ON MY WISHLIST

Like most bloggers, I have a huge wishlist of books that I am dying to read.  In my case, most of them have not been released yet, which makes waiting to read them even harder :)  Here are but a few samples:



31 Dates in 31 Days by Tamara Duricka Johnson

31 Dates in 31 Days by Tamara Duricka Johnson














Lessons in Letting Go by Corinne Grant



Lessons in Letting Go by Corinne Grant












Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

How to Rock Braces and Glasses by Meg Haston

 Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins













How to Rock Braces and Glasses by Meg Haston












Notes from an Accidental Band Geek by Erin Dionne

 Notes from an Accidental Band Geek by Erin Dionne

You have Seven Messages by Stewart Lewis

You have Seven Messages by Stewart Lewis

IN MY MAILBOX - Week Ending August 27, 2011

A very, very quiet week in books.  Here is what came to my house.

From the publisher for review:

• A Decade of Hope by Dennis Smith (for review)
• Death and Decay by Jonathan Maberry (for review)
• The Joy of Spooking - Fiendish Deeds by PJ Barcegirdle (for review and author event)

REVIEW for Thieves get Caught, Saints get Shot

Thank you to Penguin US for sending me a copy of this book.

TITLE:              Thieves get Caught, Saints Get Shot

AUTHOR:        Jodi Compton

GENRE:           Thriller

RATING:         3.5 Stars

I have never read anything by Jodi Compton before although I have to admit that I had heard some positive things in the past.  When Penguin offered to send me a copy of this book, I jumped on the chance.

As you can see, I gave it a 3.5 rating.  I liked parts of the storyline very much.  In fact, the main character of Hailey was one of the more interesting and fascinating main characters I had read in a long time.  Kind of like a mixture of Cagney and Lacey and Ma Barker - only wayyyy younger and prettier.  (Yeah, I know - weird combo - but that is where my mind went).

What I found a little bit off putting about this book is the pace.  For a thriller, at times, it felt a little bogged down to me - too much information in some areas and not enough in other areas and this made reading this novel a little difficult at times.

However, once I found myself involved thoroughly in the plot, I was hooked.  There is a lot going on in here and you have to keep focused on the action, as there are seveal subplots of sorts.  Overall though, this one kept my attention and made me sorry to see it end.

REVIEW for Flash and Bones

Thank you, thank you goes out to Simon & Schuster Canada for so kindly sending me a copy of this book.

TITLE:              Flash and Bones

AUTHOR:        Kathy Reichs

GENRE:           Thriller

RATING:         2.5 Stars

****** SPOILER ALERT*******

I definitely have a love/hate relationship with this author. While I have always made a point of reading all of her books, I have sometimes found myself in the very uncomfortable position of having to write reviews that have been less than complimentary.  Yet, for some reason, I continue to want to read her books and I admit that I even get excited when I know she is going to release a new one.

Not sure what that is about, but there you have it.

Now, as for Flash and Bones, I guess my overall review would start with this question - huh?

I kept reading page after page with the hope that the storyline would get engrossing as this is supposed to be a thriller - but I never got there.

As always, Reichs chooses a topic, in this case it was Nascar Racing, and explains it to death.  I have gotten use to this with her and I can usually just jump over it, but to be honest, this book felt more like the history of Nascar than a thriller.  Thanks to Reichs, I now know more about Nascar than I ever want to, including more facts on Montreal born Jacques Villeneuve than I ever want to know.

As I said, I would not have minded all of this if, somewhere in this novel, I could detect even a hint of intrigue.  The pace was glacial and on the off chance that something remotely interesting started happening, the author would stop in midstream to give us a tidbit of information that we did not really need, which completely interupted the flow of the story.

Actually, as I reread this book review, I realize that I simply found this book kind of boring.  I found myself wanting to jump several pages ahead in the hopes of finding some action.

