"The Silent Wife" by A. S. A. Harrison

If you read Gone Girl, then you have pretty much read The Silent Wife by A. S. A. Harrison which alternates chapters between her (Jodi) and him (Todd).  I loved Gone Girl but this book is pretty good too.  It kept my interest and the ending was sort of a surprise.  I think it is worth your time, enjoy.  My wife didn't care for it though and gave up after four chapters, but then she didn't like Gone Girl either.   

Here is a teaser for you:

And now you want to throw it all away and join the ranks of pussy-addled middle-aged men like me whose brains are in their pants. I'm disappointed in you, Todd.

From page 156 of The Silent Wife by A. S. A. Harrison.

(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!

"Melody" by V. C. Andrews is an Oldie but a Goodie!

Melody by V. C. Andrews is very good and I am glad I read it. It is one my husband had before we were married 16 years ago and I finally got around to reading it. I am so glad I did! Melody is a 15-yr.-old girl who is part of a family with many secrets. She is a nice girl and good student, but grew up in a coal mining town and is shocked to find out family secrets after her dad dies in a mining accident and her mother drops Melody at the dad's brothers house while she goes off to try to become a model or actress. Melody moves in with her dad's relatives, which she never met, Aunt Sara, Uncle Jacob and her cousins, Cary and May, a little deaf girl.

This is such a good story with all the secrets gradually coming to light and Melody realizing that her parents never told her the truth about who she is. Melody is very pretty and she learned to play the fiddle. I did not care for her mother at all and wondered how Melody turned out so well. There lots of interesting relationships and characters in this book. I loved how Cary came around to liking Melody and how he became protective of her. This is the first book of a series and I am eager to read the next two soon! If you like family stories with interesting characters, I highly recommend this one! There are lots of surprises along the way! It would make a good book club read.
(Karen's review, 5 stars)

Next in Series:  Heart Song

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!

"Lara's Gift" by Annemarie O'Brien

I prefer cat books myself, meow!

Lara's Gift by Annemarie O'Brien is a children's short story about a young girl who loves dogs and with her papa, takes care of them to give to the Tsar.  She also has a special gift.  I'm not telling you what that is; you will have to read the book to find out!  For such a short book, there is enough action that keeps the main plot moving along.  I loved it and will be looking for more from this first-time author.  
(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!

Tuesday Teasers: Four Today

Karen's:

"Melody, if you can't decide what to leave here, I'll decide for you," she said and reached down to pluck the stuffed cat out of the suitcase.
"No!," I cried.  "That was the last thing Daddy gave me!"

From page 48 of Melody by V. C. Andrews.  (Melody is 15)

And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.  And this is his commandment, that we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.

From I John 3:22-23 of the Holy Bible (KJV).

Gerard's:

"Then speak of this to no one," Papa said.  "Not even to Alexander."

From page 7 of Lara's Gift by Annemarie O'Brien.  (My review will be up tomorrow)

Keeping his gaze straight ahead, watching the forest, he whispered, "That's the last time.  Don't do something stupid like that again."

From page 87 of Variant by Robison Wells.



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.   

Happy Reading!

Monday Mischief: Out Takes--Who Says Modeling Is Easy?

Thought you might enjoy so comical header outtakes:

Wait Manny!  Don't go yet!

Why do we always have to be in the background, mom?

Spunky Doodle, look at the books!

Joining in with the Monday Mischief and Cats on Tuesday blog hops.

We Both Liked "The Clock of LIfe" by Nancy Klann-Moren (Giveaway)

 The Clock of Life by Nancy Klann-Moren is about Jason Lee desiring to be as brave as his dad and do the right thing no matter what.  It shows the effects of the Vietnam War and the civil rights movement on Jason Lee’s family.  Jason Lee is a southern white boy who befriends Samson Jackson, a black boy in spite of what others think.  Jason Lee’s father was actively involved in the civil rights movement and endured ridicule for joining with the blacks in the march with Martin Luther King before Jason Lee was born but died in the Vietnam war before Jason Lee was born.

