"Curve Ball--The Year I Lost My Grip" by Jordan Sonnenblick

A good read for guys!

Curve Ball--The Year I Lost My Grip by Jordan Sonnenblick centers on Peter, a young teen who is just entering High School and has to deal with the following:  (1) he blows out his pitching arm just before school starts; (2) has girl problems; (3) his best friend thinks he will play because Peter has not told him how bad his injury really is; (4) he pursues photography that his grandpa taught him, then his grandpa takes a turn for the worse.  Interested yet?

I enjoyed this book a lot!  Peter's friends are as interesting as he is, especially his "girlfriend" who I think steals the show from Peter.  It's a quick read with no bad language with a really good ending! 
(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 during June and July to The Wounded Warrior Project which helps wounded warriors and their families returning from current conflicts.

"Heartbroken" by Lisa Unger

Heartbroken by Lisa Unger is what I call a woman's book, but this 59-yr-old man enjoyed it very much!  There are lots of good plot lines that kept me interested to the max!  When all the characters are in one place, the action explodes!  This is a page turner for sure that I think would make a real good "Lifetime" movie.  Make time to read this one; you will be glad you did!
(Gerard's review) 

Karen's review:

Heartbroken by Lisa Unger was a disturbing read for me because Emily continues making bad decisions over and over to protect, Dean, the man she loves, who is an ex-con.  Things go very wrong when Brad, his “friend” from prison, shows up demanding money.  Her life completely falls apart when she realizes she has nothing and isn’t even who she thought she was.  Then there is another family with strained relationships and secrets from the past.  When Kate, a new author who wrote a fiction book based on family journals, takes her daughter and her girlfriend, Lulu to Heart Island to visit her 75-yr-old mother, Birdie, for their annual family vacation, it turns into a horror show and is the worst vacation they ever had!  Normally, Birdie and Joe are the only ones on the island and it is very peaceful and relaxing.  Joe, however, left because the silence got to him and he needed a break from his wife, Birdie.  When intruders arrive, the action really picks up and secrets are revealed. 

This was an interesting read because of the various colorful characters and the different story lines going on simultaneously.  As I read, I got an ominous feeling about Heart Island and its history.  My favorite part was the excitement when Kate, Birdie, Chelsea and LuLu were beating off the bad guys.

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 during June and July to The Wounded Warrior Project which helps wounded warriors and their families returning from current conflicts.

Tuesday Teasers: "Gone Missing" and "Starters" and "Boy 21"

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:

All children are innocent, but Amish children possess a particular kind of innocence. They believe the world is a good place, that their parents never make mistakes, that everyone they meet is their friend, and that if you pray hard enough, God will answer your prayers. It's particularly shattering for an Amish child when she realizes none of those things are true. 

From page 50 of Gone Missing by Linda Castillo. (an Amish thriller)  

Gerard's:

"It's even worse, didn't you hear her?" I said to Helena.  "The body bank's going to cherry-pick the prettiest kids and start using them.  We have to stop this."

From page 201 of Starters by Lissa Price.  (YA science fiction)

"My father was number twenty-one in high school, and he's monitoring me from outer space.  I promised I'd always wear number twenty-one for him, so long as I played ball."

From page 114 of Boy 21 by Matthew Quick.

We are donating 50 cents for each legitimate comment we receive on all our blogs during June and July to The Wounded Warrior Project which helps wounded warriors and their families returning from current conflicts.

"Boy 21" by Matthew Quick (Updated)

Boy 21 by Matthew Quick is a great fast teen read.  It's about a young boy and his girlfriend who are both very good at basketball.  It's their ticket out of their small town.  Another boy comes along and the two boys become unexpected friends.  When life throws these young people a curve ball, they have to come together or the dream dies.  I enjoyed this book a lot!  The writing is good and the ending is really, really good!  This is not just a basketball book and not just for teens.  Read and enjoy!
(Gerard's review)

Boy 21 by Matthew Quick is a teen romance involving friendship, basketball, poverty and the Irish mob.  It delves into deep issues like dealing with grief, love of family and love.  I was surprised at how good this story was, the ending brought tears to my eyes.  It’s a very moving story and shows how life can be so unpredictable.  It was heartbreaking when Finley turned his back on basketball to be with his girlfriend at the hospital who was in a hit-and–run accident only to be told she didn’t want to see him.  In an unexpected turn, the boy Finley was asked to help wound up being a good friend to Finley.  I enjoyed this quick, touching read about friendship and love. 
(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 during June and July to The Wounded Warrior Project which helps wounded warriors and their families returning from current conflicts.

"Gone Missing" by Linda Castillo is an Amish Thriller

Gone Missing by Linda Castillo is about a police investigation involving several missing Amish teens.  The cops don’t know if they just left on their own or if foul play was involved.  Some disappearances are cold cases but some are recently and they wonder if they are all related.  Talking to the victims’ families is tough because of the Amish’s general reluctance to trust anyone outside their own community.  Kate Burkholder, having grown up Amish, the chief of police for a small Amish community is called in on the case as a consultant and is excited about working again with a State Agent, John Tomasetti, who she really hit it off with. 

