Defending Jacob by William Landay

I won this Advanced Reader Copy from Goodreads. What an outstanding book this is! A gripping tale of mystery and suspense. My emotions were on overdrive all throughout this book! This is a story of a father, whose 14 year old son is accused of murdering a fellow classmate. At the time of the murder, Andy Barber was the Assistant DA and was hiding a dark secret from the world ~ his paternal descendents were all violent men. Jacob, the 14 year old son of Andy and his wife Laurie, had been bullied and tormented by the victim, making it plausible for Jacob to be accused of the murder. Evidence started piling up and was very incriminating for Jacob. Once Jacob was indicted for the murder, Andy lost his job as Assistant DA and joined the defense lawyer throughout the trial. There are many interesting twists and turns, making this a very powerful, emotional read. Having a teenage son with some "issues"(although minor ones), this book hit home for me. This is one book you don't want to miss; if you like mysteries and courtroom drama, this is a book you definitely must read!! I am very much looking forward to reading more from this author!

Grave Situation by Alex MacLean

I won this book from LibraryThing's Member Giveaways. I enjoyed reading this book. The author spent a lot of time describing details which makes the reader feel as though they are actually part of the book. There were quite a few people in this story, which became confusing for a little while. I liked the way the author linked together events that happened at the beginning of the book to events happening later. It was like going through an actual murder investigation. Very good book!

Grundish and Askew by Lance Carbuncle

I won this book from the Member Giveaways on Library Thing. When entering to win this book on Library Thing, there was a warning that this book was not for the faint of heart. That was absolutely correct! While this book bordered on the disgusting, it strangely made me want to read more. It is a fast paced read and was certainly anything but boring. While it was very strange in many parts of the book, it all came together very nicely and the flow of the book made sense. The ending was well thought out and made sense with the rest of the book. I do not recommend this to anyone who gets squeamish or offended easily, but for those who can handle it the book might be an interesting read!

Haunted on Bourbon Street by Deanna Chase

I won this book from the Member Giveaways on LibraryThing. What a great book to read at this time of year with Halloween coming up! This book really captured my attention and I felt like I was actually in the story. For those who are not interested in the paranormal, this will not be a book for you. For those of us who are intrigued by all things paranormal, please read this book!! This is a story about a young woman named Jade, who moves to the French Quarter of New Orleans, on the famous Bourbon Street. She is living above a coffee shop at which she works part-time. Her landlord, Kane, owns the coffee shop and the strip club next door. Jade is a powerful empath. Once Jade moves in, strange things start to happen and she finds out through Kane that her place is haunted. She has a deep attraction to Kane, which of course eventually develops into something. This is a very good read and very interesting. I will be looking for more books from this author!

The Swan House by Elizabeth Musser

What a wonderful, tragic and yet, uplifting story. I was immersed into this book almost immediately and felt as if I were actually part of the book. Grief, faith, friendships, secrets, and civil rights are just a few of the subjects in this book. I thoroughly enjoyed it and will be looking for the rest of the Swan House Series!

Two Graves by D.A. Graystone

I won this book from the Member Giveaways on Library Thing. This book was a very good crime novel. It is told from the point of view of the killer and also from the point of view of the cops. Preston Peterson is a man who has been bullied and tortured his whole life. Years after high school, he decides that he has had enough and decides to "pay back" all of his high school abusers. He stakes out who he thinks are his former classmates and tortures and kills several of them, leading to his nickname "The Southside Slasher". Lieutenant Mann is the police officer in charge of the case and we go through all the steps it takes to finally catch this killer. The book has lots of action and kept my attention. I would recommend this book to anyone liking crime novels.

Stray: Touchstone Part I by Andrea K Host

I won this book from the Member Giveaways on Library Thing. This was an interesting fantasy book about a girl from Australia who accidentally walks through a door to an alternate universe. She is a writer and logs all of her experiences in a notebook that she has with her. She finds an abandoned city and sets up camp there, only to be found by human military from another planet. The book is mainly about what happens to her as she is brought to this other planet and is given a series of tests and injections to make her able to communicate with this society. She learns that the people in this military have special abilities and finds out that she enhances these abilities whenever someone touches her. She is being placed as part of their training and experimented on. This is actually a pretty good book. I'm not a huge fantasy buff, but all in all, I did enjoy this book. There are a lot of names to have to remember and some good interaction, but most of this story is written in first person as if the girl were talking to you. I will be looking for the second book in this series

Bad Vibrations by Christine Pope

I won this book from Library Thing.

This book was a nice, fast read. A little bit out of the ordinary, this book was a romance and a science fiction book at the same time. The subject matter was interesting and different from any of the books I've read recently.

This is a book about Persephone, a psychic, who is urged by her spirit guide, Otto, to meet up with a virtual stranger at a symposium he was speaking at. She had an appointment with a client earlier, who thought his girlfriend was possessed by an alien. As Persephone meets this stranger, Paul, she and he decide to get to the bottom of this issue. Together, they go up against aliens to try to save the world from them.

This is definitely a science fiction book, but it's very light and enjoyable.

Gifts and Consequences by Daniel Coleman

I won this book from the Member Giveaways on Library Thing.

Within the last 10 minutes, I finished this book, and had to wipe away many tears. This was such a touching story! This is an example of how one person's life can affect so many others.

The main character, Jonathon, is a multi-millionaire who has all the money in the world, but does not have the one thing he truly desires - his wife Susan. Susan had been diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's disease and as she started wasting away, Jonathon decided he would help people in Susan's name. He has a team of workers that help him locate particularly desperate people who, for one reason or another, have expressed the desire for something while giving back in return. Jonathon enters into agreements with these people giving them an awesome gift, if they, in turn keep up their end of the bargain. Some do and some don't, but the choice is ultimately thiers. This book comprises these individual's stories and whether or not they live up to their end of the bargain, resulting in either whatever they had wished for, or to have to pay the consequences. The end of the book involves the death of Susan, after years of wasting away to nothing, as Alzheimer's will surely do to a person. I was very overwhelmed at the sheer emotion the last part of the book gave me. What a lesson to be learned. I encourage everyone to read this book as it has a wonderful message!

