The Last Ember by Daniel Levin

Copyright: 2009
Publisher: Riverhead books
Genre: Mystery
Pages: 415
Challenges: None
New-to-me Author: Yes
Author's Website



Simple Description:

I took the following from the author's website. To be perfectly honest with my readers, I did it because it's so much easier for me right now. I've been suffering from major sinus pressure for the last couple of weeks which leaves me foggy (a bit disoriented) and with migraines (in addition to the sinus pressure in my nose and behind my eyes). I would love to give my own description but know that I wouldn't do the books justice right now. So without further ado...here you go:

An Italian antiquities squad discovers a woman’s preserved corpse inside an ancient column. Pages torn from priceless manuscripts litter the floor of an abandoned warehouse. An illegal excavation burrows beneath Jerusalem’s Dome of the Rock, ground sacred to three religions.

Jonathan Marcus, a young American lawyer and a former doctoral student in classics, has become a sought-after commodity among less-scrupulous antiquities dealers. But when he is summoned to Rome to examine a client’s fragment of an ancient stone map, he stumbles across a startling secret. The discovery reveals not only an ancient intelligence operation to protect an artifact hidden for 2000 years, but also a ruthless modern plot to destroy all trace of it by a mysterious radical bent on erasing all remnants of Jewish and Christian presence from the Temple Mount.

With a cutting-edge plot as intricately layered as the ancient sites it explores, The Last Ember is a riveting tale spanning the high-stakes worlds of archaeology, politics, and terrorism, in its portrayal of the modern struggle to define — and redefine– history itself.

Now what you really want to know....my thoughts:

It took me forever, or at least it feels like forever, to read this book. However that's due more to the issues I mentioned above and doesn't reflect this book at all. I thoroughly enjoyed this one. It's quick paced, there's a lot going on, and it kept my interest level up. I compare this one to Dan Brown, just because it's about people following clues left hundreds of years ago in order to find a treasure long since believed to be lost. I think those who enjoy Dan Brown's books will enjoy this one. If you didn't enjoy Dan Brown's books but still like a fast paced mystery, I encourage you to give this one a try. This is the first published book by the author and you can tell. That would be my only negative views regarding the book because there was a lot that left me saying, um, ok, new author. Just like in the last book that I reviewed. That doesn't mean it's not worth reading, just means that I don't think you can be too critical with the book. The writing was good, the story was great, and I'm hoping there will be more in store for this author. The author definitely has room to grow and I can't wait to see what he comes up with. Personally, I'm hoping the main character in this book will make another appearance, but who knows.

If you are interested, there is a audio excerpt and a pdf excerpt on the author's website, so check it out and get a feel for it.

Thanks to Wiley from Authors on the Web for providing this book for review.

Thanksgiving at the Inn by Tim Whitney

Copyright: 2009
Publisher: Bancroft Press
Genre: YA
Pages: 223
Challenges: None
New-to-me Author: yes
Author's Website


Looks like I was able to sneak this one in just in time for the Holidays! Happy Thanksgiving fellow readers!

Simple Description:
Since I'm not in the best of moods, I'm going to copy and paste info about the book from the author's website:

Ever since his mother left, life hasn’t been easy for Heath Wellington III. Between his father’s (Junior’s) bouts with alcoholism and literary rejection, and Heath’s own wrongful suspension from school, there hasn’t been all that much to be thankful for.

But following the tragic death of estranged grandfather Senior, father and son alike stand to inherit a life-changing fortune . . . with one catch.

Heath and Junior must spend the next three months managing Senior’s bed and breakfast, located in the same Massachusetts home Junior has spent the last eight years trying to escape.
Upended from his everyday life and relocated to a town where everyone knew and loved the grandfather he can’t even remember, Heath finds an inn full of some of the strangest people he’s ever met, such as:

• Winsted, the old, wise Jamaican man who used to lead the prayers in Senior’s factory;
• Mrs. Farrel, an elderly woman giving away her late husband’s fortune letter by letter;
• Mustang Sally, the muscle-bound, tattooed grease monkey who doubles as a children’s author;
• Carter, the silent TV news junkie and secret Harvard graduate.

