the Host

I absolutely LOVED the Twilight saga & can't wait for the fourth book to come out, but I didn't really want to read Stephanie Meyer's other book, 'the Host' that came out last month. I know that Twilight is about vampires and werewolves, but come on...a love triangle between aliens in human bodies. So, I must have looked really non-appreciative when my neighbor Hayley showed up on my door to lend it to me last week. Sorry Hayley - THANK YOU!

At first I really debated even reading it, but you know me...BINGE READER / BOOK ADDICT. I opened it Friday night and finished it Saturday night at 2am, all 618 pages. I must say I was plesantly surprised. I really did enjoy it. I don't know why I hesitated.

I am picking up that Stephanie loves happy endings, which is good to know considering where 'Eclipse' left off. Also, I really like how she takes something she could say in 5 lines and stretches it out to 5 pages; that's the addict talking.

Anyway, if you are on the fence about this book, give it a shot. Everyone I've talked to who loved Twilight felt the same resistance about this new book, but we all agree it was a good read.

Twilight Fans..

This is for you!
http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?vid=237340

Why, Why, Why...?

So, I have been reading some real, well duds...I'm not sure if it is the switch in libraries or what, but I haven't been too impressed with my reading selection lately. Yes, I have take many of your suggestions and tried to find them at the library, but of all the library districts we moved into, this one isn't apart of the other 30 libraries in the area. Go figure. Anyway, here is what I have been reading:

This is what I did: Written by Ann Dee Ellis (received her MA from BYU).I read this book in about an hour. I would say that although it was an easy book to read, sometimes the story was hard to swallow. It put into perspective how cruel kids can be at 13 years old and how much they place the burdens of others' on their own shoulders. I wouldn't say a complete dud, but not one of my favorites.
This book is about a boy named Logan. "Imagine if you had witnessed something horrific. Imagine if it had happened to your friend. And imagine if you hadn't done anything to help. That's what it's like to be Logan, an utterly frank, slightly awkward, and extremely loveable outcast enmeshed in a mysterious psychological drama. This story allows readers to piece together the sequence of events that has changed his life and changed his perspective on what it means to be a good friend and what it means to be a good person."


This was also in the juvenile section, since I wanted some "light" reading. What I found was a book about friendship, love, heartbreak, recipes and SEX. yep, you read it right, part of the book was about three 17 year olds and their love lives. Not impressed at all with that, but the fact that they went through the death of a loved one and some other hardships was a nice ending to a not-so-good beginning.
"Junie, Celia, and Danielle, three ethnically diverse high schoolers in Brooklyn, form a friendship while cooking dinners together and helping one another sort through their romantic entanglements."

This book was ok-written and had some funny parts to it. I may even read another one by this mother/daughter writing duo. Again, no Pride and Prejudice, but light reading.
"The perfect mystery for readers with an appetite for crime. Food connoisseur Chloe Carter is on a quest for the perfect meal and man. That's why the "Gourmet Girl" accepts an online date with "Dinner Dude." Too bad he's murdered in the restaurant. Leave it to Chloe to fall in love with the chef, who's also suspect #1."


These are supposed to be written in 2060 and although some of the concepts are different, not much has changed. I am currently reading more in this series, but mostly to help me get through my excercise routine on the treadmill. I'll let you know how I feel after reading more of them.
"Technology has advanced in 2060 New York City, but childbirth has been the same since the beginning of time. And despite the brutal double homicide on Lieutenant Eve Dallas's caseload, she has to be there for her pregnant friend Mavis, even if it means throwing the dreaded baby shower. . .But Mavis needs an even bigger favor now. Tandy Willowby, one of the moms-to-be in her class, has gone missing, just days before her due date.

She'll have to track Tandy down while tracing the deals and double-crosses hidden in the files of some of the city's richest and most secretive citizens, in a race against a particularly vicious killer. Luckily, she has her multimillionaire husband Roarke's expertise to help with the numbers-crunching. But as he mines for the crucial data that will break the case wide open, Eve faces an all-too-real danger in the flesh-and-blood world.