This book focuses on parent-teen relationships and is an interesting read because it not only gives some insight into the Amish, but is told from Kate’s perspective and includes both her job as a cop and her personal life as a woman.  The last 67 pages are full of suspense and action that made me keep turning the pages.  The ending is very unsettling and quite shocking!  This book has some foul language but it is much less than some of her other books I’ve read and was easy to overlook.  This is a good mystery!
(Karen's review)

 

Other books I liked by Linda Castillo:  Sworn to Silence (gruesome), Pray for Silence (very good) and Breaking Silence (thrilling)

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 during June and July to The Wounded Warrior Project which helps wounded warriors and their families returning from current conflicts.

"The Chalk Girl" by Carol O'Connell is Very Good

The Chalk Girl by Carol O'Connell tells the story of a gang of bullies in grade school who go after other kids.  One day they go after an adult and kill him.  The person who did the killing is fingered by someone.  Flash forward years later and the killer seeks revenge against his fellow gang members.

This is a page turner that doesn't reveal the killer until the final few pages.  I give this book 4 1/2 stars just because I liked it a lot, but it was very slow in some places and left me wanting more action.  It is very good though and well worth your time to read it.
(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 during June and July to The Wounded Warrior Project which helps wounded warriors and their families returning from current conflicts.

"172 Hours on the Moon" by Johan Harstad (UPDATED)

Wow, oh wow! 172 Hours on the Moon by Johan Harstad is awesome! This novel is the story of three teens who are selected to travel to the moon by NASA to get people excited by the space mission again. The first 200 pages are good and the last pages from 201 to the end (351 pages total) are a page turners to the max! Once the teens got to the moon the action really picked up! I enjoyed this book very much!! Put this on your TBR for sure--it's worth it! (Gerard's review)

172 Hours on the Moon by Johan Harstad is a depressing science fiction read that is an ominous adventure.  This book takes place in 2019 when a crew of five astronauts and three teens blast off to spend a week on the moon.  Once there, some very strange things happen and they regret going.  If you think you’d like to go to the moon, you may have second thoughts after reading 172 Hours on the Moon.  I was enjoying this book until the end came which made no sense.  I really hated the ending!
(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 during June and July to The Wounded Warrior Project which helps wounded warriors and their families returning from current conflicts.

Tuesday Teasers: Christian Fiction and Non-fiction

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:

Oh God, she prayed frantically.  If you're really there, don't let Alex do this to me.  Put stumbling blocks in his way.   

From pg. 35 of The Scarlet Thread by Francine Rivers


Gerard's:

"She's okay now," the brothelkeeper announced, rolling away some cooking pots he'd knocked on top of her in his haste to extinguish the fire." Alive, no problem!"

From page 95 of Behind the Beautiful Forevers-Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity by Katherine Boo

See Our Favorite Reads for June

Happy Reading! We are donating 50 cents for each legitimate comment we receive on all our blogs during June and July to The Wounded Warrior Project which helps wounded warriors and their families returning from current conflicts.

"Behind the Beautiful Forevers" by Katherine Boo

Behind the Beautiful Forevers--Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity by Katherine Boo is the true story of people who live in the slums of India. The book focuses on Abdul who makes a living by sorting through garbage the rich people throw away. One day he is falsely accused of killing a disabled woman and must stand trial. This was an eye opening book for me. I did not know about the slums of India. It's not pretty.

Most of the story was very good but it bogged down some in parts so I give it 4 stars. I think it is worth reading! (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 during June and July to The Wounded Warrior Project which helps wounded warriors and their families returning from current conflicts.

"Redeeming Love" by Francine Rivers

Great read for book clubs and historical fiction fans!

Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers was excellent! One of the best I ever read. About a beautiful little girl, sold into prostitution with no decent role models who learns what real love is when Michael Hosea decides to marry her and take her out of the brothel no matter what. Slowly, very slowly her walls come down and she learns to trust people, even to love. She leaves Michael for 3 years because she knows he wants children and she can’t have any, ever. Told her best friend to have his children and make him happy but Michael chose Angel. Angel is transformed when she finally trusts in Jesus as her personal Savior.

This is a historical Christian romance that held my attention all the way through and provided a lively discussion for our book club. It starts out very sad, depressing and raunchy but ends on a very positive note and shows Angel's journey to love and acceptance. It's a marvelous story based on the book of Hosea. I liked this book so much, I actually bought it!
(Karen's review-read in 2006)

Click this link to See What I Won at the Library 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 during June and July to The Wounded Warrior Project which helps wounded warriors and their families returning from current conflicts.

"The Scarlet Thread" by Francine Rivers is a Must Read!

Great book on relationships--must read!