And at a nearby school is Savannah, Junior’s first love, and her adorable, autistic daughter, Tori.

But most of all, there’s Junior himself, vinegar to Heath’s oil. As Heath adjusts to his new world, what he needs most is to start anew with his father, to understand that Junior, too, is dealing with loss, and to realize that, even in the most tragic of times, there’s a lot in life to be thankful for.

Thanksgiving at the Inn is a beautiful story of family and forgiveness, and a sure holiday classic. Tim Whitney’s fantastic, heartwarming debut is one you’ll want to read with the whole family for years and years to come.

Now what you really want to know....my thoughts:

I actually really enjoyed the book. I thought the story was very good and love that there's a happy ending. I like that it's about a boy who is just miserable in life and he ends up finding a support system and some friends, people he can talk to. Now that being said, you can tell that the author is a new one. There was a lot of extra info in the story and different things just stuck out that made me go, oh yeah..new author. So the writing itself wasn't as good as it could be. But..the story was still worth reading and still very good.

Thanks to Harrison at Bancroft Press for providing this book for review.

Friday Smile - awww

Isn't this just the cutest picture!

The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory

Copyright: 2003
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Genre: Fiction
Pages:
Challenges: 9 books for 2009, Chunkster challenge
New-to-me Author: yes
Author's Website



Simple Description:
I don't really feel like going into a really good description of the book because I feel the majority of you already know what the story is about. The Howard and Boleyn family plot to raise their family in rank and they are going to do this by forcing the girls/woman to try and seduce and wed King Henry VIII of England. First Mary is forced. She is newly married and has caught the eye of the king. She is told to visit his bed when he requests. She does and has two children by him. While in isolation with the 2nd birth, her sister Anne, is told to go after the king. She does and ends up taking him from Mary. As most of us know she ended up getting Henry to get rid of his wife and marry her, making her Queen, but that all fell apart when she couldn't conceive a boy.

Now what you really want to know....my thoughts:

At first I had trouble with the book just because I have seen the movie. As we can all guess the book and the movie are different. I'm also a huge fan of The Tudors on showtime. Once again, we can guess that they are totally different. So while reading the book I'm noticing how different it is from the movie and the show. However, I was still very interested in the story and once I got into it further, I was able to forget about the Tudors and the movie version and just concentrate on the book itself.

I think the author did a great job with the story. I love that it's from Mary's point of view and that you can see how she is torn between doing what she wants to do and what the family commands her to do. I love that it doesn't totally focus on Anne and the King and the change of religion and how Anne met her end.

I definitely recommend this book to those who enjoy a historical fiction story. This book is well worth the read.


This book is part of my collection and was either bought or given to me.
This audio book was rented from my local library.

Friday Smile - New addition to the family

My 2nd cousin welcomed Isabella Rose into his family yesterday. My Mom's side of the family just keeps growing! My Grandma on that side is still alive and kicking in her 90's. She has 8 kids, 19 grandkids, 21 great-grandkids, and now she has 2 great-great grandkids. Whew..that's a lot. I haven't heard of any other pregnancies...but give it a couple of months and I'm sure that will change. haha!

The Stranger by Albert Camus

Genre: Fiction
Pages: audio
Challenges: 9 Books for 2009
New-to-me Author: yes




Simple Description:
I copied this from Amazon.com, they get full credit:

The plot is simple. A young Algerian, Meursault, afflicted with a sort of aimless inertia, becomes embroiled in the petty intrigues of a local pimp and, somewhat inexplicably, ends up killing a man. Once he's imprisoned and eventually brought to trial, his crime, it becomes apparent, is not so much the arguably defensible murder he has committed as it is his deficient character. The trial's proceedings are absurd, a parsing of incidental trivialities--that Meursault, for instance, seemed unmoved by his own mother's death and then attended a comic movie the evening after her funeral are two ostensibly damning facts--so that the eventual sentence the jury issues is both ridiculous and inevitable.

