Book #116 Desire Unchained: A Demonica Novel (The Demonica Series)

Desire Unchained: A Demonica Novel (The Demonica Series) by Larissa Ione

4 out of 5

Product Description

Pleasure is their ultimate weapon . . . Runa Wagner never meant to fall in love with the sexy stranger who seemed to know her every deepest desire. But she couldn't resist the unbelievable passion that burned between them, a passion that died when she discovered his betrayal and found herself forever changed. Now, determined to make Shade pay for the transformation that haunts her, Runa searches for him, only to be taken prisoner by his darkest enemy. A Seminus Demon with a love-curse that threatens him with eternal torment, Shade hoped he'd seen the last of Runa and her irresistible charm. But when he wakes up in a dank dungeon chained next to an enraged and mysteriously powerful Runa, he realizes that her effect on him is more dangerous than ever. As their captor casts a spell that bonds them as lifemates, Shade and Runa must fight for their lives and their hearts-or succumb to a madman's evil plans.

Another wonderful read in this series that you won't be able to put down. This has the right amount of snappy dialogue and believable characters (well, as far as you can make a demon believable) with romance that is not forced. I highly recommend this series to any one who enjoys their paranormal romance a little on the steamy side.

Product Details
Mass Market Paperback: 416 pages
Publisher: Forever (March 1, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 044640098X
ISBN-13: 978-0446400985

Book #115 City of Ashes (Mortal Instruments)

City of Ashes (Mortal Instruments) by Cassandra Clare

5 out of 5

Product Description

Clary Fray just wishes that her life would go back to normal. But what's normal when you're a demon-slaying Shadowhunter, your mother is in a magically induced coma, and you can suddenly see Downworlders like werewolves, vampires, and faeries? If Clary left the world of the Shadowhunters behind, it would mean more time with her best friend, Simon, who's becoming more than a friend. But the Shadowhunting world isn't ready to let her go -- especially her handsome, infuriating, newfound brother, Jace. And Clary's only chance to help her mother is to track down rogue Shadowhunter Valentine, who is probably insane, certainly evil -- and also her father.
To complicate matters, someone in New York City is murdering Downworlder children. Is Valentine behind the killings -- and if he is, what is he trying to do? When the second of the Mortal Instruments, the Soul-Sword, is stolen, the terrifying Inquisitor arrives to investigate and zooms right in on Jace. How can Clary stop Valentine if Jace is willing to betray everything he believes in to help their father?
In this breathtaking sequel to City of Bones, Cassandra Clare lures her readers back into the dark grip of New York City's Downworld, where love is never safe and power becomes the deadliest temptation.

About the Author

Cassandra Clare is the author of City of Bones, the first book in the Mortal Instruments trilogy and a New York Times bestseller. She was born overseas and spent her early years traveling around the world with her family and several trunks of books. Cassandra lives in Brooklyn with her boyfriend, their two cats, and these days, even more books.
www.mortalinstruments.com

For readers missing Harry Potter, this book will help! I think I read this in about 6 hours as I couldn't put it down. This is really suitable for all ages, but there is some violence, some kissing, and well, nothing worse that wasn't in Harry Potter. Just an excellent story all around. I just got the third and last installment, City of Glass, but I will really be sad when this ends. I hope the author has more stories like this planned.

Product Details
Reading level: Young Adult
Paperback: 496 pages
Publisher: McElderry; Reprint edition (March 24, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1416972242
ISBN-13: 978-1416972242

Book #114 Pygmy

Pygmy by Chuck Palahniuk

3 out of 5

Product Description
The Manchurian Candidate meets South Park—Chuck Palahniuk’s finest novel since the generation-defining Fight Club.“Begins here first account of operative me, agent number 67 on arrival Midwestern American airport greater _____ area. Flight _____. Date _____. Priority mission top success to complete. Code name: Operation Havoc.”Thus speaks Pygmy, one of a handful of young adults from a totalitarian state sent to the United States, disguised as exchange students, to live with typical American families and blend in, all the while planning an unspecified act of massive terrorism. Palahniuk depicts Midwestern life through the eyes of this thoroughly indoctrinated little killer, who hates us with a passion, in this cunning double-edged satire of an American xenophobia that might, in fact, be completely justified. For Pygmy and his fellow operatives are cooking up something big, something truly awful, that will bring this big dumb country and its fat dumb inhabitants to their knees.It’s a comedy. And a romance.

About the Author
CHUCK PALAHNIUK’s nine previous novels are the bestselling Fight Club, which was made into a film by director David Fincher; Survivor; Invisible Monsters; Choke, which was made into a film by director Clark Gregg; Lullaby; Diary; Haunted; Rant; and Snuff. He is also the author of Fugitives and Refugees, a nonfiction profile of Portland, Oregon, published as part of the Crown Journeys series, and the nonfiction collection Stranger Than Fiction. He lives in the Pacific Northwest.

