I am reading "Anybody Out There" by Marian Keyes...Anybody read it? lol;)

Is Monday the day for "Still Alice"?

Cause I'm a smidge worried that I may not be done with Her Fearful Symmetry by then!!!

Yikes!

Is anyone else worried about not being done with what they're currently reading?

All month long, I was reading a new book approximately every three days, but this week has gotten me all messed up!

I've had photography work to get done, lunch dates, a Valentine's shoot, and then this winter storm... and so today my kids wanted to play, then I had to clean the mess, then my mom wanted to watch a movie.. My Sister's Keeper... that's another story all together!

Was anyone else mildly disappointed in the way they interpretted this book into movie? First, though, I need to say that I actually was VERY touched by the movie, I cried several times, I really did love it. If I had never read the book, I would've thought the movie magic. However, I did read the book and I loved the book, so when they completely changed the whole end of the movie, I was a little disturbed! I'm not going to be a complete spoiler in case one of you out there either haven't read the book and want to or haven't seen the movie and want to, but if you share my sentiments, I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Now, back to Alice... is everyone going to be ready to start it Monday? If so, I'm going to have 350 pages to read between now and then. You would've thought I would've started a short book, but nooooooooooooooooooo... I have to be difficult! ;)

The Wednesday Sisters

This was such a charming story. It wasn't one that I couldn't bare to put down, which is why it took me a bit longer to read it. And honestly, the first 75 pages, I kept debating with myself as to whether or not I was going to actually finish it. Everytime I thought about it, though, I decided I still did want to know how it all turned out, so I kept on reading.

I am very glad that I did, because the second half of the book was very compelling. I read the whole last half last night and it had taken me three days to read the first half. ;)

It's about a group of women who met at the park while their children were playing and when they met, they were always talking about the books they were reading and their favorite books, etc. They all have very distinct and different personalities, which makes them a really fun group to read about. They all loved to read and through their talking, they learned that they all had somewhat of an interest in writing as well, so they formed a "writing society" amongst themselves. Throughout the book, you learn about their adventures together, their pasts, and their current family situations.

It really was a great book and I'm so glad I finished it. It was a little slow moving at first, which is why I almost put it down. I don't tend to have a lot of patience when I'm wanting to immerse myself in the story. ;)

Anybody Read These??

I'm currently requesting these on Paperback Swap.

Has anyone read these?

They're just two that I've seen in stores a lot and they've always "looked" good to me.

Are they good ones to read?

Let me know, thanks!! :)

Obsession... not so much

I just finished this book yesterday, and I have to say that I was disappointed.

It went on and on and on.... and then the ending was a total flop! It was SO anti-climatic.
It had a decent enough story line- enough to hook me to the book, but I think if it had a 'zinger' of an ending, with a little more oomph, it would have made the story.

Wow!!

I am SOOOOOOOOOO excited!

I've already had one of my books requested through Paperback Swap.

Tempie, you are so awesome for telling us about this!

This is an excellent source.

p.s. I'm still always going to offer them on here before I list them on there.

It was a Network Marketing book I just got rid of. Surely you girls wouldn't have wanted that. ;)

Congratulations, Leigh!

Just so everyone knows, Leigh had her baby yesterday!!

I would post a picture, but I would feel like I need her permission to do that, so I won't. I'll let her decide if that's okay when she feels well enough to return to us.

But, I don't think she'll care if I tell you a little about him. Oh, and I only know this because she posted it on Facebook. :)

Max Henry Bergman
1/26/10
9:52am
7 lb., 11 oz., 21 inches

Congrats, Leigh and Nate!!

Last Chance, Ladies!!!

Girls!!

I'm going to give you guys one more shot at the two on top and the rest are books that I'd like to offer up, as well.

I have created an account at paperbackswap.com

but I'm always going to offer them here to you guys first.

The ones I already listed there are books I'm pretty sure none of you would want. I was going to donate them to The Salvation Army.

Let me know if you want any of these! Don't be shy, I would LOVE to send them to you guys!!! :)

Book Swap

I just wanted to let you ladies know about this website. It's www.paperbackswap.com A friend of mine told me about it and basically it's a website sort of like what Candace has talked about doing where you list your books that you are willing to part with and people who are interested in them let you know and you mail the books to them. The website is free for now and the only cost you incur is the cost of postage when you mail a book. My friend received her first books this week and so far so good. Anyway, just wanted to pass along to anyone who may be interested.