The parts I did love are all about the relationships.  I liked the banter between Slidell and Tempe (it was a nice change of pace from Ryan) and I love it when Tempe and Birdie are together.  The introduction of Galimore was kind of forced, in my opinion, as I could see where this was going from the very first second.

A word on the book cover.  Wow!  could it be more boring? and I am still trying to figure out the connection between the book cover and the story.

While I obviously did not enjoy this book, for some weird reason, I already know that I will be picking up the next Temperance Brennan novel anyway.

IN MY MAILBOX - Week Ending August 21, 2011

Wow! August is almost over.  Here is what came into my house this week.

From the Atwater Library sale:

• Final Takedown by Brent R. Sherrard (this is part of the Sidestreets series and is great but very expensive when you buy them new. 119 pages for $9.95! But I paid .50 cents
• Stalked by Christine Hart (same series) .50 cents
• After All, you're Callie Bonne by Winnie Mack. This is middle grade but I like the storyline .50 cents
• But I love Him by Amanda Grace $1.00
• Recipe for Disaster by Marueen Fergus $1.00
• Borderline by Allan Stratton $1.00

From the publisher (for review):

• Flash and Bones by Kathy Reichs (for review)
• The Whole Package by Cynthia Ellingsen (for review)
• The Eleventh Plague by Jeff Hirsch (for review) (not pictured)

BLOG TOUR STOP FOR: Rules of the Tunnel

WELCOME TO THE BLOG TOUR FOR NED ZEMAN and his book:  RULES OF THE TUNNEL

TITLE:              Rules of the Tunnel, My Brief Period of Madness

AUTHOR:        Ned Zeman

GENRE:           Memoir

RATING:         4 Stars

I love reading this type of book - IF it is well written.  Fortunately, Rules of the Tunnel is an excellent read.

This memoir was written by the author after he basically exhausted just about every treatment available for major depression, including some scary episodes with ECT.  Zeman saw all of his life affected, in an obviously negative way and would no longer stand for it.  Thanks to a bit of good luck and some wonderful people who stood by him, he broke out of this cycle and slowly rebuilt his life.

While the author was not always likeable (he tended to be somewhat self-centered) he managed to describe his experiences in an honest manner that, strangely, made him more likeable to me.  It did not hurt that he also had a great sense of humor - as he describes his episodes.

Would this guy ever end up being my friend?  probably not, but I do admire his courage and honesty in telling us his story.

LIBRARY STASH - OH MY!!

Every year, the Atwater Library, which is a private library and is housed in a beautiful old building (over 100 years old) holds it lawn book sale (complete with bbq).  Well, today was the day and they could not have asked for a more perfect weather day!

Library sale  - beautiful sunny day in Montreal

I have to say that last year, Avis from http://www.shereadsandreads.blogspot.com/  and I "hit" the sale and were disappointed, which is why I did not hold much hope for this year but, you know, its a book sale, so I decided to go anyway and was joined by fellow book bloggers Cindy from http://www.cindysloveofbooks.blogspot.com/ and her son Michael and Lucy from http://www.moonlightgleam.blogspot.com/.

For me, the first few tables I saw were pretty uninspiring (although Cindy and Lucy disagreed with me).  However, things got very exciting when we all hit the YA table sponsored by the Montrel Children's Library, which is housed in the same building but is a separate library (a new addition this year since they never had one last year).  Now, things were getting very interesting.  Having said that, however, I don't read dystopia or anything with vampires and the undead so my options were limited.  I did manage to snag some great stuff despite my "reading limitations" and here is a picture.  All of this for $4.50.  The biggest bargain in town!

