Media Monday

One Scream Away by Kate Brady. A suspense novel.
My Name Is Will by Jess Winfield. A novel of Sex, Drugs and Shakespeare.

Bitten by Kelley Armstrong. A Vampire novel.

What books found their way into your home this past week?

Fabulous Phrase Friday

Comments can be made by clicking the word comments below.


* Conscience is the inner voice that warns us someone might be looking. ~ H.L. Mencken (1880-1956, journalist and satirist)

* The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. ~ Martin Luther King J.R. (1929-1968, Clergyman, and activist.)

* Hard work spotlights the character of people; some turn up their sleeves, some turn up their noses, and some don't turn up at all. ~ Sam Ewing (1949-still alive, former baseball player for Toronto Blue Jays and Chicago White Sox.)

Tea Time For The Traditionally Built by Alexander McCall Smith

Description from book;
The latest installment in this universally beloved and best-selling series finds Precious Ramotswe in personal need of her own formidable detection talents...
Mma Ramotswe's ever-ready tiny white van has recently developed a rather disturbing noise. Of course, Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni -- her estimable husband and one of Botswana's most talented mechanics -- is the man to turn to for help. But Precious suspects he might simply send the tiny white van to the junkyard and replace it with something more modern. Can she find a way to save her old friend?
In the meantime, Mma Makusi discovers that her old rival Violet Sephotho, who could not have gotten more than 50 percent on her typing final at Botswana Secretarial College, has set her sights on none other than Mma Makutsi's fiance, Phuti Radiphuti. Can Mma Romotswe's intuition save the day? Finally, the proprietor of a local football team has enlisted the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency to help explain its dreadful losing streak. The owner of the team is convinced he has a traitor in his midst. But how is Mma Romotswe, who has never seen a football match in her life, going to discern who is throwing the game? Help, it turns out, may come from an unexpected quarter.
There are few mysteries that can't be solved and fewer problems that can't be fised when impressible Precious Ramotswe puts her mind to them. A good cup of red bush tea might be the best solution of all.

My take on the book selection;
I really thought this book would be hard to get into, because of the long and somewhat complicated names. I was wrong! I actually found this book hard to put down. It was a gentle tale of strong women, living their lives, while working at being detectives. It was a heartwarming story of friendship between the two lady detectives. I wanted to grab a cup of red bush tea for myself! I recommend to anyone who likes a happy story, with a happy ending.

©2009

Teaser Tuesday

• Grab your current read.
• Let the book fall open to a random page.
• Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
• You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from…that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given.
• Please avoid spoilers!

My teaser:
That message, though, went against most people's deepest instincts. Mma Makutsi, for example, had no time for snakes, and would not hesitate to dispose of one should she have the chance.
-page 17 , Teatime for the Traditionally Built by Alexander McCall Smith

Intertwined Sweepstakes

Julie & Julia by Julie Powell

Description from book;
Nearing thirty and trapped in a dead-end secretarial job, Julie Powell resolved to reclaim her life by cooking, in the span of a single year, every single one of the 524 recipes in Julia Child's legendary Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Her unexpected reward: not just a new found respect for calves' livers and aspic, but a new life ~ lived with gusto.

My take on the book selection;
I'm sure you all know it's a movie with Meryl Streep and Amy Adams. Sorry guys, this is a chick flick for sure!! However Ladies, I highly suggest reading the book, then grabbing a few girlfriends and going to see the film. I bet it'll be a great time!
I really enjoyed the book. The way Julie describes her own experiences in the kitchen as well as life, makes it feel like she's talking directly to you. Its a no-holds-barred conversation too, where she is very liberal to speak her mind, but with all the best intentions. She is a self-proclaimed "goody-goody", and I believe it to be true. I am really looking forward to whatever new books she comes out with in the future.

©2005

Fabulous Phrase Friday

I'm starting this new thing for Fridays. I will post a couple great quotes from various people, mostly writers. I hope you all enjoy this new Friday post! If you have any, comment below.



* Not by appointment do we meet delight. ~ Gerald Massey (1828-1907 English poet)

* True enjoyment comes from activity of the mind and exercise of the body; the two are ever united. ~ Wilheim von Humboldt (1767-1835 German linguist, philosopher, and diplomat)

* A smile is a curve which can set a lot of things straight. ~ Victor Borge (1909-2000 humorist and musician)

TEASER TUESDAY

• Grab your current read.
• Let the book fall open to a random page.
• Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
• You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from…that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given.
• Please avoid spoilers!

