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Book Review - Fruitless Fall - The Collapse of the Honeybee and the Coming Agricultural Crisis - Rowan Jacobsen

Title:  The Fruitless Fall

Author: Rowan Jacobsen

Review:  I've always been fascinated by bees, but Fruitless Fall has made me an even bigger fan of these little fellas than ever before and also made me realize just how dependent our society has become upon their health and ability to thrive. Before reading this book I had no idea that the apple, blueberry, strawberry, {fill in the blank favorite fruit or any other pollinated crop for that matter} is just one small catastrophe away from following the path of the dinosaur. Sure, I knew we were in peril but never realized just how razor thin that line has been drawn. Scary thought. Scary times.

The author, Rowan Jacobsen, has clearly done his homework. Through his informative, captivating and sometimes edgy style he introduces us to the fascinating biological lifestyle of the small yet paramount insect we've come to know as the honey bee, a handful of prominent beekeepers across the country who are grappling with the shock waves of colony collapse disorder and an examination of our current agricultural system as well as how/why the heck we got to this place as our nation, as our world, faces the possibility of honey bee extinction, and with it, the lifestyle we currently take for granted. For me, the take home is obvious... respect the life force, respect that which sustains us. Do we really need all the chemicals we're spraying on our crops? Do we really need to truck bees thousands of miles all over the country for pollinating gigs as the seasons turn? Or should we, as the author suggests, revamp our entire agricultural system? I vote for the revamp. I think we've got to get ourselves back to the garden...

Thanks for this review go to TH Waters

Author of Ghellow Road & Letters to Bert

Publisher: Published September 16th 2008 by BloomsburyUSA

ISBN: 9781596915374

Copyright: 2008

Pages: 288

Where did I get the book:  Purchased at a local book seller.

Synopsis: How the disappearance of the world’s honeybee population puts the food we eat at risk.

Many people will remember that Rachel Carson predicted a silent spring, but she also warned of a fruitless fall, a time when “there was no pollination and there would be no fruit.” The fruitless fall nearly became a reality last year when beekeepers watched one third of the honeybee population—thirty billion bees—mysteriously die. The deaths have continued in 2008. Rowan Jacobsen uses the mystery of Colony Collapse Disorder to tell the bigger story of bees and their’ essential connection to our daily lives. With their disappearance, we won’t just be losing honey. Industrial agriculture depends on the honeybee to pollinate most fruits, nuts, and vegetables—one third of American crops. Yet this system is falling apart. The number of these professional pollinators has become so inadequate that they are now trucked across the country and flown around the world, pushing them ever closer to collapse. By exploring the causes of CCD and the even more chilling decline of wild pollinators, Fruitless Fall does more than just highlight this growing agricultural crisis. It emphasizes the miracle of flowering plants and their pollination partners, and urges readers not to take for granted the Edenic garden Homo sapiens has played in since birth. Our world could have been utterly different—and may be still.

Author Biography:  Rowan Jacobsen is the James Beard Award-winning author of A Geography of Oysters: The Connoisseur’s Guide to Oyster Eating in North America, Fruitless Fall: The Collapse of the Honey Bee and the Coming Agricultural Crisis, and The Living Shore, about our ancient connection to estuaries and their potential to heal the oceans. He has written for the New York Times, Newsweek, Harper’s, Outside, Eating Well, Forbes, Popular Science, and others, and his work has been anthologized in The Best American Science and Nature Writing and Best Food Writing collections. Whether visiting endangered oystermen in Louisiana or cacao-gathering tribes in the Bolivian Amazon, his subject is how to maintain a sense of place in a world of increasing placelessness. His 2010 book, American Terroir, was named one of the Top Ten Books of the Year by Library Journal. His newest, Shadows on the Gulf: A Journey Through Our Last Great Wetland, was released in 2011. His Outside Magazine piece “Heart of Dark Chocolate” received the 2011 Lowell Thomas Award from the Society of American Travel Writers for best adventure story of the year. He is a 2012 Alicia Patterson Foundation fellow, writing about endangered diversity on the borderlands between India, Myanmar, and China.

Other Reviews:

Seattle Times

The Bee Journal

Book Feature - The Ripple Effect Romance Series -

Happy Birthday to Lisa today!!!!!

The Ripple Effect Romance Novella Series 
Enjoy this exciting new series of clean novellas by six critically-acclaimed authors.

"Like a pebble tossed into calm water, a simple act can ripple outward and have a far-reaching effect on those we meet, perhaps setting a life on a different course—one filled with excitement, adventure, and sometimes even love."

Book 1: Home Matters by Julie N. Ford
Book 2: Silver Linings by Kaylee Baldwin
Book 3: Righting A Wrong by Rachael Anderson
Book 4: Lost and Found by Karey White
Book 5: Second Chances 101 by Donna K. Weaver
Book 6: Immersed in Love by Jennifer Griffith

Home Matters by Julie N. Ford

According to her mother, Olivia Pembroke was born to be a star. But how is she supposed to be famous when she can't even get a decent acting gig? Her lucky break comes when she lands an audition for a wildly popular home improvement show. Even though she has no design training and has never even held a power tool, she refuses to let that stop her. She's confident that her destiny is finally within reach.