Threat Warning by John Gilstrap

I won this book from the Member Giveaways on Library Thing.

I have not read any other books by John Gilstrap and I certainly will be looking for them in the future after reading this awesome book! The action was incredible in this book; I had trouble putting it down.

I always like stories that have a possibility of being true in one way or another. This book was one of those stories. It is about a secret group of elite operatives, not employed by the government, but the government is aware of their existence. Jonathan Grave, a main member of the team is coincidentally present when an machine gun attack on a busy rush-hour bridge in Washington D.C. happens. He tries to take out the shooter, who is part of a homeland terrorist group. The shooter gets away and carjacks a mother and her son as they are returning home that night. The rest of the story is "edge-of-your-seat" action.

Great book; I will be looking for more from this author!!

Hotwire by Alex Kava

I won this book from Goodreads.

I haven't had the pleasure of reading any of the other books in the Maggie O'Dell series, but I did enjoy reading this one!

This book reminded me of Patricia Cornwell's books with a female heroine. It encompasses two seemingly unconnected crimes, the first of which Maggie "stumbles" onto, while investigating cattle mutilation in the Nebraska forests. A group of kids were found, some injured, some dead, after a party they were having in a remote area. They had been experimenting with the drug Salvia and had described seeing flashing, shooting lights, much like fireworks, after taking the drug. All of a sudden, electric voltage ran through the air, killing two kids and injuring several others. Maggie happened to be in the area and becomes the lead investigator at this site. At the same time, in Virginia, Maggie's "friend Colonel Dr. Pratt was called in to investigate a second outbreak in that area, of school children falling violently ill after eating their school lunches. Everything is tied in together as a big cover-up of U.S. governmental secret operations. Maggie and Dr. Pratt solve thier prospective cases and bring about justice.

This was a good book, one that I had trouble connecting the dots with until the last third of the book, when everything came together. I look forward to reading more books by this author.

Only Time WIll Tell by Jeffrey Archer

I won this book from Library Thing's First Reads.

This is a very good book! It is the first book in a series and is a great story of a boy named Harry Clifton. This book starts out in the early 1900's in Bristol, England. Harry's father, Arthur Clifton, who is a dock worker, mysteriously vanishes with no explanation. His mother, Maisie Clifton, is forced to go to work in a tea shop to support them. This story encompasses a span of time from when Harry begins school, until the time that Harry is set to go to college at Oxford. There are many important people from Harry's life who tell this story from their perspective as the story goes on.

I loved how the author switches the story-tellers at each important point in Harry's life. There is action, adventure, romance and mystery in this book.

I am looking forward to reading the next book in this series, as this book is ended at a pivotal point, which makes the reader eager to continue this story. Very good, delightful book!

Prophecy: The Fulfillment by Deborah A Jaeger

I won this book from Library Thing's Early Reviewers.

I was a bit hesitant about this book, as it seemed to be a "religious" book. However, it was not overbearing.

This book starts out with a scene of a man and a pregnant woman, racing to get away from people chasing them through the woods. We then are introduced to Stephen Bishop, who is a student of religious history and we learn that he has been accepted to the Divinity School in Nashville, Tennessee. He starts having dreams, which he believes are prophecies. When he arrives in Nashville, he is greeted by Dr.Macomb, who he will be working under at the university. Dr. Macomb has a 17 year old daughter, Jillian, who is the girl that he has been seeing in his visions as carrying the Son of God.

This is the basis of the book and I don't want to give away any more, although I must say that those who are open-minded about religion will not be sorry with this book. There were times that I was brought to tears with the touching sweetness and glory of this story.

Great book!

Divine Intervention by Cheryl Kaye Tardif

I won this book from the Member Giveaways on Library Thing.

I really enjoyed this book. It is about the Canadian FBI special team of psychic-type agents trying to solve a serial arsonist case. The team consists of Jasmine (Jasi) McClellan, Ben Roberts, and Natassia Prushenko. The three of them work for a man named Matthew Divine, who founded and is in charge of their specialized unit. They join forces with the Chief Arson investigator, Brandon, and begin trying to solve the case.

This was a very good book that I recommend to those who like a bit of psychic subject material. To those who don't, this probably isn't the book for you. It was a fascinating read and made me wonder if quite possibly, there are actual units in the government who do this sort of thing. The author made the reading very believable and interesting. Nice book!

Wired by Douglas E Richards

I won this book from the Member Giveaways on Library Thing.

I have to start by saying this is one of the best books I have read in a very long time! The subject material is astounding and very imaginative. This book is one that will make you want to keep reading and never put it down.

Enhancing human intelligence is the subject of this book. The main characters are Kira Miller, a genius who works in gene therapy, and David Desh, who is a retired Special Forces agent who served overseas. The government and military believe that Kira is engineering a plot to wipe out the entire population with an Ebola virus and is working with terrorists. David (who goes by Desh in the book) is being hired to go after her and capture her to bring her to justice for the plot and for killing several people from her past, including her parents, two teachers and her brother. There are a few twists and turns, and eventually, Desh figures out that Kira is telling him the truth - that she is being set up to take the fall. They, together with a few trusted friends of Desh's, find the person(s) responsible and go after them. The book is very exciting and there's always something new. The detail that goes into this book is wonderful and gives a reader a very good understanding of what exactly gene therapy is and how it can either help or hinder society.

Kira and Desh eventually meet up by way of Kira kidnapping Desh and she tries to get Desh to believe her that she is being set up. I don't want to go into any more of the subject material of this book, as it will give too much away, however, I will say that there is so much action in this book, you won't want to put it down! At the end of the book, the author leaves open the possibility of a sequel, which I do hope he does!! Fantastic, brilliant book and I very highly recommend this to everyone!!

Very Bad Men by Harry Dolan

I won this book from the Early Reviewers on Library Thing.

This is a very intricately written mystery. There are many characters to keep track of, however the author does a great job making you remember each character as they pertain to the story.

