January 2009 Reads

Fun reading facts

Total Books Read:14

New Author: 4

Mystery: 6

Fiction: 6

Non-Fiction: 1

Young adult: 1

Pages: 4,353

(This was an awesome month for me!!  I think it might be my best month yet!)

Don't Know Much About Anything else by Kenneth C. Davis

New Moon by Stephanie Meyer

Deadly Harvest by Heather Graham

Story of the Sand by Mark B. Pickering

Grace by Richard Paul Evans

From Dead to Worse by Charlaine Harris

The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry

The Almost Archer Sisters by Lisa Gabriele

Halfway to the Grave by Jeaniene Frost

Booked for Murder by Tim Myers

The Hot Flash Club Chills Out by Nancy Thayer

Death Reins in by Michele Scott

Snuffed out by Tim Myers

Lost Girls by George D. Shuman

Lost Girls by George D. Shuman

Copyright: 2008
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Genre: Mystery
Pages: 244
Challenges: none
New-to-me author? no

 

 

Simple Description

Sherry Moore is a blind woman who has the ability to see the last 18 seconds of a person's life before they die. She uses this "gift" to help law enforcement. This is actually the 3^rd book in the series.

Sherry Moore is asked to see the last 18 seconds of a dead climber's body. He was climbing Mt. McKinley with a group of Americans when a storm hit. The rest of his group is still missing. With Sherry's help the other climbers are saved, however she saw more than she expected. There seems to be a castle in the jungle, somewhere, where women are held captive and tortured. They are then sold. She is told to forget what she saw, but she is having a hard time doing it.

Meanwhile, Jill Bishop has gone missing. She was on vacation with her family. The cruise ship stopped in the Dominican and when it was time to board, she never shows up. Jill was kidnapped and taken across the border into Haiti. There she is sold to a man with one eye and held captive in a castle in the jungle. She is tortured, I'm sure you can imagine what all happens, I don't feel the need to go into it. She is kept in a cell with another woman. For some reason, the two of them stay in the castle, while other women come and go.

Soon, Sherry is in the Caribbean trying to get a handle on what is going on. She feels she can't just sit around do nothing when she knows something horrible is happening to hundreds of girls/women around the world. With the help of some retired Americans and a Jamaican police officer, Sherry helps to uncover the human trafficking ring that has its base in Haiti.

Why did I read this book?

I read the 2^nd in the series, Last Breath, and loved it. So I jumped at the chance to read the most recent in the series.

What I liked most:

I thought the story was very well written. The characters are great, you can't help like Sherry and those who help her.

I also like that the author wrote his story around the whole issue of human trafficking. It does make for an interesting story, but it also brings the issue to our awareness. In the book it states that the U.S. State Department estimates that 600,000-800,000 are trafficked across borders annually. That's unbelievable! And yet, we rarely hear about it. In fact, I never hear about it (but I tend not to watch a lot of news).

Was there something I didn't like?

I'm glad that I can say No to this question. I really did love this book.

Do I recommend the book?

Absolutely! I feel that you can read this series out of order but I definitely recommend both in the series that I have read so far. Without even reading the first yet, I can honestly say that this is one of my favorite series now. I know the author has another one coming out this year and I'm already looking forward to it.

 

Have you reviewed this book on your blog? Leave me a comment to let me know and I'll link it below.

Sorry, no linked reviews yet.

 

 Happy Reading and thanks for stopping by……Kris

Snuffed Out by Tim Myers

Copyright: 2004

Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime

Genre: Mystery (cozy)

Pages: 180

Challenges: 2009 Read-your-won books

New-to-me author? No

Simple Description

This is the 2^nd in the candlemaking mystery series by the author.

When Harrison Black investigates a power-outage at Rivers Edge shopping complex that he owns, he finds one of his shop owners dead. The local sheriff believes it was an accident, however Harrison believes it was murder. As can be expected, Harrison starts asking questions.

Now, there's a lot more going on with this story. The show owners ex-wife has inherited everyone, and she wants to move into the shop. Harrison lets her take over the lease, and this causes issues with a lot of other shop owners. It seems in the past there was an issue with this particular person. Harrison has to deal with this as well.

Why did I read this book?

I have enjoyed all the books I've read by this author and wanted to finish this series.

What I liked most:

I just like that it was a fun read. The story was light and it was a quick read.

Was there something I didn't like?

Out of all the series I have read by the author, the main character in this series is my least favorite. So if I have any complaint, it would be that I just don't like him as much as I would like it.

Do I recommend the book?

I do. I still think this is a good series. I think cozy mystery fans would enjoy this one.

When I reviewed a book recently by this author LadyTink asked if there were any recipes or tips in it like you find so often in cozy mysteries these days. I had told her that there weren't and I didn't think there were in any of the early series by this author. Well..this book does have some candle making tips in the back It only covers about 2 pages, so pretty simple, but there are some. There is also one recipe for some muffins that are mentioned in the book.

Also…I realize my "simple description" is pretty lacking. I apologize about that. My excuse is that my husband got sick the last day in Jamaica and on Tuesday I caught the cold. I didn't think it would be that bad, but today it's pretty darn bad. I'm having trouble doing much of anything today.

Have you reviewed this book on your blog? Leave me a comment to let me know and I'll link it below.

Sorry, no linked reviews yet.

Happy Reading and thanks for stopping by……Kris

Pictures from Jamaica

You knew I wouldn't disapoint you!  As promised..here are the best of the pictures that were taken during the Jamaica trip.

Jamaica - 2009

Greetings from...snowy St. Louis?

I was on vacation for a week. Did you miss me? Did you even know I was gone? sniff sniff

Don't worry, I didn't mention I would be gone on my blog. Figured it was probably best if the world didn't know that, even though we did talk to the local police department and they agreed to do patrols in our neighborhood and by our house while we were gone.

Plus, I did lots of posting! The paint.net I had created and scheduled to be published while I was gone. However when I got the resort I found the Internet cafe. Oh...what more could a girl ask for! So I was able to to review all my books while on vacation instead of waiting for my return.

So...you are dying to know. Where was I? Jamaica!!! Ya mon!! The weather was great! Husband and I both love warm weather and the beach, so we escaped cold STL for a week. We were hoping there would be bad weather in STL while we were bone, but no such luck. We got lots of snow, somewhere between 5-8 inches (depending on where you live) yesterday. The day we returned! augh!!!! Somebody has it out for me.

We stayed at a Couples resort. Couples is an all-inclusive resort. We love that, because we don't want to have to worry about food and tipping and leaving the resort. We went to Couples Negril about 5 years ago and loved it. Husband was itching for a beach resort vacation so he looked around and found that Couples Swept Away had a great deal. This resort was down the road, on the same beach as the Couples Negril, so we knew it was a great location. It's an all-inclusive resort. When we went 5 years ago it was for couples only. I thought that was still the case but Husband thinks they might have changed that policy. I like that it's only couples. We aren't big into partying and loud, drunken crowds, so Couples was perfect for us.

