Rea-A-Thon Wrapup

Oh my HECK!!!! That was so much fun. Even though I didn't read for the full 24 hours, I made it 18 1/2 hours! I am very proud of my daughter for participating with me. She was such a good sport. I was able to complete four books during my stretch and still take care of our puppy, who had bad accident requiring bath! lol I look forward to the next Read-A-Thon and hope to participate. I loved the interaction and support that people give each other during this challenge, it was just amazing. Until next time.....

Oh, my 4th book was:

4. A Cold Red Sunrise by Stuart M. Kaminsky

Hour 12 - Read-A-Thon

I thought I would take quick break and check in. I have finished two books so far, which I am very proud of. Although my daughter has more than me, "it ain't over..." :) This is so much fun. We are laughing about our books and finding hidden gems that were sitting on our bookshelf. Hopefully she will get her books posted soon, but here are mine:

1. Viola in Reel Life by Adriana Trigiani
2. The Ultimate Gift by Rene Gutteridge


I'll do a blog later about each book, but so far each book is awesome! Off to read A Cold Red Sunrise by Stuart M. Kaminsky.

I just joined the 24 hour Read A Thon with my daughter. This will be the first time I have done anything like this so I am totally excited to see how this goes over. Thanks to Deborah for giving a little push. My mind has been racing through my TBR pile to see what books I can read. While I know my pile of finished books will not be large, I'm hoping to see more than one or two. :) I'm totally not a fast reader. I will post a little later on what books are going to be in my challenge stack. I'm so totally excited......this is going to be so much fun!!! :)

Well-Read Reviews has created a Meme for Fridays:

The first line can make or break a reader’s interest. Just how well did the author pull you in to the story with their first sentence? To participate in this weekly book meme is extremely easy. Grab the book you are currently reading and open to the first page. Write down the first sentence in the first paragraph. Did this first sentence help draw you into the story? Why or why not?

Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane
ISBN: 9780061703256

"I haven't laid eyes on the island in several years."

The first sentence did not help draw me into the story. It is part of the prologue, which I found to be somewhat dry...kind of how I'm finding the book right now. However, as I have delved further into the book I am seeing the author set the stage for what is to come. So in my mind its ok that it didn't draw me in at first because I'm hoping for better things to come.

Natalie Greco loves being a law professor, even though she secretly feels like Faculty Comic Relief. She loves her family, too, but as a bookworm, doesn't quite fit into the cult of Greco football, headed by her father, the team captain. The one person whom she feels most connected to is her colleague Angus Holt, a guy with a brilliant mind, gorgeous façade, and a penchant for helping those less fortunate. When he talks Nat into teaching a class at a local prison, her world turns upside down.

A violent prison riot breaks out during the class, and in the chaos, Nat rushes to help a grievously injured guard. Before he dies, he asks her to deliver a cryptic message: "Tell my wife it's under the floor."

Plunged into a nightmare, Nat suddenly finds herself suspected of a brutal murder and encounters threats to her life. Now, not only are the cops after her, but ruthless killers are desperate to keep her from exposing their secret. In the meantime, she gets dangerously close to Angus, shaking her dedication to her safe boyfriend.

With her love life in jeopardy, her career in the balance, and her life on the line, Nat must rely on her resources, her intelligence, and her courage. Forced into hiding to stay alive, she sets out to save herself by deciphering the puzzle behind the dead guard's last words...and learns the secret behind the greatest puzzle of all—herself.

I love Lisa Scottoline books because they clip along and they keep me wanting more. I couldn't put this book down. How Nat cleared her name was a little too far fetched for me, but it added some humor into the mix. Nat's interaction with the COs wife and her family was very telling. Nat found herself throughout the story, which was very visable. As she took off layer by layer of her very guarded self, a strong, wonderful woman emerged who learned she could stand on her own. Great thriller with a heart.

Am I my brother's keeper?

If I'd known I had a brother, I might have been. But he's dead—shot point-blank in a rat-hole apartment, wasted by hunger and heroin. Stephen Gaines, a man with whom I shared nothing…except a father.

For some reason this stranger who shared my blood came to me for help…and I blew him off thinking he was just some junkie. Now I'm forced to question everything I ever knew…and figure out why this man was murdered in cold blood.

