Another CSN giveaway coming soon

I'm going to doing another CSN Stores  giveaway soon!  If you remember from the last time I did this, CSN Stores is an online retailer that has over 200 different stores.  The products range from things such as dining room chairs, bookcases, and pretty much anything else you can think of.

I'm not exactly sure what I'm going to review for them this time around, but I can't wait to do it.

I've got my eye on a couple of things for the kitchen.  As you can imagine this has to do with baking since I've been going through a Wilton Cake decorating class this month (last class was last night actually).

Finger Lickin' Fifteen by Janet Evanovich

#15 Stephanie Plum
Copyright: 2009
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Genre: Mystery
Pages: Audio
Challenges: Stephanie Plum Challenge, Audio book Challenge
Author's Website
My rating: 3/5

Simple Description: 
Things are the same with Stephanie Plum and friends.  If you have read any of these books, then you have an idea of what's happening in this one.    In this one, Ranger hires Stephanie to work for him and discretely check out some employee's.  Several of the houses that are protected by his security company have been burglarized and he thinks it's an inside job, but not sure who it could be.   Stephanie and Joe are on the outs again, but of course he still makes many appearances in this book.

LuLu's life is in danger.  She witnessed a beheading and now the two guys who did the beheading are trying to kill her before she figures out who they are and tells the police.

LuLu and Grandma also try to create their own BBQ recipe.  As you can imagine, this doesn't happen easily or without incident.

Now what you really want to know....my thoughts: 
I'm going to sound like a broken record, but once again I'll mention that if I was reading these books I wouldn't have continued with the series. However I'm listening to these books and I find them a lot of fun.  They are cute, have some funny moments, and perfect for when I'm in the car and my mind tends to wonder and not always pay attention to what I'm listening to.  

Now, that being said, Stephanie had 3 cars ruined due to fire in this book.  I mean really.  3?  Evanovich, I think you are going a bit too far with this.   I also payed more attention to how Stephanie still hasn't learned how to successfully do her job and always needs a man to help her out and clean up her mess.  I mean..enough is enough.   These things are beginning to bother me again.  These are the reasons I stopped reading the series awhile ago...it was so repetitive.  Then I decided to try one on audio and loved it, and have (almost) finished the series that way.    I have #16 on it's way to me via the library, I have her newest on hold in audio.  I'm not sure I'll continue with the series after this.  Part of what has me saying I probably won't continue after I listen to #16 is that I think Evanovich isn't really trying anymore. It's the same thing story after story.  We need change!  We need Stephanie to have an over-haul!  

That being said..yes the audio is great.  I definitely recommend this series in the audio format, it's a lot more fun than actually reading the books.  Lorelei King is the narrator.  She does a fantastic job. She's the narrator of a lot of books, several authors that I like, so I'll be checking to see if my books has more of the books she has narrated.


This audio book was rented from my local library.

Friday Smile - Cupcakes

I showed you a cake I decorated last week, this week in my Wilton cake decorating class we decorated cupcakes and learned how to make some flowers.

Now, while I love knowing how to make some flowers, I have to admit that I was super excited to learn how to swirl the icing on cupcakes.  I see these all the time in bakeries and love the way they look but when I tried it at home, it never looked good.  I can't say that it looks fabulous just yet, but with some practice I'll get there.

I'm actually surprised by how well I was able to learn how to make the rosettes, the light blue design.  I'm not good enough to actually, oh I don't know, get paid to make them.  But I'm better than expected!

Not too shabby for my first attempts at these designs, huh?

The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova

Copyright: 2005
Publisher: Little Brown
Genre: fiction
Pages: audio
Challenges: audio, Year of the Historical
Author's Website
My rating: 3.5/5


Simple Description:
It all started with the narrator finding a book in her father's study.  It was old and had a dragon on it.  Thus begins the story of the search for Dracula's tomb.   There are three different stories that are being woven in and out of each other as this story progresses.   In present day, which is really 1972, we get the story of how the narrator lives with her father and he tells her the story of his earlier research regarding Dracula.   Then she goes on a journey  herself.

