Starting up again...

It's been a LONG year.  I kept thinking I would start blogging again and just never had the oomph to do it. Losing Buddy hit me harder than any other pet, I guess because she had been such a large part of our lives. She left quite an empty place in our hearts and home.

The bad economy hit close to home also.  Jim was laid off June 17, 2010 from the job he has had for the past 40 years. We are lucky it's such a small, hometown company though. They let hime work one day a week to keep the insurance and savings plans paid. The $20 a week he actually brought home and the unemployment have kept us going. We aren't hurting for money but neither do we have much extra.  Better off than a lot of people, I know. He went through his 6 months of unemployment and got an extension for another 6. He has recently been called back to work for a few weeks so that will extend his benefits even longer. He is old enough to retire but if he does, we will lose the company paid insurance on me so he keeps on working. He has applied for Social Security so financially we will be okay one way or the other.

I have another house cat, not a replacement for Buddy exactly as Cooper is completely different in all aspects. He was just one of our outside cats and I had NO intention of bringing any of them in.  However, in January he caught his back leg between two boards and broke it badly. The vet set it but it got infection in it and it ended up having to be amputated. He was so sick with the infection he spent almost 3 weeks at the vet's.  I can't say enough for the care he received.  The doc and all his nurses babied him and spent SO much time with him!  Yay, Madison County Vet Clinic!!  You're the best!  Doc Hollen knew Jim wasn't working and he donated his surgery fees and only charged us for the daily care!



I'm surprised at how well he gets along on 3 legs now. He goes up and down stairs, jumps on the bed, and plays with his toys like a regular cat.





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I'm not reading as much as I did....maybe only 2 books a month.  I will try and review the ones I DO read and maybe start accepting the books I'm offered again. Thanks to everyone who has read my blog and commented in the past year.

Kat



H.E.A.V.E.N.

H.E.A.V.E.N.
© 2009 by Nan Becklean

ISBN: 978-1-60145-747-9
Publisher: Nanbooks
181 pp.

About the book: “Sarah, a gorgeous, older woman, Lionel, a handsome, older man, Zack, a shy free-lance pilot madly in love with Melody, a luscious wanna-be songwriter-singer, Huxley, a cool, womanizing band leader whose mother, Harriet, thinks is gay and Ben, a lovable robot who observes and tries to understand all, interact in this wild eschatological caper/murder on an idyllic island in August 2073 as the day of reckoning for one of them approaches.”

(Word for the day is eschatological.  I had to look it up as I had NO idea what it meant.  Here's the definition - of or relating to or dealing with or regarding the ultimate destiny of mankind and the world.)

In the year 2056 with all the new medicine, healthy habits and scientific breakthroughs, people are living a lot longer. The country is going broke paying Social Security benefits. The governent decides to offer people the chance to live the last 10 years of their life in complete relaxation with rejuvenated bodies in resort-like compounds in return for agreeing to voluntarily die a peaceful death at age 95. These ‘resorts’ are called H.E.A.V.E.N. – Homeland Equitable Alliance for a Victimless Economy and Nation. Now in 2073, Sarah’s turn is coming in about 2 weeks and she’s decided she isn’t ready to die yet. It was all her husband’s idea in the first place and he’s already gone. As she’s searching for a way out of her predicament, she gets into a fight with an employee who later ends up dead. Sarah is one of many suspects.

Ms. Becklean does a wonderful job with her characters and storyline, and the addition of a thinking, 12-foot-long robotic crocodile guard adds just the right touch to the story. Even though the book touches on some very serious matters, it has humor, romance, science fiction, mystery, and gives you something to think about, too …enjoyable all-around.

Author Marketing Experts, Inc sent me a copy of this book for review.

Future Hope

Future Hope
© 2009 by David Gelber

ISBN: 978-1-934572-34-4
Publisher: Emerald Book Company
SRP: $23.95
350 pp.

About the book: “Earth 2156. The fate of the world rests in the soul of a daring adventurer.

Future earth has forgotten God. Science and technology reign supreme. A benevolent government banishes hunger, poverty, and disease and provides a luxurious lifestyle for an ever-increasing population. However, even science has its limits, and the world faces a crisis of diminishing resources.
 Dr. Deborah Tennyson, a brilliant mathematician, devises the only answer for humankind: Discover new resources through the Interdimensional Transport Protocol (ITP). A brash, self-centered but remarkably talented astropilot, Major David Sanders, takes the responsibility of making the first ITP flights and determining the fate of the earth. Will he find the fame he so desperately craves or much more?

Sanders’ journey through interdimensional space takes him to a world he could never imagine and a spiritual destiny he could never expect.”

Earth 2156 and the government provides for almost everything. The trouble is, earth and the surrounding moons and planets are running out of natural resources. Dr. Tennyson’s idea for interdimensional travel would mean that places that were once unreachable because of the time involved to get there, could be reached in a matter of hours, thus unlocking new solar systems for exploration. Major Sanders is chosen for the first manned fight. Something goes wrong when he goes through the portal and he doesn’t come out the other side. Sanders is lost in another dimension. What he finds there debunks modern government’s agenda that the Bible is just a myth.