My Teaser:
"Going to watch Marisa Tomei do the dance of seven veils did make it all go down easier for him."
-page 215, Julie & Julia by Julie Powell

Media Monday

Julie & Julia by Julie Powell is my current read, as its now in theaters and I want to get my review out before I see the film myself. In lieu of the movie being a book first, I think I will review it as well. So far, so good on the book.
Tamed by a Laird by Amanda Scott. A Scottish historical romance novel.

How to Score by Robin Wells. A romance novel for women.
Tea Time for the Traditionally Built by Alexander McCall Smith. This book is now an original HBO original series, called, The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency. I did try to watch an episode once, as its got Jill Scott, an R&B musician as one of the leading roles. However I found it hard to get into. I hope the book is better, as it usually is.
Chicken Soup for the Soul, Tough Times, Tougher People by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, and Amy Newmark. I love these chicken soup books! They have different stories from different people, and they all have something to take away from it. I love reading about trials and tribulations, then you have insight if it ever happens to you.
The Woman who Named God by Charlotte Gordon. This is a book about Abraham's dilemma and the birth of three faiths. It should be a great read, and a bit of a learning experience also. I've read the Bible many times and am not shunned by a religious book at all. I think it will be very interesting. What do you think?

What books found their way into your home this past week????

The Girl Who Stopped Swimming by Joshilyn Jackson

Description from book;
Laurel Gray Hawthorne hasn't seen a ghost in thirteen years she and her husband have lived in their beautiful gated community. Then, in the dog days of a Florida August, she wakes to find Molly, her daughter's best friend, standing by her bed, who then leads her to her own small body floating lifelessly in the Hawthornes' pool. Laurel's carefully constructed existence cracks, and the past sweeps through....

Laurel and her sister, Thalia, grew up in what looked like a typical blue-collar home. But the Grays have long been hiding a skeleton in their closet. While Laurel built her "perfect" life, Thalia became an actress with a capital A, a woman who doesn't fit in Laurel's tidy world. Now Molly can't rest until someone learns her secrets. Laurel turns to her sister, and together they begin a journey that will unearth their family's history, the true state of Laurel's marriage, and what really happened to... The Girl Who Stopped Swimming.

My take on this book selection;

Right from the first chapter this book was a page turner!! I thoroughly loved the main story, and all the little ones intertwined. I honestly, did not want the story to end. I highly recommend this book to anyone, and look forward to reading more from this author in the future.

©2008

The Servant of the Bones - Anne Rice

Description from Book;
"My name is Azriel," he said, sitting by the bed. "They call me the Servant of the Bones, but I became a rebel ghost, a bitter and impudent genii..."
"Azriel, you must tell me everything."

Having created fantastic universes of vampires and witches, the incomparable Anne Rice now carries us into new realms of the mystical and the magical - and into the presence of a dark and luminous new hero: the powerful, witty, smiling Azriel, Servant of the Bones. He is a ghost, demon, angel - in love with the good, in thrall to evil. He pours out his heart to us, telling his astonishing story when he finds himself - in present-day New York City - a dazed witness to the murder of a young girl and inexplicably obsessed by the desire to avenge her.

Azriel takes us back to his mortal youth in the magnificent city of Babylon, where he is plucked from death by evil priests and sorceresses and transformed into a genii commanded to do their bidding. Challenging these forces of destruction, Azriel embarks on his perilous journey through time - from Babylon's hanging gardens to the Europe of the Black Death to Manhattan in the 1990's. And as his quest approaches its climatic horror, he dares to use and risk his supernatural powers in the hope of forestalling a world-threatening conspiracy, and redeeming, at last, what was denied him so long ago: his own eternal human soul.

My take on this book selection;
I had a hard time getting into the beginning. It wasn't until about 150 pages into it, that the story really got good for me. I guess I'm so used to her vampire characters, that it was hard to get into such a religious character. The time setting, the character description, the whole story took some getting used to, however, I highly recommend all you Anne Rice fans read it. As she is no longer writing vampire or witch stories, it takes you on a whole new journey of reading. Plus, it really turned out to be a great story!

©1996