Summary (from the publisher):

On her 7th birthday, Annie’s con artist father Jack told her two things: he was giving her an airplane, and he was leaving her behind. Then he raced out of her life.

Years later, Annie, now a top Navy jet pilot, returns home on her twenty-sixth birthday to visit with her aunt and uncle, who raised her as their own. But she arrives to the most unexpected: a call from her father to say he is dying and needs her to fly to St. Louis to bring him the airplane he gave her the day he left.

Is Jack really dying, or is it another one of his elaborate cons? Why would she help the man who abandoned her? And is he telling the truth that if she brings him the plane, he will give her the one thing she always wanted: the name of her mother? The answer will set Annie on a quest filled with hilarious characters, strange encounters, and the most unexpected of all: the mystery of falling in love.

I have to say while I enjoyed this book, I probably wanted to like it more than I actually did like it.

I loved the characters in this book and their dedication to each other. It truly showed that families are what you make them. Annie was the heroine and after having been abandoned by her father at the age of 7, she began her life with her Aunt Sam (Samantha) and Uncle Clark. What a pair. Sam is a lesbian with a failed relationship she has had difficulty getting over, and Clark is a twice married (and divorced) peditrician and long time friend of the family who lives with Sam in the ancestral home. Together they provided the roots for the life that Annie's father gave her wings for. This book would have been a great character novel...or a great mystery as Annie races to help her (presumed) dying father. Somehow it fails at both. I would have like to have picked the book apart and put it back together in a chronological manner that would make more sense. I wanted more of both generes and as a consequence had a difficult time keeping myself interested in the novel. I did finish it. I can't say I loved the ending. I think for the amount of development in the novel it was almost likesomeone said enough, this is the end. I am sorry for that because the book had so much promise.

I just finished this book today and I have to say it is one of the best that I have read in a long time. Right now I am wishing I hadn't finished the book. I want more of the characters and I want to know about where they went!

Dancing in the Lowcountry centers around Ella a mature, widowed woman who is entering the time of her life when her children start to doubt she can take care of herself. She has a companion who is a full blooded Cherokee Indian and the two of them take off for Myrtle Beach for a respite and some self introspection. Ella plans to give her oldest son some long hidden news and gets sidetracked when she learns that he is seriously ill. She meets and older gentle man at the genteel Priscilla and a touch of romance ensues. Ella slides back into her past looking at the choices she has made and how they have defined her life and she uses that to determine how she can stop losing control over her life now.

I loved everything about this book from the characters, to the locations (I believe I am truly a sucker for the lowcountry), oh my the food!!! (Bless this writer for his superior grasp of that part of the subject, I was drooling)This book itself was a slow dance, a romance of life if you will and how the decisions you make, even as a young adult have ripples even into the evening of your life. Heartily recommended! A wonderful read, it is hard to believe that A) it was written by a male and B) it is his first published book of fiction!

I just finished reading this book today and I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed it. This is the story of a displaced Texas homemaker who moves to Connecticut and pursues her dream of opening a quilt shop. Since that is a fantasy of mine of course I had to have it. This poor displaced person discovers shortly after the store opens that she has breast cancer. As this is a cause I am strongly aware of, again, it struck home. The bonds formed and reformed in this book make a wonderful development of characters. I didn't want the book to end and thankfully, according to her website, A Thread of Truth picks up where A Single Thread leaves off. I am off to the library tomorrow to find it.

Marie Bostwick is one of the authors I picked up the other day that I had never read before and I can heartily recommend her now. I my just be hooked on the series but I sure gobbled this first one up!

I admit it. I am crazy for Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series. I just finished Finger Lickin' Fifteen and I went through it like a hot knife through butter. I don't want to give any spoilers but Lula and Grandma Mazur are a match and gasoline,Stephanie and Ranger well...I don't know how she does it 'cause I sure couldn't, and well the 'Burg is the 'Burg!

I got hooked on these stories because I grew up in that area and "know" these people. Now I really know these people. Janet's books are hysterical and are a true delight for me. I just wish she could write as quickly as I can read!

Finger Lickin' Fifteen isn't the only book on my night table right now. I have also read 3 of the Monica Ferris Needlework mysteries: Embroidered Truths, Sins and Needles and I am almost finished with Thai Die. I have an Emilie Richards book waiting (Touching Stars)as well as The Gifted Gabaldon Sisters by Lorriane Lopez. The last time I went to the library I picked up a couple of books by authors I was not familiar with and that was one of them.

