Random Crumb

The first email was sent in Massachusetts in 1971.

It's amazing to see how far we have come in 40 years. Computers/email have become such a staple in our lives and I can't help but wonder 'what's next?'...'what's the next invention that will cause such a large shift in our lifestyles?'

The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting

Goodreads Summary:

Violet Ambrose is grappling with two major issues: Jay Heaton and her morbid secret ability. While the sixteen-year-old is confused by her new feelings for her best friend since childhood, she is more disturbed by her "power" to sense dead bodies—or at least those that have been murdered. Since she was a little girl, she has felt the echoes the dead leave behind in the world . . . and the imprints that attach to their killers.

Violet has never considered her strange talent to be a gift; it mostly just led her to find dead birds her cat left for her. But now that a serial killer is terrorizing her small town, and the echoes of the local girls he's claimed haunt her daily, Violet realizes she might be the only person who can stop him.

Despite his fierce protectiveness over her, Jay reluctantly agrees to help Violet find the murderer—and Violet is unnerved by her hope that Jay's intentions are much more than friendly. But even as she's falling intensely in love, Violet is getting closer and closer to discovering a killer . . . and becoming his prey herself.

My Review:

This is interesting and captivating book. It’s a little bit mystery and a little bit of a love story. It also has an ounce of paranormal with Violet’s tendencies to hear/feel the echo of dead bodies.

Some of the book had me on the edge of my seat. Also there were a couple parts where I wanted to yell at Violet (oh wait, I actually did yell at her and my husband thought I was nuts, haha) because she was being dumb and putting herself into bad situations. I was definitely wrapped up in the book and I'm looking forward to reading the Desires of the Dead!

Random Crumb

Today in 1926 was the first lip reading tournament. It was held in America.
I thought it was interesting and it made me remember how horrible I am at reading lips!!

The Mistress’s Revenge by Tamar Cohen

I just found out that I won this book from Goodreads.com and Free Press, YAY! I’m sure I will be watching the mailbox every day…even though it’s not due to arrive for 4-6 weeks ;-)

Goodreads Summary:

Fatal Attraction set in the era of Facebook: fiery, passionate, engrossing, unsettling, manipulative, and graphic...a debut novel written as one woman’s letter to the married man who has just dumped her—upon whom she exacts a terrific revenge.

When her five-year affair with the sexy television personality Clive Gooding brutally ends on a dime—his dime—Sally Islip is devastated. But with Sally, Clive has made one fundamental mistake: he has chosen someone who has less to lose than he has, and Sally will have her revenge—no matter what the cost to the people around them.

The cat-and-mouse tale that follows is told through the journals Sally’s therapist has told her to keep. Sally, whose mental state is gradually unraveling, stalks Clive online and off, keeping him on an agonizing knife-edge of fear of exposure. In return, he mobilizes his underworld contacts against her. How far is he prepared to go to silence the woman he once loved “more than life itself ”? What form will Sally’s obsessive revenge eventually take? Who actually has final control, and who will end up losing everything?

A triumphant debut along the lines of Jennifer Weiner and Zoë Heller, The Mistress’s Revenge is a journey inside the mind of a woman made mad by the possibility of love, and made alive by the possibility of hate.

Basic Cake Ball Pops

This recipe is from the Wilton website and aw man does it sound yummy!

Ingredients:

• 1 box (about 18 ounces) Favorite cake mix
• 1 box (3.4 ounces) instant pudding and pie filling mix
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup water
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup Ready-To-Use White Decorator Icing
• 1 bag (14 ounces) Candy Melts®

Makes:

48 Tablespoons

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray one 13 x 9 x 2 in. sheet pan or two 8 in. or 9 in. round pans with vegetable pan spray.

In large bowl, combine cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, water and oil; beat at medium speed with electric mixer 2 minutes. Pour into prepared pan.

Bake 30-35 minutes for round pans; 35-40 minutes for sheet pan, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes; remove from pan to cooling grid and cool completely. Divide cake in half; freeze one half for future use.

