Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Tuesday Teasers: Memoir, Fiction, Christian Romance


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 (well, we cheat and choose specific ones)
  • 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:
It made our own bodies feel different, knowing that Laura's was about to be cut open. I knew she could die and tried to understand that fact.
From page 80 of The Shape of the Eye by George Estreich. (a memoir) 

All of this is her fault. If she hadn't taken the wrist strap off, her sister wouldn't have run.
From page 8 of Amity and Sorrow by Peggy Riley. (Her first novel) Review of this will be up tomorrow.

Karen's:
The look of astonishment on her face made him burst into laughter. Daniel wrapped his arms around her and kissed her.
From page 84 of Safe In His Arms by Colleen Coble. (Cowboy Christian romance)

CHECK OUT OUR GIVEAWAYS FOR HER AND BUNKER HILL.  SEE LINKS ABOVE THIS POST.  Happy Reading!

Sunday, April 28, 2013

What Is Your Favorite Magazine?

If you are a reader like me, you probably read magazines too.  I think BEST FRIENDS MAGAZINE is one of the best ever!  I read it cover to cover because the articles on all the animals they have at their shelter are always interesting with cute pictures as well!  They do a very good job and I am so glad that I support them.  Give it a chance by making a donation.  You will feel good and it will put a smile on your face--it does mine!  You can donate and read all about them at www.bestfriends.org (I believe you get the magazine free when you donate.)
(Gerard's review)

What is your favorite magazine?  Are you a supporter of Best Friends?  Have you read the Best Friends magazine?  Happy Reading!

Saturday, April 27, 2013

"Bunker Hill--A City, A Siege, A Revolution" by Nathaniel Philbrick

Leave comment to enter the Giveaway

Bunker Hill--A City, A Siege, A Revolution by Nathaniel Philbrick brought me up to speed on my limited knowledge about Bunker Hill and Benedict Arnold. I always enjoy books that I can learn more about historical events and this was no exception. Now I feel like I know the full story! The first hundred pages were a bit dry reading; however, once it got closer to the battle of Bunker Hill, things really picked up. The story about the battle was eye-opening and riveting! I you are a fan of historical reading, you will love this book!
(Gerard's review, 5 stars)

We received a free copy of this book for review but was not compensated. This in no way influenced my review of this book.


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!

Friday, April 26, 2013

"WAVE" by Sonali Deraniyagala

Wave by Sonali Deraniyagala is the true story of how she lost her whole family one morning due to a tsunami. She was able to somehow survive. You can really feel the love she had for her family and the heartbreak of losing them followed by anger that she is the one left. I read this book in just one day. It’s a very interesting read!
(Gerard's review, 5 stars)

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

Thursday, April 25, 2013

"Trident K9 Warriors" by Mike Ritland with Gary Brozek

Trident K9 Warriors by Mike Ritland with Gary Brozek tells the story of an elite group of dogs who go through special training to help our men fight the wars around the world. I especially enjoyed the stories of the battle where the dogs played a vital role. Of course, I liked the pictures of the dogs too! Some of the chapters that dealt with non-battle scenes I skimmed. To Mike Ritland and your band of brothers in arms, thank you for your service!
(Gerard's review, 4 stars)

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

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

"Beyond the Bear" by Dan Bigley and Debra McKinney

Beyond the Bear by Dan Bigley and Debra McKinney tells the true story of how Dan was mauled by a bear and survived. To his credit, he worked hard and was able to make something of his life again, even though he had lost his sight. I enjoyed the stories he told of his re-habilitation and of his help that he received from friends. God bless you, Dan, and your family!
(Gerard's review, 4 stars)

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

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Tuesday Teasers: 2 Non-fiction and 1 Historical 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 (well, we cheat and choose specific ones)
  • 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:
Dressed in blue scrubs, hands scoured and snapped into Latex gloves, Kallman walked into the operating room and up to the stainless steel table where Bigley lay on his back, prepped and draped, his ravaged body covered by a warming blanket. He stared down at the chaos before him and froze.
From page IX (prologue) of Beyond The Bear--How I Learned To Live and Love Again After Being Blinded By A Bear by Dan Bigley and Debra McKinney. (non-fiction--review posted tomorrow)

Karen's:
Tom turned his horse and headed out of the gap. "Quit yapping and let's move out."
"You're going to die, Tom."
From Sharpshooter in Petticoats by Mary Connealy. (Historical fiction)

And they were giving him attention because he had for a long time astonished them with his magic arts. But when they believed Philip preaching the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were being baptized, men and women alike.
From Acts 8:11-12 of the New American Standard Bible. (non-fiction)

Happy Reading!

