"If You Ask Me (And of Course You Won't) by Betty White

If You Ask Me (And of Course You Won't) is a quick, fun, light read about Betty White.  What impressed me most is that she is 89 years old when she wrote it!  She is in good health and still has passion and enthusiasm.  I enjoyed reading about her career, her pets, and her love for life and felt like old age doesn't have to be bad after reading this.  It's uplifting.  She has a great attitude as this quote from the first page indicates:

However, if one is lucky enough to be blessed with good health, growing older shouldn't be something to complain about.  It's not a surprise, we knew it was coming--make the most of it.

I was also surprised to find out she has quite a collection of stuffed animals.  We have stuffed animals all over our house; hers were in one room.  I loved that she turned down roles that went against what she believed in or that she did not find funny.

I knew she was an animal lover and liked her in The Mary Tyler Moore show as the "Happy Homemaker" and in  The Golden Girls TV show too; consequently, I was eager to read this book and was not disappointed.  Her humor comes through. 

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

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"In Their Blood" by Sharon Potts

In Their Blood by Sharon Potts is a coming of age story of a young man who loves to live life on his own, with no responsibilities or money worries because his parents are highly successful. That is, until his parents are tragically killed and he takes it upon himself to find out why while also taking care of his baby sister.

There's not a lot of action but I still enjoyed this book; must have been the writing style. I'm glad I read it!
(Gerard's review)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?  

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"Breaking Silence" by Linda Castillo

Breaking Silence by Linda Castillo is her third book that has Kate as the lead cop trying to solve a crime against the Amish.  This book is a page-turner.  I thought I finally nailed who the killer was only to find out I was wrong, as usual.  The ending is really good; didn't see it coming at all!  This book is well worth reading.  I give this 1 1/2 wow rating!
(Gerard's review)

Karen's review:
Breaking Silence by Linda Castillo left me stunned! If you like a good murder mystery and stories about the Amish, this one combines the two very well. The former Amish Chief of Police, Kate Burkholder, has her work cut out for her as she tries to track down the perpetrators of a string of hate crimes in the Amish community where no one wants to answer her questions. The biggest puzzle is when what appears to be an accident causing three deaths that result in four orphaned kids turns out to be murder. I could feel her emotions as she worked to get the boys out of the manure pit and chased down the criminal through his place of employment. I also enjoyed the subplot of her personal relationship with Agent Tomasetti as they worked together on the case.

I liked that the story is told from Kate’s point of view as she goes about trying to solve the crimes while trying to keep her personal feelings in check. I was shocked by the ending which kept me reviewing in my mind what happened to try to make sense of it all. This is a very interesting read that I highly recommend.

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

Other books we read and liked by Linda Castillo: Sworn To Silence & Pray For Silence

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"Save Me" by Lisa Scottoline (UPDATED)

This book starts out good but goes downhill fast at about page 200 or so.  The lead character turns into Nancy Drew.  The story line goes from good to bad and then the main plot is absolutely ridiculous!  Save yourself the trouble, don’t bother reading this one!

(Gerard's review)

Save Me by Lisa Scottoline is a contemporary novel about the strong bond between mothers and daughters.  It looks at the issues of bullying, community, volunteering and ethics.  It is the story of a mom that I think any mother would find interesting and enjoy.  Rose rescues several children from a fire at the school while volunteering as a lunch mom, including her own daughter, is proclaimed to be a mom hero and then later is portrayed as a villain when one girl she thought was safe goes back in and ends up in a coma.  When Rose’s attorneys advise her to sue the school, she fires them and begins her own investigation to find out what really happened that day.  What she finds out was quite a shock! 

I liked Save Me because it made me want to keep reading to see what was going to happen.  Hunting for her daughter in the fire and then being in another fire trying to save the mother who was so mean to her was gripping.  My favorite line of the book is “Every mom is an action hero.”  Although the story is a bit farfetched, it certainly is a good read.  I recommend this to any mother. 
(Karen'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.

"Want To Go Private" by Sarah Darer Littman

Want To Go Private by Sarah Darer Littman tells the story about Abby, a young girl just starting high school.  She is not exactly Miss Popular and goes online to chat with her one true friend and meets someone who calls himself Luke.  She gets way too caught up with this guy and trouble starts.  

WOW!  Did I love this book!  I read it in just a day and a half even though I work full-time.  I especially liked the way the author gets the views across of the other people in Abby’s life.  It’s a definite page turner and a must read for teen girls and their parents!    A double-Wow book for sure!  I LOVED IT and highly recommend it!

(Gerard's review)

Karen's review:
Want To Go Private by Sarah Darer Littman is a fantastic book for parents and teens. Even though I am neither, I liked it too! It is a fast read that shows how teenage girls are easily manipulated by online predators through the story of Abby, a 14-yr.-old girl just starting high school, who willingly ran away with a guy she met in an online chat.

I liked Abby at the beginning, but then thought, “How can she be so stupid?” Through the therapist, the author explains that there is a difference between academic intelligence and emotional intelligence. The predators act like they care by listening and agreeing with whatever the girls say as they “blow off steam” and thus get their trust which they take their time building for months. Then, when the girl has a fight with her parents, the predator suggests that they meet and boom! Emotional intelligence develops with maturity so young teens can easily be deceived.

By reading this book, teens should be able to spot some “red flags” that could prevent them from becoming a victim like Abby did. Parents can get some tips that could help them monitor what their children are doing online, such as not letting them have access to a computer or laptop in their bedrooms for one thing. I agree with Gerard, this is a “must read” for teens . . . and their parents!


Tips Found In This Book:

1) Only chat with people you actually know.

2) Parents should not allow kids to have a computer/laptop in their bedrooms.

3) Parents should have a list of the websites and log-ins/passwords their children use.

4) If someone asks you to do something that makes you uncomfortable, don’t do it!

5) To overcome stage fright, focus on only one person in the audience and talk to them.

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

For more internet safety tips visit http://wanttogoprivate.com and http://chezteen.com

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.