This just gives me Chills!!!!!

I know this is a book blog, not a movie blog....but I can't breath when I watch this. I get tingles from head to toe! Of course the movie can't compare to the books, but...

Despite my initial worries that I'd only see Cedric when I looked at Edward...I think I will be just fine!

The Trouble with magic

The book, The Trouble with Magic, by Madelyn Alt is not worth reading. There, I've said it..I didn't love it, therefore I don't feel like I could recommend it. You know me, always a mystery lover, but it wasn't as thought provoking or as enjoyable as I thought. (The witch part wasn't bad and nothing satanic.)

Here's the synopsis of it:

Maggie, dissatisfied with her current job takes a leap of faith,and accepts a job offer to work for Felicity, owner of an upscale antique shoppe, and incidentally a practising Witch. The two women quickly become friends, and their story spirals into an enchanting, intelligent, often witty tale of magic, self-discovery, murder and mystery. (www.amazon.com)

A True Addict

I've been at it again. I've finished 3 books in 3 days and it's time I blogged about them. In the interest of making this first review make sense, I have to give a little background on the first Fablehaven (see previous post). Fablehaven was a really fantastic fantasy book about two kids - Kendra and Seth, who go to spend the summer with their distant grandparents. They soon discover that their grandparents are the caretakers of Fablehaven, a sort of wildlife preserve for magical creatures such as fairies, satyrs, imps, and demons. In this second book in the Fablehaven series, Kendra and Seth discover that Fablehaven is under attack by a secret society trying to create Armageddon, and it's up to Seth and Kendra to figure out how to save the preserve, their grandparents, and the world. I have really enjoyed the Fablehaven books (I stayed up until 2:30 last night finishing this one) and they are great engaging, fun reads. Many compare them to the Harry Potter novels because they are fun books that draw you in and have great stories. I highly recommend them. Also, a 3rd book in the series is due out soon, and Brandon Mull is a member. Just an FYI.

The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls is a memoir and was the book for my ward book club this month. The author had a very difficult life with immature and neglectful parents that put her in hazardous situations. At 3 she was cooking hot dogs on the stove by herself in a tutu when her dress caught fire. She ended up in the hospital and had skin grafts because she was burned quite a lot. At age 4 or 5 while her family was fleeing debt collectors, the back door of the car flew open on a big bump and Jeannette flew out. She waited there for hours until her parents realized she was missing and came back for her. Her father was a drunk and her mother completely devoid of any responsibility to her family. Sometimes there was no food for the family to eat, and at one of these times they discovered that her mother had been hoarding chocolate bars all to herself while her 4 children starved. This was a completely disturbing book to read, but what amazed me was how matter of fact the story was. There was no self pity, simply a story to be told. That fact made the book readable and interesting instead of depressing.

I had seen this title in the Scholastic book orders once and decided to get it. I read it in 1 day, so it's a quick and easy read. It's about a 14 year old girl who accidentally turns in her journal to her English teacher instead of her assignment. The journal contained a story about a super hero who rid the world of all the things teenage girls (and old ones too!) have to deal with - cattiness, insults, gossip, fashion, figure, etc. The English teacher contacted a publishing house who snapped up the story and almost overnight, this 14 year old awkward girl was a bestselling author. The book focuses on 2 things - the new author trying to figure out how to become more polished overnight, and the horrible "idols" girls compare themselves to such as movie stars and other celebrities. It was a simple, fun read that was a nice contrast to The Glass Castle. I think it is a great book for young girls to read that would help them not feel alone with the pressures they are put under.

Books I've Recently Read

We'll start here with Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. I won't recap the story because you all know it, but I had never actually read it (Gasp - oh the horror!) and I wanted to, so I did. My thoughts - excellent book, fantastic story (we already knew that though), but it really did take me a long time to get through, mostly because I had seen the 5 hour movie so many times. The A&E version covers the book so comprehensively that I felt like I wasn't getting anything out of it for awhile. I did end up learning new things and am totally glad I read it, but I did have to convince myself to stick it out and not just go pop Colin Firth in.

