"The Night Guest" by Fiona McFarlane

The Night Guest by Fiona McFarlane is a story about an old woman named Ruth who lives alone after her husband's death.  That is, until Frida comes along and takes care of Ruth.  This book is pretty good.  I liked the two main characters.  It moved along well and the ending was pretty good 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. Happy Reading!

"The Real Boy" by Anne Ursu

The Real Boy by Anne Ursu was a fun read.  It's a children's book about a little boy named Oscar who helps Caleb, a great Magician.  Oscar spends all of his time with his cats which he takes care of.  Then events happen and he has to take on responsibilities of matters and that is when the story takes off.

This is a good read for all ages with action and a great twist.  I loved the ending too!
(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!

Teaser Tuesdays: Four for You

Gerard's:

No way to help Callie.  And--it was funny--a whole book on magic and the mind and there was nothing in it about fixing a boy who was not quite right.

From page 83 of The Real Boy by Anne Ursu. (Juvenile) (Review will be up on Wednesday.)

Frida woke her the next morning by turning her on the sofa, peering into her face, and saying, "I nearly wet my pants, you idiot.  I thought you were dead.".

From page 47 of The Night Guest by Fiona McFarlane.

Karen's:

That I was a high school girl in a town stuck away in the mountains of western Pennsylvania did not matter.  I would become the best proofreader and researcher I could possibly be--and hold on to my dream.

From page 62 of Julie by Catherine Marshall.

The point is Christ demonstrated humility by not grabbing and clinging to what He rightfully deserved.  This is possibly one of the most difficult concepts for us to apply in our own lives. 

From page 82 of A Woman's Passionate Pursuit of God by Karol Ladd.


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!

"White Fire" by Preston and Child

White Fire by Preston & Child is based on a true story that took place long ago at a Colorado ski resort. It's pretty gruesome. What's the story? You will have to read the book to find out. When it starts to happen again, a young girl detective wants to find out why and who is doing it. It has good action that kept me interested.
(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!

"Champion" by Marie Lu - Legend Series Book 3 is a Winner!

We both liked Champion by Marie Lu is the last of three in the Legend series about Day and June and did not disappoint!  I hated to see this end.  All the books were so good, but this last one just might be the best!  It is action packed and full of twists and turns with a good ending!  Day and June are the best!  LOVED IT!  Can't wait for more from Marie Lu!
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

Champion by Marie Lu is the third book in the LEGEND series and for once, the last book in a series does not disappoint.  It was fun reading about June and Day again!  This book is complete with action, suspense, adventure and some touching moments.  I really liked the part when June went to Ross City in Antarctica--what a cool place that would be to live with controlled temperatures, lots of color, and a point system to motivate people to do good.  This is really a good book involving making choices and dealing with tough situations.  I wish though that June's dog, Ollie, had a bigger part.  Both my husband and I loved this series and highly recommend it if you enjoy YA futuristic novels.
(Karen's review) 

See our reviews of her first two books in this series:  Legend and Prodigy. 

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!

"Black Fridays" by Michael Sears is a modern Thriller

Black Fridays by Michael Sears is about Jason Stafford, a Wall Street trader who went to prison for two years .  When he gets out, his wife divorces him, but he takes their special needs Autistic son and takes care of him and works on getting his life back together.  He then is hired to follow up on the misdeeds on Wall Street that one man did.

There is pretty good action in this book and I especially liked the parts with him and his son.  This is going to be a series, so I will probably read book two also.  
(Gerard's review, 4.5 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: 4 For You

Gerard's:

She was different from the other girls; tragically, dangerously different.

I remember so well.

From page 1 of Good Sister by Wendy Corsi Staub.  (My review will go up tomorrow)

I tried shifting my weight in an attempt to make us both more comfortable and he snapped his head back and pounded me in the nose.  The pain was horrible.  I wanted to toss him across the aisle.  I didn't.  I maintained.

From page 77 of Black Fridays by Michael Sears.

Karen's:

Please don't ask me to give up my brother.  I would do anything else for you.

From page 53 of Champion (Third book of the Legend series).

When you are a student of your spouse, you realize that the secret to great sex is treating your spouse like a prince or princess every moment of the day.  Loving your spouse this way is not just effective, it is incredibly romantic and fun. 