Meursault remains a cipher nearly to the story's end--dispassionate, clinical, disengaged from his own emotions. "She wanted to know if I loved her," he says of his girlfriend. "I answered the same way I had the last time, that it didn't mean anything but that I probably didn't." There's a latent ominousness in such observations, a sense that devotion is nothing more than self-delusion. It's undoubtedly true that Meursault exhibits an extreme of resignation; however, his confrontation with "the gentle indifference of the world" remains as compelling as it was when Camus first recounted it. --Ben Guterson --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Now what you really want to know....my thoughts:

To be blunt, I didn't like it. I think if I had read it with a group or in school where it would be discussed and picked apart, I might like it better. As it was, I read it on my own and was glad it was so short because it didn't take long to listen to it. I found the story rather boring. The main charactor is not driven and just goes with the flow, doesn't seem to have any emotion. I get that that is pretty much the point, but still, I didn't enjoy it. I suppose I should have expected this though. My husband has been on my case to read it for a long time and that's the only reason I did. Husband never reads, doesn't really get the point, yet he has a BA in English. So that's what I get for listening to him. haha!


This audio book was loaned from my local library.

Friday Smile - Halloween 2009

(Click on picture for a larger image)

So for Halloween this year, Oliver was Bob the Builder. Oliver didn't really like to wear his hat, but Connor did. Connor became the Bob the Builder Skeleton. Then my husband decided he was going to be Bob the Builder. Hmm...we did end up fixing something in the attic the next day. Isaac is cute as ever and he was Handy Manny.

Outlander by Diane Gabaldon

Copyright: ?
Publisher: Delta
Genre: Fiction
Pages: audio
Challenges: None
New-to-me Author: yes
Author's Website

(although in my opinion the website sucks and it's not worth your time, doesn't even list all her books, so it looks like I'll have fun figuring out the order of the series)


Simple Description:
Claire Randall is vacationing in Scotland with her husband, Frank. He is of Scottish decent and is enjoying tracing his family history. This isn't very exciting for Claire though. She finds a circle of rocks and upon another visit, she touches one and finds herself 200 years in the past. She is first captured by Caption Randall, an ancestor of Franks, but then captioned by a Jamie Fraser. Unfortunately she is taken far away from the rocks and is brought to Castle Leoch. It is soon common knowledge that she has some knowledge of medicine and becomes a healer. Claire was, after all, a nurse in WWII.

Soon Claire is forced to marry Jamie as a way to keep her safe from Caption Randall. At first it is a marriage of convenience but soon Claire comes to realize she does love Jamie.

This novel takes us through some battles, some rather hard scenes of torture, to pleasant life on castle grounds, and even a witch trial. What more could you want from a historical novel?

Now what you really want to know....my thoughts:

Overall I really really enjoyed the book. I thought the story moved rarely quickly although admit that it parts it seemed slow. I had some issues with how possessive Jamie was of Claire but then I also think that's probably how it was during that time period, the 1700's, and I'm guessing that's what the author was trying to get across. One funny thing, one of my friends has read the book and really wanted me to read it. I sent her a text that said :" I do think Jamie talks too much during sex though" and then had to mentioned Outlander so she wouldn't be confused. haha! Could you imagine getting a text like that? WTF? lol!

So yeah, some issues with the story but overall loved it and the issues were pretty minor. I definitly plan to continue with the series and recommend others to try Outlander.



This audio book was rented from my local library.

Christmas Reading Challenge

I know what you are saying, your saying "Seriously Kris..enough of the challenges already. Do you really think you should be signing up for more when you aren't even close to finishing some you are already signed up for?" Well..the answer to that question would be Yes! Come on, it's for Christmas books! Who doesn't love to read Christmas books in December (other than the Grinch and Scrooge)?

This irresistible challenge is being hosted by The True Book Addict. To read about the challenge or possibly sing up yourself, click HERE.

I'm personally going to mark myself down for 3 books, I already own 2 that I plan to read. Now to find a third one.......

