"Thin Rich Pretty" by Beth Harbison

Thin rich Pretty by Beth Harbison is a book I read to participate in Katherines Corner Book Club this month. I thought it was a fun read, humorous, entertaining, with believable characters. The message is to be yourself. It's about how three girls met at a camp when they were 13 and how the problems they struggled with such as Holly being too fat, Nicola thinking she was ugly and Lexi, the lonely rich girl carried with them into adulthood. It deals with bullying, friendship, and restitution. I thought it was a cute story and finished it in two days. I recommend it to women, don't think men would care for it.

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

Check out our audio book giveaway for IRON HOUSE by John Hart!

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 Midwife's Confession" by Diane Chamberlain

The Midwife's Confession by Diane Chamberlain is full of surprises and mother-daughter moments.  When Emerson and Tara start searching for answers to why their best friend, Noelle the midwife, committed suicide, they are shocked to find out things they never knew about her.  Noelle had many secrets that were kept for many years but eventually came out after she died.

I liked this book but it does have quite a few characters to keep straight and jumps from the present to the past all through it which sometimes was hard to follow.  I think women would enjoy this book much more than men, just because it focuses on relationships rather than action.  It's a great read about friendship, betrayal and mothers and daughters.  It has discussion questions in the back which makes it very conducive to a book club selection.

I also liked another book by this author:  The Secret Life Of Cee Cee Wilkes which has more action in it.

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.

"Enclave" by Ann Aguirre

For Fans Of The Hunger Games--Publishers Weekly

The start of Enclave by Ann Aguirre was good but then it went flat in my opinion until the last 160 plus pages when I was gripped by it so much that I could not put it down. Wow! It was so good; glad I did not give up on this dystopian novel. There is a teen romance in this like in Hunger Games. One thing I do know for sure, I'll be reading the second book in this trilogy!
(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: "The Midwife's Confession" and "Enclave" by Ann Aguirre

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:

What I have to tell you is difficult to write, but I know it will be far more difficult for you to bear, and I'm so sorry. I'm a midwife, or at least I used to be.

From page 123 of The Midwife's Confession by Diane Chamberlain.



Gerard's:

Most of them died before we got old enough to recognize their faces, and it wasn't like it mattered. All Breeders looked after us until we were old enough to take basic brat schooling.

From page 58 of Enclave by Ann Aguirre. (Review will be posted tomorrow evening.)

Be sure to check out our audio book giveaway of the thriller IRON HOUSE by John Hart.

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.

"Never Knowing" by Chevy Stevens is GREAT! (Updated)

Never Knowing by Chevy Stevens kept me turning pages and not wanting to put this down.  It is a suspenseful story about an adopted woman, Sara, who tells her psychiatrist about finding her biological parents.  Sara is a single mom who refinishes furniture, has a 6-yr.-old daughter and lives with her fiancee, Evan.  Neither Sara’s mother nor father are at all what she had hoped for or expected.  Her mother, a college professor, was not happy she tracked her down at all and then Sara found out her biological father is a serial killer still on the loose!  Her world gets crazy when he calls her and says he’d like to get to know her.  He never knew he had a daughter!  This book is gripping, emotional and puzzling.  I finished it in just two days and think it would be a great read for a book club.  I highly recommend it!
(Karen's review 8/22/11)

Chevy Stevens has done it again.  Just when I thought she couldn't do better than Still Missing along comes Never Knowing.  I loved her first book but think this one is actually way better!  There is lots of action and once I started it, I did not want to put it down.  I thought the ending was incredible!  I give this book a triple WOW factor--it's that good!  For sure this will be my book of the month and possibly my best book of this year!
(Gerard's review)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? Feel free to share your link to your review in the comments.

Related Post:  See also a different opinion by Julie of Knitting and Sundries who is having a giveaway for "Never Knowing" through Sept. 10.

(Be sure to enter our audio book giveaway for IRON HOUSE by John Hart.  Just comment on any of our blogs between Aug. 20 and Aug. 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.

"Buried Prey" by John Sandford

I expected Buried Prey by John Sandford to be a lot better than it was.  The plot is good enough:  two missing girls found years later in a building being torn down with lots of suspects to choose from.  For me, there was just not enough action.  The first half of the book plods along and the second half picked up a bit, but not enough to make it good.  I do not recommend this one.
(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.