I was warned about this book and almost didn't finish it. The author tries to write the whole book without the word "the" being used when the protagonist speaks. Other characters use the word but with great restraint. I almost couldn't read it due to the graphic nature of certain scenes and don't think I could recommend this book to anyone except those that like the truly bizaare.

Product Details
Hardcover: 256 pages
Publisher: Doubleday; First Edition, First Printing edition (May 5, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0385526342
ISBN-13: 978-0385526340

Book #113 Finger Lickin' Fifteen (Stephanie Plum Novels)

Finger Lickin' Fifteen (Stephanie Plum Novels) by Janet Evanovich

4 out of 5

Product Description

The next Stephanie Plum novel, in which complications arise, loyalties are tested, cliffhangers are resolved, and donuts are eaten.

About the Author

JANET EVANOVICH is the #1 bestselling author of the Stephanie Plum novels, twelve romance novels, the Alexandra Barnaby novels, and How I Write: Secrets of a Bestselling Author. She lives in New Hampshire and Florida along with her St. Bernard granddog Barnaby.

I just love these quick reads by Janet Evanovich. My husband did read the first few with me and he said that the names and places change a little bit, but the story is pretty much the same in all of the books. I agree that this is true, but they never fail to make me laugh and this one was no exception. This latest Plum installment did focus more on Lula and it was a nice change of pace. You really can't go wrong with this series if you are looking for a light summer read.

Product Details
Hardcover: 320 pages
Publisher: St. Martin's Press; 1 edition (June 23, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0312383282
ISBN-13: 978-0312383282

Book #112 Not Quite What I Was Planning, Revised and Expanded Deluxe Edition

Not Quite What I Was Planning, Revised and Expanded Deluxe Edition: Six-Word Memoirs by Writers Famous and Obscure by Larry Smith & Rachel Fershleiser

4 out of 5

Product Description
Deceptively simple and surprisingly addictive, Not Quite What I Was Planning is a thousand glimpses of humanity—six words at a time.
When Ernest Hemingway famously wrote, "For Sale: baby shoes, never worn," he proved that an entire story can be told using a half-dozen words. When the online storytelling magazine SMITH asked readers to submit six-word memoirs, they proved a whole, real life can be told this way, too. The results are fascinating, hilarious, shocking, and moving.
From small sagas of bittersweet romance ("Found true love, married someone else") to proud achievements and stinging regrets ("After Harvard, had baby with crackhead"), these terse true tales relate the diversity of human experience in tasty bite-size pieces.
The original edition of Not Quite What I Was Planning spent six weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, and thanks to massive media attention—from NPR to the The New Yorker—the six-word memoir concept spread to classrooms, dinner tables, churches, synagogues, and tens of thousands of blogs. This deluxe edition has been revised and expanded to include more than sixty never-before-seen memoirs.
From authors Elizabeth Gilbert, Richard Ford, and Joyce Carol Oates to celebrities Stephen Colbert, Mario Batali, and Joan Rivers to ordinary folks around the world, everyone has a six-word story to tell.

I picked this up at the library not realizing I had already read the first version. I don't remember half the quotes in this new edition, so it seemed like they added a lot to it. This is very fun and quick and will have you trying to think up your own six word memoir.

Product Details
Hardcover: 256 pages
Publisher: Harper (October 21, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0061713716
ISBN-13: 978-0061713712

Book #111 Prom Dates from Hell (Maggie Quinn: Girl vs Evil, Book 1)

Prom Dates from Hell (Maggie Quinn: Girl vs Evil, Book 1) by Rosemary Clement-Moore

3 out of 5

Product Description

Maggie Quinn, Girl reporter. Honors student, newspaper staffer, yearbook photographer. Six weeks from graduation and all she wants to do is get out of Avalon High in one piece. Fate seems to have different plans for her.High school may be a natural breeding ground for evil, but the scent of fire and brimstone is still a little out of the ordinary. It's the distinct smell of sulfur that makes Maggie suspect that something's a bit off. And when realTwilight Zone stuff starts happening to the school's ruling clique—the athletic elite and the head cheerleader and her minions, all of whom happen to be named Jessica—Maggie realizes it's up to her to get in touch with her inner Nancy Drew and ferret out who unleashed the ancient evil before all hell breaks loose.Maggie has always suspected that prom is the work of the devil, but it looks like her attendance will be mandatory. Sometimes a girl's got to do some pretty undesirable things if she wants to save her town from soul-crushing demons from hell and the cheerleading squad. edition.

About the Author

Rosemary Clement-Moore lives in Texas. This is her first book for young readers.

This story has a slow start, but I did enjoy it once I got into it around page 100. I hope the next one has a bit faster pace.

Product Details
Reading level: Young Adult
Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers (April 22, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0385734131
ISBN-13: 978-0385734134

Book #110 City of Bones (Mortal Instruments)

City of Bones (Mortal Instruments) by Cassandra Clare

5 out of 5

Product Description

Their hidden world is about to be revealed....
When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder -- much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Clary knows she should call the police, but it's hard to explain a murder when the body disappears into thin air and the murderers are invisible to everyone but Clary.
Equally startled by her ability to see them, the murderers explain themselves as Shadowhunters: a secret tribe of warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. Within twenty-four hours, Clary's mother disappears and Clary herself is almost killed by a grotesque demon. But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know....