When her affections are torn between her heartthrob co-host and the irritating, yet somehow endearing lead contractor, does she continue to reach for the stars? Or does she design a new happily ever after? One that leads not to the fading lights of fame and fortune, but to a love that will burn forever.

Silver Linings by Kaylee Baldwin

Drew Westfall wants nothing more than to forget what he had to do in the name of "smart" business. Cutting off all ties with his parents—including handing over the entire contents of his trust fund to a charity—he takes off for Bridger, Colorado where his best friend has an extra room for him. It doesn't take long for him to realize that his business degree won’t do him much good in a town as small as Bridger, but he's broke and has nowhere else to go.

Eden Torresi has every reason to wallow. Not only did she lose her mother, but she had to drop out of nursing school and is in a relationship with a guy unwilling to commit. But Eden isn't the wallowing type. Instead, she chooses to spend most of her time taking care of the seniors at Silver Linings Nursing home. When she learns that her boyfriend's new roommate is down on his luck, her caring nature makes her want to reach out to him and offer what help she can. But the more time they spend together, the more complicated things get, especially when the seniors of Silver Linings decide to play matchmaker.

Righting a Wrong by Rachael Anderson

Seven years ago, Cambri Blaine fled her small hometown of Bridger, Colorado after her senior year ended in a fiasco. Only Jace Sutton knew the real reason why—that she was a spineless coward. Now, seven years later, her father's been in an accident and needs help, and Cambr has no choice but to return home. So with trepidation, she takes a leave of absence from the landscape architecture firm where she works and boards a plane, hoping against hope that Jace is no longer around and that the past can stay where it belongs—in the past.

If only life worked that way.

Jace never expected to see Cambri again. After she’d led him on, bruised his heart, and left town without a backward glance, he was forced to pick up the pieces and try not to hate her for it. Eventually, he put it behind him and moved on, creating a life for himself in his beloved hometown. But now that Cambri is back and looking more beautiful and sophisticated than ever, some of those old feelings resurface, and Jake instinctively knows, for the sake of his heart, that he needs to avoid her at all costs.

If only it were that easy.

Lost and Found by Karey White

Lydia was supposed to have an adventurous and exciting summer. Instead she's done nothing more than read and eat takeout. Now it's time to go home, and what does she have to show for it? A big fat nothing. Unless, of course, her trip to the airport somehow turns into something more than just a flight home.

Blake feels like he's been sent on a wild goose chase. While work is piling up back in Denver, he's on the other side of the country, hunting for some mysterious box that his grandfather left him. Well, no more. Nothing inside that box could possibly be more important than the opportunity to make it as the youngest partner at his firm. So he's going home, and that's that. But that's before he discovers his flight has been cancelled.

When these two strangers meet at the airport, they make a split-second decision to search for the box together. Maybe with both of them on the hunt, Lydia can have her adventure and Blake can find the box. And maybe, if they’re lucky, they’ll even find some romance.

Second Chances 101 by Donna K. Weaver

Thirty seven year old Francie Davis, a recent widow and empty nester, gets to attend college at last. She’s sure her luck has changed when she also lands a job on campus that will pay her tuition, as administrative assistant to a history professor. When her handsome new boss yells at her on the first day of work, Francie worries she will never be good enough.

For Professor Alex Diederik, life is going downhill fast. Not only is his bitter ex-wife trying to poison their only daughter against him, but now his one place of solace—his work environment—is being complicated by his attractive new administrative assistant. She drives home his feelings of failure as a husband and father, and Alex wonders if hiring her was the right thing to do.

Francie will have to put aside her hurt and insecurities or risk her dreams, while Alex must look outside himself if he’s to mend the breach with his daughter. And, perhaps, find someone who can help heal his pain.

Immersed in Love by Jennifer Griffith

Lisette Pannebaker speaks five languages and has a brilliant business plan—personal language immersion. Clients can hire her to shadow them and speak all day in any language they need to learn for business or travel—whatever.

But there’s a major hitch: she’s far too pretty. Clients with less than honorable intentions sign up just have Lisette at their side. Solution? A make-under. Way under.It works like a charm. None of her male clients show her the least bit of interest.

Until… Erik.

Erik Gunnarsson is charming, kind, and smart—everything she’s ever looked for. Even though he seems to have a secret and she swore she'd never date a client, Lisette is tempted to shed her disguise—even if it means jeopardizing her career.



Giveaway Details
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Ends 10/31/13

Bloggers who put up a spotlight post about these books on their blog can enter to win an additional $25 gift card or paypal cash.  See details in the Rafflecopter.

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and sponsored by the authors. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.


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Book Review - Storm Front - Richard Castle

Title:  Storm Front

Author: Richard Castle(ghost writers)

Review:  I love the series Castle and so I have read the books as they have come out.  Not paying attention I thought this was another until I started reading and then realized that it was a Derrick Storm…Castles character in his book series from the TV series.  I wasn't sure I would read it, but decided why not I wasn't feeling well and planning on reading most of the day anyway.  It was not bad…lots of humor and lots of James Bond feel about the characters and the adventures they got themselves into.