In large bowl, use hands to crumble cake until no large chunks remain. Add icing; mix with fingers until well combined. Form mixture into cake balls. Chill in refrigerator at least 2 hours. Melt Candy Melts according to package directions. Dip sticks into melted Candy Melts and insert into cake balls; let set. Wait until candy is completely firm before dipping the pops completely in melted Candy Melts.

Makes 48 – 1 tablespoon sized cake ball pops (each about 1-1/4 in. diameter)
Makes 24 – 2 tablespoon sized cake ball pops (each about 1-1/2 in. diameter)
Makes 16 – 3 tablespoon sized cake ball pops (each about 1-3/4 in. diameter)

Click here for variations of this recipe.

Button Idea #3

Super Troopers Movie

Five Vermont state troopers, avid pranksters with a knack for screwing up, try to save their jobs and out-do the local police department by solving a crime.

This movie might not be for everyone but I love it. Hubby and I have seen it so many times that we know most of the lines and it still amuses me every time! It's one of the simpler pleasures in life haha.

"The snozzberries taste like snozzberries."

Another Button Idea

This one is much simpler.

Button?

I came up with this as a possibility for my blog button. I would need to tweak it a little of course since some of the petals look a little off. But overall, what do you think? Should I go back to the drawing board or did I hit a home run?
I will post one more idea tonight and one tomorrow.

Upcoming Giveaway - Spring Blog Carnival

I will be participating in this fun blog carnival! And since my birthday happens to fall during the carnival week, I will see what I can come up with to make my giveaway extra special!! So make sure you stop in May 1st to check it out!

If you want to sign up to host a giveaway or see which blogs are participating click here.

Bucket List Update

Do you have a bucket list?? I’ve been neglecting mine a little (thank you Mindy for commenting, it reminded me). So just as a quick update...

Added to my list:
24 hour read a thon…which I will be doing in April

Checked off my list:
Have a blog more than 1 person follows ;-) (thank you to all of my followers!)


To see what’s on my Bucket List click here
And click here to see what I’ve already crossed off my list

Upcoming Blog Hop

At the end of May, I will be participating in the Splash Into Summer Giveaway Blog Hop

hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and Page Turners

I will be posting more details of my giveaway closer to the time. If you want to participate in the hop or see which bloggers are signed up click here.

Sleepless in PA

That doesn't quite have the same ring to it as Sleepless in Seattle, does it?

Anyway, it's almost 2am and I can't sleep. So instead I'm sitting in the dark, on my laptop, surfing the blogosphere and picking out my next read. I was at least able to escape my hubbys snoring and find refuge in the living room. ; )

I noticed today that my to-read list is massive! It's at 404 and that doesn't include all of the impulse ebook buys and freebies calling to me from my NookColor.

This is the next book I will be reading...

The Kitchen Witch (The Accidental Witch Trilogy, #1) by Annette Blair

Annette Blair cooks up an extra helping of entertainment in her first contemporary romance, a sexy comedy set in Salem, Massachusetts. Sedate single dad Logan Kilgarven is somehow bewitched into helping his lovely downstairs neighbor, Melody Seabright, get her own cooking show at his TV station. How did that happen? Melody can't even cook. In her hands, potatoes lump, gravy boils over, and chicken explodes. Still, she's got showmanship, and the general manager can practically taste syndication when her show, The Kitchen Witch, takes off. Even as the boss's daughter sets her sights on Logan, he and Melody are making some hot magic of their own. Sure, opposites attract, but can they last? Readers will love this classic story of attraction between pinstripes and polka dots.

The Hot Zone by Richard Preston

This is the book that started my love of Medical Thrillers! It's been a very long time since I've read it, so I think it will be going on my to-read list for a second (or third) go around!

I highly recommend this book, it's intriguing and scary at the same time!
A quick word of warning though, if you decide to read it just know that it's very graphic and very real!