That's it for now, I want to get back to reading! Caio

I am reading Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay. I am so engrossed in this book I am getting up early just to read. I am fighting to read at work and when I am home, all I want to do is get back into it.

From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. De Rosnay's U.S. debut fictionalizes the 1942 Paris roundups and deportations, in which thousands of Jewish families were arrested, held at the Vélodrome d'Hiver outside the city, then transported to Auschwitz. Forty-five-year-old Julia Jarmond, American by birth, moved to Paris when she was 20 and is married to the arrogant, unfaithful Bertrand Tézac, with whom she has an 11-year-old daughter. Julia writes for an American magazine and her editor assigns her to cover the 60th anniversary of the Vél' d'Hiv' roundups. Julia soon learns that the apartment she and Bertrand plan to move into was acquired by Bertrand's family when its Jewish occupants were dispossessed and deported 60 years before. She resolves to find out what happened to the former occupants: Wladyslaw and Rywka Starzynski, parents of 10-year-old Sarah and four-year-old Michel. The more Julia discovers—especially about Sarah, the only member of the Starzynski family to survive—the more she uncovers about Bertrand's family, about France and, finally, herself. Already translated into 15 languages, the novel is De Rosnay's 10th (but her first written in English, her first language). It beautifully conveys Julia's conflicting loyalties, and makes Sarah's trials so riveting, her innocence so absorbing, that the book is hard to put down. (July)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

I knew absolutely nothing about this terrible happening and have as a family historian, I am so engrossed in the lives of these people and their interconnection that I find myslef thinking about them even when I am not reading!

The Vél’ d’hiv’ Round-up involved 13 000 victims from Paris and its suburbs. Over slightly more than two days, the Round-up involved nearly a third of the 42,000 Jews deported to Polish death camps in 1942. The statistics for this terrible year account for over half of the total 76,000 Jewish deportations from France. The roundup accounted for more than a quarter of the Jews sent from France to Auschwitz in 1942, of whom only 811 came home at the end of the war.

I am no stranger to history. I have studied the Holocaust. I thought that man's inhumanity could no longer shock me. Reading this book, fictional or not, I stand corrected. Definately a must read, Definately a book to own.

French Children of the Holocaust

Excuse me now I have to go find out what is happening in my book!

I have just been gobbling up books this past week. I made a run to the library to return some (just two) over due books and hit what i consider the mother load of new reads. I tried to not grab but several found their way into my bag and I have now finished them. The first was Rosina Lippi's The Pajama Girls for Lambert Square. This is the first of Rosina's books that I have read other than her Wilderness Series. (I intend to remedy that situation ASAP!) This was a lovely story with well formed, interesting characters that I loved. Especially the idea of living in pajamas... I could do that. It doesn't hurt that it takes place in South Carolina where I am determined to retire to someday. You cannot beat this as a lovely warm romance. I highly recommend it and will be out to look for more of Rosina's books.

The second book I gobbled up was Dorothea Benton Frank's Bulls Island Another South Carolina story this one on my beloved coast. Frank once again delivers a wonderful, cultured strong woman centered novel. I have yet to read a book of hers I didn't love. This one was as intriguing and captivating as all the rest and again, I highly recommend it. I cannot wait for Return to Sullivan's Island at the end of this month!

Last but certainly not least was Kate Jacob's Comfort Food. Even though it was not set in South Carolina, it was wonderful all the same. Comfort Food was the first of her books that I have read and I will be looking for The Friday Night Knitting Club. As a "cook" myself (Italian mother's love to feed folks!) I can relate to so many of the characters in this book. The relationships are so well formed and so interesting I was sorry to see the book end.

It is rare, for me at least, to find and read three wonderful books in a row, I am giving this lot all 4 stars and wish Pam was here to share them with.

I have three books that I have finished this week. The first is by Jennifer Chiaverrini. The Lost Quilter is another edition in the Elm Creek Quilter's series and it did not disappoint. Once again we visit the evils of slavery and how quilts help lead the way on the Underground Railroad but this time we got a look primarily from the view of one slave. These books are like candy once you start you cannot put it down. Definitely a keeper and I think this is a series that I do need to purchase for my collection.