All I can do for Stephen Gaines now is find his killer—and with the help of Amanda Davies uncover the whole, hard truth. If it means tracking down a vicious drug kingpin—who may or may not exist—then so be it….

Oh my heck!!! Jason Pinter is a new to me author and I LOVE HIM!!! Henry Parker is a man I can utterly swoon over and know he's got my back. The Fury is the 4th in the Henry Parker and I probably would have understood parts of the book a bit better if I had read the other three, however, Mr. Pinter explains enough that I was able to follow. While Henry is a reporter, he continues to find himself in somewhat of a sticky widget. Loved the interaction between him and his family. They put the "fun in dysfunctional". This book was fast paced and while it wasn't gory, it was intense enough that I had to sleep with my bedroom door open! lol

Nobody's home at the millionaire's estate on remote Frakes Island. And nobody seems to be watching. Becca Cantrell dives in for an illicit midnight skinnydip-and gets hauled out by a towering, hard-muscled guy with burning dark eyes. He seems to be in charge. Good. The man is the embodiment of her most intense fantasies. And she's up for risky thrills...

Nick Ward can't tell her that he's spying on a vicious Russian crime boss. Becca could be his worst enemy— an assassin sent to kill him, a call girl sent to distract him, or the worst scenario of all-a clueless innocent. Anyway he looks at it, she's trouble— beautiful, bare, dripping-wet trouble. The kind he can't resist.

She's not scared. After one taste of his hot mouth, Becca soon discovers just how fearless she can be. She'll need it, too-because things are about to explode on Frakes Island, launching Becca and Nick into danger they could never have imagined-and a passion that could destroy them both.

This was a week where I needed some danger and excitement, with a little romance mixed in. Shannon McKenna is an explosive author who can deliver all three. In Extreme Danger, Becca Cantrell finds herself in the middle of problem that only one person, Nick Ward, can help her get out of alive. Becca finds that she is not just a pretty like thing, but has some serious grit about her and with the two of them working as a team all bets are off that the mafiya boss with succeed.

Dru has always known about the poltergeists, vampires and werwulfen that inhabit the Real World since her father has traveled the country battling them, often with Dru's help. But when he is killed after they move to the Dakotas-and sent back as a zombie to kill her-Dru digs deeper into her history, trying to find out who murdered her mother and who is after her. Graves, an orphan, joins up with her and is soon turned into a loup-garou by a wolf bite, and Dru is able to get some answers from Christophe, a djamphir(part human, part vampire).

Strange Angels is not my type of book, but all I can say is WOW!!! Lily St. Crow packs a whopper in her debut YA novel. Strange Angels was fast paced and gripping and anyone who likes the supernatural should like this book, as it has almost everything one could think of. What I truly enjoyed about the storyline was Dru and the emotional side that came out. She cared, she cried, she kicked butt. But at no time did she have a pitty party. She made friends during her tough ordeal and fought to keep them by her side. To me, that is a true heroine.

All year round, retired schoolteacher Phyllis Newsom is as sweet as peach pie-except during the Peach Festival, whose blue ribbon has slipped through Phyllis's fingers more than once...

Everyone's a little shook up when the corpse of a no-good local turns up underneath a car in a local garage. But even as Phyllis engages in some amateur sleuthing, she won't let it distract her from out-baking her rivals and winning the upcoming Peach Festival contest.

She and all the other contestants guard their secret, original recipes with their lives-and talk a whole lot of trash. With her unusual Spicy Peach Cobbler, Phyllis hopes to knock 'em dead. But that's just an expression-never in her wildest dreams did she think her cobbler would actually kill a judge. Now, she's suspected of murder-and she's got to bake this case wide open.

Livia Washburn's style of writing is just very comforting to me...kind of like peach pie on a cool autumn evening. A Peach of a Murder is the 1st book in her Fresh Baked series. While I, once again, read the second book first, Murder By the Slice, this book was wonderful and refreshing and just gives you a sense of home, family and friends. The things that are important in life.

While everyone seems to be popping up dead around her, Phyllis Newsom puts a few skills she didn't know she had to work and searches for clues to the killer. The police believe it may be someone who lives in her home and Phyllis sets out to clear their name. In the meantime, more bodies keep showing up in town, none of them with any ties to each other. Is there a serial killer on the loose in their sleepy little town? With the help of some friends, Phyllis will find out.