I liked the story even with Derrick being a bit over the top and larger than life.  The love life and adventures he lives are big and flashy.  The bad guys are bad and the good guys are not so good after all.  I think this is a fair series that will keep me turning the pages, of course I enjoy James Bond and his movies and books so this is very similar in feel.

Published: Published May 21st 2013 by Hyperion

ISBN: 9781401324902

Copyright: 2013

Pages: 314

Quick Review: 3 1/2 stars (out of 5)

Where I Obtained the Book:  Picked it up at my local library.

Synopsis:  There's a storm front coming!

Four years after he was presumed dead, Derrick Storm--the man who made Richard Castle a perennial bestseller--is back in this rip-roaring, full-length thriller.

From Tokyo, to London, to Johannesburg, high-level bankers are being gruesomely tortured and murdered. The killer, caught in a fleeting glimpse on a surveillance camera, has been described as a psychopath with an eye patch. And that means Gregor Volkov, Derrick Storm's old nemesis, has returned. Desperate to figure out who Volkov is working for and why, the CIA calls on the one man who can match Volkov's strength and cunning--Derrick Storm.

With the help of a beautiful and mysterious foreign agent--with whom Storm is becoming romantically and professionally entangled--he discovers that Volkov's treachery has embroiled a wealthy hedge-fund manager and a U.S. senator. In a heated race against time, Storm chases Volkov's shadow from Paris, to the lair of a computer genius in Iowa, to the streets of Manhattan, then through a bullet-riddled car chase on the New Jersey Turnpike. In the process, Storm uncovers a plot that could destroy the global economy--unleashing untold chaos--which only he can stop.

Authors Information:  Richard Castle is the author of numerous bestsellers, including the critically acclaimed Derrick Storm series. His first novel, In a Hail of Bullets, published while he was still in college, received the Nom DePlume Society's prestigious Tom Straw Award for Mystery Literature. Castle currently lives in Manhattan with his daughter and mother, both of whom infuse his life with humor and inspiration.

Note: Richard Castle is a fictional character from the ABC television show, Castle , played by Nathan Fillion. The biography is of this character. His name is being used as a pseudonym for tie-in novels to the TV show.

Other Reviews:

Red Carpet Crash

Media Mike

The Time Traveler's Wife is now an E-Book - Check it out!

I have read this but that was before this blog...I enjoyed the book...hated the ending because it made me cry so hard...I hate to cry...just the way I am....it is a very good book.

THE TIME TRAVELER’S WIFE Now Available as an E-book from Zola Books – Enhanced with 25 New Pages from Upcoming Sequel

New York, NY (September 23, 2013) – Marking the 10th anniversary of its publication, THE TIME TRAVELER'S WIFE by New York Times bestselling author Audrey Niffenegger is available today for the first time as an e-book, enhanced with 25 new pages from an upcoming sequel.

The digital version of this modern classic is available exclusively from Zola Books, an e-book retailer on a mission to make e-reading more enjoyable and to support independent bookstores by sharing profits. Ms. Niffenegger is an early investor in Zola Books.

THE TIME TRAVELER’S WIFE is the story of art student Clare Abshire and librarian Henry DeTamble, who meet when he is twenty-eight and she is twenty. Though Henry has never met Clare before, Clare has known Henry since she was six – impossible but true, because Henry finds himself periodically displaced in time, pulled to moments of emotional gravity from his life, past and future. Henry and Clare's attempts to live a normal life together are threatened by a force they can neither prevent nor control, making their love story intensely moving and entirely unforgettable.

First published in 2003, THE TIME TRAVELER’S WIFE marked Niffenegger’s literary debut.  With over 7 million copies sold worldwide, the critically acclaimed* book received terrific word-of-mouth support from fans, libraries and book clubs all across the US in the months after its release. It was made into a film starring Eric Bana and Rachel McAdams in 2009.

The pages from the as-yet-untitled sequel focus on Henry and Clare’s daughter Alba, who as an adult finds herself caught between her real-time husband, Zach, and her other husband, Oliver, a fellow time-traveler and musician.

“It’s been intense to revisit the world of THE TIME TRAVELER’S WIFE after ten years; Alba’s life has complications and delights that surprise even me. It’s funny how the imagination works quietly, secretly, just waiting to be asked for more story and serving it up as though it’s been there all along. I hope readers will be pleased, both with the new story and with Zola," said Niffenegger. "I am excited to be working with Zola Books; we are all are eager to give both readers and writers the best possible e-book experience and to benefit the community of book shops and publishers, too."

How to buy THE TIME TRAVELER’S WIFE e-book ($8.99):

1.      Visit zolabooks.com/book/the-time-travelers-wife

2.      Download the Zola Books app in the Apple App Store: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/zola-books-read.-share.-discover./id563294598?mt=8

3.      To read, tap the Zola app on your iPad or iPhone. Swipe left to see your purchased books. Tap the book cover to download the book into your app. (This step can take a few minutes because the book files are big).