I guess you would call this genre Christian science fiction because there is definitely a moral to the story. . It was very well written with an interesting plot and characters but just a tiny bit too much Bible re-telling for me to enjoy this entirely as a novel.

PR by the Book provided me with a copy of this novel to read and review.

Books I've read this week - Deadly Codes

Deadly Codes: A Gallagher Novel © 2009 by J P O’Donnell

ISBN: 978-0-595-5411-3

Publisher: iUniverse

216 pp.

Price: $15.95

About the book: “Daniel Cormac Gallagher, Jr., a Boston private eye, is hired to investigate the death of Jennifer Clark, tragically killed in a car bombing in her own driveway.

Gallagher has been commissioned by Jeanne Campbell, Jennifer’s twin sister, to find a mysterious woman – Jennifer’s secret lesbian lover who vanished immediately after the bombing. While the authorities continue to pursue their suspicions that the terrorist act my have been intended for Jennifer’s husband, Bill, who holds a top- secret position in the counter-intelligence division of the National Security Agency. Jeanne reveals intricate details to Gallagher that intrigue him enough to take on the case. While Gallagher begins searching for the missing woman, he has no idea that a bounty has been placed on his won head – two hired gunmen are plotting to kill him. Gallagher’s search takes him to Washington, D. C., where he discovers that the car bombing is only a backdrop to a complex, treasonous scheme to sell code-breaking formulas to a hostile enemy nation.

As the violent mystery unravels, Gallagher finds himself under deadly attack from two shocking but powerful forces – one he knows and another he never suspects.”

I really enjoyed the action and suspense of this book. Gallagher is a good investigator who happens to trust the wrong person at times. After he and his wife narrowly escape death, he promises to retire from P.I. work. As he’s trying to close his office, Jeanne Campbell comes in, tells him about her sister’s death, and asks him to find her sister’s lover. After hearing the details, he agrees to ‘just one more job.’ Of course, he uncovers more that he bargained for, once again putting his life in danger. The book was well-written, full of action and plot twists. It’s a shorter book but it doesn’t compromise on content. I hope the author brings this character back.

J. P. O’Donnell is also the author of Fatal Gamble.

The book was sent to me for review by Author Marketing Experts, Inc.

Books I've read this week - The Final War and 3001 - Birth of a Political Renaissance

The Final War and 3001 – Birth of a Political Renaissance
©2009 by Priscilla Andrea Herochik

ISBN: 978-1-4392-1514-2

Publisher: BookSurge

pp. 437

Price: $17.99

About the book: “What would happen if unrestrained religious fanaticism expanded worldwide: Could two religious zealots – a self-aggrandizing Baptist preacher and a Catholic Cardinal scheming to become Pope - subvert our Constitution and rule with Biblical dogma? Add the enemy of Christianity – Islamic despots from the Middle East and Africa – to this terrifying scenario, and we have the war to end all wars. In Pricilla Herochik’s convincing and unsettling futuristic novel, The Final War and 3001 – Birth of a Political Renaissance, these scenarios unfold with disturbing ease.

Reverend Rob is a Baptist evangelical who will stop at nothing to seize power and control. Cold and sinister Cardinal Richard Caldas will do whatever it takes to become Pope. When these fundamentalist tyrants join forces, the result is catastrophic for the world. In her novel, Ms. Herochik adds the final ingredient to concoct this calamity: the rise of Islamic theocracies in the Middle East and Africa, and the ambition of each of these religious factions to dominate the world. The result is a global war fought to the very last bomb. Only a handful of survivors remain. Humankind struggles to bring order out of chaos. A small number of people must made decisions that will either lead the world toward peaceful coexistence….or final annihilation. This is a rare novel that forces us to consider our future…and our continued existence.”

This book definitely did make me think. I didn’t necessarily agree with the author’s take on what could possible happen but she had many good ideas. I also didn’t like how the book was written. It’s supposed to be a novel but much of the book was just a narrative explaining how things were at that time period. When characters were included with a story line and dialog, the book was very interesting. The parts that were just narrative were a little less interesting and I wish the author could have developed a way to tell the story with more characters. I personally think her idea of a futuristic utopian society with little crime or illness, and everyone working for the good of everyone else is very far-fetched and leaves little room for individualism. If you want a book that will make you think, check this one out.

This book was provided for review by Author Marketing Experts.

Books I've read this week - Savage Days Haunted Nights

Savage Days Haunted Nights ©2009 by Bennett Kremen

ISBN: 978-1-4196-5502-9

Publisher: Arnone Press, BookSurge Publishing

268 pp.