About the Author: Cassandra Clare worked for several years as an entertainment journalist for the Hollywood Reporter before turning her attention to fiction. The Mortal Instruments trilogy has been on many bestseller lists. Cassandra lives in Brooklyn. Visit her website at cassandraclare.com. Learn more about The Mortal Instruments trilogy at mortalinstruments.com. Learn about her new trilogy The Infernal Devices at theinfernaldevices.com.

This book had all of my favorite elements. It was fast paced, snappy dialogue and characters that are well rounded. Also, it was not overly descriptive, which for a book of almost 500 pages, is just amazing. This is a great summer read for anyone who likes urban fantasy and wants to escape to an alternate world. This book just flew by and I had to go back to the library to get the second one, City of Ashes.

Product Details
Reading level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 496 pages
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry (March 27, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1416914285
ISBN-13: 978-1416914280

Book #109 Year of the Cock: The Remarkable True Account of a Married Man Who Left His Wife and Paid the Price

Year of the Cock: The Remarkable True Account of a Married Man Who Left His Wife and Paid the Price by Alan Wieder

4 out of 5

Product Description

From a powerful new voice in nonfiction comes this electrifying chronicle of a married man who leaves his wife to pursue a carefree bachelorhood - only to plunge into an abyss of shame, regret, and penis envy. Thirty-year-old Alan Wieder has everything a man could possibly want: a nice home in L.A., a thriving Hollywood career, and to top it all off, a beautiful and adoring wife. Then one day in 2005 - the Year of the Rooster - he wakes up with questions: Have I settled down too soon? Am I consigned to a humdrum future of marriage, kiddies, home-cooked meals and hybrid SUVs? How the %&! did this happen to me? And just like that - after ten years in a committed relationship - Alan decides to walk out on his wife to pursue his fantasy of becoming a hardcore bachelor. Explaining very little, thinking even less, he dives into his exhilarating new single existence - buying a vintage Porsche, moving into a tastefully decorated bachelor pad, ignoring his wife, and bedding as many chicks as possible. However, to Alan's surprise and dismay, becoming a single dude also unleashes in him a torrent of crippling insecurities that he didn't even know he had. And soon, his would-be swingin' bachelorhood is cut short - very short - by a strange and shameful obsession that drives him to utter madness. Some men leave their wives only to discover that the grass isn't greener. What Alan Wieder discovers - about the perils of newfound freedom, and about his own fragile male psyche - is far more agonizing and wretched. In this riveting and brutally honest memoir, Alan recounts the true story of his impulsive, wild, and ultimately disastrous foray into bachelorhood. A tragicomic tale of betrayal, sexual (mis)adventure, and ultimately redemption, Year of the Cock marks the debut of a remarkably talented new writer.

About the Author: Alan Wieder is a writer and producer living in Los Angeles.

Be warned-- this is not a book for anyone who doesn't want to read about a guy and his relationship with his, well, you know. This is a very funny book in parts and will appeal to guys in their 20-30's, much like Tucker Max. A memoir that is much like a train wreck, in that you can't imagine that guys think like this and can't stop reading it, but know they are more neurotic than women about their body parts. I know that was a run on sentence, but there were a few chapters in this book that had that quality as well. You just can't possibly imagine that someone could share their obsessions like this, but I am glad the author did.

Product Details
Hardcover: 320 pages
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (July 22, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0446582166
ISBN-13: 978-0446582162

Book #108 The Loved Dog: The Playful, Nonaggressive Way to Teach Your Dog Good Behavior

The Loved Dog: The Playful, Nonaggressive Way to Teach Your Dog Good Behavior by Tamar Geller & Andrea Cagan

4 out of 5

Product Description

Every dog owner must make a choice: Do you want a fearful and submissive pet, or do you want a happy, joyful, and well-mannered member of the family?
Tamar Geller's mission in life is to teach her cruelty-free method of "life coaching" for dogs and their people. Her revolutionary play-training uses mutual understanding and respect -- and puts an end to outdated methods that rely on physical exhaustion, choke chains, prong collars, dominance rollovers, or stressful aggression of any kind.
A former Israeli intelligence officer who witnessed the horrors of military dog training methods, Tamar went on to observe wolves in the wild. She discovered that wolves educate and socialize their cubs with games, bonding, and body language, not dominance or punishment. As a result, she developed teaching systems that address a dog's authentic nature, part wolflike and part toddlerlike. Learning can be a positive experience that dogs enjoy and look forward to, and we can actually make it fun for our dogs to listen to us and behave as we want them to.
Tamar's insights have brought dog training into the twenty-first century, and her groundbreaking techniques have won the approval of the Humane Society of the United States, for which she is a longtime advisor. Her celebrity clients include Oprah Winfrey, Ben Affleck, Courteney Cox-Arquette, Owen Wilson, and the Osbournes, and she has appeared as an expert on the Today show, The Oprah Winfrey Show, Animal Planet, and more.
In The Loved Dog, Tamar gives you all the instruction, insights, and tips you need to teach your dog good manners, as well as to troubleshoot specific problems and unwanted behaviors. She helps you and your dog learn a common language, resulting in a loving, respectful relationship that will bring you years of joy and companionship. Tamar's play-training approach is so gentle, even children can get involved.
Whether you use Tamar's methods to raise a puppy or teach an old dog new tricks, you'll love The Loved Dog.