The Scarlet Thread by Francine Rivers is contemporary fiction about God’s sovereignty and faithfulness.  After 13 years of marriage, Alex decides on his own to leave his steady job for an opportunity in California as a video game designer.  His wife, Sierra, does not want to move and becomes angry and bitter.  I particularly liked reading the part about the issues in the contemporary marriage.  The couple has four times as much money but becomes very unhappy and Alex asks for a divorce.  Sierra’s Godly mother gives her an old journal and a quilt of one of their pioneer ancestors, Mary Kathryn, who also had to move against her will back in 1847.

The author beautifully combines this contemporary fiction novel with historical fiction by showing the parallels between Sierra’s and Mary Kathryn’s journeys, women from two different time periods.  They both are bitter and resentful towards God at the beginning but as he works in their lives, they come to see his love, faithfulness and goodness.  Great writing with a wonderful message and a great ending!  I think this would be an excellent book club read because of the marriage issues and the spiritual journey.  It even has discussion questions in the back!  This is my favorite read for June and balances out Gerard's dark books of late!
(Karen's review)

Other books I liked by this author:  Redeeming Love and Leota's Garden

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 during June and July to The Wounded Warrior Project which helps wounded warriors and their families returning from current conflicts.

"Dark Places" by Gillian Flynn

Dark Places by Gillian Flynn is a winner! WOW, this is good! Libby Day, age 7, survives a night when her mom and two sisters were murdered by their brother in "The Satan Sacrifice of Kinnakee, Kansas." Libby testifies to this in court. However, 25 years later, the money she inherited runs low so when she is offered money to sell family mementos, she agrees but begins to have second thoughts if her brother was the murderer.

I liked the writing and lots of twists and turns with a surprise ending. I highly recommend this book if you enjoy suspense and murder mysteries. I also loved GONE GIRL by Gillian Flynn.
(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 during June and July to The Wounded Warrior Project which helps wounded warriors and their families returning from current conflicts.

"Alone" by Lisa Gardner

Alone by Lisa Gardner is a page turner that had my attention from the first page all the way to the end. It's about Bobby, a police sniper who responded to a domestic violence hostage situation and killed the husband who had his finger on the trigger of a gun pointed at his wife, Catherine, and 4-yr-old son, Nathan. Afterwards, he felt terrible about killing a man. His life got complicated when the man turned out to be a high court judge's son and learned he may be charged with murder! The judge files for custody of his grandson, claiming Catherine is a bad mother who is out to kill him by starving him to death. Catherine feels alone as she tries to protect her son, Bobby feels alone as he deals with his career problems and chooses to help Catherine when she tells him there was an intruder in her house.

This book psychological thriller is filled with suspense, manipulation, murder, family secrets, domestic violence and interesting characters. I had a hard time putting this one down and recommend it. (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 during June and July to The Wounded Warrior Project which helps wounded warriors and their families returning from current conflicts.

"Into The Darkest Corner" by Elizabeth Haynes

You just have to make time to read Into the Darkest Corner by Elizabeth Haynes —it's awesome!! It tells the story of young pretty Catherine Bailey. She was in a very abusive relationship with Lee. The thing that makes this book so good is that it follows her and Lee's relationship but also three years later as she is trying to recover and get back to being normal again. You get two stories at once! The writing is superb and the ending shocking! This is a page turner that is hard to beat. It doesn't get any better than this! Must read! (Gerard's review: Rating (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!

Related Post:  See another review of this at Tiffany's Bookshelf

We are donating 50 cents for each legitimate comment we receive on all our blogs during June and July to The Wounded Warrior Project which helps wounded warriors and their families returning from current conflicts.

"A Dog's Purpose" by W. Bruce Cameron

A Dog’s Purpose by Bruce Cameron is touching and at times funny. The dog narrator will made me question how my dog feels how good a dog owner I am. The dog has several different lives with various owners throughout this book, but is loyal to the end to the boy, Ethan. I especially enjoyed reading about the dog’s life as Ellie, the search and rescue dog and laughed when the dog said the cats he lived with had no purpose. The dog’s relationship with Ethan shows how loyal dogs are and was heartwarming. This is an emotional read because when some people mistreated the dog, I felt a lot of anger rise up in me. Although the dog dies, it’s not too sad because it is reincarnated as another puppy and gets another life! I recommend this book to any dog lover. (Karen's review 6/27/12)

 I really enjoyed A Dog’s Purpose by W. Bruce Cameron. This is told by a dog who knows he needs to find a purpose for his life. He meets a boy named Ethan, then he becomes a search and rescue dog with a fantastic and touching ending! If you are a dog lover, you will love A Dog’s Purpose. I sure did! I highly recommend you read this book! (Gerard's review 7/27/10)

 Other book by this author that we both liked is A Dog's Journey 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 during June and July to The Wounded Warrior Project which helps wounded warriors and their families returning from current conflicts.

Tuesday Teaser: teen science fiction and thriller

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:

The Mia the world has known is going to leave Earth now. And when I come back, everything will be different.

And she was more right about that than she knew.