We booked the least expensive room, 'cause that's how we are. We were there for the sun and the waves, not the room. However, because we were repeat customers and because Husband told them we were celebrating our anniversary, we got some perks. First, they upgraded our room. The room we were supposed to have didn't have a tv. The room they upgraded us to had a tv and a mini-bar. There were also about 4-5 large bottles of alcohol in the room and 2 bottles of wine. This was an all-inclusive resort, so that means we wouldn't have to pay for anything we took out of the mini bar. I'll admit that we didn't really use the mini bar much. I think I drank about 2 soda's and we drank some of the water. We only had one drink with the alcohol the whole time. So while we didn't really use it, we think it was really nice and made the resort stand out.

We also got a free 30 minute massage each. Oh yeah....that was wonderful. Husband liked it a lot too, it was his first massage. I suggested that we get a massage for our anniversary every year. He gave me the "I don't think so" look, but said he would think about it.

We were also each given a t-shirt when we arrived. We arrived with a van full of others and I noticed that not everyone got one. When we left we were also given an insulated lunch bag with two bottles of water and two granola bars. Again, I noticed that not everyone was given one of these.

All-in-all it was a wonderful trip. I read 3 books and I'm almost finished with the 4th. I would have finished it but wasn't feeling 100% yesterday as we were traveling back home, so I watched movies instead. We spent our days eating and laying out by the pool with dips in the ocean to cool off. The sand was white and clean. The ocean was clear and cool. The employee's were very nice. The entertainment was good. Would I go back? Absolutely! In fact, I know we will. Probably not soon, give us a couple of years, but I know we'll head back.

What's that? Oh yes..pictures! I took some, not my normal hundreds. haha! I sorta broke something inside my pc the night before we left and have it held together with scotch tape (haha - don't ask). So if it's still working today, I'll have pictures posted online and share them with you tonight or tomorrow.

Death Reins in by Michele Scott

Copyright: 2007

Publisher: Berkley (Prime Crime)

Genre: Mystery (cozy)

Pages: 266

Challenges: TBR challenge, Series Challenge Season 3

New-to-me author? no

Simple Description:

Michaela Bancroft heads to the horse races with a good friend, Audrey. While there she learns that Audrey's brother has gone missing. Before she has a chance to tell Audrey the news, Audrey is murdered. Even though Michaela is warned not to get involved, she asks questions to try and find the person who did this. The police think that Audreys missing brother had a hand in it, but Michaela doesn't believe that's the case.

As Michaela does her thing, she finds lot of interesting things regarding people Audrey was friends with, or at least was associated with. Michaela also has trouble with one of her horses.

Why did I read this book?

I read the first in the series last year and really enjoyed it. So of course I wanted to continue with the series.

Was there something I didn't like?

I'm glad that I can honestly say no. I loved this book!

Do I recommend this book?

Definitely! I know I have several followers of this blog who read cozy mysteries. If you are one of them and haven't picked up this series yet, I urge you to do so. I doubt you will be disappointed.

One of the things I really love about this story is that Michaela doesn't have a friend in law enforcement that she uses to help with this case. I mean, she does have a friend in law enforcement, but he isn't the source of help. Instead, her good friend Joe helps her. He has lots of cousins, who "know" people. If I remember correctly, they have ties to the Italian mafia. Either way, it think it's an original idea for the world of cozy mysteries.

Plus, need I even mention how much I love the characters? I do love reading about Michaela and her horse ranch. I can't wait to read the rest of the series!

The Hot Flash Club Chills Out by nancy Thayer

Copyright: 2007
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Genre: fiction
Pages: 333
Challenges: 2009 Read-your-own books
New-to-me author? No

Simple Description:
The women are all stressed out and when they get the opportunity to stay at a house in Nantucket for the summer, it seems that will only stress them out more. Shirley convinces them this would be a great opportunity, so while some do it willingly, others do it almost because they feel they have to. While in Nantucket, each person has something different and wonderful happen to them.

Shirley is in a relationship with a man that the other women approve of, but that she finds boring. One day she is out riding a bike when she meets a man (her age!) that she finds attractive. Could this be what she is waiting for?

Alice is busy taking care of her granddaughter, Aly, everyday. She is so tired that when she gets home, she doesn't want to do anything but take a nap. She doesn't want this holiday, she feels she has to be there for her son. However she does get the rest she needs while on vacation.

Marilyn has her hands full. Her mother lives in the basement apartment. Ian's son lives in the attic and soon they have another person living with them. She is so busy with school and taking care of her mother, that she doesn't have much time with Ian. How are they ever going to plan the wedding?

Polly is feeling the stress of watching over all the ladies sewing her line of clothing for the Haven. It was more than she expected and more than she wants. She's also not sure what to do about Hugh. She loves him, but is tired of him always putting his ex-wife first.

Faye loves Nantucket from the very beginning. She has found that it's the perfect place for her to paint, something she hasn't wanted to do in awhile and is just getting back into. Will she be able to get as much of Nantucket in as she wants, or will Aubrey get in the way?

Why did I read this book?
I believe this is the 4th in the series. I have enjoyed the others and wanted to finish the series (or at least what's written so far, I don't know if the author will be writing more or not)

What I liked most?
I liked the extra story line in this one. They are staying at a house because the owner can't get there this summer and she wants somebody there because things are beginning to go missing. While the women are there, things still disappear. I liked this aspect of the book a lot.

Was there something I didn't like?
I hate to say it, but the women got on my nerves at times. I thought there was a lot of bickering in this book and just didn't like it. I honestly don't know if it was more than in the other books, or if it just annoyed me this time. Either way, I could have done with out.

Do I recommend this book?
I do! I think this is a fun series. I think there are a lot of funny things that happen. The women in the story are in their 60's, so at least 30 years older than I am. So while I don't go through hot flashes or have to deal with things they do (yet!), I still enjoyed it. I definitely think the "older" crowd would enjoy these books. I'll also say that this isn't a series I can read back to back. I need a break in-between the books.


If you have reviewed this book, please let me know and I'll link it below.

Sorry, no reviews yet.

Booked for Murder by Tim Myers

Copyright: 2004
Publisher: Berkley (Prime Crime)
Genre: Mystery
Pages: 202
Challenges: 2009 Read-Your-Own Books, Series Challenge Season 3
New-to-me Author? No

Simple Description:
Alex has agreed to let a local rich man display his emerald at the inn. The emerald is the biggest ever found and worth a lot of money. It's the last day for the emerald to be available for the public to view. When the owner shows up at the Inn, they find the security guard who was watching over the emerald dead. Then they find that the emerald has been stolen.