This is an excellent starting point if you have a new puppy or are looking for a way to make an old dog behave better. I had to deal with both problems when I brought a new dog home. I did hire a trainer and this followed most of his guidelines, so if you need to try something on your own before going to that expense this is a good place to begin. I was looking for a little more about controlling a barking problem and this only had one reference for it.

Product Details
Hardcover: 256 pages
Publisher: Simon Spotlight Entertainment (April 24, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1416938141
ASIN: B0018SUG3Y

Book #107 Godmother: The Secret Cinderella Story

Godmother: The Secret Cinderella Story by Carolyn Turgeon

5 out of 5

Product Description

Lil is an old woman who spends her days shelving rare books in a tiny Manhattan bookstore and lonely nights at home in her apartment. But Lil has an intriguing secret. Tucked and bound behind her back are white feathery wings–the only key to who she once was: the fairy godmother responsible for getting Cinderella to the ball to unite with her Prince Charming.But on that fateful night, something went terribly and beautifully wrong. Lil allowed herself the unthinkable: to feel the emotions of human beings and fall in love with the prince herself, going to the ball in place of Cinderella in her exquisitely gorgeous human guise. For her unforgivable mistake, she was banished to live among humans, far from her fairy sisters and their magical underwater world. But then one day she meets Veronica–a young, fair-skinned, flame-haired East Village beauty with a love of all things vintage and a penchant for falling in love with the wrong men–and suddenly it becomes clear to Lil that she’s been given a chance at redemption. If she can find a soul mate for Veronica, she may right her wrong and return to the fairy world she so deeply longs for. . . .

About the Author: CAROLYN TURGEON is the author of Rain Village. She is working on her third book about a mermaid. Visit her website and blog at carolynturgeon.com.

This book does for Cinderella what Maguire's Wicked did for the Wizard of Oz. I love to read books where a minor character tells an alternate tale of a well known story. It is beautifully told with every word counting just where is should. It did leave me with a lot of questions about the ending, was Lil really Cinderella's fairy godmother or was she just a delusioned old lady?

Product Details
Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: Three Rivers Press; 1 edition (March 3, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0307407993
ISBN-13: 978-0307407993

Book #106 Wicked by Any Other Name

Wicked by Any Other Name by Linda Wisdom

4 out of 5

Product Description
Stasi Romanov uses just a little witch magic in her lingerie shop, running a brisk side business in love charms. A disgruntled customer threatening to sue over a failed love spell brings Trevor Barnes to town. Trevor's the best attorney around, and he just happens to be a wizard. Everyone knows that witches and wizards make a volatile combination—sure enough, the sparks fly and almost everyone's getting singed. Add to that Cupid playing a practical joke, a lunar eclipse that nearly precipitates a witch hunt, and some very mysterious goings on at the magical lake, and the feisty witch and gorgeous wizard have more than simply a possible lawsuit on their hands. Can they overcome their objections and settle out of court—and in the bedroom?

Another great read in this series, although you don't need to read them in order as they all can stand alone. This is a nice break for a summer day and it has the right amount of dialogue, steaminess and mystery to keep the pages turning. I really enjoyed the humor in all of Linda Wisdom's books.

Product Details
Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca (March 1, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1402217730
ISBN-13: 978-1402217739

Book #105 Hechinger's Field Guide to Ethnic Stereotypes

Hechinger's Field Guide to Ethnic Stereotypes by Kevin Hechinger & Curtis Hechinger

3 out of 5

Product Description
Can you differentiate between the Amish and the Hasidic Jew?
Do you know the single, shocking difference between the Redneck and the Appalachian? Can you successfully identify -- and avoid -- the Charismatic, Verbose Nigerian Cabdriver or the Honda-Driving UCLA Korean Gangster Wannabe? If the answer is "no" to any of the above, then Hechinger's Field Guide to Ethnic Stereotypes is the book for you.
Home to people from over 168 nations, the burgeoning ethnic melting pot we call America can be a frightening and disorienting place for the uninitiated. In order to successfully navigate this culturally rocky terrain, it's essential that one understand the ethnic landscape we inhabit. Hechinger's Field Guide to Ethnic Stereotypes, by world renowned cultural anthropologists Kevin and Curtis Hechinger, is a comprehensive, groundbreaking, and painstakingly assembled collection of everything you need to know about this puzzling world in which we live.
Whether tracking the migratory pattern of the Northeastern Jew, cataloging the breeding habits of the Passive Asian Male, or highlighting the almost imperceptible differences between Cubans and Dominicans, these two fearless naturalists have devoted their lives to the study of human variety.
An instant classic and invaluable tool for the professional cultural anthropologist, the amateur enthusiast, or anyone lost on the subway, Hechinger's Field Guide to Ethnic Stereotypes will reshape the scientific community just as surely as it will settle the age-old question of whether Vodka-Loving Stalin Haters can out-drink Irish-American Firemen.
Are we very different?
Or are we exactly the same? For the answers to these and other probing questions that may well be all that stand between happiness and despair, read Hechinger's Field Guide to Ethnic Stereotypes. Now.

