It’s Monday! What Are You Reading This Week?

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading This Week? This is a weekly event to list the books completed last week, the books currently being reading, and the books to be finish this week. It was created by J.Kaye’s Book Blog, so stop by and join in!

Books Completed Last Week

Darkness Be My Friend (The Tomorrow Series #4) by John Marsden

Currently Reading

Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger
Burning for Revenge (The Tomorrow Series #5) by John Marsden (audio)
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith
Spoon by Robert Greer

Books to Complete This Week

Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick
Dracula The Un-Dead by Dacre Stoker and Ian Holt
The Rapture by Liz Jensen

What are you reading this week?

Posted in It's Monday What Are you Reading This Week | 12 Comments

Review and Blog Tour: Angel Lane by Sheila Roberts

 

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  • Paperback: 352 pages
  • Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin (September 29, 2009)
  • ISBN-10: 0312384823
  • Source: Publisher
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    Heart Lake is a small, quiet lake-side town.  It seems to be experiencing a bit of growing-pains, however.  Citizens are no longer courteous to one another and it’s beginning to loose its Mayberry feeling.

    The three main characters (Jaime, Sarah, and Emma) are local shop owners and close friends.  They decide to come up with a way to bring the “heart” back into Heart Lake.  Each of them decides to do one good deed a day in the hopes that their actions influence those of others, a sort of pay-it-forward campaign.

    In the midst of this campaign, each of the main characters are experiencing their own personal drama. 

    Jaime, Sarah’s niece, works at the town’s chocolate store.  She moved to Heart Lake to get away from an abusive marriage.  She’s in no rush to get into another relationship.  However, when she crosses the path of Jake Armstrong, a widower raising two young girls, her world is upended.  She’s proud of her independence and doesn’t want to get hurt again. But Jake is hard to resist. 

    Sarah is experiencing serious grandchild withdrawl after her daughter’s family moves away.  She’s been a part of their lives since they were born and their absence is noticable.  Her good deed is to provide cooking classes to a handful of the young girls in town.  Her efforts seem to be in vain when one of her students takes advantage of her kindness.

    Emma feels like a failure when her beloved quilt shop fails to take off.  She has a handful of customers, including one who always seems to forget her checkbook, and Emma has allowed her to create a pretty hefty tab. Will hard work ever pay off?

     Have you ever picked up a book, start reading it, instantly falling in love with the characters?  That’s what happened when I started reading Angel Lane.  I became wrapped up in the characters lives within the first few pages.  Roberts writes a very inspiring tale of how the actions of three individuals can influence an entire town.  My life has been very hectic for the past few weeks, but the citizens of Heart Lake provided me with a bit of peace.  And I’d be remiss not to mention the delicous recipes listed at the end of the book. I will definitely be trying out a number of them, specifically the one for pumpkin cookies!

    I don’t like to compare one author’s writing to another’s, but I can’t help but notice a similarity between Roberts’ writing with that of Debbie Macomber.  Both women write inspiring tales revolving around a small-town community. Each have endearing characters that you can’t help but fall in love with.

    If you are looking for a relaxing, easy read, then Angel Lane is the book for you. Now that I’ve finished reading it, I miss the characters. They really became part of my life. They’ve inspired me to pay-it-forward as well. I do hope the author has a sequel or a follow-up planned in the near future!

    Thank you to Pump Up Your Book Promotion for giving me the opportunity to take part in this tour!

    Posted in blog tour, General Fiction, Review, St. Martin's Griffin, Women's Fiction | 12 Comments

    Teaser Tuesday, October 6th

    Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along!

     

    Just do the following:

    • Grab your current read
    • Open to a random page
    • 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 & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

     

    My teaser this week comes from Angel Lane by Sheila Roberts

    “The wind had picked up outside. She could hear her wind chime tinkling like crazy. It was a dark and stormy night, just the kind of night that movie murderers picked to wreak mayhem.”

    What is your teaser this week?

    Posted in Teaser Tuesday | 12 Comments

    It’s Monday! What Are You Reading This Week?

           

    It’s Monday! What Are You Reading This Week? This is a weekly event to list the books completed last week, the books currently being reading, and the books to be finish this week. It was created by J.Kaye’s Book Blog, so stop by and join in!

    Books Completed Last Week

    I feel like every week I’m explaining why I didn’t get my “scheduled reading” accomplished.  I’m not going to do that anymore.  I mean, we’re all human and I think everyone understands that life happens. This past week I was still playing catch up after been out with the flu. Oh, and it doesn’t help that I had to work all day Saturday (my reading day!) So, without further ado, my list of completed books last week:

    A Killing Frost (The Tomorrow Series #3) by John Marsden
    The Thirteen Days Of Halloween by Carol Greene

    Currently Reading

    Darkness Be My Friend (The Tomorrow Series #4) by John Marsden
    Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger

    Books (I plan!) to Complete This Week

    The Maze Runner by James Dasher
    The Asylum Prophecies by Daniel Keyes
    Flesh and Fire: Book One of The Vineart War by Laura Anne Gilman
    Angel Lane by Sheila Roberts
    Fear the Worst by Linwood Barclay
    Oxygen by Carol Cassella
    Saint John of the Five Boroughs by Edward Falco

     

    So, what are you reading this week?

