Books Lists Life

November Wrap Up and the Rest of the Year (TSS)

bookslistslife@gmail.com (Lisa) — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 13:50:00 +0000

Only one month to go before 2010! How's everyone doing on their goals? I was hoping to read 52 books this year, but since I've started sewing more reading time slips away. I'm holding at 42 for the year. I have several books in the works and am sure to finish a couple of them, so if I finish out at 45 or 46 I'll be happy.

The ones I'm likely to finish:

Hunting Ground (Alpha & Omega, Book 2) by Patricia Briggs
American Roulette: How I Turned the Odds Upside Down by Richard Marcus
The MacKade Brothers: Rafe And Jared: The Return Of Rafe MacKade\The Pride Of Jared MacKade by Nora Roberts
The Year of Living Biblically by A J Jacobs

The ones I've started and won't likely finish before 2010:

Just the Sexiest Man Alive By Julie James
Monkey Girl: Evolution, Education, Religion, and the Battle for America's Soul by Edward Humes
For a Few Demons More (The Hollows, Book 5) by Kim Harrison

I also have a few library books out, and one more on hold at the library. In a perfect world, I'd read these too.

Making the Grades: My Misadventures in the Standardized Testing Industryby Todd Farley
Parallel Play: Growing Up with Undiagnosed Asperger's by Tim Page (Did you review this one? I can't remember who's review I read.)
The Genius Engine: Where Memory, Reason, Passion, Violence, and Creativity Intersect in the Human Brain by Kathleen Stein
Maus I: A Survivor's Tale by Art Speigelman
The Accidental Billionaires: The Founding of Facebook A Tale of Sex, Money, Genius and Betrayal by Ben Mezrich

(Seeing as that's 11 books and I've only read 42 this whole year, it's not likely that I'll get very far on this list!)

I didn't add so many books to my list this month, which may be because I'm WAY behind on Reader and there are still a ton of November posts waiting for me. But here's what I did add, and who is to blame.

A Sportscaster's Guide to Watching Football by Mark Oristano - Ti at Book Chatter
The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson- Raych at books i done read
The Brightest Star in the Sky by Marian Keyes- Keris at Five Minutes Peace
Come Closer: A Novel by Sara Gran- Nymeth at things mean a lot
Too Good To Be True by Kristin Higgins- Kay at the Infinite Shelf
Virgin River by Robin Carr- Jaime at Confessions of a Bibliophile

What have you added to your list recently? What are your goals for the rest of the year? Do you expect to finish everything you had hoped? Are you planning to take a week off life to read it all?

Don't forget to check my shop for last minute Christmas gifts!

I am an Amazon Associate. As such, any purchase you make at Amazon.com after following a link from this blog will earn me a (tiny) percentage back as income. Thanks.

Virtual Advent Tour, Randomly

bookslistslife@gmail.com (Lisa) — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 15:48:00 +0000

Welcome to a Special Edition Random Friday! Today is my day to participate in the Virtual Advent Tour, and I thought what better way to put my own touch on it than to combine both events. So, here's some random Christmas thoughts for you.

At 4.5, this is the first year that The Pirate both understands Christmas and is not completely transparent. He informed me this morning that he could NOT tell me what he wanted Santa to bring, because he has to tell Santa- not me. I'm thinking perhaps we'll need to write a letter to Santa, and he may need a little help with it.

(last year's holiday picture, look how little they are!)

Christmas is exactly 3 weeks from today! While many of you have been shopping for weeks (months? all year?) I am one of those people who loves the concentrated rush of doing it all after Thanksgiving. (Ask me about that on the night of the 24th, ok?) I did intend to make the gifts I was sewing earlier in the year, but kept getting distracted. If I ever get it all done I'll blog about what I made too! Meanwhile, here's the advent calendar we use- I made it last year.

And speaking of handmade gifts, where do you all fall on that? Do you love it when someone makes something for you? Would you rather get a store bought gift? Do you somehow feel that a handmade gift isn't as meaningful? Be honest!

We have lots of little things planned this holiday season, because with the kids we want to expose them to a lot of fun stuff. So this weekend we'll go hike through the woods to find a tree. Next weekend we're having a small Christmas party for the Pirate and his friends. One night we'll go for a drive to see the lights and one night we'll visit a local attration that decorates with miles and miles of lights. We have to find time to go visit Santa himself as well (hopefully AFTER we write a letter to him!)

One of the best things about Christmas for me, is making new traditions with my kids. I love having little things that hopefully one day they will look back on and remember with a smile. I'm always on the lookout for new ideas though, so tell me, what are your favorite holiday traditions?

Make sure you stop to visit the other bloggers who posted today:

Maree @ Just Add Books

Aarti @ Booklust

Robin @ A Fondness for Reading

I'm in good company, no?

And the complete list at the Virtual Advent Blog.

Still need a few gifts? Visit my Etsy shop for handmade goodness!