Another story is how the narrator's teacher began the search in the 1930's.  We learn about what he found, what dangers occurred, and why he stopped searching.

The third story is of the narrator's father and how he took up the search for Dracula with the woman who would later become his wife, and the narrator's mother.

The story is rich in historical detail.  We follow the individuals as they journey to different parts of Europe searching for the trial of what happened to Vlad after he was killed.  They do believe he is a vampire, it's not just a story.  

Now what you really want to know....my thoughts: 
This was a really hard book to describe!  It's hard to go into details because this is such a detail oriented book.  There are so many places and dates and names.

I enjoyed the book, overall.  The historical figure of Vlad The Impaler interests me, so it's a wonder I waited this long to read the book.  I found it fascinating that these historians were searching for Vlad and that they truly believed he was a vampire, I mean the clues did support that after all.  So right away the subject matter held my interest.

I thought the writing was great.  There were several story lines going on at the same time but I didn't find it confusing at all.  The author did a great job of keeping them separate.  There was also just enough intrigue to keep me going.

The thing is, I'm not so sure this book is best for audio.  I found that while the story lines didn't confuse me,sometimes all the names and places did.  I think if I had seen the names of the people and places, it would have helped.  I also found my mind wondering at times.  I think this was partly the story and partly my mood at the time.  I say the story because, once again, there were so many names, dates, and places.  I think any of us would find our mind wondering at times due to that.  Unfortunately I think it caused me to miss out on things and several times I had to go back a track and listen to things again just to clarify things.

The narrators themselves did an awesome job though.  It worked very well that there were several of them, it helped keep the different characters separate.  My only issue is that sometimes in the beginning of the novel, the transition between narrators and stories wasn't as smooth as I felt it could have been.

The narrators were Joanne Whalley, Dennis Boutsikaris, Rosalyn Landor, Martin Jarvis, Robin Atkin Downes, and Jim Ward.

While I do recommend the book, I do recommend you consider whether the audio version would be a good fit for you before you rent/buy it.   Sometimes I think the detail heavy books are best read in print form, but of course that's just my take on it.

Oh..and if you noticed I am using this for the Year of the Historical challenge and feel it's not really a historical, let me clarify why I did.  Sure..the present day story takes place in 1972, even though that's 40 years ago I wouldn't consider it historical.  The other stories take place later than that but still in the 1900's.  Normally I wouldn't condisider that a historical either.  However, there is a lot of detail about what happened when Vlad was still alive.   Due to all the details regarding that, it read more like a historical for me and it felt like a historical.  I also know that some count WWII novels as historical and since the other stories take place close to this, I figured I was ok.


This audio book was rented from my local library, although I do own a copy of the book.

Ghouls Gone Wild by Victoria Laurie

#4 Ghost Hunter Mysteries
Copyright: 2010
Publisher: Obsidian
Genre: mystery
Pages: 336
Author's Website 
My rating: 4.5/5

Simple Description: 
M.J., Gillie, and Heath are sent to Scotland to try investigate one of the most haunted area's in Europe for a new television show.   Here they meet one of the strongest ghosts they have ever encountered.  The Witch and her family were killed by several individuals when plague hit the town and her family wasn't effected.  The witch comes back every 100 years to take revenge by killing decedents of those original killers.  The witch shows up early this time and we find out that Gillie is one of the decedents and a target for the witch.  M. J. and Heath must figure out how to find the witch's portal and keep her from coming back to do harm while at the same time keeping Gillie, and themselves, safe.

Now what you really want to know....my thoughts:  
I loved this book.  I love this series actually.  It's such a fun read.  I do like paranormal reads, so of course this series sparks my interest.  However this series is a favorite because I love the characters.  M.J. and Gillie's relationship is so fun.  They have been friends forever and while they each annoy the other at time, they always have their back.  Heath is a newcomer, he showed up in the last book and I'm glad he seems to be a regular character now.  I love that he has a Native American background and that it plays a role in the books.  Plus, he has great chemistry with M.J. too.

This is the perfect series if you want a light mystery with a bit of spooky thrown in.