I got a kick out of reading some of the reviews on Goodreads...click here if you dare. ;-)


Goodreads Summary:

The true story of how a deadly virus from the central African rain forest suddenly appears in a Washington, D.C., animal test lab. In a matter of days, 90% of the primates exposed to the virus are dead, and secret government forces are mobilized to stop the spread of this exotic "hot" virus. HC: Random House

The First Patient By Michael Palmer

Goodreads Summary:

From the blockbuster, New York Times bestselling author comes a high-concept, high-octane thriller at the crossroads of presidential politics and cutting-edge medicine. . . .

Gabe Singleton and Andrew Stoddard were roommates at the Naval Academy in Annapolis years ago. Today, Gabe is a country doctor and his friend Andrew has gone from war hero to governor to President of the United States. One day, while the United States is embroiled in a bitter presidential election campaign, Marine One lands on Gabe’s Wyoming ranch, and President Stoddard delivers a disturbing revelation and a startling request. His personal physician has suddenly and mysteriously disappeared, and he desperately needs Gabe to take the man’s place. Despite serious misgivings, Gabe agrees to come to Washington. It is not until he is ensconced in the White House medical office that Gabe realizes there is strong evidence that the President is going insane. Facing a crisis of conscience—as President Stoddard’s physician, he has the power to invoke the Twenty-fifth Amendment to transfer presidential power to the Vice President—Gabe uncovers increasing evidence that his friend’s condition may not be due to natural causes.

Who? Why? And how? The President’s life is at stake. A small-town doctor suddenly finds himself in the most powerful position on earth, and the safety of the world is in jeopardy. Gabe Singleton must find the answers, and the clock is ticking. . . .

With Michael Palmer’s trademark medical details, and steeped in meticulous political insider knowledge, The First Patient is an unforgettable story of suspense.

My Review:

I have always loved reading medical thrillers so I decided to take a step away from the young adult/paranormal books that I've been reading lately and get back to my first love!

I've read other Michael Palmer titles and this one didn't grip me quite as much as others, I'm undecided on whether to give this a 3.5 out of 5 or 4 out of 5 so I will split the difference and say 3.75.

The book turned out to be an interesting medial/political thriller. The POTUS (President of the United States) knows he's in trouble so he enlists the help of his old roommate Gabe after his current physician disappears. Gabe takes over as the President's physician and in doing so he is put in the most difficult position possible. Not knowing who to trust makes for a difficult time of uncovering the truth but Gabe slowly starts putting the pieces together and what he finds out is unbelievable...

Palmer is great at adding the unexpected twists. There were quite a few things that I did not see coming, which made the book that much better!

Hunger Games Movie - Katniss is Cast

Personally, I am ecstatic that there is going to be a Hunger Games movie!! There's some controversy floating around about the actress that has been cast for the roll of Katniss. I can't say too much since I have not seen Jennifer Lawrence's other movie (Winters Bone), but if Suzanne picked her, then that's good enough for me!

 

'Hunger Games' director Gary Ross talks about 'the easiest casting decision of my life' -- by Karen Valby

Image Credit: Albert L. Ortega/PR Photos; Lester Cohen/WireImage.com

This afternoon Lionsgate announced that The Hunger Games had finally found its hero. Oscar nominee Jennifer Lawrence (Winter’s Bone) will play Katniss Everdeen, the embattled tribute from District 12 who goes on to lead a revolution in Suzanne Collins’ best-selling trilogy. Director Gary Ross spoke exclusively with EW about why 20-year-old Lawrence is the right actress, at the right age, to bring Katniss to life on the big screen. (Warning: Some spoilers follow.)

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: When did you know Jennifer Lawrence was your Katniss?
GARY ROSS: First, I saw Winter’s Bone, and I just thought she was phenomenally talented and just kind of riveting and amazing and had so much power. And then we had a meeting and I found her to be just a completely compelling, intelligent person. But then she came in and read for me and it just knocked me out. I don’t want to go into too many details, but we did a scene from the movie and it was so amazingly powerful that it was sort of stunning. You glimpsed every aspect of the role and the potential of the whole movie.