Alex vows to stay out of the murder investigation, however that's hard to do when one of his guests is shot out. Then, Alex and Elise are shot at.

This one has a lot more to do with Alex and Elise and the things going on at the Inn than it does the murder. I'm not complaining though, I liked it that way.

Why did I read this book?
I love this series. It's the last in the series, unfortunately. I have been saving this one because I didn't want the series to end however I finally decided it was time to read it and enjoy it.

Was there something I didn't like?
Only the fact that it's the last in the series, otherwise I loved it.

Do I recommend this book?
Absolutely! Although, I do recommend you read the series in order. Tim Myers writes a great cozy mystery, well, several actually. This is one of my favorite though. The charactors are great, the setting is peaceful..how can you not like it?

If you have reviewed this book, please let me know and I'll link it below.
Sorry, no reviews yet.

Photo Editing Software - Paint.net

I promised I would post some IT stuff once in awhile or when people had questions. So here's my first one (or second if you count the one I did regarding the word meter).

Here's what brought this on. I've been wanting photoshop or some other program to help edit photo's . The thing is, they are so expensive. Plus, how often would I use it? I tell myself I would use it all the time, but I say that about a lot of stuff that I end up rarely using. Then I noticed that a lot of crafters were putting something on their photo's when they posted pictures of their work on their blog. It would have their name and date sometimes. I asked one of them how they did it, and they said through paint. It's just text over the picture. Personally, I hate paint (the one you get with windows). I'll open pictures with that in order to edit and sometimes the pictures are so huge I only see a fraction of the photo. Not very good when you want to edit the photo.

Then, my co-worker showed me paint.net. I love it! It's a free program and you can do a ton with it. I find it very easy to use. So I thought I would share with all of you. In fact, the photo in the heading? All that text? Yup, I added it with paint.net.

To download this free program, go to http://www.getpaint.net/.

When the page loads, it will look a little like this (see below). On the right hand side, see where it says get it now (free download)? Click under that on the words "paint.net v3.36". I've put a red block around it.

From the next page, where it says download, click on one of the options. Personally, I selected the second one for cnet, just because I recognize the name and trust it. From there…just follow the prompts!

It's very easy to add text to photo's. You open the photo with paint.net, then from the tools toolbar, select the option for text. You click the spot on the picture where you want the text to start and just start typing. If you want to change the color of the text, there is a colors toolbar that shows up on the bottom left. You just select the color from there. If you want to change the type of font, the options to do so are in the toolbar at the top. You can change the font type and size. Just know that once you finish typing and click away from the text, you can't go back and make changes. However, you can use the undo feature to get rid of it. So far, that's my only complaint, that I can't go back and make changes to the text areas.

I have also scanned old pictures and touched them up a bit. For me it was very easy. I just clicked on adjustments at the top, then clicked on auto level, and it worked like a charm. Haha! My co-worker does some really cool stuff with this program, but I haven't mastered it yet. I'm still in the early stages of use.

Halfway to the Grave by Jeaniene Frost

Copyright: 2007

Publisher: Avon

Genre: Fiction, Paranormal Romance

Pages: 358

Challenges: Read-your-own books challenge, Paranormal Challenge

New-to-me author? Yes

Simple Description:

Cat is half vampire and half human. Her mother thinks she has evil in her and is ok with the fact that on the weekends Cat frequents the bars and looks for vampires to kill. Cat has always been told that Vampires are evil and don't deserve to "live". Then one night she meets Bones. He is a vampire and when Cat tries to kill him, he knocks her out instead. Soon they join forces to hunt down some very bad vampires. In the process Cat learns that not all vampires are bad and she begins to have feels for Bones.

Why did I read this book:

It was actually recommended to me and I have read a couple positive reviews as well.

What I liked most:

I liked the characters. I thought the interaction between Cat and Bones was great. There were some pretty funny parts to it.

Was there something I didn't like?

Nope..I loved this book!

Do I recommend this book?

Absolutely!!! I think those that enjoy the Sookie series by Charlaine Harris will probably enjoy this series also. Well, at least this book. I haven't read any of the other books in the series. Oh, and this is the 1st in the series for all of you who think this sounds good. I like paranormal romance books, so right there I figured this would be a good book for me. I also tend to enjoy vampire stories, so again, another bonus. I really like Cat. I actually can't wait to see what happens in the next book.

You can find another review here: (and if you reviewed this book, let me know and I'll link it)

Melissa's Reading

The almost archer sisters by Lisa Gabriele

Copyright: 2008

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Genre: fiction

Pages: 248

Challenges: None

New-to-me author? Yes

Simple Description

I took the following from the authors website:

Two sisters bound by an impossible-to-forget past and a still-uncertain future.
Georgia "Peachy" Archer Laliberte has never left the Ontario farm where she was born and raised. Unlike her self-absorbed older sister, Beth, who hightailed it out of there the minute she finished high school, Peachy is content with the rural life—and with being a young wife and mom. In fact, she's done everything she said she'd never do. She's dropped out of college to marry the boy who knocked her up, she's had two kids in a row and she's stayed home to raise them. But occasionally (very occasionally) she's wondered what might have been had her choices been similar to her sister's. Still Peachy wouldn't trade her moody husband or her two delicious sons (one of whom has daily epileptic seizures) for all the trappings of her sister's glamorous life.
Beth wasn't born with Peachy's self-doubt. Manhattan was her destination since childhood. When not in front of the cameras herself, she's traveling the world with her arch crew of sundry enablers. Beth does visit the farm often—to get a dose of much-needed unconditional love—but mostly to get her roots touched up by her father Lou, an American draft dodger with a talent for hair and a heart the size of his home state, Texas.

But it is during one of these visits that Peachy's world is turned upside down. After a few too many shots at the town tavern, Peachy finds Beth and her husband Beau in flagrante delicto in the kitchen pantry. Devastated—Peachy chooses an unthinkable form of retribution—she abandons her family, leaves behind a repentant Beth to mind the kids and the laundry, and heads to New York to exact a bit of revenge. Peachy, who has never been on a plane before, much less to a place as daunting as New York, has an ace up her sleeve. She knows Beth has been toying with her ex via an online dating website, luring him with a phony profile based to some degree on Peachy. And now she's ready to tell him all about Beth's shoddy subterfuge—while on a date with him herself—another first.
As Peachy navigates the darker realities of her sister's seemingly glamorous life, she comes to reevaluate her own life. As the story unfolds, we learn that Beth is Peachy's half-sister who's had her own sordid history with Beau. And we come to see how their mother's suicide has had a dramatically different impact on each of the sister's lives.
THE ALMOST ARCHER SISTERS is already earning accolades from women who've craved a book that tells the unvarnished truth about sisterhood, motherhood, and what it really means to love unconditionally.

Why did I read this book?
I thought it sounded good. How's that for an original answer?

