"Ashley Bell" by Dean Koontz Lives up to the Hype!

In Ashley Bell by Dean Koontz, a young girl named Bibi Blair is having a good life. Then one day out of the blue, she is rushed into emergency ER. She is young and thinks that this is no big deal. She finds out that she has brain cancer and has one year to live! But her recovery is unbelievable and a woman tells her that her life was spared so she can save Ashley Bell. Save her from what, or whom? Who is Ashley Bell?

There has been a lot of book hype about this novel and the hype is the real deal! As usual, Koontz goes into stuff you would find hard to believe, but that is part of the fun! I LOVED IT!
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. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

"Corrupted" by Lisa Scottoline - Inspired by Kids for Cash Scandal!

In Corrupted by Lisa Scottoline, lawyer Bennie Rosato takes on a murder case to defend Jason who she feels she let down when he was sent to Juvie 19 years ago. She also finds romance with Declan, the uncle of the Ritchie, the guy who her defendant is accused of killing. This book was inspired by kids-for-cash scandal in the judicial system in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania.

This book got my attention right away with the glimpse into the juvenile detention system and following two 12-yr-old boys. I found it to be very interesting and the story moved along quickly. I like Bennie and felt bad for her when she and Declan had to put a hold on their relationship. I liked how the reader was kept informed all along the way of what Bennie was thinking and feeling and how she prepared her case. This book delves into what justice is in a very readable way. If you like to read about trials and enjoy seeing things from a lawyer’s point of view, I highly recommend this book.
(Karen's review, 4 stars)

Link to the real kids-for-cash scandal: http://jlc.org/luzerne-county-kids-cash-scandal

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. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

Teaser Tuesday

Gerard's:

The red words on the screen are seductive.  Do I believe someone sitting behind a computer creating a website for high school students can help me?

From page 20 of Need by Joelle Charbonneau.

As she was wheeled away, her mother stood in the hall, looking bereft, as though she half expected never to see her daughter again.  The orderly turned a corner, and Bibi lost sight of her mom.

From page 41 of Ashley Bell by Dean Koontz.

Karen's:

"The only person I met is the uncle of the kid who started the fight with my client.  His nephew's a total bully, who's given my client a hard time, almost his whole life."

From page 96 of Corrupted by Lisa Scottoline.

After they read the first few Harry Potter novels, actor David Bradley asked his children which part they thought he should play in the films if he could.  "They said I was a natural for Filch," he recalls with a smile, "and I thought, is that how my kids see me?"

From page 67 of Harry Potter--The Character Vault by Jody Revenson.

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of A Daily Rhythm. Anyone can play along, so I thought  I  would play for fun! Just pick two sentences from the book you are reading. 

Happy Reading!

"Need" by Joelle Charbonneau

NEED by Joelle Charbonneau is about a new networking site called "Need."  It is only available to teens in a town in Wisconsin.  This book is told through multiple points of view of the teens that go on this site.  What is the price you have to pay to get your need fulfilled?  You'll have to read the book to find that out.

I thought this book was very good.  Once the action starts, it is almost non-stop and do not know what is coming next.  I read this author's other three books (The Testing series) and in my opinion, this book is way better!  Read it and judge for yourself.
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

Karen's review, 4 stars:
NEED by Joelle Charbonneau is a disturbing contemporary fiction book about teens a new website for only Nottawa High School. The basic idea is that teens can request something they need on the website and then they will be given a small task to do. When the task is completed according to the instructions, then their need will be fulfilled. Kaylee Dunham requested a new kidney for her brother who is dying. When teens start dying, Kaylee begins to seriously question who is behind NEED and what it’s purpose really is.

This book is pretty creepy but certainly exposes the danger in going along with the crowd and expecting something for nothing. NEED was a pretty interesting “project” which was explained at the end of the book when the person behind it is finally revealed. 