Pamela Aiden's Duty and Desire is the second book in her series on Mr. Darcy. I know Maren and Abby shared their thoughts on here about the first book, and I'd like to share mine about the second. First, I will totally agree with them that this author has made Darcy totally sappy. He's so lovesick it's kind of ridiculous, but I really loved 1 part of this book - it's all about his relationship with Georgiana Darcy, and I found myself really interested in her, even if it's not what Jane Austen would have envisioned. I like reading more about her, and I really love to read books that give additional info about characters I love, so this is an interesting series for me. I'll never compare her writing or plots to Austen's but I do appreciate someone else's thoughts on why Darcy is the way he is.
Karen's mother-in-law told me about this book and I am soooooooo glad! Shannon Hale also wrote The Princess Academy which was phenomenal, and this book was absolutely the same. It was so well written and I loved the entire thing. It's about a princess who is sent to marry a foreign prince and ends up having a lot of problems along the way. She finds herself alone in a strange land with no friends and no way to get back to her family, so she becomes the goose girl - the one who tends the king's flock of geese. This is an old and little known fairy tale that Shannon Hale has brought to life with amazing force. She preserved the feeling of having a very old story told while still making it wonderful to read. I read it in 1 day and it's fairly long, so go get it. I'm stoked about it right now.
Ah, East. Karen I have you and Zack to thank for this one as well and I can't even say how much I loved it. It's basically a Norwegian version of Beauty and the Beast, but the part where she finds out that the beast is really a man, etc. is usually the end, but here it's only halfway through the book! The rest is a fascinating tale I'd never heard or read, but I am soooo glad I have now. It also had a feeling of being very old, almost comfortable, like revisiting your favorite books from childhood and still being fascinated by them. Edith Pattou has done an incredible job here. Go get this book.


Karen, I think you should post on Fablehaven. It was our book club book and I really enjoyed it. That's all I will say for now, so Karen, the pressure's on! I'm naughty, I know, but tell us your thoughts because I've now posted a lot and am all done. The end.

7th Heaven

So, no one has posted in what seems like FOREVER! We recently moved to Ohio and I don't have ANY of my books (corporate storage) and just haven't wanted to check anything out of our FABULOUS library (http://www.medina.lib.oh.us/), BUT while Luke was back in Kansas this past week, he bought me, 7th Heaven by James Patterson.

I am a Patterson fan and this was a pretty good book. Obviously, it isn't all roses or daisies, but it was a very fast, easy read. If you don't like reading about murder or death: DO NOT READ THIS BOOK. I will have to say that I was a little distrubed after finishing it. It was a little too gory the last chapter and I had a hard time falling asleep.

Here's the background:

Lindsay Boxer, San Francisco detective, is working on two big cases. "In the first, a terrible fire in a wealthy home has left a married couple dead and Lindsay and her partner, Rich Conklin, searching for clues. At the same time, Michael Campion, the son of California's ex-governor with a reputation for partying, has been missing for a month. When there finally seems to be a lead in his case, it is a devastating one. And the combined pressure from the press and the brass is overwhelming.
Assistant District Attorney Yuki Castellano plunges into the biggest case of her life to get to the bottom of Michael Campion's disappearance. As fire after fire consumes couples in expensive neighborhoods, Lindsay and her friends in the Women's Murder Club race to find the arsonists responsible. But suddenly the fires are raging too close to home. Frightened for her life and torn between two men, Lindsay confronts the most daunting dilemmas she's ever faced--in a thriller with unexpected twists and emotional extremes of the kind only James Patterson--"the man who can't miss" (Time)--can deliver.

http://bestsellers.about.com/od/newupcomingreleases/ig/February-2008-Book-Releases/7th-Heaven.htm

'Dealing with Dragons'

I love these books, I read them when I was in Jr. High and recently stumbled upon them in the library. I was actually chasing Eden down one of the young adult aisles and they caught my eye. Patricia C Wrede is a fantastic author, and even though these are written for YA, they are not only clean but like most like them appeal to a much older audience. They are witty and funny, lots of spoofisms on typical fairytales, and I have found this series to be a great stress reliever. Highly recommended for all ages.

p.s. Ellen do you still have my copy?