Bobbie Faye Sumrall just landed in a mess of trouble. It started when she agreed to help her diva cousin, Francesca. Turns out Francesca’s mom, Marie, swiped a fortune in gems from Bobbie Faye’s uncle, who’d swiped them from someone else. Now there’s a hit out on Marie, and Bobbie Faye is racing to find her—and the jewels.

Plenty of people would shoot Bobbie Faye for a stash of diamonds. Hell, some would pay for the privilege. But now Bobbie Faye has other distractions, including: Trevor, the drop-dead-sexy FBI agent who may or may not be the real deal; and Cam, her steamy (and steamed) detective ex-boyfriend who’d do anything to keep Bobbie Faye out of harm’s way…and get her back into his arms.

I really enjoyed the 2nd installment of the Bobbie Faye series. I am terrible when it comes to series reading in that I don't always read them in order and this one is no exception. However, I did not feel lost in the story as Causey did a good job building the back story for people just like me. I fould myself laughing and rooting for Bobbie Faye as she unearingly found (put) herself in harms way. I was torn between the two men in her life, Trevor and Cam, trying to figure which one was better for her. But in all honesty, in my mind, it truly is a toss up! lol Very good book and another series I must follow.

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

BOOKPLATE SPECIAL (Booktown Series #3)

By: Lorna Barrett

Publisher Review:

Bookstore owner Tricia Miles has put up—and put up with—her uninvited college roommate for weeks. In return, Pammy has stolen $100. But the day she's kicked out, Pammy's found dead in a Dumpster, leaving loads of questions unanswered.

Pub. Date: November 03, 2009
ISBN-13: 9780425231197
Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages

When 16-year-old Katrina leaves coffee and pastries for the homeless guy sleeping behind her grandmother's coffeehouse, she has no idea he's actually an angel named Malcolm, who will change her life by giving her coffee beans that will bring her what she most desires. Katrina is skeptical, even after her best friend, Vincent, drinks coffee from the first bean and gains fortune, and the second bean is eaten by the coffeehouse cat, Ratcatcher, who becomes famous for killing a huge wharf rat. Instead, she is too busy worrying about aggressive attempts by neighboring coffee shop Java Heaven to drive them out of business. When Vincent starts dating Heidi, daughter of the owner of Java Heaven, the friends have a falling out. Bits of Scandinavian culture lace Selfors's (Saving Juliet) smalltown America setting, and she ties up the loose ends nicely. Though this airy story is slow to start, the conclusion will satisfy.

I have to admit the cover of Coffeehouse Angel is what first pulled me in and made me want to read the book. However, I was not unsatisfied by the story one bit. Katrina is your typical teenage girl who isn't sure she doesn't want more from life. She feels lost and as if she has no real goals or direction in what she wants to do. While she has two best friends, Vincent and Elizabeth, she doesn't know when she stopped making more. One morning she finds a young man sleeping in her alley. At first she believes he is homeless and leaves coffee and pastries for him. This one act of kindness, will forever change her life. Is it the type of change she wants and is she ready to find out who she really can become.

When an old friend of her ex-husband develops the world's first botanically decaffeinated coffee bean and smuggles it into the country, Clare Cosi, manager of Village Blend, believes it's a business opportunity she needs to investigate...at least until the first dead body shows up.

This is by far my favorite coffeehouse mystery by Cleo Coyle. Decaffeinated Corpse is the fifth book in the coffeehouse series and WOW!!!! There is no other words for it. I read the fourth book right before this one and thought I would have a hard time getting into it. No way! The storyline grabbed me and sucked me right in.

Clare Cosi's ex-husband, Matteo, is launching a new decaffeinated line that his old friend has grown. This means good business for everyone...except a few people do not want to see the success happen. When two dead bodies surface and Matteo is accused of murder, Clare will do what it takes to clear his name.

Clare Cosi's new friend, millionaire David Mintzer, has an offer no New York barista could turn down: an all-expenses-paid summer away from the sticky city. At his Hamptons mansion, she'll relax, soak up the usn, and, oh yes, train the staff of his new restaurant. So Clare packs up her daughter, her former mother-in-law, and her special recipe for iced coffee for what she hopes will be one de-latte-ful summer...