Alternatively, you can download THE TIME TRAVELER’S WIFE e-book file to read in the e-reader, computer, or phone of your choice.

*Praise for THE TIME TRAVELER’S WIFE:

“An enchanting novel, beautifully crafted and as dazzlingly imaginative as it is dizzyingly romantic.”—Scott Turow??

“A powerfully original love story . . . [An] amazing trip.”—PEOPLE??

“Niffenegger plays ingeniously in her temporal hall of mirrors.”—THE NEW YORKER??

“[This] inventive and poignant writing is well worth a trip.”—ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY

About Zola Books:

Zola Books' mission is to create an online paradise for book lovers. Zola takes everything readers do in the real world – browse bookstores, read book reviews, visit blogs, follow authors, share reviews and recommendations, and buy books – and puts it all in one place. Zola also shares profits with booksellers who recommend books online and off. In addition, Zola offers exclusive original content and new e-book editions of beloved backlist titles. Visit us at www.zolabooks.com.-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Rocky Road- by Josi S Kilpack

Rocky Road It was supposed to be a girls’ weekend in scenic St. George, Utah that would include shopping, trying out the local cuisine, and participating in a breast cancer fundraiser. The fact that one of the organizers of the fundraising event, a local doctor, disappeared two months ago was not supposed to be Sadie’s problem. In fact, she refuses to participate in the grassroots investigation her friend Caro, and Caro’s cousin, Tess, have put together prior to her arrival. But then she meets the ex-wife of the missing doctor. How could she not ask a few questions . . . that lead to a few more questions . . . that lead to a small town and yet even more questions. Before she knows it, Sadie is in the middle of yet another murder investigation and trying to piece together a convoluted trail of good intentions, hidden motivations, and philanthropy turned big business.

Amazon * Barnes & Noble

 

Author Josi S. Kilpack Born and raised in Salt Lake City Utah, I met my husband in high-school--well, he wasn't my husband then, just the cute guy in weight training with the permed mullet--and we married in 1993. I wrote my first book while on bed rest with my third child and have gone on to publish 20 novels, the most recent being part of The Sadie Hoffmiller Culinary Mystery Series. I currently live in Willard, Utah with my husband, children, and cat.  

Website * Twitter * Blog

 

Tour Schedule

Culinary Mysteries by Josi Kilpack

  BookBlast Giveaway $50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Ends 10/6/13   Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. a Rafflecopter giveaway --

Book Review - Book Tour - Amish/Inspirational Fiction Novel Winter of Wishes by Charlotte Hubbard

Title:  Winter of Wishes – Seasons of the Heart Book #3

Author: Charlotte Hubbard

Review:  I enjoyed this book and I really love this series…I always want to know what new adventure the Lantz family is getting themselves into.  On top of the fact that you learn so many interesting things about the Amish people also.  That said I have never wanted to be Amish…too many things I think I would miss in the modern day world I live in….but many wonderful things could be said about living a simple life for sure!  I do love the fact that they seem happy living without all the thing we thing are absolutely necessary.  I do not like the fact that the men rule the roost and the women need to cater to them…no that is not my thing at all, if my husband is wrong I will let him know and I do not do what he says because he said it…I like the Lantz women they are strong and independent and yet the men seem to rule them at times and the bothers me…I could not sit still and be OK with all the problems what Hiram bring s into their lives. 

This is a nice continuation of the lives of the Lantz women.  Miriam is getting married to Ben, Rachel is married and collecting wedding gifts and Ronda needs a change.  She gets her wish and things are definitely changing around her life and the lives of many others she touches. 

If you like to read about the Amish then this is a great series…lots of information and romance making this a hard to put down series.    

Publisher: Expected publication: September 3rd 2013 by Zebra

ISBN: 9781420121711

Copyright: 2013

Pages: 368

Quick Review: 4 out of 5 stars.

Where I got the book: Sent by the author for review.

Synopsis: "A heartwarming new voice for fans of Beverly Lewis." --Emma Miller

Snow is falling, cookies are baking, and Christmas is just around the corner in Willow Ridge, Missouri, where a new season marks fresh beginnings for the residents of the tranquil Amish town. . .

Winter Of Wishes

As another year draws to a close in Willow Ridge, life seems to be changing for everyone but Rhoda Lantz. Her widowed mother is about to remarry, her sister is a busy newlywed, and soon Rhoda will be alone in her cozy apartment above the blacksmith's shop. An ad posted by an Englischer looking for someone to help with his mother and children may offer just the companionship she's looking for, but if she falls for the caring single father, she may risk being shunned by her community. Certain she can only wish for things she cannot have, Rhoda must remember that all things are possible with God, and nothing is stronger than the power of love.