Book/series: Dealing with Dragons

Author: Patricia C. Wrede

Genre: YA fantasy

Brief Preview: Princess Cimorene doesn't like being a princess, and princess related subjects, so instead of marrying boring Prince Therandil, she runs away and volunteers to be a dragon's princess. Much excitement ensues wherein we meet lots of dragons, a witch, and bad greedy wizards:)

Ok, here are some books I've read recently.
Igraine the Brave by Cornelia Funke. She's a great author, although this is a pretty light book. Igraine is the only daughter of the most famous magicians around. Her one brother wants to be a magician too, but Igraine wants to be a night. When the Spikey Knight (no joke) threatens their castle, Igraine gets her chance to see what knighthood is really like and what magic can really do.

I am the Ice Worm can also be found titled Alone in the Ice World, by Maryann Easley. It was a short read set in the late 70s about a teenage girl who goes to live with her mother in a remote Alaskan village. While traveling to meet her mother, Allison's plane crashes and she is stranded when the pilot is killed. Rescued by a native, she sees an entirely new world she doesn't understand or like.
The only problem I had with this book was Allison. She was so completely petty that is was REALLY annoying and I had a hard time reading some of the book. It would be good for a younger audience to introduce them to Julie of the Wolves or some other survival story. This one is about 100 pages long.

Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer (who I always imagined to be a woman but is actually a man) was a really interesting book. It was highly recommended to me, but I'm not really sure what to think about it. Artemis Fowl is a 12 year old crime lord (part of a crime lord family) and since his father's disappearance, Artemis needs to score some major points (and gold) for his family. He decides to kidnap a leprechaun (which in this book is what the fairies, elves, dwarves, sprites, etc. call their police force) for ransom. Due to the fantastic nature of the book and that fact that the crime lord is in fact a 12 year old boy, it was a bit of an odd story. It's often hard to determine which side to root for (since Artemis, although the main character, is also doing something that is wrong). If anyone else has read it let me know.

I posted a while back on Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli. Here now is the sequel, Love, Stargirl. It picks up 1 year after the original novel ends, but this time is told entirely through Stargirl's eyes in a monster letter to Leo (the boyfriend of the first book). It's kind of fun to see Stargirl through her eyes, and I really loved seeing when she doubted herself, since she is such a nonconformist and a strong character, it was nice to see her moments of weakness too. All in all, a good book, just not as great as the first one.

Continuing with Twilight...

Ok, so I know Abby Dabell already posted about the whole Twilight series, but I just finished the third book and have a bit to say about them. I don't want to give away any spoilers, so if you haven't read the third book yet, stop reading....


So as I was saying, I actually didn't like this book as much as the previous ones in the series. Not that I could stop reading it, but maybe that was part of it, it got in my head and bothered me. d I personally really dislike how she's in love with the two guys and can't choose. I just got annoyed with her. Yes I know that now the incredibly talented miss meyers has set up the perfect suspense of whether she's actually going to go through with the whole turn-yourself-into-a-vampire thing, but I liked it better when she was sure and outside forces were working on the outcome. I'm not saying they're not incredibly well written and great books, but if I had known how the plot was going to develop I probably wouldn't have read them. Any thoughts?

Christmas Books

Here are a few Christmas books we read over the break:

A Gift for the Christ Child

by Tina Jahnert

Miriam wishes with all her heart that she were bigger and more important, like her older brother, Malachai, who gets to do all kinds of jobs around the family's inn. One day, when the inn is bustling with visitors who have come to Bethlehem to be counted, Miriam gets her chance. Her mother asks her to lead a man and a young woman on a donkey down to the stable. Miriam takes her job very seriously. She knows it is important to find the safest path to the stable. Slowly, very slowly, she leads the way down the hill. And later that night, when Miriam shares in a miracle -- the birth of the Christ Child -- her own wish finally comes true.