I am an Amazon Associate. As such, any purchase you make at Amazon.com after following a link from this blog will earn me a (tiny) percentage back as income. Thanks.

Right Now...

bookslistslife@gmail.com (Lisa) — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 20:13:00 +0000

Right Now, I am:

watching... So You Think You Can Dance. This is my first season watching and I love it. Legacy is my favorite.

smelling... woodstoves/fires in the neighborhood chimneys

reading... Another Nora Roberts - The Return Of Rafe MacKade I can't help it, they are so comfortable and easy and romantic, just right for a stressful time

enjoying... wearing tights and boots with skirts in the cold weather

eating... Yummy, easy Mexican cheese dip and crackers

listening... to the new Joshua Bell CD At Home With Friends that I won from Just Pure Lovely

sewing... Christmas presents and shop items.

drinking... Peppermint Mochas

embracing ... the idea of a simple Christmas with my boys

anticipating... taking the last week of the month, last week of the year, off work to recharge

What are you enjoying right now? Can you believe that it's already December?

I have blantantly stolen this from Turkeycookies. Every month she does this post and every month I think I wanna do that too! This month I remembered.

(The picture has nothing to do with the post, I just like pictures on my posts. )

I am an Amazon Associate. As such, any purchase you make at Amazon.com after following a link from this blog will earn me a (tiny) percentage back as income. Thanks.

The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry

bookslistslife@gmail.com (Lisa) — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 03:12:00 +0000

So, The Lace Reader. It seems that everyone and their sister read this before I did. It took THREE copies of the book and a sweet friend before I got around to reading it. The first one, from PBS, was very damaged, so I requested a second. That one came and sat on my shelves for months unread. I finally purged it from the shelves and sent it off via PBS roughly 30 seconds before it made the rounds in a blog tour and convinced me that I should have read it. One of those reviews was TRISH'S review, which convinced me that I had to find another copy. Miraculously, one appeared in my mailbox just days later and this time I read it.

What's it about? Towner Whitney is called back to Salem after 15 years away. Her great-aunt Eva, who is a mother figure to her, is missing and presumed dead. Once she returns to Salem, another local woman with ties to the family disappears. Towner is forced to confront her past and face up to the reasons she left.

And what's it REALLY about? Family and trust, secrets, memory, and the truth. Towner tells you on page one that she can't be trusted, that she is crazy and a liar. She's the narrator of the book, mostly, so you have to wonder how much of it is true and how much she's making up. (And as I type that, I think of a another startling possibility, another version of truth and make-belief.) During the investigation of Eva's death, Towner literally comes face to face with her past and it seems that her past is what brought her back.

So did I like it? On yeah! (Thanks Trish, for making me read it.) I had an odd reading experience with it though- I'd read so many reviews that occasionally something would happen that would pull me out of the story and I was aware myself reading. (Please tell me that makes sense to at least one of you!) I was looking for the answers, instead of letting the story pull me along, if you will. Regardless of this, I still enjoyed it very much and was completely shocked by the ending. From about 70 pages til the end it just does not let up, with one shocker after another. There are still some loose ends, that leave you wondering what to really believe but it's done really well and fits into the story. It's not at all what I thought it was going to be about and I completely enjoyed it. This one would make a great Christmas present to someone who loves to read.

My one complaint, and others have also said it, the narration becomes obvious near the end. Most of the books is narrated by Towner herself but occasionally Rafferty, the detective, does a bit and when it swapped back and forth it was a bit jarring.

One other thing, it very much made me think of another book that I read. I am DYING to talk to someone else who has read both of them, but I can't really ASK if you've read both because if you've only read one of them it might give away the ending of the other. If you read it and thought this same thing, please email me so we can chat, k? (Email in my profile.)

I know that quite a few of you have read it, so tell me what you thought? Did you see the ending coming? Did you see through Towner's lies? Did you enjoy it?

Other reviews:
Trish's Reading Nook
Sam's Book Blog
The Literate Housewife Review
Shh... I'm Reading
Savvy Verse & Wit
Hey Lady! Whatcha Readin'?
books i done read

Did I miss you? Leave me a link and I'll add you in!

The book has a website, which you can find here.
Brunonia Barry has a blog as well.

The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry
Harper Collins
2006
385 pages

I am an Amazon Associate. As such, any purchase you make at Amazon.com after following a link from this blog will earn me a (tiny) percentage back as income. Thanks.

Random Black Friday

bookslistslife@gmail.com (Lisa) — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 19:42:00 +0000

Did you go shopping this morning? I stayed in my nice warm bed, but I have been turning over Christmas ideas in my head all day. I discovered that the thing I wanted to give the Pirate for Christmas was twice as expensive as I thought. Back to the drawing board! (He wanted this Playmobil Pyramid. He's been examining the catalog for weeks now.)

This is a sweet series of pictures about a man and his father. Some of them have captions on the left.