Wench

Erica just finished this one the other day and I finished it last night. This would have been an EXCELLENT group read. So thought provoking and so enlightening. I cried more than once during this novel and one of the times was when a slave was given free papers.

This book broke my heart, made me laugh, made me cry, filled me with hope, and it taught me a lot about slavery that I had never known before.

I definitely recommend this!

Her Fearful Symmetry

I stumbled across this book and when I saw that it was the same author who wrote "Time Traveler's Wife", I had to read it. I loved "Time Traveler's Wife" and I REALLY loved this one. It has all the same imagination and cleverness as her first novel, yet I think it has a bit more mystery and is a little less confusing (if you read "Time Traveler's Wife", you'll know what I'm talking about).

This one is about a set of identical twins moving from Chicago to London after they are left an estate from an estranged aunt whom they've never had a relationship with (the aunt is also an identical twin of their own mother). The will stipulates that they must live in their aunt's flat for a year. They mystery over why their mother and aunt never spoke to each other is one of the many mysteries of the story but things get even more mysterious at the discovery of the aunt's ghost haunting the flat.

The girls and the former lover of their aunt build a relationship with the ghost and the story starts to get really interesting....I can't say anymore, I'll spoil the fun. A ghost story, love story, and a mystery! I loved it :) And, I could really see it becoming a movie. I'm sure it would never be as good, but it just seems set up for that type of thing (I never saw Time Traveler's Wife...did anyone? I wonder if it's like the book???)

Some More Picoult...

I meant to list these last night with the others, but I forgot! :)

If you have any interest in any of the ones I post, please let me know, because I'm going to donate them to someone and I'd much rather give them to a friend than to someone I don't know. :)

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Here's What I Have....

If anybody wants any of these please let me know. I have a ton of other books that I would be willing to lend out but these are the only ones I am willing to part with.

Any Takers?

These are all awesome books. I came across a box today when my dad and I were going through the storage building and these were a few of the books in there.

I'm offering these up to anyone who would like them. I've seen the movie "Cold Mountain" and I just can't read a book AFTER I see the movie. It's just not the same, I already know approximately what's coming.

And as for "The Pact", it's one of my favorite Jodi Picoult books, but somehow I have two of them.

Also, I have two of "Cross". Tony must've gotten one in Iraq and I got one here, because we have two of them. Another great book, though!

And "Songs In Ordinary Time" was an Oprah's Book Club book, so you know it's excellent!

If you don't get them someone will, so snatch 'em up before they're gone! :)

Nanny Returns

I finished this last night and it was so good. If you've read "The Nanny Diaries", you REALLY NEED to read this book. In my opinion, "The Nanny Diaries" leaves a lot of questions unanswered and a lot to wonder about and this book really concludes the story of everyone nicely. I loved it just as much as "The Nanny Diaries" and I highly recommend it!

Now I need to go find the movie of "The Nanny Diaries" because I'm dying to see how well they honored the story or if they butchered it as is so often done. :)

PEOPLE This Week!

Ooooohhhhh, these all look so good to me!

I uploaded these a different way and they won't let me highlight the pictures, so if you'd like to read about these, just click the names of each book below! :)

The Brightest Star in the Sky


Cutting For Stone


A Reliable Wife

Murder Takes The Cake

Okay let me start out by saying the only reason I read this is because it was FREE. It was one of Amazon's free books for the Kindle. With that being said this book was just okay. It's about a woman named Daphne Martin who has moved back to her home town after a terrible marriage and sets up a cake making business in her house. While making a cake delivery one morning she comes across a dead body. She works on trying to solve the murder plus family secrets of her own that have come up. Let's face it Daphne is no Kinsey Milhone (the heroine of Sue Grafton's novels) or Stephanie Plum (Janet Evanovich). Two of my favorite female murder/mystery characters.....oh, and I almost forgot Kay Scarpetta (Patricia Cornwell) but now I am totally getting off topic. It really makes no sense for a cake decorator to be investigating a murder, but that is just my opinion. One of the other things I didn't like about the book was how detailed the author went into describing how to decorate a cake. For example she would mention what size tip Daphne would use and then she would move on to use this size tip. I do have to admit though the book did make me hungry for cake. :) One other complaint I have and I'm not exactly sure who the complaint would be made to is that the print on this book was horrible. I don't know if it happened when it got switched over to Kindle or the actual book was like that but there were words missing and there was a lot of grammatical mistakes. I don't think I would be willing to give this author another try.

