book club to discuss—friendship, parenting teens, suicide, rape, ethics and young love. Here are some teasers for you: There is the general question asked by the troubled teen, Marshall: How do you know if you are a good person. I mean, how do you know if you’re not? (p. 143) When detective Cooper searches his boy’s room for incriminating evidence so he can protect him, he says to his wife, “Anyone is capable of anything, given the right circumstances, the right motivations.” (p. 187) Then, a little later he tells her, “I know how a moment can spiral out of control” (p. 189) speaking from experience.

Fragile is not action packed, but rather delves into ethics and the consequences of actions. I liked how once the mystery was solved, the book didn’t end there, but continued to reveal more to the characters about the past and have the father-son relationship healed. I recommend this if you like books about relationships and family dynamics.

(Karen's review 2/3/12--My Rating: 4 stars)

(Gerard's review 10/19/2010--My rating 4 stars)
Fragile by Lisa Unger is about small town secrets where a girl turns up missing one day. Secrets hidden away from an incident that took place long ago come to the surface. I thought Fragile was pretty good. There are lots of characters so you have to pay attention as you read to follow along. It‘s a good book, but didn‘t really “wow“ me.

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

"Soft Threat" by Stephen Hunter

2012-02-02T19:01:00.000-05:00

Imagine if you were in a crowded mall on Black Friday. Not hard to picture, right? All of a sudden, shots ring out, Santa Clause is dead, and terrorists have total control of the mall! That is the basis of Soft Target by Stephen Hunter . I liked it a whole lot more than I thought I would. Good writing describes what is going on between the good guys and the bad guys. Not a 5-star but 4. Well worth reading.

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

We are donating 50 cents to Caroline's Kids Pet Rescue this month to help the homeless cats for each legitimate comment we receive on all our blogs.

"Heft" by Liz Moore

2012-02-01T19:50:00.000-05:00

Heft by Liz Moore has two main characters: (1) Arthur Opp, who used to be a college professor but when he was let go, he put on a ton of weight and never leaves his house, and (2) Kel Keller, a poor young teen in a rich school. What they have in common is a woman named Charlene, Arthur's former lover and Kel's mom. This book is an outstanding read! The writing is so good and the story is too. I was hooked from the get-go and hated to see it end. I LOVED IT!

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

Tuesday Teasers: "Shelter" and "Heft"

2012-01-31T04:56:00.000-05:00

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along, so I thought I would play for fun! Just do the following

Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teaser.

Karen's: I just finished reading Shelter yesterday so I'm picking a teaser from it:

The message buzzed in: what part of CAR COMING! GET OUT! confused u?!? HURRY, DOPE!

Taken from page 39 of Shelter by Harlan Coben.

Gerard's:

It seems as if my mother is breathing now but I can't tell. And I can't ask. And I want to put my hand on her but I don't because she is no longer mine, she belongs to the paramedic.

Taken from page 151 of Heft by Liz Moore.

Happy Reading! We are donating 50 cents to KIVA this month to help the poor change their lives for each legitimate comment we receive on all our blogs.

"Shelter" by Harlan Coben

2012-01-30T19:19:00.000-05:00

Shelter by Harlan Coben is a teen mystery that three high school students solve. There are a lot of surprises along the way and mysterious characters. Although Mickey’s dad resigned from an organization that rescues children so his son could have a normal life through high school; Mickey finds himself drawn into it unexpectedly when he tries to save his girlfriend from harm. This was an interesting read that moved along quickly for me but seemed a bit far-fetched and not very believable.

(Karen's review)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

We are donating 50 cents to KIVA this month to help the poor change their lives for each legitimate comment we receive on all our blogs.

"Time Cat" by Lloyd Alexander

2012-01-28T15:00:00.000-05:00

"Time Cat" by Lloyd Alexander is a children's book, but I don't think it's one children would like very much. It is fantasy and the cat talks a little bit but not a lot. It's about time travel. The cat and Jason, the boy who owns the cat, travel back in time to different countries in Jason's dream. They have different adventures with historical events and people. I didn't care much for this one, but if you like history and travel, you might enjoy it.
(Karen's review: My rating 2 out of 5 stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

We are donating 50 cents to KIVA this month to help the poor change their lives for each legitimate comment we receive on all our blogs.

"The Off Season" by Catherine Gilbert Murdock

2012-01-27T18:30:00.000-05:00

The Off Season by Catherine Gilbert Murdock is the second book in the Dairy Queen series about a family who owns a small Dairy farm in Wisconsin. The story is told through the eyes of D.J., a 16-yr.-old girl who leaves the farm to be with her older brother, Win, who gets a spinal cord injury playing college football. The story involves being friends with people no matter what others think and not letting the opinions of others stop you from living.

My favorite part of the book is when D.J. gets through to Win to make him care about getting better by letting him coach her in basketball at the gym and the rehab center. I look forward to reading the last book of this trilogy, Front and Center.
(Karen's review: My rating 3 stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

We are donating 50 cents to KIVA this month to help the poor change their lives for each legitimate comment we receive on all our blogs.

"Unwind" by Neal Shusterman--a Thought Provoking Adventure (UPDATED)

2012-01-26T19:12:00.000-05:00

UPDATED 1/26/12
Unwind by Neal Shusterman, a science fiction YA book, tells the believable story of two young boys and a girl who escape from being unwound. What is unwind? You will have to read the book to find out, but trust me, it's not pretty! I was hooked on this book from page one because it made me care about the three main characters. It has lots of twists and turns and the ending is just so good! I really loved this book! It's the second best book I've read this month! I read this on Karen's recommendation and am glad I did!
(Gerard's review: My rating 5 of 5 stars)

"Unwind" by Neal Shusterman is a fascinating and disturbing YA novel about recycling body parts. This is carrying transplants to the extreme by making it legal for parents to sign a paper turning the kid over to be unwound if they are a troublesome teen, or the tenth child in the family which is a tithe, or if an orphanage/state home is too crowded. The “unwinds” are brought to a “Harvest Camp” where they cut up the teens in their “Chop Shop” and use their different body parts in other people. Most of the story is how the three teens, Connor, Risa and Lev, who were signed over for different reasons to be unwound fight for survival and work together.

This is such a good book because of the different characters and how they interact with each other. It is really interesting to see how Connor matures along the way and how Lev learns to be street smart. I absolutely loved the ending! This is not a book I will soon forget.

(Karen's review: My rating: 5 of 5 stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

We are donating 50 cents to KIVA this month to help the poor change their lives for each legitimate comment we receive on all our blogs.

"Perfect" by Ellen Hopkins

2012-01-25T20:32:00.000-05:00

Perfect by Ellen Hopkins is about three teens--two boys and one girl, dealing with parents and a myriad of life issues. The girl is the sister of one of the boys from Ellen's previous book, "Impulse" but that is the only connection I saw. I hoped that I would enjoy this as much as "Impulse" which I thought was fantastic, but did not. Still, I did like it. I thought the boys parts were more interesting than the girls.
(Gerard's review: My rating 3 stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

We are donating 50 cents to KIVA this month to help the poor change their lives for each legitimate comment we receive on all our blogs.

Teaser Tuesday: "Perfect" and "The Off Season"

2012-01-23T21:02:00.000-05:00

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along, so I thought I would play for fun! Just do the following

Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teaser.

Karen's:

"Are you going to allow this?" Mr. Sausage Donovan asked. "Football players bullying students?" He said "football players" like it was a disease.

Taken from page 58 of The Off Season by Catherine Gilbert Murdock.

Gerard's:

When I draw even, she looks into my eyes, sending shivers up my spine. Have you ever kissed a girl? Her boldness is a surprise.

Taken from page 108 of Perfect by Ellen Hopkins.

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

Praise the Lord--Our dog, Abby, is recovering well from being attacked by two big Rottweilers last Tuesday night. We really appreciate all who prayed for her recovery and Gerard's hand is getting better too where he was bitten.

We are donating 50 cents to KIVA this month to help the poor change their lives for each legitimate comment we receive on all our blogs.

"Black Boy White School" by Brian F. Walker

2012-01-22T20:38:00.000-05:00

Black Boy White School by Brian F. Walker tells the tale of Anthony "Ant" Jones, a black kid from East Cleveland. He is given a scholarship to an elite white prep school in Maine. How he sees things there and the people he meets is the story of this book.

Not a great read but it's interesting to say the least. The last 50 pages are very good which makes it well worth reading.
(Gerard's review: 3.5 stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

We are donating 50 cents to KIVA this month to help the poor change their lives for each legitimate comment we receive on all our blogs.

"Toes" by Tor Seidler is Cat Story

2012-01-21T16:10:00.000-05:00

Toes by Tor Seidler is a children's book, 5th grade level, about a black cat with seven toes on each paw. His litter mates don't accept him so he leaves home and finds a musician to live with. The cat is very intelligent and helps the man achieve his dream. I did not like the sad ending at all. Other than that, I enjoyed the fast fun read.

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

We are donating 50 cents to KIVA this month to help the poor change their lives for each legitimate comment we receive on all our blogs.

"Identical" by Ellen Hopkins

2012-01-20T20:25:00.000-05:00

Identical by Ellen Hopkins is about two sisters, Kaeleigh and Raeanne. Their father is a judge, their mom is running for political office. Money is not an issue. From the outside, it looks like a perfect family, but as the sisters tell their story, you come to realize that not everything is as good as it appears. Identical kept me turning the pages quickly and a whole lot of issues are brought to light. I loved it! This is the second book I've read by Ellen Hopkins. The first was Impulse and in my book, she is two for two.
(Gerard's review: 4 stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

We are donating 50 cents to KIVA this month to help the poor change their lives for each legitimate comment we receive on all our blogs.