This book is part of my collection and was either bought or given to me.

Chosen to Die by Lisa Jackson

#2 Selena Alvarez and Regan Pescoli
Copyright: 2009
Publisher: Zebra Books
Genre: mystery
Pages: 460
Author's Website
My rating: 2/5

Simple Description: 
This is the follow-up to Left To Die and pretty much picks up where that one left off.  Regan's tire has been shot out and she has crashed the jeep.  She knows it's the star-crossed killer.  She must have blacked out because the next thing she knows she wakes up in a small room, she is naked with only a thin blanket to cover her.  She is freezing but can't do anything about that because she is handcuffed to the bed.   She must figure out a way to escape because if she doesn't she knows she'll be murdered.

Selena Alvarez, Regan's partner, knows right away that something is wrong when Regan doesn't show up for work.  She has contacted everyone she can think of but nobody has heard from her. When Regan's jeep is found her worst nightmare becomes real.  She must figure out who the star-crossed killer is before her partner is the next woman they find.

When Santana realizes that Regan is missing and is most likely the serial killer's next victim, he has to admit to himself that she's more than just a fling, he does love her.   He decides to take matters into his own hands.  This gets even more complicated when his boss is found murdered and it appears to be by the hand of the star-crossed killer.


Now what you really want to know....my thoughts: 
I was rather disappointed with this one.  If you remember correctly, or if you re-visited my review of Left To Die, then you know that I wasn't happy the story seemed to be split in two and that it seemed longer than necessary.  I have the same thoughts after reading this one.  We get a lot of side stories with this one that aren't cleared up by the end of the book.  Perhaps the author is planning to write more, I don't know.  To me it just seems like there is a lot of worthless info in this one and it made the story unnecessarily long.

This book really didn't pick up for me until about the last 100 pages.  Then it got to where I actually wanted to read it and was interested in what was happening.   I did figure out the killer a bit before the reader is told, but not much.

Now..while I am being completely honest in my thoughts, also keep in mind that I've been in a slump most of this month.  Does my reading slump have something to do regarding my thoughts on this book or was my slump in part due to this book?  I don't know the answer to that.  

Overall I think the book was just ok.  I was a bit disappointed with it.  I think it was longer than necessary.  If more books are written in this series will I read them?  Probably not.  The only reason I would is if the other ladies I read these two books with mention that they would like to read it, then I might. If it's on my own, I wouldn't.   Ugh..I hate to give bad reviews but it is what it is.




This book is part of my collection and was either bought or given to me.

Friday Smile - Anniversary

Wedding Anniversary that is.  Last Friday Husband and I celebrated 6 years of being married.  Sometimes it feels like forever (snicker) and sometimes it feels like it was just yesterday.   

We didn't really celebrate Friday night, but rather we went out on Saturday.  We ate at Ruth's Chris.  Do you have one in your area?  I'm telling you they make the best filet's.  I've never had anything else there, the filet's are that good.  Need I even mention the mashed potatoes?  How about the berries in cream sauce for dessert?  Oh..yum.  I'm drooling just remembering our dinner.

I'm currently taking a Wilton cake decorating class.  This past Tuesday was our second class and we worked on icing a cake and decorating it.   This was my attempt.  I have to admit that I'm rather happy with how I iced it, sure there are mistakes but it was a first attempt.  The decorating..not as happy with it.  I know how I messed up though.  I made two hearts and when I brought it home I told Husband Happy Anniversary. lol!  It's the thought that counts right?

I did it again...a personal blog

I decided to take another stab at a personal blog.  There were some things I wanted to blog about but didn't want to do it on this forum because it's a book blog.  Maybe some of you want other posts and maybe some of you don't.  I figured it was best to just try another one and see how it goes again.

The personal one will mostly be me.  What products am I enjoying now? What's on my mind?  What have I been baking/cooking?  What is it about my eating habits I'm changing?  How is my running going?   How is my coupon saving/monthly spending working out this year?

You get the idea.

If you are interested, please check out my other blog and make it one of your regulars.  I'm not sure how often I'll be posting, but doubt it will be too much to fill up your inbox.