About the Author

Drs. Kevin and Curtis Hechinger are world-famous cultural anthropologists. Home schooled for their entire lives, they awarded each other Ph.D.s upon successfully completing Hechinger's Field Guide to Ethnic Stereotypes, which also serves as their dissertation in a completely unofficial capacity. Kevin is eighteen months older than Curtis and can throw a football farther. When not in the field, they reside in New York. They prefer to keep any other personal details private until they gauge public reaction to this book. Drs. Kevin and Curtis Hechinger are world-famous cultural anthropologists. Home schooled for their entire lives, they awarded each other Ph.D.s upon successfully completing Hechinger's Field Guide to Ethnic Stereotypes, which also serves as their dissertation in a completely unofficial capacity. Kevin is eighteen months older than Curtis and can throw a football farther. When not in the field, they reside in New York. They prefer to keep any other personal details private until they gauge public reaction to this book.

This study guide of racial stereotypes can be very funny at times. Take this with a grain of salt and you won't be disappointed. I don't think I am the target audience for this book though.

Product Details
Paperback: 160 pages
Publisher: Simon & Schuster (February 17, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1416577823
ISBN-13: 978-1416577829
Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 5 x 0.6 inches

Book #104 Being Nikki (Airhead)

Being Nikki (Airhead) by Meg Cabot

4 out of 5

Product Description

Things aren't pretty for Emerson Watts.
Em was sure there couldn't be anything worse than being a brainiac the body of a teenaged supermodel.
But it turned out she was wrong. Because that supermodel could turn out to have a mother who's gone mysteriously missing, a brother who's shown up on her doorstep demanding answers, a former best friend who's intent on destroying Stark Enterprises to avenge the death of his lost love, and a British heartthrob who's written a song about her that's topping the charts.
How can Em balance all that with school, runway shows, and weekend jaunts to St. Johns - especially when she's got ex-boyfriends crawling out of the woodwork who want more than just a photo op; a sister who is headed to the high school cheerleading championships; a company she represents that seems to be turning to the dark side...
Not to mention trying to convince the love of her life that models aren't really airheads after all...especially one model in particular.

No one does teenage angst better than Meg Cabot. I loved the first Nikki book and really looked forward to this one as well. This left me with even more questions than the first one. I really enjoyed this quick read and now can't wait for the third (and I hope, not final) book in this series.

Product Details
Reading level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 352 pages
Publisher: Point (May 5, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0545040566
ISBN-13: 978-0545040563

Book #103 And Then Everything Unraveled

And Then Everything Unraveled by Jennifer Sturman

4 out of 5

Product Description
Delia Truesdale has no idea her life's about to change forever. She's too busy enjoying the California summer. Her internet tycoon mother, T.K. Truesdale, is out of town, and that means Delia can spend all her time at the beach, surfing. That is, until everything unravels.
Her mother suddenly goes missing, and everyone thinks she's dead - except Delia, who knows T.K.'s way too organized to simply disappear. But Delia's still sent to New York to live with her two aunts - a downtown bohemian and an uptown ice queen.
And in case that's not bad enough, she also has to deal with a snooty new school and trying not to fall for the wrong guy. Oh, and finding her mother.
As she delves deeper into the tangle of conspiracies and lies surrounding T.K.'s disappearance, Delia begins to suspect that the wrong guy may be the right guy...and that some secrets - especially the dangerous ones - were never meant to be unraveled.

This is a great new debut of a new YA series. The characters are well developed within a short period of time and enough details about the NYC prep school scene to make you feel like an insider. I loved the conspiracy theories and mystery involved with Delia trying to locate her missing mother. I just wish it didn't end so abruptly. The conclusion wasn't at all satisfying and now I guess I will just have to wait for the next one.