"Lamb" by Bonnie Nadzam

2012-01-19T19:00:00.000-05:00

Lamb by Bonnie Nadzam is not a fluff read by any means. You have to use your brain power to get the true meaning of this book. It tells the story of an older man who befriends an 11-yr.-old girl and convinces her to go on a trip to the mountains with him without telling her mother. To find out what happens on the trip and what they learn about each other you'll have to read the book. I don't want to spoil it for you. I enjoyed it; it is well worth reading!
(Gerard's review: My rating: 4 of 5 stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

We are donating 50 cents to KIVA this month to help the poor change their lives for each legitimate comment we receive on all our blogs.

"Shatter Me" by Tahereh Mafi

2012-01-18T15:30:00.000-05:00

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi is a fast-paced teen science fiction romance that kept my interest. I thought it was sort of a strange book because Juliette, a teen, has some super power of being able to kill people she touches although the book never explained why her power is only effective with certain people but not others. I didn't understand that part. I liked the adventure parts where Adam and Juliette ran away together from the asylum but didn't care for all the strikeouts throughout the book. I found them to be distracting. Maybe that was the idea of them, I'm not sure.

Overall, I think the theme is to realize you are unique and accept yourself. At the beginning, Juliette has been confined for a long time in solitary and is feeling very depressed. Then gets a cell mate who she recognizes from her past and is nice to her because he's always liked her but pretends he doesn't know her. Eventually she becomes hopeful for a future and a happy life ever after.

If you like teen romance with a twist, I recommend this one. I saw a lot of teasers from this that got my attention but was a bit disappointed in this book. I liked Legend by Marie Lu much better!

(Karen's review: My rating: 3 of 5 stars)

Gerard's review:
If you like science fiction books with romance, this is it. A young boy and a young girl fight against an evil government that wants to use them, especially the girl whose touch is lethal. I liked this book a whole lot! It kept my interest throughout with lots of good action. I look forward to the sequel if there is one. This is the author's first book--very well done!

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

We are donating 50 cents to KIVA this month to help the

poor change their lives for each legitimate comment we receive on all our blogs.

Teaser Tuesday: "Unwind" and "Lamb"

2012-01-17T04:30:00.000-05:00

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along, so I thought I would play for fun! Just do the following

Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teaser.

Karen's:

He's going to tell me now, Connor thinks. He's going to tell me they're unwinding me, and then break down in tears, going on and on about how sorry sorry sorry he is about it all.

.
Taken from page 7 of Unwind by Neal Shusterman.

Here's one from the book I just finished that is too funny not to use:

But if I made the Red Bend football team, it would mean I wasn't a cow. That's what I'd been struggling with ever since Brian showed up.

Taken from p. 131 of Dairy Queen by Catherine Gilbert Murdock.

Gerard's:

Lamb left her in the white hotel and drove back toward the city, away from the last broken reaches of daylight as rain clouds threaded with neon blue in the rearview mirror. The girl would be there when he returned.

Taken from page 61 of Lamb by Bonnie Nadzam.

Happy Reading! We are donating 50 cents to KIVA this month to help the poor change their lives for each legitimate comment we receive on all our blogs.

"Dairy Queen" by Catherine Gilbert Murdock

2012-01-16T13:16:00.000-05:00

Dairy Queen by Catherine Gilbert Murdock is a story about D.J., a 15-yr.-old girl who helps with the family Dairy Farm in Red Bend, Wisconsin, and has a love for football. She used to play with her two older brothers and gets sucked into helping Brian Nelson, the good-looking quarterback of her school's arch rival team, train over the summer. As she gets to know him, she gets to like him. He is shocked and feels betrayed though when he finds out she will be playing against him!

Teaser: But if I made the Red Bend football team, it would mean I wasn't a cow. That's what I'd been struggling with ever since Brian showed up. p. 131

This is a fun read about a girl and her self-esteem issues. I enjoyed learning some about Dairy farming, the whole football aspect of the book, and how D.J. learns that communication is so important. There is enough included about her family and friends to make this realistic fiction. I look forward to reading the sequel.
(Karen's review: My rating: 4 of 5 starxs)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

We are donating 50 cents to KIVA this month to help the poor change their lives for each legitimate comment we receive on all our blogs.

Happy Martin Luther King Day--A Book/Movie For You!

2012-01-16T09:48:00.000-05:00

I just happened to find out about Ruby Bridges over at MaryTheKayTheBlog today when I read her post, "How We Celebrate Martin Luther King Day at our House." Here is a video clip about Ruby Bridges that I thought looked so good that I checked to see if there was a book about her, and there is. I ordered Ruby Bridges Goes to School: My True Story from the library as well as the DVD.

Other books about her is Through My Eyes: Ruby Bridges and The Story of Ruby Bridges: Special Anniversary Edition

Have you seen this movie or read the book? What did you think of it? How are you celebrating today?

We are donating 50 cents to KIVA this month to help the poor change their lives for each legitimate comment we receive on all our blogs.

"Impulse" by Ellen Hopkins is Fantastic!

2012-01-13T18:46:00.000-05:00

WOW! "Impulse" by Ellen Hopkins is a fantastic read! Tony Connor and Vanessa each have their own demons to deal with. They all wind up at Aspen Springs, a place that helps teens deal with their issues. How they deal with them and their own stories is just remarkable! To say I enjoyed this book would be putting it mildly. I LOVED "Impulse"!

Although it is over 600 pages, it is in verse and I was so caught up in it that it did not seem that long. This is for sure going to be my favorite read this month and will be in my 12 favorites for 2012. This is one you will not soon forget--what an ending! I highly recommend it! (Gerard's Review: My rating: 5 of 5 stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

We are donating 50 cents to KIVA this month to help the poor change their lives for each legitimate comment we receive on all our blogs.

"The Inside Story of the 2011 Stanley Cup Champion Boston Bruins"

2012-01-12T17:00:00.000-05:00

I love this book!

Full 60 to History--The Inside Story of the 2011 Stanley Cup Champion Boston Bruins is just awesome!! It details the 2010-2011 season in which "my" Bruins won the Stanley Cup. It is filled with lots of incredible photographs, including lots of action shots. I felt as though I was practically on the ice myself as I read this. The words by the management and the players are priceless! If you are a Bruins fan, you have to get this one! GO BRUINS!

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

We are donating 50 cents to KIVA this month to help the poor change their lives for each legitimate comment we receive on all our blogs.

"An Invisible Thread" by Laura Schroff and Alex Tresniowski

2012-01-11T17:00:00.000-05:00

An Invisible Thread by Laura Schroff and Alex Tresniowski is the true story of Laura, a white sales executive, befriending a black 11-yr-old panhandler, Maurice. This is a great book about friendship. Maurice is very likable and Laura tells the story very well. It is a feel-good story with a happy ending. I liked it a whole lot!
(Gerard's review: My rating: 4 of 5 stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

We are donating 50 cents to KIVA this month to help the poor change their lives for each legitimate comment we receive on all our blogs.

3 Tuesday Teasers

2012-01-09T19:44:00.000-05:00

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along, so I thought I would play for fun! Just do the following

Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teaser.

Gerard's:

We walked across the avenue to the McDonald's, and for the first few moments neither of us spoke. This thing we were doing--going to lunch, a couple of strangers, an adult and a child--it was weird, and we both felt it.

From pg. 7 of An Invisible Thread by Laura Schroff and Alex Tresniowski.

Well, no, see . . . not when your mother's a stark raving psycho. For years she went undiagnosed.

From page 91 of Impulse by Ellen Hopkins.

Karen's:

"Tell me why you're here, Adam. What are you doing in an insane asylum if you don't belong here?"
"I've been asking you the same question since I got here."

Taken from page 41 of Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi.

We are donating 50 cents to KIVA this month to help the poor change their lives for each legitimate comment we receive on all our blogs.

"The Digital Diet" by Daniel Sieberg

2012-01-09T14:05:00.000-05:00

The Digital Diet--The 4-step plan to break your tech addiction and regain balance in your life by Daniel Sieberg gives a lot of common sense suggestions such as limiting your online time to 90 minutes a day and focusing on one task at a time to be more efficient. It suggests deleting sites that you no longer use and spending more time with real family and friends that you actually can see rather than online friends. I found it ironic that it gave me more websites to use to help limit my online time and track how long I'm at different websites.

I do not recommend this one.

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

We are donating 50 cents to KIVA this month to help the poor change their lives for each legitimate comment we receive on all our blogs.

"Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter" by Tom Franklin

2012-01-08T06:00:00.000-05:00

Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter by Tom Franklin is a very interesting book that is a mystery about two missing girls and Larry Ott, the suspected murderer. Through flashbacks, the interesting story of “Scary Larry,” the white boy, and Silas, his black friend, growing up in Mississippi is told. This story is a mixture of a tale of friendship and a mystery. Did Larry really kill the girls and who shot Larry? Will Larry and Silas remain friends? Which boy had the better life? These are questions that arise.

Here’s a quote I particularly liked:

“What’s missing out of you, Silas?

Courage, he thought.

No wonder he felt at ease among these chickens.”

The title comes from how southern children are taught to spell Mississippi: M, I, crooked letter, crooked letter, I, crooked letter, crooked letter, I, humpback, humpback, I.

I liked this book because the characters were interesting and the story telling was well done. It has a unique plot, not only the mystery of who killed the girls but also family secrets. I would have given this book 5 stars except for the profanity.