There’s already quite a bit of hand-wringing that, no matter how good an actress Lawrence is, at 20 she’s simply too old for the role.
First of all, I talked to Suzanne extensively about this. Suzanne saw every single audition. And not only did Suzanne not have an issue with Jen’s age, she felt you need someone of a certain maturity and power to be Katniss. This is a girl who needs to incite a revolution. We can’t have an insubstantial person play her, and we can’t have someone who’s too young to play this. Suzanne was incredibly adamant about this. Far from being too old, she was very concerned that we would cast someone who was too young. In Suzanne’s mind, and in mine, Katniss is not a young girl. It’s important for her to be a young woman. She’s a maternal figure in her family. She’s had to take care of Prim, and in many ways her mother, since her father’s death. She’s had to grow up pretty quickly.

Was the opportunity to side step any child labor laws an added bonus?
That’s not the reason. I absolutely cast the right person for the role and in my view there wasn’t even a question who the best Katniss was. It was the easiest casting decision I ever made in my life.

In the books, Katniss is described as being olive-skinned, dark-haired, possibly biracial. Did you discuss with Suzanne the implications of casting a blond, caucasian girl?
Suzanne and I talked about that as well. There are certain things that are very clear in the book. Rue is African-American. Thresh is African-American. Suzanne had no issues with Jen playing the role. And she thought there was a tremendous amount of flexibility. It wasn’t doctrine to her. Jen will have dark hair in the role, but that’s something movies can easily achieve. [Laughs] I promise all the avid fans of The Hunger Games that we can easily deal with Jennifer’s hair color.

How will this inform the rest of your casting, in terms of age, look, everything?
Now that we have Katniss, we see who feels good with her both as Peeta and Gale and the rest of her family.

Have actors already started reading with her?
No, but we’ve read a lot of people for a lot of roles. Obviously, we have to make sure that the cast balances and makes sense. We’re very close. I have very, very good ideas about who I want in a lot of other roles. So I think there’ll be a lot of stuff coming pretty quickly.

Have you had conversations with her about the enormity of stepping not just into a franchise like this, but a character that is already so beloved by the world? How do you prepare a young person for that?
Oh god, have you ever met her? [Laughs] Don’t worry about Jen Lawrence. She’s a very powerful person. Jennifer is from Kentucky. I think she feels such a complete connection to who Katniss is, the way many people do, but this just seems like a very good fit to her. I think she’s very confident about the role, I think it feels very organic to her. She’s ready to dive in. She goes to archery class next week. Yeah, she’s going to start shooting arrows next week! I think by the end of the week she’s going to be learning to climb trees. She’s a very strong, confident young woman. She’s very confident in her own talent and who she is as a woman, and I think that all these things make her want to dive into the role.

Will you indulge in the blogs and message boards over the next few days to gauge fan reaction to the casting news?
I think one of the wonderful things about The Hunger Games is that everyone has such a personal relationship to the material that they feel they have a very specific idea about the character and who the character is. And that’s wonderful. And I think a lot of the debate that has gone on about who Katniss is is fantastic, because people feel very passionately that their take on the character is unique and correct. But the one that I’ve honestly listened to the most has been Suzanne, who conjured this girl out of her own imagination. To Suzanne, Jen is the perfect realization of the character who is in her head.

My 2011 Reading Challenges

I'm a list lover so I wanted to break down all of my challenges for the year so I can see how far along I am.

2011 A-Z Title Challenge

Goal: Read books that start with every letter of the alphabet. Can discount words like ‘The’ and ‘A’ at the beginning of book titles. For example ‘The Dead Girls Dance’ can count as the ‘D’ book.

11 MORE TO GO!!

A – Awakened (House of Night #8) by P.C. Cast

B – By the Time You Read This, I’ll Be Dead by Julie Anne Peters

C – Cry Wolf (Alpha & Omega, #1) by Patricia Briggs

D – The Dead Girls’ Dance (The Morganville Vampires #2) by Rachel Caine

E – Evermore (The Immortals #1) by Alyson Noel

F – Fallen (Fallen #1) by Lauren Kate

G – Glass Houses (The Morganville Vampires #1) by Rachel Caine

H – How to Flirt with a Naked Werewolf (Naked Werewolf #1) by Molly Harper

I – Inside Out (Inside Out #1) by Maria V. Snyder

J –

K –

L –

M – Must Love Dogs by Claire Cook

N – Nocturne by Syrie James

O –

P – Portal (Portal Chronicles #1) by Imogen Rose

Q –

R – Red Riding Hood by Sarah Blakley-Cartwright

S –

T – The Tapestry of Love by Rosy Thornton

U –

V –

W – The Werewolf Upstairs (Strange Neighbors #2) by Ashlyn Chase

X –

Y –

Z –

2011 New To You Series Challenge

Goal: Begin 10 new series (do not necessarily have to finish the entire series in the year)