Loved it

I just finished The Help tonight. I LOVED the book, but was disappointed with how it ended....maybe I just didn't want it TO end. I wanted more. But, then again, I hate when a book ends like an after-school-special. So, author knows best! I am floored that this was her first novel. And touched by her personal connection to it. She, and her childhood maid, should be so proud.

Wench

I finished it, Candace, and you're going to like it :)

Set in the 1850's, this novel is about the slave women who were favored by their masters. The story centers around Lizzie, a slave from Tennessee, who joins her master on a vacation in Ohio each summer. Leaving his wife behind, Lizzie is treated almost as a companion, although she is quickly reminded time and again what her true purpose is: to be a slave and serve her master. There are other slave owners who bring their slave mistresses along with them and the slaves become close friends as they spend summer after summer together. One slave, new to the group, starts to lay the seed to run for freedom since they are in free territory and they may never get the chance again.

Throughout the story, you also learn of Lizzie's life on the plantation; how she became her owner's mistress, how she had two of his children, and how her status in the household played out. I found it very interesting to read about relationships that have always seemed to be swept under the rug, yet they were going on in so many households.

A good read! And a fast one. It only took me a couple of days. Someone who reads it as fast as Candace will have it done in a day :) Enjoy!

Hello

Well hi! I'm Brittney. I've been stalking this blog for a while now and finally decided to just join in on the fun. A little bit about myself...I live in Utah and have been married for 7 years now. I have two little monkeys, umm errr, girls that I love dearly (most days), Emma is four and Ali is two. I'm currently growing baby number 3 who is expected to arrive the beginning of August. I'm in the horrible, can't quit barfing stage of pregnancy right now so I probably won't be super active on this blog for another few weeks. You understand. Hobbies include photography, cycling, x-country skiing, camping with the fam etc. etc. I also once enjoyed cooking. Ugh. Food. Anyway, I've always loved a good book. You know, the kind you put your life on hold to read. Reading is how I unwind and relax. I'm quite excited for this little blog and can't wait to start reading some of your recommendations. By the way, I absolutely LOVED, The Help. I couldn't put it down. It is now one of my new favorites.

I Have An Idea...

Book Share

Not everyone has the same taste in books, right? I know most people LOVE Nicholas Sparks, I however, am probably the only avid reader I know who has a really hard time getting into his books. I love his movies. The Notebook is my all-time favorite, but his books just drag for me. I can't stay motivated to read them.

Because of this, I know that I have lots of books that I've bought because I thought I'd love them and then I haven't loved them so much, BUT that doesn't mean that someone else wouldn't love them. Right?

So, I had the idea of a book share. If you're not interested in this, that's fine, but I know I'd love to share my books... the ones I love and the ones I don't love so much.

These are four books I just pulled off my shelves a bit ago. All four of these are books I thought I'd love, love, but for whatever reason, they didn't hold my attention.

YOU, however, may love them to death!

I love this author, Jane Green. She's a great chick lit author and all her books that I've read have had me completely engrossed... except these three. And these weren't bad books, by any means, I could've just had a lot going on when I was trying to read them and never gave them a real chance.

If any of you would be interested in reading one, or all, of them, I'd love to send one or more of them to you. I figure, for those of us who are interested in doing this, it wouldn't be much. We could just stick the book in a manilla envelope and mail it parcel post for a dollar or two. I think that's a pretty good deal considering what the cost of a new book is.

What do you guys think?

Is this a good idea?

And to elaborate more on my idea, for books we don't have a major attachment to, we could send them around until they make their way back to the original owner.

I personally have always, since I was a little girl, put my name and the date I finish the book on the inside front cover, that way years later, I can look at my books and recall with love the exact point in my life when I was reading each of my books. :)

I probably wouldn't have ever considered this idea had I not thought that we have such an amazing group of girls. I would totally trust you guys to read my books (I KNOW you wouldn't smear my pages with boogers and snot) and pass them around until they make their way back to me.

For any book that we'd like back, we could put our name and address on the inside somewhere (wherever you want... it's your book!) and that way, there would never be an excuse for our books not getting back to us!

Oh, and of course, we would use this blog as a medium for when we were done with one book and ready to pass it on to the next person.

What do you think?