About the book: “Savage Days Haunted Nights portrays Dorian, a man trapped in a harrowing struggle between good and evil, striving now perilously day after day to conquer this. It’s an arresting tale, suspenseful and driven by forceful action from the first page to the last. Criminals, professors, socialites, prostitutes, poets, and ordinary people animate every chapter of this saga, revealing some of the darkest secrets of the back streets of Chicago and New York and, in one chapter, a breathtaking adventure on a bleak, forbidding tundra in the wilds of Alaska. Revealed here also are the very deepest recesses of human character and the agonies of love amidst the moral challenges of our age.”

This entire book centers on the main characters struggle about right and wrong. As a child, he doesn’t learn to read and is picked on mercilessly. (He’s later determined to be dyslexic.) He learns to fight back, drops out of school and joins a gang in Chicago. As an adult, he finds he’s still full of anger and he has to deal with it. What he did as a youth colors his adult life and he becomes his own worst enemy. It reaches a point where it becomes a life and death situation. It’s not a great book but I sympathized with all he went through and could understand why he acted like he did.

This book was provided for review by Ariel Publicity.

Books I've read this week - The Edge of Forever

I did find time to get some reading in this weekend after all.  I hope you enjoy this book.

The Edge of Forever © 2009 by Jeff S. Chimenti, MD

ISBN: 978-1-4389-5657-2

Publisher: Author House

About the book: "After Michael Hanson saves a young woman from a violent encounter with her abusive husband in a small Nevada town, they attempt to find refuge in another city. But, as they flee, the couple doesn’t realize that they’re about to be pulled into a life-threatening adventure in an event that will change the course of human history in less than a week.

Michael, his two brothers, and a brilliant scientist piece the puzzle together and realize that the bizarre and frightening changes occurring at Yellowstone National Park are simply the tip of the iceberg, and that man is now facing something that is truly beyond comprehension – something millions of times more powerful than anything the Earth has seen in 65 million years when the dinosaurs faced extinction.

The three brothers and their families are caught in a desperate struggle to survive amidst a political cover-up and the panic that ensues when the details of the event are revealed to the world. The group must somehow summon the courage and intelligence to beat the ticking time bomb that will soon convert the United States into a wasteland and claim over a billion lives worldwide."

Wow! After reading this book, I'm thinking of the Yellowstone Naional Park area in a whole new way!  I realize that this is just a novel and a ‘what-if’ scenario but it was scary. Dr. Chimenti’s scientific background lends much realism to the story and makes you wonder if it could happen. It was also full of emotional drama as the main characters have many close calls as they’re fighting against time and human adversaries to escape sure death. This book should appeal to many different readers as it has sci-fi, romance, action (with some graphic violence), and is a total thriller. I loved the short descriptive chapters depicting what happened to random people as disaster struck.

A sequel, The Edge of Forever, Brink of Extinction, will be available early in 2010.

I received this book from PR by the Book to read and review.

Books I've read this week - Breaking the Bank

Breaking the Bank © 2009 by Yona Zeldia McDonough

ISBN: 978-1-4391-0253-4

Publisher: Downtown Press, a division of Simon and Schuster

SRP: $15.00

About the book: “Mia Saul is down on her luck. Dumped by her husband, jettisoned from her job, and estranged from her adored older brother, she and her young daughter, Eden, have had to make a downscale move to a crummy apartment, where their neighbors include a tough young drug dealer and a widower who lets his dogs use the hallways as their own personal litter box. Juggling a series of temporary jobs, wrangling with her ex-husband over child support, and trying to keep pace with Eden’s increasingly erratic behavior have left Mia weary and worn out.

So when a seemingly functional ATM starts handing Mia thousands and thousands of dollars – and not deducting the money from her account, because it sure isn’t in there – she isn’t about to give it back. Her newfound cash stash opens up a world of opportunity, and a whole lot of trouble. Worried friends, family, and in-laws start questioning her judgment about everything, and the cops really, really want to know where all that cash is coming from. And then there’s Patrick, a man Mia most definitely would never have met if things hadn’t spun out of control. Mia is beginning to think that maybe somebody, somewhere, is trying to teach her a lesson about what matters in life, and what doesn’t…”

This was a magical story. Mia’s groceries are stolen and when she goes to the ATM machine to get money to buy more, the machine gives her $200 instead of $100. She just figures it’s a mistake that the bank will catch. When she gets her next statement and the error isn’t there, she decides to go back to the bank and see if the machine will make another ‘mistake’. It does but this time it gives her $1000! Who wouldn’t want an ATM like that! Later the machine gives her even more and tells her to ‘use it well.’ Mia tries but gets into all kinds of trouble. She has to deal with her family, her ex, her boyfriend, her job, her daughter, and the money…it all gets to be too much and she ends up in trouble with the law. How she gets out of her predicament is anything but predictable. Very enjoyable story.

I won this book from Drey’s Library. Thanks Drey!

Books I've read this week - The Piano Teacher

The Piano Teacher © 2009 by Janice Y. K. Lee

ISBN: 978-14-311653-0

Publisher: Penguin Group

SRP: $15.00

About the book: “This is the haunting story about a man and two women whose fates collide in Hong Kong During the Japanese invasion of World War II and it’s aftermath ten years later.

