Book Week 39 - L is for Julie Lessman

Julie Lessman

"Passion with a Purpose"

What perfect timing that this week's theme starts with L.  I just finished reading Julie Lessman's A Hope Undaunted,(review)  book one in the Winds of Change series that continues the story of the O'Connor siblings from The Daughters of Boston Series.   I joined in on the A Hope Undaunted blog tour not realizing the book was a continuation of another series.   I enjoyed the story and the characters so much, wanting to find out more about them, so  was happy to discover I could.

Julie Lessman's story of the O'Connors is a passionate one, but from a christian perspective so heated romance and passion without the R rated stuff. Her characters are very real and life isn't simple or always easy and wrapped up in a neat little package.  Lessman does an excellent job of portraying a faith filled family without getting overly preachy.  Faith is a part of their lives and blends in with the story.  The Daughters of Boston series is a historical romance set in the early 1900's and starts with Faith's story in  A Passion Most Pure, then Charity in A Passion Redeemed, and little sister Lizzie in A Passion Denied.   The Winds of Change series starts with Katie in A Hope Undaunted.  She is a feisty 18 year old in the 1920's who wants to be a lawyer. She has a plan for her life with a list of the perfect man and she's trying to stick to the plan even though life has thrown her a curve ball.  The series will be continuing in the near future featuring her two older brothers, Sean in A Heart Revealed and Steven in A Soul Restored. 

If you haven't read any of her stories, I definitely recommend starting with A Passion Most Pure in order to get to know the family.  I've just downloaded it to my nook and will be reading it soon.

To find out more about Julie Lessman and her books, check out her story here.

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Link to your reviews:

Book Week 38 - J is for Jackson, Lisa Jackson

Book Week 38

I'm currently reading Wicked Games by Lisa Jackson and Nancy Bush. I discovered Lisa Jackson a couple years ago and love her romantic suspense stories.  I'm a series person. I love series that follow a group of characters and tells each character's story. I started with her New Orleans series and fell in like with her writing, the characters, the setting.  The stories are intense and sometimes dark with spooky, creepy villains who chill you to the bone.   Creepy good stories that will keep you up reading way past your bedtime.    She not only writes romantic suspense stories, but historical romantic suspense, medievals and contemporary stories as well.  Check out her booklist and discover for yourself.

What is your most spookiest, chilling, goose bumpiest read?

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Link to your reviews:

Book week 37 - K is for the Kicken "Book Blogger Appreciation Week 2010"

Book Week 37

Book Blogger Appreciation Week
September 13 - 17, 2010

In 2008 Amy of My Friend Amy started the Book Blogger Appreciation Week (BBAW)  It has grow exponentially since then and I heard at last count that this year over 600 bloggers are participating.

"Book Blogger Appreciation was started  in an effort to recognize the hard work and contribution of book bloggers to the promotion and preservation of a literate culture actively engaged in discussing books, authors, and a lifestyle of reading."

Bloggers will be hosting giveaways (some worldwide, some USA only) as well as publishers and authors including:  Belle Bridge Books, Chronicle Books, Harper Collins, Penguin, and Sourcebooks to name a few.   Each day bloggers will be posting on the following topics:

Monday—First Treasure
We invite you to share with us about a great new book blog you’ve discovered since BBAW last year!  If you are new to BBAW or book blogging, share with us the very first book blog you discovered.  Tell us why this blog rocks your socks off and why you keep going back for more.

Tuesday—New Treasure—Interview Swap
Post the interview you did with your BBAW Interview Partner.

Wednesday—Unexpected Treasure
We invite you to share with us a book or genre you tried due to the influence of another blogger.  What made you cave in to try something new and what was the experience like?

Thursday—Forgotten Treasure
Sure we’ve all read about Freedom and Mockingjay but we likely have a book we wish would get more attention by book bloggers, whether it’s a forgotten classic or under marketed contemporary fiction.  This is your chance to tell the community why they should consider reading this book!