Outwardly Pleasant - a blog about, well, me

Reading Slump anybody?

Is it just me in a reading slump or can some of you relate?  I don't know why but it's taking me so long to read books right now. I mean, we are half way through the month of September and I've only completed 2 books!  That's rather slow for me.  I have so many books I want to read, so what's my problem?

Sigh.  That bear is about how I feel.  I know I have a lot on my mind and a lot of stuff bothering me, but reading would relax me.  Yet, I can't seem to find the time to read or when I do, I get easily sidetracked.  I find myself watching stupid tv shows my husband has on instead of reading.  I find myself falling asleep after only a couple minutes of reading.  It's really frustrating me!

So what about you? Is anybody else in a reading slump?

How do you get out of a reading slump?  Do you read an author that you love? Do you read a thriller that is recommended by friends? Do you read a young adult or children's book that is on the smallish size?

Tuesday - Husband reviews

I thought I would share this because it's rather funny.  At least..it made me bust out laughing at work.

This past Friday Husband was asking me how I liked The Historian, he noticed it was my current audio book.   So I replied and then mentioned that I had scheduled some buddy reads for a couple of the books he has recently read and wanted me to read so he could see what I thought of them.  These books being The Hunger Games and Girl With a Dragon Tattoo.  I also mentioned that his current read, Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson, is the book I'll be reading in November.  (he was putting a book he finished in my library and happened to see it and picked it up).  

Here is his reply to that email:
Hunger games is okay.  girl with tattoo is good if you are 80 years old.  and this current one is trash.


Lol!  There is no sugar-coating it for Husband..he'll tell you exactly what he thinks.   Of course, now I'm really interested to read them myself to see what I think.


On Friday I gave him Creepers by David Morrell and he is close to finishing it.  When I asked if he thought it was creepy, he said it was "ok".

Mailbox Monday

(Mailbox Monday is being hosted by Bermudaonion in September, check out the link for this week)

I wish I had a picture to share, but alas I was rather lazy about taking a picture.  I do believe they are all stacked up in my library and read for me to take a picture but before I could do just that, I got sidetracked.

Here are the books I received this week.  I was lucky enough to get them all for review and since the release date for them isn't until October..you'll have to patiently wait for the reviews.

Dirty Rotten Tendrils by Kate Collins
(I have to admit this is one of my favorite cozy series and I'm embarrassingly behind in it)

Murder at the PTA by Laura Alden

Fundrasing the Dead by Sheila Connolly

Tragic Magic by Laura Childs
(yet another that I'm embarrassingly behind in)

Pinned for Murder by Elizabeth Lynn Casey

A Truth for a Truth by Emilie Richards

Blackwork by Monica Ferris

Friday Smile - In which Myla enjoys the couch

Myla, in the past, has not been allowed on furniture.  She hasn't been allowed on the couch or the chair.  She's allowed in bed but ONLY in the morning after I get up and sometimes on the weekends if I'm reading or watching tv in bed.  She knows she has to be called up onto the bed, she's not allowed to get up by herself.

So what happened?  Husband thought it would be cute if Myla started to get up on the couch.  So he started to call her up.  At first she wouldn't do it.  She knows I don't want her on the couch.  After lots of attemps by  Husband, she got up on the couch.  He loved it and didn't make her get down.   So the next day he called her up again and this time she got up.  Then I walked in and saw her...and she saw me...and she jumped down.  Mom doesn't like her on the couch.   The next day, Husband let her up on the couch again.  I walked in, saw her, she didn't get down, I gave her a kiss because she's so freaking cute on the couch!  Then she got down. lol!

It's rather funny.  She isn't as comfortable being on the furniture when I'm around, but she doesn't have a problem when Husband is around.  In fact, one night I was doing dishes and Husband left the family room.  He was gone for 5-10 min. When he came back he found Myla on the couch.  She stayed there even though she saw him.  He called me into the room to see what she did, I walked in, she jumped down. lol!  I think she forgot I was in the house.  As you can see, if our dog is any indication, I think we know who the tougher parent will be when we have kids.

