Time To Revamp

I have been slacking in my blogging....

I am going to try and do better....

Keep on reading for more updates.....

P

Book Review: " Nursery Crimes"

Book Review: " Nursery Crimes" by Ayelet Waldman

Book Description:

When the principal of Hollywood's premier preschool is killed in a hit-and-run accident, public defender turned stay-at-home mom Juliet Applebaum gets off the mommy track-to track down a murderer.Ayelet Waldman has given birth to a fresh new franchise with her Mommy-Track Mysteries. Juliet Applebaum is smart, fearless, and completely candid...Kinsey Millhone would approve. (Sue Grafton)Funny, clever, touching, original, wacky and wildly successful. (Carolyn G. Hart)Humorous...Juliet's voice is strong and appealing. (Publisher Weekly)Unique. (Tribune-Review Pittsburgh, PA)[Juliet is] a lot like Elizabeth Peters' warm and humorous Amelia Peabody-a brassy, funny, quick-witted protagonist. (Houston Chronicle)

This book was recommended by a PBS friend (PaperbackSwap). I LOVED it! Another 'cozy' book to add to my reading pile. Nice quick read.

Happy Reading!

Book Review: "Dear John" by Nicholas Sparks

Book Review: "Dear John" by Nicholas Sparks

Book Description:

Hot on the heels of True Believer and sequel At First Sight, Sparks returns with the story of ne'er-do-well-turned-army-enlistee John Tyree, 23, and well-to-do University of North Carolina special education major Savannah Lynn Curtis. John, who narrates, has been raised by a socially backward single postal-worker dad obsessed with coin collecting (he has Asperger's syndrome). John bypasses college for the overseas infantry; Savannah spends her college summers volunteering. When they meet, he's on leave, and she's working with Habitat for Humanity (he rescues her sinking purse at the beach). John has a history of one-night stands; Savannah's a virgin. He's an on-and-off drinker; she's a teetotaler. Attraction and values conflict the rest of the summer, but the deal does not close. Savannah longs for John to come home; her friend Tim longs to have a relationship with her. On the brink of John and Savannah's finally getting together, 9/11 happens, and John re-ups. Savannah's letters come less and less frequently, and before you know it, he receives the expected "Dear John" letter. Sparks's novel brims with longing.

This is the 2nd book I have read by Nicholas Sparks. I LOVED it!!! The writing just sucks you in and you don't want to put the book down.

I did cry again like I did as I read "The Last Song". I can't say I loved the ending, but still loved the book. I probably won't see the movie for either book.

Would definitely recommend!!

Happy Reading!!

Book Review: "Knock Off"

Book Review "Knock Off" by Rhonda Pollero

Book Description:

With more than 25 contemporary romances (Automatic Proposal, etc.) under the pen name Kelsey Roberts, Pollero makes her frivolous but fun mystery debut featuring Finley Anderson Tanner (F.A.T.), a 29-year-old West Palm Beach paralegal whose designer name-dropping prattle and discount shopaholism obscure her smarts. Bored silly by her job in the estates and trusts department, she agrees to help a senior partner handle a client convinced that her deceased husband didn't fall asleep at the wheel but was actually murdered. Finley's sweet but boring boyfriend is out of town, and her credit cards are maxed out, so she applies her bargain-hunting instincts to the investigation and finds a statistical improbability in the "accidental" deaths of several jurors after a medical malpractice suit. She meets the obligatory bad boy detective, Liam McGarrity, and wriggles out of several tight spots in this lighthearted romp.

This is the first in a series. And the first book I have read by this author. I really enjoyed this. I am finding a lot of 'cozy' books that are similar in reading the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich.

"Knock Off" is a nice quick read.

Happy Reading!

Book Review: "Ain't Too Proud to Beg" by Susan Donovan

Book Review: "Ain't Too Proud to Beg" by Susan Donovan

Book Description:

Josie Sheehan collects failed relationships the way some women collect designer handbags. Now, at thirty-five, she has exactly one male in her life: her Labradoodle, Genghis. In fact Josie, along with the three very single women in her dog-walking group, has recently sworn off men, resigning herself to long walks in the park with her devoted, four-legged friend.

All bets are off, however, when she meets Rick Rousseau, a pet-company CEO who is smart, sexy, and, best of all, head-over-heels for Josie. Even Genghis, an excellent judge of character, seems to know that Rick is the real deal. But just when Josie starts to think that she has found something more enduring than puppy love, she discovers that Rick has a complicated past -- and a secret that could put the woman he loves in serious danger...

I have read many of Susan Donovan's previous books and enjoyed them very much. I was excited to see this one at the store. My excitement didn't last long. This is not the same Susan Donovan I am used to reading. I had to skim through most of the book. It just wasn't the same type of book I am used to. As a reviewer on PBS (PaperBackSwap) said - inappropriate use of the 'f' word. I do have to agree. I am sorry to say I give this one a thumbs down. It appears this will be a series with Josie's friends taking a turn. I don't think I am going to be checking them out. I am very disappointed...

Happy Reading!