Friday—Future Treasures
We’ve been visiting each other and getting to know each other better…now is your chance to share what you enjoyed about BBAW and also what your blogging goals are for the next year!

I will be hosting a couple giveaways on my personal blog My Two Blessings: Monday, a package deal - Sookie Stackhouse Southern Vampire Series books #1-9  and on Wednesday, a Mystery and Suspense bundle consisting of 6 books by authors Allison Brennan, Tess Gerritsen, J.T. Ellison, Jordan Dane, Robert Gregory Browne and John Ramsey Miller.    And be sure to check out my interview with Allison of Piling on the Books on Tuesday. 

So don't miss out on your chance to win some free books, meet new friends and explore new blogs. 

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Link to your reviews:

Book Week 36: Random Book Title - J is for Justice

I've traveled the world twice over,
Met the famous; saints and sinners,
Poets and artists, kings and queens,
Old stars and hopeful beginners,
I've been where no-one's been before,
Learned secrets from writers and cooks
All with one library ticket
To the wonderful world of books.
~ Anonymous ~

I have a mini challenge for you today:  This week's letter is J so going to do a random book title pick.   Use Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, Borders or your favorite independent book store site and see what books come up.  I happen to like ordering hard bound books from Amazon and buy all my e-books from Barnes and Noble, and browsing and buying from the brick and mortar Borders or my local indie bookstore next to my business, Book Lovers Cafe.  However for this exercise, will use Amazon.com.

Justice is the word that has been floating through my head this week and since I like mysteries and thrillers, did a search on Amazon.  Several of my favorite authors came up which is a plus, and some authors I haven't read. 

 Sullivan's Justice by Nancy Taylor Rosenberg

Divine Justice by David Baldacci

Final Justice by Fern Michael

House Justice by Mike Lawson

Justice Hall by Laurie R. King

Your task is to decide which book you think I should read.  Let me know either in the comments here or on the WTM 52 books week 36 thread and I will read the book with the most votes and review it for you. 


Play along if you like. Choose a word starting with the letter J, see what book titles come up and list them on your blog or in the WTM 52 books a week thread. We'll choose which one we think you should read.

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Link to your reviews:

Book Week 35 - International Thriller Writers

Book Week 35

I recently joined the International Thriller Writers association which actively promotes writers, debut and seasoned authors of the Thrill genre. Yes, I am one of those struggling writers hoping to get published someday.

"International Thriller Writers, Inc., began with a dream. Until ITW, thriller authors had never organized. By nature, we tend to be loners, happy with our work and our families and a few close friends. But at the same time, because we're a relatively small community in the vast world about which we write, we also yearn occasionally for collegiality. For years, we've said to one another, "Why don't YOU organize us?" At which point, the thought was so overwhelming, the work involved so time-consuming, that we would gaze sadly around the group and shrug. There was no way."

They found a way and in 2004 the group was born. They have grown exponentially since then and published some very interesting books.    That is how I discovered the group.  I heard through the Blogosphere about Thrillers: 100 Must Reads and since I absolutely love thrillers, had to get it.

Edited by author David Morrell, co-founder of ITW and journalist Hank Wagner, the book is 100 essays written by well known thrill writers talking about which books influenced and have had the greatest impact on the genre.  Various authors give their thoughts on books they think were the greatest influences through out time from 1500 BC Theseus and the Minotaur to 1902 Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness to 1950 Graham Greene's The Third Man to 2003 Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code.  What intrigued me the most was Steve Berry's thoughts on Dan Brown and The Da Vinci Code and how he helped to revitalize the thriller genre.  

"The real contribution of Dan Brown and his marvelously inventive story is the effect that both he and his publisher had on the international suspense thriller.  Together they breathed life back into something that was all but dead.  And, in the process, opened up opportunities for those of us who were out there searching for a chance."

 

I happened to like the Da Vinci Code and read it twice, researching some of the things folks criticized and coming to the conclusion, things were being blown out of proportion.  It is after all - fiction.  Thrillers: 100 Must Reads is a must read and you can check out it out here and see a table of contents listing the essays included.  It's one of those books you keep going back to again and again, each time reading a new essay, discovering something new, then searching out the book they mentioned to read it.   It may take me a while to finish the whole thing.

