Grace

LibraryThing book review...
Grace by Richard Paul Evans

Eric is having a tough time after a recent move, his father not being able to work due to an injury, and just the normal teenage stuff. He works part-time at a burger joint to help out and this is where he meets Grace, while she is digging in a dumpster for food. He is kind and invites her into the restaurant to eat. They talk and Grace tells Eric that she is a runaway. He tells her she can stay in the clubhouse on his parents' property and she accepts. Grace and Eric's lives will never be the same after this Christmas...

I truly love books by Richard Paul Evans and this one is no exception. It is a tender story that brought out all my emotions. I felt for Eric and for Grace, both had tough choices to make. The only problem I had with the book was how come neither Eric or Grace told the authorities what had really happened with her step-dad? That part was unbelievable to me, but otherwise a very touching Christmas story.

WOW!

Holly at Writer's Block Reviews has given me the "I love your blog award"!!! Thanks so much, what a nice surprise! It is always good to get recognized for doing something that you love:)

NOW, here are my nominees...

1. Love to Read-Melanie's book blog is one of the very 1st that I ever read, loved it then, still love it!

2. J. Kaye's Book Blog- I always enjoy J. Kaye's blog, her reviews, & her comments!

3. Bookish Ruth-Ruth has lots of great information on her blog, along with great book recommendations:)

4. Musings of a Bookish Kitty-Wendy has a fun book blog with lots of great reviews (and we both happen to love cats!)

5. Up for Grabs...ME, ME, Pretty Please Pick Me! -Love this blog & love all the giveaways!

6. The Boston Bibliphile -This is another great book blog, one I have been reading since I started this whole blog thing! Marie is great & her blog is awesome!!

7. Peeking between the Pages -Dar is super, love the books she read, & I always want to read them.

**Now for the rules ::
After receiving the award you are supposed to pay it forward:
1) Add the logo of your award to your blog.
2) Add a link to the person who awarded it to you.
3) Nominate at least 7 other blogs.
4) Add links to those blogs on your blog.
5) Leave a message for your nominees on their blogs.

Friday Fill-ins #100!

1. My stomach is happy!

2. Dessert is what I ate the most of on Thursday.

3. The yard is FULL of leaves-drats!

4. At home is where I'd rather be at any given time.

5. The smell of the air reminds me of Fall.

6. More sleep is what I need right now!

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to doing a little baking, tomorrow my plans include chilling and Sunday, I want to pick up some leaves (NOT!)!

The Pre-Nup

LibraryThing book review...

The Pre-Nup by Beth Kendrick
The Pre-Nup is the story of three friends and their experiences with love...and with pre-nups! We have Ellie, who has the perfect marriage until it all falls apart when she discovers her husband having an affair. We then have Jen who married her best friend who was madly in love with her. The problem is, she was madly in love with somebody else. Mara is about to be married and she is fighting with her fiance about the pre-nup...or is about the pre-nup?

This is a great read! It is funny, smart, and loads of fun. I adored the three ladies and was rooting for each of them through their adventures with love. The story goes really fast and I had a hard time putting the book down. This book was an awesome read:)
Bantam Discovery (2008), Paperback, 304 pages

Friday Fill-ins #99

1. The last band I saw live was Loverboy!
2. What I look forward to most on Thanksgiving is the delicious food.
3. My Christmas/holiday shopping is started, but not done.
4. Thoughts of the Thanksgiving break fill my head.
5. I wish I could wear skinny jeans.
6. Bagpipes are rare in West Texas.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to reading my People magazine, tomorrow my plans include relaxing around the house and Sunday, I want to read, but I will clean!

Ghost at Work

LibraryThing book review...
Ghost at Work by Carolyn Hart

Bailey Ruth Raeburn is a ghost with a mission for the Department of Good Intentions. She returns to earth to help the rector's wife, Kathleen Abbott, when she finds a dead man on her back porch. Kathleen wants to protect the good name of her husband, the pastor (and herself). Daryl Murdoch is the victim and lots of people have good reasons to want him dead. Bailey Ruth helps her by moving the body and continues investigating to find the real killer.

This book was an absolute joy to read. The characters are endearing, the plot is well developed, and the mystery was not a given. This is a hilarious cozy mystery with lots of action and suspects. I can't wait for the next one!

Tuesday Thingers

Popular this month on LT: Do you look at this list? Do you get ideas on what to read from it? Have you read any of the books on the list right now? Here's the list and my answer:

1. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
2. Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World by Vicki Myron
3. Nation by Terry Pratchett
4. Brisingr by Christopher Paolini
5. Anathem by Neal Stephenson
6. American Wife: A Novel by Curtis Sittenfeld
7. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer
8. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle: A Novel by David Wroblewski
9. Eclipse (The Twilight Saga, Book 3) by Stephenie Meyer
10. Any Given Doomsday by Lori Handeland

I own Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World, American Wife, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, and The Story of Edgar Sawtelle in my library at home...to be read! In my junior high school library, we have Brisingr and Eclipse. I haven't read any of them, yet! I think I am a little behind in my reading or I buy way too many books...hmm:)

I have never noticed this feature on Library Thing, but I really like it. I am going to make a point to check it out from now on.