I got: 

• Final Takedown by Brent R. Sherrard (this is part of the Sidestreets series and is great but very expensive when you buy them new.  119 pages for $9.95!  But I paid .50 cents
• Stalked by Christine Hart (same series)  .50 cents
• After All, you're Callie Bonne by Winnie Mack.  This is middle grade but I like the storyline .50 cents
• But I love Him by Amanda Grace $1.00
• Recipe for Disaster by Marueen Fergus $1.00
• Borderline by Allan Stratton $1.00

My STASH

I know that Cindy found some wonderful stuff for herself and so did Michael, but Lucy went book crazy and actually ended up with a box, yes a box of books.  While we were talking to the guy at the YA table (who seemed thrilled to have all of us salivating around his books) he mentioned that there were "more boxes in the basement".  Well, this was all we needed to hear - and we begged, (we have no shame) to "see" these mythical boxes.  We went to the basement of the Atwater library and entered an enchanted place - books EVERYWHERE! surrounded by old bookshelves and shelving that dates from the early 1900's I was amazed by the entire thing.  It reeminded me of something directly out of an old Dickens novel.  Of course, you would have thought I would have taken a few pictures, but nope - too overwhelmed by everything to think about it!  Although, I did take some pictures.

The YA book table - you ain't seen nothing yet!

Well, we went through the boxes and I managed to find a few books and so did Cindy and Lucy.

I have to take a moment to thank the wonderful ladies (and gentleman) from the Montreal Children's Library who were so kind in letting us basically invade their space with our book craziness!!

We had fun!! Here we are relaxing after a hard day of book shopping (note the box of books):

I think we are all a little book crazy - and it starts young!!!

BLOG TOUR STOP for Blow Me

I was lucky enough to receive a copy of this book for review from the wonderful website http://chicklitplusblogtours.wordpress.com/2011/06/21/blow-me-by-lennie-ross/

TITLE:                     Blow Me

AUTHOR:               Lennie Ross

GENRE:                  Chick Lit

RATING:                4 Stars

I love all things chick lit and I am always excited to discover new authors.  Fortunately, I was recently offered the opportunity of reading and reviewing Blow Me by Lennie Ross.

I was quite excited to receive the book and to "dig in".  First, I will start off with the negative.  I have to admit that I was not a fan of the cover or the title of this book.  I thought that both made the story (and the book) sound cheesy.  Fortunately, while the title and book cover could have been better, the storyline was entertaining, funny and wonderful (thank god!).

I am not certain which of the three main characters I liked the most.  Skylar, Dawn and Chloe are all approaching that dreaded 4-0 and somehow cannot seem to get their acts together for more than 5 minutes at a time. 

I loved that these smart (most of the time) women were experiencing life issues and, more importantly trying to deal with them to the best of their abilities (usually).  This was done in a funny, yet touching manner making me feel as though I am not the only person in the world who goes through things that are less than pleasant.

I think that this is the best part of this book - the overall message that life and life's ups and downs can be handled with friendship, humor and a healthy does of caffeine.

Many people have compared this book to the La La Land version of Sex and the City - sure, I can see where that would be true, but I like the fact that this author took her story and characters and just ran with them.

I have to say that I did particularly enjoy the Chloe character - French Canadian - need I say more?

This was a great read, I really enjoyed it alot.  Don't let the cover fool you.

IN MY MAILBOX FOR WEEK ENDING AUGUST 14, 2011

Time for another In My Mailbox.  I got some amazing stuff this week and could not figure out which book to start with.

 From Ebay:

• We all Fall Down by Michael Harvey

From Abe Books:

• The Killing Song by P.J. Parrish

From the Publisher (for review):

• Shut Out by Kody Keplinger (for review)
• Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor (for review)
• Very cool beach towel ( his name is Sergio) -here is a picture:
• Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow by Claudia Carroll (for review)
• How to Survive the Titanic the Sinking of J. Bruce Ismay by Frances Wilson (for review)

From the author (for review):

• It`s a Waverly Life (chick lit!!!) by Maria Murnane (I loved, loved her first book Perfect on Paper and just about did a cartwheel when I heard that she had written a second book).  She is one of the most professional and pleasant authors I have ever emailed and has graciously sent me a copy of her book to read and review.  I can`t wait to read it!