I have no Thanksgiving leftovers. This makes me sad.

This is a whopper of a giveaway:

I have done no reading the past few days and likely won't do much this weekend either. With Monday being the big online sale day for Christmas, I've been sewing.

Shop Update: I listed three new wallets in the shop last night. (Well, actually four, but upon reviewing the listings this morning discovered a giant piece of lint on the black portion of one of them and decided to remove the listing and rephotograph that one. Oops.) If you're thinking about a banner for someone, be sure to order by December 1st!

I am an Amazon Associate. As such, any purchase you make at Amazon.com after following a link from this blog will earn me a (tiny) percentage back as income. Thanks.

Thankful, I am.

bookslistslife@gmail.com (Lisa) — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 11:50:00 +0000

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Today the boys and their daddy and I are headed out to visit some family. We'll stuff ourselves til we can't think straight and then have a little more pie. Thanksgiving dinner is my favorite meal and I can't wait. (I'll also force Mike to cook the same meal for Christmas dinner, if you want to know the truth.)

In the spirit of Thanksgiving I thought I'd take a cue from many of you and tell you what I'm thankful for.

I'm thankful for my awesome husband. He works harder than a person should to provide for us and still manages to make us all feel happy and special. I'd move across the country again for him if I had to. (But really, I don't wanna move again. I like it here!)

I'm thankful for my sweet Pirate. He is the sweetest kid there ever was, full of hugs and kisses and cuddles. He crowds me in my chair and when I ask why he Always. Has. To. Sit. By. Me?? He says, "because I love you mommy." Well then, let me just scootch over a bit.

I'm thankful for my crazy Bug. NOTHING about the Pirate prepared us for the whirlwind that is the Bug. He's loud and opinionated and determined. He WILL find a way to get into/onto/ahold of whatever it is you don't want him to have. He's funny and happy and silly though, the way the 1 year olds are.

I'm thankful for my family. I don't see any of them near enough, the Alabama ones or the South Dakota ones. (Yes, I'm thankful for my in-laws, I couldn't have married into a better family.)

I'm thankful for my friends, the ones I can touch (get your mind out of the gutter) and the invisible ones inside my computer. You all rock. This has been a crazy year for us and having the love and support of all of you has really made a difference in my life.

And yeah, there's a lot of material things I'm thankful for too, but none of it really matters when it comes down to it. It's the people and the love and the sharing and the generosity and the compassion. I'm thankful.

I am an Amazon Associate. As such, any purchase you make at Amazon.com after following a link from this blog will earn me a (tiny) percentage back as income. Thanks.

Bed of Roses by Nora Roberts

bookslistslife@gmail.com (Lisa) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 18:37:00 +0000

Ok so right after I stayed up all night to read Vision in White, I was obsessed with the idea of reading another great romance, and DUH, it HAD to be Bed of Roses . The library did not yet have a copy in, so the next time the Pirate and I hit a store that discounts new releases, I picked up a copy. (As I've mentioned, this is only the second book I've paid money for all year!) I pretty much flew through this one as well, so I consider it worth the money spent. Plus, look at that cover, how pretty is that?

So what is it about? Bed of Roses is the second in the Wedding Quartet. This one focuses on Emma Grant, the florist of the partnership. (Get it? Roses? Vision in White was the photographer?) Emma is from a close family and is the romantic in the bunch. She's never had a problem getting a date but she fully believes in the happily ever after. So who will she fall for? The man who is afraid of commitment, of course. (Ok, the books are a little formulaic.) Jack is best friends with Parker's (the leader of the quartet) brother Delaney. He's been close with the girls for years and treats them all as family. On the way home from a party one evening Emma's car dies and Jack comes to the rescue. After a near kiss under the hood, Jack and Emma are unable to stay away from each other. They are both worried about how a relationship between them will affect the close knit group, but can't stop themselves from finding out.

And how did I feel about it? I didn't love it like I loved Vision in White. I was sucked right into it and had no problems falling for the relationship right up until the very end. Emma has a great family story and was appealing and honest. The friendship with the four girls was terrific and consistent with the previous book. Jack was ok. I didn't get the same sense of person from him that I did from Carter and aside from his sexiness I don't remember much. (Granted, I read it a couple of weeks ago.) The relationship between them was great, even with the navigating the waters of their very long friendship. I loved seeing Del find out about it and his protectiveness towards Emma, who he considered a sister. I flew to the end and then...it was over. There is a big blow up, of course, but it's completely out of the blue (I didn't see what happened in Emma's character at all!) and then resolved in a matter of pages. While I enjoyed it, and I really am looking forward to the remaining books, I was a bit disappointed in how it all ended.

I seem to be in the minority here, so go check these other reviews:

Books, books, and more books
Find the Time to Read
Book Binge

Did I miss yours? Let me know and I'll link you up. (And I probably did, I'm running out of time today!)