I've been brainstorming the whole time I've been writing this, so if this all sounds confusing, please forgive me, I'm coming up with ideas as I'm typing each sentence.

Anyway, with these four books, I really wouldn't be concerned with getting them back, so I'm offering these up for donation! :)

Just a Thought...

I keep thinking about this while I'm busy doing something else and then forgetting when I sit down here to type.... I hate when I do that. ;)

Here was my thought, though.... Do you guys (that I'm not already following) have personal/business blogs? I know a few of you do and a few of you follow mine, however, with the creation of this blog, there are a few of you guys that I'm not sure if you have personal blogs or not.


Also, it may be a way for those of you that are just "meeting" each other on here to get better acquainted.

Anyway, so if you do have personal/business blogs that you'd like to share with the group, please feel free to share!

And if you don't already know, mine are....

arnoldfamily4.blogspot.com

and

graciejamesphotography.blogspot.com

p.s. If you haven't done so, try to post your intro when you get a chance so everyone can feel like they know you even if they don't! :)

The Nanny Diaries

I'm not quite done reading this yet. I have about 75 or so pages (give or take) left to read.


But for those of you who have read this... there is a reason I'm not a nanny.


I'm pretty sure there are several instances when I would've punched Mrs. X in the face.


Then, what burns me up is that in the very next instance, I feel sorry for her... what with that horrible Mr. X and Ms. Chicago.


And all along, I just love Grayer (what a WEIRD name) and Nanny's family. They are the ones who make the story worth reading.


What I can't believe the most is that this is truly the life that a lot of RICH Manhattans live! When she spent $4,000 on Halloween costumes and THEN they didn't even WEAR them... I thought I was going to have to go burn the book. But the whole book is full of these occurences.


Anyway, while I was reading in bed last night, I kept getting all worked up over the goings-on in this book and I kept wishing we were all reading it so I could come up here and vent to you girls! LOL.... So, that's why I had to do this post before I was completely finished.

Real Life & Liars

This book was selected by one of my other book clubs. Very quick read, I think it took be 2 days to read it.

The story is about a family who comes together for their parents 35th wedding anniversary. As the story unfold you see all the problems the different family members are trying to hide (unhappy marriage, pregnancy, cancer, etc.) but like with most books all secrets come out in the end. The story was quite comical at times and no matter how screwed up everyone is you can't help but like them. One of the things I like about the book was each chapter was told from a different character's view point. I think it made for a more interesting read.

This is Kristina Riggle's debut novel. I would definitely be interested in reading something else by her.

The Piano Teacher

I've been looking at this book on the shelf at Target for awhile, and then when my Kindle recommended it to me, I had to download it.

The story takes place in Hong Kong and bounces back and forth between the early 1940s, when Hong Kong was invaded by the Japanese during WWII, and the early 1950s, when peace has returned. Claire is the piano teacher who comes to Hong Kong in the 50's with her older husband. She is hired to teach piano for the daughter of a rich Chinese family and although the story isn't at all about her teaching piano, it is about how her life becomes intertwined in those around her. She falls in love with a mysterious, English man, Will, who works for the Chinese family. As she continues her affair with Will, she also finds out about his life during WWII and the people of Hong Kong during that terrible time.

Throughout the book, you are transported back to the 40s and the author beautifully describes the social scenes of pre-war Hong Kong and the fall once the invasion happened. At this time, you are introduced to Will and his relationship with social butterfly, Trudy. You follow their glamorous lives and love affair and how it all comes crashing down once the war is in full swing.

It's part mystery, part historical fiction, part love story. A really good read :)

Library Junkie

Hey ladies-

I wasn't sure where to post but I just wanted to comment about all the Barnes and Noble trips. I can't believe how often y'all go. I have to admit, I only buy the self help books because I like to highlight and everything else I go to the library to borrow.

I grew up very poor and so we could never afford to buy books and so I got hooked on the library and still to do this day I get a kick out of reading a book and not paying a dime. If a book is given to me I will donate.

Not sure why I am telling y'all this... just guess I want to encourage everyone to check out your library too. You're saving a tree and a few bucks :-)

Look Again

I love when I read a book and it is written so well that I just want to read everything that author has ever written.

I bought this novel on a layover in Atlanta when I was on my way to Dallas on June 25 of last year. You may remember that day... it was the day that both Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett died.

It was also the day that I went to train with one of THE top photographers in this beautiful country. She is amazing and that trip was amazing. This book was also amazing. Every second that I wasn't working with her or sleeping, I was reading this.