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. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

"Calvin" by Martine Leavitt

If you read and enjoyed the comic strip, "Calvin and Hobbs," you will enjoy Calvin by Martine Leavitt.  Calvin, a 17-yr.-old boy born on the day the last strip was published, has schizophrenia.  He was a fan of Hobbs.  If he could just have Bill Watterson, the writer of "Calvin and Hobbs," make one more comic strip without Hobbs, he will be okay.  I enjoyed this book.  It was like reading a bunch of comic strips.
(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. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

"The Nightingale" by Kristin Hannah is Amazing! We Both Loved it!

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah is a heartbreaking story of two sisters, Vianna and Isabelle, living in France during World War II. It is action packed with well-developed characters who the reader comes to care about. Both sisters are very brave in different ways. The sisters both find themselves in difficult situations and have to make some hard choices. What both sisters endured was horrible, but love prevailed.

I didn’t realize the Nazis actually occupied France until I read this book. This novel gives insight into what it was like for civilians during World War II in France and also what great lengths parents would go to in order to protect their children. I was eager to get back to this book to see what was going to happen next. There is a lot of adventure, some romance, sadness and touching moments along the way. This is a fascinating historical fiction novel I highly recommend.
(Karen's review, 5 stars)

Gerard's review, 5++ stars:
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah is set in France during World War II.  Two sisters, Vianne and Isabelle, now live in a country that is run by the Nazis.  Isabelle wants to fight for her country while Vianne does what she has to do to keep her family alive.  

This is a fantastic read!  It is fiction, but the events in the book really happened.  The pages went by quickly as I became totally engrossed in this story.  Books to do get much better than this!  I LOVED it and am naming it my "book of the month."  This is a must read!  You won't be sorry!


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. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

Teaser Tuesday

Gerard's:

"You're stronger than you think you are, V," he said afterward, when they lay quietly in each other's arms.
"I'm not," she whispered too quietly for him to hear. 

From page 13 of The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah.


Karen's:

If I had told him the truth long ago, or had danced and drunk and sung more, maybe he would have seen me instead of a dependable, ordinary mother. He loves a version of me that is incomplete.  

From page 4 of The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah.

He's only in middle school.  He got into a fight and they took him right to court and put them in Jail.  They can't do that, can they?

From page 25 of Corrupted by Lisa Scottoline. 

It's estimated that Harry Potter's scar was applied more than five thousand times:  two thousand times on Daniel Radcliffe, and 3,800 times on his stunt doubles.

From page 20 of Harry Potter--The Character Vault by Jody Revenson.

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of A Daily Rhythm. Anyone can play along, so I thought  I  would play for fun! Just pick two sentences from the book you are reading. 

Happy Reading!

"The Short Drop" by Matthew Fitzsimmons is Blah

The Short Drop by Matthew Fitzsimmons is about a missing 14-yr.-old girl.  A decade later, the case is still unsolved.  Her father is running for President.  Gibson Vaughn is called in to help solve the case.  I found this novel to be blah.  Could not get into the characters at all although I tried.  I plowed through to an okay ending.
(Gerard's review, 2 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. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

"A Thousand Pieces of You" by Claudia Gray

A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray is about a young girl named Marguerite, a daughter of two brilliant parents.  Her mom's latest invention is called "Firebird" which enables one to travel into alternate dimensions.  When her dad is killed, she goes after the killer and the chase is on.

This book was pretty good.  I loved how I never knew where they would wind up.  There is good action and a few twists that surprised me with a 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. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

"The Christmas List" by Richard Paul Evans

The Christmas List by Richard Paul Evans is a contemporary Scrooge story.  A real estate mogul who is focused on making money at any cost regardless of who he hurts, is mistakenly reported to have died in an auto accident.  He then finds out what people really think of him when reading the comments to the news article online.  He decides to try to change and starts by contacting people he has hurt to apologize and try to make things right.  He realizes that the ones he hurt most were his wife and son and seeks to reconcile with them before it's too late. 