Bed of Roses by Nora Roberts
Berkeley Trade
2009
368 pages

I am an Amazon Associate. As such, any purchase you make at Amazon.com after following a link from this blog will earn me a (tiny) percentage back as income. Thanks.

Random Friday, only 35 days til Christmas!

bookslistslife@gmail.com (Lisa) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 21:01:00 +0000

Everyone have a good week?

I signed up for the Virtual Advent Tour again this year, I had a lot of fun writing last years post and am already planning one for this year.

I think I need this necklace. Doesn't it remind you a lot of my shop logo? (in the right sidebar)

The espresso machine at Starbucks was broken this morning. I was SO disappointed. Every Friday I go pick up donuts for work and as a treat for not buying fancy yummy coffee all week I treat myself to a latte. But it was broken today. I think this means I can buy myself coffee at the library tomorrow, no? (PS. Library, if you're listening, I hate to say it but your coffee isn't consistently good.)

Speaking of tomorrow, Mike is doing inventory so I will be looking for things to do with my kids. I thought I'd take Infant Bibliophile's suggestion and make a gratitude/thankful tree. What else should we do? (Cheap being the first descriptor word, please.) If the weather is nice we might try to run to the park.

Tons of sewing going on lately, including this personalized banner:

I am loving that striped tie at the top.

I have learn how to take better pictures in this South Dakota winter. Every room in my house is dark and dreary. I hate to use the flash, but sometimes you can't help it.

Shop Update: I'm trying to push hard to have a lot of new stuff in the shop on "Cyber Monday" (the Monday after Thanksgiving.) To that end, I listed several new crayon rolls this week, including two new fabric patterns- Dinosaurs and Kitties. This weekend I'll be making wallets and a couple jewelry bags, I hope. If you've been thinking about having something custom made, please order by December 1st so I can be sure to have it to you by Christmas!

I am an Amazon Associate. As such, any purchase you make at Amazon.com after following a link from this blog will earn me a (tiny) percentage back as income. Thanks.

Vision in White by Nora Roberts

bookslistslife@gmail.com (Lisa) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:35:00 +0000

Nora Robert's Vision in White is the first book in her new Bride Quartet. Just before the Read-A-Thon I saw a great review of Bed of Roses , which is the second in the quartet, and decided that it looked like something I'd enjoy. Being the sort that likes to read in order, and since Bed of Roses wasn't actually out yet, I grabbed Vision in White from the library. I didn't manage to get to it for the Read-A-Thon, but a week or so later (when the Pirate had the swine flu), I stayed up WAY late to read the entire thing in one sitting.

So, what's it about? The basis for the quartet is the story of four best friends from childhood (Mackensize, Emma, Laurel, and Parker) who grow up to run a very successful wedding business. They each have their own specialty, and as this book is about Mac, it's about her photography. Mac is fiesty, opinionated, and very much anti-love. She grew up with a mother who remarried like you and I change shoes and while she believed that some people could love and be loved, it was not for her. Near the beginning of the book (duh) she runs into Carter, who is the brother of a bride. Carter is exactly my type- he's an English teacher, a Ph.D, he wears glasses and is a bit nerdy in a cute way. He blurts out things he shouldn't even after he practices what he should say. He's also very very patient with Mac once he realizes her roadblocks and waits for her to figure things out.

What did I think? Well I read it in one sitting, didn't I? I loved it. I loved Carter so much. A lot of people don't like beta heroes, but I thought he was perfect. I find the scholar thing incredibly sexy, so that mighta helped. I loved that there really wasn't an external problem to their falling in love, that it was something they would work out between them. I loved that there wasn't a big misunderstanding or a grudge or anything. They didn't keep secrets, they just fell in love. There seem to be quite a few people out there who didn't like Carter, but this was an almost perfect romance novel for me.

Nobody does friendship or family as well as Nora Roberts and I felt like she really hit the nail on the head with these women. I really enjoyed all the behind the scenes look at running the business and the details of the weddings. After reading this one, I actually went out and bought Bed of Roses, which I think was the second book I've paid money for this year. I read it almost as soon as I bought it, and will be posting that review some time next week.

Other reviews of Vision in White, all of which explain the plot better than I did:
Book Binge
Find the Time to Read
Nobody Asked Me
The Good, The Bad, and the Unread
Thrifty Reader (I completely agree with her review, all the reasons why I loved the book!)

Have you read this one? What kind of hero do you fall for? Like me, do you find the nerds to be, well, hot? (Do I even need to mention that I went to a boarding school here?) Are you a Nora Roberts fan? Do you read her JD Robb books instead?

You can find more Nora Roberts on her website.

Vision in White by Nora Roberts
Berkley Trade
2009
343 pages

I am an Amazon Associate. As such, any purchase you make at Amazon.com after following a link from this blog will earn me a (tiny) percentage back as income. Thanks.