Soon, Clare tends the coffee bar at her first Hamptons gala. But the festivities come to a bitter end when an employee turns up dead in david's bathroom--a botched attempt on the millionaire's life. Thanks to the fourth of July fireworks, no one heard any gunshots, and the police are stuck in holiday traffic. Concerned for everyone's safety, Clare begins to investigate. What she finds will keep her up at night--and it's not the java jitters...

This is the 4th installment of the coffeehouse mysteries by Cleo Coyle. While I am new to the cozy mystery scene, I am not new to mysteries. I have enjoyed mysteries and thrillers my whole life and like to think that I have good taste when it comes to mysteries. Coyle serves up a blend of humor and danger in her mysteries that I truly enjoy. I have yet to figure out her killer in any of her books, which is quite charming for me. After the killer is revealed I back track and say, "ah, yes, okay".

In Murder Most Frothy she takes Clare out of Manhattan and transplants her for the season in the Hamptons. Some of the police procedures are unbelievable, but for the most part they are fun to see unfold. Clare gives a breath of fresh air while trying to solve and stop a future murder as she also deals with her ex-mother-in-law, daughter and even her ex-husband, who comes to town. Even better is that Clare finally lets her hair down and spends some time with a man, even in the name of work. :)

No one’s ever seen it. Everybody wants it. That’s why the government has just unleashed its secret weapon. Drop-dead-gorgeous art dealer Suzi Toussi has been tapped for the toughest mission of her career: to locate the Memphis Sphinx, an ancient artifact rumored to possess otherworldly powers. Tracking it to Paraguay means going up against Dax Killian, the sexy special ops agent who’s planning to snatch the coveted relic right out of her hot little hands. If he can find it first… Dax first spotted her outside a seedy bar—in three-inch heels and a too-tight dress. He’d know those curves anywhere. But what was Suzi doing in a hellhole like Ciudad del Este? Dax knows the answer: the Sphinx. Suddenly the game is on—and only one of them will walk away with the prize. With the Sphinx surfacing and passion taking Suzi and Dax under, they’re headed for a showdown that could reveal the secrets of the ages…or expose them to the hottest danger of all.

Tara Janzen is one of my all time favorite authors. I have followed the Steele Street gang from Book 1 and have enjoyed every twist and turn that she has written. In this 9th book, Dax Killian, who once was part of the Steele Street gang when he was a youth, is now a special ops man, who can hold his own in any country...at any time. Suzi Toussi, an art dealer by trade is in Paraguay for the US government on a top secret mission. Both Suzi and Dax have the same goal, to get the Memphis Sphinx and bring it back.

While Breaking Loose did not keep me on the edge of my seat like some of the past Steele Street books have, there was no shortage of steam and fast paced danger in this book. I did enjoy Suzi and her moments of realism when she would break down and not be as tough as she wanted to be. Showing the human side of Suzi put the reader in touch with her...made her be almost like any other woman...well any woman with the ability to kick butt! :) All in all, I'm still a fan of the Steele Street gang and I love that the books take me to a place I know and love....LoDo. I'm hoping the next book will address issues surrounding JT.

What's a girl to do when her choices of guys to date are either a vampire or a werewolf? Teenaged Bella does not seem to make wise choices when it comes to boyfriends in this sequel to Twilight. The original book focused on Bella's relationship with her "good" vampire boyfriend, Edward. Nevertheless, in this novel, the vampires only appear in the beginning and the end; in the middle, the action grinds to a halt. The story starts out with Bella and Edward splitting up; Bella spends the next 100 pages or so mourning his loss. Gradually, the sullen teen rekindles her interest in a friend, Jacob Black, who lives on a nearby Indian reservation. Still depressed over Edward, she initially resists Jacob, and just about the time she wonders if she might be falling in love with him, she finds out he is not quite who or what he appears to be. The last portion of the book primarily focuses on Bella in a race against time, trying to locate Edward. Edward believes that Bella has died when she has not--ala Romeo and Juliet--and he is determined to end his vampire existence. Readers who have not read Twilight may find some of the references to previous relationships and plotlines hard to follow. This is an overly long novel with a minimum of action. The ending makes it clear that there is another sequel to follow.