I have to admit...she is adorable on the couch.  She's a bit big for it but she curls up and she enjoys it.   I do let her up on the couch now, how can I not? I am a push over afterall.  Oh, and before you ask, Husband thinks it's cute when she uses the pillows ands to give them to her. He sometimes covers her with the blanket too.  She tends to not care, just as long as she gets to stay on the couch.

Grace Under Pressure by Julie Hyzy

#1 Manor of Murder
Copyright: 2010
Publisher: Penguin
Genre: Mystery
Pages: 310
Author's Website
My rating: 3.5/5

Simple Description:
Grace is the assistant curator at Marshfield Manor.  Marshfield Manor is a huge estate. It's privatly owned by the wealthiest family in the town of Emberstown.  Well, in the whole area anyway.  There is a hotel on the property and the mansion is basically a museum that guests to walk through.  Although, there are several areas that are private due to the family still living there.  Bennett Marshfield is the only direct living relative left.  He has been getting threatening letters however he thinks nothing of it.  People are constantly trying to get after the Marshfield millions.   However everyone soon realizes just how real the threats are when Abe, the current curator, is found murdered.    The police are brought in to help but Grace feels it's her duty to try and figure out who the murderer is too.  It is her place of employment after all.

 Now what you really want to know....my thoughts: 
I thought this was a good start to a new series.   Grace was a very likable character.  We even have the required unlikeable character in her assistant/receptionist.  Luckily while we might not like the assistant too much, we don't hate her.  I can also see where she could begin to grow on readers as the series continues.
The idea of Grace trying to figure out who the murder is was actually believable.  She does give the police the clues, she doesn't put herself in dangerous situations.  She does some investigation work, but it's more just going over records and asking questions about what happened that night.

I have to admit that sometimes there were parts where things were going on in Grace's life that seemed to take away from the story for me.  I'm cool with there being one or two but there seemed to be at least 4 or 5 other things going on that we got info on.  I think that was just a bit too much for a first book.  Maybe it's just me though, Ive been in a bit of a funk and feel like these things bothered me a bit while reading the book but had I been in a better mood they wouldn't have.

I haven't read any of the authors other works but I'll definitely keep her in mind.  I'll also plan on reading the 2nd in this series whenever it's published.



Thanks to Penguin for providing this book for review.

Weekend Cooking: Homemade Crescent rolls

Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, fabulous quotations, photographs. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. Please link to your specific post, not your blog's home page. For more information, see the welcome post.

This week I thought I would share my recipe for making crescent rolls.   Husband and I are bread junkies.  We love to have bread with dinner almost every night.  Once I was given this recipe by a friend, it became so much easier for us. Now, instead of buying crescent rolls and having to make all of them and eating them all, we only eat one or two each with dinner.  It's also less expensive than buying frozen rolls.   I always make a double batch and then freeze them.  When Husband makes dinner, he takes 3 out of the freezer and heats them up in the oven.  That's it!  Incredibly simple!   The rolls always taste fresh when we eat them. I don't know if that's just because they freeze well or because we go through them so fast they don't have time to get stale.  Either way, it tastes like fresh, homemade rolls even when coming from the freezer.

Ingredients

3 - 3 1/4 cup flour

1 pkg dry yeast

1 tsp salt

1 cup milk

3 tbsp butter

1 egg

1/4 cup sugar.

In a saucepan heat the milk and butter until very warm.

In a large mixing bowl, mix 1 cup flour, dry yeast, salt and sugar.  Add the milk and butter mixture once warm.  Add the egg.

With mixer, beat for 2 minutes. Stir in the remaining 2 - 2 1/4 cup flour to form a stiff dough.

Cover and let rise until it doubles in size, about 60-90 minutes.

Once doubled in size, turn out onto a floured surface.  Toss to coat well with flour.  Kneed a few times or until no longer sticky.  Roll dough to a 15in circle and then brush with melted butter.  Cut into 16 wedges. With wide end, roll up each wedge toward the point.  Place point side down on greased baking sheet.

Bake in a pre-heated 400 degree oven for 15-20 min or until golden brown.