GIVEAWAY: Audio book of IRON HOUSE by John Hart

Audio Book Giveaway of Iron House (12 CDs $39.99 value)

Iron House by John Hart is a great read and we are excited to have the audio book containing 12 CDS to give away including a bonus interview with the author. Who wants it? Both Gerard and I read this and it was his favorite book for July and so far is my favorite for August. It is a thriller about Michael who is trying to leave the mobsters who were like family to him and start a normal life with a woman he loves. However, he also has a younger mentally ill brother who he feels obligated to protect and in the process, makes some surprising discoveries. It all goes back to when they were orphans living at the Iron House orphanage.  Here is the link to our review of Iron House by John Hart.

We will choose a winner by random draw from all who leave comments on any of our blogs from now until August 30 (our 14th wedding anniversary) and announce the winner on August 31. Please leave an email so we have a way to contact you if you win and mention specifically that you would like to win this giveaway for an extra entry. The more you comment, the better your chances. We hope this will motivate you to visit our other blogs as well: Right Where We Belong, My Funny Dad, Harry and Always Looking Up! Feel free to comment on old posts too! (Note: Nasty or spam comments will disqualify you, just sayin’)!

Thanks to Macmillan audio for providing this audio book for this giveaway.

You will also 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.

"Devils In Exile" by Chuck Hogan

Devils In Exile by Chuck Hogan is a real good novel about an Iraq war vet who comes home and cannot find a job. By chance he joins up with some men who intercept drug deals, taking the money and destroying the product. As you would suspect, the drug lords are none too happy and go after these guys they call the "Sugar Bandits."

I liked this book because it kept moving along at a pretty good pace. It's a quick read. The best part is that it looks like there could be a sequel; I hope so! I give this a Wow and a half!
(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.

"Look Again" by Lisa Scottoline

Look Again by Lisa Scottoline is the second book I have read by her.  It’s about a Ellen, a journalist and single mother who thinks her adopted son looks a lot like the face of a missing child on a postcard she received in the mail.  She becomes paranoid that neighbors may think she kidnapped him and is afraid she may lose him.  Nevertheless, she can’t ignore the fact that her 3-yr.-old son, Will, looks like the missing kid, Timothy.  She goes on a search for the truth to hopefully prove Will is not the same child that turns deadly.  This is a book that starts slowly and an ending that did not surprise me.  My favorite characters were Marcelo, Ellen’s boss and Will’s cat, Oreo Figaro.  I didn’t care much for Ellen at the beginning but did get to like her by the end of the book.  She was smart and courageous. 

If you like books about fierce mothers who fight for their kids or books that address moral dilemmas, this is a good one for you.  I liked Save Me by Lisa Scottoline better though.  My husband starting this one but said it was a woman’s book and gave up on it.  I agree with him—it is geared more to women.

(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 Tuesdays: "Never Knowing" by Chevy Stevens

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.
 
We are both reading the same book so only have one teaser for you today:

"Why didn't you tell me you found her?"  He sounded confused.
"Because I also found out my real father is the Campsite Killer."

Taken from page 32 of Never Knowing by Chevy Stevens, author of Still Missing which we both liked.


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 Silent Land" by Graham Joyce

The Silent Land by Graham Joyce is a small book about a couple who survive a snow avalanche . . . or do they? They think there are no other living things around, but then you wonder if they are not alone at all.  This book got me thinking, which is good!

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you have read it, feel free to add your link to your review in the comments.

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 Stolen Life" by Jaycee Dugard

Thanks to the Best of 2011 Blog Hop over at "A Pause on the Path," I discovered that this is our most viewed post of 2011 with 106.

As I read A Stolen Life by Jaycee Dugard I had to keep reminding myself that this was not a novel but it actually happened. It's a remarkable story of how Jaycee was kidnapped and lived in a backyard shack for 18 years. It will have you turning pages quickly because it is riveting. Thanks for telling your story so well, Jaycee! Hope your daughters and you can enjoy a normal life. I'm glad you finally have a dog too!
(Gerard's review)

After seeing the news story about Jaycee Dugard being kidnapped at age 11 and held captive for 18 years, I wasn't sure I wanted to read her book, A Stolen Life, because the abductor was such a slimeball but I am glad I did.  This is a fascinating book. I was pleasantly surprised that although she did not have freedom, she was not tortured too much. She cooperated so he would not get mad and so she could survive. It did surprise me though that she didn’t even think about ways to escape. I was so happy that she had kittens and a bird to keep her company. Phillip raped her and she became a 14-yr.-old mother of a healthy baby girl and had another later too. These girls brightened her life. This is a heartbreaking story while she was in captivity, but fortunately it has a happy ending.
(Karen's Review)

Here is a video that summarizes what she went through.  After we saw the show, we wanted to read her book!





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.