While I can honestly say I am not the biggest Twilight fan, I did enjoy the story. However, it took me almost a year to pick up New Moon and I was sad. While the Jacob storyline pulled me in and captivated me to the point I couldn't put the book down, even though I needed to sleep, when Edward came back the whole story became somewhat pathetic and disturbing. Jacob was no longer important to Bella and her life was once again one-dimensional. I love Jacob and his protective drive with Bella...but also his softer side, which comes through just as much. Meyer did an excellent job with Bella's father as his character grew as a father and showed depth and parental intuitiveness.

I HATED the ending. It was like Meyer said, ok enough I need to wrap it up in the middle of nowhere. This book was definately a love/hate relationship to the point I'm not sure I can pick up the 3rd book in the series. I love Jacob and his protective drive with Bella...but also his softer side comes through just as much. He's always been my favorite.

PaperBackSwap.com: Free Online Book Club to Swap, Trade & Exchange Books.

PaperBackSwap.com: Free Online Book Club to Swap, Trade & Exchange Books.

Shared via AddThis

Greenwich Village coffee shop manager and amateur sleuth Clare Cosi is faced with her most perilous mystery yet in Latte Trouble, the third Coffeehouse Mystery by Cleo Coyle (On What Grounds and Through the Grinder).

It's Fashion Week in New York City -- and Clare's shop, the historic Village Blend, is the location of a prestigious insider's party for loyal customer and iconic designer Lottie Harmon, who is about to launch a collection of coffee-inspired accessories aptly named Java Jewelry. But the event, which is attended by the city's most zealous fashionistas, goes terribly wrong when a customer is poisoned and dies from cyanide in his latte. A barista, who coincidentally was recently dumped by the victim, is arrested and charged with murder. But Clare knows in her heart that her employee is innocent and begins to investigate the people surrounding the enigmatic Lottie Harmon. When Clare uncovers a scheme to blackmail one of Lottie's business partners and then that partner suddenly turns up dead, she knows that there is trouble brewing…

The Village Blend is hopping... with death and a dear friend being accused of murder. Clare takes it upon herself to try and clear Tucker, her barista's, name. While her friend, the infamous Detective Quinn is busy on a personal matter, she enlists the help of her ex-husband and mother-in-law to help solve the crime. Clare will delve into the high fashioned world and find out how dirty and underhanded the glamorous world really is as she searches for clues to who really was the target. Is it who died or was it someone else?

I really enjoy Cleo Coyle's writing and how she consistently brings it back to those you love and care about. While you were missing a good chunk of Joy and Detective Quinn in this book, they were still present, with their own issues that will be addressed at some point I'm sure. Coyle has toned down the coffee presence in this book, not explaining every step of making coffee, which was a delightful change. Overall, this was one of my favorite Coyle books. It was tight and flowed well. The book kept me engrossed all day until I finished it late in the evening.

At the end of Fuzzy Navel, J. A. Konrath surprised listeners with an agonizing cliff-hanger: One of Lieutenant Jacqueline "Jack" Daniels's loved ones is dead. But who? Listeners were left clamoring to know more.Cherry Bomb, the sixth Jack Daniels mystery, opens at the funeral. While Jack stands graveside, tears in her eyes, her cell phone rings. It's the killer, escaped maniac Alex Kork, taunting Jack, drawing her ever further into a twisted game of cat and mouse. Because while Alex is more than willing to kill random victims, Jack is her true prey. But which woman wants revenge more?

Cherry Bomb started out slow for me, but picked up speed and really held my attention. While it wasn't my favorite book of the series, it was definately in the top three. While Jack Daniels grieves, she must continue to try and protect those she loves. Can she? Only she has the ability to save them...one at a time. However, she cannot do anything about the senseless deaths of the other victims that fall prey to the sadistic Alex Kork on her path of revenge.

Contest at The Book Butterfly

The Book Butterfly is having a contest for As You Wish by Jackson Pearce, along with a signed bookplate. Click on the link to check it out: http://butterflybookreviews.blogspot.com/2009/08/contest-win-as-you-wish-signed.html

A Wonder

Oh my heavens....I find myself wondering how I am functioning at work with as little sleep as I am getting. I have been totally wrapped up in the books I have been reading lately that I just can't seem to make sleep a priority! lol Reading has always been something I use for various reasons to fill my life full of wonderment and to go to places I can only imagine being in...as I have gotten older, it has become so much more. Reading is no longer used only as an escape, but also as a way to learn and grow...to find depth and meaning within myself. Its a wonder that I haven't found this true pleasure in reading before, but I'm glad that I am now. It is well worth it to me to be among those who feel as I.