About the book:
Actually, I'm not going to add anything extra about the book here – what I took from the author's website actually summed everything up pretty well.

What I liked most:

I thought the story itself was good. Two sisters, one of the on a path of destruction and living the life in NY, the other knocked up at 20 and becoming a wife and mother earlier than expected and before her dreams were reached. One is responsible, the other isn't. So what happens when the irresponsible older sister does the unthinkable? The other one takes off and tries to come to terms with what happened while at the same time figuring out her life.

Was there something I didn't like?

I didn't like the way it was written. Yes, I liked the story itself, but the writing style was lacking. If you have followed my blog for a bit then you know that it irks me when an author has the reader go back and forth between the past and present in the same chapter. The author did this throughout the entire book. There were times when the character would be in the present and the next couple of paragraphs are in the past, then right back into the present. I just don't like it. I find it confusing. I wish we would have gotten all of the past stuff first and then the present or that the back and forth was done differently and better.

Do I recommend the book?

Not sure. While I thought the story itself was interesting, I didn't like the way it was written. My thoughts are that the book was ok, but not great. I would recommend that if the story intrigues you, that you pick up the book at the bookstore, read half a chapter or so. If the writing doesn't bother you, then go for it. If it does, put it back down and move on to another book.

Have you reviewed this book on your blog? Leave me ac omment to let me know and I'll link it below.

Sorry, no linked reviews yet.

Happy Reading and thanks for stopping by……Kris

CoverGirl outlast lipstain - coupons and product review

I was able to get a free sample of the latest lipstick(lipstain) from CoverGirl. I belong to Bzz agent and usually the campaign emails are sent during the day, and I can't get to that website from work, and by the time I get home the campaign is already closed. I suppose that's besides the point though.

Ok...back on topic. I was happy to have the chance to join the campaign for the outlast lipstain from CoverGirl. I love makeup. I'm weird like that. I like trying new products, I love using different colors from day to day, you get the picture.

The product (and I quote from the information sent to me):
But how is CoverGirl Outlast Lipstain so different than lipstick? Well, it's because Outlast Lipstain is not a lipstick. It's a lipstain -- a liquid stain which infuses your lips with kiss-proof color that lasts for hours and feels five times lighter than regular lipstick. So it's not only wearable for any occasion, but light and comfortable on your lips, too.

What Kris has to say: (yes..I'm talking about myself in 3rd person)
I honestly love it. It's weird putting it on the first time because I feel like I'm coloring my lips with a marker. Not that the tip is fat, just the way you put it on, it's like a pen. I got used to it though. It's really not hard. In fact, check here to get a picture of the product so my rambling makes sense.

I have worn it several times. I suppose I could lie and say I wear it all the time, but I'll be honest. The only reason I don't is because I want to wear different colors. So the idea is that the color should stay on your lips for a long time, a lot longer than normal lipstick.

Here's how it worked for me. I use it mostly on days when I have to work. I normally have my make-up on by 7:15 am. I do use gloss when I use this product. Of course the gloss comes off pretty quickly because I'm snacking and drinking water all day. The lipstain didn't come off. I also put on chapstick and gloss all day long. I checked the lipstain before I ate lunch, which is between 12-12:30. It was still there. I checked after I finished my lunch, still there. I usually take my actual lunch break around 1:30. When I finished working out, I checked and it was pretty much gone. So, to be fair we can say that it lasted from about 7:15am to 1:30pm. I personally think that is pretty darn good! It should last through a date, dinner, a work meeting, an interview, etc.

The product is also very light. I have several other products that are supposed to last all day, and most of them feel very heavy and gooy and I don't like them that much. This product isn't like that. (and I'm not just saying that because I got it for free).

So for those who are looking for a lipcolor that will last for a long time, I definitely recommend this one.

I also have coupons! I know, I can't offer you a free product, I really wish I could. But coupons are helpful. The product at first seems expensive, I think it's like $7-$8, I'm too lazy to check for sure. But then I thought about it and the other lipstick I have that was suppose to last all day cost me about $10. So it's actually cheaper than others and probably about the same price as most.

The coupons are for $1 off any covergirl lip product. They expire on 03/31/09. If you play it right, you might be able to catch a sale so you can get the product even cheaper.

So..I have 8 coupons left to give away. The coupons come in this nice folded cardstock flyer with directions on how to use it. But..well..it's too large to put all of that in a normal envelope. If I can I'll try to cut it so it fits, but I'll probably end up just cutting out the coupon and sending that to you.

To enter please just leave a comment. I coupon per winner, so there will be 8 winners!

Sorry but this is only open to those living in the US. I will accept entries up to and including the 28th, actually I'm changing this a bit to be the 17th of February! I will use random.org to pick a winner. Once I announce the winners, I will need them to leave a comment on the winning post within 1 week.

Library Doors

Yesterday we had a guy come out and install french doors for the room that will be my library.  Yeah yeah, it would have been cheaper if we had done it ourselves.  Here's why we didn't though.  The room that we selected for the library was probably originally used as a den or living room.  If we weren't going to put in a library I probably would have made it the office.   Anyway...the opening to the room was larger than a normal door opening.  In order to install the french doors we would have to do drywalling..and we don't do drywalling.   So...we paid somebody.    

Let me just say how extremely excited I am to have the doors on!!!!  The library is my dream.  Husband doesn't read.  Husband doesn't understand my love of reading.  Husband doesn't understand my desire for a library.  However, Husband is a good Husband.  We still have so much that needs to be updated in this house, yet he went on a search to find somebody to do the french doors.  Husband was the one who decided we should go ahead and do the doors now instead of working on a different project.  Ladies, hands off, I'm keeping this one for myself!

I know it doesn't look that great, but I still wanted to share with all of you.  We'll need to paint the entry way.  Once we do that, I'll take the wrapping off of the doors and paint the wood white.  Then we'll have to install the door knobs.  All the other doors in the house are white, so I'll paint it to match.   Then, it will look really good.  We are also going to re-do the flooring in that room pretty quickly.  I would guess within a month.  We already own the flooring, we just have to do it.  So be on the look-out for more pictures once we start working on this.  

Story of the Sand - Winner

I totally forgot to post the winner for this book!  Sorry!  I've been rather out of it for a couple of days.

The winner is:  Carogonza!

Please leave a comment with your complete mailing address. I have to accept or reject all comments.  So when I see yours come through, I will reject it.  But...then I'll have the info so I can email you the book.   Please note that due to an upcoming vacation, it won't be sent right away.  If you leave me your email address in the comment,  I will let you know once I have mailed it.

Thanks for playing!

The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry

Copyright: 2008

Publisher: William Morrow

Genre: Fiction

Pages: 385

challenges: None

New-to-me author?  yes

Simple Description:

The following was taken from the author's website:

Every gift has a price...