Monday, April 22, 2013

"Love Water Memory" by Jennie Shortridge (UPDATED)

Love water memory by Jennie Shortridge is an interesting story about an engaged couple, Grady and Lucie.  When they have a huge fight, Lucie leaves and doesn’t return.  Grady looks all over for her and eventually finds her in a hospital with amnesia, learning she was found standing in San Francisco Bay.  The whole book is about Lucie learning secrets from her past and getting her memory back while her and Grady try to rebuild their relationship.  It’s a good read but did not like it as much as Gerard did--both the main characters were likable.
(Karen's review)

Love Water Memory is told by Grady and Lucie, a couple who was going to get married until a huge fight. Eight days later, Lucie is found but remembers no one and nothing of her former life. I loved this book! It had me from page one and all the way through. My feelings about Lucie and Grady went back and forth. The writing was very good too. The only downside was that I was hoping for a better ending, but it does leave an opening for a sequel which would be good!
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

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

Friday, April 19, 2013

"Reconstructing Amelia" Lives Up To The Hype

There is a lot of hype about Reconstructing Amelia and I am here to tell you that it is true! This book is very good! It is told by Amelia and her mother, Kate. Kate gets a call telling her that Amelia is dead. When Kate is notified that her daughter’s death may be the result of foul play, she sets out to find answers. The book leads up to the day Amelia died and is riveting! There are lots of “wow” moments in it so I enjoyed it!
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

Karen planned to read this too but only started it and quit on it because she didn't like Amelia at all. 

Blogging 'Bout Books says it is "Reconstructing Amelia: It's That Disturbing and That Compelling." She was ready to give up on it too but kept on going.

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!

Thursday, April 18, 2013

We Loved "Orphan Train--a Novel" by Christina Baker Kline (UPDATED)

I really enjoyed Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline about the life journey of Vivian, a 91-yr.-old who was an Orphan Train rider at the age of 9 who becomes friends with Molly, a 17-yr.-old Goth girl who is in the foster care system.  This novel is written in such a way that is both contemporary and historical fiction, as Vivian shares her background with Molly.  It is a very interesting read because both Vivian and Molly have a lot in common, understand each other, and help each other.

This book has some very sad parts but also some very happy and heartwarming parts which makes it an enjoyable read.  It addresses the issues of the importance of kind people in our lives, what things we value, perseverance and how things happen for a reason.  The author does an outstanding job of smoothly transitioning from the past to the present and from the story of Vivian back to the present-day story of Molly and Vivian.  I was never confused at all.  Great novel that brings the early 1900’s to life in sharing that part of American history.  I highly recommend this to anyone!
(Karen's review)


Orphan Train--a Novel by Christina Baker Kline has two main stories: (1) A 91-yr.-old woman tells of her young life of being on an orphan train. Her story is fantastic! and (2) A young teen girl who is now an orphan, describes what she is going through. Her story is very good. These two women are brought together and find they have more in common than they thought. I loved this book!

Even when the story is finished, there is still an interview with the author, a story about orphan trains and questions for a book club . Make it a point to read Orphan Train; you will be glad you did!
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

Related Reads:  Orphan Train Rider by Andrea Warren

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

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Tuesday Teasers: 3 This Week


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 (well, we cheat and choose specific ones)
  • 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 opened her mouth to tell him, but didn't know what to say. He waded closer, slowly, carefully, like someone would approach a hurt dog or a crazy person.
From page 2 of Love Water Memory by Jennie Shortridge. (click the link for Gerard's review)

Karen's:
"Don't worry, we'll be all right . . ." I begin, but she gives me a look of such desperation that my words trail off. As we watch people line up and begin to mount the steps to the stage, I feel like one of the cows in the agricultural show my granddad took me to in Kinvara.
From page 64 of Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline.  (Click link for Gerard's review)

They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail. But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them out.
From Acts 5:18-19 of The NIV Study Bible.

Happy Reading!

Sunday, April 14, 2013

The Gospel of John is a Must Read!



WOW!  I finished reading through the Gospel of John and found it to be so interesting.  I thought I knew everything that was in it but still found lots of things that caught my interest and refreshed my memory.  If you doubt that Jesus is the Son of God, this is a must read for you!  I really enjoyed this book of the Bible very much which contains probably the most well-known verse in the whole Bible:

For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only son, that whoever believes in Him, should not perish, but have eternal life.--John 3:16 (NIV)
This book was written by the apostle, John, one of Jesus closest disciples.  The one, in fact, that Jesus loved and trusted so much that when dying on the cross, he gave the responsibility of taking care of his mother to John.  John writes an eyewitness account of many of the things Jesus did when he lived here on the earth.

I love these two verses that John included just for us today:
Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book:  But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that by believing you may have life in his name. --John 20:30-31 (NIV)

Here are several of my "Sunday Sharing" posts where you can find some highlights that I shared from this book and a bonus one from Easter 2012:

He Knows My Thoughts (John 2)
A Personal God (John 2-6)
The First Speed Boat (John 6)
Plotting Against Jesus (John 9-11)
I Give You Peace (John 14)
A Direct Line to God and a Password Tip (John 15-16)
4 Questions--Can You Answer Any? (John 20)
Happy Easter Everyone:  He Is Risen! (John 3)
I hope you will take some time to read some of these posts.  Since I read the Bible every day, I am going to start sharing a teaser each week from it too for our Tuesday Teaser post.  It's the one book that has made the biggest impact on my life!  I must share about it!


