The Drowning House

I had a rare opportunity a few weeks ago to go to the Library...alone, and by alone I mean without my adorable, enthusiastic, and curious 3 year old. That NEVER happens. I was able to walk through the Library silently! And slowly. SO nice to have the availability to just look at all the wondrous books and pick which ones I would like to read. 

I should take this moment to state that I was also picking up 2 books I had on hold so it was not like I NEEDED any other books to read...but does one every really NEED a new book? No. Do I always want one? YES. I have a problem I believe because I feel like if I do not pick up a book I see that I want to read right then and there, I will never have the chance to read it. This happens a lot when I am shopping for one item and come across another item that speaks to me and says "if you wait until next week I wont be here for you to purchase." This is why I cannot be trusted in Home Goods alone. And also why I refuse to apply for their store card. I do not need that kind of debt thank you very much.

ANYWAYS, this book was on the shelf and the cover and then the inside description of the book made me realize that I would like to read this. And guess what?! It is not a series starter! (As far as I am aware) YOU'RE WELCOME! 

I should also mention that I have yet to read this book who spoke to me ever so clearly a few weeks ago. But I have decided to start a new kind of blogging and tell you about a book I have heard about and then when I read it, give you my review. What do you think of that idea? Good? Bad? Does't matter either way to you? 

Here is the link to the books synopsis, check it out and see if it peeks your interest as it did mine. http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13512660-the-drowning-house?ac=1

Happy Reading!

Bookworm Confession...

So I am finding something out about myself...I have a hard time reading a book without knowing something about the ending, like is everything going to be okay? I find this happens more when I am reading a book series. 

Let me explain this better by sharing an situation which I have done this...meaning tonight. As I sit here on my couch once my sweet boy has gone to bed I pick up the third book in the Hush Hush Saga, Silence. There are a few things going on in this book and I found myself reading too fast in order to make sure everything will work out the way I want it to. Because I am reading too quickly I find myself missing important details and I am also too focused on if everything will work out to even enjoy the journey that these characters are taking.  To avoid this from happening I have developed a small (bad) habit of skimming the last few pages in a book to pick up on small details that include the main characters and the topics of their conversation. Even if it is not the way I want it I be, though in this situation it is, I am able to read slower and focus on the words the book is giving me to paint the picture of the journey that takes me to the end of the book.

TYPICALLY I do not read the last page of the book. I go to the first page of the last chapter and I start there and go maybe 2 pages in, or until I can find out a tiny detail of how it will go and return to my spot and continue reading. Or I read the synopsis of the next book in the series if there is one. That is sometimes the best option because it gives enough detail without giving too much away. 

I do not do this with all books. I am finding I do this more with series because I despise how the author torments the main characters so...yes again I know this is their job. (Doesn't change my feelings though.) 

As a disclaimer I did not do that with Harry Potter. I stuck it out and was thrilled with the ending when I got there, So maybe it has to be an extremely amazing series for me not to indulge my habit...

Am I alone in this habit? Anyone else do this? Or do I have to hand in my Library card with my head down in shame? 

How to be a Hepburn in a Hilton World

When I happened upon this book the cover and the title peeked my interest. As with a lot of woman I am a fan of Audrey Hepburn and love everything that she stood for. She was the poster girl for class, and I have tried to maintain that type of class in my lifestyle. 

So I have decided to look into this book a little bit more, though I have not read it yet I like what this book is about. 

I believe every woman need to read a book like this to remind us to strive to be different and not to conform to the cultural norm that is being...well for lack of a better (or appropriate) phrase un-classy.

The link to this book on goodreads.com is http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5777570-how-to-be-a-hepburn-in-a-hilton-world?ac=1
Check it out and let me know what you think!
Happy Reading!

Quite possibly the best invention ever...

I may need to start writing a love letter to Pinterest, since I seem to find so many lovely things on the site. It is amazing to me how I can satisfy my diverse needs all in one place! I can find recipes for delightful food, I can travel in time and space with Doctor Who (If you are not blessed enough to know who that is I respectfully suggest you check it out and report back to me once you do), I can search for new books to share with you, I can find inspiration for my Photography business, and I can find new items to sew!! Whether I have the time to actually cook, craft or sew is an entirely different story for an entirely different day. 

Anyways, all that being said I stumbled across a link to a page that just may change the way you find new books to read.  

http://www.whatshouldireadnext.com/

This site does exactly what it sounds like it does, you type in your favorite author or book and it gives you a list of what to read next!! I tested out the theory with one of my favorite authors, Cecelia Ahern, and I came back with a list of books that opened my eyes to how well this site already gets me...and we just met!! :) 

Totally worth checking out and see what new books you can find that may add to your reading lists!!