This sweeping tale of romance, secrecy, and betrayal alternates between the lives of two vastly different women whose destinies are linked by the man they both love. In 1941, Trudy Liang is a beautiful Eurasian soialite who falls headlong into a passionate relationship with Will Truesdale, a newly arrived Englishman. But their love affair is soon threatened by the invasion of the Japanese as World War II overwhelms their part of the world. Will is sent to an internment camp, where he and other foreigners struggle daily for survival. Trudy remains outside, forced to form dangerous alliances with the Japanese – in particular, the malevolent head of the gendarmerie, whose desparate attempt to locate a priceless collection of Chinese art lead to a chain of terrible betrayals.

Ten years later, Clair Pendleton comes to Hong Kong and is hired by the wealthy Chen family as their daughter’s piano teacher. A provincial English newlywed, Claire is seduced by the heady social life of the expatriate community. At an elegant cocktail party, she meets Will, to whom she is instantly attracted. She soon begins an affair…only to discover that her over is hiding a devastating past. As the threads of this spellbinding novel intertwine, impossible choices emerge – between love and safety, courage and survival, the present, and, above all, the past. Claire learns that sometimes the price of survival is love”

This story is told in two parts that intertwine. The first takes place right before WW II starts and during the takeover of Hong Kong by the Japanese, and the second, 10 years later, as Hong Kong is making its recovery. Some of the characters overlap and it’s their experiences that make the book. The author grew up in Hong Kong and also did a tremendous amount of research that is proven by the detail in the story.

There is a lot more to this story than just the love affair between Claire and Will. Claire isn’t even in Hong Kong as the relationship between Will and Trudy begins before the start of the war. When the Japanese invade, Will is injured and imprisoned with the other Europeans and Americans. Trudy, who is half Portuguese and half Chinese must make her way on the outside dealing with the Japanese.  Will survives the war but at what price? What secrets is he hiding? What part does Claire have in bringing some of them to light and can she survive when her own secrets are uncovered?  The descriptions of what the people went through during the invasion and after are graphic and vivid. It was a very gripping story and one that will stick with me for some time.

This book was provided to me for review by Penguin Books.

Books I've read this week - Eddie's Bastard

Eddie’s Bastard ©1999 by William Kowalski

ISBN: 0-06-109825-6

Harper Collins

SRP: $14.00

About the book: “Eddie’s Bastard” is William Amos Mann IV, know as Billy – the son of a heroic pilot killed in Vietnam and an unknown woman. The last in a line of proud, individualistic Irish-American men, Billy is discovered in a basket at the door of the dilapidated mansion where his bitter, hard-drinking grandfather, Thomas Mann, has exiled himself. Astonished and moved by the arrival of his unexpected progeny, Thomas sets out to raise the boy himself – on a diet of love, fried baloney and the fascinating lore of their shared heritage. Listening to his grandfather’s whiskey-tinged tales of the family’s gloriously checkered past, Billy sets out to capture the stories on paper. He is a Mann, Grandpa reminds him daily, and thus destined for greatness.

Through the tales of his ancestors, his own experiences, and the unforgettable characters who nhance and enliven his adolescence, Billy learns of bravery and cowardice, of life and death, of the heart’s capacity for love and for unremitting hatred, eventually grasping the meaning of family and history and their power to shape destiny. Steeped in imagery and threaded with lyricism, Eddie’s Bastard is a novel of discovery, of a young man’s emergence into the world and the endless possibilities it offers.”

I won this book from Katrina Stonoff’s blog, Stone Soup. When she sent the book, she included a hand-written note expressing her desire that I enjoy the book as much as she did. Well, Katrina, I truly did; thank you.

Written as a narrative by Billy, this book follows his fascinating and somewhat convoluted journey through childhood. After a serious financial mistake years before, his grandfather had become the laughing stock of the town and a recluse, slowly drinking himself to death. His wife had walked out on him and his only son had been killed in Vietnam. Thomas thought he was the last of the Mann family and he had given up. He was delighted to find Billy on his doorstep because it gave him something to live for and someone to carry on the family. As Billy grows up, he has lots to learn about his family and its relationship to the town. There are loads of secrets about the Mann family that come together in bits and pieces. I thoroughly enjoyed following along with Billy as he made his way through many difficult times in his journey to adulthood. As he searches for answers about his parentage and his family, he discovers that the past can sometimes provide very important clues to the future. It was a very enjoyable book.

Books I’ve Read This Week – The Cost of Dreams

The Cost of Dreams © 2009 by Gary Stelzer

Publisher: Decent Hearts Press

Hardcover: 10 ISBN: 1-936073-01-3 / 13 ISBN: 978-1-936073-01-6 / $26.99

Trade Paperback: 10 ISBN: 1-936073-00-5 / 13 ISBN: 978-1-936073-00-9 / $15.99
E-Reader: See Amazon books for Kindle Version

About the book:  Set against the vivid backdrop of a Central American country in turmoil and a desolate Mexican wilderness, THE COST OF DREAMS introduces a masterful new writer of fiction. Gary Stelzer, a retired Midwest physician, draws upon an ordeal of one of his most memorable patients for a novel that's both a powerful, compelling page-turner and a poignant illumination of a woman's-and a people's-struggle to survive.

