"Home Again" by Kristin Hannah

Home Again by Kristin Hannah is about second chances. It's about Madeline, a single mom who is a cardiologist for her first love, Angel, who needs a heart transplant and how his brother the priest took care of Madeline and her daughter in his brother's absence. The daughter yearns to know her dad, the mother is afraid he will break her heart, the priest falls in love with Madeline but wants to do the right thing and Angel is a famous, rich actor living life in the fast lane until he has a third heart attack and winds up in the hospital back in his home town.

The heart transplant angle was very interesting in this book and it was fun seeing how the characters grew. I recommend this to those who like fairy tale romances or stories about single moms.

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.

Could You Please Do Us A Favor:   Canine Lifeline, the dog rescue that saved our Abby, is in the running for $1,000 donation from Pedigree. Please go vote for Canine Lifeline over at dogtipper.com. Today is the last day for voting! They are currently leading, but it's very close!

Tuesday Teaser: "Divergent" and "Home Again"

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 don't mean you shouldn't share them now; I mean you should never share them with anyone, ever, no matter what happens.  Divergence is extremely dangerous.  You understand?"

from page 22 of Divergent by Veronica Roth (My review will be posted tomorrow.)

Karen's:

"You're home, Angel.  Maybe if you look around, you'll find a reason to live."

from page 155 of Home Again by Kristin Hannah

Could You Please Do Us A Favor:   Canine Lifeline, the dog rescue that saved our Abby, is in the running for $1,000 donation from Pedigree. Please go vote for Canine Lifeline over at dogtipper.com every day through June 30. They are currently leading, but it's very close!

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 Snowman" by Jo Nesbo

Women are missing in Oslo.  Police investigator, Harry Hole, is on his toughest case yet.  The suspect is the Snowman.  The Snowman by Jo Nesbo is a thriller!  Just try to guess who the killer is if you can.  I couldn't, it kept me guessing.
(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.

"Still Missing" by Chevy Stevens--UPDATED

UPDATED 6/24/11:
Still Missing by Chevy Stevens is a far out story about a lady realtor named Annie who was abducted and kept locked in a cabin for a year! I didn't much care for Annie because of how she treated people and her frequent swearing but liked her relationship with her dog! This book did bring out some strong emotions in me: I felt sorry for her, anger against her abductor and disappointment in Annie.

The novel is told in the first person by Annie as she reveals what happened to her through her sessions with a psychiatrist. The things she went through with “The Freak” who abducted her were just sickening. I must say that I found this to be a very disturbing read rather than an enjoyable one. Even though she did finally escape, she never got back to her old self because her experiences had such a long-lasting effect on her. This book is a bit of a mystery and deals with issues of friendship, betrayal, motherhood and creepiness.
(Karen's review)

Wow, Oh Wow!  Page turner, riveting, compelling--all these words apply to Still Missing by Chevy Stevens.  What an awesome read!!  For sure this is the book of the month for June for me and very high in my top books of the year.

Still Missing is about Annie, a realtor who is abducted for a year by a man she calls "The Freak."  It is told by her as she goes to a psychiatrist.  She talks about her relationship and what he made her do and her family in detail.  Even when she is free, is she really?  The ending of this book is probably the best part--you will not believe it!

If you do not read this book, you are missing out big time!
(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.

"Growing Pains" by Dwayne S. Joseph

Growing Pains by Dwayne S. Joseph is a good YA novel about a teenage boy named Brian. His teacher knows that he is a good student and tries to help Brian. Brian makes some bad choices and has to deal with the problems they bring. It goes fast and you really get to care about the people in the book. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. Here's my teaser from 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 Teaser: "Growing Pains" & "Nobody Loves Nobody"

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:

But she could only be on him so much, and because she spent the majority of her days going between two jobs, she wasn't able to police his extracurricular activities. She had no clue about the li'l somethin's he got into, or the crimes he committed with Tyrel and Will, and if she were to find out, Brian knew that she'd, first, be devastated, and then, second, flip out and go ballistic.

From page 25 of Growing Pains by Dwayne S. Joseph

Karen's:

You'll be teaching kindergarten through sixth grade at the shelter school," the personnel director said matter-of-factly. "Report to the metal shed at the compound under the Sixth South viaduct the day after Christmas vacation."

From page 4 of Nobody Don't Love Nobody by Stacey Bess.  Movie "Beyond The Chalkboard" is based on this book and was very good so that is why I wanted to read the 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.

BONUS: Read about a $100 Giveaway by the Ad Master at our other blog, "Right Where We Belong."

"Please Take Me For A Walk" by Susan Gal (Updated with video)

Please Take me For A Walk by Susan Gal is a cute, charming little book for children about a dog wanting to go for a walk with full-page illustrations portraying the reasons why the dog likes to go for walks.  It's a lovely book that was entertaining and amusing to me.  It only takes about three minutes to read.
(Karen's review 6/4/10)


Gerard's Review 6/4/10:  Loved It!  Woof!  Woof!
This book tells the story of a puppy who wants to go for a walk.  The words and pictures are very cute.  If you have a dog or love dogs, you will love it too.  It is especially for children, but are not we all kids at heart?