David Loogan is the editor/creator of a mystery story magazine called Gray Streets and lives with his girlfriend Elizabeth Waishkey, a detective, and her daughter. David is drawn into a murder mystery by Liz, and is helping to solve it with her. The victims of these murders are members of a group of bank robbers that had robbed a bank 17 years earlier. One by one, each of these former robbers are being murdered and this is the mystery they are trying to solve. There are many, many people in this book, and the plot is so intricate, it would take forever to try to form a synopsis that would do the book justice. So I will just end by saying that a reader will not be sorry, in my opinion, to read this book. Very good job and I look forward to reading more books by Harry Dolan in the future.

Run From the Reaper by Cristian Young Miller

I won this book from the Member Giveaways on Library Thing.

I found this book to be just ok. It did have a good message, but it was a "different" book.

This is the story of Jon, who is a professor at the local college. He is a loner but has a friend named Nicki, who is only present at the beginning of the book. He and Nicki are on their way home from a night out and come upon a car accident involving his friend and coach, Thomas. Thomas is the first character introduced in this book, and he is being chased by the Red Reaper. After the car accident, the book continues on with Jon's story. Jon is secretly in love with a girl from his class named Sarah. Since Jon saw the car accident, the Red Reaper is now following him. Apparently the Red Reaper causes your deepest wants and desires to come true, unbeknownst to Jon.

This is a well written story, however, it just wasn't my cup of tea. I did realize the moral of the story is basically, be careful what you wish for, it just might come true. I would recommend this to those who like abstract fiction and fantasy fiction. Sorry, only 3 stars from me.

The Legacy by Katherine Webb

I received this book from NetGalley, of which I am a member reader. I will be publishing my review of this book on my web-blog (http://amy-bookaddiction.blogspot.com), www.goodreads.com, www.librarything.com as well as on NetGalley.com.

This book is about two sisters who have come back to their family estate after their grandmother's death. The house was left to them in the will and it is theirs to live in or to do what they want with it. There is a sense of trepidation as they move in to the house, as thier past holds secrets that neither one of them wants to confront right away. Beth, the older sister, knows what the secret is, or thinks she knows, but Erica, the younger of the two, does not remember certain things about what happened to their young cousin Henry. During a summer in their childhood, they were all staying with their grandmother, a very strict, cold woman, when Henry disappeared. Erica decides she wants to reveal the secret as she learns it, but Beth does not want to even talk about the disappearance, as she thinks it is her fault.

Part of the intrigue of this book is that it goes back and forth between the present and the distant past, delving into the life of Caroline, who is the first lady of the manor. Caroline lived in America (the book in the present tense is in England), and married a rancher from the midwest when she was 18 and moved out there with him. She had a very rough time with it and never thrived when she was out there. Her first husband was killed in an accident and she decides to flee the area with a baby she had in her charge.

As the mysterious secrets start to unfold the reader starts to understand why Caroline's story is integral to the book. There is much detail in this book and it is written very well. The beginning of the book was a bit slow for me, but by the third chapter or so, things were falling into place and the pace picked up.

I would recommend this book to anyone. It has a bit of mystery, a little romance and family structure that is very interesting. I enjoyed this book and am looking forward to reading more from this author.

Take the Monkeys and Run by Karen Cantwell

I won this book from Library Thing's Member Giveaways.

This book was so funny and quirky and I loved it!  It was also a very good mystery as well.  What more could you ask from a book!

This is the story of a housewife who was outside with her cat in the wee hours of the morning and saw something going on at the house next door.  This wouldn't have been odd, except that the house next door had been empty for almost 30 years. She decides to go take a look and ends up getting herself and a friend who comes out to help into heaps of trouble by some pretty shady people.  This happens the week after her husband of almost 20 years leaves her out of the blue, claiming that he needed space and leaves her to deal with their 3 children by herself. She calls in a friend from California who jumps onto the next flight to help her with her mystery.

This is a very quick, interesting and funny book, that I immensely enjoyed in 2 days.  I liked how Ms Cantwell tied the beginning to the ending in a very smooth, methodical way.  I would recommend this book to anybody...very cute book!

Following Polly by Karen Bergreen

I won this book from Goodreads as a First Reads copy.

I just finished reading this book and I wanted to write a review immediately.  This was a very good book.  I liked the story line, as it flowed together very nicely.  The mystery and suspense was very good, in my opinion, and kept me guessing back and forth as to who the real "culprit" could be. I knew by the book's description that Alice, the main character, would end up with her secret crush, but it was great seeing the way the romance played out.

I will recommend this book to my friends, as it would be a great read for anyone. I don't remember any inappropriate scenes or words that would offend the light-hearted or teenage set, so this is definitely one to recommend to anyone at all. Great work!

Legacy - Book One of the Balancer Chronicles by Chris Adonn

I won this book from the Member Giveaways on Library Thing.

When I entered to win this book, I really wasn't sure I would like it, but I decided I needed to read titles outside my normal genre. Wow, I sure wasn't expecting to love this book as much as I did!  I also won a copy of The Eyes That See by Chis Adonn in the Member Giveaway at Library Thing, and read that novella first.  While reading the novella is not necessary, it did give me a better understanding of the basic premise of this series.

This is a book about Balancers, who are exactly what their name implies - they help balance out good and evil so that one does not overshadow the other.  This book has many supernatural entities in it as well: werewolves, sirens, vampires, elves, etc. This is basically the story of a new balancer, Kat, who has been summoned back to her recently deceased grandmother's home. Once in the home, she is directed to a book that has been locked away in a secured room.  As she opens the book, she discovers that it is a journal of sorts, written by her great, great grandfather, James.  James is also a balancer and he has been waiting for Kat to come to the home so that he can tell her his story through the pages of the book. It is a fantastic story, with much imagination and detail.

I loved the way this book was written; as if James was not only speaking to Kat but to the reader as well.  I became totally immersed in this book and wished that I could be part of the book itself.  Ms. Adonn has the ability to draw the reader in and in so much detail, paint a picture of sorts, leaving the reader to feel that they are experiencing what he is describing.  I am very glad that this is only Book One as it ended at a very pivotal point, leaving me wondering what will happen in the next book.

I recommend this book to anyone, regardless of whether they like fantasy stories or not. The amount of emotion, both good and bad, portrayed in this book is outstanding.  I give this book 5 stars!