"Years ago," recalls Stelzer, "a foreign-born woman appeared at the ER of my small city hospital dreadfully injured by her drug-dealing brother-in-law. She had been shot at her family's home in the southwestern U.S. and her husband had driven her and their two small children to this northern Midwest locale. There I cared for her and directed her protracted rehab. Then the husband abandoned them all.

"She drifted away in the years following. But I always recalled how badly I felt for her and her children. Then one day in southwestern New Mexico, I watched as dozens of freight trains passed by and I began asking myself, 'what if...?'"

Thus the indomitable Flora Enriquez came to life.

Flora, a Mayan teenager, has escaped Talapa, her civil war-torn Central American village where her parents have been slain-and where even being seen in native wear could result in summary execution. Following her dream with nearly superhuman determination, she makes her way to San Diego, and against all odds, becomes a wife, mother and teacher. By hard work and shrewdness, she even obtains legal U.S. status.

Her life takes a horrific turn when she's shot by her drug-dealing brother in-law.  As she lays unconscious and bleeding in front of her house, Mexican immigrants traveling on a freight train kidnap and claim her as their daughter, caring for her on a long, grueling cross-country flight.

Nearly a year later, still gravely wounded and disfigured, a freed Flora arrives at the Lake Michigan home of Kate Bowman, an American aide worker who had previously befriended Flora in Talapa.  Kate's nephew had vanished on that mission, leaving Kate devastated and overwhelmed with guilt for permitting him to remain in a civil war ravaged Central America while she returned home.

Now Flora, eager to heal her injuries and desperate to restore what remains of her family, reignites in Kate a fire to learn the fate of her long lost nephew. The two women embark on a harrowing journey  that takes them to the ancient caves of northwestern Mexico in the Barrancas del Cobre, an exceedingly vast abyss of canyons, in search of a storied Indian healer. The cost of healing borders on the unendurable.

With breathtaking suspense, pulse-pounding action and authentic Indian culture, THE COST OF DREAMS is peopled by fully realized characters facing overwhelming obstacles and moral dilemmas. In short, it's a riveting and believable first-rate thriller.

I don't like the idea of illegal immigrants, but I know almost all of them are here just trying to make a living to survive.  This was the story of one of those immigrants and all that she had to endure to make her way to American and what she went through to survive once here.  I do believe her story is very extreme even if the basic idea came from a real person.  I doubt anyone could have lived through what Flora and others did in this book but it did make a gripping story.  I felt the author rushed through the ending and then tied things up a little too neatly. but I thoroughly enjoyed the journey that the book led me on.

I was provided this book to read and review by Dr. Stelzer and Carol Fass Publicity and PR.

Books I've read this week - The Silent Gift

The Silent Gift © 2009 by Michael Landon, Jr. and Cindy Kelley

ISBN: 978-0-7642-0363-3

Publisher: Bethany House

Release date: October 2009

368 pp.

S.R.P: $13.99 U.S

A bittersweet story of hope in the midst of suffering, The Silent Gift follows the story of a devoted mother and her disabled son trying to survive the Great Depression - and the discovery of the boy's unusual gift. "We wanted to tell a story to illustrate that one's worth isn't dependent upon what society deems valuable, but that our intrinsic worth comes from our Creator;' said Landon Jr. and Kelley. Yet the book explores another theme - one that isn't often found in the pages of fiction. And one that the authors didn't take lightly. "The uniqueness of this story is that it focuses on a child who is both deaf and mute, but everyone believes has the gift of prophecy;' said the authors. "It was intriguing to delve into the spiritual gift of prophecy and its own unique implications." With prophecy as a hot-button issue with some denominations, Landon Jr. and Kelley wanted to give an accurate but thought-provoking portrayal of this special gift. As a result, they conducted in-depth research as well as interviewed some of the top theological minds of today. "The challenge was trying to find clarity between actual prophecy and what we typically call 'psychic' today;' they said. With research balanced by story, Landon Jr. and Kelley weave a beautiful narrative of love and enormous sacrifices that lingers long after the last page has been read.

From the book cover: The decade of the thirties was a time of enormous uncertainty – for the world, for America, and in particular for one lonely, struggling mother and her disabled son. Their story is one of unyielding love and incredible sacrifices in the face of circumstances beyond belief.

But then The Gift appears…Where has it come from, and why? How can a young boy who cannot communicate provide comfort and direction to seekers who learn of his special ability? Whatever the source, its presence brings a single shaft of light and hope to Mary and her beloved son, Jack…Will it be enough?

