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It’s Monday, What Are You Reading?

Pop on over to Sheila’s blog @ Book Journey and see what all the fuss is about!

Now that the crazy holiday season is over, I finally have time to sit down with my blog (and my books) and update you all on what I’ve been reading. Yay! 🙂

American Vampire by Scott Snyder, Stephen King, and Rafael Albequerque – One of the most beautifully illustrated graphic novels I’ve ever read, this tale is not for the faint of heart. Touted by the king of macabre as taking back vampires and returning to their heartless, blood-lusting origins, Stephen King is true to his word. Originally created by Snyder, he brought King on to write and plan the storyline for this new series that takes vampires back to the late 18th – early 19th c. The story is engrossing and made even more vivid by Albequerque’s representation of the story in graphic novel form. If you don’t have a queasy stomach, I highly recommend it!

The More I Owe You by Michael Sledge – A novel of historical fiction, Sledge writes in captivating prose about the poet Elizabeth Bishop and her journey to Brazil. Her two week holiday turned into a seventeen year stay when she falls in love with architect and socialite Lota de Macedo Soares. Wrapped in the wonderful and tenuous dichotomy of a turbulent political era in Rio de Janeiro and the beauty and creativity of the women’s lives, both together and as individuals, Sledge manages to hit a perfect pitch that will appeal to all readers.

The Complete Book of Running by Amby Burfoot – As a huge fan of Runner’s World, both the website and the magazine, I had to grab their publication of all things running. Burfoot asks the experts and inserts her own words of wisdom throughout this book. Topics range from injuries to training programs to cross-training to women’s running to nutrition. If you’ve ever had questions about running, this is the book for you!

Live to Tell by Lisa Gardner – I’ve never read any of Gardner’s works before, but am excited to finally be listening to her latest on cd. Suspense surrounds Detective D.D. Warren as she embarks on her latest gruesome case. Disturbed children, a murdered family, a psychic and a burgeoning love interest rest in the heart of Gardner’s latest thriller. I love crime shows and crime novels and am looking forward to how Gardner’s intriguing story unfolds.

That’s what I’ve been reading – what have you been reading?

🙂

2011: 01/03
CATEGORY: Monday Reading Blogs
TAGS: books on cd
glbt literature
Graphic Novels
Monday
mysteries
Reading
6 comments

It’s Monday, What Are You Reading?

Hop on over to Book Journey and visit our wonderful hostess, Sheila, and join in the reading fun!

I don’t know where the weeks are going! One minute I’m writing my blog post for Monday’s readings and the next I’m writing the blog post for this Monday’s readings. Oh boy! I have a funny feeling that the holiday rush is officially here for me and it won’t be letting up any time soon. I’ve already started the lists for gifts I want to get people for Christmas as I hate the feeling of rushing last minute to buy presents. Fortunately, I don’t have as much on my docket as the past few weeks, so I should have the energy to write more than I have been. 🙂 Yay!

This week I just started a great book on CD:

The Mystery of the Third Lucretia by Susan Runholt – I just started listening to this middle grade book about two friends who get involved in the solving of a mysterious art crime. The narrator sounds like someone who would do the voice-over on a TV show about a pretty but snarky and down-to-earth girl, so I was instantly pulled into the story. I’m excited to pick up the next in the series about these crime-solving friends!

Bury Your Dead by Louise Penny – I have been waiting for the next book in the Inspector Gamache series for a long time. I love Louise Penny’s mysteries about the amazing inspector who lives in Canada, loves his wife and remains virtuous throughout all tribulations. Penny is one of those authors where she creates a world so descriptive and vivid that I feel as if I know the characters like family. Readers are introduced to a small town filled with quirky characters that are always involved in the mysteries somehow, although not all the mysteries take place in the town. If you like mysteries or just a wonderfully well-written book, read Louise Penny. Even her name is amazing – Louise Penny. Go on, say it. And, read the series in order (Still Life is #1) as while the mysteries are separate, the characters do build as the series progresses.