Monday morning catching up

bookslistslife@gmail.com (Lisa) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:59:00 +0000

Easing back into this blogging thing today-

I have now finished three books that I need to review. I have two more marketing/crafty business books to talk about. This one has been doing some reading too. Just look at this cutie and his book-

(Shoulda cropped that down some so you could really see the crazy grin on his face.)

I have a brand spankin' new header for the fall, be sure to click over and take a look. I think I like it, but can you tell that the Pirate is playing hopskotch? (He drew it himself, which is why it doesn't so much LOOK like hopskotch.) Perhaps I should replace that picture with this one:

(I asked if Darth Vader cut off his hands. He told me, "No mom, they are just inside my coat." I love that even with his crazy big imagination that he still thinks I was REALLY asking.)

I grabbed a bunch of library returns this morning on my way out, so I could drop them in the box at lunch. Then I got to work early and instead of reading Hunting Ground , which is the book I brought to read, I picked up one of the library books that I had intended to return unread. So I guess now I'll be reading Always Looking Up: The Adventures of an Incurable Optimist by Michael J. Fox. It kinda makes me want to start watching Spin City reruns too.

What's new in your life? Have I missed anything major? And surprisingly great books that I need to be looking for? New blog headers? Fill me in since I'll be skimming my reader instead of reading carefully!

I am an Amazon Associate. As such, any purchase you make at Amazon.com after following a link from this blog will earn me a (tiny) percentage back as income. Thanks.

Random Friday, again.

bookslistslife@gmail.com (Lisa) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:55:00 +0000

I apparently needed a little blog break as I haven't really blogged since last Friday. I seem to have lost my rhythm and it's hard to get back to it. I haven't visited a lot of blogs this week either, which you think would lead to more time doing other things, but it hasn't. I still have a few reviews in my head to write, hopefully I can get them written this weekend so that next week isn't as quiet around here.

We made TRISH's Coconut Oatmeal cookies. They are awesome.

I laid out my squares for a certain baby's Christmas present quilt. Go look, tell me if you think any of them are in the "wrong" place. Or if you use flickr you can look at it there and leave notes.

One of the features on the Etsy blog is a weekly post called "Quit Your Day Job" that features a seller that did just that. This week's was really nice to read for some unidentifiable reason.

I have to work tomorrow and am not looking forward to it.

I have to leave my house for work today in 38 minutes. I am not dressed. The boys are both still sleeping. This is not looking good. What is your morning routine? Do you have to rush every morning? Does everything work like clockwork? What time do you have to be out the door? How many people do you have to get ready? Come on, make me feel better about my chaos! (My morning: get up, slack online until I realize OMG I ONLY HAVE 32 MINUTES LEFT! Then run around like mad woman. Be sure to budget in a good 15 minutes for "gently reminding" the Pirate to GET DRESSED ALREADY!!)

And on that note, have a good weekend!

Great news!

bookslistslife@gmail.com (Lisa) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 03:15:00 +0000

The Bug's Doctor's Nurse called today to tell us that the EEG results were normal. We still have to meet with the neurologist next month for full details, but for now-- NORMAL!

Thank you, everyone, but your good thoughts.

I am an Amazon Associate. As such, any purchase you make at Amazon.com after following a link from this blog will earn me a (tiny) percentage back as income. Thanks.

More Random Friday than usual

bookslistslife@gmail.com (Lisa) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 19:43:00 +0000

It has been a long week.

Yesterday was the Bug's EEG. It went really smoothly, except for the insane crabbiness of a sleep deprived one year old. He would trip over lint and then cry like I cut off his hand. (Cutting off of hands are a theme at our house. Have you seen Star Wars?) He is sleeping in the picture, doesn't he look so little?!

My inbox has exploded lately. I can't find the time to respond to everyone who is leaving such thoughtful nice comments about my Worst Week Ever. If you asked something specific, I will try to get back to you. Otherwise, thank you. The Bug seems to be doing fine, we should know something more in a few days.

I have won a few things lately. A Joshua Bell CD from Just Pure Lovely/ Freely Educate, which I can't WAIT to get, and a scarf and workout video (Dance and Be Fit: Brazilian Body ) from T Minus, T Plus. No, I haven't tried the video yet.

Which brings me to the 100 Mile Fitness Challenge. I AM SO FAR BEHIND.

I have read two great Nora Roberts romances in the last week or two. I was never a huge fan but have completely fallen for both of these. Reviews soon.

In all the excitement Sunday, I totally and completely forgot about my anniversary giveaway. So I decided to extend it another month. I'll drawn a winner of my little gift pack from ALL the blog comments between September 1st and December 1st. Sorry to leave you hanging.

I recently put on a pair of pants I'd bought on clearance last summer and they fit. Not only did they fit, they are the best pants ever. If you sew, and you know of a basic pants pattern with a side zipper, please tell me what pattern it is! I think I can trace off the awesome pants, but I'd like a little guidance on assembly.

Whew. I think that's it. What have I missed in the world this week?