The next was another book in the China Bayles series by Susan Wittig Albert. Wormwood lacked the input of China's usual cast of characters but found a place close to my heart anyway. This book takes place in a fictional Shaker community in Northern Kentucky (!). The Shaker Village at Pleasant Hill is one of my absolute favorite places to visit in Kentucky and I have been there many times. The fictional village of Mt. Zion is very much like that and took care to depict the Shaker community very much as it was in the 1800's. I read it straight through and loved every minute. I just wish Ms. Albert could write as quickly as I can read! I cannot wait for the next one.

The last book was an audio book. The 37th Hour by Jodi Compton. Out of the three books, this is the only one I would not recommend. While I chose this because because it is a mystery/thiller with a woman as the main character I was very disappointed in the way the story was handled. There were so many sub-themes and flash backs that I found myself going back to re-listen several times to see just what I had missed that kept me from understanding what I was listening to. The ending was awful. I suspected that there would be a sequel (which I have since found out is true, there is) but I won't be reading it. I won't go into the themes since I don't want to give away any spoilers but I would only read this if there is nothing else at hand.

Fans of Da Vinci Code knockoffs will welcome Byrnes' first novel. When an ancient stone burial box known as an ossuary is stolen from a secret crypt beneath the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, readers will immediately intuit that the bones contained in the box are those of Jesus Christ, even though it takes quite a bit longer for the characters to admit as much. American geneticist Charlotte Hennesey is summoned to the Vatican along with Dr. Giovanni Bersei, an anthropologist, to study the ossuary. Back in Jerusalem, Arabs, Jews and Christians bicker, protest, fight and scheme against one another both within and outside the Temple Mount. A ruthlessly efficient Vatican hit man, Salvatore Conte, hovers over the action. Venal cardinals, contemptuous Israelis, Knights Templar and evil popes round out a familiar cast. Byrnes puts a more contemporary spin on his material than most authors of religious thrillers.

I spent part of my misspent day finishing The Scared Bones by Michael Byrnes. I also have the sequel The Sacred Blood here. I enjoyed the plot and characters much more that the aforementioned Book of Lies. I am looking forward to the sequel but I think I may pick up something a bit lighter first. I like that Byrnes included all sides of the religious war going on in the Middle East and showed respect for each groups thoughts. While I absolutely realize that this is a book of fiction I also know there are many people in this world that are attempting to save their own ideology by undermining someone else's. Truthfulness has become a subjective virtue and I hate to think the opposite of that being practiced by religious leaders but...well, I am just not that naive.

I don't know guys, I kind of liked this one because I listened to it rather than reading it and it was kind of fun but...I think if I had been reading it, I may never have finished. I cannot for the life of me understand how someone could tie the world's first murder (Cain and Abel) to the birth of Superman. I liked that there was a lot of research done on both of those aspects of the story but I felt it turned the solemnity of the bible story into gruel for comic book readers. Yes I got the parallels but I have to say, it didn't do much for me. I read one review that suggested the Meltzer "got so excited (about his themes) he forgot to write a book that made sense." LOL What could have been a great historical mystery got lost.

I will give it three stars for the effort but sorry, no recommended status.

Bestseller Meltzer (The Book of Fate) deserves credit for an audacious conceit—wedding the biblical fratricide of Abel by his brother Cain with the unsolved 1932 homicide of the father of Jerry Siegel, the creator of iconic comic book hero Superman—but the results are less than convincing. A highly tenuous link between the two murders revolves around the mysterious weapon Cain (the world's greatest villain) used to kill his brother. One of numerous theories is that the weapon was a divine book containing the secrets of immortality. After coming to the aid of a shooting victim, Calvin Harper, a homeless volunteer working in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., soon finds himself hopelessly caught up in a life-and-death quest for the ancient artifact that includes the obligatory secret societies, Nazi conspiracies, enigmatic villains and cryptographic riddles à la The Da Vinci Code.

from Publisher's Weekly

Set against a backdrop of Oval Office corruption, bestseller Meltzer's overblown thriller opens with a frantic assassination attempt on President Leland Manning, who manages to elude the gunfire. Manning's deputy chief of staff, Ron Boyle, is killed, and his top aide, the cocky, ambitious Wes Holloway, is left facially disfigured. Eight years later, his motivation and confidence drained by his handicap, Holloway still toils away for the out-of-office Manning, fetching refreshments and handling the daily social calendar. On a goodwill junket to Malaysia, however, Holloway spots Boyle, surgically altered, but unmistakably the same man who was supposed to be dead and gone. From this turning point, Meltzer (The Zero Game) follows Holloway step by excruciatingly slow step as he tries to find out what really happened eight years earlier.