So, you can imagine my level of grief when I was on the shuttle on the way to the DAllas airport to leave to return home, when I realized that in my haste to get ready that morning, that I had left this sweet story laying on the bedside table.

I was so upset. I had SO looked forward to reading it in the terminal as I waited for my flight and then, of course, reading it all the way home.

I was quite... pissed.

I did, however, call the hotel and they shipped it to me.

In the meantime, though, I started reading something else, and one thing led to another and I just picked it back up last night and I just finished it a few moments ago. The story was so impecable, though, that I hadn't forgetten a single bit of it. As soon as I started reading last night, I felt like no time had passed. I really don't know why I waited so long to pick it back up, I wish I hadn't because.... WOW... just amazing.

It is heavy on the heart for a mommy, though. It's about a woman who adopted a little boy and she was completely in love with him. I have to admit that I am a sceptic about adoption, only because it's hard for me to imagine being able to love a child that wasn't of my flesh in the same way that I love Emma and Noah. This book was so well written, though, I now feel as if I understand it. Anyway, she checks her mail one day and there's one of those little postcard flyers in it that's showcasing a little boy named Timothy Braverman who was abducted when he was just over a year old and he looks remarkably just like her little boy. And the time frame is right, this child on the missing poster could really be her son. This novel is about the journey she goes on to discover the truth about her son. And it is a journey that never quits. It's fast paced and just completely engrossing.

I highly recommend this book! 5 Stars FOR SURE! :)

And February's Winner is...

I'm so excited, can't wait to read it!!! :)

Run For Your Life

I am a huge fan of James Patterson books. I love that they're always a great mystery, they're very fast paced, short chapters, wide margins, and double spacing... all that equals a book that I can finish pretty quick. Love it! LOL


I always like to read a book of his after I read something deep (The Memory Keeper's Daughter) or something that totally did not hold my attention (Ladder of Years), because it always gets my brain back in my reading zone.

Now, as for this book, LOVE the story line! It had me guessing the whole time and pretty much all my guesses were totally wrong. That is always so fascinating to me! I love to write and one of my life goal's is to someday write a novel of my own. I've given it two shots so far and both times, I quit about a hundred pages in. Because of this.. my love of writing... I pay very close attention to how authors craft their stories. How they weave in the little details all along the way. It is so amazing to me the amount of planning and foreshadowing they have to do to really craft a story that holds the readers attention and also reveals all these key points along the way that we're dying to know as the reader. That's just another reason I love James Patterson's novels so much. He is such a master storyteller in my opinion. He is not, however, one that gives great detail. So, I also love reading a book of his after... say, a Stephen King book, because he.. in my opinion is the KING of detail. I don't know any author that goes into such great detail as he does.


Anyway, now I'm finishing a book I started last June, so don't be surprised if I have another review by the end of the day. :)

We Have a Three Way Tie

It looks as if everyone who wants to vote has voted, so here we go....



We had a three way tie, so please pick the one out of these three that you would most like to read.



Thanks so much , girls for helping me out today! :)







OH, and just so there's no confusion this time about who does and doesn't want to vote, we'll just end voting at 5pm tomorrow. That way, if you want to vote, you can and if you don't, there's no pressure! :)


Enjoy your weekend, girls.

Holy Cow!

Girls!!!


You must run, run as fast as you can to B&N.com.


They have HARDBACKS on sale as cheap as $3.99


Books on CD for prices like $8.99


I currently have 6 hardback books in a cart waiting on me and my total is only something like... $21.


Incredible if you ask me...


Now if we could just get our voting done (Sara, Brittney, Heather, and Bonnie) so I could go complete my cart!! ;)

Time to VOTE!!!

Okay, we have NINE books to choose from! This is going to be FUN. This is my idea, let me know if you have a better one.

Let's each vote for our top THREE.

Then I'll tally up the votes and whichever book gets the most votes, is our winner!

And if we have a tie, we'll have vote-off.

Does that sound like a plan?

I know we're only a little over half way through January, but I figure if we go ahead now and decide on our book for next month, we should all be able to have it so we can try to all start on the same day in February.

Sound like a plan?

Okay, here we go... Just click the picture and it'll take you to the B&N summary/review page! :)

ONLY RULE:

DON'T VOTE FOR THE BOOK YOU NOMINATED! :)