A Houseful of Christmas

by Barbara Joosse

Every year Granny decorates, prepares her candied-yam casserole, wraps packages, and waits for the whole family to arrive for Christmas. Soon the house is full of family and festivities, while "Whhhhh went the wind. Shhhhh went the snow.-Tick tick tick went the grandfather clock." Snowed in, everyone-grown-ups, kids, and animals-camps out with blankets on the living-room floor. The clutter, chaos, affection, and fun of these once-a-year activities burst into life in Lewin's funny and tender pen-and-ink and watercolor illustrations. Written with economy and an ear for large-family dynamics, A Houseful of Christmas makes a perfect, cozy read-aloud for one-on-one or group sharing.-S. P.

Christmas in the City

by Loretta Krupinski

Mr. and Mrs. Mouse find themselves in New York City when the huge tree in which they live is transported to Rockefeller Center. The country couple ventures out every evening to explore the sights until Mrs. Mouse gives birth on Christmas Eve in, yes, a churchyard manger-surrounded by angel mice. Decorated borders frame scenes of domestic life, including the infants being bottle-fed. When their tree comes down after the holidays, it is returned to the countryside, and the little creatures take up residence in a barn. A sweet family story about Christmas in Manhattan.-S. P.

*All Summaries are from Amazon.

We enjoyed reading these stories and will definitely be rereading A Gift for the Christ Child next year. We loved the message it conveyed to Livi and Spencer.

A Houseful of Christmas helped us remember how fun it is to have traditions and the joys of spending time with family.

Christmas in the City was a cute book. The illustrations were really nice, each page had a different border and it was a fun read.

Bummer!

In a previous post I wrote of my love for Jane Austen's work. My delight was obvious when I discovered Pamela Aidan had written a trlogy all about Fitzwilliam Darcy (Pride & Prejudice) from his point of view. I reserved the first book at the library, but grew impatient and eventually broke down and bought it at Deseret Book for $14.00 (ouch!) Can I just say, WHAT A DISAPOINTMENT! Aidan cast Darcy so pitifully love struck and affected by Elizabeth Bennett that it was very unbelievable. No man is so sappy that when he thinks of her "the rapid thudding of his heart finally quieted, but try as he might, sleep eluded him until the early watches of the morning." Besides the silly feelings portrayed, the storyline is so slow and drawn out that Darcy barely makes it back to Pemberly when the first book ends. Both thumbs down on this one, stick with Jane!

Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell

THIS NOVEL HAS NO ENDING!! Ok, so what it basically boils down to is this...Elizabeth Gaskell died before she could finish the "novel"! (I put this in quotes because this novel was really a set of writings sent weekly into the local newspaper.) The editor on the newspaper finished for her and although I wasn't mad with how it turned out, I was a little disappointed because of his obvious lack of telling a story. He just sort of threw the information out there and it was a let-down. I didn't realize this novel had no ending until I was more than half-way through...Ugh! So, I still recommend it because it is very well written, has a wonderful storyline (reminds me of Jane Austen novels), but realize before you pick it up that you may be let down!

Molly Gibson is 16 when the novel starts out and is the only child of the local Dr. Her mother died when she was young and has been raised by her ever-absent father (because of his profession) and the servants.
She is invited to the Hamleys of Hamley Hall where she is welcomed by Mrs. Hamley, who becomes a substitute mother. Molly becomes friends with the younger son, Roger. She knows that although they are friends, nothing can happen because she isn't a well-enough suited match for the Squire's sons.
As the story evolves, Molly's father remarries and she gains a step-sister.

Through the course of the story you come to realize how many burdens and secrets are placed on Molly's shoulders. Everyone trusts her and therefore, she must "save the world"! You see how she transforms and matures through these trials and is all the better for it at the end.

Remember This Blog?

Wow. We must all be really terrible readers. Or else we are so busy with the holidays that we are taking a break from reading. Or we are so busy with the holidays that we are forgetting to blog about the books we do sneak time to read! I just finished an interesting one and thought I'd stick it up here, along with some others I've finished in the past month or so. Enjoy.