This quick read is heartwarming and thought provoking.  This book makes you take a look at life and make the most of the time we have.  I liked seeing how he changed for the better and seriously tried to make up for hurting people. 
(Karen's review, 4 stars)

ave 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. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

Teaser Tuesday

Gerard's:

He wasn't sure what was coming, or when, only that it would arrive and that it was essential he be ready to meet it.  It might be bad or good.

From page 14 of Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo .


He could have gotten away with it, slipping into another dimension beyond the reach of the law:  the perfect crime.  He vanished from his dorm room without a trace, leaving his door locked from the inside.

From page 10 of A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray.

Karen's:

While the photograph was the same, the headline could not have been more different.  Not many people get to read their own obituary.

From page 3 of Christmas List by Richard Paul Evans. 

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of A Daily Rhythm. Anyone can play along, so I thought  I  would play for fun! Just pick two sentences from the book you are reading. 

Happy Reading!

"Six of Crows" by Leigh Bardugo

In Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo, Kaz Brekker is offered a chance to make money that even for him would be beyond his wildest dreams. To claim the money, he must free a man from a prison that is impossible to escape from. He needs to find a crew of people to help him. The problem is they do not really trust each other. Will the promise of money keep them together? Will they pull it off?

I enjoyed this book a lot! There is lots of action and you did not know what was coming next.
(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. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

"Twice Blessed--Two Amish Christmas Stories by Barbara Cameron

Twice Blessed—Two Amish Christmas Stories by Barbara Cameron is actually two novellas about two pair of 23-yr-old Amish twins: (1) Rosie and Katie and (2) Ben and Mark. Rosie and Katie are used to doing everything together but have very different personalities. Both want to find a good man to marry. This story line was a happy little romance that was predictable.

The men are both in love with the same woman, Ruth. Mark and Ruth are engaged, but Ben is jealous. Ruth secretly loves Ben more. When Mark and Ben get in an accident, Mark is in a coma for over a week while Ben just lets Ruth, the nurses and the doctor think he’s actually Mark. This story had a bit of a unique spin to it so I enjoyed it more.  It even has some recipes in the back of the book of foods mentioned in the stories.
(Karen's review, 3 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. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

"The Life We Bury" by Allen Eskens

The Life We Bury by Allen Eskins centers on Joe Talbert, a college student, who has an English class assignment.  This leads him to a man called Carl Iverson, in a nursing home, whose past is just the thing Joe is looking for.  I thought this book was pretty good.  Joe was a very good character and the other characters were well brought out too.  The only bad part of this book is I thought it was too predictable.
(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. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

"438 Days" by Jonathan Franklin--Really Good True Story!

438 Days by Jonathan Franklin is a true story which makes it all the much better!   A pair of fishermen left the coast of Mexico for a weekend trip.  Soon they were lost adrift in the Pacific.  What a fantastic read this is!  Salvador Alvarenga is a person you will not soon forget.  The first few pages tell you about the kind of man he is, but when the story turns to the boat ride, it is really good!  Give it a shot, you will be glad you did!
(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. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J. K. Rowling is a Great Ending to a Fantastic Series!

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J, K. Rowling is the last book of the series and is phenomenal! It is very exciting, suspenseful, emotional, touching and is full of unexpected twists and turns. It’s hard to review it without giving away major things, so I’m just going to say that if you started this series, you really need to finish it! In this book, Harry and his friends, Ron and Hermione are out of Hogwarts and on the mission that Dumbledore gave to Harry. The plot is complex and full of adventure. Loved the Epilogue! Great ending to a fantastic series!  WOW!

This series is a must read with lots of twists and turns! I thoroughly enjoyed it and was sorry to see it end, even though there were seven books in the series! I fell in love with the main characters and the action scenes were so well written that I felt I was right there.  This one even made me cry, parts were so sad. J.K. Rowling is the best story teller I ever read and certainly entertained me with this amusing and interesting series.   Harry is such a cool character who shows that love is the strongest power and that we can learn much about leadership from Harry Potter.  This series is amazing! 