(Karen's review: My rating: 4 of 5 stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

We are donating 50 cents to KIVA this month to help the poor change their lives for each legitimate comment we receive on all our blogs.

"Tony and Susan" by Austin Wright

2012-01-07T10:00:00.000-05:00

All right now, Tony and Susan by Austin Wright is my first double WOW book of 2012! Here's the scoop: Susan gets a package 15 years after her divorce from her husband. It's a manuscript of her ex-husband's first novel that he wants her to review. As she reads it and gets into it, she has to face the realities in her own life.

The reader gets two stories in one book: Susan's husband's story plus the story of what she feels not only about the book but about her ex-husband. Both stories are really good! The first 100 pages get you hooked and you have to keep reading. I highly recommend this one!
(Gerard's review: 5 stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

We are donating 50 cents for each legitimate comment we receive on all our blogs to KIVA this month to help the poor change their lives.

Book Beginnings for January 6, 2012

2012-01-06T21:25:00.000-05:00

How to participate: Share the first line (or two) of the book you are currently reading on your blog or in the comments. Include the title and the author so we know what you're reading. Then, if you would like, let us know what your first impressions were based on that first line, and let us know if you liked or did not like the sentence. The link-up will be at A Few More Pages every Friday and will be open for the entire week.

Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter by Tom Franklin starts off with a sentence that made me want to read more right off the bat. Here it is:

The Rutherford girl had been missing for eight days when Larry Ott returned home and found a monster waiting in his house.

How does your current read begin and what are your thoughts so far?

We are donating 50 cents to KIVA this month to help the poor change their lives for each legitimate comment we receive on all our blogs.

"Dear Sparkle: Cat-To-Cat Advice" by Sparkle the Cat

2012-01-06T06:00:00.000-05:00

Dear Sparkle: Cat-to-Cat Advice from the world's foremost feline columnist by Sparkle the Cat is a fantastic book that entertains while imparting great information on how to solve some problems that cats and humans have. Sparkle answers the letters from cats with humor and many good suggestions, including some cat owners can learn from as well. It has cute pictures of cats included too and shares bits of cat wisdom! I read it on my Kindle and highlighted many passages. I highly recommend this for any cat owner and am sure your cats will enjoy it too! Ours did.

Sparkle is also a blogger who I visit regularly at www.sparklecat.com. She is a sweet cat!
(Karen's review: My rating: 5 of 5 stars )

Spunky Doodle and Manny's review

This is our favorite book yet! The best book ever! If you live with a cat, you must read this one! It's pawsome!

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

"The Homecoming of Samuel Lake" by Jenny Wingfield

2012-01-05T06:00:00.000-05:00

The Homecoming of Samuel Lake by Jenny Wingfield is a good story about three families. Tragedy hits when Swan's grandfather commits suicide and her father, Samuel Lake, loses his church. Samuel Lake is a preacher with a wife, a daughter named Swan and two boys. He lost his church so moved his family to live with his wife's parents in Arkansas. The preacher's kids meet a boy named Blade who is abused by his father who is their neighbor. Swan determines to help Blade hide from his father. The author does a good job of story telling about good and evil using three families--the Lakes/Moses and Ballengers. Through the story, the little girl and father both pray for miracles, trusting God for a good outcome.

Here's a little teaser for you:

I know you're probably afraid of your daddy. I'm afraid of him, myself, and I only saw him once. So why don't I have my daddy talk to your daddy? My daddy's a preacher. He talks people into changing their ways all the time. (pg. 57)

This book held my attention because there is the story about the kids trying to protect Blade, the family dynamics, the faith angle and the murder. This was an interesting read with lots of characters that I liked.
(Karen's review: My rating: 4 of 5 stars)

(Read on Kindle for free through library.)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

"Thirteen Reasons Why" by Jay Asher

2012-01-04T06:30:00.000-05:00

In Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher, Hannah Baker has a plan to kill herself. Why? you ask. That is what the people who receive tapes from her in a shoe box want to know. Clay is one of the people who receives these tapes explaining why she did it.

I never ran across this angle in any book I ever read. It is interesting and very thought provoking. I liked it although I can see why some people may not.

(Gerard's review: My rating: 4 of 5 stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

"Love Lifted Me" by Sara Evans with Rachel Hauck

2012-01-03T20:30:00.000-05:00

This Christian fiction book is about the marriage of Jade and Max. When Max wants to go and coach a high school football team, Jade goes along, but things don't go very well. I liked this book some but was not riveted to it. It's worth a try.

(Gerard's review: 3 stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

Teaser Tuesdays: 3 Teasers For You

2012-01-02T20:30:00.000-05:00

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along, so I thought I would play for fun! Just do the following

Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teaser.

Gerard's:

I hold my finger over the button, listening to the soft hum in the speakers, the faint squeak of the spindles winding the tape, waiting for her voice to return.
But it doesn't. The story is over.

From pg. 31 of Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher about teen suicide.


Spunky Doodle and Manny's teaser:

They place excessive importance on useless things like sitting in front of a desk and fiddling around with strange, uninteresting machines. Do you really expect such dull, graceless creatures to understand that 4:00 a.m. is playtime?

Karen is reading on Kindle to us, quote at 6% from Dear Sparkle: Cat-to-Cat Advice from the World's Foremost Feline Columnist by Sparkle the Cat

Karen's:

I know you're probably afraid of your daddy. I'm afraid of him, myself, and I only saw him once. So why don't I have my daddy talk to your daddy? My daddy's a preacher. He talks people into changing their ways all the time.

From pg. 57 of The Homecoming of Samuel Lake by Jenny Wingfield.

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

"Furry Logic Books" by Jane Seabrook are Cute

2012-01-02T05:00:00.000-05:00

I got three Furry Logic books by Jane Seabrook for my birthday and found them to be very cute and humorous. They all have witty sayings (one saying every other page) with cute animal watercolor drawings. Obviously, these books do not take much time to read. The three I got are: Wild Wisdom, Love, and A Guide to Life's Little Challenges, which is my favorite one.

It's the pictures that make these books o I'll give you an inside peak:

A GUIDE TO LIFE'S LITTLE CHALLENGES


No day is so bad it can't be fixed with a nap.

WILD WISDOM


Happy people are more likely to get what they want which only makes them even more happy.

LOVE

As long as I have you, there's just on thing I'll always need--tremendous self-control.

(Karen's review)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

Our 12 Best Reads of 2011

2011-12-31T10:37:00.000-05:00

Here is a list we each made of our top 12 reads this year. It is never easy to choose only 12 because we read so many, but these are the ones we narrowed it down to. We've included the links to our reviews of the books for your further reading. You will note that several are on both of our lists.

Our Top Favorites That We Both Liked:

Never Knowing by Chevy Stevens
Rose In a Storm by Jon Katz
Divergent by Veronica Roth
Iron House by John Hart

Gerard's Other Top 8 books of 2011 out of 157 books:

Faith by Jennifer Haigh
The Eighty-Dollar Champion by Elizabeth Letts
Glimpse by Carol Lynch Williams
Still Missing by Chevy Stevens
Chimps of Fauna Sanctuary by Andrew Westoll
Blood Feud by David Robbins
Vicious Cycle by Terri Blackstock
Left Neglected by Lisa Genova

Karen's Other Top 8 books of 2011 out of 106 Books

Still Alice by Lisa Genova
The Maze Runner by Jim Dashner
Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
True Colors by Kristin Hannah
Lethal by Sandra Brown
Night Road by Kristin Hannah
A Difficult Boy by M. P. Barker
Want to go Private? by Sarah Darer Littman

Gerard bought me a Kindle for my birthday so I'm not sure if we can always include our books in our header like we have been doing, but so far we have. I get the book from the library as well so I can take a picture of the cover to include it. I am also considering changing our blog template to show more of our posts but think I'll lose our header. We appreciate all our readers and are excited to see this blog has actually caught up to our Right Where We Belong one in number of followers! HAPPY NEW YEAR AND HAPPY READING!

Have you read any of these? If so, feel free to share the link to your review. If not, you definitely should! Do you have any "best reads" you think we should read?

Last day to help The Cleveland Pregnancy Center just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.

"Because of Winn-Dixie" by Kate DiCamillo

2011-12-31T05:00:00.000-05:00

Abby thinks you should read this one!

Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo tells the story of a young girl who befriends a dog that she names Winn-Dixie, after the store where she found him. Because of the dog, she gets to become friends with other people in the neighborhood. It's a very short children's book but I enjoyed it! The story is well told.
(Gerard's Review: My rating: 3 of 5 stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

"The Boy in the Moon" by Ian Brown (Non-fiction)

2011-12-30T05:00:00.000-05:00

I enjoyed The Boy in the Moon by Ian Brown, a non-fiction book. Ian's son, Walker, is severely disabled with C.F.C., a rare condition that only 100 people in the whole world have! This disease is a hodgepodge of a lot of issues. I respect Ian and his wife for all they did to help their son. It's a 24/7 job for sure. I also enjoyed the stories about the other people who have to raise sons or daughters that have C.F.C. They definitely have my admiration.

(Gerard's review: My rating: 4 of 5 stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.

"Murder Past Due" by Miranda James

2011-12-29T18:00:00.000-05:00

Murder Past Due by Miranda James is a cozy mystery that almost put me to sleep. It's about a college librarian who takes his Maine Coon cat with him practically everywhere, even to a funeral! This was the fun part of the book. The college librarian's curiosity and concern for his college student boarder draws him into his private investigation of the murder of one of the alumni authors who came to speak at the college and donate all his materials to the archives. There was a lot of lying by the characters and the reader was kept in the dark as to who the murderer was until the very end.

