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!