Happy Reading!

Matched by Ally Condie

I found this book while doing some research on the internet, and I happen to come across it at the Library, which is rare. Normally I have to order books in order to get the ones I desire. So it was a nice surprise to be able to walk in and pick this one up.  

The story is about a dystopian society where the population is ran by the "Officials" They supply your food, choose where you work, the age you pass away, and who you are Matched with. All of this is based on a system and they look at your personal statistics and DNA to figure out the best options for all of the items in your life. Cassia has grown up with this way of life and has had no reason to mistrust it, that is until the night of her 17th birthday when she is matched.  Ultimately she is thrilled with the match that was given to her, but when she looks at the microcard to learn more about her match, a different face shows up on her screen and it makes her question the entire system. 

I was ultimately not overly impressed with this book. I found the plot too predictable and I felt like there were a lot of gaps in emotions that needed to be filled. Meaning I felt like the main character started to have feelings for someone without any real substance behind them. 

This is the start of a series, but I do not believe I will be finishing it anytime soon. As a book lover and I interested in how the story ends...but as of the moment I have other books that are pulling for my attention so I think I may just give it to them first and save the remaining books for a rainy day.

Have you read the books? What did you think?

Happy Reading!

Bloody Jack by L.A. Meyer

Happy Monday!! (If there really is ever a thing)

My friend Rachel, and fellow bookworm, has been wonderful yet again and has provided us with an outstanding review of an interesting sounding book. I hope you enjoy her words as I have and maybe take her suggestion and check this book out of your local Library!

Happy Reading!

"If you are interested in high seas drama paired with a young adult writing sense, then Bloody Jack may be the book for you.  

Little Mary ‘Jacky’ Faber was orphaned by a bout of typhus that ran through London at the end of the 18th century. Joining a gang of orphaned children and learning to escape in the streets of London was the only thing that saved her life. That, and being able to read. Jackie was valuable to Rooster Charlie’s gang of urchins and earned money by reading the broadsides tacked to the sides of shops, giving news from all over the world.  

When Jacky must strike out on her own, though, she has few options. A little girl is easy prey on the streets, so Jacky finds the only escape she can, as a ship’s boy helping to teach sailors to read for the Royal British Navy. From there, Jacky must hide her identity, learn the ropes of life in the Royal Navy, and defend herself against pirates, bullies, and her own adventurous ways, which often get her into trouble.

Note: The book starts out with a heavy, low class, British accent, which some may find hard to read, but this evens out a little ways in."

Plans?

My friend Mitch, from the blog Gerich Gardens, approached me with this book and I believe it sounds like something we all may enjoy. So I asked him if he would write me up a review to share with all of you, and he accepted! 

Without any further delay here is Mitch's fantastic review of...

The Age of Miracles: A Novel by Karen Thompson Walker

"I started reading this book because my cousin handed it to me with very high praise. She is someone I trust with books as she is a very serious reader and majored in English in college. I wasn't disappointed.

Told from the viewpoint of an adolescent girl hovering on that blurry line of teen and preteen while living in California, The Age of Miracles is a tale of an apocalypse of sorts. The author, Karen Thompson Walker, has explored what would happen to Earth, and to us, if the world's rotation suddenly slowed. Named "the slowing," we are given a glimpse of the fear, excitement and awkwardness that comes with living life as a young person forced into becoming more aware of the world around her as the world itself slows down. Days and nights start lasting much longer than we are used to. Animals and plants are thrown into chaos. Humans are not much further behind. Yet in this girls world, she is still experiencing things most adolescents experience. Sudden awareness that her parents are actually two people, two flawed people. Friends turning their backs. Crushes that may or may not come to pass.

While this novel reads at a pretty easy level it also paints a world that we can only imagine about and does it in a very clear and beautiful way. The scenery comes alive. The scenarios become real. You find yourself hoping for the best but suspecting it may never come. It is a page turner and a heart breaker and a symbol of hope that human beings will find a way despite the odds.

Highly recommended."

BookNote

What Angles Fear by C.S. Harris

Please do not stop listening to my recommendations because I tend to find series for all of you to start...maybe it is a play to keep everyone reading? :) I solemnly swear that I am not doing it on purpose. I see these books in ads or they come to me via email from Barnes and Noble and Goodreads.com. And thats my story and I am sticking to it. 