Book Review: "The Sweet By and By" by Sara Evans and Rachel Hauck

Book Review: "The Sweet By and By" by Sara Evans and Rachel Hauck




Book Description:


Jade Fitzgerald left the pain of her past in the dust when she headed out for college a decade ago. Now she's thriving in her career and glowing in the light of Max Benson's love. But then Jade's hippie mother, Beryl Hill, arrives in Whisper Hollow, Tennessee, for Jade's wedding along with Willow, her wild younger sister.

Their arrival forces Jade to throw open the dark closets of her past -- the insecurity of living with a restless, wandering mother, the silence of her absent father, and the heart-ripping pain of first-love's rejection. Turns out Beryl has a secret of her own. She needs reconciliation with her oldest daughter before illness takes her life.

In the final days leading to the wedding, Jade meets the One who shows her that the past has no hold on her future. With a little grace, they'll meet in the middle, maybe even before that sweet by and by.

I read a review at a friend's blog Book Story. I had already read and reviewed Georgia on My Mind by Rachel Hauck due to her blog, so I was anxious to read this book and was THRILLED to see it available at a local library! I really enjoyed this book as well. I do have to say the ending was a little too perfect but WHO CARES once in awhile. I loved the twists and turns and surprises a long the way. I HIGHLY recommend this book. LOVED it!!

What a great debut for Sara Evans.

Happy Reading!

Book Review: "The Last Song" by Nicholas Sparks

Book Review: "The Last Song" by Nicholas Sparks

Book Description:

Seventeen year old Veronica "Ronnie" Miller's life was turned upside-down when her parents divorced and her father moved from New York City to Wilmington, North Carolina. Three years later, she remains angry and alienated from her parents, especially her father...until her mother decides it would be in everyone's best interest if she spent the summer in Wilmington with him. Ronnie's father, a former concert pianist and teacher, is living a quiet life in the beach town, immersed in creating a work of art that will become the centerpiece of a local church. The tale that unfolds is an unforgettable story of love on many levels--first love, love between parents and children -- that demonstrates, as only a Nicholas Sparks novel can, the many ways that love can break our hearts...and heal them.

This is the first book I have read by Mr. Sparks. I didn't know what to expect. I have heard of the movie/book by him "The Notebook" but I am probably one of the few that has never seen it. I read the description about the book and thought I would give it a try. I am glad I did. It was probably one of THE best books I have ever read. I felt like I was part of the book. I was wrapped up in the writing. LOVED it!! It is also the first book in which I have had tears coming down my eyes. I thought about my dad, whom I lost when I was only 11, throughout this book. Even still, it is still a two hankie book. Wonderfully written. Mr. Sparks has a new fan!!! Can't wait to try another book by him

Happy Reading!

Book Review: "Sugar Cookie Murder" by Joanne Fluke

Book Review: "Sugar Cookie Murder" by Joanne Fluke

Book Description:

The holidays are the icing on the cake for bakery owner Hannah Swensen. Surrounded by her loved ones, she has all the ingredients for a perfect Christmas -- until murder is added to the mix... When it comes to holidays, Minnesotans rise to the occasion -- and the little town of Lake Eden is baking up a storm with Hannah leading the way. The annual Christmas Buffet is the final test of the recipes Hannah has collected for the Lake Eden Holiday Buffet Cookbook. While Hannah is baking the day's goodies at The Cookie Jar, the evening's plans begin to jell. Start with the best Lake Eden culinary creations, add two of Hannah's "sometime" boyfriends, a pinch of her ready-to-pop pregnant sister, and a dash of her mother and new significant other, an actual British lord, and what do you get? A recipe for disaster, but the juiciest ingredient is yet to come...

The recently divorced Martin Dubinski arrives at the buffet with his new Vegas showgirl wife all wrapped up in glitter and fur. His ex-wife, however, seems as cool as chilled eggnog. And when Hannah's mother's antique Christmas cake knife disappears, its discovery in the decolletage of the new -- and now late -- Mrs. Dubinski puts the festivities on ice. With everyone stranded at the community center by a blizzard, Hannah puts her investigative skills to the test, using the ingredients at hand: half the town of Lake Eden -- and a killer. Now, as the snowdrifts get higher, it's up to Hannah to dig out all the clues -- and make sure that this white Christmas doesn't bring any more deadly tidings...


This is the 6th in the series by Joanne Fluke. I am enjoying them. I will admit that I was a little put off at first with 'murder' as I am not a gory type of a reader. But I was introduced to this 'cozy' series by a fellow PBS'r (PaperBackSwap'er) who also enjoys Janet Evanovich.

There have been some people that can't continue with this series because of Hannah's indecision between Norman and Mike. I guess it doesn't bother me too much because I am 'used to it' with the Stephanie Plum series. =)

I chuckle like I do with the Janet Evanovich series and smile, which I didn't think I would do in a 'murder' book.

Another great bonus with this series is the recipes. This one is NO exception. Don't let the number of pages fool you. You get a TON of recipes! I plan on trying some and posting them on my other blog (which I need to update): www.ilerfamilyrecipes.blogspot.com.


I am really liking these cozy books. I hope you do too.

Do you enjoy cozies? What ones would you recommend?

Happy Reading!

Book 1 of 50 in 2010 Reading Challenge