Oh, my! This book pulled at my emotions over and over. Mary struggles trying to take care of Jack. She just wants people to accept him and treat him normally, and she wants to provide a good home for him. When he suddenly appears to have the ability of prophecy, is it a good thing or bad? Without speaking, Jack has the chance to touch and change so many lives. Mary and Jack are taken under the wing of some wonderful people and taken advantage of by others who put them through hell, but Mary’s love and belief in her son never wavers. What she goes through to protect Jack and keep them together is almost unbelievable. Read it and let me know what YOU think.

This book was provided by Edify Media for me to read and review.

Books I've read this week - Dark Paradise

Dark Paradise © 1994 by Tami Hoag

ISBN: 0-553-56161-8

Bantam Books

About the book: New Eden, Montana, is a piece of heaven on earth where one woman died in her own private hell. Now it’s up to ex-court reporter Marilee Jennings to decipher the puzzle of her best friend’s death. But someone has a stake in silencing her suspicion. Someone with secrets worth killing for – and the power to turn this beautiful haven into a dark paradise. And as Mari digs deeper beneath New Eden’s picture-perfect exterior, finding the truth is suddenly no longer a matter of justice. It’s her only hope of staying alive.

Marilee Jennings is sick of her job and when her boyfriend dumps her, she impulsively decides to drive to Montana and spend some time with her friend Lucy while she decides what to do with her future. When she arrives, she finds out Lucy was killed 10 days earlier in what was called an accidental shooting. In a few day’s time, Mari finds out her friend is dead, she’s inherited everything, and the hot cowboy who owns the next place doesn’t like outsiders. The local land is being bought up by Hollywood-types and the ranchers are having a hard time holding on. One of those outsiders confessed to killing Lucy and got off with a slap on the hand. That doesn’t sit well with Mari and she decides to look into the circumstances of her death. She has a run-in with her neighbor and the sparks fly in more ways than one.

This was a good book with many interesting characters and storylines. There’s the conflict between the locals and the outsiders, the lust between Mari and J. D., the twisted relationship of Bryce and Samantha, the hell of Del and his demons. It all comes together in a very well-written novel.

I purchased this book at a flea market.

Books I've read this week - Sanctuary

Sanctuary © 2009 by N. E. Julian

ISBN: 978-1440133091

Publisher: iUniverse

Pages: 332

S.R.P.: $19.95

About the book: Nineteen-year-old Lea Kostovic, a cynical and emotionally fragile former university student, has been abandoned by her family at the outset of a Balkan civil war during the late 1990s. Major Ed Russell is a gruff yet idealistic divorced American army officer stationed in the former Yugoslavia on a peacekeeping mission. While manning a border checkpoint, Russell learns that Lea intends to head south to find her family and must convey to the young woman that the borders will not reopen until spring. Lea realizes that as a person of Croatian descent, neither the Serbs nor the Muslims will take her in. The thought of roaming the countryside for months—freezing, starving, and alone—prods a wary Lea to accept Russell's offer not only to work for him as an interpreter, but also to stay with him. There's just one condition to their simple bargain—Lea must trade sex for protection and survival. A complex relationship ensues and as Russell and fledgling artist Lea begin a new life in America, they attempt to build a marriage from a barter that originally had nothing to do with love and respect. As Lea learns to love and trust Russell they must try to form a marriage in the face of strains caused by the demands of his career and both of their emotional scars.

I didn’t think much of Major Russell’s conditions at first when he offered Lea a safe place to stay in return for sex. However, he was basically a decent person who treated her well, protected her from the other men, paid her to be his interpreter, and then fell in love with her. Lea had been mistreated much of her life and wasn’t so quick to show her emotions or let her feelings evolve. She was very depressed after being abandoned by her family. The story does a wonderful job of showing how two people have to work hard to make a relationship work. My brother has been in the Army since 1984 and I think this book did a good job of portraying some of what servicemen and their families go through. The story was humorous at times and very sad at times but it came together well and I enjoyed it very much.

This book was sent to me courtesy of N. E. Julian and Bostick Communications for review.

Books I've read this week - Peaches and Screams

Peaches and Screams © 2002 by G. A. McKevett

ISBN: 1-57566-727-4
Kensington Publishing Corp.

About the book: Plus-sized private eye Savannah Reid is about to discover the answer to that age-old question: What could be worse than going back home to the Deep South in the height of August humidity? It’s going home to a wedding – not your own – without a ring on your finger or a date on your arm. But a hideous bridesmaid’s dress is the least of Savannah’s problems after her kid brother is arrested for murder….

As the oldest of nine siblings, Savannah has attended her share of family weddings south of the Mason-Dixon line…several of which have featured her sister Marietta as the bride. But before the fickle Southern belle can traipse down the aisle with her latest Mr. Right, the youngest of the Reid brood is thrown into the slammer. At first, Savannah wonders if unruly Macon really is responsible for killing the Honorable Judge Patterson. But when she learns that the ornery old geezer had more enemies than Marietta’s had husbands, Savannah is convinces that her brother’s been framed.