The Missing Ink: A Tattoo Shop Mystery by Karen E. Olson

bookslistslife@gmail.com (Lisa) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 20:55:00 +0000

The Missing Ink: A Tattoo Shop Mystery by Karen E. Olson is the one book I managed to read during the Read-A-Thon. Clocking in at 320 pages, I was pretty proud of accomplishing that. (Plus another hundred or so of Hunting Ground by Patricia Briggs.) I don't read a lot of mysteries, but this one makes me want to read more. I'll definitely be picking up the followup in the series-Pretty In Ink.

So what's it about? Brett Kavanaugh owns a tattoo shop on the Vegas Strip called The Painted Lady. A few days after being contacted by a client to do a devotional tattoo, the client disappears and Brett and her shop are the last people to have seen her. It seems as though Brett may have been involved in her disappearance, so she decides the only way to clear her name is to investigate the crime herself.

What did I think about it? This one was a lot of fun to read. I love seeing the little bits of the tattoo shop and am always a fan of strong, sassy heroines. Brett is a lot of fun and the secondary characters will well done, with the exception of the shop manager (Bitsy) who I just didn't like. I don't read a lot of mysteries so my brain isn't really used to figuring out who-dun-it and I was happy just to read along and let the story unfold instead of trying to guess. It seems like perhaps the final explanation was a bit sketchy, but I still enjoyed it. It was great choice for the Read-a-Thon.

Have you read any Karen E. Olson? Are mysteries a normal part of your reading diet? How do you feel about mysteries starring NON-detectives like tattoo shop or candy shop owners? Do you prefer a more serious mystery? ( I admit that I find it hard to believe that places like a tattoo shop can run into enough mysteries to create a series. I'll still read them, but I prefer mysteries with logical protagonists. )

You can find the author online at http://www.kareneolson.com/ and her blog at First Offenders with several other authors.

Going Too Far by Jennifer Echols

bookslistslife@gmail.com (Lisa) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 12:10:00 +0000

I read Going Too Far by Jennifer Echols back before the Read-A-Thon so forgive me if my review is brief. This one got great reviews all over the blogosphere and I was really excited about getting my hands on it. I think it really holds up to the hype and only have a few minor complaints.

So what happens? Meg is a high school senior. She's got quite the reputation and the blue hair to back up her attitude. She lives in Smalltown, Alabama (Alabama! Yay!) and is dying to get away. It's the week before spring break and she and her trouble-making boyfriend are caught on the railroad bridge. Local cop, and recent high school grad himself, John After is determined to teach the kids a lesson so they have to do a ride along all week- spring break week- as punishment. Meg has to ride with John After. The entire book takes place within a one week span, during with both Meg and John After learn a lot about life and each other.

How did I like it? I loved it. I think I loved the journey even more than the ending, but the ending was good too. Meg and John After are both very well drawn, despite being complete opposites. Meg really learns what is important to her, and it's not just graduating and getting away. John After is able to release some of his demons as well. I thought the week they spent together was really well done, from almost all angles. It's possible that Echols took a couple aspects a wee bit far to prove a point, one that I think we would have gotten anyway, but it didn't ruin the book for me. (The title IS Going Too Far!) I loved that even when the characters pushed each other to the limit they were able to get over it without drawing it out into a major conflict. The little details are perfectly done, from John After's scribbled drawings to the details of the diner Meg's parents own. I LOVED John After. (Seriously, second only to Wes so far this year!) I loved that we saw him as both an adult and as a 19 year old, as a cop and as a guy. (Suddenly I feel a bit creepy talking about the boys in YA novels. I will redeem myself with my review of an actually adult romance novel later this week.)

This one will be going on my best of 2009 list.

I loved that this is by an Alabama author, and I really want to look for her other books. My library doesn't have any, but perhaps ILL will. You can find Jennifer Echols's website here, and her blog is here. I could very easily imagine several small towns that could have been the setting for this one, which made me love it all the more. (One of the reasons that one of my very favorite books is Heartbreak Hotel by Anne Rivers Siddons is that I can perfectly imagine myself there, having gone to Auburn.)

If you liked this one, you might check out some of my other YA reviews, including:
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen
Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

Some other bloggy reviews:
Angieville
Katidom
The Book Smugglers (that one really nails it)
Persnickety Snark

Did you read it? What did you think? Did I miss your review?

Worst Week Ever?

bookslistslife@gmail.com (Lisa) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 03:04:00 +0000

Remember how I said it had been a bad week? Today we took the Bug to the ER for a possible seizure. The CT scan showed all normal, healthy brain. We're to call for follow up appointments tomorrow. Anyway.

CRAPPY WEEK.