Product Details
Reading level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 256 pages
Publisher: Point (July 1, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0545087228
ISBN-13: 978-0545087223

Book #102 Stormy Weather

Stormy Weather by Geri Buckley

4 out of 5

Product Description

A wry, wise new novel of Southern dreams and second chances.On the morning of her birthday, Vonda Thayer awakes from her American Dream to realize she’s living a domestic nightmare. She plays happy homemaker to two whiny, self-absorbed teenagers, a ranting, divorced monster-in-law, and her knocked-up oldest daughter, who’s just moved home to escape a deadbeat boyfriend. In her free time, Vonda stalks her no-good husband and his bimbo du jour. And now her ailing, cantankerous father-in- law—the monster’s very estranged ex—needs a nursemaid and a place to recover. Vonda seriously needs to replace that white picket fence with barbed wire. When a hurricane rips through north Florida, it threatens to tear her already fragile family completely apart. It’s up to Vonda to help them weather the storm and learn a few survival instincts in the process. The sun’s going down on this desperate housewife, and dawn’s breaking on a new, improved Vonda Thayer…

I loooove Chick Lit, so then why did it take me so long to read this one? I got this when it was first released and it sat here. I am sorry I didn't pick it up sooner. This is just the perfect book for us "older" Chick Lit lovers as it discusses events that seem to happen to us as we age. The perfect book for the summer.

Product Details
Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Berkley Trade (December 2, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0425219496
ISBN-13: 978-0425219492

Book #101 I'm Down: A Memoir

I'm Down: A Memoir by Mishna Wolff

4 out of 5

Product Description
Mishna Wolff grew up in a poor black neighborhood with her single father, a white man who truly believed he was black. “He strutted around with a short perm, a Cosby-esqe sweater, gold chains and a Kangol—telling jokes like Redd Fox, and giving advice like Jesse Jackson. You couldn’t tell my father he was white. Believe me, I tried,” writes Wolff. And so from early childhood on, her father began his crusade to make his white daughter Down.
Unfortunately, Mishna didn’t quite fit in with the neighborhood kids: she couldn’t dance, she couldn’t sing, she couldn’t double dutch and she was the worst player on her all-black basketball team. She was shy, uncool and painfully white. And yet when she was suddenly sent to a rich white school, she found she was too “black” to fit in with her white classmates.
I’m Down is a hip, hysterical and at the same time beautiful memoir that will have you howling with laughter, recommending it to friends and questioning what it means to be black and white in America.

When I first started this book, I thought of the line from the Steve Martin movie, The Jerk..."I was born a poor black child..." This memoir could have gone horribly wrong at any point, but the authors pulled off a very funny and poignant story about her childhood. I admit parts had me almost in tears but then Wolff writes about something funny and pulls you back from despair. I highly recommend this one!

Product Details
Hardcover: 288 pages
Publisher: St. Martin's Press (May 26, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0312378556
ISBN-13: 978-0312378554

Book #100 Shanghai Girls: A Novel

Shanghai Girls: A Novel by Lisa See

5 out of 5

Product Description

In 1937, Shanghai is the Paris of Asia, a city of great wealth and glamour, the home of millionaires and beggars, gangsters and gamblers, patriots and revolutionaries, artists and warlords. Thanks to the financial security and material comforts provided by their father’s prosperous rickshaw business, twenty-one-year-old Pearl Chin and her younger sister, May, are having the time of their lives. Though both sisters wave off authority and tradition, they couldn’t be more different: Pearl is a Dragon sign, strong and stubborn, while May is a true Sheep, adorable and placid. Both are beautiful, modern, and carefree . . . until the day their father tells them that he has gambled away their wealth and that in order to repay his debts he must sell the girls as wives to suitors who have traveled from California to find Chinese brides.As Japanese bombs fall on their beloved city, Pearl and May set out on the journey of a lifetime, one that will take them through the Chinese countryside, in and out of the clutch of brutal soldiers, and across the Pacific to the shores of America. In Los Angeles they begin a fresh chapter, trying to find love with the strangers they have married, brushing against the seduction of Hollywood, and striving to embrace American life even as they fight against discrimination, brave Communist witch hunts, and find themselves hemmed in by Chinatown’s old ways and rules. At its heart, Shanghai Girls is a story of sisters: Pearl and May are inseparable best friends who share hopes, dreams, and a deep connection, but like sisters everywhere they also harbor petty jealousies and rivalries. They love each other, but each knows exactly where to drive the knife to hurt the other the most. Along the way they face terrible sacrifices, make impossible choices, and confront a devastating, life-changing secret, but through it all the two heroines of this astounding new novel hold fast to who they are–Shanghai girls.

I can gush enough about how wonderful this book is and was sad that it ended. The characters are so well drawn and believable that this read more like a memoir than a fiction book. I love historical fiction and pretty much everything Lisa See writes, so this book was a special treat for me since I live so close to Los Angeles where the second half of the book takes place. I was also amazed to realize that I have met Edfred Shannon through my sister in law, who is noted in the afterword.