From page 71 of The First 90 Days of Marriage by Eric & Leslie Ludy.  (Just finished, click link to see my review).


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!

"The First 90 Days of Marriage" by Eric and Leslie Ludy

I got The First 90 Days of Marriage--Building the Foundation of a Lifetime by Eric and Leslie Ludy because I thought it might be a good wedding gift but wanted to read it first.  It is based on Biblical principles and much of the advice is plain common sense.  However, even after being married 16 years, I did find some of it to be helpful.  The basic theme of the book is to be the best wife or the best husband ever by treating your spouse like a prince or princess every day.  (I wondered why not as a king or queen.)  The idea is that a man and wife become a team.  One of the most helpful suggestions in my opinion was to compare individual priorities and come up with priorities as a couple.  I think it would make a fine wedding gift.
(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!

"SeinLanguage" by Jerry Seinfeld

SeinLanguage by Jerry Seinfeld is a short paperback filled with standup comedian commentary on a variety of subjects.  It is entertaining, humorous and enjoyable.  One can easily finish it in less than a day.  I liked it okay.

(This is one of the books Gerard bought and read a long time ago before we were married.  I just thought I'd read it before releasing it into the wild at bookcrossing.com.  I left it in the bus stop shelter at E. 9th and Superior in front of St. John's Cathedral in downtown Cleveland on Thursday.)
(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!

"David-Seeking a Heart Like His" by Beth Moore is a Fantastic Bible Study!

David-Seeking a Heart Like His by Beth Moore is the best Bible study I’ve done yet! WOW! I learned so much and it was a fantastic look at David’s whole life with its ups and downs. What an inspiration! Not only did this study focus on David’s life going through I and II Samuel but also into Kings and Chronicles. One of my favorite features of this Bible study was that she also pointed out Psalms that David wrote as he went through certain events of his life or looked back.

I found myself highlighting quite bit in both the book and my Bible as I went through this study. I spent about 45 min. to an hour a day on the daily lessons but the time flew by. There is so much life application included that it just made the scripture really come to life. Although I did it along with a group and viewed Beth Moore’s DVD once a week to introduce each week’s lessons, I got so much more from digging into the daily lessons during the week.

 If you want to grow in your walk with the Lord, this will be an eye-opener. It has raised my level of praise, worship, trust, understanding of God and prayer. I cannot say enough good about this study and highly recommend it! Now go order 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!

"Allegiant" by Veronica Roth Is Disappointing

Allegiant by Veronica Roth is the third book in the Divergent trilogy.   It is about friendship, forgiveness and doing the right thing and family bonds.  

 I was anxious to read this one but it was so confusing at the beginning.  Perhaps because it was so long since I read Insurgent.  This one was disappointing.  It moved slow, not much action until the last quarter of the book when things picked up, but then I didn’t like the ending.  There were some good parts but most of it was just strange and confusing.  I liked the first two in the series much better--Divergent and Insurgent.

I enjoyed reading the author's explanation of why she chose the gutsy ending she did.  It is full of spoilers though so I suggest you read the book first and then check out "About The End of Allegiant."
(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!

"Cross and Burn" by Val McDermid Gets 5 Stars from Me

Cross and Burn by Val McDermid is about a killer on the loose who is killing women that resemble a certain woman.  Who is that woman?  You will have to read the book!  This book has good action and a really great twist that I did not see coming.  
(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!

Teaser Tuesdays: Four for You

Gerard's:

Would he finally meet her, his perfect wife?  He knew who she was, of course.  He'd been watching her for a couple of weeks now, growing used to her habits, getting to know who her friends were, learning her little ways. 

From page 1 of Cross and Burn by Val McDermid.  (My review will go up tomorrow)

Anden finishes buttoning his shirt.  "I can only do what I have do do, June," he says gently.  It almost sounds sad.

From page 89 of Champion by Marie Lu. (the third book in the Legend series)

Karen's:

I stay with him because I choose to, every day that I wake up, every day that we fight or lie to each other or disappoint each other.  I choose him over and over again, and he chooses me.

From page 372 of Allegiant by Veronica Ross (Third book of the Divergent series)

David appointed four thousand people to praise the Lord with musical instruments.  Can you imagine an orchestra of four thousand?