Tips and tricks and things I do differently:

**** I brush with melted butter as per the instructions, then once they are rolled and on the baking sheet I brush butter on them again.

**** In an effort to eat healthier I wanted to use wheat flour but Husband refuses because he doesn't like wheat.  So, my little trick is to put in 1 cup of white whole wheat and the rest I use normal white flour.  Eventually I would like to add more but that's going to be slow going so he doesn't notice a change in taste.

**** Rolling dough out on a counter top can be incredibly messy.  Here are a couple tips to try and keep mess to a minimum.  If you have a non-granite counter top (at least this works with Formica or whatever the normal counter top used to be, I have no idea if it works with other stone counter tops) you can wet the counter top and then put a piece of wax paper down.  Since it's wet the wax paper will stick to the counter top and you can roll out the dough on top of it and clean up is so much easier.    I have granite and this does not work, the wax paper doesn't stick.  If this is the same for you, you can spray the counter top with Pam or some other cooking spray.  This isn't perfect but trust me when I say it does work a lot better for clean up.

**** Try to let your eggs get to room temperature before baking with them.  This applies to cakes, cookies, omelets, etc.

****  Earlier this spring/summer I made 3 batches where the dough didn't rise  (of course we still baked them and ate them but they weren't as good.)  Then I made them again and decided to cover them (I always use glade press and seal) and put them in the un-finished section of our basement while I worked out.  An hour later, the dough had risen.  This batch was the most fluffy and  yummy tasting I have ever made. I just made these yesterday and did these thing.  Still incredibly fluffy but not like that first one.

****  I use a pizza cutter to cut my dough.  It's incredibly easy and because I have granite I'm not worried about scratching the counter top.  I cut it in half one way, then half the next way.  This gives me 4 even (haha..yeah right) sections. I then cut each section in half and then each of those sections in half again. 

As you can see, I never roll mine in a perfect circle.  I applaud the person that can, it seems to be something out of my grasp.

I also have failed to cut mine in perfect sizes, I always have some that are huge, some that are itty bitty, and some that are perfect.

CSN Giveaway Winner!

Thanks to all who entered into this giveaway!

The winner is Emily B.

Congratulations Emily!   I'll be emailing my contact at CSN your email address, so look for an email from them this week!  Hope you have a lot of fun looking for something to spend it on.

CSN Stores Giveaway and Product Review

**sticky post to remain at the top until 9/4/10**


As promised..here is a giveaway for CSN Stores.  First, however, here's what I got and what I think of the whole experience.

I spent lots of time viewing a lot the items on CSN, I believe they advertise that they have 200+ stores and that means lots for me to look at.  I debated between getting something fun for myself or getting something that we need around the house.  I have to admit that the house won.

I have been wanting more/new dish towels for awhile but very undecided on what to get.  I think we've all been there..gotten towels that were supposed to be absorbant but weren't.   So I looked around on CSN and finally decided on some bamboo towels.  I like that they are biodegradable for when they are no longer of use for me and I have to get rid of them.  I picked MUbamboo ones from MUkitchen because they used 0% pesticides or chemicals and I liked the color.  I am happy to report that after using the towels these last several days I am very happy with the results.  They are incredibly soft and super absorbent.  In my opinion, bamboo is the way to go and probably the only kitchen towel material I'll be buying from now on.

I have also been wanting hooks to hang up my purse and bag that I take to work every week day.  When we come in via the garage we walk through the laundry room and I wanted to put them in there.  The problem is that any wall space that wouldn't be in the way of where we walk is covered with shelving.  Great for organization and storage, not so great for hanging up coats and purses.  I had finally decided I would get something for over the closet door in that room only had trouble finding one I really liked at the local stores.  I did a search on CSN and found one that looked like it would work great and priced well.  It's the Spectrum Sweep Over-the-door-7-hook.  It does come with pieces you screw into the part that shows up on the back of the door, so you can make it tight to the door so it is more secure and doesn't move around.  I couldn't use these because when I did it didn't allow me to close the door completely.  Since this is out of the way and not in a place I think we'll be knocking into it, I'm not too worried about it moving.  That being said, I've been using it all weekend and had to hang up and take down my purse several times and haven't noticed any problems.  So far, I'm very happy with this purchase as well.