Every piece of lace has a secret...

My name is Towner Whitney, no, that's not exactly true. My real first name is Sophya. Never believe me. I lie all the time...

Towner Whitney, the self-confessed unreliable narrator of The Lace Reader, hails from a family of Salem women who can read the future in the patterns in lace, and who have guarded a history of secrets going back generations, but the disappearance of two women brings Towner home to Salem and the truth about the death of her twin sister to light.  The Lace Reader is a mesmerizing, tale which spirals into a world of secrets, confused identities, lies and half-truths where the reader quickly finds it's nearly impossible to separate fact from fiction, but as Towner Whitney points out early on in the novel, "There are no accidents."

Why did I read this book?

I read the description of the book and thought it sounded rather interesting.

About the book:

While Towner is recuperating from surgery, she receives a phone call from her brother.  Her Aunt Eva has been missing for 10 days.  It's time for Towner to come home.   The reason Towner has been gone for so long is because she needed to escape her family.  While she loved Eva, she couldn't deal with May, her mom, or her sisters father, Cal.  Cal abused her and the caused her sisters suicide.  Towner has never fully healed from that.

While Towner is in Salem, Eva's body is found.  At the reading of the will, Towner realizes that Eva left her almost everything.  She must accept her inheritance or the money will go to the church.  Towner accepts it, so that Emma, Eva's sister will be taken care of.  Cal was Emma's husband.  She was also abused.  She is now blind and has mental damage due to the last beating Cal gave her.

While in town, Towner starts hanging out with one of the detectives, Rafferty.  He has been out to get Cal arrested since he moved to Salem.  One of Cal's followers (he has a religious following) has also been missing and she is also pregnant with his child.  Since this girl has been beaten badly before, they suspect that this time Cal killed her.

The story all comes together when Towner and this girl must figure out a way to escape Cal's followers, or they will both be killed.

What I liked Most:

The ending.  The ending was my favorite part of the book.  I enjoyed seeing everything come to a close and figuring out exactly what was happening.  I really didn't figure out the ending either. 

Was there something I didn't like?

Honestly, I was rather confused through the first part of the book.  It took me awhile to really get used to how this story was written.  The author jumps from present time to the past and back and forth...you get the idea.  

Do I recommend the book?

This book has gotten a lot of great praise, however I thought it was just so-so.  Maybe it was because I was confused at times.  Maybe it was because I didn't see the ending coming and so didn't pick up on stuff that maybe I should have.  Maybe it was because I wasn't in the best of moods like reading this book. I'm not sure.   While I do think it ended up turning out to be a pretty good book, I wouldn't say it was my favorite.  I do think a lot of readers will like this book and love the twists and turns though.

Luckily, I have been saving website URl's to other reviews of this book.  So check out the links below to read what others had to say.

Booksie's Blog

The Written Word

Honestly, I could swear that I read more reviews on the blogs I follow, but I can't seem to find them (even when I do a search!).  So...you're stuck with those two.  I can tell you that both enjoyed the book a lot better than I did.  

Artist James Christensen

Wouldn't this be the perfect print for my library? I absolutely love it!!! However, it is sold out. Although, I wouldn't have been able to afford it anyway. I guess I really just wanted to share it with you.

The title is: A Place of her Own

Artist: James Christensen

Website for the artist: http://www.greenwichworkshop.com/christensen/

This artist is one of my favorite. I have several prints by him, none of his newest though. I only have 1 that is actually framed and hanging up. I got a bunch at a great price because a gallery was going out of business, however it's so darn expensive to get them framed properly I've never been able to do it.

Pissed at the world

Do you guys ever have one of those days? When you are just pissed at everything and not really sure why?

I woke up ok, wasn't mad. But as the day has progressed...I'm getting more and more pissed. In fact, I'm just kinda sitting here and feeling "out of it". It's really hard to explain. Everyone and everything is just annoying me. My co-workers, the callers, it doesn't really matter. In fact, I'm so pissed and out of it, that I'll be headed to walk/run on my lunch break soon, and I don't even feel like reading! Now that's when you know I'm not feeling like my normal self!

I don't know what brought this on,but I sure hope the rest of you out in blogger land are feeling much better today. After all, it is a Friday! I should be excited about have the next two days off of work. In fact, I should just be excited that somebody is coming to install my french doors to the library tomorrow! Yes, that's what I'll do. I just keep telling myself that soon...I'll have doors to my library. But..then it reminds me that I have to move all the boxes of books out of there so they don't get covered in dust when he does the drywall. See...normally that wouldn't bother me, but I'm currently pissed at the world. haha!

Here's good wishes to a better Friday and a happy weekend to all my readers! I'm almost half-way through The Lace Reader. I hope to finish it this weekend, but not sure that will happen. This book has been a slow read for me.

Friday FIll-in #107

1. Enough with the cold weather, I'm ready for Jamaica.
2. All these windows sales men and their pitches causes me to be conflicted.
3. I've been craving soda, not a good thing.
4. My husband makes me laugh.
5. I wish I could go to Jamaica next week, oh wait...I am!!!!
6. Having to pay for new windows has been on my mind lately.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to not dealing with a windows sales man, tomorrow my plans include getting french doors installed in my library and Sunday, I want to do whatever I want..not sure what that will be yet!

Premio Dardas Award

Imagine my surprise when I was notified that Kathrin (It's all about books) and Beth (Beth Fish Reads) nominated little ol' me for this award! I rarely get awards, so this really made my day. Thanks Beth and Kathrin!

This award acknowledges the values that every blogger shows in his/her effort to transmit cultural, ethical, literary and personal values every day.

The rules to follow are:

1) Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person that has granted the award and his or her blog link.

2) Pass the award to other 15 blogs that are worthy of this acknowledgment. Remember to contact each of them to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

hmm... 15 blogs? really? That's a lot! Here's part of the problem, a lot of the books I follow already received this award. I also don't want to alienate anybody by not selecting them for this award. I am also too lazy to go through my google reader and view each blog to see if they have received it or not, then put their name and link on my post, then comment on there blog...that's a lot of work! So while I appreciate Kathrin and Beth doing that for me, I really do, I feel loved, I'm just not going to do it. You know, I'm just having a bad week. That's really what it is. I'm just very unmotivited right now.

Word Meter - fun way to see progress for challenges

When I was checking out Beth F.'s blog, I noticed that she had meters that showed the progress of all the challenges she is participating in. I just had to have them myself!

When I put my cursor over the meter's, it gave me the name 'Zokutou word meter". A quick google search found me the website for the Zokutou word meter.

I thought the word meter was very easy to use. You enter the current number (in my case it's the current number of books I have read for the challenge), the total (in my case it's the total I need/want to read for the challenge). You then select a color. Or, I selected worm. The color ends up being green and orange and puts two eye's on the end. I couldn't pass that up! For type I select Modern. You then click on Submit. It loads a page with some HTML in it. You just copy that HTML and paste it into the gadget! Easy as pie!