Taken from page 141 of 172 Hours on the Moon by Johan Harstad

Karen's:

The man still had his gun aimed at the woman's head, but was now rounding the bed, fast, furious. She didn't say a word, didn't budge a step. Then the man was right there, yelling ferociously and, with his left hand, tugging at the child.

From page 21 of Alone by Lisa Gardner.

We are donating 50 cents for each legitimate comment we receive on all our blogs during June and July to The Wounded Warrior Project which helps wounded warriors and their families returning from current conflicts.

We Have Our Giveaway Winner! By Default (Updated 7/11/12)

Congratulations Heather, LUCKY LADY, Meow!

UPDATED 7/11/12: Well, it's been over two weeks since we contacted Heather for her address and we have not heard back after trying three times so will award the book to the next commenter who wanted it--Lucky Lady over at Country Pictures. Hope you enjoy the book!

I threw all 5 entries on the floor by Manny and the first one he touched was Heather so she is our winner.  Congratulations Heather, hope you enjoy Gone by Cathi Hanauer as much as we did!

We are donating 50 cents for each legitimate comment we receive on all our blogs during June and July to The Wounded Warrior Project which helps wounded warriors and their families returning from current conflicts.

"Never Tell" by Alafair Burke (UPDATED)

Never Tell by Alafair Burke is about Julia Whitmere, a young teen girl, who appears to have it all--rich, goes to the best school. Then why does she commit suicide by slashing her wrists in their bathtub? Her mom claims foul play but the cops say, "No way." Then it seems like she was a cyber bully against her best friend's mom! But she's dead, so how can that be? This book is a lot more than just Julia. There are lots of characters in play in this Never Tell. I suggest you don't try to figure out who and what, just go along on the wild ride. I was surprised at the ending. I give this one 4 1/2 stars.
(Gerard's review)

We disagreed on this one.  Never Tell by Alafair Burke is a complicated murder mystery that I found myself plowing through.  It started off interesting with woman getting anonymous threats on her blog, but that was the only part I found interesting.  I didn’t really care much for the characters and with all the lying in the investigation, I had no clue really what was going on until the end when things all got wrapped up.  I found the part about the experimental drug trials very boring.  Sorry I can’t say I enjoyed this book, I was relieved when I finished it!
(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 during June and July to The Wounded Warrior Project which helps wounded warriors and their families returning from current conflicts.

Tuesday Teasers: "Afterwards" and "A Dog's Purpose"

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 screamed her name. Over and over. And each time I screamed her name, smoke came into my mouth and throat and lungs until I couldn't scream anymore.

From page 19 of Afterwards by Rosamund Lupton.

Karen's:

Of all the things I'd ever done, making Senora laugh seemed the most important.
It was, I reflected, the only thing that gave my life any purpose.

From page 54 of A Dog's Purpose by W. Bruce Cameron.

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 during June and July to The Wounded Warrior Project which helps wounded warriors and their families returning from current conflicts.

"impeccable Petunia" by Jonathan Edward and Katie Christine

"Impeccable Petunia--Claws, Paws, Feathers and Jaws Part I" is fiction about a hen house and the lady and her cat, Macy.  Petunia gets on the wrong side of her hen house when the lady takes her inside her home.  The hens start gossiping and think Petunia is in cahoots with the cat. 

Petunia and the cat become friends, sort of.  My favorite parts were whenever the cat was in the story.  This is only Part I and it leaves off on a sad note for Macy the cat.  Although this is a silly animal story, I think the vocabulary is pretty advanced for a kid's book.  This is more for young adults or even adult general fiction.

I think anyone who likes chickens or lived on a farm would enjoy this book very much.

I read the Kindle version which I got from the author. 


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 during June and July to The Wounded Warrior Project which helps wounded warriors and their families returning from current conflicts.

"The 500" by Matthew Quirk

I give The 500 by Matthew Quirk 5 stars!

Mike Ford lands a dream job at a high ranking D.C. law firm. He befriends a pretty girl there and they hook up. Things are going good and Mike's stock rises in the firm to the point where he is being with the big boys of the firm. Life is good, but may be too good to be true. The 500 by Matthew Quirk is a good book, but the last 100 pages lifts it into the REAL GOOD box! I was glad to hear it is going to be a movie. There was some hype around this book which I bought into and am glad I did! Wait for the movie to come out or read the book. You owe it to yourself to do one or the other!
(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 during June and July to The Wounded Warrior Project which helps wounded warriors and their families returning from current conflicts.

Giveaway: "Gone" by Cathi Hanauer

Enter our giveaway for this one!

Gone by Cathi Hanauer is a story about a man who drove the babysitter home one night and just took off, leaving his wife, his 14-yr-old daughter and his young son to fend for themselves. Does he have an affair with the babysitter? How does his wife and kids get along without him? Does he come back? This was a good book, well worth my time! I liked the daughter best, then the wife and then the son but did not care for the husband at all. (We got a complimentary copy of this book but that did not affect my review in any way.)