Other publications which I hope to read in the future are: 

First Thrills:  High Octane Stories by the Hottest Thrill Writers 

edited by Lee Child

Thriller: Stories to Keep You up all Night Edited by James Patterson

Thriller 2: Stories You Just Can't Put Down. Edited by Clive Cussler

And a 2 part serial thriller written by 22 International Thrill Writer authors

Watchlist 

Thrillers come in all shapes and sizes from psychological to political to mystery to medical to supernatural.   Personally I favor psychological thrillers.  What type of thrillers do you like to read and whose your favorite thrill author?

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Link to your reviews:

Book Week 34 - History graphically

Book Week 34

History. For many years, I considered history a boring topic. Very dry, put you to sleep, boring. After I started homeschooling, discovered a whole new way of learning about history from Susan Wise Bauer's Story of the world to This Country of Ours to living books to reading from original sources.  My son recently discovered graphic novels and has been devouring them as fast as he can get his hands on them.   While shopping for 5th curriculum I came across Capstone Press graphic history and science novels.  I checked them out online, liked what I saw and purchased a few.  Fortunately Timberdoodle had them on sale.    They are a great supplement to our study of American history, hopefully will spark his interest and make him want to learn more.  

What interesting books about history have you discovered? 

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Book Week 33 -- Diana Gabaldon Outlander Series Tour

Book Week 33

I just finished reading Outlander by Diana Gabaldon. It is one of those books that once you've finished it, you want to turn right around and read it again.  I'm in love with Claire and Jaime.

Back cover:  The year is 1945. Claire Randall, a former combat nurse, is back from the war and reunited with her husband on a second honeymoon--when she innocently touches a boulder in one of the ancient stone circles that dot the British Isles.  Suddenly she is a Sassenach--an "outlander"--in a Scotland torn by war and raiding border clans in the year of our Lord...1743.

Hurled back in time by forces she can't understand, Claire is catapulted into the intrigues of lairds and spies that may threaten her life...and shatter her heart.  For here James Fraser, a gallant young Scots warrior, shows her a love so absolute that Claire becomes a woman torn between fidelity and desire...and between two vastly different men in two irreconcilable lives."

I don't know what took me so long to getting around to reading it.   I had been hearing about Outlander for the past couple years and bought it last year some time and it's been sitting there waiting patiently for me to get around to it.   TLC Book Tours is hosting a Diana Gabaldon tour to celebrate the paperback release of the 7th book in the series "An Echo in the Bone."  I decided to join the tour with forced me to finally sit down and read the book.  Now I want to read the rest of the series.  My stop will be September 1st.   Be sure to check out the other stops and see what folks have to say about the Outlander series.

Monday, August 2nd:  Jenn’s Bookshelves (An Echo in the Bone)

Wednesday, August 4th:  The Literate Housewife Review (Voyager)

Monday, August 9th:  Musings of an All Purpose Monkey (Outlander)

Thursday, August 12th:  Under the Boardwalk (An Echo in the Bone)

Friday, August 13th:  Starting Fresh (An Echo in the Bone)

Monday, August 16th:  Planet Books (Outlander)

Thursday, August 19th:  Rundpinne (An Echo in the Bone)

Wednesday, August 25th:  MoonCat Farms Meanderings (An Echo in the Bone)

Monday, August 30th:  Hey, Lady!  Whatcha Readin’? (Outlander)

Tuesday, August 31st:  The Brain Lair (Outlander)

Wednesday, September 1st:  My Two Blessings (Outlander)

Thursday, September 2nd:  Life in the Thumb (An Echo in the Bone)

Tuesday, September 7th:  That’s What She Read (Dragonfly in Amber)

Monday, September 13th:  Suko’s Notebook (Outlander)

Tuesday, September 14th:  Luxury Reading (Outlander)

Wednesday, September 15th:  The Adventures of an Intrepid Reader (An Echo in the Bone)

Thursday, September 16th:  Pop Culture Junkie (Outlander)

Friday, September 17th:  Devourer of Books (Outlander)

Books in the Series:

1. Outlander
2. Dragonfly in Amber
3. Voyager
4. Drums of Autumn
5. The Fiery Cross
6. A Breath of Snow and Ashes
7. An Echo in the Bone

Have you read any of her books?   What did you think about them?