1 MORE TO GO!!!

1.       Cry Wolf (Alpha & Omega, #1) by Patricia Briggs

2.       Fallen (Fallen #1) by Lauren Kate

3.       Glass Houses (The Morganville Vampires #1) by Rachel Caine

4.       Portal (Portal Chronicles #1) by Imogen Rose

5.       Evermore (The Immortals #1) by Alyson Noel

6.       Inside Out (Inside Out #1) by Maria V. Snyder

7.       How to Marry a Millionaire Vampire (Love at Stake #1) by Kerrelyn Sparks

8.       The Werewolf Upstairs (Strange Neighbors #2) by Ashlyn Chase

9.       How to Flirt with a Naked Werewolf (Naked Werewolf #1) by Molly Harper

2011 New To You Authors Challenge

Goal: Read books by 25 authors that I have never read.

12 MORE TO GO!!

1.       Patricia Briggs

2.       Lauren Kate

3.       Rachel Caine

4.       Julie Anne Peters

5.       Imogen Rose

6.       Alyson Noel

7.       Claire Cook

8.       Sarah Blakley-Cartwright

9.       Syrie James

10.   Rosy Thornton

11.   Kerrelyn Sparks

12.   Ashlyn Chase

13.   Molly Harper

...and last but not least

The Big 2011 Challenge – 83 Books

18 DOWN, 65 MORE TO GO!!

January

Cry Wolf (Alpha & Omega, #1) by Patricia Briggs

Hunting Ground (Alpha & Omega #2) by Patricia Briggs

Fallen (Fallen #1) by Lauren Kate

Glass Houses (The Morganville Vampires #1) by Rachel Caine

The Dead Girls’ Dance (The Morganville Vampires #2) by Rachel Caine

By the Time You Read This, I’ll Be Dead by Julie Anne Peters

Portal (Portal Chronicles #1) by Imogen Rose

February

Evermore (The Immortals #1) by Alyson Noel

Inside Out (Inside Out #1) by Maria V. Snyder

Must Love Dogs by Claire Cook

Awakened (House of Night #8) by P.C. Cast

Red Riding Hood by Sarah Blakley-Cartwright

Nocturne by Syrie James

March

The Tapestry of Love by Rosy Thornton

How to Marry a Millionaire Vampire (Love at Stake #1) by Kerrelyn Sparks

The Werewolf Upstairs (Strange Neighbors #2) by Ashlyn Chase

How to Flirt with a Naked Werewolf (Naked Werewolf #1) by Molly Harper
The First Patient by Michael Palmer

How to Flirt with a Naked Werewolf (Naked Werewolf #1) by Molly Harper

Goodreads Summary:

Even in Grundy, Alaska, it’s unusual to find a naked guy with a bear trap clamped to his ankle on your porch. But when said guy turns into a wolf, recent southern transplant Mo Wenstein has no difficulty identifying the problem. Her surly neighbor Cooper Graham—who has been openly critical of Mo’s ability to adapt to life in Alaska—has trouble of his own. Werewolf trouble.

For Cooper, an Alpha in self-imposed exile from his dysfunctional pack, it’s love at first sniff when it comes to Mo. But Cooper has an even more pressing concern on his mind. Several people around Grundy have been the victims of wolf attacks, and since Cooper has no memory of what he gets up to while in werewolf form, he’s worried that he might be the violent canine in question.