This was slow moving and presented many possible suspects, some of which lied which caused more confusion for me. The subplot of who boarder's biological father was somewhat interesting. I liked the cover but was relieved when I finished it!
(Karen's review)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs!

We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.

"Gabby: A Story of Courage and Hope" by Gabrielle Giffords and Mark Kelly

2011-12-28T18:00:00.000-05:00

Gabby: A Story of Courage and Hope by Gabrielle Giffords and Mark Kelly is the true story of Arizona Congresswoman, Gabrielle Gifford's recovery after being shot in the head. It is a very inspiring story and is told by Mark, her astronaut husband. It reads like a novel and I enjoyed it a lot.
(Gerard's review: My rating: 4 of 5 stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.

"Legend" by Marie Lu (UPDATED 1-4-12)

2011-12-28T10:30:00.000-05:00

Legend by Marie Lu is teen fiction that takes place in a futuristic Los Angeles. It is told by a young boy named Day and a young woman named June. Day is an outlaw and is wanted by the Republic. June is a member of the Army of the Republic. They are on opposite sides, or are they? Legend is so good that the movie rights have already been sold. If you loved "Hunger Games" and "Divergent," you will love Legend too. I look forward to the second book in this series.
(Gerard's review)

Legend by Marie Lu is a futuristic teen romantic thriller about a fugitive 15-yr.-old, Day from the slums, who is passionate about protecting his family and helping people, even if it means going against the Republic. When June, a Republic agent and military prodigy from a wealthy family, thinks Day is responsible for killing her brother when trying to steal the cure for the plague to cure his youngest brother, she hunts Day down. This is a fun, adventurous novel that is a page turner.

Favorite quote from this book:

“I never did ask you about your street name. Why 'Day'?”
“Each day means a new twenty-four hours. Each day means everything's possible again. You live in the moment, you die in the moment, you take it all one day at a time.”

I liked how the author alternated telling the story between Day and June. It kept my interest and was also easy to follow. Although somewhat predictable, I enjoyed it very much and was rooting for Day and June to become friends from the start. I recommend this to anyone who likes action and romance.

(Karen's review: My rating: 5 of 5 stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.

Teaser Tuesday: "Legend" and "Murder Past Due"

2011-12-26T21:04:00.000-05:00

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along, so I thought I would play for fun! Just do the following

Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teaser.

Gerard's:

"You're too late," she says. "Because today the plague patrol is coming for your family. They're taking them away."

From pg. 145 of Legend by Marie Lu.

Karen's:

The last thing I wanted was to get involved in the life of one of my boarders. If Justin's problem turned out to be serious, he would have to go home to his parents.

From page 13 of Murder Past Due by Miranda James.

You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.

"Weight of Silence" by Heather Gudenkauf

2011-12-26T19:20:00.000-05:00

The Weight of Silence by Heather Gudenkauf

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Weight of Silence by Heather Gudenkauf is a page-turner that grabbed my attention right from the start. A young girl is abducted and her friend, Calli is also missing. Calli is seven but hasn't spoken since she was four. I liked this book because it wasn't predictable and deals with a lot of different issues such as family dynamics, alcoholism, old flames, police investigation, selective mutism and friendship. It is a fast read and contains discussion questions at the end. I recommend this book if you like contemporary fiction about families.

(Karen's review 2/11/10)--Also enjoyed These Things Hidden

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.

"Keep Your Brain Alive: 83 Neurobic Exercises" by Lawrence Katz

2011-12-23T18:00:00.000-05:00

This is a quick-read but very interesting and practical. The gist of the book is to improve memory, you need to keep your brain active and use all of your senses. “Routines can be brain deadening.” Basically, learn to enjoy new experiences, change things around, interact with people and change up routines.

The most startling thing I learned from reading this book is: "Research has shown that watching television literally numbs the mind: The brain is less active during TV-viewing than during sleep!" (p. 117)

Gerard gave me this one for my birthday--thanks, honey! You need to read it too!

(Karen's review--My rating: 5 of 5 stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.

"Double Booked For Murder" by Ali Brandon

2011-12-22T19:08:00.000-05:00

Double Booked For Death—a Black Cat Bookshop Mystery by Ali Brandon is about solving the mystery of a popular author’s death when at a book signing in an independent book store owned by Darla. This is a cozy mystery that Darla and her ex-cop friend, Jake, who also acts as her security guard for the bookstore tries to solve. This is a fun read because it includes Hamlet, the bookstore cat and some interesting twists along the way as clues are eventually connected.

I just couldn’t resist reading a mystery about a cat and a bookstore but was a bit disappointed the cat didn't have a bigger role. Although the cat is on the cover, it really is incidental to the story. The ending was really fun! I’m not much on cozy mysteries, but this is the best I’ve read so far.

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.

"A Time to Kill" by John Grisham

2011-12-21T05:00:00.000-05:00

A Time To Kill by John Grisham tells the story of two men who brutalize a ten-year-old black girl in the deep south in the USA. When the father learns of this, he decides to deal out his own brand of justice and shoots the two men in cold blood before they go to trial. When his trial takes place, he and his white lawyer are in a battle for both of their lives.

I know this book has been out for years but somehow I missed it. I'm glad I read it now though--it's very good! The trial and all that surrounded it was outstanding. As usual for John Grisham, the writing is top-notch. If you haven't read this one yet, you should because it is well worth it.
(Gerard's Review)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.

Tuesday Teasers: Four This Week!

2011-12-19T19:28:00.000-05:00

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along, so I thought I would play for fun! Just do the following

Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teaser.

Gerard's:

Naw, Jake, that's why I got you. I don't plan to go to no gas chamber. I saw you get Lester off, now just get me off.

From page 100 of A Time To Kill by John Grisham.

Early each Saturday morning, the keepers would take Gita [an elephant] on a long, rambling walk around the grounds before the zoo opened, and it was my privilege to be invited to go along, several times. Those are the memories etched in my mind.

From page 54 of Betty and Friends by Betty White. (Karen reviewed this non-fiction one already.)

Karen's:

Maybe my parents will forget about what the neighbors think and welcome me as their daughter again. And maybe, just maybe, Brynn will forgive me.

From page 45 of These Things Hidden by Heather Gudenkauf. (Gerard's review of this one is up.)

On her first day running the store, she'd been the unwitting victim of a lightning-fast swipe from Hamlet's claws. The attack had occurred as she'd moved his downstairs food bowl from its usual spot, in front of the local author showcase, to the corner of the science-fiction section.

From page 2 of Double Booked For Death by Ali Brandon. (a cozy mystery)

You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.

"Betty & Friends" by Betty White is a Must Read for Animal Lovers!

2011-12-18T16:00:00.000-05:00

Being an animal lover myself, I thoroughly enjoyed this book of fantastic photographs of animals Betty White has met and got to know in various zoos. She gives some interesting facts about the animals, shares her special one-on-one encounters she's had with many and manages to include some humor as well. The only thing I object to was that she gives "Mother Nature" credit for the animals instead of God, the creator. This book is centered around the photographs that are true works of art. Tad Motoyama, the L.A. Zoo's official photographer, gave her some of his photos that she chose to share with the world through this book.

My favorite experience she shared was that she developed a bond with a baby gorilla named Lulu, and when it was older, it blew her kisses. Years later when visiting another zoo, she saw a gorilla do the same thing and mentioned that Lulu used to do that with her too. It turned out that was the same gorilla!

I highly recommend this as a must read for all animal lovers--a great animal book and a fast read with no boring parts! I loved it!
(Karen's review)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.

"These Things Hidden" by Heather Gudenkauf

2011-12-17T19:00:00.000-05:00

These Things Hidden by Heather Gudenkauf tells the story of Allison Glen. She's a young teen girl who was her parents' pride and joy--good grades, great athlete, had it all until an unwanted pregnancy and a chain of events changed all that. She gets a chance to get back into society but her parents shun her although she keeps trying to reach out to her sister.

WOW! This book is Good! This is a page turner that I did not want to put down. I got into it from page one! I love this author's first book (The Weight of Silence) and this one is just as good, if not better! The ending is shocking!

“These Things Hidden” by Heather Gudenkauf is a sad book about two sisters, adoption, guilt, infanticide and relationships. It certainly kept my interest but had a surprise ending that I didn’t expect. This shows how far teenagers will go if they feel isolated and desperate. I think “These Things Hidden” would be a good Book Club book.
(Karen's book)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? We also liked Weight of Silence by this author.

You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.

"Come a Little Closer" by Dorothy Garlock

2011-12-16T19:32:00.000-05:00

Come a Little Closer by Dorothy Garlock is a historical romance set in the 1940s. Christina was an army nurse who decides to switch gears by leaving Minnesota to be a nurse in the small Wisconsin town. She finds herself in a love triangle with two brothers who both are attracted to her but very different. Both the Doctor she assists and one of the brothers have issues that she helps them overcome. She finds herself being attacked by a jealous obsessive woman and chased by an alcoholic out for revenge for his brother’s death. She chooses one of the brothers and lives happily ever after.

This book is about taking risks and making changes to improve your life. It reminded me of a fairy tale but was an enjoyable read. I was surprised at the brother she decided to marry—thought she would have picked the other one. Although basically a romance novel, it had enough action in it to keep my interest.

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.

"Unlikely Friendships" by Jennifer S. Holland

2011-12-15T18:39:00.002-05:00

Unlikely Friendships by Jennifer S. Holland is a remarkable non-fiction book about animals bonding together that you would not think would (like a lion and a tiger, a polar bear and a sled dog, a kitten and a gorilla). The pictures alone are worth getting this book and the stories are interesting. From just looking through it looking at the full-page color pictures, Karen noticed that cats/kittens appeared most often. If you like animals, this is a must read for you. The library has labeled this book a “sizzler”—it’s that good!
(Gerard's review)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs!