I believe this is actually supposed to be used for those participating in NaNoWriMo, as a way to keep track of how many words they have written. However, I think Beth had a great idea to use it for challenges.

I then thought that others would probably like this feature. So there you go....have fun!

oh, and the only issue I see with this...each time you read a book for a challenge, you will have to go back to the website and generate the code again. It's not really that time consuming. For me I think it will be more of an issue to actually remember to do it. haha!

Feelin’ Chunky?

I know, I've signed up for yet another challenge. Yeah yeah yeah…keep your comments to yourself. I know I'm crazy.

I've participated in this one for a couple of years now, so I just couldn't pass it up.

The Chunkster challenge 2009 is being held at the Feelin' Chunky blog.

This year there are new rules and different options to take.

The option I'll be participating in is: Do these books make my butt look big?

(Don't you just love that!) I am committing to 3-5 books. The dates are Feb 1 - Nov. 15

Update Complete! (at least for now)

I have finished updating this blog.  Well, I should say it's finished for now.   Give me a couple of months and I'm sure I'll be changing colors, etc.

For now I have all the book stats and challenges on the right.  I have everything else on the left (such as followers, archives, etc).

I hope you all enjoy this new set-up and find it easy to follow.

For those who use google reader or similar program, please click through and view the blog.  I personally love the picture with my title, etc.   I took it in Ireland.  We were looking for that castle, but thought we were lost and happened across it by accident.  It's kinda in the middle of no-where.  We walked down to the beach and there were these huge stones.  It was really very beautiful, if a little overcast.

***update - I've noticed that when I copy and past text into one of my posts, instead of showing up white, like it should, it shows up black.  I'm going to try and figure out a way to fix that, but if not...we'll just have to deal with it until I get tired of this blog template and move on***

From Dead to Worse by Charlaine Harris

Copyright: 2008
Publisher: Ace
Genre: Mystery
Pages: 368
Challenges: 2009 Read-Your-Own Books Challenge, Series Challenge Season 3,
New-to-me author? No

Simple Description

I took the following from Amazon.com:

Starred Review. Harris outdoes herself in this pivotal eighth Sookie Stackhouse novel (after 2007's All Together Dead), packing the story full of romantic tension and supernatural action. Having barely survived a catastrophic vampire hotel explosion, Sookie's back at work in Bon Temps, La., serving vintage blood and waiting tables at Merlotte's, a vampire bar. Participating in a friend's wedding and fending off the advances of her vampire ex-lover, Bill, and her blood-bonded pal, Eric, leaves Sookie chafing over the recent lack of communication from Quinn, her weretiger boyfriend. When a violent Were power struggle erupts as Vegas vampires attempt to take over Louisiana from disgraced queen Sophie-Anne, Sookie dives into the middle of it, determined to help her shape-changing, blood-drinking friends. Harris provides many fun twists, most significantly Sookie's meeting with her fae great-grandfather, Niall Brigant, which paves the way for a shock ending that will delight longtime fans.

Why did I read this book?

This is one of my favorite series. This is the most recent in the series, I bought it soon after it came out, and finally had a chance to read it.

About the book:

While this story is different from past ones, it's still very similar. From the simple description you already know that Sookie lands herself in the middle of a Vampire war and a Were war. Nothing new for Sookie. There is also trouble brewing between Jason and Crystal, his new wife. Sookie gets stuck in the middle of that one too. It ends with Sookie never wanting to deal with Jason again, I personally don't blame her. Sookie also learns where she got her fairy blood. Oh..and remember Quinn, he sorta disappeared. She learns where he disappeared to and she isn't very happy. Will Sookie ever find the love she wants? Will there ever be a time when she isn't brought into the middle of Vampire and Shifter problems? Oh, and also in the simple description above, it says that there is a shocking end..I'm here to tell you that I loved the end! I think it was a great way to end the book and while I don't expect there to be anything in the next book about it, I do expect to read more about it later in the series.

What I liked most:

I love the characters. Sookie is great. She tries to do the right thing, even though it usually results in her being put in danger. I like the shifters and the vampires. While you can expect each book to have some kind of issue between the vampire community and the shifter community, it's still fun to see what will happen and how Sookie will be involved. With this book, I especially liked that there were several major issues. Instead of there being one major problem that the beginning and middle of the book leads up to, we had several things that took place. I think I liked this because I don't necessary read the books for the problems, I read it because I like the characters. So in this one there were several major issues that the characters had to deal with. I don't know, I just liked it.

Was there something I didn't like?

Only the fact that I'm caught up in the series and now have to wait awhile for the next one to be released.

Do I recommend the book?

Absolutely! This is one of my favorite series. Sure it's odd, sure it's not "normal", but it's a heck of a lot of fun to read. I do recommend that you start from the beginning though. I just think you would miss a lot if you read them out of order.

Have you reviewed this book on your blog? Leave me a comment to let me know and I'll link it below.

Reviewed by:

LadyTink

Happy Reading and thanks for stopping by……Kris

This blog is under construction!!!!

I will begin working on the template today. I hope to have everything back to normal later today but not sure if that will actually happen.

I will be sure to let you know once I have it all back in order. You can still view all my posts, etc. It's just going to be the look of the blog and the info on the columns.

Once it's all back to normal, I'll be sure to let you know!

Blog Improvement Challenge - week 1

To read the entire post about what the first week is about, please go to Sophisticated Dorkiness.   

To sum it up, this is what the first week is all about:

here is the first task for the Blog Improvement Project:

• Read some of the articles on goal setting.

• Set some goals for your blog.  Think about where you would like to be a year from now, and try to set clear and specific objectives that you’ll be able to measure in some way once we get to the end of 2009.

• Write a post about your goals.  If you can think of any, also include ideas about projects or activities that you think could help you achieve those goals.

• Come back and sign the Mr. Linky (image below, it will be a popup) with the specific post you’ve written your goals in.

• Check back to answer questions (if you can), read and comment on other participants blogs, and to see a wrap up post next week of some of the most common goals other participants have set.

I waited until I had a chance to really think about what I wanted to do with my blog(s) and also get reader comments before I did this post.

First, I had two blogs.  I was on the fence about combining them.  When I first created my second blog, I did so because I thought I wanted to keep my book blog about books only.  However, I realized that I didn't post much on the person one, so what was the point?  I also began to really enjoy blogs that review/talk about books but also personal things.  So my first goal was to make a decision.  Thanks to my readers, I have decided to combine the blogs.  Now, I just have to do it.  