That’s all for me this week. What have you been reading? 🙂

2010: 11/08
CATEGORY: Monday Reading Blogs
TAGS: books on cd
Mondays
mysteries
Readings
4 comments

It’s Monday, What Are You Reading?

Ah, Mondays, another day for reading, reviewing and reflecting. 🙂 If you want to join in the fun or just read what other people are reading, stop by Sheila’s website @ BookJourney.

Finished Good Behavior by Nathan Henry this past week. I normally don’t post follow ups to my reviews from the week before, but I found Henry’s book to be very interesting. It’s a YA novel, only a couple hundred pages, and chronicles Henry’s life growing up and subsequently the actions that led to him spending a year in jail. I found it fascinating how Henry was very open as to the conscious decisions he made every day to live a life of violence and anarchy. While most of the book was cringe-worthy, as Henry was blunt in the chronicling of his life, I definitely thought it was worth reading. The only aspect I didn’t like was the ending as while the book jacket and author bio make it seem as if Henry has left his life of violence there weren’t many details as to how or why Henry made that transition. If you read it though, I’d love to hear your thoughts. 🙂

This week:

Hell Week by Rosemary Clement-Moore – This is the second novel based on the adventures of Maggie Quinn and her psychic connections and the more I read the more I love this series! Not only is Clement-Moore’s dialogue interesting, sarcastic and witty, but she presents such a range of characters that are so fully unique in their quirks that I feel I’m leaving friends behind when I have to stop reading. (Don’t judge me, you know there are books like that for you too!) And while the books do have that paranormal undertone, the book is more rooted in the story of Maggie’s life as opposed to letting the otherworldly aspect rule the pages. If you haven’t read her series, start with Prom Dates from Hell, the first in the series, as they do build on one another.

Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl – I just picked up the much awaited sequel to Beautiful Creatures and am already drooling over its pages. Ethan and Lena live in a small southern town where secrets abound. Ethan has been pulled into Lena’s world and together they must face the darkness that looms over them and those they love. I really enjoyed the first in the series and I’m hoping the second won’t disappoint!

Book on cd:

Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman by Jon Krakauer – Krakauer pieces together the story of a man based on talks with family, friends, and journals to paint us a picture of Pat Tillman. Tillman was much disturbed by the events of 9/11 and walked away from a $3.6 million NFL contract to join the Army. After getting killed “in action” the story began to come to light that Tillman was actually killed by friendly fire, then lied to repeatedly by the Army as to the true nature of his suspicious death. I love Krakauer’s works and have read Into Thin Air and Into the Wild, so, since the subject sounded interesting and I am unfamiliar with the details surrounding Tillman’s story, I thought I would pick this novel up as well.

That sums up what I’m reading this week? How about you – what are you reading?

2010: 10/18
CATEGORY: Monday Reading Blogs
TAGS: biographies
books on cd
Mondays
paranormal
Reading
5 comments

It’s Monday, What Are You Reading?

Jump over and visit Sheila our wonderful hostess @ BookJourney for this weekly meme.

I had a wonderful weekend with my family. Celebrated some birthdays, went apple picking, enjoyed the sunshine and hung out with those I love. My brother, who is two years younger than I am, recently started a writing class through a community course and I was able to catch up with him and hear the lowdown on how his first class went. He has a great idea for a novel, but is finding it hard to start the writing process. I learn a lot by talking to people at different stages of the writing process. There’s always something to be learned from talking to others and it’s great that he has a group he can bounce ideas off of and learn from. Everyone has their own methods as to how they approach writing and sometimes it’s just a matter of finding what method works best for you.