Here are the rules:

• will run from Thanksgiving Day, November 26 through New Year's Eve, December 31, 2009
• you can choose 1 - 3 books...I know it seems a small amount, but it's a busy time of year and the challenge is only a little over a month.
• These must be Christmas novels, books about Christmas lore or a book of Christmas short stories (sorry, no children's books, but YA novel is okay).
• Be sure to check back here in a couple of days, I will have a list of new Christmas books coming out and some old favorites to recommend.
• Be sure to come back and link your post here on Mr. Linky. This is my first time using it so if it doesn't work, leave your link in the comments. Please leave a comment after you post your link in Mr. Linky. Thanks!

Year of the Historical Challenge - 2010

What? You expected me to pass this one up? Nah..how could I bloody well pass up a challenge like this one lass? (yeah yeah...listening to Outlander as I type this)

The goal of this challenge is to read 12 historical books in 2010. This fun new challenge is being hosted by Lurv a La Mode. The post regarding the challenge can be found HERE.

I don't have to list the books I plan to read up-front, so I won't. But my goal is to finish reading all the published books in the historical romance series by Lauren Willig (The Secret History of the Pink Carnation) and since I'm loving Outlander, my guess is that I'll continue with that series too. Other than those...not sure what I'll fancy and only time will tell.

2010 Author Challenge

I've decided to join in this challenge next year. I tend to read a lot of new authors, so it seems perfect for me.

I'm going to pick the lucky number of 15, meaning my goal is 15 new authors next year. I realize that I've read more this year, but I'm actually thinking I need to read more of th books I already own and authors I already love, and accept less review books - so I'm anticipating that I won't have as many new authors but still want to make sure I read some new authors.

The New Authors Challenge is being hosted by Literary Escapism, click HERE to go to the challenge post and sign-up page.

Here are the rules for the challenge:

1. J anuary 1, 2010 through December 31, 2010.

2. Since this is an author challenge, there is no restriction on choosing your novels. They can definitely be from other challenges. However, the authors must be new to you and, preferably from novels. Anthologies are a great way to try someone new, but only a third of your new authors can be from anthologies.

3. I want this to be an easy challenge, so you can pick to do either 15, 25 or 50 new authors. It all depends on how fast you read and how adventurous you want to be. For me, I’m trying another 50 new authors. If you reach your goal halfway through the year, don’t stop. Any new author you try can be added to Mr. Linky. We all want to know about your new experience.

4. After reading your new author, write your review and then come back here and add your link to Mr. Linky. Make sure you include your name and the author, but adding the title is completely up to you.

5. Bloggers or Non-Bloggers alike are welcome

Genesis Beach by Susan Whitfield

Copyright: 2007
Publisher: iUniverse
Genre: Mystery
Pages: 172
Challenges: none
New-to-me Author: yes
Author's Website



Simple Description:

I copied this from Amazon, I looked on the author's website but didn't find a description.

I craned my head around the corner and pulled back again. There was someone there. I inhaled deeply and swung my body around into the room, coming face-to-face with my own image in the mirror. The hair on my body bristled …

When the lifeless body of millionaire Rick Teater is discovered, no one suspects he was beaten to death with a sock, least of all inexperienced Logan Hunter, an intern for the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation. But the high-profile crime scene—and the need to prove herself—propel her to embark on a quest for justice. During the investigation, she befriends Pepper Ellis, the victim’s chef, and the two form an emotional attachment, something Logan does not expect.

After several intense searches, complicated by a hurricane and a recurring nightmare, Logan finds the body of her prime suspect, Lincoln Tumu. Her investigation comes to a frustrating standstill. Trying to cope with demons of her own, Logan begins to unravel the tightly woven plan that implicated Tumu and discovers she pursued the wrong person from the beginning. Now she suspects the one she counted on for guidance has been deceiving her all along.

Now what you really want to know....my thoughts:
Honestly, I only got a little over 50 pages in this book before I decided to put it down and mark it as DNF. Here's the thing, the writing just wasn't good enough for me. You can tell it's the first in a series, the first book by the author, so I was willing to forgive some things. However, the story itself didn't grab me enough for me to continue reading it. I thought the main character made some huge mistakes that somebody in her position shouldn't have made. None of the secondary characters grabbed me either. So...I just decided not to continue.