First things first. The Salem Witch Tryouts by Kelly McClymer. Just tell someone you're reading this and you'll automatically get a raised eyebrow and some funny looks. The book is about trendy cheerleader Prudence Stewart who was raised in Beverly Hills and is about to be the youngest head cheerleader ever. Prudence has always known she's a witch (Dad's a mortal though), but she's always been discouraged from using her powers. So when she finds out that her parents are forcing her to move to Salem, MA to go to witch school, she's not so happy. Then she finds out that she's years behind everyone else in the magic department! Definitely not the best way to be "kewl" in her new school! She's pretty confident in her cheering abilities though, until she finds out that cheer leading here involves magic and flying! Prudence sets out to figure out her special witch talents and get in with some of the witchiest witches there are!
This was actually a fun, easy read and interesting because not everything was resolved at the end (I've now got to read the sequel, Competition's a Witch).

I've read all of the books by Gail Carson Levine that I can, but I think this was the least good of them all. It was still an ok book, just not a real keeper. The Wish is about a girl who is on the very bottom of the popularity scale at her middle school. When an old lady on the subway offers to grant her a wish, she wishes to be the most popular girl in school. Almost automatically, she's got celebrity status and is adored by everyone. But how long can this last?
I kept expecting there to be some moral of the story about how popularity isn't all it's cracked up to be and how it's better to be true to yourself. That never really happened, and I was a bit disappointed because of it. Not sure it was really worth reading. I'd definitely pick The Two Princesses of Bamarre, Fairest, or even Ella Enchanted.

I really loved Kate DiCamillo's book Because of Winn Dixie, and I even enjoyed The Tale of Despereaux, but The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane (left) was more than a little strange. It's about a porcelain rabbit who is very very very proud of how fine he is and has no need for love. Then he ends up far away from the little girl who loves and cares for him with no chance of return and he is forced to look at his life and choose what is really important.
The book had a nice message (how love can fix everything and everyone needs to have and be loved), but I admit I felt weird reading about a porcelain rabbit. He couldn't move on his own, but he had his own thoughts. Whatever.


I've read so many articles by authors that I love (J.K. Rowling among them) who were inspired by the author Edith Nesbit. The Enchanted Castle was often mentioned as inspiring great contemporary works of fantasy, so I decided a while ago that I should read it. I figured that if I loved all the books that it inspired, I should love it too right? Wrong. I actually couldn't finish the book. I'm sure it's a great one and all, but I couldn't make it past about the 5th or 6th chapter. It seemed very slow and I really didn't understand the point to anything that was going on - almost like the plot was very unclear.
If anyone else has read this book, please let me know! I'd love a positive opinion on it if you've got one!

Witch Child by Celia Rees is supposed to be the recently discovered diary of a young woman named Mary who was raised in 17th century England by her grandmother. When her grandmother is hung as an accused witch, Mary is taken out of the country to avoid the same fate. She finds her way to Salem, Massachusetts posing as a proper Puritan girl, and then to a small town further in the wilderness. She then discovers that America doesn't exactly welcome witches either and she is soon caught up in the superstitious culture of early America. As she learns what is and is not accepted, she is faced with many choices, some that she doesn't feel she can live with, since she truly believes that she is a witch.
The pages of Mary's diary were recently found sewn into a 17th century quilt and have recently been published. This was actually a very interesting insight into life during a volatile and dangerous time period. Also, don't worry. There's no crazy sorcery or curses being put on people. Harry Potter has more sorcery in his books that this one does, so I feel comfortable recommending it. :)

Persuasion

I love everything Jane Austen writes! If you feel the same way, I highly recommend the new show out about her life "Becoming Jane." It was good. And so was her last novel Persuasion! I just finished it for the first time this week and loved it! Find it, and read it!