I have to say I loved this book. I did not read any of the reviews before hand (I rarely do) and I have to say I was really shocked at the reviews on Amazon. To be truthful, I did expect something a little more along the lines of The Davinci Code or National Treasure but I was not disappointed in what I got. I enjoyed the book immensely. I found myself listening even at lunch. I did do the audio version of this book and maybe that made a difference. It was funny to find myself hoping that someone would make a particular decision and getting exciteed when they did. While I probably wouldn't give this book 5 stars I would probably rate it at least a 4. It sure brought up some frightening thoughts on just how easily the government has been corrupted.

Book of Lies is next in my aduio queue.

Here are a couple of review options other than Amazon.
The Book Reporter
Who Dunnit?

That should be in my top 5. Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier.
*sigh* "Last night I dreamed I went to Manderley again."

Rebecca is a novel of mystery and passion, a dark psychological tale of secrets and betrayal, dead loves and an estate called Manderley that is as much a presence as the humans who inhabit it: "when the leaves rustle, they sound very much like the stealthy movement of a woman in evening dress, and when they shiver suddenly and fall, and scatter away along the ground, they might be the pitter, patter of a woman's hurrying footsteps, and the mark in the gravel the imprint of a high-heeled satin shoe." Manderley is filled with memories of the elegant and flamboyant Rebecca, the first Mrs. DeWinter; with the obsessive love of her housekeeper, Mrs. Danvers, who observes the young, timid second Mrs. DeWinter with sullen hostility; and with the oppressive silences of a secretive husband, Maxim. Rebecca may be physically dead, but she is a force to contend with, and the housekeeper's evil matches that of her former mistress as a purveyor of the emotional horror thrust on the innocent Mrs. DeWinter. The tension builds as the new Mrs. DeWinter slowly grows and asserts herself, surviving the wicked deceptions of Mrs. Danvers and the silent deceits of her husband, to emerge triumphant in the midst of a surprise ending that leaves the reader with a sense of haunting justice. -- For great reviews of books for girls, check out Let's Hear It for the Girls: 375 Great Books for Readers 2-14. -- From 500 Great Books by Women; review by Vickie Sears

I am SUCH a bookworm that I never knew this was a movie with Laurence Olivier and Joan Fontaine until I hit Amazon this morning. Hmmm, think I may have to order that!

OK, that is a definate 4 books in my top 5. I will have to keep thinking.

This came from the United Cerebal Palsy site so now I know Karen grew up and had a life. God Bless her parents and parents everywhere that don't take a doctor's opinion for gospel when they know better!

Karen Killilea and the Killilea Family
Growing up, many people read the book Karen by Marie Killilea and were profoundly moved by Karen's story, as told by her mother. UCP receives many inquiries about the Killilea family. We are pleased to share this information, which has been complied from many sources.


Marie Lyons Killilea was born June 28, 1913 in New York City to Tom and Marie Powers Lyons. Her father was a sportswriter for the New York Sun and later became co-owner of a Wall Street brokerage firm. Marie was educated at the Mount St. Vincent Academy in Riverdale. She graduated from the Katherine Gibbs Secretarial School. Marie married James Killilea on July 25, 1933. Their primary residence was Larchmont, NY.


The Killileas consulted 23 top medical specialists and clinics in the United States and Canada. After finally finding out that her third child had cerebral palsy, Mrs. Killilea wrote to hundreds of parents of children with disabilities and was an active lobbyist in Albany for the rights of individuals with cerebral palsy.


Mrs. Killilea encouraged Karen to train dogs for show, breaking new ground for persons with disabilities.


She wrote a novel, Karen, which became a best seller in 1952 and has never been out of print. A sequel, With Love From Karen, was published in 1963 and it is still in print. She wrote other books as well, including Wren and Newf, published posthumously around 1992.


Karen won a Christopher Award and was one of the 30 Notable Books of 1953. Mrs. Killilea's books, totaling 4 million copies, have been published in 11 languages. She received letters from all over the world and once estimated she had answered 15,000 or more.


Marie Killilea died on October 23, 1991 at the age of 78 of respiratory ailments. At the time of her death she was survived by her husband, Jimmy (who died a few years later at the age of 80) and four children: Marie Irish, Karen Killilea, Kristin Viltz, and Rory Killilea, six grandchildren, and one great grandchild.