Praise for The Seasons of the Heart series

"Another great book centered around the Sweet Seasons Café." --RT Book Reviews, 4 Stars

"Appealing." --Publishers Weekly

 

Author Biography: Drawing upon her experiences in Jamesport, the largest Old Order Amish community west of the Mississippi, longtime Missourian Charlotte Hubbard (a.k.a. Naomi King) writes of simpler times and a faith-based lifestyle in her new Seasons of the Heart series. Like her heroine, Miriam Lantz, Charlotte considers it her personal mission to feed people—to share hearth and home. Faith and family, farming and food preservation are hallmarks of her lifestyle, and the foundation of her earlier Angels of Mercy series. She’s a deacon, a dedicated church musician and choir member, and when she’s not writing, she loves to try new recipes, crochet, and sew. Charlotte now lives in Minnesota with her husband and their border collie.

Other Reviews:

New Book so I could find no other reviews.

Monday in my mailbox---They just keep coming!

Whats in your mailbox today?

Seasons of the Heart Book 3...looking forward to reading this one.
Chet and Bernie head to Louisiana in the next installment in the New York Times bestselling mystery series featuring “a canine Sam Spade full of joie de vivre” (Stephen King) and his human private investigator companion. Out for a drive, Chet and Bernie run into a prison work crew featuring an old criminal friend they helped send to prison, Frenchie Boutette. From an old Louisiana family full of black sheep, Frenchie needs Bernie and Chet’s help in locating his brother, Ralph, who has disappeared with his houseboat. But before they can head off to the bayou, Bernie is attacked by a member of a strange gang called the Queiros. And though he’s tempted to take another job (with a big payday) in Alaska, Bernie and Chet set course for Louisiana.

A reclusive inventor, Ralph is the sole law-abiding member of his family. Full of black sheep, the Boutette family has a long running feud with the no-good Robideaus and at first it seems as if Ralph’s disappearance is connected to a dispute over a load of heisted shrimp. But when Chet uncovers a buried clue, the investigation heads in a new and dangerous direction and what was a simple disappearance gets complicated as a conspiracy involving the oil business is uncovered. The more Chet and Bernie discover about Ralph, the more dangerous the job becomes and soon they’re fighting not only Big Oil, but also shadowy black ops figures, the Quieros, and Iko—a gator with an insatiable appetite.
On the eve of her 18th birthday, high school junior Alice Goodenough feels on top of the world. Classes are almost finished. She’s about to start her summer job at the local library, where she’ll be surrounded by all of her favorite books. And she has a wonderful boyfriend.

Then the rabbit shows up. The giant talking rabbit. He has a message:
200 years ago, the Brothers Grimm unleashed their stories upon the world.
Literally.

With the help of a magic pen and paper, Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm brought all of their characters to life. The world was a more magical place … for a time. Cinderella found her prince. Briar Rose's spell was broken. The dancing princesses spent their nights hidden away in a secret underground city. The old miller's boy found true love.

Then, slowly, the Grimms’ characters began to change for the worse. They became Corrupted. Evil. They didn’t belong in our world, but it was too late for the Brothers Grimm to destroy them.

Only a hero can save the day. Every generation for the past 200 years, a hero has been chosen to fight the Corrupted and rid the world of the Grimms’ fairy tales. To her horror, Alice has been chosen as the next hero. As her 18th birthday nears, she begins to realize life is never going back to normal. School will never be the same. 

As for her boyfriend, Edward … well, he might be hiding a terrible secret

200 years ago, the Brothers Grimm unleashed their stories upon the world.

Literally.

Now the characters of the Grimms’ stories walk among us. With every day that passes, they grow more evil. They are the Corrupted, and only a hero can save them.

For 18-year-old Alice Goodenough, that means taking precious time off from her summer vacation. In addition to volunteering at the local library, Alice must stop the Corrupted who are now actively hunting her down. With the help of her magic pen and her trusty rabbit friend, the world has suddenly gotten a lot more complex. The Corrupted are everywhere, and only Alice can see them for what they truly are.

DOON…

Veronica doesn't think she's going crazy. But why can't anyone else see the mysterious blond boy who keeps popping up wherever she goes? When her best friend, Mackenna, invites her to spend the summer in Scotland, Veronica jumps at the opportunity to leave her complicated life behind for a few months. 

But the Scottish countryside holds other plans. 

Not only has the imaginary kilted boy followed her to Alloway, she and Mackenna uncover a strange set of rings and a very unnerving letter from Mackenna's great aunt—and when the girls test the instructions Aunt Gracie left behind, they find themselves transported to a land that defies explanation. Doon seems like a real-life fairy tale, complete with one prince who has eyes for Mackenna and another who looks suspiciously like the boy from Veronica's daydreams. But Doon has a dark underbelly as well. The two girls could have everything they've longed for...or they could end up breaking an enchantment and find themselves trapped in a world that has become a nightmare.

DOON is loosely based on the premise of the musical Brigadoon, with permission from the ALan Jay Lerner Estate and the Frederick Loewe Foundation. Follow the journey at http://www.DoonSeries.com

Book Review - Five Days - Douglas Kennedy

Title:  Five Days

Author: Douglas Kennedy

Review:  This book was OK. I found it sad and depressing for the most part and I do not understand the need to leave your life to find yourself. I think finding yourself is important I am 43 and changing my career, back to school, kids are leaving for college one at a time from now and for the next 7 years....I do need to find who I am now....I have 5 kids and stayed home for 11 years...now I want my life again, but I don't need to leave my husband or have an affair for a weekend away from home. Who falls in love over a weekend unless they are looking before they leave in the first place.