My brother said that his teacher talked about writing without always self-editing. I think that’s a great piece of advice and something that I follow in my own writing. When I first started I was constantly laboring over writing and re-writing sentences rather than moving the story along. Once I realized that I just needed to keep writing and go back to fine tune later, the process became enjoyable and I found myself making more time to write since it was fun. 🙂

Oh, and reading a lot of different kinds of books helps too! Here’s what I’ve been reading this week:

Good Behavior by Nathan L. Henry – I usually try to steer clear of books that have themes of prison or violence, but the thin YA novel caught my eye. It’s Henry’s memoir of his life as a young man and the experiences that led to him spending a year in jail. The fact that it’s a memoir was the breaking point for me. I love memoirs and think that everyone has a unique story to share with the world. And from the onset of the book it’s easy to see how violence begets violence as Henry’s father raised him to fear and hate the world as he did.

Why My Third Husband Will Be A Dog by Lisa Scottoline – Scottoline has a great sense of humor that shine through her insights on life. This book is more anecdotal and the short chapters read very fast. I’m reading this one at night because it gives me good dream juju as opposed to the other memoir I’m reading which I’m certain would give me nightmares if I read it before falling asleep.

Homemade edited by staff at Reader’s Digest – As I try to live a healthier and more eco-friendly lifestyle, I like to read what literature I can on the subject to glean good habits and tips. I’m really excited about this book as I want to start making more of the products I use and eat both because it’s better for the environment by cutting down on waste and using less chemicals. This book has everything from cleaning products to beauty aides to food to pet care products. I took this out from the library but I’m probably going to have to buy a copy for myself so I can use it as a reference!

Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins – This was Collins first series before her Hunger Games made epic waves in YA lit. Gregor is eleven and falls down an opening in the back of a dryer in the laundry room after his two-year-old sister falls in. In the Underland there are humans and giant roaches, rats, bats and spiders that they have various complicated relationships with. Gregor just wants to go home to New York City, but when it seems like he might be the answer to an old prophecy things get more complex for him. I’m listening to this book on cd and the narrator is great so I’m really enjoying the book. Collins’ doesn’t disappoint as this book is filled with lots of emotion and action.

That’s what I’m reading this week – what are you reading?

2010: 10/11
CATEGORY: Monday Reading Blogs
TAGS: books on cd
homemade products
Mondays
Reading
Writing
10 comments

It’s Monday, What Are You Reading?

It’s Monday, What Are You Reading? sponsored by Sheila @ Book Journey. I have a BIG pile of books waiting for me to read them, but I’ve been working through some of them and loving every minute. 🙂

PLUS – Some great new books I’m really looking forward to reading!

Kathy Griffin: Official Book Club Selection – As I’ve mentioned on my book lists before, I’m a big fan of Kathy Griffin. I think she’s hilarious. Some might find her offensive, but I love her sense of humor and her candid look on life. I listened to her book on cd and she read it herself, which made it thoroughly enjoyable.

100 Cupboards by N.D. Wilson – I’m listening to this on cd as well and the narrator is great. Henry the twelve-year-old semi-orphaned boy who goes to live with his aunt, uncle and three cousins, discovers a wall covered with tiny little doors that had been covered with plaster long before. When the plaster crumbles and the cupboards are revealed, a new door of adventure is opened to Henry who until now has only known a mundane life. I really love the way Wilson starts this book – I’m not too far into it yet – and can’t wait to see what happens!

Prom Dates From Hell by Rosemary Clement-Moore – I really, really liked this book. The cover was what first attracted me – let’s be honest, we all judge good books by their covers – and after a few pages I completely got sucked into the wonderful characters of this novel. Maggie is a spunky heroine who has the unwanted gift of “seeing” things. When these things start coming into her world, Maggie is forced to accept her gift and help from a hot and charming college guy to help save her high school from destruction. It’s like the best, most quirky characters from Buffy but without the vampires – just hell demons. I’m already looking forward to reading the rest of the series and the first book of her second series – Splendor Falls.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder by Joanne Fluke – I’m about a third of the way through this mystery and am mildly interested so far. I picked up this book because Fluke’s mystery series is very popular and I love a good mystery series. There’s just something about the writing though that doesn’t sit well with me. I’m not sure what it is, it just doesn’t flow as well as some other mysteries I’ve read. I know writing often improves after the first novel, so I’ll see how the mystery itself ends before I decide whether or not I want to continue with the series. We shall see….