Jason Lee’s coming of age story is both interesting and sad.  My favorite part was when Jason Lee and Wally went to visit Jason Lee's mom at the hospital and helped her escape!  It’s an entertaining historical fiction read that emphasizes blacks and whites are alike and should have the same rights.
(Karen's review posted 8/22/13, 4 stars)

The Clock of life by Nancy Klann-Moren is a real good coming of age story about a young white boy who befriends a young black boy in the south. This book had my attention all the way! I really enjoyed the main character and the story line was well told. Great writing that I think both young teens and older people would enjoy.
(Gerard's review posted 7/15/13, 5 stars)

August 28 will be the 50th anniversary of the 1963 civil rights March with Martin Luther King's famous "I Have a Dream" speech.  This book would be a good one to read this week! 
Here's a teaser from the book:

     "It's a tough thing to do in these parts, but you be friends with anyone you want, Jason Lee.  Don't let nobody tell you different, you hear?"  Her tone sounded like a scolding. 
     "I won't."
     "Your daddy got himself forty-seven stitches across the back of his shoulder.  And they threw him in jail to boot, just so you and boys like Samson could be friends."

From page 8 of The Clock of Life by Nancy Klann-Moren.

We are offering this first to my friends and blogging buddies (that's you!) before releasing this book "into the wild."  Just let me know if you would like to have it.  It's too good to just sit in our bookcase--it needs to be read!

(We received a free copy of this book to review and received no compensation and did not affect our reviews.)

Visit the Author's Website here.

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!

Glad I'm Done With Ezekiel!

I just finished reading the Old Testament book of Ezekiel and feel a sense of relief.  It has some interesting things but lots of symbolism and prophecy of destruction--kind of depressing.  I liked reading about the visions God showed to Ezekiel because they were pretty wild.  The last few chapters were encouraging about how God would bring his chosen people back and be with them.  The references to Gog and Magog and the city, the river and the temple all reminded me of things in the book of Revelation.  The main theme of Ezekiel is "Then they will know that I am the Lord God."  This phrase and slight variations of it are repeated throughout the book.

I am reading through the Bible for the second time and have only a few books left to go:  Philemon (1 chapter), I, II, III John and Revelation. 

Below are links to the posts I did sharing some highlights from Ezekiel on our other blog, Right Where We Belong:

God of Details
Dry Bones Come To Life
God is Loyal to Jerusalem
God is Fair
Would God's Message For the U.S. Be The Same?
The Lord Punishes But Warns 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!

"Quiet--The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking" by Susan Cain

Review first published Jan. 7, 2013

Today I am doing one of Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop prompts:  Open your picture folders, close your eyes and pick a random photo to share and write about.  This is the picture I got from my "Favorite Reads 2013" folder so I am just re-posting this book review with the picture.

There was a lot of hype about Quiet--The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain and it won awards in 2012. Now having read it, I can tell you the hype was spot on! What a wonderful book!! I thought it was going to be a text book but it's not. The great thing about this book is that I enjoyed it and learned too. It's hard to beat that combination. The examples Susan Cain gives of people are very interesting. That is why I'm giving it 5++ stars. Well done, Ms. Cain! I LOVED it!
(Gerard's review, rating 5++ stars)

I started reading this book and found it to be quite boring. I even decided I'd skim it instead but couldn't even make myself finish it then. I was surprised to see that "brainstorming" sessions do not produce great results. A better way would be to let each person brainstorm their ideas by themselves, then review them together and possibly add to them as a group then. I just didn't want to keep plowing my way through. I read the first 100 pages or so.
(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!

"The Never List" by Koethi Zan is a Real Page Turner! (UPDATED)

I'll Never do that!