Edited to add what happened: He fell a very short distance and bumped his cheek. He got up crying and did that thing he does where he screams til he holds his breath and then passes out. He has done this before and while it's freaky, it's not scary. This time though, we he would normally come out of the faint he had what appeared to be a seizure. It lasted long enough for me to send the neighbor's kid over to get his dad (Mike was not home) and for the dad to come over and us to call 911. At least 2 minutes, perhaps a bit more. So we went to the ER.

October Reading Update (TSS)

bookslistslife@gmail.com (Lisa) — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 14:08:00 +0000

Despite everything else this month, I actually managed to read 4 books! Looking at the titles it is clear that I'm going to easy reads, but a book is a book and I'm happy to have time to read anything. My goal for the year was 52 books and right now I'm sitting at 39. It might be a stretch to make my goal at this point, but hopefully I'll get close.

Here's what I read in October:

Audrey, Wait! by Robin Benway (my review)
Going Too Far by Jennifer Echols (review to come Monday)
The Missing Ink: A Tattoo Shop Mystery by Karen E Olson (review to come Wednesday)
Vision in White by Nora Roberts (review to be written soon)

I've added a few books to my "I'd like to read that!" list, based on the following reviews:

One Day by David Nicholls- Michelle at Fluttering Butterflies and Keris at Five Minutes Peace
The Unit by Ninni Holmqvist- Kristen at BookNAround
When Mike Kissed Emma by Christine Marciniak - Liz B at A Chair, A Fireplace and a Tea Cozy
Methland by Nick Reding- Maggie at Maggie Reads
Into the Wild Nerd Yonder by Julie Halpern- Thao at Serenehours
The Ex Games by Jennifer Echols - Adele at Persnickety Snark
Hate List by Jennifer Brown- Staci at Life in the Thumb
Bed of Roses by Nora Roberts - Rowena at Book Binge
Abandoned by Cody McFadyen - Lesley at Lesley's Book Nook

I have a handful of books in various states of progress, as usual. I don't expect to finish them all by the end of the year, but a couple have promise. I also just received a copy of The Lace Reader: A Novel by Brunonia Barry in the mail that I am looking forward to diving into. Today I have some laundry to do and a shop order to complete, but then I hope to spend a little time reading one of the books. I haven't spent a lot of time reading blogs lately either so I might take a little time to blog hop and leave comments.

What are your plans for today? Have you kept up with your reading goals this year? Are you adding books to your lists faster than you can keep up? Are your fingernails still painted black from your witch costume?

Please note, I am an Amazon Associate, I do receive a small (very small) percentage from any book you buy from my links to Amazon.com.

Confessions of a Reader #1, the paranormal classic

bookslistslife@gmail.com (Lisa) — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 14:26:00 +0000

Ti over at Book Chatter (and other stuff) hosts a weekly meme called Confessions of a Reader. I don't expect that I'll have a weekly confession, but I do have one that I've been saving up to post somewhere and this seems like a good time.

Here it is: I totally don't get why someone would ever want to read Pride and Prejudice and Zombies or Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters or The War of the Worlds Plus Blood, Guts and Zombies. I Just. Don't. Get. It. Pride and Prejudice , yes. Books about zombies, yes. (Well, kinda. I'm not hugely impressed with the cult following zombies get. Why are they cool when Vampires are cheesy? People who would never read Twilight are all over The Forest of Hands and Teeth. Why is that?) I understand the love of classics. I understand that people love a good retelling. I am a huge fan of paranormal books in general. I do not understand this trend to throw paranormal stuff into the classics in this manner. I have zero interest in reading those.

Austenland as a retelling of Pride and Prejudice is fine. The movie Clueless for a retelling of Emma , also fine. I love seeing a modern retelling of a great story, with new characters following a classic plot. But I just don't get splicing paranormal bits into a perfectly good book.

If you're read these, can you tell me why? Did you enjoy them? Did you read and enjoy the original? If you haven't, would you? What about books that take the classic characters and write a whole new book, like Vampire Darcy's Desire: A Pride and Prejudice Adaptation or Darcy's Temptation: A Sequel to Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice? (I find them slightly more appealing, but they still wouldn't be on the top of my list.)

Do you have a confession to make? Drop by Ti's and leave a link, will ya?

Random Friday: TGIF

bookslistslife@gmail.com (Lisa) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 11:32:00 +0000

This has been a really tough week in our house. We had some bad financial surprises to start us off, The Pirate has H1N1 (but so far, knock wood, not the Bug), and work has been stressful. I have gotten an amazing amount of support from an online community of which I am a part and I can't begin to express my thanks to them. Their kindness and understanding has made a hard thing bearable. Unfortunately (fortunately?) I don't think any of them read my blog but I wanted to mention the kindness of the invisible people in my computer. I have been beyond stressed and haven't had the peace of mind to blog. That said, here are some thoughts.

It snowed here for the last two days.

I have three books waiting for review. I hope to actually review them before I forget them.

Tomorrow is Halloween and I am not at all excited about it.