(Gerard's review)


(Karen's review):
Gone by Cathi Hanauer is an excellent book about balancing work, family and marriage. Through the inner workings of the Adams family, the author shows the importance of communication between husband and wife and changes that inevitably happen in a marriage. Eve is a part-time nutritionist and new author whose book is selling well. Her husband is a sculpture whose lost his inspiration and hasn’t really sold anything for a couple years. Consequently, Eve feels angry and Erik feels useless which leads to depression and a little 6-week vacation that he neglects to tell his wife about. What really got Eve angry was that Eric took off with their babysitter! When he eventually does try to contact her, she ignores his calls. While he’s away, his two children continue growing up without him. Although Eric isn’t big on new technology, he did text his teenage daughter to keep in touch.

My favorite character in this book was Danny, their young son who got a parakeet after the dad left them. My favorite part of the book was when the husband returned and his first interaction with his family was seeing his daughter sneaking out of the house, getting into a man’s car, and possibly doing drugs. That’s what finally gave him the courage to be “the dad” and step up, telling the guy to never come back and having a good father-daughter talk.

I liked this contemporary fiction book about modern family life and was glad it had a happy ending. I found it interesting that my husband and I liked different characters. He liked all except for the husband and I liked the husband and the son better than the mother and daughter. I think this could be a good book for a book club to discuss, not only the marriage aspect but also the wife’s work, Eric’s mother and sisters, and Eric’s work and the family dynamics. The bottom line is that a good marriage is high maintenance and needs constant attention. I recommend this book to any who like contemporary fiction about relationships.

Here's three teasers from it that I liked for you:

He had officially caught up to himself.  Even here.  Wherever you go, there you are, he thought—even here, in this still, dark Tucson night, the sweet smell of citrus blossoms on the breeze, the air a perfect velvet dome around him.

Pg. 138

 

And really, he thought now, more power to her for it.

But it made him feel like an aging pet, something that had to be fed and watered purely because you’d once acquired it, back when it was still cute and relevant.

Pg. 261

 

Maybe that was the secret.  Don’t let perfect ruin good,  Eve’s mother used to say.

Pg. 333

(We got a complimentary copy of this new book which is being released June 19, 2012 but that did not affect our reviews in any way.)

If you would like this book, just let us know you'd like to win it in our giveaway in the comments and give us an email address so we can contact you if you win. On June 24 one of our cats will pick a number from the amount of comments we get and the winner will be announced.

We are donating 50 cents for each legitimate comment we receive on all our blogs during June and July to The Wounded Warrior Project which helps wounded warriors and their families returning from current conflicts.

"The Drowned Cities" by Paolo Bacigalupi

The Drowned Cities by Paolo Bacigalupi takes place in America that has been ravaged by flood waters.  The main characters, Mouse and Mahlia, have a strong friendship.  However, the character I liked best was Tool (half man and half dog) who is very strong and was hunted by a vengeful band of soldiers.  I thought this book was pretty good.
(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 during June and July to The Wounded Warrior Project which helps wounded warriors and their families returning from current conflicts.

"Gone Girl" by Gillian Flynn Lives up to the Hype (UPDATED)

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn tells the story of Nick and Amy. On their fifth wedding anniversary, Amy turns up missing. Did Nick have something to do with it? WOW oh WOW! It doesn't get much better than this story that is told by Nick and Amy. I had a love-hate relationship with them both! I never knew what was going to happen next and had a hard time putting it down. I hated to see it end! The writing is superb! I think this would make a fantastic movie and loved this book! Don't let GONE GIRL pass you by, believe the hype!
(Gerard's review)

(Karen's review)
Gerard and I differ on our opinions of this book.  I didn't care for it at all and only read about 1/3 of the way.  I really didn't like either Nick or Amy all that much and the bad language turned me off too.  It seemed I was plowing through it but wanted to keep going since Gerard thought it was so good.  Then I saw another blogger's review of it and they didn't like it either.  They said the first 100 pages were very boring.  The reviewer compared it to Still Missing by Chevy Stevens and  Before I Go To Sleep by S. J. Watson because of the ending leaving the reader feeling tricked.  I wish I could remember where I saw it so I could share the link here with you, but I can't remember.  Anyhow, I was bored with this one so gave up on it and went on to read something else--"Impeccable Petunia" which I had a request to 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 during June and July to The Wounded Warrior Project which helps wounded warriors and their families returning from current conflicts.

"Playing Dead" by Julia Heaberlin

Playing Dead by Julia Heaberlin had me baffled.  Tommie, a child psychiatrist, returns to her childhood home in Ponder, Texas, after her dad, a former U.S. Marshal and rancher died and has a nice reunion with her younger sister and niece.  Her mother is sick and institutionalized.  Tommie learns that there are family secrets she knew nothing of and the biggest shock is that her father really isn’t her biological father and that her parents kept this from her.  Not only that, but when digging to find the truth about her identity, she discovers her biological father is a mobster doing time in prison a short distance away for murdering an entire family!  Nice, huh?  She gets a letter in the mail from a lady in Chicago that says she thinks Tommie is her daughter who was kidnapped as a very young child and would like for her to come and visit so they could meet.  This lady is the mobster’s wife and a real nutcase.  My favorite part was when she was at the library and the FBI followed her so were there to rescue her from the mobster who was threatening her because she was digging up the past that they wanted left alone.