We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.

"The Litigators" by John Grisham

2011-12-13T21:00:00.001-05:00

What a great read The Litigators by John Grisham is! A small law firm, Finley and Figg, unexpectedly gets a new person in David Zinc, who quit a huge law firm to join them. When they get a really big case that could make them millions, the fun begins. The trial is very interesting! The writing, as usual for Grisham, is excellent. John Grisham is on top of his game with this book. It's both funny and sad. Don't miss it!
(Gerard's review)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.

Tuesday Teasers: "The Litigators" and "Come a Little Closer"

2011-12-13T04:30:00.000-05:00

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along, so I thought I would play for fun! Just do the following

Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teaser.

Gerard's:

He ricocheted off the podium and landed hard on the carpeted floor, still groaning and grimacing as if in enormous pain. There was a wild scramble as Wally and David sprinted for him, as did two uniformed bailiffs and a couple of the Rogan Rothberg attorneys.

From page 284 of The Litigators by John Grisham.

Karen's:

With every step, her heart raced, pounding in her chest. Ever since she had left Holden Sutter's room, it had been a struggle to contain her emotions;what began as confusion became anger, then disappointment, before turning into still something else, something she could not identify.

From page 61 of Come A Little Closer by Dorothy Garlock.

You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.

"The Baker's Wife" by Erin Healy

2011-12-12T05:00:00.000-05:00

"The Baker’s Wife" by Erin Healy is a really good book. Audrey and her husband work at a bakery. Her husband used to be a Pastor, but when her son got a church deacon’s daughter pregnant, they got booted out. One day Audrey gets into an accident and the blood is the deacon’s wife’s who got her kicked out. The problem is, there’s no body so where is she? Her husband, a detective, decides to take matters into his own hands and has a hostage situation at the bakery: “Find my wife or everyone dies!” This is a page-turner for sure! It includes lots of scripture and references to God as well. Give it a shot.
(Gerard's review)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.

"Part Wild" by Ceiridwen Terrill (UPDATED)

2011-12-09T19:08:00.000-05:00

What a story this is! "Part Wild" by Ceiridwen Terrill is the true story of Ceiridwen trying to raise a wolf dog from the moment it was born. I loved this book so much! The writing is so good that I wanted to reach out and help her or give her a hug at least. Her husband gives her just as much trouble, if not more, than the dog does! There are funny and sad moments—this book has it all! It's a page turner for sure. Make it a point to read this book because you will love it and remember it when you are done.
(Gerard's review)

This is a sad story about how the author struggled with both her relationship with Inyo, her wolfdog (part dog, part wolf) and her husband. She truly believed that if she tried hard enough, she could make any relationship work only to be proved wrong by both her dog and her husband, Ryan. Both the dog and Ryan were part wild! She describes the different problems that came up with both the dog and Ryan. To protect the dog, she lied over and over again, moved from place to place because they got evicted, and finally gave up and had to have Inyo put down. She couldn’t make an enclosure sturdy enough to keep the dog contained and it would chew furniture, clothes and even doors!

Right from the start I didn’t understand why anyone would want a wolfdog. I was glad to see by the end of the book the author said to love dogs, you hold them close but to love wolves, you let them roam. This is an interesting book because it gave me some insight into a lifestyle very different from my own. It seems the author was admitting she made two big mistakes, one was getting a wolfdog instead of a regular dog and the second was marrying Ryan who was heavy in debt, drank and addicted to video games. I felt sorry for the author but was glad it had a happy ending. If you think it would be cool to have a wolfdog, I highly suggest you read this book first!
(Karen's Review)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.

"Edenville Owls" by Robert B. Parker (GIVEAWAY)

2011-12-08T19:01:00.000-05:00

Edenville Owls by Robert B. Parker is his first book for teen readers about a kid who shows remarkable leadership, compassion, and courage. He leads his 8^th grade basketball team to the state championship game without a coach and only five boys called the Edenville Owls. He figured out how to help his nice English teacher out of a really bad situation and enjoyed a friendship with Joanie, a girl who was his best friend.

This is a quick-read, a good story with a kid who faced the question of how many bad things should he do in order to do a very good thing. It shows that working together with friends can accomplish great things. I think boys would like this one.

If you would like to have this book, just leave a comment letting us know along with your email address so we can contact you for your address. The first one who wants it, gets it (limited to U.S. residents).

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.

"Katie Up and Down the Hall" by Glenn Plaskin

2011-12-07T05:00:00.000-05:00

Katie Up and Down the Hall by Glenn Plaskin is a wonderful story about Katie, a small dog, who is able to bring people together in a small apartment complex in New York. I especially enjoyed the part of how they all dealt with the tragedy of September 11, 2001. This is really a good read and the writing is very good. Give it a try, it's worth it!
(Gerard's review)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.

Tuesday Teasers: 3 This week (2 non-fiction, one thriller)

2011-12-05T19:07:00.001-05:00

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along, so I thought I would play for fun! Just do the following

Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teaser.

Gerard's:

If Inyo was testing me, then I failed--because I backed off. I chose to keep all of my fingers and refused to wrangle with her over a bunch of goopy marrowbones.

From page 85 of Part Wild by Ceiridwen Terrill. (I just finished this but I liked it so well I wanted to share a teaser from it.)

Betty planted a parting kiss on Katie's wet nose--"see you next time, sister!"--and off we went.

There wasn't one person on the street who didn't turn around or stop us, as Katie was now irresistible.

From page 61 of Katie Up and Down the Hall--The True Story of How One Dog Turned Five Neighbors into a Family by Glenn Plaskin.

Karen's:

Honor's heart began beating painfully hard and fast. Should she throw herself over Emily in an attempt to protect her, or attack him, or plead for mercy?

From page 84 of Lethal by Sandra Brown.

You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.

"True Colors" by Kristin Hannah

2011-12-02T18:54:00.000-05:00

What a neat novel True Colors by Kristin Hannah is! It starts off following the lives of three sisters from when their mother died while they were teens. Aurora is the peace maker who settled for marriage to “Mr. Boring” while the eldest daughter, Winona, an attorney, loves her younger sister’s fiancé and longs for her father’s approval. Vivi Ann, is engaged to a real nice guy, but isn’t in love with him and follows her heart and passion when Dallas , the new ranch hand shows an interest in her. The plot thickens when Vivi Ann goes against her family and marries Dallas who gets arrested for murder! This is a great story that shows the bond between sisters as well as a contemporary romance and the struggle of a single mom whose husband is rotting away in prison.

I loved this book because the characters were so believable and the story line drew me in and wouldn’t let go! I liked how the author brought in the horses and ranch activities, how she shared with the reader how the son felt growing up without his dad through his journal entries, and the family dynamics. It’s a love story about love, hope, forgiveness, betrayal, family ties, second chances, heartbreak and redemption. I highly recommend this one!

(Karen's review)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.

"Lethal" by Sandra Brown (UPDATED)

2011-12-01T19:00:00.000-05:00

Wow! Oh WOW! What a thrill ride Lethal by Sandra Brown is! Honor and her 4-yr.-old, Emily, are taken hostage by Lee Coburn. Later on you think that might be a good thing, or is it? I never knew who the good guys and who the bad guys were in this book. After awhile, I just decided to quit trying to figure it out and went along with an outstanding read. If you want a page turner, this is it! I really enjoyed it a lot, including the ending. It has many twists and turns. I LOVED everything about Lethal: the characters were outstanding, the writing well done and the plot riveting!
(Gerard's review)

Lethal by Sandra Brown is full of surprises! It is a thriller mystery with romance too and kept my interest. Honor, a widow of a cop, and her 4-yr.-old daughter have the adventure of their lives when they see a man lying in their yard while baking cupcakes for the upcoming birthday party. This book has suspense, adventure, mystery, organized crime and family ties all wrapped up in it to produce a fantastic read. The relationship between Emily, the 4-yr-old daughter and the mean man is humorous and very entertaining. The FBI has its work cut out for them when they are brought in to help catch a mass murderer and track down the leader of a crime ring when no one knows who they can trust. I liked the ending although it is a bit open-ended for the reader to decide what happens next. I highly recommend this book—it’s definitely a page turner that you get drawn into right away.

(Karen's review)

"Angel on a Leash" by David Frei

2011-11-30T09:00:00.000-05:00

I'd like to be a therapy dog-Woof!

Angel on a Leash--Therapy Dogs and the Lives They Touch by David Frei is a wonderful book about therapy dogs and David's experiences with his. Therapy dogs do such good work by visiting people who have cancer, or other illnesses or disabilities, and Ronald McDonald House for kids. The stories are touching and the pictures of the people with the dogs are priceless. I know when our dog, Abby, goes up to people, most really enjoy it! This is a very informative book that tells what all is involved if you want your dog to be a therapy dog and what to expect.

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.

Tuesday Teasers: Angel on a Leash and True Colors

2011-11-28T19:55:00.000-05:00

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along, so I thought I would play for fun! Just do the following

Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teaser.

Gerard's:

Suddenly, someone is thinking about something other than his or her challenges or pain or a grim outlook or the next treatment. Right now, for this moment, it's not about the person, it's about the dog.

Taken from page 22 of Angel on a Leash--Therapy Dogs and the Lives They Touch by David Frei.

Karen's:

But years later, when she looked back on that week of her mother's death, Winona saw how that single action--the handing over of a lead rope--had changed everything. From then on, jealousy had become an undercurrent, swirling beneath their lives.