Have To Join In Sugar's Pawty!

Our friend Sugar is having a Happy 10th Barkday  and all Sugar's doggie friends are joining the party by showing big smiles like Sugar shares.

Abby and Karen

Happy Birthday, Sugar!

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: "Look Again" and "A Stolen Life"

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:

Ellen couldn't stop looking at the white card, which read HAVE YOU SEEN THIS CHILD? The resemblance between the boy in the photo and her son was uncanny.

Taken from page 1 of Look Again by Lisa Scottoline.

Gerard's:
I do not want comfort from this awful man, but there is no one else here and I reluctantly lean into what comfort he gives.  Up until now I have not cried one time.  Only on the inside.  Now I feel like a rabbit being comforted by a lion.  I am so scared.



Taken from Page 19 of A Stolen Life by Jaycee Dugard (non-fiction).


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.

"Before I Go To Sleep" by S. J. Watson

Before I Go To Sleep by S. J. Watson is No. 2 on Parade Magazine Books Of The Year!  (No. 1 is Faith which I read and loved.)  Amazon.com gives this book rave reviews and it is going to be made into a movie!  I'm here to tell you that this book lives up to the hype and more!  I am not sure I'll read another book that I was so into as I was this one.  I read it in two days.  It has a fantastic plot which makes it a real page turner.  I did not want to put it down and the ending is very good too!  No, make that great!  Read both "Faith" and "Before I Go To Sleep"--you will be glad you did!  I know I am. (Gerard's Review)

Karen's review:
Before I Go To Sleep by S. J. Watson started off slow to me, then got creepy and then a bit confusing.  It is about Chrissy, a woman who has a strange kind of amnesia.  When she sleeps, she forgets everything but when she is awake, she can function normally except for remembering her past or even what happened the day before.  It is written from her perspective and her doctor advised her to keep a secret journal and write in it each day before going to sleep what happened that day and what things she was able to remember or things she learned about.  That way she could read it the next day to refresh her memory.  I thought this book moved kind of slow for about the first 90 pages, but then things picked up.  I was completely wrong in what I thought about things.  The happy ending was a bit like a fairy tale but I'm glad I stuck with it and finished it.  It's a good read, an unusual story line.   I liked Iron House 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.

"Middle School--The WORST Years of My Life" by James Patterson

What a gem of a small book this is for kids!  Middle School--The WORST Years of My Life by James Patterson and Chris Tebbetts tells the story of a young sixth grade boy.  It is a good story about how he deals with his classmates, family, grades and other school stuff, all with the help of his friend, Leo.  It is funny, including drawings by cartoonist and illustrator, Laura Park.  With school starting soon, it's a good time to give this a try.  I'm glad I did!

Here's a little teaser from it for you:   I decided that every rule in the Hills Village Middle School Code of Conduct should be worth a certain number of points, depending on how hard it was to break. (from p. 50)

(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.

"Iron House" by John Hart

Iron House by John Hart is a well-written novel that is a combination of suspense, mystery, drama and love.  It is about two brothers who lived at an orphanage called “Iron House” until one was adopted by a senator and his wife (Julian), and the other took off on his own to protect his brother (Michael).  Michael grew up tough and got into organized crime, but when he fell in love with Elena and wanted to leave to go straight.  Giving up killing though wasn’t easy, especially when they didn’t want to let him go. 

This psychological thriller just kept getting better and better as the plot thickened.  The author did an amazing job getting the reader to actually like Michael and pull for him even though he killed seven people before lunch!  Iron House is riveting and definitely a page-turner.  I loved the insight into the mob and the depth of the characters.  Iron House deals with issues of family, love, betrayal, mental illness, crime, abuse and secrets.  I think this book would be an excellent choice for a book club and highly recommend it if you like a good thriller! 

(Karen’s Review)

 

What a GREAT book to start August with!  The plot in this book is so good that what I thought I knew I wasn't even close, and the last chapters have some major twists and turns!  Has a really happy ending too!  For sure to make my top ten books of the year!!  It goes without saying that this book is a double WOW!  I highly recommend it

(Gerard’s Review)

We both think this is John Hart's best book yet and would like to see it made into a movie.

Check out our teaser from this book.

 

We got a free copy from the publisher to review this book but it in no way influenced our reviews.  We both LOVED IT and think you would too! 

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

Check out our other book reviews of books by John Hart.

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: "Iron House" and "Before I Go To Sleep"

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:

Now here he was, in love with a woman who thought she knew him, but did not.  Michael was trying to change, but killing was easy.  And quitting was hard.

From page 9 of Iron House by John Hart.