This is a story with lots of twists and turns that got me a bit confused.  I don’t know how Tommie managed to keep it all straight but she did, even when her life was threatened on a couple occasions by the rival mob of her imprisoned father.  I liked the happy surprise ending and didn’t see it coming.  I couple things I didn’t understand though—how Jack Smith—the phony reporter could just get into Tommie’s house anytime he wanted and what Rosalind was after.  If you read this, maybe you could explain this to me.  Although this book is shocking with lots of surprises along the way, it seemed to kind of drag along.   

(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 during June and July to The Wounded Warrior Project which helps wounded warriors and their families returning from current conflicts.

Tuesday Teasers: "Playing Dead" and "Gone Girl"

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 love her like she was my own.' That's what Daddy said.
There it was. My first certain step into an abyss of lies.

Taken from page 49 of Playing Dead by Julia Heaberlin.

Gerard's:

"Oh, s___," he said. "Her?"
"You recognize her?"
He actually looked stricken. "She wanted to buy a gun."

Taken from page 117 of Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn.

Happy Reading! We are donating 50 cents for each legitimate comment we receive on all our blogs during June and July to The Wounded Warrior Project which helps wounded warriors and their families returning from current conflicts.

"The Wings of Morning" by Murray Pura

Here's the book trailer for this one:






I enjoyed The Wings of Morning by Murray Pura very much.  This is part 1 of "Snapshots in History" series.  It is about Jude, an Amish pilot during World War I who agrees to fly for America in order to save his friends even though it means he will be shunned.  Lyyndaya and Jude develop a friendship which leads to a romance but their letters must remain at the post office because of the shunning.


This is the best Amish romance I've read because it didn't poke along and the main character was male instead of female.  I liked the description of the flying, the dog fights and the romance.  Parts were heart-breaking and very sad but it was really great to see how Jude maintained his faith while at war and managed not to kill anyone!  The ending was fantastic!

This book is so much more than just a Christian romance.  I loved this one because it had adventure, faith, forgiveness, group dynamics, clean language and romance without the sex scenes.  Murray Pura is a new author to me; I look forward to reading more of his books.
(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 during June and July to The Wounded Warrior Project which helps wounded warriors and their families returning from current conflicts.

"Smoke and Bone" by Laini Taylor

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor is about a young girl, Karou who is happy doing errands for fallen angels. All that changes when a real angel notices her and a relationship forms. I enjoyed this book a lot. The plot is pretty simple to follow and it has some unexpected twists. As for the ending, it left me wanting to know more which is why it is a good thing that a second book is to follow. I'll be reading that one too!
(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 during June and July to The Wounded Warrior Project which helps wounded warriors and their families returning from current conflicts.

"The 13th Tribe" by Robert Liparulo (Christian/Historical Fiction)

I'm not a huge fan of Christian fiction; however, I'll make an exception when it comes to The 13th Tribe by Robert Liparulo.  This book is really, really good!  It's about the group of people who built and worshiped a golden calf while waiting for Moses to come down from Mr. Sinai.  They were forever doomed to wander in the desert, but they wanted to get back in God's favor.  How you ask, you will have to read the book to find out.  There is a good bit of action with a great twist at the end—I loved it!  The ending is awesome!  There are also ten discussion questions in the back of the book that you might want to try answering or use in a book club.
(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 during June and July to The Wounded Warrior Project which helps wounded warriors and their families returning from current conflicts.

"A Dog's Journey" by W. Bruce Cameron (Updated)

A Dog’s Journey by W. Bruce Cameron is about the dedication of a dog to its owner. This story follows Clarity June (CJ) from toddler through her 70s when she dies in Hospice and how her dog(s) watched over her. CJ is neglected by her mother after her father died in a plane crash, struggled with anorexia, bad boyfriends, pursued an acting career, was a dog walker, attempted suicide, but found love with her best friend. It’s a cute story actually and although the dog dies several times in the book, he comes back as a different dog but keeps all his old memories and is re-united with CJ over and over again. He’s an “angel dog.” There's even a cat in it named Sneakers!

This is an emotional read. I was angry at the mother right from the beginning of the book but other parts were funny and touching. I loved that the dog was the narrator of the book and enjoyed his perspective on things. I’m glad I read this one and plan to read his first book, A Dog’s Purpose too!  I recommend this to any dog lover.
(Karen's review)

Gerard's review:
A Dog's Journey by W. Bruce Cameron is a must read for animal lovers.  It is told very well by a dog.  It is funny, sad, and very touching.  What it isn't is boring, and that's a good thing!  I loved this book from page 1 and it only grew as I read it!  The ending left me with tears and a smile!  I loved both books I read by this author, the other being A Dog's Purpose.