Karen Killilea now lives in New Rochelle, NY. She lives in an accessible apartment building, and works as a receptionist at a retreat house for priests run by Catholic monks.


Marie Killilea Irish lives in Fairfield, CT.


Rory Killilea was in the Army circa 1971. He is married and has at least one child. He lives in Seattle, WA.


Kristin Killilea Viltz was showing dogs by age 15, with some success. She now lives in Tarrytown, NY.


Gloria Killilea Lea passed away in November, 2001 in Cortlandt, NY. Her husband, Russell Lea, passed away just a few months later in February, 2002.


July 2006 Karen's relatives shared with us that Karen is today thriving independently, living and loving life better then many of us could ever dream of.

Clicking on the title above will take you to the UCP website and the link to this story.

On Facebook today I was prompted to enter my five all time favorite books. That corresponds with what Susan Anderson posted yesterday on Running With Quills.

I think I would have a really hard time narrowing it down to 5 but #1 would have to be A lantern in her Hand by Bess Streeter Aldrich

Because the road was steep and long,
And through a dark and lonely land,
God set upon my lips a song
And put a lantern in my hand.

JOYCE KILMER

This books was first published in 1928 and I purchased my first copy of it in the late 1960's. Somehow it disappeared from my life and I just recently was able to find another copy. It is every bit as wonderful as I remembered. For a wonderful review/synopsis check Buried Treasure This book was really special to me because my grandmother was born in Prairie Union Nebraska in 1897!

The #2 spot belongs to National Velvet The movie was wonderful but the book was oh so much better!

Number 3 Gone With The Wind...*sigh*



Here is where it gets dicey. I read a lot of series books. My first series of books was Nancy Drew. I could not get enough of them. When I was so ill with my second child I dug them all out and read them again. I still love them although I can go through them like potato chips. And the Little House Books Add on Cherry Ames, Donna Parker, The Bobbsey Twins...

Karen by Marie Killilea (also With love from Karen) both terrified and astounded me and I have re-read it several times. until today it has never occurred to me to look on the internet to see if I can find out what happened to her


Let's face it, I could never pick just 5. There is no way. Probably some of my all time favorite books haven't even been written yet. Isn't it wonderful?

Oh I forgot the Maida books by Inez Hayes Irwin...See what I mean?:-)

Well I stopped reading The Sacred Blood and requested The Sacred Bones from the library. I was notified today that it is in so I will go and get it and start again. In the meantime I am listening to The Book of Fate by Brad Meltzer on my Zune and I am loving it. I love the audio books because I drive about 40 minutes each way to work and it is a great way to pass time especially if I get stuck somewhere for almost an hour as I did last week! I just wish Overdrive media would fix their software so it was easier to delete the books from my Zune. Right now it is time consuming and a little frustrating.

You know what I hate? I hate starting a book that really captured my attention and finding out it is a sequel! I started Sacred Blood last night and I am about 1/4 of the way into it when I realized that I was surely missing something. I am. The was a book before this one called The Sacred Bones. hmmm... now I am trying to decide if I should stop reading this one and get the other one to read first or of I should just finish this one and then get the next one. I hate decisions like that! Especially on a Sunday, on a day I have to go to work. When I don't have time to find the other book. Daggone it! Oh well. That will teach me I guess. (Yeah, right!)

I realized today that I am totally addicted to my audio books. I finished one at lunch today and had nothing to listen to on the way home from work! WOW, I had not realized how much I really enjoyed that unwinding on the way home. I was able to listen to a podcast from Authors in your pocket. This turned out to be really fortuitous since it was an interview with Lisa Jackson. I never knew Lisa had a sister who was an author as well and I can't wait to find some of her books! Lisa's sister is Nancy Bush, co-author of Wicked Game with Lisa. I have not read that so I am going to have to go get it.

The book I just finished was The Deepest Water by Kate Wilhelm. I believe I may have read this years ago in a Reader's Digest Condensed Book. I remembered parts of it but it was a long time ago. I do know I need to find more of her books as she is simply awesome. Kate Wilhelm On her site she has a list of books a mile long so I don't think I will be running out anytime soon!!

When Jud Connors, a successful writer, is found murdered in his isolated cabin in the woods of Oregon, his daughter Abby's world starts to fall apart. Who wanted her father dead and why? More puzzling is how anyone could have gotten to the cabin undetected. Was the murderer someone Jud knew? As Abby embarks on her own investigation, she soon realizes that the clue to the murderer's identity is buried in her father's latest novel, finished just weeks before his death. But will she be able to see through the fiction in time -- before the killer comes after her?