If a wolf cries wolf, it makes sense to listen, yet Mo is convinced that Cooper is not the culprit. Except if he’s not responsible, then who is? And when a werewolf falls head over haunches in love with you, what are you supposed to do anyway? The rules of dating just got a whole lot more complicated

My Review:

I love this book, it’s a very cute and fun read. I also really like Mo’s character. She is the perfect blend of sass, determination, strength and understanding! She moves to Alaska half running away from her parents and half just trying to find a home for herself. What she finds in Alaska is a rude werewolf neighbor and the mystery of whether or not he is responsible for wolf attacks in the area. I have to say that I was able to guess who the attacker was but that did not make the book any less enjoyable.

- - -

Thanks again Nancy @ http://www.amusingreviews.blogspot.com/  for passing this great book along to me!!

Random Crumb

Today in 1894
In Vicksburg, Mississippi, USA, Coca-Cola is sold in bottles for the first time.

The Werewolf Upstairs (The Strange Neighbors #2) by Ashlyn Chase

I didn't realize (until just now) that this was the second book of a series, woops! Guess I will have to go back and read the first book one of these days.

Goodreads Summary:
 Desperate for change, public defender Roz Wells decides moving into a new apartment is just what she needs to shake things up. But she'll get more than she bargained for when she starts dating the drop dead gorgeous boy next door, who just happens to be a shape-shifter...and quite possibly a criminal. Security salesman Konrad Wolfensen has made a living staging break-ins to spook people into buying his security system, but when he's accused of a much more serious crime, he'll have to enlist the help of his sexy new neighbor/girlfriend to keep his cute, slightly wild rear end out of jail.



My Review:

Life definitely gets interesting for Roz when she moves into an apartment building of supernaturals, especially since she's not sure she believes in werewolves, ghosts and vampires. Throughout the story she is on a roller coaster of discovery, career choices, and love.

This is a cute story with a lot of very likable characters. Just be forewarned there are a few steamy scenes, so if you're not into that you may want to pass on this book.

Red Riding Hood - The Movie

**Slight Spoilers if you haven't read the book**

I decided to write my review tonight instead of waiting until tomorrow.

Red Riding Hood (the book) ended without telling you who the wolf is, but it did give you a date that you could find a bonus chapter online...well that date is next week. As much as I wanted to know who the wolf was at the end of the book, I think it definitely gave the movie an nice edge.

The movie mostly stuck to the same story line as the book but it picks up where the book left off and we find out who the wolf is. My lips are sealed, but I will say that my guess was wrong!

Overall, I enjoyed the book a little more than the movie, but the movie definitely did not disappoint! I highly recommend both!

For my review of Red Riding Hood (the book) click here

Movie Night

I'm sitting in the theater waiting for Red Riding Hood to start!  I will also be finishing Werewolf Upstairs tonight....reviews of both to come tomorrow!!!

Home Remedies

I found an article online this morning (7 Home Remedies That Actually Work) and 2 of the 7 remedies caught my eye. The other 5 are a little more common.

The first one is eating olives to cure motion sickness.

I’ve been having more problems with motion sickness the past few years so that’s why this one caught my eye. The only problem is, I detest olives and I think eating them would probably cause puking much faster than the motion sickness would!! So, even though this may be a miracle cure, I think I will be sticking with my old friend Dramamine!

‘According to the National Library of Medicine, there are a number of symptoms that present themselves as a result of motion sickness, including increased salivation, which is the body’s way of protecting the teeth from the high doses of acid accompanied by vomit. Enter olives, which contain tannins that, when released in the mouth, work to dry saliva—first eliminating the symptom and then the body’s instinct to follow suit. However, the treatment is only effective during the early stages of nausea, when the salivation changes first appear.’

The second remedy is an interesting method for preventing tension headaches.

‘While doctors aren’t sure why we do it, clenching our teeth is a common side effect of stress. According to Fred Sheftell, MD, director of the New England Center for Headache in Stamford, Connecticut, when we clench up, we strain the muscle that connects the jaw to the temples, which can trigger a tension headache. By placing a pencil between our teeth—but not biting down—we relax our jaw muscles, which eradicates tension and reduces pain. Just remember, the remedy really only applies to tension headaches—not migraines or headaches caused by sinus pressure, etc.’