Product Details
Hardcover: 336 pages
Publisher: Random House (May 26, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1400067111
ISBN-13: 978-1400067114

Book #99 Succubus Heat

Succubus Heat (Georgina Kincaid, Book 4) by Richelle Mead

5 out of 5

Product Description
Georgina Kincaid has been a bad, bad succubus?
Which should be a good thing. But lately, thanks to her foul mood over breaking up with bestselling writer Seth Mortensen, she's been so wicked that Seattle's uber-demon Jerome, decides to outsource? Georgina to a rival and have her spy for him in the process.
Being exiled to the frozen north, okay, Vancouver and leaving Seth in the cozy clutches of his new girlfriend is unpleasant enough. Then Jerome is kidnapped, and all immortals under his control mysteriously lose their powers. One bright spot: with her life-sucking ability gone, there's nothing to keep Georgina from getting down and dirty with Seth, nothing apart from his girlfriend that is. Now, as the supernatural population starts turning on itself, a newly mortal Georgina must rescue her boss and figure out who's been playing them or all hell will break loose.

This has been the best in the series since the debut. I am so glad that Georgina's wish came true (not gonna spoil that one) and maybe now she can get on with her life, or can she? I hate it when a good book leaves me hanging. And now I have to wait until next April to find out what happens next. This has just the right amount of romance, dialogue and description for me.

Product Details
Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Kensington Publishing Corporation (May 26, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0758231997
ISBN-13: 978-0758231994

Just saw this Giveaway! Shiver!

http://litmuse.wordpress.com/2009/06/04/giveaway-shiver-arc/

I am looking forward to this one!

Book #98 Confessions of a Beauty Addict

Confessions of a Beauty Addict by Nadine Haobsh

3.5 out of 5

Product Description

From Nadine Haobsh, aka Jolie in NYC ("The poster child for the blogger generation...you can't help but love her."—New York Post), comes a delectable novel that only a true beauty industry insider could have written!
Bella Hunter may be down but she's not out yet—and she's ready to take on the world of beauty...one bad makeover at a time.
Pity the poor twenty-eight-year-old beauty expert and columnist for ultra-chic Enchanté magazine, knocked right out of her Jimmy Choos—and out of a job—when her off-the-cuff comment to a reporter is blown way out of proportion. Once the authority on style, Bella's reduced to taking a position at Womanly World, a publishing dinosaur of no interest whatsoever to any woman under fifty. Suddenly she's got to take orders from a dreary and dowdy beauty director—and is soon at war with her male publisher, who might actually be appealing if he wasn't so totally frosty.
Bella's supermodel boyfriend, a hometown wedding, and a Paris junket are fine distractions, to be sure. But how can she face her friends and ex-coworkers now that she's stuck in an office where khaki—not Cavalli—is the way of life? And if beauty's not what it's all about...then what is?

This was actually a 3.5 for me. I almost quit this one after the first 25 pages but stuck through the main characters sob fest and was glad I did. Decent fiction debut with witty conversations, but could use a little paring down of the wordiness.

Product Details
Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Avon A (January 27, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0061128627
ISBN-13: 978-0061128622

Book #97 The Girls From Ames

The Girls from Ames: A Story of Women and a Forty-Year Friendship by Jeffrey Zaslow

4 out of 5

Product Description

From the coauthor of the million-copy bestseller The Last Lecture comes a moving tribute to female friendships, with the inspiring story of eleven girls and the ten women they became.Meet the Ames Girls: eleven childhood friends who formed a special bond growing up in Ames, Iowa. As young women, they moved to eight different states, yet managed to maintain an enduring friendship that would carry them through college and careers, marriage and motherhood, dating and divorce, a child’s illness and the mysterious death of one member of their group. Capturing their remarkable story, The Girls from Ames is a testament to the deep bonds of women as they experience life’s joys and challenges -- and the power of friendship to triumph over heartbreak and unexpected tragedy.The girls, now in their forties, have a lifetime of memories in common, some evocative of their generation and some that will resonate with any woman who has ever had a friend. Photograph by photograph, recollection by recollection, occasionally with tears and often with great laughter, their sweeping and moving story is shared by Jeffrey Zaslow, Wall Street Journal columnist, as he attempts to define the matchless bonds of female friendship. It demonstrates how close female relationships can shape every aspect of women’s lives – their sense of themselves, their choice of men, their need for validation, their relationships with their mothers, their dreams for their daughters – and reveals how such friendships thrive, rewarding those who have committed to them.The Girls from Ames is the story of a group of ordinary women who built an extraordinary friendship. With both universal insights and deeply personal moments, it is a book that every woman will relate to and be inspired by.

This is a nicely written story about female friendship throughout the lives of eleven women. I enjoyed the back and forth between the members of the group. I did get a little bit lost when the authors started listing statistic and studies about female friendship though. Once the story got back on track, it finished nicely. I would love to see a follow up on this group in twenty years. That would be really interesting to me.

Product Details
Hardcover: 297 pages
Publisher: Gotham (April 21, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1592404456
ISBN-13: 978-1592404452

Book #96 Jet Set

Jet Set by Carrie Karasyov & Jill Kargman

4 out of 5

Product Description
I'm Lucy Peterson, and let me tell you—I don't fit in at my new boarding school in Switzerland at all. Caviar at every meal, white-tie affairs (because black-tie is so last season), trips to Geneva to pick up the latest couture, and real live royals lurking around every corner? None of that is really my speed. I'm just your average American teen, here on scholarship, ready to kick some academic and tennis butt so I can have my pick of Ivy League colleges.
Only now I'm falling all over myself to impress my crush, who just happens to be a prince, I've gotten myself tangled up in a tabloid disaster—literally—and the "It" clique on campus has decided that I am worthy of their evil scorn. What have I gotten myself into?