I changed my template design not too long ago, but I've decided to change it again.  I know, I just can't be happy.  I thought I would be happy with this one.  However I didn't like how the quote showed up on the left side, hard for lots of people to read the whole thing.  I also didn't like that I couldn't use a picture in the header.  So, I looked online and found some free templates. I also found directions on how to use a standard blogger template and make it 3-columns.  I definitely want 3 columns.  So in the near future, look for some design changes.  I will create a post to let you all know when I start working on it, and when it's done. 

Oh, wait, I forgot to mention my goals first.   I suppose my goal would be to get a bigger following.  I realize that I don't have any way to know how many people follow my blog via google reader or a similar program.  However I do have a stat counter on my blog so I can see how often my blog is viewed via the website.    I also want people to really enjoy reading my blog.  I want to provide some entertainment for those who read it.  I know sometimes I will read a blog and bust out laughing, and it really just makes my day.  

Along with getting a bigger following, my goal was to create better posts.  You probably already noticed a change in how I do my book reviews.  That was just me getting a jump on things.  I hope the new format is more enjoyable.  I'm sure I'll make changes throughout the year, but at least it's a start. 

I would love to get more comments on my blog.  For those who do comment, THANK YOU!  You really have no idea how happy that makes me.  I don't have very many friends who live in St. Louis.  In fact,  most of those who I would call friends, are really my sisters friends.  But we sometimes hang out and share emails.  While I love these women, it really gets me down that I don't have many friends of my own.  So having people comment on my blog and "talk" to me that way, really does make my day.    I'm also going to get better at commenting on other's blogs.  There are several I follow and love, but never comment on.  I wonder if they love comments as much as I do?  Probably.  So I'll start commenting more.   Towards the end of last year I started trying harder to comment on comments received on my blogs.  I used to never comment.  But then  people started to respond to comments I left them, and I appreciated it.  So I started to do it here.   When I don't respond to your comment, it's usually because I don't have time.  I was probably checking email really quick and had time to publish your comment, but not respond.  So I'm going to try and get better at that. 

There are several things I would like to start doing with the blog, especially now that it's combined.  First, I will mention that I have several goals for myself this year, that have nothing to do with blogging.  But...it's going to trickle into my blog.  These aren't the dreaded "new years resolutions" because I started working on them last year.  But they are important to me and I'm still struggling.  First, eating.  I am by no means over-weight.  I don't' think I need to lose weight.  I am at a very healthy weight for my height and age.  (Although I do have a bit of a stomach..and I just don't want it to get bigger).  I've been working out for about 3 years now.  I work out in the weight room at work, so it's pretty easy for me.  What I want to work on is what I eat.  I eat a lot of junk and it's not healthy for me.  I've begun to not feel 100% most days and I believe it's because I don't eat healthy.  So last year I started to work on this. What this means to you, is that when I find a cool recipe or a way to help myself eat better, I plan to share it.  I actually already have my first post in mind.

I'm also going to share tips on saving money.  I know, with the economy the way it is, you are getting this everywhere.  But I hope that what I have to share helps.  I thought I would also tell you about some of the rather silly suggestions I have come across.  Oh, and just to let you know, last year I saved a little over $1,400 by using coupons.  So...I might know a thing or to about this.

I work in IT.  I'm in support.  So I get a lot of questions all day long that I can readily answer, but realize it's not something most people know.  I want to start sharing that with you.  Obviously you use a pc, or you wouldn't be reading this.  I'm very open to suggestions from my readers.  I plan to start posting tips and tricks once in awhile, not a lot.  I'll probably also post funny stories about calls.   I hope that when I post something, at least somebody finds it funny.  If you read it and have another question, please leave a comment.  If you think your question is "stupid" just ask me not to publish your comment or your name and I won't.  I'll answer it, but I wont' mention you asked it.  I will say that you shouldn't be embarrassed to ask any question, but I know a lot of people probably will be.  Also, I look forward to the questions because it will help me grow.  I'm hoping I'll get a lot that I don't already know the answers to.  That will prompt me to research it.  That in turn, will help me with my job.  So the way I see it, it's a win-win situation.

And last, one change I'll mention is that you will see a lot more pictures.  Mostly of the house, trips, and my nephews.  I hope you like pictures!!! haha!

I hope this wasn't too boring for you.  I also hope that you stick around as I try to improve my blog this year. I think you will see the blog, and myself, grow. 

Combining Blogs

Thank you to all who voted and those who left comments!   I will be combining my blogs..it appears most people enjoy that. 

I'll be working on that this week.  I was going to do it this weekend..but well..put it off and now I want to go scrapbook, so putting it off some more.

Things you can look forward too....some recipes, listening to me talk about coupons, pictures of my nephews, and other stuff.  I promise it's not a lot, yet.   of course,  you can always just skip the personal posts too.

So that's basically it.  I just wanted to touch base.  Oh..and I have received two awards recently.  Yippee!  Thanks ladies!   I will be posting those soon too.  I've just been occupied with other things.

Grace by Richard Paul Evans

Copyright: 2008

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Genre: Fiction

Pages: 311

Challenges: None

New-to-me author? No

Simple Description

I took the following from the author’s website:

Grace is the story of a young runaway girl and the boy who hides her from a world too large for him to comprehend. It is also about two brothers and the trust that binds them together through difficult times. Most of all, Grace is a story of a young couple learning to love. I hope you enjoy my latest novel.

Why did I read this book?

I have enjoyed every book I have read by the author, so I usually jump at the chance to read a new one.

About the book:

Grace is about a boy, Eric, who befriends Grace, a classmate who has run away from home. He finds her looking for food in the dumpster one night while at work. He doesn’t want her on her own, since it’s winter in Utah and very cold. So he takes her home and lets her stay in the clubhouse he built with his brother. He brings her food and companionship.

Grace tells Eric that she ran away for kicks, but the further in you get, you realize that’s not the case. Eric is only 14 years old though, he doesn’t really figure it out until she pretty much tells him.

While Grace is living in his clubhouse, her and Eric become close. They date, if you will. They both fall in love with each other even though the circumstances are unusual.

So while Eric is dealing with this girl that he has fallen in love with, he also has to hide her from his parents.

What I liked most:

There isn’t one thing that I like the most about the book. I just liked it. I thought it was a good story. I thought it was told very well. I had figured out what was going on with Grace before she told Eric, but the author gives enough clues for the reader to do so. I didn’t, however, expect the ending. It fits for the story though.

Was there something I didn’t like?

Nope, not at all!

Do I recommend the book?

Of course! If you haven’t read anything by this author yet, I suggest you do! This book is a great story and I think most people will enjoy it.

Have you reviewed this book on your blog? Leave me ac omment to let me know and I’ll link it below.

This book has also been reviewed by:

Café of Dreams

Thoughts of Joy

Bibliophile by the Sea

Happy Reading and thanks for stopping by……Kris

Guest Post – William Petrick

I am happy to have a guest post by author William Petrick. While I have not read the book, It does sound very interesting and I was happy let him write a little something for my blog and share info about the author and the book.