Have you read this one? Who do you say Jesus is?  Happy Reading!

Saturday, April 13, 2013

"Prodigy" by Marie Lu (UPDATED 4-16-13)

Starts Slow But Picks Up--Stick With It
Prodigy by Marie Lu is as good as her first book of this series, Legend. This book goes quick because it’s so good! Day and June alternate narrating chapters and the action kept me turning pages. The Republic is on the verge of a revolution and Day and June join forces on the same side, but is it the right side? Who can they trust? Who is telling the truth? Can Day continue to trust June? Tess, developed a major crush on Day and he begins to see her in a different light. The author has a good balance between strong, likeable characters and action and suspense. Prodigy is about friendship, loyalty, trust, and fighting for freedom and social change. I highly recommend this YA read.
(Karen's review, 5 stars)

Prodigy by Marie Lu is the follow up after LegendLegend was fantastic; however, Prodigy started very slow.  I would have liked more action but the second half picked up and I really got into it!  I look forward to reading the last book in this series too! 
(Gerard's review, 4 stars)

This is the sequel to Legend which we both liked! You should really read that one first.

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!

Thursday, April 11, 2013

"The Key on the Quilt" by Stephanie Grace Whitson

It even had kittens in this book!
The Key On The Quilt (first book in "The Quilt Chronicles" series) by Stephanie Grace Whitson is a wonderful story about the unlikely friendship of three different women and how God worked in each of their lives.  In this historical Christian fiction novel, Jane is serving a 10-yr. sentence in prison for murdering her second husband while her sister takes care of Jane’s little girl, Rose.  All the while, Jane hopes to be reunited with her daughter one day.  While in prison, Jane works on a quilt for her daughter that she trusts will be a reminder to Rose of her mother’s love and instrumental in reuniting them. 

With some blossoming romances as well as interesting lives and insight into prison life,  I think this would be a good book club read and highly recommend it to women, especially if you like quilting. It does have discussion questions in the back.  This is the first book I read by this author, just found it browsing at the library but think I will read more by this author.

Read my Teaser if you like.

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

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Tuesday Teasers: Historical Fiction and a Memoir


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 (well, we cheat and choose specific ones)
  • 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:
They shaved her head. She was a beautiful little girl and they shaved her head! Who could do that?!
From page 3 of To Sing Frogs, A memoir by John M. Simmons. (A true story about family, friends, life, and other things that don't make sense) My review will post on Wednesday.

Karen's:
Fresh air, sunshine, a purring kitten, and flowers to plant. Jane smiled as she realized she was following Miss Dawson's example. Listing thankfuls.
From page 164 of The Key on The Quilt--The Quilt Chronicles by Stephanie Grace Whitson. (Historical fiction)  My review should be up Thursday.


Check out our Giveaway to U.S. residents.

Happy Reading!

Saturday, April 6, 2013

"Alex Cross, Run" by James Patterson

Don't let the size scare you off--this was LARGE print.
In Alex Cross, Run by James Patterson, there are a lot of dead bodies in Washington. It's up to Alex Cross to find their killer, or is it killers, and bring them to justice. What he doesn't know is that one man is out there that is after him and will do anything to get his revenge. I liked Alex Cross, Run because it moved right along with a good surprise ending.
(Gerard's review, 5 stars)


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

Friday, April 5, 2013

"Purry Logic" by Jane Seabrook Would Be a Hit With Cat Lovers


Purry Logic by Jane Seabrook is a delightful amusing little book that any cat lover would enjoy!  Each page has a close up a different breed of cat along with a cute quote.  In the back she lists all the breeds pictured.  It is a very quick read, like five minutes.  This is the 5th book I have in my Furry Logic collection! 

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!

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

"The Burning Air" by Erin Kelly

The Burning Air by Erin Kelly tells the story of a young boy who when he gets turned down to enter a private school, holds a grudge against the family who runs it. The first 75 pages set the background and then the two plots kick in. Why two? You will find out when you read it. The last 100 pages or so are absolutely gripping! This is Erin Kelly's third book and in my mind, she is 3 for 3.
(Gerard's review)

Other books we read by her:
The Dark Rose
The Poison Tree

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

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Tuesday Teasers: Two Today


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 (well, we cheat and choose specific ones)
  • 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:
It was a lapse of judgment. If I could have foreseen the rippling aftershocks that followed I would have acted differently, but by the time I realized the extent of the consequences, it was too late.
From page 4 of The Burning Air by Erin Kelly.

Karen's:
Everybody is going to think I'm . . . Normal. My ability is what makes me halfway cool. I'm nobody without it.
From page 49 of Pivot Point by Kasie West. (YA fiction)

Be sure to check out our giveaway of Her by Christa Paravani, a dark memoir about twin girls.

Happy Reading!
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