If you want to read the full article click here.

Rain Rain Go Away

Come again when I don't have an appointment over lunch!

It’s official, I don’t have any more orthodontist appointments! Yay! I had braces for about two years and they were taken off in the summer of ’09 so today was my last follow up appointment!! I think I celebrated too early though, because what happened next brought me back down to earth.

Swinging by McDonalds on my way back to the office has become a habit after orthodontist or dentist appointments (my small way of sticking it to the man maybe?). Anyway after that pit stop I made it as far as the office parking lot until I realized I had to figure out how to balance my purse, keys, a salad, sweet tea and my umbrella if I wanted to make it inside without getting drenched. I was definitely regretting my other habit…parking at the far end of the parking lot! I thought I had it all figured out, but boy was I wrong! I had the salad and tea in one hand and my unopened umbrella in the other and thought ‘now what, I don’t have a third hand to open the umbrella’. Somehow I managed to open the umbrella, only it picked that exact moment to break and not open completely. During that mini fiasco I had also managed to poke a large hole in my sweet tea cup and was successfully dumping it all over myself. So I laughed at the situation, gave up, closed my car door, ducked under the semi opened umbrella, dumped out my sweet tea next to my car, and finally made my way to the door. With the way my luck was, I’m almost surprised I didn’t trip myself on the way in. Now, an hour later, I am dry and back to being excited about bidding adieu to the orthodontist!

Here's a picture of the lovely rain in the area...

RAK – Random Acts of Kindness

This is my first month participating in RAK and I am really enjoying it! It’s pretty much a new twist to a book swap.

Book Soulmates came up with the brilliant idea; click here if you want to learn more.

I just mailed out two RAK books today. I’ve also received a RAK eBook and another RAK book is on its way! It’s a lot of fun!


RAK I’m awaiting:

How to Flirt With a Naked Werewolf by Molly Harper
From Nancy @ http://www.amusingreviews.blogspot.com/

RAK I’ve received:

Matched by Ally Condie (ebook)
From Ivy @ http://ivyreads.blogspot.com/

I can’t wait to read both books! Thanks again Nancy & Ivy, you’re both awesome!!

Random Crumb - Today in History

Today in 1817 the New York Stock Exchange is founded.

How To Marry a Millionaire Vampire (Love at Stake #1) by Kerrelyn Sparks

Goodreads Summary:

So what if he's a bit older and usually regards a human female as dinner, not a dinner date? Yes, Roman Draganesti is a vampire, but a vampire who lost one of his fangs sinking his teeth into something he shouldn't have. Now he has one night to find a dentist before his natural healing abilities close the wound, leaving him a lop–sided eater for all eternity.

Things aren't going well for Shanna Whelan either...After witnessing a gruesome murder by the Russian mafia, she's next on their hit list. And her career as a dentist appears to be on a downward spiral because she's afraid of blood. When Roman rescues her from an assassination attempt, she wonders if she's found the one man who can keep her alive. Though the attraction between them is immediate and hot, can Shanna conquer her fear of blood to fix Roman's fang? And if she does, what will prevent Roman from using his fangs on her…

My Review:

What do you get when you mix Russian Mafia, Russian Vampire assassins, Scottish Vampires (in kilts no less), bombs, CIA Vampire Hunters, love, heartbreak, and a few laugh out loud moments? Well you get ‘How to Marry a Millionaire Vampire’ of course! The title doesn’t completely match the book in my opinion.

There are a couple of annoying things (for example, Roman saying ‘God’s Blood’ a hundred times…ok, that number may be exaggerated a little) but other than that, this book has a nice mix of things that kept the story interesting.

The Tapestry of Love by Rosy Thornton

Goodreads Description:

A warm and uplifting story of how a woman falls in love with a place and its people: landscape, a community and a fragile way of life.