Crossroads Road: A Novel by Jeff Kay

I won this book from LibraryThing's Member Giveaways.

This is one of the funniest books I have read in a very long time!  This is a book about a seemingly "normal" family of four living in Pennsylvania. Jovis (which is a name his younger brother came up with when he couldn't pronounce Joseph) and his wife Tara live with their two sons in a suburban Pennsylvania town, both working to make ends meet.  Out of the blue, Tara's mother wins the lottery and makes a deal for Tara and her brother and sisters to come live in California on a newly constructed development exclusively for their family, plus receive $2 million per sibling. Sounds like a dream come true to Jovis, except that Tara seems to be the only "normal" one out of her whole family. From the way Jovis describes, this is the beginning of a huge family fiasco, and it seems what he predicts comes true.

Dysfunctionality is a "nice" term describing this family.  Between Tara's mother's crazy demands, her sister's weird family and her second sister's flair for the dramatic, this is a great and easy read! I truly enjoyed this book and read it easily in a day and a half.  I would love to read more from this author!

Summoning by Debi Faulkner

I won this book from the Member Giveaways on Library Thing.

I was intrigued by this book, for the fact that it is based on a "true" Irish witch story.  I also like stories that are from the distant past and the distant future.  This book is set in the distant past. One thing I did not like, although this is purely a personal preference, is the fact that it jumped back and forth between ages of Meredith, the main character.  One section would be from when she was 8, the next section from when she was 15. I had a hard time with that, but like I said, that is purely personal preference.

I thought this book was very well written, however.  It is a story of a girl named Meredith, who is sent to work at a very young age for the vicar. This vicar is evil, however, and summons the demon, Legion, selling his own soul and the soul of Meredith for money and power.  Meredith becomes aware of this plan and finds the secret room where the vicar summons Legion and teaches herself how to summon him as well.  Meredith is given a very hard time, as her "supervisor" does not like her.  She is eventually accused of witchcraft and thrown in prison to await trial.  The whole time, she is constantly trying to find out where her family has gone to. She triumphs at the end through a series of good fortunes.

I did like this book; it was slow at first but it did pick up and it became very interesting to me.  I would recommend it!

Never Knowing by Chevy Stevens

Being adopted myself, this book hit home for me.  This is a book about a woman, Sara, who is adopted and has a dysfunctional relationship with her father.  She dreams of finding her birth parents to see if they will be able to fill the void in her life.  She finds her birth mother through a private detective and learns that she has changed her name due to the fact that she is the lone survivor of "the Campsite Killer" and got pregnant with Sara because of the attack.  She gave Sara up for adoption and never wanted anything to do with her. Eventually, the Campsite Killer, John, learns that he has a daughter and he starts to call and send "gifts" to Sara.  The Royal Canadian Police get involved and convince Sara to be the bait so that they can catch John.

This was a good book; fast paced and realistic. I like the way she depicted relationships in this book, good and bad.  Sara had very difficult decisions to make concerning her biological father - connecting with him as father/daughter, while helping the police try to capture him.  This book had lots of twists and turns and always kept me guessing.

Money Secrets of the Amish: Finding True Abundance in Simplicity, Sharing and Saving by Lorilee Craker

I recieved this ebook from BookSneeze.com to read and post my review.

I have always been interested in saving money, although I have never been good at following the tips I have read about to make them work for me.  Being recently out on medical disability, our household income has considerably decreased and it is more important for me, more than ever, to follow money-saving tips and really buckle down on the spending. I have many times wondered, when passing through Amish farm country, how the Amish make ends meet with such big farms and big families.  This book combines the two "mysteries" in an engaging and informative way.

Lorilee Craker is a descendant of a Mennonite, a close cousin of the Amish.  She decided to take a trip to Lancaster County in Pennsylvania to see if she could learn from her Amish cousins how they view saving money. She tells a story of an Amish gentleman, who managed to save $400,000.00 as a downpayment to buy a $1.5 million farm. He did all this while paying rent on a farm and raising his 14 children. Now that takes alot of financial discipline.

Their concept is simple: Do not waste things, reuse items and buy used.  Such a simple way of thinking, but yet our society is hooked on buying the latest, greatest items and spending way too much on things we don't use up. Lorilee describes how not using credit cards, buying some bulk items and going to consignment and second-hand stores can really save you money.

This book was very informative, suggesting ways to save that I hadn't thought of, all while being very entertaining. This book is a must-read for those of us who are interested in decreasing our spending and trying to build that nest-egg.  I highly recommend this book!

Just Another Day in Paradise by Katherine Tomlinson

I won this book from Member Giveaways on LibraryThing.

I just finished reading this book of short stories and had to post this right away! What a great read!  The stories are "dark" stories, but very interesting. I'm really not sure how to review this book, as the stories are short and about different things.  I noticed that most of the stories tend to revolve around "karma", as in people getting away with things, but then bad luck or death follows them later.  My favorite story was the very last story (appropriately placed in my opinion!).  It was about a Lady and a stray cat named Otto, which the Lady (as she was called in the story) found while the cat was being bullied by a group of kids.  I don't want to ruin the story by describing what the story was about, but the ending gave me goosebumps.  Those are the types of stories that I love!

This is a great book for those who don't mind dark (but not too dark) subject material. I would say it is appropriate for adults and maybe older teens. I do recommend it to those who want to try it - you won't be sorry!

22 Britannia Road by Amanda Hodgkinson

I won this book as a First Reads book from Goodreads.

This book is about  a young Polish couple who fall in love right before WWII begins. They get married and Silvana becomes pregnant and gives birth to a boy named Aurek.  Janusz is her husband and soon after his son is born, he leaves to join up with the army.  On his way to his post, the train he is riding on comes under fire from the Germans. The Germans open fire on the to-be soldiers that are taking a break outside the train.  Janusz hits his head on a rock and passes out, missing the train as it departs.  He meets up with another soldier who was left behind and is convinced to walk to find his company with him. He eventually ends up in Italy where he falls in love, leaves Italy to come to Britain and buys a house so that he can have something when the red cross finds his wife and child.