I noticed the reviews on Amazon were really good though, so I encourage you to check them out.

Thanks to Susan Whitfield, the author, for providing this book for review.

Coupon Savings for October

I saved a total of $162.43

 

Grocery store:

10/3 - $11.74

10/23 - $16.60

($28.34)

 

Walgreens/Target:

10/4 - $19.80

10/11 - $3.00

10/11 - $15.62

10/13 - $2

10/18 - $16.00

10/25 - $2.00

($58.42)

 

Books:

10/3 - $11.40

10/10 - $20.97

10/18 – $5.40

($37.77)

 

Scrapbooking/Hobbies:

10/3 - $2.25

10/17 - $1.70

10/18 – $7.50

($11.45)

 

Restaurant:

10/24 - $5

 

Misc. House:

10/18 – $15

10/24 - $6.45

($21.45)

 

Rebate:

Challenge Roundup – update 10

This challenge is being hosted by book-a-rama.

This post is a challenge wrap-up for the month of October.

Overall Progress?

I did pretty good this month. I was able to read 9 books for challenges this month. I also managed to finish 2 challenges. Woohoo!

Total challenges that I'm competing in as of October 1st:

10(this doesn't count the completed challenges from earlier in the year)

Completed Challenges in October:

War Through the Generations

TBR Challenge

Total completed challenges in 2009:

20 Books in 2009 - Challenge completed 02/2009

The Pub Challenge - challenge completed 05/2009

Love Bites – Challenge completed 06/2009

Paranormal Challenge – challenge completed 07/2009

Young Adult Challenge – challenge completed 07/2009

Cozy Mystery Challenge – challenge completed in 08/2009

War Through the Generations - challenge completed 10/2009

TBR Challenge – challenge completed 10/2009

Total Challenges that I didn't finish:

Non-Fiction 5 (May-September) – finished 3 out of 5 books

Challenges I read a qualifying book for in October:

9 books for 2009

I read 1 book (Benny & Shrimp)

At the end of October I had 6/9 completed

Read-Your-Own Books

I read 2 books (The Deception of the Emerald Ring, Silenced by Syrah)

At the end of October I had 17/26 completed

TBR Challenge

I read 1 book (The Big Over Easy)

At the end of October I had 12/12

War Through The Generations

I read 1 books (The Madonnas of Leningrad)

At the end of October I had 5/5 completed

Series Challenge 3

I read 2 books (Death Waxed Over, Silenced by Syrah)

At the end of October I had 16/21 books completed, 7/12 series completed.

1st in a series challenge

I read 1 books (The Big Over Easy)

At the end of October I had 10/12 completed

Stephanie Plum Challenge (2009 – 12/2010)

I read 1 book (Plum Lovin')

At the end of October I had 1/5 completed

Progress for challenges that I didn't read a book for in October:

Chunkster Challenge – at the end of the month I have 2/3 completed.

Arthurian Challenge (April 2009 – March 2010) – at the end of the month I have 0/2 completed.

Reliquiae Challenge (July 15th 2009 – January 15th 2010) – at the end of the month I have 0/3 completed.

101 Fantasy challenge - at the end of the month I have 0/7 completed.

October 2009 Reads

Total books read: 11

New Authors: 5

Mystery: 7

Non-Fiction: 0

Fiction: 4

Young Adult:

Audio: 4

Pages: 1853

DNF: 0

Cold Rock River by Jackie lee Miles

The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters

Benny & Shrimp by Katarina Mazetti

The Madonnas of Leningrad by Debra Dean

The Big Over-Easy by Jasper Fforde

Water Witch by Deborah Leblanc

Death Waxed Over by Tim Myers

Killer Summer by Ridley Pearson

The Deception of the Emerald Ring by Lauren Willig

Plum Lovin’ by Janet Evanovich

Silenced by Syrah by Michele Scott