The Never List by Koethi Zan is about three college girls who were kept chained up in a college professor's basement and one in a box!  This book grabbed a hold of me from page one!  The plot is really good and I loved the interaction throughout the book among the three girls.  The last few chapters when all the twists take place were so good I did not want to stop reading.  Put this on your to read list--you will be glad you did! 
(Gerard's review posted 8/20/13, 5+ stars) 


The Never List by Koethi Zan got my attention right away with two girls making a list of things they would NEVER do to stay safe. It is told from Sarah's view point who was held captive in a basement of a psycho college professor along with her best friend, Jennifer, and two other girls, Tracy and Christine. The professor was arrested when Sarah escaped but ten years later is up for parole. When the girls meet years later to work together to make sure he is not released, they wind up in dangerous situations and realize the professor is even a bigger monster than they thought.


This psychological thriller is very creepy but at least not gory in spite of references to torture and a very dark world of human trafficking. It explores the extent people will go for self preservation and the depravity of humanity. Although the main character, Sarah, is likeable and I couldn't help but root for her in her quest to find her friend's dead body, it didn't seem very believable that she would do that. I enjoyed some of the dialogue which lightened things up some. There are some tense moments and I had to keep reading to see how she escaped and learn what happened. The ending was shocking! To me this is a cross between a thriller and a cozy mystery novel.
(Karen's review posted 8/17/13)

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

Tuesday Teasers: Three Today

Gerard's:

They clutch the raft with rigid hands. They are unwilling to let go, unable to pull themselves out of the swirling current.

From page 13 of Visitation Street by Ivy Pochoda. (Just finished this one, see my review before this post.)

Once in the building, my body felt enveloped in a mist of darkness and evil. This place was a vision of hell to me, all red and black, packed with a crowd geared out in studded leather who seemed, beyond any other terror, utterly unpredictable.

From page 101 of The Never List by Koethi Zan. (See Karen's review.)

Karen's:

  "It's a tough thing to do in these parts, but you be friends with anyone you want, Jason Lee. Don't let nobody tell you different, you hear?" Her tone sounded like a scolding.

From page 8 of The Clock of Life by Nancy Klann-Moren.


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.   

Happy Reading!

"Visitation Street" by Ivy Pochoda

Visitation Street

by Ivy Pochoda is about two girls who take a raft out one Saturday night. One girl is found by the rocks, the other girl is missing. What happened? Will the other girl be found dead or alive? This incident also affected other people in the neighborhood who have their own problems.

The story moves along and kept my attention. The last two chapters when the truth comes out about what happened that night are very good!
(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!

"Shot All To Hell" by Mark Lee Gardner

Shot All To Hell--Jesse James, the Northfield Raid, and the Wild West's Greatest Escape by Mark Lee Gardner is a non-fiction book that tells the story of Frank and Jesse James and their brothers in arms, the younger gang. It covers their last bank robbery job and the chase for them afterward. The part about the bank robbery was really good and interesting. Some of the other meetings they had with people were good and even funny at times. However, I thought there would be a lot more action in this book so was disappointed.
(Gerard's review, 3.5 stars)

I liked Sutton by J. R. Moehringer much better, also a bank robber! It was fantastic!

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!

"Unseen" by Karin Slaughter

Unseen by Karin Slaughter continues the relationship between Will Trent, a detective, and Sara Linton, a doctor.  Will goes undercover and Sara gets drawn into the same case he is on much to Will's surprise.  Both are put in mortal danger! 

This book goes back and forth in time, and leaves you in suspense.  It's a really good read.  It had just enough action for me and was hard to put down.

(Gerard's review, 5 stars)

Karen was going to read this one until she flipped through it and got turned off by the language.

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

Tuesday Teasers: Four For You

I'm jumping right in with the teasers today to save you a little time.  After you read them, you might want to check out our post from yesterday if you missed it and learn about A Fun Way To Share Your Books.