I believe we all change in our lives and need to keep changing things to live and be happy, but leaving(having an affair to me is leaving at least emotionally) is not the answer....the answer is to fall in love with your spouse again..you did it once you can do it again.

I think this author did a good job with the writing, but I did not like the subject. Leaving a family after 20 years is devastating to so many. Choice were made and you need to honor those even in your head. We cause ripples in the lives around us and when we choose to do something we know we should not we ripple...the more we do the larger the ripples and those ripples can destroy others...especially children...happiness in life is a choice you make not something someone gives you...happiness has no zip code and no price...it is a choice...ultimately only up to you...you choose to be happy or not... no one else can make you happy or not.

Maybe I would enjoy one of this authors other works.  I have yet to enjoy any book with romance in it written by a man.  Sorry for being so sexist, but romance is so much better written by a women(my opinion, not the opinion of this blog.)

Publisher: Published April 30th 2013 by AtriaBooks

ISBN: 9781451666335

Copyright: 2013

Pages: 320

Quick Review: 2 stars (out of 5)-

Why I Read It:  Sent by the publisher for review.

Synopsis: From the #1 internationally bestselling author of The Moment comes a remarkable new novel that explores how and why we fall in love.Laura works in a small hospital on the Maine coast, scanning and x-raying many a scared patient. In a job where finding nothing is always the best result, she is well versed in the random unfairness of life, a truism that has started to affect her personally. Her husband Dan has become a stranger since losing his job. With a son in college and a daughter set to leave home, she wonders how the upcoming empty nest will affect the disconnected state of her marriage.

Still, Laura jumps at the opportunity to attend a conference in Boston where she meets a man as grey and uninspired as her drab hotel. His name is Richard. He’s a fifty-something salesman, also from Maine, also in Boston for the weekend. When a chance meeting brings them together again, Laura begins to discover a far more complex and thoughtful man behind the flat facade. Like herself, Richard ponders his own life and wonders if the time has come to choose desire over obligation.

Five Days is a moving love story that will have readers reflecting about the choices made that so shape all our destinies. Featuring Kennedy’s trademark evocative prose and his brilliant ability to delineate life the way it is truly lived today, it is a novel that speaks directly to the many contradictions of the human heart.

Author Biography: Douglas Kennedy was born in Manhattan in 1955. He studied at Bowdoin College, Maine and Trinity College, Dublin, returning to Dublin in 1977 with just a trenchcoat, backpack and $300. He co-founded a theatre company and sold his first play, Shakespeare on Five Dollars a Day, to Radio 4 in 1980. In 1988 he moved to London and published a travel book, Beyond the Pyramids. His debut novel The Dead Heart was published in 1994.

Other Reviews:

Literary Inklings

Book Browse/Kirkus

Book'd Out

Book Review - Tidal - Amanda Hocking

Title:  Tidal

Author: Amanda Hocking

Review:  This is the 3^rd book in the Water Song Series by Amanda Hocking.  I read the last two and this was a good one to keep the series going.  I am looking forward to the last book to see how it all ends up and if Gemma gets out of her curse. 

The ending of this book made me wish I could pick up the next one right away.  I hate waiting for books to be released and so I have already ordered the last one and wait for its release and the mailman with a box from Amazon.   

I got the first book at a book signing, I enjoyed reading Amanda’s Tryll series and I hope this one is as good….one book to go and I really, really want to read it now!!!  I don’t want to give too much away, but Harper is still trying to help Gemma get her life back.  The only way that Gemma can think to help herself is to kill the sirens and that means finding the original curse so she can find a way to break it.  This book gives you more history of the sirens and how they have lived for as long as they have.  Daniel also has issues with Lexi as he has special abilities that she wants to know more about….lots more about…mummm!

If you are reading this series do not miss this one…..only a bit to go before the next one is out…it is out already, but I will post the review soon….I have high expectations for this book.

Published: Published June 4th 2013 by St. Martin's Griffin

ISBN: 9781250008114

Copyright: 2013

Pages: 342

Quick Review: 31/2 stars (out of 5)

Where I Obtained the Book:  Purchased at Amazon

Synopsis:  The magical world of Watersong is about to change forever. The answers Gemma and her friends have been searching for are finally revealed - but evil is closing in and time is running out....

Gemma and Harper Fisher are facing the fight of their lives. Gemma has been cursed with extraordinary powers that have a terrifying dark side, but she's finally found what she needs - a way to break the curse and become human again. However, finding the means to do it will be her greatest challenge yet. And now Penn, Lexi, and Thea - the gorgeous but deadly creatures who cursed her - are determined to kill her before she has a chance. Making matters worse, Penn has her sights set on Daniel - the guy Harper loves - and Penn always gets what she wants.