As far as CSN.  Great service.  I did have a $30 gift code to use and once I picked out my items and started to go through the check-out process I didn't have any problems knowing where to use it.  I selected the cheapest shipping possible and received my items in 4 days.   I have to say that this is a store I will shop at again because of the wide selection of products offered (that I can't find in my own city) and the easy of the whole process.

I will admit that I did get the $30 gift code because I agreed to talk about their company on my blog and also do a giveaway.  I wanted to do both (the giveaway and order myself something) so that I could experience the process and either feel good about it or go back to them and say you know, not happy, I'm going to review your stores but I'm not comfortable sending anybody else to use it.  I'm so glad I don't have to do that.
I realize this has absolutely nothing to do with reading or books, but heck, I didn't think you would mind since you get the chance to win a gift-code for the stores.  Who doesn't love free?

Giveaway info
This giveaway is for a $30 gift certificate code..which is the same as $30 gift card...which is the same as $30 in free products at CSN.   Please note that this code will not cover international shipping fees to Canadian addresses.  


To enter into the giveaway, please fill out the form below.


Please only enter once.


I will use random.org to pick the winner.


This giveaway is open from 8/23/10 through midnight 9/4/10.


**I'm asking for your first and last name just in case of duplicate first names and last initials.  I will also be providing my contact with CSN the winner's name and email address so they can email you the code for the $30 gift certificate so please make sure the email address you provide is a valid one.

Friday Smile - Welcome to the family Henry!

As I mentioned last week, my sister recently gave birth to her 3rd child (and 3rd boy).  I'm so excited to welcome yet another baby into our family.   This makes 4 grandkids for my Mom.  If you have noticed, that also means 4 boys.  Yikes!   My sister and I feel that this is our Dad's way of getting back at us, since he was stuck with three daughters. haha!  

Hour Game by David Baldacci

#2 King and Maxwell series
Copyright: 2004
Publisher: Columbus Rose
Genre: Mystery
Pages: 590
Challenges: buy 1 book and read it
Author's Website
My rating: 4/5

Simple Description: 
Since starting their own investigation service, King and Maxwell have been busy.  Fortunately things have slowed down a bit and Maxwell is able to head out on a nice long run.  Unfortunately she finds something that puts her and King in the path of a killer.   Suddenly bodies start to pile up.  It appears to be a serial killer who imitates other serial killers.  A serial killer who doesn't leave evidence behind and doesn't seem to be following a pattern.

While  King and Maxwell aren't officially involved in the investigation, at least not right away, they do take it upon themselves to help out.   They are also trying to help out a local man who is accused of stealing from the richest family in the area, the Battles.  The two cases seem to be linked when the patriarch of the Battle family dies and it appears to be the work of the serial killer.

Things get even more intense when King and Maxwell's lives are threatened.  Are they getting too close to the killer? If they are, they aren't sure why.

Now what you really want to know....my thoughts: 
I thought this was a great follow-up to Split Second.  There were a lot of twists and turns in this one.  It seemed like every time King and Maxwell turned around another body showed up or something else happened to muddy the waters.    I can't help but like the partnership between King and Maxwell.  They were great together and part of me hopes that they make it a romantic relationship in the future (even though I know that probably wouldn't be best for their work partnership).  Sometimes it seemed that King kept too much from Maxwell but you gotta love the guy anyway.  As for Maxwell, what's not to love about a girl who could kick anybody's ass?

I'll definitely be reading more in this series.  The first two have set the bar..lots of twists and turns that keep me reading well past my bed time.


This book is part of my collection and was either bought or given to me.

I hate to do this to you, but it was out of control

I just turned on comment word verification on this blog.  I really hate to do that to those of you who are nice enough to comment but the spammers are getting way out of control.

I had hoped things would improve when google turned on a spam option for comments, I thought maybe..just maybe..it would start catching them.  I've been disappointed.

Thanks for understanding!