New YA books I’m psyched to read:

Low Red Moon by Ivy Devlin – Mystery surrounds the night that Avery Hood’s parents die. Devlin takes her readers through Avery’s grief to put the pieces of what happened together and throws in some romance in the process. (I’m hoping for a good story and crossing my fingers that it doesn’t involve yet another werewolf…sigh.)

Legacies: A Shadow Grail novel by Mercedes Lackey and Rosemary Edghill – I’m a huge fan of Lackey’s other sci-fi/fantasy novels and am super excited for her new YA endeavor. Spirit White is sent to live at a boarding school/orphanage where dark things are lurking endangering the lives of the students who live there. I hope there is enough novelty that having another boarding school setting won’t prove to be mundane. Knowing Lackey’s brilliant writing, I don’t think I’ll be disappointed. 🙂

Heart of a Samurai by Margi Preus – I loved the cover to this YA novel too, but what really sold me was the inside blurb. The story is made up of plots so different from a lot of YA novels that seem to be squeezing onto the shelves these days, I was instantly attracted. Manjiro is lost at sea with his friends, stranded on a deserted island, and unable to return to his homeland of Japan. Promises of high sea adventures, history, and inner turmoil and the desire to become someone great make this book seem like an exciting read.

How about you – what have you been reading?

2010: 09/27
CATEGORY: Monday Reading Blogs
TAGS: Books
books on cd
Mondays
mysteries
Reading
YA
11 comments

It’s Monday, What Are You Reading?

It’s Monday, What Are You Reading? is hosted by Sheila over @ Book Journey. Stop by and say hello!

This week I’ve just started:

The Ark by Boyd Morrison – The back cover of this Book on CD lists Morrison’s many accomplishes including holding a PhD and working for NASA. I haven’t read any of this other novels, but so far the book seems a bit formulaic for me. When the protagonist (hot female) gets “electrical shivers up her spine” – paraphrased – and the other protagonist (hot male) sees his damsel in distress about to die and says, “Not if I can help it,” it just seems a little overdone. The plot revolves around hot woman’s dad dying in the prologue just as he discovered that Noah’s Ark is real, but there is a threat that is connected to the ark. Then a family friend has figured out what happened only to die an Oscar-worthy death and taking twenty minutes to say keywords to help the daughter find the ark and save the world. (It was really bad. As in – “World” gasp “Save” gasp “Lucerne” gasp “Noah’s Ark” gasp.) And so hot female protagonist with her heaving bosoms and hot male protagonist with his chiseled abs need to save the world. Will they save mankind?? But, more importantly, will they get together?? I’m on edge just waiting to see what happens!

Linger by Maggie Stiefvater – It’s finally here! The anticipated sequel to Shiver has been released and I was at the top of the waiting list to get a copy. But now that I’m reading it, I’m kind of disappointed. I’m going to finish it as I have faith in Stiefvater’s talents, but so far I’m not pulled in the way I was with Shiver. First, it’s been a long time, and many books later, that I read Shiver. I forget what happened at the end but readers are thrown into Linger with the presupposition that we remember everything that happened. Bits and pieces are coming to me as I continue reading, but it mostly made me feel frustrated and confused for the first fifty pages or so. Also, the energy between Grace and Sam isn’t really there. And, hopefully this will be revealed, but Grace’s parents can’t stand Sam for some reason. So far the novel says it’s only because they’re serious about their relationship, but he’s nice and polite so why don’t they like him? Maybe I’m missing an integral part from Shiver. So while it’s a good story thus far, it has yet to make those interpersonal connections that I crave to really draw me into a good YA novel.