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| Great House |
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| State of Wonder |
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| Nothing Daunted |
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| Courtesy of NetGalley |
Happy Reading!
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Back in the Saddle Again
It feels like I have been gone from this blog for so long! Too much stuff going on, and sadly, my reading time has been cut drastically. But, I am happy to say, I am getting back into my grove and hope to hit 70 books by the end of July. I have some amazing reads lined up:
I've got a few things figured out, to make sure I always have a book with me: The Nook is always charged up and ready to read, I have a spare book in the truck, and I have so many back up books to read, I'll never lack for something to read in any genre. Phew. I hope to get back to my Random Reads Monday soon, to keep the books on my bookshelves from getting lonely and neglected. If you're looking for a no-stress book club, please join my reading group on Talking Leaf Book Club. We're reading The Great House by Nicole Krauss in July, and I'll be posting another batch of titles to vote on for August, September, and October.
Happy Reading!
Happy Reading!
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Semi-Sweet--A Novel About Love and Cupcakes
Her boyfriend Patrick decides that it's time to break things off with Hannah. Patrick is a total jerk--he's already having an affair, and soon finds out his new girlfriend is pregnant. Hannah struggles to pick up the pieces and uses her cupcake shop as therapy to get over Patrick.
Hannah's story is one of many in this novel. Her friend Adam moves in with her to help pay bills, and he soon finds himself captivated by a young musician who plays at the local wine bar. Can he find a way to talk to her and get closer? And what about Wally, the taxi cab driver who Hannah slowly gets to know over the months? Is John, a recent addition to Clongarvin the answer to Hannah's loneliness?
Once again, we find out that living in a small town usually means there's a lot going on under the surface. Hannah's cupcake shop ties each of the stories together. It's a light, yet solid read for anyone who wants a good story for the summer and escape to a small town in Ireland for a few hours. Go ahead--eat a cupcake while you read!
Sunday, May 29, 2011
The Girl in the Garden
Rakhee Singh is a woman who finds herself on a plane to India after leaving her fiancee with a note explaining that she has kept secrets from him, and she must go to India in order to resolve issues that have haunted her since a summer trip to India with her mother at age 11.
That summer trip exposed Rakhee to a whole new world, one very different from her life in Minnesota with her father, a doctor, and her mother, who suffered from bouts of depression and began receiving mysterious letters from India that she hid from her husband. Who wrote the letters?
Rakhee's journey back to her mother's family, and the summer she spends in India, are full of secrets that Rakhee is determined to figure out. The tales of the creature in the jungle behind the family home have her curious, and soon she is wandering down the pathway to a place that contains a family secret only a few know about. The author's descriptions of the flowers, the sultry summer sun, and the sights, smells, and sounds of India are amazing, and keep you turning the pages.
What is the secret in the garden? Can Rakhee figure it all out, and keep her parents' marriage together? What haunts her from that summer? This was an enjoyable first novel, and something different for me to read. This is a good summer read and for anyone who is a fan of novels like Saving CeeCee Honeycutt, The Secret Life of Bees, or novels set in exotic locations.
The Dead by Charlie Higson
I have to say, I am not a zombie fan, but Charlie Higson can tell one hell of a story. Seriously--this book is not just for teens. Anyone who is a fan of zombie tales needs to pick up this series. The Dead is a prequel to The Enemy, which tells the story about a horrible plague that attacks anyone over 16. They either die or turn into child eating zombies. The Dead starts out a year before The Enemy, and you meet a whole new group of kids who start out fighting their way from a school in the country into London, where they realize there will be more food and better shelter. Along the way, they meet Greg, an adult with a bus who gets them to London. Greg is not a nice man, however, and between his ominous ideas for survival, and the inability of any adult to escape the plague, you have a built in time bomb. You will be on the edge of your seat reading this story! What I love about this novel is how well written it is, and how the plot neatly brings you to the beginning of the first novel, The Enemy. The characters are all great kids who are faced with the devastating knowledge that their parents are either dead or zombies, and they have no one to rely on but themselves for survival. You will be hard pressed to have just one favorite character and yes, there are a few tissue moments. I cannot wait for the third novel! A well written teen series that any fan of apocalyptic novels or zombie novels would enjoy. Disregard that fact that it is a teen novel and pick this one up. And read The Enemy first!
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Graveminder by Melissa Marr
Melissa Marr's first adult novel. What an imagination she has--not your usual supernatural tale. Becka returns to the small town her grandmother lived in after getting a phone call that her grandmother has died. What she soon finds out is that her grandmother was murdered in her home, and by someone who was not "tended to" when she died. Daisha is now roaming the town, killing people and getting stronger. Becka and Byron, the local funeral director, find themselves taking on the roles of the Graveminder and the Undertaker, two people who keep the dead in their graves, and are bound together by a love that cannot be shaken. A contract signed between the town and "Mr. D" hundreds of years before keeps everyone from leaving town in return for safety and good health. It's up to Becka and Byron to keep the contract, or all hell breaks loose and the dead don't stay dead.
This is a great mix of supernatural, old fashioned rituals, and the choices people must make in order to keep others safe--sometimes sacrificing their own happiness for the greater good.
I hope there are more stories coming--I will certainly read them.
Monday, May 16, 2011
Giveaway to Celebrate 50th Book...and the Winner is...
Jewels! Yep, Jewels is the lucky winner of her choice of a Barnes and Noble gift card or an Amazon gift card. You decide, Jewels!
I will be emailing Jewels for her address so her gift card can be on it's way to buy more books.
Thanks to everyone for sending your comments. I always love to see what everyone is reading!
Onward to 100.
I will be emailing Jewels for her address so her gift card can be on it's way to buy more books.
Thanks to everyone for sending your comments. I always love to see what everyone is reading!
Onward to 100.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
The Bucolic Plague by Josh Kilmer-Purcell
I am so glad I did. I loved this book! Two men from Manhattan, Josh and his partner Brent, get lost driving through the New York countryside and end up in the small town of Sharon Springs. Outside of Sharon Springs, they see the Beekman House, a beautiful 200 year old mansion that's for sale. It's set on 60 acres of land, has a barn, and needs some loving owners.
Josh and Brent decide to buy the mansion as a weekend getaway. They've been carefully saving money and living below their means, working very good jobs: Brent at Martha Stewart Omnimedia, and Josh as an Ad executive. This is their chance to get away and enjoy being gentlemen farmers.
Soon enough, Josh and Brent find the Beekman House taking over their lives. An ever increasing to do list, a barn full of goats, and a budding business selling goat milk soap--all the while living and working in New York City during the week-- starts to strain their relationship and their desire to live a simple life at The Beekman House.
If you have Discovery Network's Planet Green Channel, you can see their antics on their show, The Beekman Boys. They also have a website: Beekman1802 that is everything Beekman. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, about two people who try to have it all, and are overwhelmed. Sometimes the journey is better than the destination, and that is true for Josh and Brent. It's funny, touching, and full of great stories about the people of Sharon Springs, attempts at becoming goat farmers, and growing a ginormous garden of heritage vegetables. Pick it up, and you will soon begin looking at your yard, and plotting out a garden for yourself.
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