    Posted in It's Monday What Are you Reading This Week | 19 Comments

    YA-Dystopian Reading Challenge

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    I was so excited to learn that Bart decided to host a YA Dystopian reading challenge!  I’ve been reading quite a bit of this genre lately and always love it when I can find a challenge that meets my current reading taste.

    Here are the basics about the challenge:

    I plan on reading four books.  They are:
    The Knife of Never Letting Go: Chaos Walking: Book One by Patrick Ness
    The Ask and the Answer by Patrick Ness
    Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer
    the dead and the gone by Susan Beth Pfeffer

    I’m pretty excited! These books are on my list to read during the Read-a-thon, so technically I may finish this challenge in one weekend!

    Sounds like a pretty fabulous challenge, right?  So what are you waiting for? Head over to Bart’s Bookshelf and sign up now!!

    Posted in YA Dystopian Reading Challenge | 10 Comments

    Book Review & Blog Tour: Thirteen Days of Halloween by Carol Greene

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  • Reading level: Ages 4-8
  • Hardcover: 32 pages
  • Publisher: Sourcebooks
  • ISBN-10: 0816769656
  • Source: Publisher
  •  

     

    Halloween is a popular holiday in our household, so when I was approached by Sourcebooks about reviewing a children’s Halloween book I jumped at the opportunity!

    Everyone is familiar with the Twelve Days of Christmas, right?  What about the Thirteen Days of Halloween?  In this hilarious story, a ghoul tries to win the heart of his beloved.  He does so by presenting her with a slew of outrageous and ghoulish gifts, including bats, cooked worms, and hissing cats.

    My boys demanded to read this book as soon as we received it (back in the summer!).  They fell in love with the silly and lyrical language.   They loved counting down the days and  would both call out each gift as we went along.  They enjoyed screaming the first gift “A VULTURE IN A DEAD TREE!!!” The elaborate illustrations, done by Tim Raglin, were a perfect complement to the engaging text.  As we read along with the text, my boys made a game of finding each of the “gifts” in the illustrations.  We all had a great time guessing what the final gift was; the final consensus was “an ugly zombie!”  What can I say, they’re my boys!  We all have an obsession with zombies!

    This book will definitely be making a reappearance as we get closer to Halloween and a treasured book for years to come!  This is a must read for any ghoul this Halloween season!  Thank you to Sourcebooks for providing me a copy of this book for review.

    Posted in 4-8 years of age, blog tour, Review, Sourcebooks | 6 Comments

    BBAW Bonus Interview with Dawn from She Is Too Fond of Books!

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    I can admit it.  I’m in denial that BBAW is over! I want to continue the blogger love and appreciation we all celebrated that week! Ok, now that I see that in print it does sound a bit cheesy.  Anyway, I’m very excited to have the opportunity to interview Dawn from She is Too Fond of Books.  I was lucky to have met Dawn at BEA this past May.  Unfortunately, we didn’t get a chance to hang out as much as we would have liked, but that’s something that will definitely change for BEA 2010!  Dawn also forced encouranged me to join the Game On Diet Challenge, and I’m forever thankful to her for that!  So, without further ado, my interview with Dawn!

    Jenn: First, can you give a little background info about your blog (i.e. how long have you been blogging, etc)

    Dawn: I started writing She is Too Fond of Books in May 2008.  We had an out-of-state move about a year earlier, moving not only the kids from their playmates and school chums, but moving me from Upsilamba the women’s book group I had belonged to for seven years.  We discussed mostly nonfiction, and the group members ebbed and flowed over the years.  We had lively discussions, often agreed to disagree, and knew that, like Vegas, what happened in book group, stayed in book group!  I did start a book group in our new neighborhood, here, and it’s still going strong, but we’re a bit lighter in our conversations.  The blog is a way for me to explore a little more deeply my reactions to what I read, and to connect with others who might also be too fond.

    Jenn: Describe your blog in five words.

    Dawn: Honest. Personal. Varied. Family-friendly. Connections.

    Jenn: What are the most memorable books you’ve read since blogging? Why?

    Dawn: Oh good, I re-read the question … I thought you were looking for one book, and I wanted to write “impossible to choose one!”.  OK, the most memorable books I’ve read in the past 18 months or so include Beat the Reaper (laugh out loud funny on audio, definitely R rated), Blame and Last Night in Montreal (literary fiction with themes that really make think … and stay with you), The Middle Place and The Center of the Universe (raw, honest memoirs), To the World of Men, Welcome and It’s Beginning to Hurt (outstanding collections of short fiction).

    Jenn: If you were stuck on an island, which five books would you like to have with you?

    Dawn: Is this where I say that if I had a Sony e-reader with me, I could have hundreds of books at my disposal?  And Sony will be so pleased with the endorsement they’ll send us each a comp unit to test-drive, review, and thus reduce the number of books overflowing the bookcases?  Oh, I probably won’t have bookcases on the island ….  I’d have a blank book (a journal); a book of poetry (something huge, covering nursery rhymes to classics); an NIV study Bible (I’ve never read it through, so this would be as good a time as any to really dissect it); and since I’m on an island UltraSimple Boat Building would be handy.