As Gemma and Harper race to break the curse before it's too late, they're thrust deeper into a mythical world of immortal secrets. They must into their enemies' past to find the answers they need, even if it means being drawn deeper into their savagely beautiful world. But one of the girls is not what she seems...and Gemma finds an unlikely ally as she struggles to save herself. Will it be enough to break an ancient curse that no one has ever escaped from alive?

Authors Information:  I live in Minnesota, and I write young adult paranormal romance and urban fantasy mostly. The My Blood Approves series is about vampires in Minneapolis, and its available now. I also wrote the Trylle Trilogy, which is a paranormal romance without vampires, shifters, mermaids, fae, angels, dragons, ghosts, or ninjas.

My latest book is Hollowland - a zombie urban fantasy set in the dystopian near future. It's a bit more violent and gritter than my other books, but there is still romance. Mostly though, Remy kicks a lot of butt.

I also enjoy Red Bull, Jim Henson, Batman, Jane Austen, Star Wars legos, and I absolutely hate long walks on the beach out of my intense fear/hatred of wet sand

My favorite authors are Kurt Vonnegut, Chuck Palahniuk, Bret Easton Ellis, Alan Moore, and J. D. Salinger, but I don't write anything like them. I have an obsession with River Phoenix, and I've seen Silence of the Lambs more than any other movie, even The Dark Knight. If I were trapped on a deserted island, the one thing I'd take with me would be a boat capable for taking me home.

I'm also the guitarist in a band called the Fraggin Aardvarks, and even though its even twice as cool as it sounds, we haven't had a practice in like two years, so I'm not sure that technically we are still a band. But we never broke up, and it's an awesome thing to tell people, so I'm sticking with it. (We even had a synethesizer!)

Here are some ways you can talk to me:

Twitter: www.twitter.com/amanda_hocking

Facebook: www.facebook.com/amandahockingfans

Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/amanda_hocking 

Email: hocking_amanda@hotmail.com

Other Reviews:

Joey Books

Miss Literati

I heart Reading

Monday in my mailbox

This has pile has been collecting and we are working towards reading this pile currently.
 Zane Presents.
On the outside, Aruba Dixon has a life other women envy: a beautiful home, her handsome husband, James, and a gorgeous son. Inside, Aruba knows the truth. When her husband quits his fifth job in seven months, she’s done. Aruba wants a better husband, and she has the perfect man in mind—her friend Victoria’s husband. Victoria Faulk is a head-turning stunner—and she tells herself so every day. Between shopping, assigning tasks to her nanny, and making sure her daughter doesn’t smudge the walls of her million-dollar home, Victoria can’t fathom having sex with her husband. But when he grows distant, Victoria backpedals to the good old days to regain his affection. Will it be too late?

Tawatha Gipson feels it’s high time she found a husband. So do her four children by four different men. Each time Tawatha thought she’d snagged a ring and a man, something goes wrong. When she spots James Dixon at the jobsite, she’s determined to have him by any means necessary.

As these women’s lives intersect and collide, they learn the grass is greener on the other side…but it isn’t always easy to hop the fence.

In this frightening novel about the future, a series of catastrophic events not only cripples the world’s economy, but also ushers in the return of slavery. Traci and Bill Bianco were living the all-American dream, until the world as they knew it came crashing down.

Years after a black man is elected President of the United States and the Empire State building is toppled by an explosion, the nation is in a state of upheaval. But it’s Hurricane Molly in 2018 and The Stock Market Crash of 2020 that seals the country’s fate. Once the economy takes a nosedive, ordinary Americans must resort to the barter system to get by.

Food and shelter are exchanged for labor and initially it seems as though it may work, until the unscrupulous begin to take power and laws are changed. Though Traci and Bill actually fare better than most, economically, they are confronted with a new risk—interracial marriage is once again deemed unlawful and anyone caught is subject to arrest. Soon Traci and their four-year-old daughter are on the run.

Strange Fruit offers a post-cataclysmic world when desperation reigns supreme and people resort to the cruelties of the past to take control.

Impressed by outward appearances, Lisa Hampton is quick to judge others based on their status and wealth—until her powerful friends try to ruin her happiness. Divorced, single-mother Lisa Hampton has been able to start a new life after a scandalous incident that forced her to relocate to Ohio. Thanks to her job she has the opportunity to rub shoulders with some of the wealthiest and most influential people in the state. Lisa’s biggest issue nowadays is her rebellious teenage daughter, Chanelle.

Other than the stress of dealing with Chanelle, life couldn’t be any better for Lisa. She is best friends with Isaac and Olivia Scott, the most influential and powerful couple in the state. If she isn’t hanging with Olivia, Lisa is spending time with her new beau, Minister Eric Freeman. His prayers and words of encouragement have helped her weather the storms in her life. Lisa looks forward to the possibility of a future with Eric, though his expectations may be more than she can handle.

When Chanelle accuses the Scotts’ son of rape, Lisa discovers how quickly her friends become foes as Olivia and Isaac use their wealth, prestige, and power to manipulate justice. And just as things seem to be going smoothly for Lisa and Chanelle, Olivia makes one last destructive move that threatens everything they hold dear.

Baby drama and political scandal don’t mix in this sequel to Suzetta Perkins’ Behind the Veil.