Gerard's:

As Bushnell rushed down the aisle, a passenger asked him what was the matter.  Without stopping, a visibly distressed Bushnell blurted out, "The train is being robbed, that's what's the matter!"

From page 11 of Shot All To Hell:  Jesse James, the Northfield Raid, and the Wild West's Greatest Escape by Mark Lee Gardner  

She felt numb, like she was watching someone else do this.  A different woman held her Glock.  A different woman stared down this murderer, this child rapist.

From page 80 of Unseen by Karin Slaughter. (My review will be up tomorrow)

Karen's:

As you will soon see, our enemy's favorite --not only, but favorite--form of torture is psychological, so you need your mind to work. You have to keep him out of your head. Never tell him anything about your life before. Never."

From page 29 of The Never List by Koethi Zan.

While I prophesied, there was a noise and a rattling. The bones came together, bone to bone.

Ezekiel 37:7 from Holy Bible (International Childrens Bible)  Find out more here:  Dry Bones Come To Life.



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

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page (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.   

Happy Reading!

A Fun Way To Share Your Books--Release Them Into The Wild

I am having a fun time cleaning off my bookshelves since joining www.bookcrossing.com last week.  Basically, the idea is to share your read books with other people by just placing them in places for them to be found.  Here's how it works: 

This is a book we received to review that we didn't want--our first release.

REGISTER:  Print out free labels to put inside the cover of your book (or you can purchase fancier labels if you want).  Then register your book at www.bookcrossing.com and write the BookCrossing ID ("BCID") number on the label.  The inside label says:

HOWDY!  HOLA!  BONJOUR!  GUTEN TAG!
I'm a very special book.   You see, I'm traveling around the world making new friends.  I hope I've met another friend in you.  Please go to www.BookCrossing.com and enter my BCID number (shown below).  You'll discover where I've been and who has read me, and can let them know I'm safe here in your hands.  Then...READ and RELEASE me!  BCID: ___________ (you fill this in)

RELEASE:  Then decide where you will leave it which is called "releasing it into the wild."  Add your release notes so people can actually go hunting for it if they want.

This is my first BookCrossing zone,  I left it on the bus stop bench, crossed the street to get a picture of the book waiting to be found, and when the buses went by that were blocking my view, the book was already gone!  That made me feel good!  Sometimes people will follow-through and actually report they found the book and enter the BCID number so you can follow the book around to see where it's been.

So far I've left books on benches at bus stops, benches at the zoo, benches or picnic tables at parks, and in my lunch room at work.  So far, I've released 7 books and all were picked up but three that I know of, two I just released at the park today.

FOLLOW:  So far, no one has reported any of the found ones on the website, but I hope they will.  Even if they don't though, it's a fun way to get rid of books you no longer want and let someone else read them.

My user name on the website is BookDumper so if you join, please use me as the referral and look me up.  There are BookCrossers worldwide and you can look up how many have joined in your area.  What do you do with books you are finished reading?  Wouldn't you like to join too?

"In the After" by Demitria Lunetta is Thrilling! (UPDATED)

 In The After by Demitria Lunetta is about how Amy, a teen girl and a toddler she finds survives when people all over the world are pretty much wiped out by very fast green creatures who are attracted to noise and light, and feed on people.  Amy thinks of her normal life with her parents, her friends and school as "before" and the life she lives now in silence and alone, only going out at night to scavenge for food, as the "after."

I enjoyed this book very much, it is a page turner I did not want to put down and when I did, I looked forward to getting back to it! I was completely engrossed in this one, not knowing what was going to happen next!  I highly recommend it to anyone who likes wild science fiction end-of-the-world type books.  I can't wait for the sequel!  This is a new author, give it a try.
(Karen's review, 5 stars)
 

Karen reading IN THE AFTER while waiting in line at Giant Eagle

In The After by Demitria Lunetta is a teen science fiction novel about a young girl home alone when the world changes.  She finds a young baby and becomes its caregiver.  Later on they find more people who have survived and are safe, or are they?  What kind of city are they in now?