Take from page 8 of True Colors by Kristin Hannah.

You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.

"The Tangible Kingdom Primer"

2011-11-27T19:30:00.000-05:00

The Tangible Kingdom Primer is an 8-week curriculum for a small group Bible study that has some very challenging concepts. The thrust of the book is to win people to Christ through action and intentionally reaching out to people like Jesus did, being His hand and feet. I found it thought provoking helpful in getting me more involved in the community. I did not like the formatting of this book because some of it was hard to read. The authors used dark backgrounds and too many variety of fonts which I found annoying. It was hard to highlight or write notes on the dark pages.
(Karen's review)
Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.

"Love At First Bark" by Julie Klam is Funny!

2011-11-25T18:30:00.000-05:00

This book contains three stories about Julie Klam, who is into rescuing dogs. All three are unique in their own way and all three are very good! Julie is a riot--very funny! If you are into dogs, this is a good book for you.
(Gerard's review)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.

"Dear Bully--70 Authors Tell Their Stories"

2011-11-24T19:29:00.000-05:00

Dear Bully contains 70 stories about bullying, edited by Megan Kelley Hall and Carrie Jones. I'd say 96 percent of the stories are very, very good. If you were bullied like I was in school, I'm sure you will identify with many of them. This book is heartbreaking because these people were bullied for no good reason. Having been bullied, especially for long stretches, is something you never forget. Dear Bully also tells of people who did nothing to stop it and now regret their decision. This should be a must read for teens and adults too--bullying goes on in he work place as well.
(Gerard's review)

Want to read about my experience? Here's the link to a post I wrote about it: The Fat Stutterer

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

Other books about bullying that we liked and recommend:
Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card (science fiction)
Please Stop Laughing At Us by Jodee Blanco (non-fiction)
Sonshine Girls: Summer Secret by Renee Morris (Christian teen fiction)
Please Stop Laughing At Me by Jodee Blanco (non-fiction)
Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen (fiction)

You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.

"My Life Deleted" by Scott and Joan Bolzam

2011-11-24T18:00:00.000-05:00

My Life Deleted by Scott and Joan Bolzam sounded interesting to me so I got the book from the library. Basically, the guy fell and hit his head which caused him to lose his memory. He didn't know his family or who he was. I skimmed about the last half of the book. Basically he started his life over again. It just didn't have enough action for me and the writing style did not hold my interest. It just plodded along.

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.

"Roam" by Alan Lazar is Heartwarming

2011-11-23T18:15:00.000-05:00

Talk about not being able to put a book down; I finished this book in one day (and I work full time). Yes, to me it's that good! ROAM by Alan Lazar is about a dog named Nelson who has a very nice home with a loving owner named Katey (his first owner). One day the gate is left open and Nelson just wants to go exploring. What a heartwarming book this is! Nelson goes and finds different places and meets new people. It's a great tale! If you enjoyed the "Art of Racing" I think you will love this book. I cried over this book like I cried over "Dewey, the Library Cat" but I loved both these books. This is my favorite read for this month so far.
(Gerard's review)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

We are thankful for our pets!

HAVE A HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE! Hope you will stop by my other blog and read about My Favorite Thanksgiving. (An excerpt from "My Funny Dad, Harry," the book I wrote in memory of my dad.)--Karen

You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.

Tuesday Teasers: "Dear Bully" and "Mudbound"

2011-11-21T18:51:00.001-05:00

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along, so I thought I would play for fun! Just do the following

Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teaser.

Gerard's:

Shame has bound my truth and stolen away my words. How do you tell your mother you've become a target, a loser, a failure, a lunchtime joke?

From page 122 of Dear Bully--70 Authors Tell Their Stories

Karen's:

I tried to shape my happiness out of the fabric of his, like a good wife ought to, but his contentment tore at me. I would see him standing at the edge of the fields with his hands in his pockets, looking out over the land with fierce pride of possession, and think, He's never looked at me like that, not once.

.
Taken from page 130 of Mudbound by Hillary Jordan. (Click the link to see Gerard's review of this one.)

You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.

"Following Atticus" by Tom Ryan

2011-11-21T06:30:00.000-05:00

WOW! Following Atticus by Tom Ryan is good!! It is the true story of Tom Ryan and his dog, Atticus. After a close friend of his dies from Cancer, Tom takes it upon himself and Atticus, of course, to climb all 48 mountains in New Hampshire twice to aid the Jimmy Fund, a cause to help fight Cancer.

It is an amazing story of the bond between Tom and his dog. You will get caught up in it liked I did and just a little spoiler here--Atticus does not die. Read and enjoy!
(Gerard's review)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.

"Angel Fire" by Lisa Miscione (Unger) (UPDATED)

2011-11-20T19:33:00.000-05:00

Two things you should know about this book: (1) it is written by Lisa Unger and (2) it is very , very good! Lydia Strong and Jeffrey Mark are on the trail of a serial killer. I loved the part about Lydia and her mom and the byplay between Lydia and Jeff. Good luck with trying to guess who the killer is because it is not revealed until the very end.

This is a real page turner! It took me just two days to read it; loved it!
(Gerard's review)

Karen's review (11/20/11):

This is a good murder mystery all right. Like Gerard said, I didn't guess who the killer was until very near the end. I was creeped out by the killer cutting out the hearts of his victims even though the author spared us the gory details. I liked it all right, but didn't love it as much as Gerard did. While I was reading this one during the Browns game against Jacksonville today, Manny climbed up in my lap and read with me!

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.

"Mudbound" by Hillary Jordan: LOVED IT! (UPDATED)

2011-11-20T06:06:00.000-05:00

Mudbound by Hillary Jordan is historical fiction that reminded me of The Help but is a much faster read. I LOVED this one even more than When She Woke, the first book I read by Hillary Jordan. Mudbound tells the story of a black family and a white family living in the deep south in the early 1940s. The black family are the sharecroppers on the white family's land. The characters are likable and well developed. It has a really good ending and would make a fantastic movie!

If you liked The Help by Kathryn Stockton, you will love this book too! I highly recommend this one!
(Gerard's Review)

Karen's review:
Mudbound by Hillary Jordan is a book that drew me into the characters. It is historical fiction during 1946 about a black and a white man coming home from war to Mississippi to help their families on the farm. I had no idea what this book was about from the title, but “Mudbound” is the name of the farm Henry bought out of the blue without even consulting his wife, Laura. She is the one who named the farm because she felt trapped there. Through great story telling by all the characters, the reader discovers the tragic story behind Pappy’s death.

Although I did not like the offensive language, it was a part of history and was used appropriately in conveying the unfairness the Blacks faced every day. Mudbound is very well written and had lots of good passages in it. I had a hard time choosing a teaser! I enjoyed this book very much and highly recommend it if you like books with some depth that cause you to really take an interest in the characters. I agree with Gerard that it would make a good movie.

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.

Cover Art Weekend Blog Hop

2011-11-19T07:42:00.001-05:00

The Guardian by Nicholas Sparks

I chose a beautiful cover this week that really captures the story as well. Read our review of The Guardian.

This is a brand new meme to display all those beautiful, funny, crazy and even those that make you think book covers you come across each week. I don't know about the rest of you, but I love looking at different book covers. You may not be able to judge a book by its cover, but they are sure fun to look at. So, if you'd like to join in the fun, all you have to do is...

1. Take the button at the top of this post and post it on your blog.

2. Chose a book cover of your choice and post it. (You can post as many covers as you'd like.)

3. Sign up with Mr. Linky at Socrates' Book Reviews. Please use the url that links directly to your cover art post.

4. Visit other blogs on the list to see what covers they are featuring this week.

Instead of just one day, this hop runs through the weekends - from Fridays to Mondays. That gives people more of a chance to blog hop.

You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.

"The Guardian" by Nicholas Sparks

2011-11-18T19:33:00.000-05:00

The Guardian by Nicholas Sparks is a combination of a love story and a thriller with a dog thrown in. The main character is Julie, a young widow who works at a salon and finally decides to date four years after her husband died. Her husband, Jim, left her a letter and arranged for her to get a Great Dane puppy in the event of his death which I thought was a pretty neat idea. The dog was his way of watching out for her. After the Prologue, this book poked along for me until about half way through when the psycho stalks her and she realizes she is in danger. I liked "The Guardian" because of the dog involved watching out for Julie. Gerard read this a long time ago and liked it too. He said I should read it and I finally got to it and am glad I did!

BEWARE: SPOILER AHEAD--STOP HERE IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THE BOOK!
The ending was pretty intense but I didn't like that the dog died. I think Julie should have went for the gun when her dog grabbed the guys arm instead of letting him shoot her dog. I get that the dog was like a guardian angel and once Richard was dead, she'd have Mike and live happily ever after and the dog's "job" was done. I just think the dog could have lived too--I would have liked that ending better.

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.

"Sweetness--Life of Walter Payton" by Jeff Pearlman

2011-11-17T20:30:00.000-05:00

I enjoyed Sweetness--The Enigmatic Life Of Walter Payton a lot! It tells the story of the life of Walter Payton aka Sweetness, a football player. I especially liked hearing from all the players he played with and against as well as the details of his life off the field were fantastic and enjoyable. It must have taken a lot of research to write such a book. It seemed he left nothing out! If you are a football fan, I think you will love this book!
(Gerard's review)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.

"Leading With The Heart" by Mike Krzyzewski

2011-11-16T21:11:00.001-05:00

I read Leading With The Heart--Coach K's Successful Strategies for Basketball, Business, and Life by Mike Krzyzewski last year but with him being breaking coach Bobby Knight's record of winning the most College basketball games this week, I thought it would be appropriate to repost this.