Our Dog, Abby's Review:
It is very inspiring!  It made me want to go for a walk.  I loved all the pictures of things I enjoy when walking.  Every dog would identify with this puppy!  Woof!  Woof!

Updated 7/19/11:
Abby was jealous when she found out I read to the cats so wanted me to read this book to her. This video shows me reading the book to Abby:



Happy Father's Day everyone!

Please tell us: What categories of literature do you like? What are you reading now? Who are your top five favorite authors? Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

"Crazy For The Storm: A Memoir Of Survival" by Norman Ollestad

A Remarkable Tale (20 stars):

Crazy For The Storm is the true story of Norman Ollestad who had a great relationship with his dad.  His dad pushed him to do things he did not think he could do.  Also gave him a desire to be the best.  Then one terrible day, the son was involved in a plane crash where he was the only survivor and had to put what his dad instilled in him to use.  I really marveled at what this young boy did!

(Gerard 6/17/09)

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.

"Minding Frankie" by Maeve Binchy

“Minding Frankie” by Maeve Binchy

I was very disappointed in “Minding Frankie” by Maeve Binchy. First off, I expected Frankie to be a boy and instead it was a baby girl. I was happy when I finally finished this book. It just dragged along for me. It is about a community in Ireland. The main story line is how a bunch of people help Noel, a single alcoholic dad take care of his baby girl that came as a surprise to him. The whole novel only covers the first year of Frankie’s life.

This book is like a soap opera in that there were so many different story lines, none of which I was really interested in. Other characters are Emily, the do-gooder cousin from America, Moira the social worker, Lisa who moves in with Noel because her life is a mess, Charles and Josie who are Noel’s parents that seek to build a statute to a dead saint. There are lots more characters too, all with their own story lines as well. I’d say this book is generally about how people live and how they need one another. It does show how a baby can change everything.

I found this book very boring for the most part. The only excitement was when Frankie was missing for a bit. The ending was good but it took forever to get there.

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.

"Finding Chandra" by Scott Highman and Sari Horwitz

Finding Chandra--A True Washington Murder Mystery by Scott Highman and Sari Horwitz is interesting. When this story broke it was major news. Then 9/11 happened and it was sort of forgotten. This reads like a novel but it is a true story. As always, I enjoyed learning more about this than I knew before which is the major reason I liked this book. I wouldn't call it compelling reading, but if you want to know the whole story about the missing girl, this book gives it to 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.

Tuesday Teaser: "Finding Chandra" & "Where She Went" & "Minding Frankie"

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:

She saw the blade of a knife. He grabbed her around the throat and they crashed to the ground.

From page 180 of Finding Chandra--A True Washington Murder Mystery by Scott Higham and Sari Horwitz

That I was angry. That I was angry the accident happened. That I was angry I was the only survivor. That I was angry at you.

From page 206 of Where She Went by Gayle Forman (the sequel to If I Stay) You can read my reviews on both of these by clicking the links.

Karen's:

He left the delivery ward of St. Brigid's and headed for oncology. He knew what time Stella was going down for surgery and he wanted to be there as moral support.

From page 97 of Minding Frankie by Maeve Binchy.

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.

"Where She Went" by Gayle Foreman

Where She Went by Gayle Foreman is the sequel to If I Stay, which I Loved!  Where She Went tells the story from Adam's view.  It seems Mia dumped him and he does not know why.  This book picks up when Adam and Mia meet up in New York City.  I can't say I liked it as much as the first one, but it is not bad either.  I think it would make a good movie and liked the ending.  I'd like to see another book about these two--it's possible.

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.

"Magic Hour" by Kristin Hannah

This kept Karen up Late!

Magic Hour by Kristin Hannah is a fascinating and heartwarming read about two sisters who help a little missing girl that doesn't talk who just showed up in the small town of Rain Valley up in a tree with a wolf pup.

Julia is a psychiatrist whose reputation is shot and has lost her clients and her confidence because of it but who returns to her home town when her sister, Ellie-the chief of police, calls her for help with the "wolf girl." 


I liked this book very much.  I was fascinated at how Julia fell in love with the little "wolf girl" and helped her begin to talk again.  It was heart-breaking when after she decided to adopt the girl that her biological father came for her.  Julia and Ellie both struggled with being professional and their strong attachment to the girl.  When they found out about the dad's prison record, giving her up was even harder.  This is one of the few books that I looked forward to reading to see what would happen next and stayed up late to finish it.  I highly recommend this one!

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.

"Scoreboard Baby" by Ken Armstrong and Nick Perry

Wow! Oh wow! I decided to read Scoreboard Baby Scoreboard Baby by Ken Armstrong and Nick Perry because of what is going on at Ohio State and the trouble they are in. This book is about the year 2000 football season at the University of Washington.