This book drew me in right from page 1 with lots of action and a really good ending!  LOVED IT!  I'm looking forward to the sequel!
(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!

"Tell Me" by Lisa Jackson (Romantic Suspense)

Tell Me by Lisa Jackson is about a woman convicted of killing her oldest daughter and shooting her two other children. After 20 years, one of the children tells the world that his mom did not do it; however, it was his testimony that convicted her in the first place.

I thought the best parts of the novel were (1) a woman trying to get the mother to open up to her and tell her what really happened that night, and (2) two detectives putting all the parts of the trial together again to make sure the mother did not go free, and what they discover! You will not believe the ending to this book!
(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!

"The Silver Star" by Jeannette Walls

The Silver Star by Jeannette Walls tells the story of two young teen girls who are pretty much left on their own when their mom takes off. They decide to move to a small town where they stay with relatives. All goes fine until an incident happens to one of the girls.

This novel is slow moving in the beginning with little action; however, around page 200 of my large print version, the main plot kicks in and then it zooms along because it gets really good. If you liked her first two books, you will probably like this one too.
(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.

Our reviews of other books by Jeannette Walls that we read:
The Glass Castle and Half Broke Horses.

Happy Reading!

"Barefoot Summer" by Denise Hunter

Barefoot Summer by Denise Hunter is a delightful Christian romance novel. Madison is a vet with a close family, but is still grieving over the death of her twin brother who died suddenly as a teenager. His dream was to win the Ragatta (annual sailing race) before his 27th birthday. Madison suffers from nightmares related to his death and thinks that if she wins the race with his boat, it will put an end to them. Beckett teaches her how to swim and how to sail and they both experience chemistry between them. Beckett doesn’t feel he’s good enough for Madison because he had a lot of family issues. Madison tries to deny her attraction to him because of his reputation from high school and the incident between him and her sister for starters.

This is a light, enjoyable read with some exciting parts. I could easily identify with Madison’s feelings when she was learning to swim and although the ending is predictable, it did have a surprise along the way. I recommend this to anyone who enjoys Christian romance novels or sailing.
(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!

Tuesday Teasers

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:

Aliens had landed, they were not friendly, half of the planet was dead.
They were horrifyingly fast, traveling across the globe at an alarming pace.

From page 9 of In The After by Demitria Lunetta. (My review will be posted tomorrow.)

Uncle Tinsley looked at the two of us for a long moment, then leaned the shotgun against the wall. "You can sleep in the barn."

From page 53 of The Silver Star by Jeannette Walls (Large print edition)

Karen's:

Her veins buzzed with adrenaline, leaving her shaky in its wake. She hated this.

From page 33 of Barefoot Summer by Denise Hunter.

By the way, I'm giving up on Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.  It's so boring to me, I can't take it anymore!  I know, people love this book, but it just puts me to sleep--seriously, I doze off every time I read it!  Am I the only one who found this book terribly boring and hard to read?

Happy Reading!

Our Favorite Reads for July

Karen's Favorite:

A Bride For All Seasons

Gerard's Favorite:

Proxy

Click the title to see our reviews.  What was your favorite read for July?. Happy Reading!

"Close My Eyes" by Sophie McKenzie

Close My Eyes by Sophie McKenzie  is a story about a woman who eight years after the death of her baby is told that her baby is actually alive and that her husband knows about it.  At first, she passes it off, but when she decides to look into the possibility, she cannot locate her doctor and other people who might have answers are being killed!  Can she turn to her husband?

This book is very good; I enjoyed it!  It moves right along at a quick pace with a shocking ending.  It is well worth your time!
(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!

Runt by Nora Raleigh Baskin

Runt by Nora Raleigh Baskin is a children's book about the trials that middle-aged school kids go through.  I liked how the kids were portrayed and the story line.  It moved along at a good pace. 
(Gerard's review, 3.5 stars)

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