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 during June and July to The Wounded Warrior Project which helps wounded warriors and their families returning from current conflicts.

Tuesday Teasers: CAT DADDY and SISTER

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:

Those cats, wherever they may have wound up (those kittens are now seniors!), gave me a gift.
Thank God, because, given what was about to happen, I was going to need it.

Taken from page 65 of Cat Daddy by Jackson Galaxy.(click the link to see my review)

Gerard's:

"I really don't think she's gone missing voluntarily."
But Mum didn't want to listen to me. "She'll have another baby one day in far happier circumstances."

Taken from page 46 of Sister by Rosamund Lupton. (click the link to see my review)

Check out Our Favorite Reads for May.

Happy Reading! We are donating 50 cents for each legitimate comment we receive on all our blogs during June and July to The Wounded Warrior Project which helps wounded warriors and their families returning from current conflicts.

"Sister" by Rosamund Lupton

Bee and Tess are sisters.  When their Mum calls Bee to tell her that her sister is missing, Bee comes to help find her.  What they find is Tess dead, hours after delivering a stillborn baby.  When the reason given is suicide, Bee does not believe it and on her own searches for the killer.

Wow!  I really enjoyed this book a lot!  Bee tells the whole story and does a super job.  The ending is really good too!  Give it a shot, you will be glad you did.
(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 during June and July to The Wounded Warrior Project which helps wounded warriors and their families returning from current conflicts.

"Cat Daddy" by Jackson Galaxy

His cat Benny looks like Spunky Doodle so Spunky liked it.

Cat Daddy--What the World's Most Incorrigible Cat Taught Me about Life, Love, and Coming Clean by Jackson Galaxy was both eye-opening and disappointing to me. It is about Jackson Galaxy more than it is about cats, although it does have some suggestions for relating to cats and has a touching story about the cat he rescued, Benny. Jackson is a cat consultant who seeks to help people solve problems they have with their cats instead of having them euthanized. I was surprised to learn about all of Jackson's addictions. I thought it would be more like his TV show, “My Cat From Hell,” telling about the different cat owners he consulted with about their cats but it's not that at all.  The bad language in this book really was a turn off for me.
(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 during June and July to The Wounded Warrior Project which helps wounded warriors and their families returning from current conflicts.

"Canada" by Richard Ford

Canada by Richard Ford didn't impress me.  I loved Part 1, told by a 15-yr.-old son of parents who robbed a bank to pay off a debt the father had from running a scam.  The mother drove the getaway car.  The son goes to Canada with the help of one of his mom's friends and the parents go to prison.  Part 2--the main part totally confused me.  I liked Part 3 which tells about years later when the son meets up with his sister, who is dying and gives him their mother's journal.
(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 during June to The Wounded Warrior Project which helps wounded warriors and their families returning from current conflicts.

"One Shot at Forever" by Chris Ballard

 WOW! One Shot at Forever--A Small Town, An Unlikely Coach, and a Magical Baseball Season by Chris Ballard is a really, really good people book!  It is also a good baseball book.  It is the true story of a small High School and a bunch of farm boys with a very cool coach.  Against all odds, they have a chance to win the state championship.  I loved the team--what a great bunch of boys!  The games are very exciting to say the least.  The best part of the book is years later when the coach talks to all the guys and they look back on the year they had.  I got into this book right away.  It's all good--you will be glad you read this one!
(Gerard's review)

Karen's review:
One Shot at Forever by Chris Ballad is an enjoyable true story about a small rural town high school baseball team that no one wanted to coach until Sweet, the new hippie English teacher reluctantly volunteered.  With his laid back attitude, unconventional methods and philosophy of keeping it fun he proved that his coaching style could produce a winning team.  This is a baseball book that takes you inside the inner workings of a ball team and lets you know how the coach thinks and also the players.  This was a coach that was there for his players and it wasn't about his ego.  

My favorite player was John Heneberry, the pitcher who couldn't throw a fast ball.  I thought the coach was a funny guy and really admired how he motivated his players and brought out the best in them.  The accounts of the tournament games were well done and tugged at my heart.  I couldn't help but feel the Macon Hawks was my team.  It's a heartwarming story about the cohesiveness of a ball team and how the town rallied around them.  I loved after Sweet retired, he made his land into a wildlife preserve!  I recommend this book to anyone who likes baseball. 

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 during June and July to THE WARRIOR PROJECT which helps wounded warriors and their families returning from current conflicts. We encourage you to check it out and perhaps make a donation of your own!

Tuesday Teasers: 3 For You

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:

"And I sleep with it in case I wake and find a strange man in my bedroom." I stuffed the dagger back under the pillow.

From page 49 of Surrender, by Lee Nichols (the last book of the Haunting Emma series. 

"Alright, I've got some rules to go over," he said. "The first one is that I'm not going to have many rules."
Next, he announced that practice was optional.

