Sunnyside Blues

LibraryThing book review...
Sunnyside Blues
bu Mary Carter

Andes is looking for a place to live and she think she has found it in a houseboat that is for rent. She meets the boat's owner, Jay and his son, Chase. They really don't hit it off at first and it looks like she might have to look for another place to live. Some unusual things happen...Jay gets arrested and Andes somehow gets stuck with Chase. Andes and Chase end up in Sunnyside, Queens and then things get really complicated...

Some parts of this book I really loved and other parts I found totally unbelievable. I really enjoyed Andes-her story and her struggles. I had a hard time believing ANYBODY would agree to take care of Chase for any length of time. He is just a mess, but I guess that is why Andes felt for him. I didn't love the ending, didn't hate it either, but it was a bit disappointing.

Monday Crazy Questions...

1. Do you have a tattoo...?? if so What and where is it?? If not do you have a secret desire to have one? No, I don't have a tattoo. I kind have a secret desire to have one, but I can't imagine shedding my clothes to actually have it done. Probably won't happen...

2. You have been offered a free botox treatment...where do you have them put it? Somewhere on my face, for sure!

3. Do you have a good luck charm? what is it?Do you think it works? No, no good luck charms.
4. When was the last time that you said something to someone that you REALLY wished you hadn't said? It was probably at work, probably a certain teacher I can't stand, I probably shouldn't have said anything...

5. The bath water is running, the phone is ringing, the dog is barking and there is someone at the door.....what do you do? I would ignore all & get in the bathtub!
6. Your best friend from high school just popped in from out of town. do you offer them a place to stay or suggest a hotel? Oh, she could stay here, for sure:)
7. Have you ever seen a ghost? No, don't really believe in ghosts.
8. Someone is driving in front of you rather erratically and slowing you way down...now you see that they are talking on a cell phone and checking themselves out in the mirror. The other lane is blocked off so you can not go around them. What do you do?? I would probably cuss a little...

Dog on It

LibraryThing book review...
Dog on It
by Spencer Quinn

Bernie is a private investigator and Chet is his loyal sidekick. Chet is also his partner in solving crimes. Bernie is hired to investigate the disappearance of a teenage girl, Madison. Madison's father is a real estate developer who smells like cat and Chet takes an instant dislike to him. Her father states that she is a runaway, but clues tell the team otherwise.

Two great detectives working as a team! I really liked this book so much. I love Chet as a PI helping his partner, Bernie, solve crimes. The charactors are engaging, the mystery is intriguing, and the look at the world from a dog's point of view is a nice change. I hope there will be more from this fun team...

Friday Fill-ins #132

Graphic courtesy of Tonya!

And...here we go!

1. The last thing I ate was a fajita, chips, and queso from Rosa's.

2. A lovely new water heater is something I recently bought:(

3. When it rains, it is a great time to curl up and read a good book!
4. Quincy was the first person I talked to today.

5. Hugs are awesome.

6. My dogs give me lots of love and extra comfort.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to having one plumbing problem fixed, tomorrow my plans include sleeping in and Sunday, I want to get some serious reading done!

Handbags and Homicide

Bookreporter.com review...
Handbags and Homicide
by Dorothy Howell

Haley and Marcie love purses. They are best friends who share the obssession of purse shopping. Haley took a second job at Holt's Department Store to help pay off her credit cards. During the day, she works at the law firm of Pike Warner in accounts payable. Haley doesn't like working at Holt's and spends lots of time chilling in the stockroom...where she finds Richard, the assistant store manager, dead. She then gets put on administrative leave at Pike Warner for irrugularities in her work. Haley has two mysteries to solve...Who murdered Richard? Who framed her for embezzlement at Pike Warner?

Haley is truly a ditzy blond-it is hard to take her seriously. This was a fun read, a good story, and I did laugh a few times throughout the story. However, I did get tired of Haley and her drama. She is just a bit too much for me. She is self-absorbed, thoughtless, and inconsiderate. I did like the book, I just wish it was a bit more believable.

The Neighbor

LibraryThing book review...
The Neighbor
by Lisa Gardner

Jason Jones comes home to find his young wife missing and his 4-year-old daughter alone in their home. He immediately becomes the prime suspect along with a convicted sex offender living close by, a student his wife worked with, and his wife's father. There is lots going on with Jason Jones and his wife, Sandra. Both seem to have many secrets and this adds to the mystery.

This is one creepy story. It starts out creepy and stays creepy! It is a fascinating read with quite a few surprises along the way. I was, however, disappointed by the ending. It just didn't seem plausible and didn't work with the rest of a great story.

We have winners!!!

We have our winners for the James Patterson Swimsuit giveaway! They are...

CherylS22

Secret Life of a WAHM

A Reader

Congratulations! I will forward your information to Anna @ Hachette. Please e-mail me your addresses. Thanks:)

Loitering with Intent

LibraryThing book review...
Loitering with Intent
by Stuart Woods

Stone Barrington has just gotten dumped by his girl at his favorite restaurant in New York, Elaine's. So, he is quite happy to get an assignment that takes him out of New York for a bit and into the sunshine of Key West. It seems like a pretty easy job. All he has to do is get Evan Keating to sign a document that will allow his father to sell the family business. Dino and Stone head to Key West, find Evan eventually, but he refuses to sign. It then gets even more complicated...