This is a helpful book about coaching but many of the principles and tips he shares could also apply to business and teaching. Every coach should read this one because there are so many practical tips that Mike shares and solid principles to follow. After each chapter is a summary of the main points. Mike shares from his experiences to illustrate his points in a very interesting way.

Some key points on coaching that stood out to me from Leading With The Heart--Coach K's Successful Strategies for Basketball, Business, and Life by Mike Krzyzewski (Duke's head basketball coach):
1. Recruit players with character who respect their parents, willing to be part of the team and are coachable.
2. Do not have a bunch of rules that limit you, it's better to just have one rule: "Don't do anything detrimental to yourself."
3.    Use plural pronoun's such as "our," "we," "us" so it's the player's team and not just the coach's.
4.    Always look your players in the eye and tell the truth.
5.    Share the goals with the players.
6.    Lead with confidence, show your players what they need to see.
7.    Imagine the loose ball you're chasing has your name on it. It belongs to you.
8.     Stress honor in all things.
9.      Set goals that revolve around playing together as a team, never the number of wins. Define your own success.
10.    Five fundamental qualities that make a team great: communication, trust, collective responsibility, caring and pride.
11.    Win or lose together--don't play the blame game.
12.    Address the little things you may encounter in a real situation.
13.    Be positive about all things that happen to the team. Look at nothing in the past as failure. Learn from every game.
14.    Plan but be flexible.
15.    Believe you can win, but don't assume you can.
16.    Always respect your competition.
17.    Set up some team traditions.
18.    Maintain a good sense of humor--having fun reduces pressure.
19.    Show strength, hide weakness.
20.    The only way you lose is if you don't try your best.
21.    When people achieve something that they've really worked hard for, it makes them feel great, superb, wonderful.
22.    You have to work at staying in contact with your friends so that the relationships will continue and live on.
23.    If something isn't working, try something new and different. Never give up, find a way to win.
24.    Spend time with your players outside of practices and games to get to know them and become friends.
25.    At the end of each season, thank the team for their hard work.

I really got a lot out of this book--it was great!
(Karen's review)

"I Am in Here" by Elizabeth Bonker and Virginia Breen

2011-11-16T13:00:00.000-05:00

What a book I Am In Here by Elizabeth Bonker and Virginia Breen is! I really liked it. It is about the journey of a child with Autism who cannot speak but finds her voice through writing poetry. It is written by Elizabeth and her mother. I loved that Elizabeth shares what is going on in her head. Here is one of Elizabeth's poems she wrote at age 9 from page 43:

Live and Let Live

Am I on display?

Why do they look at me that way?

I want to say

I am okay.

Sometimes I do things you may wonder about.

Just let me be and don't try to figure it out.

If this book doesn't tug at your heart strings, I'll be surprised.
(Gerard's review)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.

Teaser Tuesday: "Sweetness." "I Am in Here" and "The Guardian"

2011-11-14T19:20:00.001-05:00

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along, so I thought I would play for fun! Just do the following

Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teaser.

Gerard's:

"I had no idea who he was. On the first day of practice I turned to hand the ball to him and he was so quick, I barely got it to him. Then I watched him run . . ."

From page 130 of Sweetness--The Enigmatic Life of Walter Payton by Jeff Pearlman.

Am I on display?

Why do they look at me that way?

I want to say

I am okay.

Sometimes I do things you may wonder about.

Just let me be and don't try to figure it out.

From page 43 of I Am in Here: The Journey of a Child with Autism Who Cannot Speak but Finds Her Voice by Bonker and Breen.

Karen's:

In the past, he'd been the good guy, the friend, the one she could always count on. The one who fixed her car and played Frisbee with Singer, the one who spent the first two years after Jim's death holding her as she cried.

From page 64 of The Guardian by Nicholas Sparks.

You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.

"Finding Danny" by Linzi Glass (UPDATED Rescue Me Week))

2011-11-11T19:14:00.000-05:00

Finding Danny by Linzi Glass was the perfect book to read during Shelter Appreciation Week! It is a happy children’s book about Bree, a 7th grade girl who meets some interesting people who change her life as she searches for her runaway dog, Danny. When she visits an animal shelter for the first time, she determines to help the dogs somehow and does.

I liked this book because it was upbeat and focuses on animal rescue. I think it would also be inspirational for children and teens to see how one person can make a difference. My favorite part was that Bree convinced her lonely elderly widow neighbor to get an abandoned dog named Neptune. This is a cute quick read. (www.linziglass.com and www.theforgottendog.org)
(Karen's review)

This is a book about a young girl named Bree. Her parents are super busy so they decide to get her a dog to keep her company. She names the dog Danny and they get along famously! One day her mom makes a mistake and leaves the gate open and Danny gets away. Bree sets out to find Danny and winds up helping many other dogs How you ask? You will have to read this book to find out. It's a wonderful story. I read it in two days and loved it! Give it a chance and you will too!
(Gerard's review)

Now, how about visiting a shelter near you and adopting a pet?

Over at Mayzie's Dog blog, to honor their Grampa J who loved pets, they are encouraging everyone to post a pet who needs a home on your blog and next week they will draw five participants and donate $100 to an animal rescue of their choice!

Here is Forest, one of the dogs hoping for a forever home waiting at Canine Lifeline where we got our dog from:

The shelter was full and Forest was at the top of the list to be put down as he’d been there awhile. According to the dog pound folks, Forest’s family moved out and left him chained at the empty house. Forest spent his weeks at the shelter grieving for the loss of his home and family. The shelter staff and volunteers said he looked closely at everyone walking through the shelter hoping his family had come for him but after a couple of weeks, he was depressed and seemed to have given up hope.

You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.

"Small Town Sinners" by Melissa Walker (UPDATED)

2011-11-11T18:55:00.000-05:00

Melissa Walker does a beautiful job of depicting a 16-yr.-old Pastor’s daughter’s struggles of making her faith personal inSmall Town Sinners. This is a teen romance novella but also a book that explores faith, religion, friendship and love. The story centers around “Hell House” which is a church production done around Halloween as an evangelistic outreach—sort of a “Christian” haunted house alternative. I think teens would enjoy it and find it thought-provoking. It primarily focuses on drama and teenage pregnancy while touching on domestic violence, homosexuality and suicide.

I liked this book okay but think teens would like it more than I did. Although Lacey is the main character, my favorite character was Ty, her boyfriend. I liked that there were no sex scenes in this book and thought it was well written.

(Karen's review 11-10-11)

Small Town Sinners by Melissa Walker is an excellent read! It is about teenagers in a small town putting on a "Hell House" play experience. I really enjoyed this book a lot. The theme is friendship and being there for each other. I liked all the scripture references, and having God in this made it that much better. Lacey, the main character questions her faith. It's a great read for teens, but I think anyone would enjoy this book.
(Gerard's review)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.

"The Puppy Diaries" by Jill Abramson

2011-11-10T16:30:00.000-05:00

The Puppy Diaries is absolutely a wonderful book about raising a puppy. Jill's old dog, Buddy, passed on to the Rainbow Bridge. Jill wasn't sure she was ready for another dog right away, but when it was time, she picked out Scout. If you are a dog lover, you will enjoy this book! It is very funny at times and you will see yourself in the struggles that Jill and her husband experienced. There are also some great tips on how to handle a puppy. I LOVED THIS BOOK and think you will too!
(Gerard's review)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.

2011-11-09T14:30:00.000-05:00

“The Crossing” is a complicated mystery about a 10-yr-old unsolved murder case that is re-opened. Claudia saw her English teacher, a friend, killed on the bus after a football game. The teacher shares her last thoughts with the reader right before she dies which was an interesting way of giving clues about the killer. Claudia had nightmares and panic attacks so her husband, the D.A., decided to re-open the investigation and found things that were overlooked.

This story attempts to show the depravity of man and God’s forgiveness and unconditional love. Some people repented and sought help and others didn’t with tragic consequences.

I didn’t really get invested in any of the characters and didn’t care much for this one. It moved along pretty good, I was interested to find out who the killer was (although that didn't make sense to me) so I guess that's why I didn't care for it much. It just wasn't as good as I expected it would be.
(Karen's review)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.

Tuesday Teaser: "The Crossing" and "Finding Danny"

2011-11-08T04:30:00.000-05:00

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along, so I thought I would play for fun! Just do the following

Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teaser.

Karen's:

This is what happens when someone leads a secret life. One day, someone has enough of the duplicity and storms a bus of innocents to punish the guilty.

Taken from page 78 of The Crossing by Serita Jakes.

Gerard's:

"NOOOOO!" I screamed, my feet accelerating at a speed they had never reached before. Then I sprung high and wide, every muscle in my body focused, like a cheetah onto its prey.

Taken from page 54 of Finding Danny by Linzi Glass. (See the previous post for my review of this one.)

Our cat Spunky Doodle (the black and white one) invites you to Right Where We Belong to see her video of having some Fun Before Work.

You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.

"Dog On It" by Spencer Quinn (UPDATED)

2011-11-05T22:34:00.000-04:00

Two Paws Way Up For Chet (25 stars)

Dog On It by Spencer Quinn is a fun book to read. It is told by Chet, a trained K-9 dog who helps Bernice, a private eye, investigate a missing person report. You are just going to love Chet's perspective on things! It goes fast and you're into it quickly. The best thing is that there is going to be another book with Chet and Bernice. You can bet I'll be reading that one too.
(Gerard's review 4/1/09)

Karen's thoughts (11/5/11):

I liked this one because the dog tells the story from his point of view. Chet, the dog, has a wonderful relationship with Bernie, his owner and they make a good team in solving the case. This is different from the usual mysteries because the reader finds out what happens along with the dog who knows way before Bernie. Parts are very sad--the dog got abducted, mistreated, and wound up at a shelter where he almost was put to sleep for good! This is a quick fun read if you like dogs.