This book was great. I was on the edge of my seat, There were surprises around each corner. I love strong women stories too so this was high on that list as well. Her characters were richly described and well thought out. At some point I began to think of them as real and was almost shocked when the book ended! I rate it two thumbs up.

Sugar Maple looks like any Vermont town, but it's inhabited with warlocks, sprites, vampires, witches-and an ancient secret. And Chloe Hobbs, owner of Sticks & String, a popular knitting shop, has a big secret too. She's a sorcerer's daughter in search of Mr. Right-and she's found him in Luke MacKenzie, a cop investigating Sugar Maple's very first murder. Bad news is he's 100% human, which could spell disaster for a normal future with a paranormal woman like her.

Same author, different genre... I liked it. It was offbeat, a little comical and just quirky enough to catch my interest. I am a sucker for craft related books (I have read almost all of Monica Ferris and Earlene Fowler's Bennie Harper Series) so that is why I picked this one up. Anyone can tell that Barbara is a stash junkie just by her writing. That made it even more fun.

The next book in the series is Laced with Magic and is due out in August 2009. I am putting it on my can't wait list.

Baker Hayley is barely making ends meet. When Finn Rafferty, a slick and sexy lawyer comes in and offers her an obscene amount to bake a cake for a famous rock star, she is at first suspicious, but relents and lets her teenage daughter iron out the contract, hoping that this high profile assignment helps get the business in the black. What Hayley doesn't realize and that Finn is pretty sure of is that she is the long lost daughter of rock star Tommy Stiles. Her paternity was discovered during an investigation while ironing out a pre-nup with Tommy's latest love. Finn is falling hard for Hayley, and his guilt for keeping the secret is eating away at him, and threatens to destroy their new relationship. When the cat jumps out of the bag, will Hayley's life ever be normal again?

I actually picked this book up because it is by the same author of another book (Casting Spells) I picked up and I thought I would give it a try. It was a quick easy read but I think it missed the mark in my mind. I thought the plot was shallow and the characters weren't developed as well as they could have been. I would classify this book as what I call a summer read, you know, the kind of book you can take to the pool or beach and not have to worry about losing your place, you know you will be able to pick it up again and find yourself in the same spot. It is a Harlequin like story which is cute but not my usual cup of tea. Hayley had so much more potential then she was allowed to develop here. Sorry, not one I would recommend.

I tried to change my background today and LOST all my links. Please be patient until I get them fixed. I promised I won't be messing with it again!

I just finished "reading" (it was an audiobook this time) Sweetheart by Chelsea Cain. Sweetheart is the second book in a series about a female serial killer (Gretchen Lowell) and cop (Archie Sheridan). It is a twist on the Hannibal Lecter story that deals in the twisted realtionship between Gretchen and Archie since Archie was one of Gretchen's victims but she let him go. His fate might be worse than death. These books are far more about the hunter and the hunted than the actual killings that Gretchen committed. I found them both (the books that is!) memerizing and horrifying.

I am getting hooked on my audiobooks since it allows me to do other things while reading. I am finding them addicting as well. Last night everyone was out and I crawled into bed with the lights out to "read" some more of this book and I found it more intense as I became enveloped in this other world. I was really disappointed that folks came home as soon as they did!

Great reads both of them. Again, click the title of the post to be taken to Chelsea Cain's website!

Synopsis:
HeartSick

Portland detective Archie Sheridan spent years tracking Gretchen Lowell, a beautiful and brutal serial killer. In the end, she was the one who caught him…and tortured him…and then let him go. Why did Gretchen spare Archie’s life and then turn herself in? This is the question that keeps him up all night—and the reason why he has visited Gretchen in prison every week since.

Meanwhile, another series of murders is tearing up the Portland streets. Archie seems to be getting closer to solving this high-profile case…until he finds himself in a fatal collision course with the killer—one that inevitably leads him back to his former captor. Gretchen may be the only one who can help do justice. The only thing she can’t do, this time, is save Archie’s life.

Sweetheart:

With Heartsick, Chelsea Cain took the crime world by storm, introducing two of the most compelling characters in decades: serial killer Gretchen Lowell and her obsessed pursuer Portland Detective Archie Sheridan. The book spent four weeks on the New York Times bestseller list and garnered rave reviews around the world. But the riveting story of Archie and Gretchen was left unfinished, and now Chelsea Cain picks up the tale again.