    Jenn: Most interesting/strange thing that has happened to you since creating your blog?

    Dawn: I can’t think of anything strange; I’m kind of a Pollyanna that way!  Tons of interesting things, though – going to BEA and meeting lots of other bloggers, feeling comfortable talking to my author idols, trying new things (new genres, new activities, Game On Diet), seeing life through blog-goggles, always looking for an angle.

    Jenn: Name one book that has gone unrecognized so far and deserves more recognition.

    Dawn: Islands of Divine Music by John Adieggo.  It’s a series of linked short stories, telling the story of a family through several generations.  There’s a bit of magical realism in it.  I’ve done a lot of primary source research on my own genealogy, and I’d love to write even one short story that gives a snapshot of an incident in an ancestor’s life.

    Jenn: Since blogging, have you been turned on to a type of book you haven’t read before? (i.e graphic novel, non-fiction, etc.)

    Dawn: I’ve read only one graphic novel (The Shiniest Jewel by Marian Henley), which I loved.  I’d definitely read more, just haven’t added any more to my library yet.  I’m enjoying YA books, too, although I still struggle with reviewing them (an issue at my end, not the author’s).  Oh, and short fiction; I’m reading more and more short story collections (and “novels in stories” or linked short stories).

    Thank you, Dawn, for stopping by Jenn’s Bookshelves!  Everyone, please check out my answers to Dawn’s questions on her blog, She is Too Fond of Books!

    Posted in Book Blogger Appreciation Week (BBAW), Uncategorized | 13 Comments

    Review: School of Fear by Gitty Daneshvari

     

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  • Hardcover: 352 pages
  • Reading level: Ages 9-12
  • Publisher: Little, Brown Young Readers
  • ISBN-10: 031603326X
  • ISBN-13: 978-0316033268
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    Madeleine Masterson is deathly afraid of bugs.  She walks around with a veil over her face to protect her from any bugs that might fall into her face or hair.  She carries a can a bug spray at all times and areas must be fumigated before she will enter. Theodore Bartholomew is afraid of death.  He contacts his family members several times throughout the day to make sure no harm has come to them. Lulu Punchalower is claustrophobic.  She’ll make up any excuse possible to avoid elevators or any other confined space.  And finally, Garrison Feldman.  Garrison is the jock of the group. However, he is afraid of water.  The thought of entering a pool or, God-forbid, the ocean, terrifies him.

    The parents of these four children are desperate for them to be cured of their phobias, so they turn them each over to Mrs. Wellington and her highly elusive School of Fear.  However, when the children arrive, the school isn’t quite what they are expecting.  The exterior looks nothing like pristine campus pictured in the brochures.   And Mrs Wellington, former beauty queen extraordinare, has the most unusual teaching methods.

    School of Fear is an absolutely delightful read. I read it in a little over an hour during our trip to Williamsburg. There is no noticable violence or foul language, so I would easily recommend this to anyone in the 9-12 age range. I think children will enjoy the hilarious phobias definied at the beginning of each chapter (did you know there’s a valid phobia for those afraid of peanut butter!?).   The author very vividly describes each of the main characters and their particular obsessions/fears.   I’ll definitely be passing this on to my ten-year old. I’m sure he’ll get an absolute kick out of it!

    Posted in Kid-Lit/Middle Grade, Little, Brown Young Readers, Review | 9 Comments

    Teaser Tuesday, September 29

    Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along!

    Just do the following:

    • Grab your current read
    • Open to a random page
    • 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 & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

     

    My teaser this week comes from Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger:

    Being a ghost was mostly like that: it forced her to feed off the world.  She no longer possessed anything.  She had to take her pleasure in the doings of others, in their abililty to move objects, consume food, breathe air.

    What is your teaser this week?

    Posted in Teaser Tuesday | 12 Comments

    It’s Monday! What Are You Reading This Week?

        

    It’s Monday! What Are You Reading This Week? This is a weekly event to list the books completed last week, the books currently being reading, and the books to be finish this week. It was created by J.Kaye’s Book Blog, so stop by and join in!

    If you read my last post, you’d know that I didn’t get ANY reading done last week due to this lovely flu I had.  So I’ll just duplicate the lists I posted last week, and attempt to not freak out at at the amount of catch-up I have to do!

    Currently Reading

    Dreaming Anastasia by Joy Preble
    A Killing Frost (The Tomorrow Series #3) by John Marsden

    Books to Complete This Week

    The Story Sisters by Alice Hoffman
    Little Bird of Heaven by Joyce Carol Oates
    Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger
    The Love of Her Life by Harriett Evans
    Legacy by Cayla Kluver
    Tell Me Something True by Leila Cobo
    The Lost Symbolby Dan Brown
    Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls

    What are you reading this week?

    Posted in It's Monday What Are you Reading This Week | 14 Comments