A rural idyll: that's what Catherine is seeking when she sells her house in England and moves to a tiny hamlet in the Cévennes mountains. With her divorce in the past and her children grown, she is free to make a new start, and her dream is to set up in business as a seamstress. But this is a harsh and lonely place when you're no longer just here on holiday. There is French bureaucracy to contend with, not to mention the mountain weather, and the reserve of her neighbours, including the intriguing Patrick Castagnol. And that's before the arrival of Catherine's sister, Bryony…

My Review:

I read this book today…well all except for the first 18 pages that I had read earlier in the week.

This story is about a divorced mother of two who moved from London to the sometimes bittersweet mountains of France to pursue her dream tapestry business. It follows Catherine through her business/personal woes but at the same time it paints a beautiful picture of her surroundings and her becoming one with the mountains and neighbors.

This book is what I will call a slow read, which is not a bad thing in this case. It’s just that you cannot really rush through it like with a lot of books. I think this book is meant for someone who reads with patience. There are a lot of detailed descriptions and you want to make sure you can soak it all in.

Time For A Change

I saw another blog with the same background as mine so I figured it was time for a little change.

I love flowers (especially daisies) and my favorite color is blue so I figured this would be a good fit!


**Side note, have you ever stared at a word so long that it just doesn't look right anymore even though you know it's spelled correctly. 'Especially' is that word for me right now.

Inside Out & Outside In Signed Books

Check out the Paranormal Romance Blog for a chance to win signed copies of Maria V. Snyder's Inside Out and Outside In books!!

Inside Out Goodreads Summary:

Keep Your Head Down.
Don't Get Noticed.
Or Else.
 
I'm Trella. I'm a scrub. A nobody. One of thousands who work the lower levels, keeping Inside clean for the Uppers. I've got one friend, do my job and try to avoid the Pop Cops. So what if I occasionally use the pipes to sneak around the Upper levels? The only neck at risk is my own…until I accidentally start a rebellion and become the go-to girl to lead a revolution.

Outside In Goodreads Summary:

Me? A Leader? Okay, I did prove that there's more to Inside than we knew. That a whole world exists beyond this cube we live in. And finding that led to a major rebellion - between worker scrubs like me and the snobby uppers who rule our world. Make that ruled. Because of me, we're free. I thought that meant I was off the hook, and could go off on my own again - while still touching base with Riley, of course. He's the one upper I think I can trust. But then we learned that there's outside and then there is Outside. And something from Outside wants In

24 Hour Read-a-Thon

On a random whim I decided to sign up for a 24 hour read-a-thon! It will be a first for me, but it sounds like a fun challenge!!

April 9th is the magic day. It will be 24 hours of reading, posting status updates, and reading some more!!

Here's the link if you want to learn more
http://24hourreadathon.com/

Awakened (House of Night #8) by P.C. Cast, Kristin Cast

Goodreads book summary:

At the start of Awakened, the pulse-pounding eighth installment of the bestselling House of Night series, Zoey has returned, mostly whole, from the Otherworld to her rightful place as High Priestess at the House of Night. Her friends are just glad to have her back, but after losing her human consort, Heath, will Zoey—or her relationship with her super- hot Warrior, Stark—ever be the same? Stevie Rae is drawn even closer to Rephaim, the Raven Mocker with whom she shares a mysterious and powerful Imprint, but he is a dangerous secret that isolates her from her school, her red fledglings, and even her best friends. When the dark threat of Neferet—who is coming closer and closer to achieving her twisted goal of immortality—and Kalona returns, what will it take to keep the House of Night from being lost forever, and what will one desperate girl do to keep her heart from being irreparably broken?

My review:

I actually read this book a couple weeks ago and almost wrote a review when I finished but that review may have ended up being a little too harsh. So here we are, two weeks later, and I still have a slightly bad taste in my mouth over this book.  I don’t want to rant since overall it is a good series so I will keep this short and semi-sweet.

For me, Awakened doesn’t rise to the same level as the previous 7 books in the series. I give it a 3.5 out of 5 where the others ranked higher. In other words, it was good but not great.

In previous books there was more of a balance between the good twists vs the bad but this time around it seemed like even the good things are going wrong. There were a few redeeming points but overall I was left disappointed.

Random Crumb - Today in History

Today in 1880 Pennsylvania was the first American state to abolish slavery.