From page 39 of One Shot at Forever--A small Town, An unlikely Coach, and a Magical Baseball Season by Chris Ballard.

Gerard's:

A day lasts much, much longer when you're hungry and worried about the person you are supposed to take care of. Eventually, though, the sky darkened, and I went through the dog door and curled up in a tight ball under the stairs, my stomach aching and empty.

From page 137-138 of A Dog's Journey by W. Bruce Cameron. (Posting review of this tomorrow.)

Happy Reading! We are donating 50 cents for each legitimate comment we receive on all our blogs during May to Joni and Friends for Camp Scholarships for families with special needs children.

"Outlaw Platoon" by Sean Parnell and John Bruning

Outlaw Platoon:  Heroes, Renegades, Infidels, and the Brotherhood of War in Afghanistan by Sean Parnell and John Bruning is an amazing book about Sean’s platoon fighting in Afghanistan.  It is gives so much insight into combat and what it’s like for our soldiers.  After reading about the horrible things that happen, I have a better understanding of what soldiers go through and why they are never the same when they come back from war.  I really liked the leadership analysis and the platoon dynamics.

It is interesting to see how such a diverse group of men can become like family and how they back up each other and sacrifice themselves to bring back the wounded and dying.  The writing was so good I felt as though I was right in battle with them.  This is an emotional and inspirational book that gave me a greater appreciation for our service men and women.  I think every American should read this one! 
(Karen's review)

WOW!  AWESOME!  After you read Outlaw Platoon by Sean Parnell and John R. Bruning you will gain a ton of respect for our men and women fighting over in Afghanistan. Sean holds nothing back which makes this book so good.  I could almost feel the bullets flying all around me!  Then ending brought tears to my eyes and pride in the U.S.A.   Thank you for your service, Mr. Parnell, and to the entire Outlaw Platoon.  God's blessings to all of you!
(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 during May to Joni and Friends for Camp Scholarships for families with special needs children.

"Surrender" by Lee NIchols

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Surrender by Lee Nichols is the last book in the Haunting Emma series that I enjoyed.  This series is part fantasy with ghosts, wraiths, ghasts and also about friendship, loyalty, forbidden love and adventure.   I liked the humor throughout this series and recommend it if you want a light, entertaining read.  The first two books in this series are:  Deception and Betrayal which you should definitely read first.  Surrender is mostly about romance with lots of action near the end.  The ending was good, but not the ending I was hoping for.  I would have had Emma give all her powers to Bennett and then go with Harry and live a normal life.  My favorite character was Coby, the popular high school football player who dated Emma and died but continued in the story to the end as a ghost.
(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 during May to Joni and Friends for Camp Scholarships for families with special needs children.

"Dream New Dreams" by Jai Pausch

If you read the "Last Lecture" or saw it on YouTube, then it's a no-brainer you have to read this book by Randy's wife.  It tells the story of how Randy and Jai dealt with his cancer and also how they explained it to their children.  The second part of the book deals with Jai being without Randy.  The book is sad, but also interesting in how one person coped with a devastating loss.
(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 during May to Joni and Friends for Camp Scholarships for families with special needs children.

"The Woman Who Wasn't There" by Robin Gaby Fisher

The Woman Who Wasn't There--The True Story of an Incredible Deception by Robin Gaby Fisher and Angelo J. Guglielmo, Jr. tells the story of a woman who lost her husband on 9/11.  He was in one tower, she the other.  She was able to help people out of harms way and befriended them.  She joined and then took charge of the survivors Network, giving of her time and money and was always there for her fellow survivors.  She was admired and gave back to New York by doing many acts of kindness.  Then ending of this book will shock you like no other!  You will ask yourself "why?" and we will never get an answer.  I suggest you read it and be amazed what one person did.  It kept me turning pages quickly!
(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 during May to Joni and Friends for Camp Scholarships for families with special needs children.

Tuesday Teasers: 3 For You

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:  Click the links to see Gerard's reviews.

"If I know the end is coming--like if I see an RPG fired at me or I know a sniper is about to shoot me--I want my last word to be 'Rats.'"

From Loc. 194-95 on Kindle of Outlaw Platoon: Heroes, Renegades, Infidels, and the Brotherhood of War in Afghanistan by Sean Parnell and John Bruning

By myself and very scared. Scared of ghost, scared also if I don't do this thing--lie in the manure--the Khmer Rouge will come and shoot me.

From page 47 of Never Fall Down by Patricia McCormick.

Gerard's:

We continue to be tortured by that day, yet it seems that nobody, even the people that are supposed to help us, understand what we are going through. We have all been through something horrible.

From page 40 of The Woman Who Wasn't There--The true story of an Incredible Deception by Robin Gaby Fisher and Angelo J. Guglielmo, Jr.


Happy Reading! We are donating 50 cents for each legitimate comment we receive on all our blogs during May to Joni and Friends for Camp Scholarships for families with special needs children.