Margo Myles is getting ready to give birth to twins, but she isn’t sure who the father is—her soon to be ex-husband, Jefferson Myles, or her one-time fling, Malik Mason. Malik is running for a state senate seat and no one is going to take the sweet smell of victory from him.

Ivy Myles, Margo and Jefferson’s eldest daughter, is moving back home. She’s been estranged from her parents, but a new love calls her back—and her love is none other than Malik Mason. Malik intends to make Ivy his wife, but will she be a distraction on his way to the senate?

Scandal and politics always seem to make perfect bedfellows. And Malik Mason must decide which woman he loves more, mother or daughter, or risk ruining everything.

This debut novel offers a no-holds-barred account of two young lovers fighting their pasts for the chance of love and family.

Love is the one thing missing from Fatima's life, beginning when her parents left her at the age of four. Usually she enjoys calling the shots in her love life,but when she runs into a mysterious man on a night out, everything changes. Cory Hines would give anything to undo his childhood. Growing up with an abusive father and distant mother left him wary of family and relationships. And as he tries to straighten out his life, the nightmares return and send him down a drunken spiral. His siblings force him into therapy, but its not until he meets Fatima that he begins to learn what commitment is all about. Though their pasts continue to haunt their relationships, it is their common problems that draw Cory and Fatima closer. In the process of getting their lives on track,they find out more about themselves and their pasts than they bargained for and realize they must rid their demons for good in order to survive. But just when Cory and Fatima get comfortable with each other and the idea of a relationship, news of an unexpected pregnancy sends them both running back to the familiar. Full of raw emotion and a vulnerability that pulls you in, Parallel Pasts offers an inside look at what it takes to escape a history of domestic abuse, as Cory must suppress the urge to fight anything that gets in his way, and the women who love him through the process.

Book Review - Book Tour - A Case of Doubtful Death (A Frances Doughty Mystery) - Linda Stratmann

A Case of  a Doubtful Death -    Linda Stratmann

A Victorian Love Affair.

I think that anyone who writes about a particular period in history needs to be a little bit in love with it. That doesn’t mean one would actually want to live there – just think about Victorian dentistry for a start – but it should exert a fascination. I am often asked ‘Do you have to do lots of research?’ as if that is a problem – but of course the research is sheer pleasure, as I am constantly discovering new things about a subject that enthralls me. 

It all started around 1998 when I began writing (as distinct from just reading) about Victorian crime. I always want to know why a crime has taken place, and I realised very quickly that if I was going to understand the crime I was going to have to learn about the Victorians, not just the basics of what they ate and wore, and how they travelled, but how they thought and spoke. Vitally, I needed to know not only what they said but also the hidden meanings beneath those words. I had to somehow delve below the layers of euphemisms, subtle allusions and the need for ‘delicacy’ and find out what they were really saying.

I have always believed that as people we have never really changed over history. That is one reason why the plays of Shakespeare still give us so much enjoyment, all human desire is there; love, hate, jealousy, ambition, we still recognise ourselves. But the expectations of Victorian society, especially for the respectable middle classes meant that much had to be hidden or repressed. Pomposity, hypocrisy and duplicity abound. It is that struggle between the fundamental instincts of human nature and how the Victorians were schooled to behave, a struggle that many failed to win, or only won at some cost, that interests me. The idea of scandal lurking behind the lace curtains still excites us.

The best way of understanding the Victorians is to read as much as possible of what they said, especially under conditions where they were obliged to speak openly, and thanks to the wonderful stenographers who reported inquests, trials, public meetings and parliamentary proceedings, examples of actual Victorian speech as it was spoken by every level of society is there in abundance.  I can lose myself in the rhythm of the spoken word which is so much more rounded and less jerky than nowadays, the satire and sarcasm, the little hints of impropriety, the circumlocutions, the evasions and the excuses they made for bad behaviour.

Their prejudices shock us now. Racism and sexism were accepted norms of thought, and it is uncomfortable, when reading works by writers we admire to find these casually expressed in their books and letters. I have just been reading a speech by a noted Professor, a good kind intelligent man, explaining why he thought women should not enter the medical profession. But he was merely a man of his time, trying to rationalize why things should stay as they were, and there were many like him, as well as others who were more enlightened and far-seeing.  

Victorians were often, by our standards, very naïve about the motivation to commit crime, and what constituted scientific proof, but these were fields that were in their infancy, slowly developing throughout the nineteenth century which was a glorious age of discovery. They naturally assumed, even in the face of clear evidence to the contrary, that in any crime where there was collusion, a female was directed by a male, a younger person by an elder and a servant by the master.

They were adventurous and reckless, narrow-minded and unthinkingly cruel, yet it was easy to arouse a spirit of kindhearted chivalry, a determination to be useful to society and charity to the less fortunate.  More than any preceding age they looked forward, and saw the achievements of society in terms of progress, of what could be done to make life better. They built machines to do the work of men, they looked for cures for disease, and they rationalized the law. Not all their ideas worked, but you can’t fault them for trying.

Linda Stratmann 2013