Shaking the Patterson family tree nets Savannah an assortment of embittered ex-wives, spurned mistresses, and illegitimate offspring – but no real leads. Now, with hapless Macon stewing in a steamy cell and Marietta pouting about her postponed nuptials, it’s time for Big Sis Savannah to turn up the heat and show a cleverly concealed killer that this is one Georgia peach who ain’t just whistlin’ Dixie….

G. A. McKevett is the author of several novels featuring the plus-sized P.I. Savannah Reid. The titles all feature food in some way – Just Desserts, Killer Calories, Cooked Goose, etc. Food also featured somewhat prominently in this book as the entire dysfunctional Reid family was always sitting down to a fantastic southern meal. I guess you would say this was a chick-lit mystery and it was full of humor along with the whodunit story line. Savannah was once a cop and now has a private investigation business in California. She goes back home for her sister’s third wedding only to find out her baby brother has been arrested for murder. The town’s deputy is her old flame Tommy Stafford who broke her heart years ago when he wouldn’t commit to a relationship. Now she has to try and get him to help her clear her brother. More bodies turn up before the case is solved. It was a fun, quick read.

I purchased this book at the Des Moines flea market.

Books I've read this week - Through the Triangle

Through the Triangle by C. P. Stewart

ISBN: 9781432740368

Publisher: Outskirts Press

Date of publish: Aug 29, 2009

Pages: 388

S.R.P.: $21.95

About the book: For decades, tales of mysterious disappearances and strange phenomena in the Bermuda Triangle have captivated the public. Now, a fascinating new science-fiction novel offers a plausible explanation for this enduring enigma.

Through the Triangle, from physics educator C.P. Stewart, packs a high-energy roller coaster of a story into a well-researched and fascinating book that might make you think twice before boarding that next flight or boat through this extensive region of the Atlantic Ocean. The book follows Jake Myers and his teenaged son Nathan, whose fishing trip to Florida takes a detour when their boat runs into a major storm. Little do they realize when they emerge that they're in the right place, but at the wrong time-the Florida coast, nearly 300 years in the future.

Now, this group is about to confront a terrifying part-human, part-animal species that can see in the dark. Together with a loose association of other humans, they'll have to rely on instinct and cunning to survive while they discover the frightening truth that has occurred over the past centuries. But an even greater threat might be one of their own.

Stewart's first book takes readers through the Bermuda Triangle to the other side and, while fictional, is based on research. He analyzed writings of well-known physicists on the subject of spacetime and M (formerly string) theory, along with reports by some of the fortunate people who were caught in the Triangle and survived to tell about it. The result is Stewart's conviction that people and objects don't cease to exist, but rather are propelled into another time.

It all combines for a savvy time-travel thriller that will keep you guessing right up until the shocking finale.

Before I started reading this book I didn’t have too high of expectations. I figured it would be more of a “men’s” book. I have to say I was VERY pleasantly surprised. The only thing I didn’t like was when the book ended – I wanted more! We’ve all heard of the Bermuda Triangle and the book used that idea as a starting point. A fishing boat is caught up in a strange storm and ends up almost 300 years in the future. The author’s imaginative ideas about what had happened to the world in that time were very well developed. His characters and the dialog were interesting and drew you into the story. There was a twist towards the end that made me go, “Oh, no!” but the story finished well. I think this may be one of the best books I’ve read this year.

Thanks to Bostick Communications, Outskirts Press and C. P. Stewart for providing me with a copy of this book to review.

Wins

Winning has been slow this fall but then I haven't been entering as many contests since I started blogging and got on Facebook.  Here are the prizes I haven't posted about yet.

A DVD, Jonas Rockin’ the House from Here and There.  Thanks Pat!  This will go to my niece for Christmas.


Green products from Val’s Views, that included one-use bamboo leaf plates and ‘silverware’made from wood, and Skoy cloths, which I really like. The cloths are washable and re-useable many times.  Thanks Valerie!

Friends Like These by Danny Wallace from A Bookworm's World.  Thanks Luanne!

So Into You by Sandra Hill from Bookin’ with Bingo. Thanks Karen!  My review is here.

Provenance by Laney Salisbury & Aly Sujo from O’s Summer Reading Giveawy.  Thanks to Oprah and O magazine.

The Murder of King Tut by James Patterson from The Tome Traveler.  Thanks Carey!

Books I've read this week - Evil at Heart

Evil at Heart © 2009 by Chelsea Cain

About the book: Gretchen Lowell is on the loose. A sensationalist media has turned her into a star. Her face graces magazine covers…women get “beauty killer” manicures…there are sightings of her worldwide….even kids wear t-shirts that read, “Run, Gretchen.” Most shocking of all, a fan club has formed – counting the number of days Gretchen Lowell has been free.

Archie Sheridan has hunted her for a decade. He lived and breathed her crime scences, only for her to be right there in front of him, all along. He’s suffered long and hard…and been left near death. After his last attempt to capture her went spectacularly wrong, he’s been hospitalized for months.  When a dead body is found with Gretchen’s signature heart, Archie is forced into action. Has the Beauty Killer returned to her ways…or has the cult surrounding her created a whole new evil?