When the body of a young woman is discovered in Portland’s Forest Park, Archie is reminded of the last time they found a body there, more than a decade ago: it turned out to be the Beauty Killer’s first victim, and Archie’s first case. This body can't be one of Gretchen's—she’s in prison—but after help from reporter Susan Ward uncovers the dead woman's identity, it turns into another big case. Trouble is, Archie can't focus on the new investigation because the Beauty Killer case has exploded: Gretchen Lowell has escaped from prison.

Archie hadn't seen her in two months; he'd moved back in with his family and sworn off visiting her. Though it should feel like progress, he actually feels worse. The news of her escape spreads like wildfire, but secretly, he's relieved. He knows he's the only one who can catch her, and in fact, he has a plan to get out from under her thumb once and for all.

The next book in the series Evil at Heart is due out September 1, 2009

I found this in an article written by Kristen Ketteringham. It summarizes my thoughts on this author very well. To read the entire article click on the title above or the link below!

With respect to Robyn's writing, she says that her style reflects how she views life. She wants some laughs, but not so much that it is a joke, and she creates books that allow the readers to have a good time. She takes on real women's issues but finds a way to make the story both humorous and gritty. Her books don't really have "villains" but rather issues to tackle. She tries to write about those issues that every woman faces at some point in her life, without losing that basic sense of humor that helps you through the tough times. Readers may not be able to identify with the romantic story line, though they are entertaining, but they will and can relate to the women's conflicts and issues. Whether it be abuse, marriage, divorce, violence, or loss, Ms. Carr is a genius with it comes to using these subjects to create brilliant stories that touch the heart while putting a smile on your face. Though just having begun reading Ms. Carr's works, I can say that her characters are so real and that the plots are so genuine and refreshing that I would instantly pick up any other title authored by her in the future. Everything flows so nicely and you don't want to put the book down.

Robyn Carr: A Closer Look at the Successful Historical and Contemporary Romance Author
Who is Robyn Carr? Learn more about this brilliant author of both historical and contemporary romance.
http://www.associatedcontent.comarticle/383714/robyn_carr_a_closer_look_at_the_successful.html

While in the throes of sickness this week, I got to read a few more books by Robyn Carr an author I found last fall. I found the first three books of her Virgin River series ar Sam's Club and bought all three at once. By the time I was halfway through the first book, I was hooked on the author and her delightful characters. This week I have read book 4 of the VR series (A Virgin River Christmas) and two of her stand alone novels Blue Skies and Never Too Late.

I like Robyn's books because they primarily revolve around strong women characters. Most have undergone (or will under go) some life changing experience and are pulling themselves up by the bootstraps so to speak.

“I was always meant to write about women,” Robyn says, “women who were tougher than the women of their time, smarter and more courageous … characters who would never trade places with anyone.”

They have been a good "pick-me-up" for the icky blues and a nice break from the more serious aspects of things I have been reading. If you click the title of the post it will take you to Royn's website. I am looking forward to many more books from her...I just wish she could write as quickly as I can read! :-)

If you check Amazon, her average book rating is 4 1/2 stars out of 5!

I just finished book #14 (!) in the Alex Cross series by James Patterson. I am not sure what I thought of this one. I primarily read for escapism. That isn't to say that I don't read other things because I do but this book brought the "news" a little too close to my relaxation time. Alex gets caught up in the horrors of the atrocities in Darfur and other parts of Africa. I am not unaware of these situations and I do believe they are horrific (and I wish I could think of something stronger than that to say) but I did not want to have to see Alex and his family have to deal with it. I always feel like a good book should make you feel something and this one did. Total disgust for the people that allow thse atrocities to continue.

As usual the book was well written and intelligent. Alex has his usual tenacity. Nana is still hanging in there. The kids are growing up too.

I love Allison's books and I cannot wait to pick up her new one Sudden Death. I have read all the others, I fact I read her No Evil series entirely during my one week vacation in Hilton Head last year. WOW! She grabs you and you don't want her to let go. Want to know another reason I love Allison Brennan? This is on the home page of her website.

"I love books.
I’ve always loved books. I love the way they look on the shelf; I love the way they smell; I love browsing bookstores, admiring covers, reading blurbs, and discovering new authors. My love of reading came at a young age when my mom let me get my first library card as soon as I could print my full name. I was four. That card changed my life."

