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Showing posts from November, 2010

Review: Eve of Samhain by Lisa Sanchez

Eve of Samhain by Lisa Sanchez My rating: 4 of 5 stars SNARKY MODERN FAERIE TALE Eve of Samhain is a paranormal romance featuring Ryann Pierce, a college student by day and club waitress by night. Losing her parents at a young age has turned Ryann into a feisty, stubborn, independent young woman, and woe to the club patron who tries to grab a piece of her alluring backside--he’s sure to receive a harsh word or quick smack in return . . . Until Quinn Donegan enters. He’s a tall, muscular, blue-eyed hunk with a sexy Irish brogue and a spirited argumentativeness of his own. Oh, and did I mention he’s a 500 year-old faerie? Ryann’s too disheveled by his tantalizing effect on her to respond with her typical cheek, but that doesn’t stop Quinn from continuing to throw out barbs and insults . . . surely a sign of his affection? Quinn is determined to keep Ryann safe from a nefarious shape-shifter that stalks her and says creepy things like “ Mine ” while threatening her. I love how

Men in Uniform Reading Challenge

I have a thing for men in uniforms, particularly military uniforms. The closely cropped hair, freshly shaved skin, sharply pressed tunic, chiseled jaw, integrity to fight for his principles . . . *fans self* Even though Tom Cruise is kind of a tool now, I think I saw Top Gun about 25 times in 1986. "Son, your ego's writing checks your body can't cash!" (or CAN it?) And then some brilliant person made this manipulated image of my favorite actor, Wentworth Miller: *jaw drops* "Oh, officer! Let me unbutton that for you." So naturally I want to embrace the challenge of reading books with men in uniform. The Book Vixen is hosting Men in Uniform Reading Challenge! Men in Uniform Reading Challenge Details: •Runs January 1, 2011 through December 31, 2011(books read prior to 1/1/11 do not count towards the challenge). You can join at anytime – Sign up on The Book Vixen’s blog . •The goal is to read as many novels that involve men in inform as you’d li

Review: Fragile Beasts by Tawni O'Dell

Fragile Beasts by Tawni O'Dell My rating: 5 of 5 stars I love stories about dysfunctional families, and this was one of the best I've read in a long time. Fragile Beasts opens with the narration of Kyle Hayes, a 15 year-old boy who admires his older brother, Pennsylvania high-school baseball standout Klint, as well as his younger sister, Krystal. Kyle's attended every one of Klint's baseball games, and has drawn countless pictures for Krystal. Problem is, Krystal now lives far away in Arizona after their mom scooped her up and left their father for another man. An even bigger problem is that their father just inadvertently killed himself in a drunk-driving accident. It's quite a dilemma about where Kyle and Klint will live after their father's funeral. Their dad was a blue-collar drunk, but he looks like "Parent of the Year" compared to their cruel, cold mother. Enter the wealthy, childless Candace Jack. Miss Jack agrees to take in the boys, m

Book Club Selections

This month it's my turn to host book club, meaning that I'll be providing dessert for our discussion of Fragile Beasts by Tawni O'Dell (my 5 star review will be forthcoming on this blog), as well as selecting our book for the next two months. Check out the "Book Club" tab above to see a photo of my lovely book club! I have several possibilities running around my mind for my selection, and wanted to ask your opinion. I usually like to preview books before I select them but of the ones mentioned below, the only one I've read is The Hunger Games . What do you think of each book? The Hunger Games trilogy. Overall I loved this series and want to share it with my friends, but I have a couple of hestitations: 1) if they end up reading the trilogy, I wasn't happy with the ending of Mockingjay , and 2) we don't typically read Young Adult books. Let the Great World Spin by by Colum McCann. I haven't read this but it was recommended to me by another

Review: By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept

By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept by Paulo Coelho My rating: 3 of 5 stars This was a very interesting take on a romance novel. It was probably more of a spiritual and philosophical guide, but romance did figure prominently. I read it for my book club at work. From the back of the book: "Rarely does adolescent love reach its full potential, but what happens when two young lovers reunite after eleven years? Time has transformed Pilar into a strong and independent woman, while her deovted childhood friend has grown into a handsome and charismatic spiritual leader... Now, they are together once again, embarking on a journey fraught with difficulties..." What I liked most in this story was Pilar's battle between her head and her heart. She'd grown weary of dreams and possibilities, and had settled into a life of mundane details, dominated by concerns like paying the bills and taking out the trash. But then she was faced with the prospect of reuniting with

Envisioning the Future

Hard to believe that 2010 isn't much longer for this world. As Americans turn our clocks back (an extra hour of sleep, yeah!), we can all look back at the past year and marvel at how quickly it's gone. And as we gear up for holiday celebrations and weather changes, we look ahead to the murky future. Did you set New Year's goals last year? How's your progress coming along? Do you plan to set goals for 2011? In my psychology practice, I've worked with many clients to set SMART goals:       S   = Specific      M  = Measurable      A   = Action-oriented (what's your plan or process to the outcome?)      R   = Realistic yet challenging      T   = Time-oriented (short and long term goals) For example, after finishing reading a book for one of my book clubs, a SMART goal might be something like "I will post my review of By the River Piedro, I Sat Down and Wept on goodreads.com by 1:30 p.m. today, by noting my favorite quotes and passages and by searching

With Good Behavior Giveaway!

I'm giving away two print copies of With Good Behavior at goodreads.com. Goodreads Book Giveaway!!! With Good Behavior by Jennifer Lane   Giveaway ends December 18, 2010. See the giveaway details  at Goodreads.   Enter to win

Naming and Promoting a Series

In the midst of editing the sequel to With Good Behavior , titled Bad Behavior , I got to thinking that this would be a good time to name the series. Omnific Publishing will release Bad Behavior in 2011. I haven't decided if I'll write a third novel in the series, but if I do it will likely be titled On Best Behavior . I have lots of plot bunnies hopping around in my head for the third installment. If you haven't read With Good Behavior , here's a brief synopsis: How would you recover from being unjustly imprisoned? Sophie Taylor and Grant Madsen are finding out just what it takes. Freshly paroled in Chicago, Sophie and Grant meet on their parole officer's doorstep. The former psychologist and Navy lieutenant help each other navigate life on the outside, failing to realize the hidden mafia connection that will threaten both their love and their lives. Would you help me brainstorm some series titles? Here are some potential titles: The Behavior Series (sno