Shop Update: I have listed a brand spankin' new type of item to the shop this week- small zippered wallets. They have a zipper pouch big enough for your credit card, cash, id, and chap stick, and a second snapped pocket that will also hold an id or credit card. They also have a key ring so you could attach them to your keys if desired. Go check them out. I have quite a few more cut out and ready to sew, so keep watching if you don't see a pattern you like. I also have a few crayon rolls in the wings.

Read-a-thon recovery

bookslistslife@gmail.com (Lisa) — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 14:59:00 +0000

Well, I made it until shortly after midnight. Just as I was getting into my book and thinking that maybe I'd make it a few more hours The Bug woke up crying. I brought him out here but the book distracted him from going back to sleep. I spent half an hour or so trying to get him to drop off and when he finally did I put him back to bed. Where he instantly started to cry and woke up the Pirate. The two of us traded kids for a bit before Mike sent me to bed. It was not a good couple of hours and we have no idea what got into them. In any case, the read-a-thon was over. This morning the Bug came into bed with me and slept for a couple of hours (HIGHLY unusual!)

Here's my "stats"
Time read: no idea. A solid hour and a half in the morning, then off and on until about 4. Home from the party at 9 and read from about 10 to 12.
Pages read: 417
Books read: 1 and a half (The Missing Ink: A Tattoo Shop Mystery by Karen E. Olson and Hunting Ground (Alpha & Omega, Book 2) by Patricia Briggs
Blogs visited: not many!
Twitter: yes

Lesson learned: It is possible to do the read-a-thon with small children, just lower your expectations. I advise against leaving in the middle as it's very hard to regain your motivation to stay up late. I'd love to be able to make it all night, perhaps the next one will be the one! Thanks to all the cheerleaders who left such great comments, and all the bloggers who did mini-challenges and organized us all.

Read-a-thon, a mini-challenge

bookslistslife@gmail.com (Lisa) — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 05:42:00 +0000

Infant Bibliophile wants to know my 5 favorite children's books. I'm pretty sure I've told her all five at some point but here we go:

1. Doggies One Dog, Woof.
2. Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale - Where's Knuffle Bunny??
3. Llama Llama Red Pajama- Stop with all this llama drama
4. The Gruffalo-The Pirate: "Mommy, are Gruffalos real?"
5. How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight?-Then one kiss more...

And that's all the review you get at midnight!

Read-a-thon, Hour 16? I think?

bookslistslife@gmail.com (Lisa) — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 03:20:00 +0000

Back at it!

It's time to choose what I want to read next and I can't decide. Someone go look at my stack and tell me what to read.

Jill has a mini-challenge asking us about music associated with the read-a-thon or reading. I don't usually listen to music while I read, because usually Mike has the tv on. There is however one romance novel that really calls out to me for music. In the Midnight Rain by Ruth Wind is all about the blues and I can't help but want to listen to them whenever I reread the book. Or for that matter whenever I think about the book. The book itself has a very strong storyline (though the little mystery is easy to figure out) and strong main characters. The blues, however, are as much of the story as the people. The two cds I most want to listen to with it are Keb' Mo''s Keb Mo and BB King and Eric Clapton's Riding with the King (which is easily my favorite CD of all time, and which I have LOST!!) So, not a specific song, but a specific mood and a book that calls out for music.

The other specific song that reminds me of the Read-a-thon is the Harry Potter song that TRISH always links to! Trish! Where's our link??

Read-a-thon, update number four

bookslistslife@gmail.com (Lisa) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 21:44:00 +0000

Where were we? The boys are all three sleeping (what are the chances??) and I finally got to read some more.

Here's my stats:
Books read: 1- The Missing Ink by Karen E. Olson
Pages read: 299
Time spent reading: who the hell knows?
Mini-challenges done: 1, kinda
Blogs visited: 2
Realizations had: 1- I forgot to buy snacks. I am scrounging. Cheese stick anyone?

Yeah, I suck.

Unfortunately, we still have a family party to attend tonight so even though the house is finally quiet, I have to go get ready. I am hoping that by the time we get home the boys will be ready to crash and I can read into the wee hours with the rest of you.

How's everyone else holding up?

Read-a-thon, what Read-a-thon?

bookslistslife@gmail.com (Lisa) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 18:44:00 +0000

It's shortly before 1pm, we're just over 6 hours into the Read-a-thon. I've managed to read almost 200 pages. Bah.

They are currently playing in the doghouse perhaps I can get a few minutes in now!

I hope everyone else's reading is going well.

Read-a-thon: Trending on Twitter, Lookit us go!

bookslistslife@gmail.com (Lisa) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 13:23:00 +0000

Look at all the readers this morning! I got to read for just over an hour before the boys woke up. I suspect it will be a while before I can jump back in with my full attention.

Meanwhile over at Wordlily there is a mini-challenge to capture a screen shot of the #readathon trending on Twitter. I have tried for the last 30 minutes to upload my screenshot but no dice. You'll just have to trust me on it!