From page 227 of David--Seeking a Heart Like His by Beth Moore.

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!

"3:59" by Gretchen McNeil is Very Good!

3:59 by Gretchen McNeil is about a young teen girl whose life is falling apart.  When she sees a chance to get it back together, she takes it and winds up in the adventure of her life.  

I got into this book from page 1.  There is plenty of good action and a great twist with a very good 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!

We Both Liked "Boy Nobody" by Allen Zadoff (Updated)

Boy Nobody is a YA book about a teen who actually gets to do the kinds of things one does in playing a video game.  Zach’s life is not his own, he becomes a boy assassin working for “the Program.”  He completes an assignment, killing someone, then moves away and onto the next assignment.  His choice is to complete assignments or die.  He chose to live and most of the book is about his most unusual assignment yet—a very short timeline and a girl. 

This book is a very quick read with very short chapters.  I like how the author created suspense with action which made me keep reading.  At first, I didn’t like the main character but by the end of the book, I did.  This book is written in the first person of Boy Nobody, the assassin, which is a different twist.  The best part of the book for me was getting to know Boy Nobody’s thoughts, especially when he was in danger.  I enjoyed the book but was hoping for a different ending.  

(Karen's review, 4 stars)

 
Boy Nobody by Allen Zadoff is about a young teen boy who is in "The Program."  He gets assignments to kill and does them very well but this time he runs into problems.  I loved this book from cover to cover.  I was really into it!  There is plenty of action and the ending is spell binding!  
(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!

"Once We Were" by Kat Zhang

Once We Were by Kat Zhang is the sequel to "What's Left of Me," the story of Addie and Eva who share the same body.  The government wants to put a stop to this so they continue to try to escape from the law.  I got into this pretty quick because there is good action which held my attention throughout.  I look forward to reading the third book in this "Hybrid Chronicles" series.
(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!

Teaser Tuesdays: Four for You

Gerard's:

Our legs froze.  It took three thundering heartbeats before I calmed down enough to move again.

From page 10 of Once We Were (the 2nd book in the Hybrid Chronicles) by Kat Zhang.  (My review of this will be posted tomorrow)

She wanted to tell her mom the truth--about Nick and Madison, about her job, and about the train.  She wanted a squishy hug, to feel her mom's long fingers comb through Josie's hair and for her mom to tell her that everything was going to be okay.

From page 26 of 3:59 by Gregchen McNeil.

Karen's:

It's good to be underestimated.  It's what's known as a tactical advantage.

From page 19 of Boy Nobody by Allen Zadoff.

God does not play favorites.  Anyone who cries out to Him, He answers.  Anyone who surrenders to His call, He uses.

From page 204 of David--Seeking a Heart Like His by Beth Moore.

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!

"Keepsake" by Kristina Riggle - A Novel about Hoarding

Keepsake by Kristina Riggle is an interesting read about how hoarding affected the whole family.  Trish and Mary are sisters but different as night and day.  Trish is a hoarder to such an extent that social services came to her house threatening to remove her 7-yr. old son from his home if she didn’t get the house cleaned up—clutter and junk was everywhere!  Trish’s older son left home and lives at his girlfriend’s house because he couldn’t stand all the clutter.  On the other hand, Mary is a single neat freak whose best friend is a good book.  Trish realizes she can’t clean it up by herself so reluctantly accepts help from her family. 

I found it interesting that often people become hoarders after having a traumatic experience that sets them off.  The sisters in this book lost touch after their mother died but through cleaning out the house, got to rebuild their relationship.  My dad had a lot of clutter in his house after my mom died with one narrow path to walk so I could identify with Mary in this book.  If you know a hoarder or are a hoarder, I think you would enjoy this book. It includes discussion questions in the back so could be an interesting book club read.

 (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!

"Five Days at Memorial" by Sheri Fink (non-fiction about Hurricane Katrina)

Five Days at Memorial by Sheri Fink tells the true story of Memorial Hospital in New Orleans five days during Hurricane Katrina.  It is an outstanding read!  This book is in two parts:  (1) the first part deals with the hospital and the action the doctors and nurses took; (2) the second part deals with the aftermath of their decisions.  Both parts are excellent!  I enjoyed this book very much!  If you want a good non-fiction read, this is a must!
(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!