Meanwhile, Silvana, trying to escape the war, takes her young son and makes a trek from Warsaw, trying to get back to where Janusz's parents and her parents live.  She travels and hides in the forest, living in the forest until the red cross finds her and sends her to Brittain to meet with Janusz.  There is so much more to this book: betrayal, lies, lost love that stands the test of time, etc.

This is not a very happy book, but it is a book that draws you in and shows a brief snippet of what some people had to do to survive the war. I love how the author makes you feel like you know these people, showing a bit of the sorrow, fear, uncertainty and betrayal of trust.  There are a few twists in this book; things that I didn't expect to happen.  The happy ending is there, you just have to see the struggle to get to it.

Very good book, I would recommend it to anyone. I will be looking for more books from this author!

Resonance Book One: Birds of Passage by Ben White

I won this book from the Member Giveaways on LibraryThing.

This is the second book I've read in the recent past about dystopian society set in the future.  As with the previous book, I really enjoyed reading this one!

This is a book about a "talented" group of people who all have abilities that are supernatural.  They are shepharded by "Fin" who is an middle-late aged gentleman who has powers to seek out people of his "kind".  The book consists of stories of each person's past and present, some who are aware of their special powers, and others who just know that they are different.  Mr Fin rescues each of them from their modern-day "witch-hunt", as many of these young people have had their powers found out about and are not too much different in their opinions as our historical witch hunts. They agree to go with Mr Fin after hearing of a place that he knows of that will be safe for them all to live in peace.

Each town that they travel to, they end up picking up another "talented" person and Mr Fin convinces them to go along.  It becomes apparent that they are being followed by another group of "talents" who are trying to sabotage thier plight and steal from them an item that Mr Fin is trying to recover.

The detail and imagination in this story is very interesting, as well as very compassionate and feeling.  This was a very well written book.  I was confused a little at the end, however, I am sure that I will think about this ending and figure it out in a day or two.

I would recommend this book to people who like adventure, the supernatural and basically great, imaginative books. Four stars!

Pie Town by Lynne Hinton

I won this wonderful book from the Early Reviewers on Library Thing.

This is definitely the type of "feel good" book that I love to read.  A book with a message and a wonderful, uplifting story.

There are a few pivotal characters in this book, three of whom stick out the most.  There is the new priest, Father George, who is assigned to Pie Town (which has not a pie sold in the whole town!) after finishing his seminary work. Father George picks up Trina, a hitch-hiking young woman, escaping an abusive relationship.  Once in Pie Town, the two of them stop at the local diner and meet up with Alex, the town's sweet child who was born with spina bifida.

What enfolds is a story that will tug at your heart strings, as well as re-affirming your belief in God and all things just.  Even if you are not a very religious person, there are many uplifting lessons about life in general in this book. It is wonderful to read about a town who rallies around it's weakest soul, Alex, making him the reason for the community to join together.

This was a wonderful book, one that I had a hard time putting down.  I recommend this to anyone, as it is appropriate for anyone of any faith. I am looking forward to seeking out other books written by this author.

The Guardian of Eden by Leslie DuBois

I won this book from the Member Giveaways on Library Thing.

I was compelled to enter to win this book from it's description on Library Thing.  I was not sorry that I had entered and I'm very glad to have had the opportunity to read this book.  I read it in one day - that is how good it was!

This is a story of Garrett, born of a white mother and an African-American father. He is the older brother of his half-sister, Eden; they have the same mother but different fathers. Garrett and Eden's mother is unfortunately an alcoholic and drug abuser who seems to be neglectful of her children, causing Garrett to become the "parent" of Eden.  He is a very gentle, sweet, and very intelligent young man, who loves his sister more than anything in the world, however, he has a dark side from the years of neglect he has received by his parents.

The novel starts out with an event that takes place involving Eden being rushed to the hospital.  It then goes into the story of how things went about resulting in that outcome. This is a very well written, interesting and realistic book, one that I very much enjoyed.  I would recommend this to most anyone, although it does involve a little violence and does touch upon incest from past encounters of the mother. Very good book!

Entangled in Darkness by Lindsay Webster

Wow. What an interesting and intense novel this is.  This is a book about a young woman, who comes from an intense family situation, embarking on her adult life journey.  She leaves home to attend University and goes to live with her best friend and another friend in an apartment.  She has very high hopes for herself and her future and is very excited to start this chapter in her life.  She leaves behind a little sister, who means the world to her and is very close with her. An event happens that starts her downward spiral into Bipolar Disorder.

I do not know much about Bipolar Disorder, other than the high's and low's associated with it.  This book goes into detail about how the person with the disorder thinks and feels and shows how this disorder affects everyone around them. I don't want to give away the details of the book, as it would reveal the various things that happen within the book. All I can say is that this book reveals the troubling symptoms of this disease in detail and is not for everyone.

I did have a few problems with the way the book flowed, but I understand that it is a proof copy and it has not been completed.  The conversations within the book could be depicted a bit clearer, as it became very confusing at times.  I do applaud the author for the detail of the emotions that were extreme throughout this book, however.

All in all, it was a good read. I would recommend this book to those who are interested in mental illness and who don't mind depressing story lines.

Inviolate by Michael Link

I won this book from Library Thing's Member Giveaways.

This book is very dark at times, but also very interesting.  It delves into pedophilia from both the victim's aspect as well as from the pedophiliac's point of view.

There are two characters who are depicted as pedophiliacs in this book and the history of the events leading to their crimes are explained, from innocent encounters to rape itself.  The first evolved pedophilac is a high school teenage boy who at first innocently explores sex with a girl much younger than himself, which evolves into him raping one girl and one woman. This book does not go into detail of the rapes, which I was very glad of, but does give a picture of what transpires in the victim's mind during the rapes.  The second character who is depicted as a pedophiliac is a 21 year old college student, who innocently falls for a very precocious twelve year old girl in his apartment building.  At first he sees himself as a friend and mentor to this girl, but soon realizes that he has feelings for this girl who seems much older for her age.  This girl takes liberties at seducing him and succeeds in kissing him and asks him to take her picture in the nude in a tasteful way.  He knows this is wrong, but cannot stop himself from doing this. Soon after, the girl and her mother move away and he doesn't see her again until years later.