"Persuasion was Austen's final completed novel and was written between 1815 and 1816, and published incompletely revised immediately after her death with Northanger Abbey. As so often in Austen's novels, Persuasion concerns the social issues of her time and particularly the matter of class. The story begins with the letting of Sir Walter Elliot's seat, Kellynch Hall, to his annoyance as a man of self-aggrandising and showy tendencies. Persuasion is the tale of the romance between his pretty and friendly younger daughter Anne who meets the novel's hero, Captain Wentworth and in spite of social barriers and the rival Musgrove sisters - Louisa and Henrietta - pursues his affection having once turned him down as a spouse. Accidents and various engagements ensue leading to what the reader hopes will be another finale of poetic justice and requited love."

Eclipse

So, I know someone already posted on the Twilight series, but I just finished them and loved them. In a nutshell it's sounds totally stupid - teenage girl falls in love with a vampire- but I couldn't put it down in spite of myself. If you've got time, definately a good read!

How to Date Your Wife

Here I am again... I do love it when the weather gets a little cold I always seem to get more reading done. I finished reading this book the beginning of the week but haven't had a chance to post yet. How to Date Your Wife by Stan Cronin is a must read. It was really interesting for me to read because it is a book written for males by a male with some pieces of female information taken from surveys and conversations. Hope that made sense. Anyways, the main idea of this book is that husbands should continue to do things that they did while dating after they are married (ie, ask on cute dates, plan ahead, spend free time with wife, etc). I really enjoyed this book. I really wish that I could read a relationship book written by males for females....that would be some good reading! Stan has been a police officer for his whole career and wrote this book as an after thought. He had some really good points that have got me to do a lot of thinking. One of the things I really liked about this book was the lists of ideas he gave for different dates- weekly, daily, monthly, quarterly, and anniversary.

So where is everybody?

So it's been over a month since anybody posted so I've taken it upon myself to break our silence. I've been reading a lot lately, mostly recomendations from this blog- thank you to Katie for recommending 'Hearts in Hiding' I really enjoyed it. And another thank you for the post about Eragon and Eldest. I'm hooked! I've also discovered a new author for your reading pleasure- Laura Childs. I just read, what I think was the 4th book in her Tea shop mysteries series "The English Breakfast Murder". It wasn't stellar, but it was an alright, clean, descriptive read. Here's a review of her first novel, "Death by Darjeeling" taken from Amazon.com.

"Theodosia Browning is the owner of a teashop in Charleston's historic district. When developer Hughes Barron is found poisoned with a cup of her tea in his hand, she's upset. But when a friend becomes the prime suspect, Theo starts to investigate to find the real killer. The late Mr. Barron was not a scrupulous man, so there is no shortage of suspects. Even his partner had motive. But can she find the killer before he comes after her?
I really enjoyed this book, however, it's obviously a first novel. The writing style is a little wooden in spots, and the first chapter bogs down a little giving backgrounds of the series characters. On the other hand, I was drawn in by the characters and really came to care for them. The plot wasn't quite developed as well as it could have been, but it progressed well, was logical, and there were plenty of good red herrings to keep me guessing. The setting was intriguing; I'd love to visit the area after reading this book. And the tea aspect was just right. I'm not a tea person, but the information was interesting enough without overshadowing the mystery.
Overall, the flaws were minor, and I really did enjoy this book. The author shows a lot of promise, and I look forward to watching her talent develop as the series progresses."

So I think as many of as would care to should get ahold of this book and read it in the next couple of weeks. Then we can have a great comparison of reviews on our very own litte blog. Is anybody out there...hello?

author: Laura Childs

book: Death by Darjeeling (Tea Shop Mysteries)

genre: amateur murder mystery

What's Up With You Taquandra Fu?

This was such a cute book. I got it at the library because it looked silly and fun. It's about a weird little girl named Taquandra Fu who wears boots made of raisins and a hat of stained glass. Everyone always asks her "what's up with you taquandra fu?" because she's so odd. She finally gets sick of it and decides to be like everyone else who is cool. The great part of this book is that it had a fantastic message - Taquandra realizes that it's no fun being cool if you don't get to be yourself.
Kids will relate to this book because Taquandra feels very real emotions and talks about how moms and dads have to say their kids are perfect. It's only by herself that she realizes she is perfect just the way she is.