REVIEW for Ten Things We Did (and probably shouldn't have)

Thank you to the wonderful HarperCollins Canada for sending me this book for review!

TITLE:                Ten Things We Did (and probably shouldn't have)

AUTHOR:           Sarah Mlynowski

GENRE:              YA

RATING:            3.5 Stars

I am a big fan of Sarah Mlynowski as she has written some favorite chick lit books.  I was excited to get my hands on this book as the storyline sounded very interesting and loaded with plotline capabilities.

Ten Things We Did is about two teenage girls who get to discover, firsthand, what it really is like to have "the run of the house" without any parent supervision.  As a "former" teenage girl I can still remember how much I craved that - an empty house to whatever I wanted.  As an adult however, I cringe at the scary possibilities.

Actually, this is the aspect that the author explores in this novel.  How teenagers handle a situation where they are called upon (expected) to act responsibly, all the while, fighting things like hormones, peer pressure and simply wanting to explore new things.

This read was engaging because it sort of gives us both side of this equation.  Where Vi and April have become popular because they can now throw parties at any time, you can also easily see that both girls come to realize that they must make some serious decisions about their present, which could easily affect the rest of their lives.

I rated this book a 3.5 stars because I loved the storyline, but felt that the pace was a little slow which left my mind alot of time to wander.  Otherwise, an important novel for all YA who keep thinking that things would be perfect "if only they could have the house to themselves for a while".

REVIEW for The Faculty Club

Thank you to Simon & Schuster for sending this book along to me.

TITLE:                   The Faculty Club

AUTHOR:              Danny Tobey

GENRE:                 Thriller/Horror

RATING:                4 Stars

I had heard so many different things about this book that I was absolutely dying to get my hands on it and check it out for myself.

The Faculty Club is exactly the type I love.  Part thriller and part horror - all with a school setting that, quite frankly, gave me the creeps.  Yep, this book is creepy, from the first chapter where our main character, who is just a little too eager to succeed, to the last page where you feel as though you have gone on quite a ride of natural and supernatural events.

Jeremy Davis is finally at law school and is being noticed.  In fact, he is on the short list as a nomination for the highly secretive a V and D - a secret society located at his school.  It is rumored that if you "get in", your future is assured.

However, Davis gets alot more than he bargained for when he is not chosen and sets up to discover what (and who) this club is all above.

The description of the rituals and the dialogue is great as I felt as though I was right in the room with them.  I love all the hush/hush happenings and the constantly unanswered or half answered questions.  It felt to me as though most of this book was set in deep, dark corners with conversations being conducted in half tones.

As we near the middle to end of the book, you can start seeing alot more supernatural powers at work - which is fine with me as I thought they fit in quite well with the storyline and the original set up.

The writing drew me in and the dialogue is spot on. I loved it.

IN MY MAILBOX - Week Ending August 6, 2011

Another week - another In My Mailbox post (these seem to come so fast - wish the books appeared as quickly).

From the library:

• To the Bone by Neil McMahon
• Ugly Betty DVD season 4 (this means this series is done)

From Abe books:

• Learning to Breathe by Priscilla Warner
• Knit with Love by Lisa Bogart
• Shut Out by Kody Keplinger
• Unwasted by Sacha Z. Scoblic
• Populazzi by Elise Allen
• Kane Richards Must Die by Shanice Williams

From The Book Depository (replenishing my stockpile):

• The Sweetest Thing by Christina Mandelski
• The Elevator by Angela Hunt
• Working it Out (chick lit!!) by Nicola May
• Read my Hips by Kim Brittingham

For review from the publishers:

• The Vault by Boyd Morrison (for review)

For review by the author:

• Rock Star's Girl by J.F. Kristin



REVIEW for All The Things You Are

Thank you, thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada for sending me a copy of this book.