This book depicts pedophilia from two opposite ends of the spectrum and goes into the victim's lives and shows the years of recovery that takes place after a violent rape in the first scenario and also looks at the "pedophiliac's" recovery of his own guilt, knowing that what he did crossed moral boundaries and how it affected his own life.

This is a good book, interesting and thought provoking and I would recommend it to those who don't mind reading about dark subject material and looking at pedophilia from a developmental aspect and how it affects all parties involved.

Zero Day by Mark Russinovich

I won this First Reads book from Goodreads.

This was a very good book, one that could be realistic in many ways!  At first I had trouble understanding the various computer terminology, as I am not very computer-savvy, however, Mr. Russinovich did a very good job explaining the terminology as the general public would understand it. As the book went on, it became a very enjoyable read!

This is a story about a terrorist attack by computer virus.  In this stressful day and age, the reality of this kind of attack is very possible in our society.  This made the book even more interesting, knowing that it could very well go from fiction to non-fiction at any time.  The main character, Jeff, is a computer expert who has worked for the US government but who now has his own company fixing computer issues from many prestigious companies.  He is called to do some work at a law firm, who had lost data presumably from a computer virus.  What follows is a very intense, detailed account of how this virus attack has been masterminded as well as how Jeff and his associates have tried to fix this virus before it takes over the US and European computer systems. There is some romance, some intrigue and a large amount of action in this book. 

I would recommend this book to just about anyone.  It has a bit of everything for everyone and is a very smooth and enjoyable read.  Very good book!

Afterlives of the Rich and Famous by Sylvia Browne

I am on the fence about whether I believe in the afterlife or not, but I thought this book would at least be entertaining.  Not only do I hope that what Sylvia Browne is telling us about "The Other Side" is true, I also am kind of looking forward to going there when my life is through!  Now, I'm not saying that I want to die, only stating that it's nice to believe and hope that there really is a paradise waiting for us when this life is ended.

The beginning of this book was a description of what the "Other Side" is like, going from the minute your spirit leaves your body, continuing through the various "healing" phases and looking back to your life, and on to how people live out their spirit lives.  Like I said before, I'm not sure that I believe in this, but after reading this book, the idea of an afterlife seems very appealing to me and it makes me hope that when I die, there is something to look forward to.  I see that alot of people have very negative reviews of this book, and I can understand that, but of those who doubt this book, how many of them actually know for a fact what happens to us when we die.  Nobody can know what it's like, therefore, this book offers a suggestion or alternative to what happens when we leave this world.

This book also covers many celebrities that have passed on.  While it was interesting to read the short biographies of each of the said celebrities, the "Other Side" portion of their lives was hard to relate to, as it is portrayed that they are back to their "true forms" and these are not described as the way we are used to viewing them.

All in all it was an interesting and quick read, that kept my interest throughout the book.  I would recommend this book to people who have open minds concerning religion, faith and the afterlife. A definite "Feel Good" book!

Lady Justice books by Robert Thornhill

I've decided to write a review on all three Lady Justice books at the same time.

These books were such a delight to read! They were quite humorous and entertaining throughout.  I did like the first two books, Lady Justice Takes a C.R.A.P. and Lady Justice and the Lost Tapes, a little bit more than the third book, Lady Justice Gets Lei'd.

These stories are about a retired realtor Walt Williams, who, after witnessing an elderly woman's purse get stolen, decides to join the police force as a "citizen patrol" officer.  He is partnered up with a big officer named Ox (nickname) and they fight crime together.  He lives in an apartment building that he owns and also has another building, a hotel for men down on their luck.  He has a wonderful girlfriend who is also a realtor and he is friends with many elderly people who live in his buildings. 

I really liked all three books.  I would definitely recommend these to anyone who enjoys mystery, humor and a little romance. I'm looking forward to more Walt Williams books!

A Modern Witch by Debora Geary

I won this book from the Member Giveaways at Library Thing.

I really enjoyed this book.  It drew my attention in right away and kept it throughout the book. I loved the ending, as it gave me my favorite "feel good" feeling that I love at the end of great books!

This is a story about Lauren, a realtor in Chicago, who went online to make out a shopping list at the same time that some witches in California put a spell code onto the internet to draw in new witches. Lauren, who did not know that she was a witch (she thought she just had really good intuition), went along with what these witches were telling her. She visits them with her best friend, Nat, and finds out way more about herself than she ever dreamed possible.  She is paired up with a 4 year old "witchling" who has extreme powers.

This book was full of family, friends, and all the great things in life we all wish for. It was a really fun read and made me wish that the magic all could be real - but who knows....maybe it is! 

Evil Genius by Patricia Rice

I won this book from Library Thing's Early Reviewers giveaway.

I am in love with this book!!  This is one of those books that you don't want to put down and you don't want it to end.  The ending of this book was perfect - just enough closure to wrap up the "mystery" but still leaving enough unexplained or unevolved to hope for a sequel (or more).

This is the story of a woman, Anastasia, in her late 20's who comes from a very large family of siblings, most with different fathers.  She has been estranged from their mother for 10 years for various reasons.  Her mother is the daughter of a very rich man in Washington D.C. and had been estranged from her own father for reasons not stated in the book. The book opens with Ana's youngest half-sister, EG (9 years old), showing up on her doorstep in Atlanta along with their half-brother Nick (early 20s and gay).  Apparently, EG's father Tex, a well known congressman, has been accused of murder.  EG has come to Ana to ask for her help in clearing Tex.  What follows is a very fast-paced, well written, thought evoking story about politics, murder and mysterious people. I prefer not to delve into the whole plot of the book, as I do not want to give anything away to those who do not want to hear everything in a review.

This was a wonderful book, appropriate for everyone.  I would highly recommend reading it - I believe anybody who likes mystery books would very much enjoy this one!

Blood Red Road - by Moira Young

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book!!  I know that it is supposed to be a Young Adult type of book, but as a 40-something year old woman, I thought that this book was exciting, thought-provoking and action-packed.  I have read that this book is to be made into a movie - now that is a movie I would definitely see!  A few aspects of the book were far-fetched and a little unbelievable, but it is supposed to be a futuristic, dystopian setting.  I suppose a few weird, mutated creatures would not be that uncommon.  For anyone who likes fast-paced, action with a little bit of romance mixed in, I definitely recommend this book! I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series to find out the continuing story of Saba and her brother and sister.