This book is pure fluff and the perfect quick summer read. Even though it is directed at teen girls, this is a good distraction for the beach that any adult who enjoys chick lit will love. I enjoy being drawn into that fantasy world of the super rich and the details here won't disappoint.

Product Details
Reading level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 256 pages
Publisher: HarperTeen (August 26, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 006143177X
ISBN-13: 978-0061431777

Book #95 A Date You Can't Refuse

A Date You Can't Refuse by Harley Jane Kozak

4 out of 5

Product Description
Serial dater and greeting-card artist Wollie Shelley goes undercover in a media-training company suspected of video piracy, but when a dead body appears on the company’s property, she’s caught up in a conspiracy that goes way beyond some stolen DVDs.Wollie Shelley isn’t happy about taking the job as a “social coach” at MediaRex, but the FBI makes her an offer she can’t refuse. If she agrees to infiltrate the company, they’ll guarantee that her schizophrenic brother will have a home at the federally subsidized halfway house he’s come to love. So Wollie launches into teaching three foreign celebrities how to cope with the customs of Beverly Hills, improve their English, and become Oprah-ready. And when a coyote-chewed corpse appears in the MediaRex compound, Wollie realizes that her colleagues are concealing some serious secrets of their own.

Another good story in the Wollie series with enough humor and mystery to keep the pages turning. I really wish the character of Simon played a stronger roll, but maybe he will in the future. This series carries me through the other six months when I am waiting for a new Janet Evanovich book.

Product Details
Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Broadway (March 17, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0767924223
ISBN-13: 978-0767924221

The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane

I always think it so so cool to read books based on historical fact and if you have read this one, you will remember that this plays a part in the story...

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31107319/

Book #94 How Shall I Tell the Dog?: And Other Final Musings

How Shall I Tell the Dog?: And Other Final Musings by Miles Kington

4 out of 5

Product Description:

In Miles Kington's classic final book, he faces the cancer that eventually killed him with astonishing courage and his sparkling trademark wit. Hilarious and moving, this is the ultimate tribute to a master humorist.
Miles Kington, the much-loved humorist, musician and broadcaster, died of cancer in January 2008. This series of letters from him to his literary agent - ostensibly proposing a stream of increasingly absurd ideas for books he might write about his illness, but in reality simply a brilliant vehicle for his characteristic humour - shows this inventive and very English writer at the height of his craft. And as he confronts his fate with understated but unflinching courage ('what's the point of just writing it down as life? Any writer worth his salt improves the story until it is worth telling'), Kington's mischievous wit never falters: 'I'm afraid this wasn't an idea for a book after all, only an idea on how to spend the royalties...'
Wry, poignant and deeply moving, these letters are above all very, very funny. Every word is vintage Kington.

My favorite line in the whole book is when Kington decides that a memorial video is the wave of the future and would like to begin his with "Hello, I'm sorry I couldn't be here in person with you today". Although I knew very little about this English author, I really did enjoy the humor and the wonderful word play. This is a very quick read and quite enjoyable.

Product Details
Hardcover: 208 pages
Publisher: Newmarket Press (July 7, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 155704841X
ISBN-13: 978-1557048417

Book #93 Death's Daughter

Death's Daughter by Amber Benson

4 out of 5

Product Details
Paperback: 368 pages
Publisher: Ace (February 24, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0441016944
ISBN-13: 978-0441016945

Calliope Reaper-Jones, longing for a normal life and a glamorous career, is called into the family business when her father, Death, is kidnapped and, in order to step into the CEO slot on the company board, must compete against the Devil's protégé to find three objects of power in hell. Original.
Calliope Reaper-Jones so just wanted a normal life: buying designer shoes on sale, dating guys from Craig's List, web-surfing for organic dim-sum for her boss... But when her father -- who happens to be Death himself -- is kidnapped, and the Devil's Protege embarks on a hostile takeover of the family business, Death, Inc., Callie returns home to assume the CEO mantle -- only to discover she must complete three nearly impossible tasks in the realm of the afterlife first.

I love the snarky dialoge, but I thought that Callie was just a little too whiney. If there had been a bit of editing the book would have had a faster pace and and stronger characters. Overall, for a debut of a new series, the story gives a little too much background. I am looking forward to the next one in the series and I hope the humor continues. Overall, I really enjoyed it and read it quickly.

What I Am Reading This Week

I am half way through The Girls From Ames and then I lost interest. Too much information about friendship studies! I will try again later.

I should have finished The Blue Pen by now, but I did an update on my computer and Adobe is having a fit. I will have to undo everything later today. I really do not like the new IE 8.