Happy reading everyone!

Fuzzy Navel by JA Konrath

Things are going well for Lieutenant Jacqueline "Jack" Daniels of the Chicago Police Department. She has solved some of the city's toughest and most high-profile homicides. Her personal life is finally in order. Her friends and family are safe and happy. And she just got a call that eased her mind like nothing else could: Alex Kork, one of the most dangerous criminals Jack ever arrested, killed herself while in jail. But things sour quickly when a group of vigilantes on a murderous spree decide to take down a cop and the people she cares about...and they turn downright awful when Jack discovers that Kork may not be dead after all. The next eight hours will be the worst of Jack's life. And that's saying something.

Well I am a huge fan of thrillers that suck you in and keep you on the edge of your seat. Fuzzy Navel is the fifth installment in JA Konrath's Jack Daniels series and he does just that with gut wrenching laughs and nail biting sequences that keep you from putting the book down. This is by far my favorite so far in the series and that says a lot. In a long evening, Jack is put to the test as she battles an old nemesis and also new enemies who are out to destroy her and anyone else close by. If you like books that keep you guessing, this is it, as the ending has a huge surprise that leaves hanging and wanting answers.

Zoe's Challenge

Pop over to Zoe's Book Review and post a comment. She is trying to get 100 subscribers and would like your help! http://booksaregolden.blogspot.com/

By Hook or By Crook by Betty Hechtman

Yarnaholic Molly Pink has become known in Tarzana, California, for her sleuthing skills, thanks to the help of her crochet group. But the latest mystery may be too much for these stitchers to unravel...

There's nothing the Tarzana Hookers love more than doing a good deed. They're so preoccupied with crocheting and selling scarves, teddy bears, and blankets to raise money for the local park that they don't even notice the brown paper bag at the end of the table--until it's too late to find its owner.

Unable to resist a good mystery, they open the bag and find a note that speaks of remorse, a diary entry of the sorry of parting, and a complicated piece of filet crochet that offers an obscure clue in pictures. The Hookers decide to leave the detective work up to Molly, but by the time she discovers the talented crocheter's identity, the mystery person has been murdered by a box of poisoned marzipan apples. Now Molly needs to help of her fellow stitchers, before the killer has time to create a deadly pattern of murder...

This is the third installment in the A Crochet Mystery series by Betty Hechtman. While Molly continues to find herself in predicaments with local law enforcement, she also cannot find any alone time to process the clues that she is gathering. Molly asks more of her friends to help her to solve this mystery as she searches out in Catalina for answers.

While this was not my favorite book of the series, I love the bond that is growing within the Tarzana Hookers, as the depend more on each other to help solve the mystery and protect each other... even from perceived fears. Even with a mystery to solve, charity donations must come first and Hechtman makes sure the reader knows the group is not falling short on its obligations to the community.

What wonderful charity groups Hechtman comes up with to donate to and includes the crochet pattern in the book. I tried the pattern in this book and found it very easy to follow and do. How fun is this to enjoy a book and make a Cuddle Blanket for a friend.

Tastes

Good morning! I'm an avid reader with eclectic tastes, however, I do not like anything that involves the supernatural (sci-fi, fantasy, vampires, etc). As I get older my tastes in books broaden and I find myself reading things I never would have thought I would have liked. As we speak, I find myself with a cozy mystery fascination. I just found them late last year and have become hooked. While I would still say I love my thrillers, I am fascinated by how smooth and simple a cozy is. There is no rough edges or the harsh reality of man that one must look at while reading a cozy. Its a simple mystery that must be solved.

I am currently involved in a series challenge and am reading myself to sleep every night (which isn't new). I have found myself reconnecting with old authors that I thoroughly enjoyed and finding new, fun filled ones, who crack me up: JA Konrath, Betty Hechtman and Meg Cabot just to name a few so far. While this challenge continues I expect that I will continue to fall in love over and over again with old and new authors.........until next time