Coach From Warsaw by Irene Magers

I won this book from the Member Giveaways at Library Thing.

This was a fantastic book!  A little bit of romance, a little bit of intrigue, a little bit of history.  I was drawn into this story immediately, and it kept my attention throughout the entire book.

This is a story of Dorrit, who, with her father, escapes czarist Russia to settle in Berlin.  At the beginning of the book, Dorrit is a teenager, who becomes suspicious of her father's stories of why they happened to keep moving from city to city as soon as someone took too much notice of her and her beauty.  The secret finally comes out when she is getting ready to wed her beau, Baron Johann von Renz.  Her father reveals that he is not actually her father, but was married to her mother, who had an affair with Alexeyev Romanov, who was the son of a Russian grand duke, with direct blood ties to the czar. She learned that this man was actually her father.  Both he and her mother died when she was young, and her "father" took her away from Russia so that the parents of Alexeyev would not try to take her away from him.  He shortened their last name so that he would be harder to trace. 

Dorrit meets her husband, who is taken with her the moment he sets eyes on her.  They marry and honeymoon in Spain where he saves the life of a little boy.  They have two sons together, and when the war starts in Germany, Johann, a surgeon, decides to enlist as a field surgeon and goes off to war for two years. 

I don't want to give away any more information, so I will stop here, even though there is much, much more to this very intriguing book.  I see that there are two more books in this series and I am very much looking forward to reading these two books as well.  I definitely recommend this book to everyone!!

Encounters in Paris: A Collection of Short Stories

I have never read a collection of short stories incorporated into a book before, so this was a new experience for me.  I found this book very interesting; I was able to really connect with the characters in a very short time and I loved the fact that it presented issues such as infidelity and betrayal and things that are present in today's society.  I am looking forward to reading more of Ms. Moncel's works and I will be recommending this story to friends.

Learning to Swim: a novel By Sara J. Henry

I won this book from Goodreads as an ARC book.

Let me start out by saying that I LOVED this book!  I'm an avid mystery/crime reader, so this book was right up my alley.  The way that Ms. Henry allows her readers to really connect with her characters is amazing.  Without giving too many details away, I will try to review this without getting too excited!

Troy Chance is a female freelance writer who lives in Lake Placid, NY.  She was on a ferry to go visit a male friend, when she thought she witnessed a small child falling off or being thrown off another ferry going in the opposite direction. Without thinking, she immediately dove into the cold waters of Lake Champlain to potentially rescue this child, which she does successfully.  What comes next is a series of twists and turns that will keep a reader glued to this book. Troy finds the boy's (Paul) father, Phillipe, and goes about trying to solve the attempted murder by herself. Troy finds out that Paul and his mother, Phillipe's wife, were the victims of a kidnapping that had been kept out of the media for various reasons.  This leads to Troy's suspicion that someone who was close to the boy and his mother had been involved in the kidnapping/attempted murder of Paul. 

This is a fast-paced, intriguing and enjoyable read.  As I mentioned, the author has a talent for connecting her readers to the characters of this story.  I see that this is Ms. Henry's first novel; I am looking forward to reading more from this author.  I have nothing but good things to say about this book, and I would recommend it to everyone!!

Dirty Little Angels by Chris Tusa

I won this book as an ARC from Library Thing. 

I really enjoyed this book. I was "warned" by the author that it is pretty dark, and it surely was, but it was so very good!  It was a book that I didn't want to put down.

This story is about a 16 year old girl, her 19 year old brother and their parents.  The mother had just had a miscarriage and has holed herself up in her room and isn't paying attention to either one of her kids, while the father, recently unemployed, drinks too much and is down at the local pool hall most of every day.  This is a story set in New Orleans, a place I've never been. There are many references to different areas and/or street names. The 16 year old girl, Hailey, is in turmoil throughout the book, for many reasons that are explained while reading.  A great story of family dynamics, mistrust and the importance of being supportive of family.

I very much recommend this book for anyone to read, as it has all the elements of a great storyline....adventure, mystery, betrayal, religion, love, etc. Great book Mr. Tusa!

Trixie by Tori Alexander

I won this book in an ARC drawing from Library Thing.

Well, I have to say that I struggled through this one, but I made it. I found the writing to be too "flowery" and wordy for my taste.

This is a story about a stripper named Pixie, who meets another stripper named Trixie (right there is a little weird). Pixie is telling Trixie's story, intermixed with her own. At the begining of the story, Pixie states that Trixie is dead, but does not say why or how. Herein lies the story. The author takes you through a short period of time in which many, many events take place that lead to Trixie's death.

The end of the book was a total disappointment for me. It was not as I had expected, but that may or may not be a good thing. Throughout this book, I kept trying to like it, but the truth is, I thought it was only so-so and found myself hurrying through it so that I could get on to my next book. It was just not my cup of tea.

 

Tuesday

I recently found out that one of the books I just read and reviewed, The Devotion of Suspect X was made into a movie! How cool is that?  I will have to hunt it down and see if it follows the book, as many movies adapted from books do not.

 It's a gray, cold, wintery Tuesday here in Rochester, NY.  I'm ready to go somewhere warm for a while....too bad I still have 25 years or so to wait for retirement! Maybe my husband will land a job in the south or southwest somewhere! One can dream......

I started my lated ARC book, Trixie, last night.  It is the complete opposite of the previous book I read.  It's not a bad book so far, but it is written very philosophically and sometimes a little too "flowery" for my taste.  So far the story line is ok, so I will see what the next few chapters bring.

Hope everyone has a good day!   :)

The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown

I won this book in a contest from Readinggroupguides.com. I thought this book was pretty good. I, myself, have no sisters, so the bonds between the sisters, Rosalind, Bianca and Cordelia, was not anything I have related to in the past.