Ahhh, Stone Barrington, I just love him! I must admit, however, that this series is getting a bit repetitive. I enjoy Stone and his adventures, but it would be nice to read more substance, more details, more of everything. It would also be nice to see Stone have more compassion...his girlfriend gets killed and it seems to be no big deal to him-have a heart! Maybe next time...

The Humane Award~thanks!!!

THANK YOU TO Karen @ Bookin' with Bingo & Cathy @ One Eyed Stuffed Bunny and... who passed this award on to me!

Eleni @ /-LA FEMME READERS-/ made this award & here is what she said about this special award:

"I made the Humane Award in order to honor certain bloggers that I feel are kindhearted individuals. They regularly take part in my blog and always leave the sweetest comments. If it wasn't for them, my site would just be an ordinary book review blog. Their blogs are also amazing and are tastefully done on a daily basis. I thank them and look forward to our growing friendships through the blog world."

As a Recipient of this new award, it is my honor to nominate, as instructed, 10 bloggers who I think represent these attributes Bloggers who I have nominated:( Whoever has been nominated must now nominate 10 bloggers they feel deserves the Humane Award. )

Dar @ Peeking Between the Pages
Teddy Rose @ So Many Precious Books, So Little Time
Diane @ Bibliophile By the Sea
Jenni @ Falling Off The Shelf
Kaye @ Pudgy Penguin Perusals
Wendy @ Wendy's Minding Spot
Wendy @ Musings of a Bookish Kitty
Marie @ The Boston Bibliophile
Kelly @ The Novel Bookworm

Caspette @ The Narrative Causality

Congratulations to you all and thanks for being so sweet! I love all of your blogs and enjoy checking them out for new books, contests, and reviews.

The Diary

LibraryThing book review...

The Diary

by Eileen Goudge

Sisters Emily and Sarah discover the diary of their mother while cleaning out their mother's attic. Their mother, Elizabeth, has had a stroke and is in a nursing home close to death. The sisters begin reading the diary and are surprised to find that their mother had fallen in love with another man, her true love, not their father. Both are shocked and begin to question all that they have known about their parents...and about themselves.

This is a sweet, sweet story from one of my very favorite authors. It is a quick read, but one that will melt your heart. I do think we all forget that our own parents were once young and madly in love-this story reminds us. The Diary tells two stories; the past through Elizabeth's diary and the present through sisters Emily and Sarah. I only wish this book had told us more, I wanted more details and I wanted more about Elizabeth and her husband. The ending is a lovely surprise, an unexpected gift.

Swimsuit audiobook giveaway!!!

I love James Patterson books, so I just HAD to do this audiobook giveaway~compliments of Anna @ Hachette:)

Swimsuit (Unabridged)By James Patterson, read by Christian Rummel

A heart-pounding story of fear and desire, SWIMSUIT transports listeners to a chilling new territory where the collision of beauty and murder transforms paradise into a hell of unspeakable horrors.

The rules are simple...
Just comment below for one entry...
Become a follower for one more entry...
Post giveaway on your blog for one more entry!

Please only US and Canadian addresses. No P. O. Boxes.
Giveaway ends Saturday, July the 4th.
Available in CD and Digital Download formats.
Listen to an excerpt.
Visit James Patterson’s website at http://www.jamespatterson.com/

Friday Fill-ins #130

1. She had a great idea

2. Hannah & Zoe, my dogs, are by my side, always.

3. I know this: summer is going way too fast!!!
4. All is still.

5. These words apply to me: creative, calm, fun.

6. Today the sun was shining.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to reading my trashy magazines, tomorrow my plans include cleaning my scrapbook room and Sunday, I want to read & cuddle all day long!

LibraryThing book review...
Anybody Any Minute by Julie Mars

Ellen Henry tells her boss off, gets fired, and buys an old, beat-down cottage on the way to visit her sister in Montreal. (with a credit card line of credit, no less) She leaves her husband, Tommy, for the summer so she can spend time finding herself. She makes friends with two local fellas, adopts a mutt, and ends up caring for her sister's 2-year old son, Olivier. Tommy admits to having met someone special, his yoga teacher and Ellen finds herself deep in a marital crisis. Ellen always gets herself involved in everybody's problems, but this time she has quite a few of her own to figure out.

Anybody Any Minute is a charming, fun, and light-hearted story. It has several colorful characters who make the story very interesting. I really enjoyed Ellen most of the time, although sometimes I really had to wonder what she was thinking! I think, at times, we would all like to run away from our "real" lives...Ellen does and we all get to experience it through her.

WINNERS!!!

We have 2 winners of Hedge Fund Wives by Tatiana Boncompagni!!! They are...

1st place-holdenj

2nd place-CherylS22

Congratulations!!! Please e-mail me your addresses and I will get your books in the mail. Enjoy:)

Shanghai Girls

LibraryThing book review...

Shanghai Girls by Lisa See

Shanghai Girls is the story of two sisters, May and Pearl, who are living a pretty good life in Shanghai. Pearl is the older sister, educated, tall, and born in the Year of the Dragon. May is shorter, beautiful, and born in the Year of the Sheep. They really want for nothing. Their father gambles away the family money and forces the sisters to marry brothers living in the United States. The Japanese invasion of Shanghai makes leaving their home very complicated. They find themselves in several horrible situations and most do not end well.

Shanghai Girls is a compelling read and I was interested in their story throughout. The relationship between Pearl and May is fascinating and we come to know these sisters very well. The story is pretty sad and it is sad throughout the book. The history, I found, fascinating. The ending, however, I did not care for-it is not bad, just left open...very frustrating!