The Dog Who Knew Too Much is another one we read by this author which was good too!

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

"When She Woke" by Hillary Jordan

2011-11-05T05:00:00.000-04:00

When She Woke by Hillary Jordan is about Hannah, who had an abortion. She refused to name the father or the doctor who performed it. As a consequence of her crime of murder, she had to live her life as a red chrome (She turned red!). A chrome is a criminal whose skin color is genetically altered to match the color of their crime and released back into society. How Hannah deals with this, the people she meets and the decisions she makes is the basis for this book.

I really enjoyed When She Woke a lot! It's a real page turner to say the least. I cared about Hannah and looked forward to reading more. I also thought the ending was really good!
(Gerard's Review)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.

"We the Animals" by Justin Torres

2011-11-04T18:48:00.000-04:00

We The Animals by Justin Torres is a short story about a mom, a dad and three brothers. It was interesting but I wanted more. As it was, I thought it was okay, nothing great. A coming of age story about family bonds.
(Gerard's review)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.

"The Death Cure" by James Dashner

2011-11-03T19:25:00.000-04:00

The Death Cure by James Dashner is a real page turner that I couldn't wait to get back to reading. This is the third book of The Maze Runner trilogy that I enjoyed as much as I did The Hunger Games trilogy. The Death Cure picks up where The Scorch Trials left off and is a suspenseful read that is loaded with adventure but doesn't quite finish as I expected. All through is a fight for survival.

I liked most of the characters, especially Thomas and Minho. It is about saving the human race from a virus that makes people lose their sanity. Some are immune to it and so hated by those who have it. I liked how the "subjects" all worked together to prevent what happened to them from happening to others. The question is does the ends justify the means. At one point, Thomas says he doesn't believe there is a right and wrong anymore, just horrible and less horrible. It has a strange ending but then, the whole series was strange since it is science fiction.

You must read the first two books in this series though before reading this one or you would be pretty lost. I highly recommend this trilogy to anyone looking for something different and adventurous.
(Karen's review)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.

Teaser Tuesday: "A Difficult Boy" and "Small Town Sinners"; "The Death Cure"

2011-11-01T04:30:00.000-04:00

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along, so I thought I would play for fun! Just do the following

Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teaser.

Karen's:

He wanted to run, but his legs seemed to be melting beneath him. When he opened his eyes again, he saw Mr. Lyman drawing his fist back to punch Daniel.

From page 40 of A Difficult Boy by M. P. Barker. See my review of this book I posted yesterday.

He couldn't get her out of his head, even though he hated her a little more with every passing moment. Her last words to him had been WICKED is good, and right or wrong, to Thomas she'd come to represent all the terrible things that had happened.

From page 3 of The Death Cure by James Dashner.

Gerard's:

Is my worry about a boy watching me getting in the way of my personal prayer? Isn't my love for God and my desire to feel His presence bigger than my fear of embarrassing myself in front of Ty?

Taken from page 89 of Small Town Sinners by Melissa Walker.

We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.

"A Difficult Boy" by M. P. Barker

2011-10-31T04:30:00.000-04:00

A Difficult Boy by M. P. Barker is a good story about two young boys working for a shopkeeper. This book kept my interest from page 1. It's funny at times and heartbreaking too! Give it a chance, you will be glad you did!

(Gerard's Review 11/10/11)

I loved reading A Difficult Boy by M. P. Barker even though it is a teen historical fiction book set in Massachusetts in 1839. It is the story of two indentured servants, Ethan (9 yrs. old) and an orphan named Daniel aka Paddy, a few years older (who become friends and worked together to get their freedom. This book kept my interest all the way through and I felt sorry for the boys and anger towards their abusive master, Mr. Lyman, the town's well respected storekeeper. What a creep he was! My favorite part of the book though was when Daniel taught Ethan how to ride Ivy, Mr. Lyman's horse. I also liked the ending!

I highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys historical fiction or stories about friendship. I think this would make a very good movie! It is interesting that the author worked as a costumed historical guide in Massachusetts for nearly ten years and this is her first novel! It won the 2003 PEN New England Children's Book Caucus Discovery Award. To learn more and view the book trailer, visit her website: www.mpbarker.net.
(Karen's review)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.

"Now and Then" by Jacqueline Sheehan

2011-10-28T19:03:00.000-04:00

Now and Then by Jacqueline Sheehan is a nice easy-to-read story about Anna and her nephew, Joseph. After Anna picks up Joseph at a juvenile detention center, that next day they wake up to find themselves in Ireland in the 1800s, back in time! How they cope and what they discover about themselves is the story. My favorite character in the book was Madigan, the dog, who is outstanding! If you are looking for a good story with a happy ending, this book has both.

I also read Lost and Found by this author and liked that one too!
(Gerard's review)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

Hurry and check out our audio book giveaway of "The Leftovers" by Tom Perrotta. Winner will be chosen Sunday, Oct. 30.

You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.

"Sorry" by Zoran Druenkar

2011-10-27T18:41:00.000-04:00

Sorry by Zoran Druenkar is about four people who start an agency that will tell people that you are sorry for you. Everything is going along great until one day they get a job and when they arrive at the apartment, a woman is dead and nailed to the wall! This is a very good read! It's filled with a lot of twists and turns; I didn't know what was going to happen next but was anxious to find out. I loved it and finished it in just two days! You will be sorry if you don't read Sorry!
(Gerard's review)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

Check out our giveaway for an audio book: "The Leftovers" by Tom Perrotta

You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.

"The Sword" by Gilbert Morris

2011-10-26T19:38:00.000-04:00

"The Sword" by Gilbert Morris is a Historical romance that is a good read. It has a mix of action, humor, romance and Christianity. It takes place during the Civil War and is a fascinating read. Chantel, the main character decides to leave home when her mother dies, leaving her alone with her step father who tries to rape her. She finds an elderly Christian Jew peddler who is hurt and saves his life. They become partners and together bring supplies to the soldiers and help a lot of people. The Christian theme is that God brings people together and loves everyone, forgiving and giving peace to all those who trust in Jesus. It's a good story, I enjoyed it!
(Karen's review)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

Check out our audio book giveaway for "The Leftovers" by Tom Perrotta. All you need do to enter is leave a comment!

You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.

Tuesday Teasers: "Wildwood," "Night Strangers," "The Sword"

2011-10-25T05:00:00.000-04:00

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along, so I thought I would play for fun! Just do the following

Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teaser.

Gerard's:

Nothing her parents had told her, nothing she'd ever learned in school, could possibly have prepared her for this thing that was happening. Or really, what was to follow.

I finished reading Wildwood by Colin Melot but loved it so much that I wanted to do a teaser from it, so here it is from page 8:

"You really don't hear it?" Hallie asked in a small but intense voice. "You really don't hear them?"
There was that word again: them.

From page 64 of The Night Strangers by Chris Bohjalian.

Karen's:

"God knows you and has known you since before you were born. And He chose you to help a poor old man that was dying."

From page 108 of The Sword--The Last Cavaliers: Two by Gilbert Morris

Check out our giveaway for an audio book: "The Leftovers" by Tom Perrotta

You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.

"The Night Strangers" by Chris Bohjalian

2011-10-24T20:28:00.000-04:00

The Night Strangers by Chris Bohjalian is about Chip, an airline pilot. One day, through no fault of his, he has to make an emergency landing on water. Unlike the “miracle on the Hudson” landing, lots of people die. Chip and his family decide to move to a new town and buy a new house. As you would expect, this does not go well at all! Talk about a page turner, I had trouble putting this down. It's a perfect spooky read for Halloween season!
(Gerard's review)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

Be sure to check out our audio book giveaway for "The Leftovers" by Tom Perrotta.

You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.

Audio Book Giveaway: "The Leftovers": by Tom Perrotta

2011-10-22T11:37:00.000-04:00

We have an audio book of "The Leftovers" by Tom Perrotta to giveaway to someone who leaves a comment on this post saying they would like it. This is a fiction book on 8 CDs including a bonus interview with the author. Here is the summary of what it is about:

WHAT IF--WHOOSH, RIGHT NOW, with no explanation--a number of us simply vanished? Would we think it was the Rapture? Would others of us go on, one foot in front of the other, as we did before the world turned upside down?

That's what the bewildered citizens of Mapleton, who lost many of their neighbors, friends, and lovers in the event known as the Sudden Departure, have to figure out. Because nothing has been the same since it happened.

Kevin Garvey, Mapleton's new mayor, wants to speed up the healing process, to bring a sense of renewed hope and purpose to his traumatized community. Kevin's own family has fallen apart in the wake of the disaster: His wife, Laurie, has left to join the Guilty Remnant, a homegrown cult whose members take a vow of silence. His son, Tom, is gone, too, dropping out of college to follow a sketchy prophet named Holy Wayne. Only Kevin's teenaged daughter, Jill, remains, and she's definitely not the sweet A-student she used to be. Kevin wants to help her, but he's distracted by his growing relationship with Nora Durst, a woman who lost her entire family on October 14th and is still reeling from the tragedy, even as she struggles to move beyond it and make a new start.

TO ENTER: If you live in the U.S. and want to enter this giveaway, just leave a comment with your email address so we can contact you if you are the winner. The winner will be randomly chosen on October 30.

You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.