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Link to your reviews:

Book Week 32 - Finding books

Book Week 32 

What book are you in the mood for today?  Have you been hearing about a certain book in the news or noticed it in the bookstore and wondered if it is any good. Do you have a favorite author and no matter what they write, read all their books.  Where do you go to find out more about their books?   Why the blogosphere, of course.   Recently Online PhD programs announced the winners of the top 2010 50 book blogs.    There are quite a few people on the list - authors and bloggers who are well worth checking out.

I follow over 100 book, author and writing blogs and have discovered many old books, new to me authors, new and interesting books that I ordinarily wouldn't have read.  A few of my favorite book and author bloggers:

Beth Fish Reads
Carrie of Books and Movies
3 R's Blog 
Age 30 +
Literary Escapism
Snapshot
Reading Extravaganza
Joyfully Retired
Murderati - group mystery author blog
Bookworm
Running with Quills - group romantic suspense author blog
Life in the Thumb
Heidenkind's Hideaway
The Kill Zone - group mystery author blog
Hey Lady, Watcha Readin?

Which author or book blogs do you follow?

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Book Week 31 - E-Books

Book Week 31

My Nook

E-book readers.  The market for ebooks and ereaders is growing quickly.  Last year when Barnes and Noble came out with their nook, I decided to buy one.  I had been lusting over Amazon's Kindle for a couple years, but the price and the fact I hate sprint, kept me from buying one.   What sold me on the Barnes and Noble Nook: AT&T's 3G Network and Wi-Fi enabled ereader. Plus the color touch screen -- cool! Other cool features - ability to download thousands of free ebooks from google and read up to 10 days before having to recharge the battery.  

I love reading books - the physical experience of reading - the look and feel of the book, the pages and the smell. Or cuddling up on the couch or sitting out on the patio.   You can't do that with your laptop.   I wanted the convenience of an Ebook Reader, especially for traveling.  How many times have you paid the overweight baggage fee at the airport because of all the books you acquired on vacation or experienced the weight of your backpack killing your shoulders because the book you chose was too heavy?   Since I purchased my nook last year, Barnes and Nobles has come out with a less expensive version and gifted original nook owners with a web browser.  

I really didn't think I would use the nook for everyday reading but have ended up using it 50% of the time.  Authors are making more of their books available only in ebook format. Plus there are many who are making some of their e-books free for a limited period of time.  Barnes and Nobles ereader blog Unbound is a wonderful resource and has great e-book offers and Free Fridays. I recently discovered WOWIO, who offers ebooks, comics and graphic novels. They have a Book of the Month which is free to download for the entire month.  

A few resources for ebooks besides the major retailers are

Project Gutenberg

Ebooks.com

Feedbooks

Manybooks.net

Smashwords
Fictionwise

Check out the latest offerings from Barnes and Noble

 Christian Suspense novel - Always Watching

Young Adult paranormal - Fang

Thriller - A Nail Through the Heart

What books have you enjoyed reading lately on your ereader?  And if you don't have one, compare them all and tell me, which one would you be tempted to buy? 

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Book Week 30 - Crime Fiction

Book Week 30

What is it about crime fiction that captures our attention?  Whodunit, legal thrillers, courtroom drama, detective fiction, spy novels and psychological thrillers.   They entertain and enlighten, amuse and thrill, make us think and makes us blink, say 'hmm!' or 'I didn't see that coming!"   They are bold and cunning, timid and mysterious.  They hide the crime and make us work for it.  Or put it out there for all to see and we watch as the detective tries to put it together.