TITLE:               All the Things You Are

AUTHOR:          Courtney Sheinmel

GENRE:             Middle Grade

RATING:           4 Stars

The first word that comes to mind as I am writing this review is "cute".  While I don't normally read a lot of middle grade books, this one caught my eye and I absolutely thought it was a great little read.

Carly Wheeler has a great life - complete with best friend and a great relationship with her  mother who works on a very popular soap opera.  Except that all of this is about to change when her mom is suddenly accused of stealing.

Firstly, I love Carly.  While her "perfect" life is thrown into chaos, she remains a grounded, no fuss/no muss character.  She is not annoying and she is not a spoiled brat - what a nice change of pace.

Secondly, the author does a great job of showing us the "before" and "after".  How quickly lives can get destroyed and how you just simply can't know what is going inside a person's mind/life by just looking at them.

Thirdly, for a middle grade book, this storyline packs a serious punch - showing us how delicate life can be, but if you have friends, family and hope anything is possible.

Well written, highly entertaining, heartbreaking at times and always, always written with humility and respect.  Loved this book.

REVIEW for He's So Not Worth It

Thank you to the wonderful Simon & Schuster Canada for sending me a copy of this book.

TITLE:                         He's So Not Worth It

AUTHOR:                   Kieran Scott

GENRE:                      YA

RATING:                    3 Stars

I started reading Kieran Scott novels when I discovered her "cheerleaders" series and I loved each and every book in that series.

He's so Not Worth It is actually book 2 of a trilogy and while I did not hate this book, I just did not enjoy it as much as I did the "cheerleader" series.  Why?  I am not sure, except to say that I did not feel as though I connected with the characters here as much as I would have liked.  Ally and Jake's alternating perspectives (voices and feelings) are well described here, with a particular focus (in my opinion) on Ally who gets to do some travelling this time around.

It just seems to me as though every character is going through some major changing life crisis (even Ally's family) and I was looking for a bit of a "bright" side to everything - which I found a tad difficult to source out.

I think there are too many things going on with too many people for this book to keep me hooked. 

This is a difficult review to write because, as I said, the book wasn't horrible, it just did not leave me with any type of lasting opinion to write about.

REVIEW for Want to Go Private?

A huge, huge thank you goes out to Nikole at Scholastic Canada for sending me a copy of this book.

TITLE:                             Want to Go Private?

AUTHOR:                         Sarah Darer Littman

GENRE:                           YA
RATING:                         5 Stars

First off, I have to say that I ADORED the author's previous book Purge - so  I was entering this read with a very optimistic mind set.

I wanted to fly through this book, but I simply could not.  Not because I did not like the storyline, but because the premise is just so hard to read - and I mean that from an emotional point of view. 

Want to Go Private is about Internet Predators and it is scary, scary, scary.  All I kept thinking, as I read this book was just horrible it must be to be a parent today, when it comes to the security of their children. The second thing I kept thinking about is how can one human being do something so horrendous to another?  especially helpless children who think they are grown up - but aren't.

Want to Go Private is very, very raw and clearly shows us, from the very, very beginning just how a bright young girl (Abby) can so easily be manipulated by a sexual predator - despite all the warnings she has gotten in her life. 

You will find yourself gritting your teeth, yelling at Abby (I did) and basically wanting to kill the sexual predator.  I identified with Abby as she feels lonely and goes looking for friends on the Net.  I felt for her parents who are completely blindsinded by the entire experience and I felt for Faith who is Abby's best friend and struggles to help (and find) her best friend.

If you are someone who likes to read more fluffy books, then this one is not for you, but if you want to read about real life - then you will want to pick this book up.

The author deals with pedophiles and sexuality in a very sensitive manner - giving us the point of view of Abby, Lily (Abby's sister), Faith (Abby's best friend) and Billy (Abby's lab partner and friend). 

I loved, loved this book - even if I could only read a few pages at one sitting -