Been reading too ...

Started re-reading the Harry Potter books back in May. My plan was to read a book then watch the movie. That was all going according to plan until I picked up the Kindle Brooke and I were giving Dad for Father's Day. She put all the "Fever" books on there. Damn! I had read books 1-4 several years ago. I remember being so pissed at the end of the fourth book. I picked it up thinking it was the last one in that series. It so was not the last one. I'd read that whole book thinking I'd get some kind of closure at the end. NOT!! And I had waited for it to be released so I had no clue when the sequel was coming out. (If you aren't familiar with the "Fever" books go here to read more.)

Fast forward to June. Cari bought herself a Nook Color. She'd been waiting for the fifth and final book to hit the shelves so she could read the entire series at once. Well book five came out in January - I still hadn't picked it up though. It had been several years so I wanted to start back at book one and read them all again. All it takes is a couple of pages and you're hooked - so hooked. Cari read all five books in six days. Granted she wasn't in school or working and she had really missed reading for fun. There's simply not much time for that in between studying and homework during school. So, although I was into book four of Harry Potter I had all five "Fever" books at my finger tips. I couldn't resist. I caved.

I devoured the first two books. Then I hit the brick wall called Nashville. I didn't get much reading done the next two weeks. Acknowledging there was no way I could finish before handing the Kindle over on Father's Day, I went to the library and checked the rest of them out. I am so glad that series is done!! Good Gawd I needed a massage after finishing that last one! The entire thing was unbelievably intense! And it ended with, " ... the end" and on the next page, " ... for now." So you know that's not the end of the story, but at least Ms. Moning provided us with some closure.

I've got two and a half weeks to get ready for Harry Potter now!! Yikes!!

PS - Both Missy and Pat have now caught the fever! It's gonna be fun watching them read too!

"Look Again"

"Look Again," by Lisa Scottoline was surprisingly good! I had not read anything by her before but ended up buying the book because it sounded pretty interesting. I didn't start the book until about 11pm (I usually read before turning out the light) Monday night. Even with only small windows of reading throughout the day (breakfast, lunch, waiting on dinner to finish, etc) I was on page 150 by dinner. It's an easy read, the print is not small and the story just kind of sucked me in. By the time I picked it up to eat lunch yesterday (Wednesday) nothing else was gonna get done until the last page had been read. Granted it wasn't the best book I've ever read and it's not on my five star list, but I liked it and will definitely look for more of Lisa's books.

I'm now finishing the 4th book in a series I started getting from Annie's Attic, "The Lady in the Attic." After receiving this last book in the mail yesterday (don't know how many are actually in the series), I canceled my membership. The books are nice (hardback) and not too long, easy to read ... but the stories are just lame. I mean, they're just okay. The books alone are $13, then they add $4.95 s/h which brings the total to nearly $19! After reading three of them, I can tell you they just aren't that good. If I was paying $10 I may continue my membership, but for $20 - nah.

Oh I did read a book on vacation too ... lemme see what that was. Hang on ... okay it was "Isle of Palms" by Dorthea Benton Frank. Again, this was a new author for me. It was interesting enough for me to turn the pages but it wasn't one of those books impossible to put down. The story takes place on the South Carolina coast outside of Charleston and is about a woman trying to get her life together. It had me laughing out loud quite often. The characters were quite likable and quick witted. I wouldn't say it's a "must read" but is an easy and entertaining read.

Think I'm going to my local second hand book store to see what else I can pick up of these two new authors ... will let you know what I find!

"The Search" by Nora Roberts

Just finished Nora's latest, "The Search." I knew when I read the blip on her website I'd had to have the book as soon as it came out. There would be no waiting for this one to come out in paperback. It was soooo good! I've never read a bad Nora Roberts book, but I still have my favorites. This one will rank right up there with those (Blue Smoke, Birthright, Northern Lights). I breezed right through it - could've read it in 2 days if it wasn't for the distraction of dealing with Peanut's eye. When I'm thinking about the story while doing other things, that's one of the things that make a book irresistible for me. The story behind the mystery and romance was so interesting to me. Fiona (main character) leads a team of search and rescue dogs and does training as well. Of course there is a serial killer after her and a disgruntled wood worker who doesn't want to fall in love with her complicating the story. As always, the end (serial killer caught, they fall in love) is predictable but how they get there isn't. I loved it.

Christmas Books

Getting those Christmas stories out in December ranks right up there with my Christmas music! I love listening to my favorite Christmas tunes while doing just about anything getting ready for the holidays. The only time I'm not listening to Christmas music or reading a Christmas story is when I'm watching Christmas movies! Love them too!! In fact, it's December 30 and I still have a few on my DVR I haven't watched yet. If they're new ones (to me) I'll make time to watch them. If not, I'll probably delete and move on. This year I loved "The Ultimate Gift" and "The Three Gifts" on the Hallmark Channel. And, oh my, what's not to love about Drew Fuller ("The Ultimate Gift")? wiping drool off my chin ... LOL

I try to pick up a couple of new Christmas novels along with one or two new Christmas albums each year too. This year I found:

"The Perfect Christmas" by Debbie Macomber
"Mrs. Miracle" by Debbie Macomber
"Angel Lane" by Sheila Roberts

I enjoyed all three book and will definitely keep them in my collection. I had finished "Mrs. Miracle" a couple of days before receiving the email from Debbie Macomber excited about the new movie on Hallmark! I immediately went to my TV to find and record it. Cari and I watched it Monday night and it was really cute. As always, I find myself a bit disappointed in movies made from books I've read (especially when it's still fresh in my mind), but I still enjoyed it. "Angel Lane" by Sheila Roberts was a delightful surprise. As I've bitched about in the past, I've gotten burned picking up authors I've never heard of, much less read. I took a chance on this one and was really glad I did. I was immediately drawn into the story and lives of such wonderful characters. I thoroughly enjoyed their wit, compassion, laughter and fears. I will be picking up more of Sheila's works.

I haven't decided what's next. Will have to let you know ...

until then,
Love and Laughter,
QB

The Mortal Instuments series

I just finished The Mortal Instruments series (City of Bones, City of Ashes, City of Glass) by Cassandra Clare this afternoon. This is a basically another teenage fantasy love story with warlocks, shadowhunters (demon hunters), vampires, werewolves and of course, demons. Not usually in my normal range of fun, fictional reading material ... but I made it through all three books and they kept my attention. I wouldn't call them "must reads" but they are certainly good stories. After going to the website I discovered there will be another book in the series, due to come out in 2011. Here we go again. At least this one didn't leave me hanging over a cliff by my fingernails like Dream Fever did.

Haven't decided what's next yet ...