I won this book from goodreads.com way back on August 1 and had been waiting for it. It arrived this past Tuesday but I didn’t get a chance to read it until Thursday. Once I started, it was hard not to finish it in one sitting. I didn’t realize when I started reading this book that it was #3 in a series. (The others being Heartsick and Sweetheart.) While I wish I had read the others first, there was enough flashback information in this one to fill in the story and it was good enough to stand on its own.

Detective Archie Sheridan is obsessed by the beautiful serial killer Gretchen Lowell even though she almost killed him, too. The book opens with Archie in a psychiatric hospital being treated for vicodin addiction and attempted suicidal. When bodies start showing up with signs pointing once again to Gretchen, he can’t resist getting involved in the case. Helping him in his search are fellow cop, Henry Sobol, and a journalist looking for a scoop, Susan Ward. Is Gretchen the killer or are there copycats? Is Archie still obsessed with her or can he stand up to her this time? This book was gory, gross, and fascinating. I couldn’t put it down.

This book was an ARC from goodreads.com and Minotaur Books

Books I've read this week - Don't Look Down

Don't Look Down © 2009 by David Laing Dawson

ISBN: 978-0981003757

Publisher: Bridgeross Communications

Date of publish: Aug 17, 2009

Pages: 194

S.R.P.: $19.95

About the book: Four men, age 18 to 81, have murdered, and now share a room in the secure forensic psychiatry ward. Who better to get inside their heads, and find both the tragedy and comedy of their lives than psychiatrist and novelist David Laing Dawson.

Frank has just completed a ten year sentence in a Federal Prison for manslaughter. He is remanded for an assessment in the Forensic Ward of a Psychiatric Hospital. On this ward Frank shares a four bed room with Joseph, a man suffering from severe depression and delusions of jealousy, David, a young schizophrenic man, and Henry Thornton, 81 years of age, sometimes confused, and possibly guilty of the mercy killing of his companion and lover.

Dawson explores the comedy as well as the tragedy of these four lives as they intersect in a dramatic way in a place none of them wishes to be.

This story has the ring of truth and insight only an insider can provide. And though the characters and events are tragic, the author finds many moments of shared humanity, warmth and good humor.

Although this book tells the story of 4 murderers, you can't help but feel sorry for them.  The circumstances leading up to each killing, such as childhood abuse or mental illness,  is very different and each man kills for a different reason.  They all end up in a room together at a psychiatric hospital.  The author does a great job exploring their backgrounds and letting the reader into their minds as he tells the story.  I like the way he tied up all the loose ends at the end of the book, too.

Books I’ve Read this Week - Embellish

Embellish © 2009 by R. L. Sloan

ISBN: 9781432740368

Publisher: Outskirts Press

Date of publish: Aug 29, 2009

Pages: 388
S.R.P.: $21.95

About the book: As a young girl, Solis Burkes is raped at the hands of ruthless school bullies-an incident that haunts her into young adulthood. Then she meets Nacio, a strikingly handsome man who seems to know everything about her-including the painful past Solis hasn't told anyone about. But what Solis doesn't know is that Nacio has been with her every step of the way, protecting her ever since that fateful episode.

 
It's a destiny he's been working up to for the last 257 years.

Now, as Solis enters a dark world of vampires, voodoo, and passion, she'll need all the protection she can get. Unbeknownst to her, those responsible for Solis's rape have returned. Connected to the evil voodoo Priestess Auldicia, they'll stop at nothing in their plans to spew violence and mayhem throughout the city. And an old family feud dating back centuries puts Solis first on their list of targets. But not if Solis can unravel the clues fast enough, and inflict her own brand of revenge...

Embellish mixes sexy romance with high-stakes paranormal intrigue for a keeps-you-guessing, fast-paced and savvy thriller, right up until the shocking finale.

Before I say what I thought about the book, I just want to remind everyone that I only write MY opinion.  Someone else may have a completely different take on the book.  That said, I thought the story idea good but poorly written.  The premise of a young woman finding out she has a vampire who loves her and vows to protect her from her enemies has the makings of a very good, paranormal romance.  However, the book didn’t deliver (IMO). Solis had been raped as a child.  Her mother died young and her grandparents raised her.  She tells us she acted out by sleeping with so many guys she couldn’t remember their names.  Then along comes Nacio, the 257-year-old vampire, who swears his love for her and does she have sex with him?  Nope, just lots of passionate kissing.  Not very believable. 

There were too many unneeded bits of drivel in the book like the fact that Solis’ biology professor spit when he talked.  That had nothing to do with the story.  I think the author tried too hard when it came to descriptive phrases, too.  Like this sentence, “He pulled me in close to his chest and slowly glided his tongue over the muscle and pulsing vascularity  that warmly established my life force within me.”  Why not just say, “He slowly licked the pulsing vein in my neck”?

Let’s just say this book had all the elements for a really good story but it didn’t come together for me.  If I was rating on a 1-5, I’d give it a 3.