I am trying to expand my horizons on the types of books that I read. I think I am currently stuck in the Y.A. reads. And I am not bashing that in ANY way, shape, or form. Clearly I am enjoying them or I would not be reading them right? Mysteries have always been interesting to me. I love the thought of "who dunnit?" and trying to figure out who the culprit is before the characters. And though it is frustrating  it is also fun to see when you are wring and what I probably should have seen when I read the book the first time. 

Goodreads.com actually did not give a large description to this book, which I thought was odd and refreshing. For once no spoilers and we can all live in the moment! Here is what goodreads has to say about What Angles Fear by C.S. Harris

"It's 1811, and the threat of revolution haunts the upper classes of King George III's England. Then a beautiful young woman is found savagely murdered on the altar steps of an ancient church near Westminster Abbey. A dueling pistol found at the scene and the damning testimony of a witness both point to one man-Sebastian St. Cyr, Viscount Devlin, a brilliant young nobleman shattered by his experience in the Napoleonic War."

Happy Reading!

P.S. I promise to try my best to find a non-series book to tell you about next week. 

WEEKEND!!!

Happy Friday fellow Bookworms!!

A Duty to the Dead by Charles Todd

Doing a little research on Goodreads.com and I found this book pining for my attention. 

(DISCLAIMER: I am so very sorry to inform you that this book is yet again another start of a series...of which there are at least 5 books that I am aware of. I am sorry. But it sounds interesting...Don't judge me)

I actually read the synopsis for the 5th book entitled A Question of Honor and fell in love with the thought of this story. But I am a firm believer that you do not start a series with the 5th book...or any book in the series but the first. Whether the elements be minor, you will not understand some references. And I am not a fan of not understanding. 

The synopsis of the book via Goodreads.com is as follows;


"The daughter of a distinguished soldier‚ Bess Crawford follows in his footsteps and signs up to go overseas as a nurse during the Great War‚ helping to deal with the many wounded. There‚ serving on a hospital ship‚ she makes a promise to a dying young lieutenant to take a message to his brother‚ Jonathan Graham: "Tell Jonathan that I lied. I did it for Mother′s sake. But it has to be set right." Later‚ when her ship is sunk by a mine and she′s sidelined by a broken arm‚ Bess returns home to England‚ determined to fulfill her promise.

It′s not so easy‚ however. She travels to the village in Kent where the Grahams live and passes on to Jonathan his brother′s plea. Oddly‚ neither Jonathan‚ his mother‚ nor his younger brother admit to knowing what the message means. Then Bess learns that there′s another brother‚ incarcerated in a lunatic asylum since the age of 14 when he was accused of brutally murdering a housemaid.

Bess rightly guesses that the dying soldier′s last words had something to do with the fourth brother. Because the family seems unwilling to do anything‚ she decides that she will investigate. It′s her own duty to the dead."

See I told you it sounds quite captivating! Thoughts anyone? 

Happy Reading!!

BookNote

So Close to You by Rachel Carter

**Warning, once you open this cover you will be unable to place this book down until you have finished it.**

With that being said I enjoyed this book from front to back. I am surprised that I started another series on accident. I do not remember from who or how I found this book but I would like to thank them. I enjoyed the realness of the characters along with the flow if the story line.

So Close to You by Rachel Carter 

17 year old Lydia Bentley has grown up her entire life walking with her grandfather in Camp Hero state park, in Long Island, listening to his conspiracy theories of how there is a something called the Mantauk Project that is going on underground of the old military base. The project is what her grandfather blames for the disappearance of his father over 60 years ago. 

One afternoon Lydia finds herself yet again searching the long abandoned military base for answers with her grandfather, though she has grown to stop believing in his theories.  Lydia stumbles across an open barracks and finds herself in the middle of something she never would have dreamed existed or was even possible. 

I am trying very hard not to give too many spoilers! I have a tendency to do that when I am excited about a book. I want to share in the magic even if that means spoiling it for you, just a tad. If you check out the link I placed for the book they go into further synopsis than I did. But I wanted to leave some of the thrill of the unknown for you. I hope you will pick this up and give it a chance, series or not I think this one might be worth it!

Happy Reading!

The Paris Wife

Happy Sunday morning!

 How is your weekend? Mine has been fantastic. Are you as thrilled as I am about the start of this book? I know I am! So I am going to get off this computer and spend some quiet time with my new book, and I suggest you do the same. :)

Happy Reading!