There is a difference of opinion between the British Crime Writers Association and the Mystery Writers of America on which books rank in the top 100 as of 1995. I think it's time for an updated list.  Who do they agree upon? 

Dashiell Hammett: The Maltese Falcon (1930)

Edgar Allan Poe: Tales of Mystery & Imagination (1852)

Josephine Tey: The Daughter of Time (1951)

Scott Turow: Presumed Innocent (1987)

John le Carré: The Spy Who Came In From the Cold (1963)

Wilkie Collins: The Moonstone (1868)

Raymond Chandler: The Big Sleep (1939)

Daphne du Maurier: Rebecca (1938)

Agatha Christie: And Then There Were None (1939)

Robert Traver: Anatomy of a Murder (1958)2

Agatha Christie: The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (1926)

Raymond Chandler: The Long Goodbye (1953)

James M. Cain: The Postman Always Rings Twice (1934)

Eric Ambler: A Coffin for Dimitrios (1939)

Dorothy L. Sayers: Gaudy Night (1935)

Frederick Forsyth: The Day of the Jackal (1971)

Raymond Chandler: Farewell My Lovely (1940)

John Buchan: The Thirty-Nine Steps (1915)

Umberto Eco: The Name of the Rose (1980)

Dorothy L. Sayers: The Nine Tailors (1934)

John Le Carré: Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (1974)

Dashiell Hammett: The Thin Man (1934)

Wilkie Collins: The Woman in White (1860)

E. C. Bentley: Trent's Last Case (1913)

Martin Cruz Smith: Gorky Park (1981)

Dorothy L. Sayers: Strong Poison (1930)

Dashiell Hammett: Red Harvest (1929)

Len Deighton: The IPCRESS File (1962)

Graham Greene: The Third Man (1950)

Tony Hillerman: A Thief of Time (1989)

Geoffrey Household: Rogue Male (1939)

Dorothy L. Sayers: Murder Must Advertise (1933)

Raymond Chandler: The Lady in the Lake (1943)

Peter Lovesey: Wobble to Death (1970)

Graham Greene: Brighton Rock (1938)

Patricia Highsmith: The Talented Mr. Ripley (1955)

Edmund Crispin: The Moving Toyshop (1946)

Hillary Waugh: Last Seen Wearing ... (1952)

Ian Fleming: From Russia, with Love (1957)

Margaret Millar: Beast in View (1955)

Michael Gilbert: Smallbone Deceased (1950)

Josephine Tey: The Franchise Affair (1948)

Dashiell Hammett: The Glass Key (1931)

Ruth Rendell: Judgement in Stone (1977)

John Dickson Carr: The Three Coffins (1935)

Ellis Peters: A Morbid Taste for Bones (1977)

Check out the links to find out more about the books and you may just find discover a new to you author or two.  

And for tv mystery fans of Castle

I've pre-ordered my copy from amazon!

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Link to your reviews:

Book Week 29 - Coffee House Mysteries

Book Week 29

Photo by Kunjan Karon

"the perfect cup of coffee is a mystifying thing. To many of my customers, the entire process seems like some sort of alchemy they dare not try at home."  - On What Grounds

Cozy mysteries come in all shapes and sizes with interesting themes:  books, crafting, ghosts, wine and coffee to name a few.  I discovered Cleo Coyle's cozy Coffee House Mysteries a couple years back and love her style, the characters in the story line, the stories and the interesting recipes using coffee.  And what could be more fitting as I sit down to write this post with the smell of espresso permeating the kitchen as my husband prepares his morning shot. 


On What Grounds, the first book in the series introduces us to Clare Cosi, who manages the Village Blend Coffeehouse in Greenwich Village, New York.  She discovers her assistant manager unconscious in the back of the store one morning, coffee bean strewn everywhere. The police decide she had an accident, but Clare doesn't agree and sets out to investigate what happened.  Throughout the series, she puts her culinary and sleuthing talents together to investigate and help solve crimes.  The stories are wonderfully written and narrated by Clare.  Along the way, you learn about all types of coffee and all the recipes mentioned in the story are listed in the back of the book.   Have you ever tried Coffee Marinated Steak with Hearty Coffee Gravy? How about Cuppa Joe Mocha Drop Cookies or Gardner's No Bake Mocha Rum Balls.  Some recipes may be found at Coffee House Mystery and the rest you'll just have to read the books to find the recipe. Even if you aren't a coffee drinker, the recipes are mouth watering and enticing. 