A little about the author:
William Petrick is an Emmy Award-winning documentary producer/director who has created programs for National Geographic, Discovery, MTV, Court TV and many other cable and broadcast networks. He is currently a senior producer with Bill Moyers Journal on PBS. You can visit William Petrick's website at www.thefivelostdays.com.

BOOK SUMMARY:

Struggling documentary producer Michael Burns has traveled to the remote Maya Mountains of Belize to capture exclusive footage of the last surviving curandero. The traditional Mayan healer may hold the key to discovering new medicines among the vast, uncharted flora of the rain forest.

But with a violent civil war spilling across the border from neighboring Guatemala - and Burns inexplicably drawn to the aging curandero's American apprentice - the filmmakers stumble into a more explosive story than they ever could have imagined.

At once an adventure and an exploration into the nature of perception, THE FIVE LOST DAYS
exposes the clash between modern culture and ancient beliefs.

And a little about what the William has to say:

Traveling through the Belize Rain forest can be both exotic and Disney-like. There are tours that take you to over-travelled villages and waterfalls and swim holes that bring in hot, weary eco-tourists by the busload. But you can also easily step away from the tours and find yourself in a land untouched by cell service or websites. There are many tiny Mayan villages where people still spread their cocao beans on hemp to fry out before grinding for chocolate. There are a seemingly infinite number of waterfalls where you're the only visitor outside of the Mayan woman washing her clothes. There are trails for locals that venture into the forest but it isn't long before you're on your own. The simple wildlife, from butterflies to birds, is stunning. Of course, monkies--especially the howlers who earn their name at meal times--are everywhere. In a word, it's rain forests as they have always been. It doesnt' take much to get jungle fever....

Story of the Sand by mark B. Pickering – giveaway!

I know, I didn't give this book a glowing review, but…I still have a copy to giveaway to one lucky reader! I was accidentally sent two copies of this book. So, what could be better than sharing with my readers?

If you would like the chance to win a copy, please leave a comment. The last day to enter is the 16^th. At that point I will select a winner and notify everyone via another post.

Now, I know many of you might be saying hmm…I think I'll pass since it wasn't given a great review. However, even if you think you might like it, or even if you are wondering what exactly I mean about the ghosts and side stories – try and win it! Maybe you'll like it more than I did. Maybe you know somebody who might enjoy it.

Good luck to all who enter!

Story of the Sand by Mark. B. Pickering

Copyright: 2008
Publisher: iUniverse
Genre: on the book it's listed as Military Fiction
Pages: 214
Challenges: 9 books for 2009 – cover (ugliest)(I just don't like it)
New-to-me author? Yes

Simple Description
I took the following from the Author's website:

After spending months fighting in the sands of Iraq, Sampson Roy has returned to his home in Georgia a changed man. Gone is the patriotic optimist who went off to serve his country, and in his stead is a bitter, resentful pessimist.

Sampson is unable to cope with society, and the government could care less about his problems. His psychological damage from what he witnessed in the Middle East has ruined his marriage and left him a pariah to those he formerly loved. He retreats to the woods, drowning his demons in a bottle of liquor. But in the midst of his suffering, a ghost appears named David Tree, a dead soldier from the Iraqi conflict who has been unable to pass to the other side. David brings unexpected news: Sampson's wife is pregnant.

With a new burst of hope, Sampson cautiously leaves the woods. But his alcoholism and self-destructive nature brand him an outcast, and his wife refuses to reconcile. Deep in his heart, Sampson wants to raise his newborn child and return to the life he once had. Finding the courage to conquer his addiction may be too much, yet he has to try—even if it ultimately destroys him. Haunting and powerful, Story of the Sand is a searing portrait of war's destruction of the individual soldier.

Why did I read this book?

I was asked if I would like a copy to review and after reading the above description, I thought it was something I would enjoy.

About the book:

From what I listed above, you would think that the entire book was about Sampson and his road to recovery, with lots of obstacles in his way. However it's not. Don't get me wrong, a lot of the book is devoted to Sampson but we also learn about Mary (his wife), David Tree (the ghost), Sheila (David's wife), and Tommy and several other characters. In the beginning of the book Sampson is living in a tent in the woods. He comes out only when he needs liquor and some food. He does take showers, he doesn't care about himself. He holds up a liquor store, and that's when things get worse. He is terrified the cops will be after him. He begins to see David, or Grouchy as he calls him. Grouchy tells him he needs to get better and that he needs to go back to Mary, his wife, because she's pregnant. Eventually Sampson does go out of the woods and he is put into the hospital and cleaned up. They can't keep him though so he is once again on the streets. He finds Sheila and Mary. Mary wants nothing to do with him. Sheila takes him to a VA hospital. Eventually he leaves there too. He ends up living with a girl for awhile and getting her pregnant. He decides that since Mary wants nothing to do with him, he will take care of this girl and his future child. However it's not as easy as it seems. Sampson and the new girl are both drunks. While he tries to kick the habit, it's not so easy. Then they go to live with her parents and things get even more complicated.

What I liked most:

I thought Sampson's story was interesting. I thought it was interesting to see how he was treated when he came back from the war and how he handled the war itself. I was rooting for him to get better and go back to Mary, even though he acted like a jerk most of the time.

Was there something I didn't like?

From the info I took from the author's website you know that David Tree is a ghost. I don't mind that at all. However, here's the problem. We end up learning about David's life. I didn't' think it was relevant to the story. This story isn't about David. Also, a lot of the book was devoted to what David is doing as a ghost and the other ghosts he meets. There is a conflict between him and another ghost. I couldn't figure out why any of this was in the story and didn't find it relevant at all. In fact, when these sections would come up, I would skim until the end of the section and then start reading again. Maybe it was supposed to be a fight of good verses evil, I don't really know. I also couldn't figure out why we were getting so much info on Sheila, she was David's wife. I just think this was a side story that wasn't necessary to the story. In fact, Tommy's story wasn't necessary either.

Do I recommend the book?

This is a tough one for me. I can't tell you that I loved the book, I didn't even like it. I thought it was ok. I thought Sampson's story was interesting and I wanted to find out what would happen. If the book had stayed with Sampson and not gone off in other directions with other character's, I think I would have liked it a heck of a lot more. So I can't say no, I don't think you should read it, but I can't tell you that you'll be missing out if you do. I think this is really one of those books where some are going to like it, some are going to find it a waste of time, and others are going to be on the fence like me.

Have you reviewed this book on your blog? Leave me a comment to let me know and I'll link it below.

A Soldier's Mind – I wanted to include this one because some of the people who commented said they really liked the book and at least one mentioned liking the ghost aspect

Happy Reading and thanks for stopping by……Kris