Gerard's:

There, beneath my name, in blue ink and capital letters, are three words.

DON'T TRUST BEN.

From page 43 of Before I Go To Sleep by S. J. Watson.

YOU CAN HELP FOR FREE:  KIVA is having giving away free trials this week.  This is a site that lists lots of people worldwide who need some help for specific things.  You choose who to loan $25 and when/if you get paid back, you can re-loan it . . . or not.  Use this link to go and pick someone to lend the $25 to: KIVA free trial link: http://kiva.org/invitedby/karen7242 (If just 5 people try this out using the above link, I'll get a KIVA t-shirt.)

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.

Comment For Charity in August: Heifer International

Last month, we had 175 comments which wasn't enough for donating to get a goat for a community through Heifer International.  Therefore, since the goat was the top vote getter, we will continue with the same charity for this month and donate 50 cents per comment received during July and August.  Thanks to everyone who commented on our blogs during July and hope you will continue to visit us and comment in August so we can get that goat!

 

"The Girl Who Disappeared Twice" by Andrea Kane

The Girl Who Disappeared Twice by Andrea Kane is a mystery that I had trouble putting down.  It had my attention from the get-go and kept it all the way through the book!  Forensic Instincts is a private group known for their unconventional methods and high success rate that was hired to find a Judge’s missing little girl, Krissy, who was kidnapped.  This book kept me guessing even though I thought I knew who did it, I couldn’t get all the pieces to fit.  The characters are fun and interesting, including the bloodhound named “Hero.”

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.

"What I Learned When I Almost Died" by Chris Licht

This is the true account of Chris Licht’s experience of having a brain hemorrhage. He wrote What I Learned When I Almost Died to give others the benefit of the life lessons he learned from having a near-death experience. Basically, he learned his family and friends were more important than his job. I think most people already know this, but he was a TV producer who feared losing his job--a TV producer.

By reading this book, I did learn that if I ever get a really unusual pain in my head, I need to go right to a hospital emergency room and say “I do not get headaches and this is the worst headache of my life.”

“. . . which is an informal code within the medical profession. Any decent ER would interpret the phrases to mean I was not a habitual complainer, I was in the midst of something rare, pay attention, give me a CAT scan.” P.7-8

I could have skipped this book and not missed much.

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 Two Deaths Of Daniel Hayes" by Marcus Sakey

WOW! The Two Deaths Of Daniel Hayes by Marcus Sakey had me from page 1. Here is the premise: a man wakes up alone on the beach with only a BMW car and his registration, but is it his car and is the name of the registration his? He doesn't know! Then he finds out the cops and a killer are after him but doesn't know why. His wife that he may have killed reveals herself to be alive and well.

This book was almost impossible to put down. The plot is really good! I enjoyed it and the way it ended very much!
(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.

"Crossing lines" by Paul Volponi is Thought Provoking

"Crossing Lines" by Paul Volponi is about accepting people for who they are and taking a stand against your friends if they are hurting someone. Alan, president of the fashion club, wore lipstick and dresses to school. No wonder the other boys teased him! The girls, however, helped dress him up and gave him perfume. Adonis found himself embarrassed that his sister hung around with Alan and even had him come over to his house. Adonis was on the football team and his teammates were his friends. Adonis struggled with who he really was. Should he go along with his friends who teased Alan even though it was wrong or accept Alan for who is is and impress the girl he liked who was in the fashion club with his sister and Alan?

Live and let live is pretty much the message in this book. This is a thought-provoking teen book. I did not like Alan. I liked Adonis and thought he handled things fairly well. I recommend this for teens.  "How do you decide when to stand by and when to take a stand?"

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.

"Bottom of the 33rd" by Dan Barry

WOW! Bottom of the 33rd by Dan Barry is so good! It is the true story of a minor league baseball game that went 33 innings, starting on a Saturday and finishing on Easter Sunday morning. It lasted 8 hours and 25 minutes. I enjoyed how the author went into detail on some of the players' lives and careers. It even got into the radio announcers, a bat boy and the few fans who stayed the whole game! To say I enjoyed this would be an understatement—I LOVED IT!

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 Bond" by Wayne Pacelle

Gerard and Abby

The Bond by Wayne Pacelle is an excellent non-fiction book about our bond with animals. Here are some things I discovered from reading this book that I think are amazing: (1) Indians had dogs as pets; (2) Chimps have better memories than humans; (3) Four dolphins developed their own act with no help from humans. I particularly liked the chapters on Michael Vick and Hurricane Katrina. This is a really good read,pick it up and enjoy!

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.