Books in the Series

#1 On What Grounds
#2 Through the Grinder
#3 Latte Trouble
#4 Murder Most Frothy
#5 Decaffeinated Corpse
#6 French Pressed
#7 Espresso Shot
#8 Holiday Grind
#9 Roast Mortem - Due out August 2010

Check out The Guide to Cozy Mysteries at Cozy Mystery List.  Learn about cozy mysteries, discover new releases and cozy mystery authors.  Who is your favorite cozy mystery author?



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Link to Reviews:

Book Week 28 - beginnings

Book Week 28

Beginnings 

The beginning of a book is rather important, don't you think.  What captures your attention when you first open a book?  The beginning, right.   But let's back up one step.   What made you pick up the book in the first place?  The cover.  A review.    Favorite author.   Perhaps a suggestion by a friend?   What makes you decide to get the book?    When I first pick up a book I'll look at the cover, flip over the book, read the synopsis and see if the story sounds interesting.  If it does, then I'll open up the book and start to read the first sentence, then the whole paragraph and continue on reading the first page.  Does it draw me in right away or make me say meh?   If the first page draws me in, then I'll pick random pages and see if the story and the writing continues to keep me interested.    If it does, I'll get the book.  

I love the "Click to look inside" feature on Amazon.  It gives me the ability to check out the book and see if it will draw me into the story and make me want to buy the book in order to continue reading and find out what happens.  My nook ereader also has a similar feature.  You can request a free sample of a book and read the first couple chapters.  A couple weeks ago we were in Borders and as we headed to the check out counter saw the "The Passage" and picked it up to look at because of all the hype.   For some reason it didn't capture my interest right away and I put it back.  My eyes were tired and the font just didn't sit well with me, plus my kid was ready to go.  Not conducive to picking out a book.  I put it back and several days later downloaded a sample on my e-reader. The sample included the first 3 chapters.  It was enticing enough I decided to buy the book. 

I didn't want to get it in ebook form because it's a long book.  I'd rather read a long book physically than on the e-reader.   Short books are fine, but longer books I have trouble with using an e-reader.  Perhaps its the fact you don't turn your head while reading and thus get a stiff neck and  it seems my comprehension and retention is different when I read something off a screen. But that's a discussion for another day.   A couple days ago, my son expressed interest in going to Borders and getting a Bionicles Graphic Novel.   He rarely asks to go to the book store to buy a book so of course I said yes.   And Yes, I picked up "The Passage." which for some reason they had in the Horror section instead of the Mystery/Thriller section.   If you ask me, that's kind of sneaky, but actually a good marketing ploy on behalf of Borders because it makes you look through the entire M/T section.  Which in turns causes you to find many, many tempting books you want to read. 

Tell me - does this beginning capture your attention:

"Before she became the Girl from Nowhere--The One Who Walked in, the First and Last and Only, who lived in a thousand years--She was just a little girl in Iowa, named Amy, Amy Harper Bellafonte."

The day Amy was born, her mother Jeannette was nineteen years old. Jeannette named her baby Amy for her own mother, who died when Jeannette was little and gave her the middle name Harper for Harper Lee, the woman who written "To Kill a Mockingbird" Jeanette's favorite book -- truth be told, she'd made it all the way through in high school.

Enticing, yes.  Plus the mention of To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee which I've been wanting to read for a long time but have never gotten around to it.  Did you know it is the 50th anniversary of the book?  50 years in publication.  Now would probably be the time to read it as well.  

What makes you decide to read a book?  

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Link to your reviews. If you have multiple reviews for the week, just link once to your blog with (multi reviews) after your name.