This is a story of three sisters, whom for different recent "failures" in their lives, have come home to live and help take care of their mother. The paths that these women have taken are obviously the wrong ones for each of them, and they begin healing and righting their wrongs with the help (and hinderance) of each other.

There is quite a bit of Shakespearean quotes and references in this book, so if one doesn't have a knowledge of Shakespeare and his works, it may seem a bit droll. All in all, it was a pretty good book, one for those who like "feel good" stories. I would recommend this book to friends!

Old World Murder by Kathleen Ernst

I won this book from goodreads. I got it in the mail with a nice note and recipe card from the author. I have to say that I really enjoyed this book. I'm an avid mystery book reader, and this was just as good, if not better than others that I have read. I love the way the ending is written....makes one wonder if, perhaps, a new Chloe Ellefson book is on the horizon? If so, I can't wait to read it!!

A Box of Darkness: The Story of a Marriage by Sally Ryder Brady

I won this book from Goodreads. I wasn't sure what to think about this book as I started the story, but deep into the second chapter or so, I was hooked. What an inspiring story of courage, loyalty and understanding from the view of this author. I was so impressed at the way Mrs. Brady lived her life knowing that she was with the right person for her, all the while being the keeper of her husband's secret. The compassion, love, frustration and confusion she has for her late husband is portrayed very well in this book. I don't know if many people could be as strong and persevere through such a complicated marriage. I'm so glad she is able to recall the great times she had with her spouse, not just the difficult times. I would definitely recommend this book to others!

The Four Ms.Bradwells by Meg Waite Clayton

The Four Ms. Bradwells: A Novel by Meg Waite Clayton was an enjoyable read for me. The story is about four women who met in Law School that have been best of friends for 30+ years. The book is a little confusing, in that the author goes back and forth between the present and past. Each chapter is "told" by one of the four women, in first person. I kept having to flip back into the other chapters to find out whose point of view and whether it was past or present. I thought it was a good book, and it delved into these women confronting a past that had never been resolved.

This was a good book, one that I would recommend to my friends.

The Devotion of Suspect X by Keigo Higashino

At first I had a hard time with the Japanese names and customs, as I am not familiar with them. However, as the book went on, it got easier to understand. I really liked this book...I can see why Keigo Higashino is a popular author in Japan, and I'm glad that he is releasing books in the US.

This is a story of Yasuko, a single mom, who accidentally kills her ex-husband while he is in her home and is threatening her and her daughter. Yasuko's neighbor, Ishigami, who has a romantic interest in Yasuko, hears what is going on next door and goes over to see if everything is ok. Ishigami is a brilliant mathematician, who devises a plan to cover up the murder. What transpires after this, is a genious plan that kept me enthralled throughout the book. An old college friend of Ishigami, who helps police in investigations, got involved with the case, and helps to solve the cover up.

This is one of those books, that has an 'AHA!' ending. The book is so well written and I really look forward to reading more of Mr. Higashino's books, as I thought about this book for days after I was finished reading it. I will definitely read it again, and I will recommend it to my friends. Great book!(less)

Dining with Joy by Rachel Hauk

I received this book in a giveaway from bookclubcookbook.com.

I LOVED this book. Not only is it a great and realistic story line, the messages in this book are outstanding. This is a Christian book, appropriate for anyone to read.

Joy Ballard is a cooking show host that secretly cannot cook. Her show is sold to Wild Woman productions which is the start of her downward spiral professionally. On the other hand, it is the start of something wonderful personally as she and the new cohost of the show are forming a relationship. The secret of not being able to cook comes to the surface when she is embarrassingly challenged to a cookoff by a rival cooking show host. She fails miserably and loses her job and her reputation. But the one person who stands beside her, Luke, is the one who helps her realize her dreams. There are other story lines present in this book that are important in the book as well: Her relationship with her deceased father, being a full-time aunt to her brother's abandoned two girls, her friendships and her mother's support.

This book was a pleasure to read and I am looking forward to reading other books by Rachel Hauck.

 

Monday - Cold, Sunny Monday!

Wow, I finally finished Dining with Joy by Rachel Hauk.  What a great uplifting book.  My review will follow as well as other reviews.  I'm anxious to get started on my next ARC from Library Thing - Trixie by Tori Alexander.  I'm overwhelmed at how many many books I have here to read and review! I will get them all done, but it may take some time.....it's a great way to relax though!!  Ah, well, nothing more to add today, just want to get my reviews posted and get that done.  Have a great day!

Sunday

Wow, this weekend is going way too fast for me.  My goal today is to finish Dining with Joy; I'm halfway through it.  This book is very good!  Yesterday I received my copy of Trixie by Tori Alexander.  I'm itching to get that one started.  Stay tuned for my review of Dining with Joy within the next day or two.  I also review on Goodreads.com and LibraryThing.com. Have a great Sunday everyone!

Friday!!

Yay it's Friday! I just found out that I won another Advance Reader book.  Learning to Swim: A Novel.  I hope it's interesting!!  I'm loving the Dining with Joy book that I'm reading now. It is a Christian novel, and a good storyline.  Well, it's a short post today....not in the creative mood right now.  I'm off to read.....

Sunshiny Day

It's Thursday....the sun it out finally!  It's been so grey and dreary lately. I'm getting ready to start my latest book pick Dining with Joy by Rachel Hauk. I won this book in a Early Reader contest.  There are a lot of great reviews for this book and its' author.  I hope that it will be as good as they say. My favorite book so far of the books I've received from the Advance Reader contests is The Devotion of Suspect X by Keigo Higashino. The author is a popular author in Japan and this latest book of his has been translated into English. It is a very good mystery with an "AHA" moment at the end of the book. Well, off to read - have a great day!

First day of blogging......

Well, it's my first day of blogging, something I've been thinking about doing for a long time.  I love to read and figured this is a (hopefully) great way to get discussions and comments going on the books I have read and reviewed; kind of an "online book club"!  In the last few months I have won several Advance Reader books from GoodReads.com and LibraryThing.com.  I love that I get to read and review books before they are out in publication....something I recommend everyone to try.  I will be posting the reviews I have done for those books as well as a whole bookshelf of books that I have here at home.  If anyone has books to recommend to me, I would love to hear about them!  Happy Reading!