I didn't think it was going to be this good, but it is!! The stuff these guys got away with because they were football players made the Ohio State stuff look like kid's play. Rape, shooting, drugs, DUI all looked at the other way not only by the school, but the law as well--UNBELIEVABLE! Sad but true. The reporters did an outstanding job of investigating.

This was a real eye opener for me--loved it! If you want to find out the story beyond Saturday college game days, this book is for you.

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.

"If You Believe" by Kristin Hannah

If You Believe by Kristin Hannah is an historical novel about love.  Three lonely people find each other, Mariah, Mad Dog, and Jake.  Although very predictable, I enjoyed this book because of the issues Mariah and Mad Dog both had.  Jake following his dad hoping for a happy reunion was heartwarming.  Rass, Mariah’s father, was my favorite character because of his concern for his daughter and his kindness toward Mad Dog and Jake.  He kept seeking to improve his relationship with his daughter and help her let go of the past so she could enjoy the present and the future before he died.  I loved the banter between Mariah and Mad Dog.  This book was predictable right from the start but has wit, warmth, humor, sex and heartbreak which kept 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.

"Glimpse" by Carol Lynch Williams

WOW! Double WOW!! Glimpse by Carol Lynch Williamsis an awesome read about two sisters, Lizzie and Hope, who live with their mom. One day Lizzie tries to kill herself but doesn't go through with it and is taken to a mental hospital. Hope cannot figure out why and when Lizzie tells her to be careful, she is really confused. One day Hope finds out by listening to her mom talking to Lizzie about a terrible secret they share. The suspense about this secret builds all the way through! It is a hard book to put down. This is the third book I read by Carol Lynch Williams and is by far her best!  It has a super ending too! I'm telling you to read this book, it is fantastic!

Glimpse is one of the most unusual books I have ever read because the whole bookiis written in free verse!
(Gerard's review)
Check out my teaser for this one.

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: "Glimpse" and "The Cow Loves Cookies"

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 review:

Them secrets no one
should know should know about.
You hear me, Liz? I
wish you'd open your
eyes, baby. You keep
them secrets to yourself, hear.
Do you hear me?

From Glimpse by Carol Lynch Williams. This is a teen book written all in verse like that.

This is such a quick read, our review of "The Cow Loves Cookies" by  Karma Wilson is up already but thought you might enjoy this teaser--something a little different.

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 Cow Loves Cookies" by Karma Wilson is a Fun Read!

"The Cow Loves Cookies" by Karma Wilson is a fun book to read about what animals eat on a farm. The illustrations are very good too! We both enjoyed this children's book and highly recommend it for preschoolers. This is a really quick read!

For a laugh, take a few minutes and watch this video of Karen reading it to our cats, Spunky Doodle and Manny. (When Manny first came into our home, he was kept in a separate room for a few days and Karen would go in and read aloud so he could get used to her voice. He still likes it when she reads to him!)




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.

"Miles From Ordinary" by Carol Lynch Williams

I read The Chosen One by Carol Lynch Williams and liked it so decided to also read Miles From Ordinary by her. I liked The Chosen One better, but this one isn't all bad. Miles From Ordinary is about Lacey, a young teen girl who has to deal with her mom who has mental problems. All seems well one day as they both have new jobs to go to. When Lacey is done with her job and goes to meet up with her mom, she finds that her mom is missing. I read this book in one day—it's a quick read.  
(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 Chosen One" by Carol Lynch Williams

(picture from Goodreads)

The Chosen One by Carol Lynch Williams is not a “wow” book, but I enjoyed it a lot! Kyra lives in a compound. She is not allowed to read books or go to the outside world. The compound is ruled by the PROPHET. He decides Kyra must marry her father's uncle, a man in his 60s. She does not want to go along. I liked this book better than I thought I would. It kept me turning pages and moved along at a good clip.  Here's my teaser.

(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.

Comment For Our Charity For June: Joni And Friends

We are pleased to announce that during May we received a total of 267 legitimate comments on our blogs so will donate $134 to The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Thanks to all our readers who took extra time to leave comments!

For June, we are excited about donating 50 cents per comment on all four of our blogs to Joni and Friends. Joni is a person Gerard most admires and whose ministry is close to his heart. Joni is a paraplegic, an artist and founder of Joni and Friends. After reading Out Of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper, I have more compassion for those with disabilities and got a better understanding of their needs and what they go through. I am so grateful that I do not have these struggles and want to help those who do. Donating to Joni and Friends is a good way to help.

Joni and Friends is a Christian organization that seeks to meet physical, mental, emotional and spiritual needs of the physically challenged. The exciting part is that up until July 15, there is a group of supporters who will match each donation received up to $250,000. That means our donation will be doubled so this is the right time to donate! Visit Joni and Friends website to learn more about this fantastic organization.

Please visit our blogs and comment away! The best way to visit our blogs regularly would be to include us in your blog roll so you can easily see when we update and remember to visit.

If you donate to a charity per comment on your blog, kindly let us know so we can include you in our special “comments for charity” blog roll and support you as well. Take a look at it to find other blogs that are doing this. Our other three are listed there.