Bones

LibraryThing book review...
Bones by Jonathan Kellerman

Alex Delaware is back helping Lt. Milo Sturgis solve the murders of four women in a protected bird marsh. The mystery begins with a phone call about a corpse to the marsh office, answered by a high school student performing community service. Chance Brandt ignores the call, but tells some friends about it and word gets out. All but one of the women were prostitutes, all were missing their right hands, and their bodies were left facing east.

I love Alex Delaware and Milo Sturgis, but this one I didn't absolutely love. I found it slow and hard to finish. The characters were interesting, but the story was a bit boring. There was not a lot of Robin and Alex time, which I missed. I could have skipped this one:(

Tuesday Thingers

Today's question:

LT Things- t-shirts, bags,cue cats- are you into the "stuff"? Do you use a cuecat to enter your books, or do you enter them manually? What do you think of the stuff?

I don't have any of the "stuff"!!! I really like stuff, so I am going to have to check it out. I do not use a cuecat, it is very cute, but I don't think I would use it that much. I just enter my books manually. I am off to go check out that Library Thing stuff...

Friday Fill-ins #95

1. Right now, I'm feeling tired, but happy.
2. Home is where I want to be.

3. How does one deal with unreasonable people?

4. Work keeps me on track.

5. Please don't talk to me early in the morning.
6. My animals fill me with joy.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to some TV, tomorrow my plans include reading a book and Sunday, I want to go eat with friends!

A Jolly Good Fellow

Book Review...
A Jolly Good Fellow By Stephen V. Masse

Duncan Wagner (a loser making money scamming as Santa Claus) decides to kidnap Gabriel Booker, the son of a well-known politician. The actual kidnapping turns out to be quiet easy, since Duncan picks up Gabriel as he is running away from home. Things get complicated when it turns out Gabriel really doesn't want to go home and doesn't try to escape. The two hang out and become friends, then things get even more complicated...

I throughly enjoyed A Jolly Good Fellow by Stephen V. Masse. I loved Duncan Wagner, loved him so much, even though he was a kidnapper! I wanted things to turn out well for him. I also loved Gabriel and the relationship they ended up having. I really felt for both of the main characters and wanted things to be better for both of them. This is a funny, lovely, and endearing story-a great Christmas jewel!

Love the One You're With

LibraryThing book review...

Love the One You're With by Emily Giffin

Ellen Dempsey is married to the perfect guy, Andy and seems to have the perfect life, but does she??? Ellen runs into her haunting, handsome ex, Leo and the "what ifs?" begin. Did she marry the right guy? Does she really love Andy? A recent move from her beloved New York to Atlanta also complicates things, along with some family issues.

I enjoyed Love the One You're With, it is a fun, light read. I got frustrated with Ellen...I mean, she has the perfect life, why screw it up with a loser? But, by the end of the story, I understood why she did what she did and really liked the ending. This was my first read by Giffin and I will definitely read some more of her books!

Friday Fill-ins #94

1. Follow the advice of a wise person, your mom or dad!

2. A book (of course!) is something I always take with me on vacation.

3. To achieve your goals, you must believe in yourself.

4. I love to take naps is something I'd like you to know about me.

5. I have a very spoiled pair of dogs and a spoiled set of cats!

6. Love floats.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to reading my People magazine, tomorrow my plans include some yardwork and Sunday, I want to chill!

The Lucky One

LibraryThing book review...

The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks

The Lucky One is about Logan Thibault, a veteran, who is returning from a tour of duty in Kuwait. While on his tour, he finds a picture of a lovely young lady. He cannot find the owner of the picture and begins to carry it with him. The photo seems to bring him luck, apparently saving him from a couple of near misses. He returns home and decides to find the lady in the picture who brought him good luck. He walks to North Carolina where he finds Beth, and there the story really begins...

This wasn't my favorite Nicholas Sparks book. I had a really hard time getting into it and finishing it. It talked a lot about war, which I found boring. The story really didn't get good until the last couple of chapters. All in all, a good read, just not a great one.

Tuesday Thingers

Today's question: Early Reviewers- do you participate? How many books (approximately) have you received through the program? Have you liked them generally? What's your favorite ER book? Do you participate in the discussion group on LT?

My answer: I've been a participant in the program since April of 2008, and so far I've received 4 books through the program. I think I have been very lucky! I have enjoyed all of the books I've received through Early Reviewers. My first was Say Goodbye by Lisa Gardner, my second was My Husband's Sweethearts by Bridget Asher, and then Hell Bent by William G. Tapply. The latest one that I got was Playing Dead by Allison Brennan. I have not read it, yet, but may start it later today. My favorite was My Husband's Sweethearts, just a really fun read! I have not partipated in the discussion group on LT, but definitely will in the future...