I could have written that myself. I don't think I was much older than that when I got my first library card. I would spend my summers walking to the library and carrying home as many books as I could hold. I went through hundreds. One summer it was all horse books, Marguerite Henry's Misty books, Anna Sewell's Black BeautyEnid Bagnold's National Velvet... you name it, I probably read it. All the Nancy Drew series, those my friend Graciella and I spent trading and reading in her basement all summer. Another summer it was all biographies. I got in trouble more times than I can count for bringing books to school and reading when I should have been doing something else. I remember a program in elementary school called SRA, it was how to read for information, you read a story and then took a test on it. I went through those so quickly they thought I was cheating. LOL

I was heartbroken when the library moved to bigger quarters and I could no longer walk to it but had to wait for someone to take me. Fortunately, I got my love of reading from my mother and it was never too long a wait to get there.

Anyway back to Allison. Some could call her books brutal. They do deal with serial killers. Her books are dark, violent thrillers. One reviewer on Amazon said "the clock is ticking and you can't wait to know the outcome" That is how I feel about her books.

Here's the list, see for youself and let me know what you think!

Romantic Thrillers

Predator Trilogy (2006)

THE PREY (Jan)
THE HUNT (Feb)
THE KILL (Mar)

No Evil Trilogy (2007)

SPEAK NO EVIL (Feb)
SEE NO EVIL (Mar)
FEAR NO EVIL (Apr)

Prison Break Trilogy (2008)

KILLING FEAR (Feb)
TEMPTING EVIL (June)
PLAYING DEAD (Oct)

Sacramento FBI Trilogy (2009)

SUDDEN DEATH (April 09)
FATAL SECRETS (June 09)
CUTTING EDGE (August 09)

Diana Gabaldon's newest in the Outlander series (Book 7) An Echo in the Bone is due to be published on September 22, 2009. If you like Historical Novels you will LOVE this series.
From her site:

The adventure began in 1991 with the classic Outlander ("historical fiction with a Moebius twist"), continued through five more New York Times-bestselling novels--Dragonfly in Amber, Voyager, Drums of Autumn, The Fiery Cross, and A Breath of Snow and Ashes--and a nonfiction (well, relatively) companion volume, The Outlandish Companion, which provides copious details on the settings, background, characters, research, and writing of the novels. Gabaldon (it's pronounced "GAH-bull-dohn"-rhymes with "stone") has also written two historical mysteries, Lord John and the Private Matter, and Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade, as well as several novellas featuring Lord John Grey (which will appear in volume form this November, as Lord John and the Hand of Devils). A Breath of Snow and Ashes, the most recent novel in the main Outlander series, opened simultaneously at #1 on the bestseller lists of four countries, and won both a Quill Award and the Corine interntational literary prize for fiction.

Previous books in the series are:
Outlander
Dragonfly in Amber
Voyager
Drums of Autumn
The Fiery Cross
Breath of Snow and Ashes

You will not want to put these down once you get started. I am going to start re reading them this summer since the last one was published in 2005. I am so excited!!

As a side note, if you like this series then you will also like Sara Donati's Into the Wilderness series. In fact if you have already read the Outlander series, you will find some familiar friends are in the wilderness as well. :-) Check that series out at Sara Laughs

time consuming endeavor.

Last week, my friend Pam died. She and I were two sides of a coin. She once sent me a sticker that said God knew our mothers couldn't handle us being sisters so he made us best friends. It was very true. I was closer to her than I am my own sister. I miss her dearly. One of the things I will miss most is sharing books. In Pam's obituary they put this quote:

"Too many books? There is no such thing as too many books, but too few bookshelves can be a problem."

She said it to me a LOT. Her bookshelves were two deep and she loved to collect series. She always started with the first book in a series even if the first book that came to her attention was number 7! We shared titles, authors, reviews, and whatever else she could come up with. (BTW, she was not someone you could ever beat at Scrabble or any word game, I know, I tried and while I am by no means stupid, she creamed me nearly every time)

So, to cut a long ramble short, I decided I would start this blog with my favorite books or what I am reading and hope that others may find it and join in. My favorite thing about the internet is the information at my fingertips. No, maybe it is the variety of people you can reach and share things with... I don't know but I will start by listing the web pages of some of my favorites and hope it moves on from there.