No wonder these books were such a hit and well-loved worldwide. I had to give every book in this series 5 stars but here is the way I would rank them:

Harry Potter and the Prisoner from Azkaban
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

(Karen's review, 5 stars)

Have you read this series? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

Teaser Tuesday

Gerard's:

But Charles is still thinking about the pistol.  If he shot himself, would St. Peter take one look at him and send him down to the fires of hell?

From page 16 of The Silent Boy by Andrew Taylor.


"Then obey and we'll get through this," Alvarenga said encouragingly.  But privately he felt a rising sense of panic.  "When will this end?" he asked himself.  "And how?"

From page 52 of 438 Days by Jonathan Franklin.

Karen's:

Harry lost any sense of where they were:  Streetlights above him, yells around him, he was clinging to the sidecar for dear life.  Hedwig's cage, the Firebolt, and his rucksack slipped from beneath his knees--"No--HEDWIG!"

From page 55 of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling.  (Best series ever!  LOVED IT!  Must read! My review will be up tomorrow.

It had scared her how suddenly things could change.  Once minute she'd been thinking about having the house to herself and doing some mending and the next she'd woken up to being loaded into an ambulance.

From page 32 of Twice Blessed by Barbara Cameron.

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of A Daily Rhythm. Anyone can play along, so I thought  I  would play for fun! Just pick two sentences from the book you are reading. 

Happy Reading!

"The Silent Boy" by Andrew Taylor

The Silent Boy by Andrew Taylor is told when the French Revolution was going on.  A young boy named Charles Watches his mother being killed, we think, but we are not really sure.  Charles is about to get away and he does not speak at all.  He knows something and various people want to know what that is.

The first part of the book sets up the plot, but no real action takes place until the second half when Charles goes on the run.  All the time his father is looking for him.  This was okay and worth reading.
(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. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

"After You" by Jojo Moyes

After You by Jojo Moyes is the sequel to Me Before You and picks up six months after Will killed himself.  Louisa is having a hard time dealing with that, but she has carved out a life for herself.  When someone from Will's past shows up, her life goes just a little bit crazy.

After You is not as good as Me Before You. That being said, I thought this book was pretty good.  Louisa is great and the new characters are pretty good as well.  The story line is just okay though, not great.  Still, if you liked the first book, you should read 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. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

"Ice Like Fire" by Sara Raasch

Ice Like Fire by Sara Raasch is the second book in the Snow Like Ashes YA fantasy series.  In this book, Meira strives to act like a queen even though she prefers being a warrior.  The story is told from Meira's perspective and Mather's perspective.  This book has much less action than the first and focuses on inner struggles and the trip to find some magical keys and how to open the magical chasm found in Winter's mountains.  Theron wants to open it but Meira doesn't so tries to find the keys first and the Order of the Lustrate.  Finally, about the last 50 pages had some action and got really good.

This book was not as interesting as the first but was okay.  I still like Mather best and didn't understand some things.  The plot seemed dull to me and it moved along slowly.  The only reason I finished this book is because it is the second in a series and I plan on finishing the series.  It isn't gripping but it's still worth reading.  This has mostly introspection, politics, betrayal and travel in it.  
(Karen's review, 3- stars)

Now see what Gerard thought of it:
Ice Like Fire by Sara Raasch is the follow-up to Snow Like Ashes, which I loved! Meira, the new Queen of Winter, is on a mission to get Winter out of the rule of the King of Cordell and she needs help to do that.

This book is nowhere near as good as the first. The first half of the book I had to plow through because nothing really is going on. The second half has some action and I was able to get into it more. The ending was just okay and not the big “wow” I hoped for. I will read the third book in hopes that it will be better and see how it all plays out.
(Gerard’s review, 3 stars)


See our review of the first in this series:  Snow Like Ashes

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. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!