Pages

Tuesday, December 31, 2013

December - a very merry month!


Thank goodness for a month where I had a few days after the rush of the holidays to just sit and read some good books!  I was able to surpass my yearly goal only due to this month!  Between the house shopping, moving and big home improvement projects, I was not on target to meet the goal.

1.  The Round House by Louise Erdich
2. Starter House by Sonja Condit
3. The In Between Hour by Barbara Claypole White
4. Short Leash by Janice Gary
5. Unbearable Lightness by Portia de Rossi
6. House of Miracles by Ulrica Hume
7. To Tuscany with Love by Gail Mencini
8. The Christmas Cookie Club by Ann Pearlman
9. The Holdout by Laurel Osterkamp
10. The Longest Date by Cindy Chupack
11. The Gods of Heavenly Punishment by Jennifer Cody Epstein
12. The House on the Cliff by Charlotte Williams
13. The Rainy Day Killer by Michael J. McCann
14. What I Had Before I Had You by Sarah Cornwell
15. A Measure of Blood by Kathleen George
16. Where Love Finds You by Marilyn Grey
17. Down From the Clouds by Marilyn Grey
18. The Life I Now Live by Marilyn Grey
19. The Tenth Circle by Jon Land
20. The Line Between Here and Gone by Andrea Kane
21. The Chance by Robyn Carr
22. This Dark Road to Mercy by Wiley Cash
23. The Wedding Bees by Sarah-Kate Lynch
24. The Edge of Normal by Carla Norton
25. Women From the Ankle Down by Rachelle Bergstein
26. Why Can't I Be You by Allie Larkin

Total pages read, clicked, and flipped:  8,066

Where Have I Been Reading?:
North Dakota
South Carolina
North Carolina
Annapolis, MD
Los Angeles, CA (2)
San Francisco, CA
Tuscany, Italy
Detroit, Michigan
Des Moines, IA
Tokyo, Japan
Cardiff, Wales
Maryland
New Jersey
Pittsburgh, PA
Philadelphia, PA  (3)
New York City, NY (2)
Oregon
Gastonia, NC
Seattle, WA

Monday, December 30, 2013

2014 Challenges!

Each year, I like to sign up for a few challenges to keep my reading interesting.  Last year I stuck with some challenges this year, so I think I am going to stick with it again!  Check out the sidebar throughout the year to see my progress on these challenges and my reading stats!

Where Are You Reading?

In this challenge, I keep a Google Map (link to my google map for 2014) and place a pinpoint at each spot where a book takes place.  The link to my google map will also be in the sidebar all year round, so anyone can check out where I have been reading!

If you would like to participate - check out Book Journey.



Ebook Challenge

So I found a new blog that is hosting this challenge this year, and as I completely surpassed my goal in 2013, I am going to up the ante in 2014.  I will be signing up for the server level, which is 100 ebooks!  So check out workadayreads to sign up for this challenge!



Off the Shelf Challenge

I completely failed at the off the shelf challenge in 2013, but still want to do it.  At the time of creating this post, I couldn't find anyone who was hosting.  So I am going to still keep track of what came off my shelf that went on before 2014 began.



Sunday, December 29, 2013

It's Monday, What are you Reading?

The final Monday reading post for 2013!  It has been a fun year doing these and I will definitely be keeping this up in 2014!  I was able to read a ton, since the husband and I decided to have a staycation this holiday season!

A meme hosted by Sheila at BookJourney. 

Finished this past week:
The Line Between Here and Gone by Andrea Kane
The Tenth Circle by Jon Land
The Life I Now Live by Marilyn Grey
The Chance by Robyn Carr
This Dark Road to Mercy by Wiley Cash
The Wedding Bees by Sarah-Kate Lynch

Currently Reading:
The Edge of Normal by Carla Norton

Next on the TBR pile:
Four Friends by Robyn Carr

Saturday, December 28, 2013

Happy Birthday to my husband!


Happy Birthday!  
To the guy who puts up with the insane amount of books, the geek out of author signings and the hours that go into this blog!  I am excited to celebrate his birthday this year!

Friday, December 27, 2013

December 2013 Book Haul



Review:
The Boxed Angel by Robert DiGiacomo  (Goodreads  Amazon)
The Secret Rooms by Catherine Bailey  (Goodreads  Amazon)
The Longest Date by Cindy Chupack  (Goodreads  Amazon)
The Wedding Bees by Sarah-Kate Lynch  (Goodreads  Amazon)
The Chance by Robyn Carr  (Goodreads  Amazon)
Phoenix Island by John Dixon  (Goodreads  Amazon)
The Vanishing by Wendy Webb  (Goodreads  Amazon)
The Polaris Protocol by Brad Taylor  (Goodreads  Amazon)
The Deepest Secret by Carla Buckley  (Goodreads  Amazon)
Four Friends by Robyn Carr  (Goodreads  Amazon)

Swap sites:
The Two Week Wait by Sarah Rayner  (Goodreads  Amazon)
Nobody's Baby But Mine by Susan Elizabeth Phillips  (Goodreads  Amazon)
Every Secret Thing by Laura Lippman  (Goodreads  Amazon)
Rematch by Erynn Magum  (Goodreads  Amazon)

Chicago trip:
The Sealed Letter by Emma Donoghue  (Goodreads  Amazon)
The Heretic's Daughter by Kathleen Kent  (Goodreads  Amazon)
The Memory Thief by Emily Colin  (Goodreads  Amazon)
The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson  (Goodreads  Amazon)


Christmas trip to Books a Million:
Let it Snow by John Green, Maureen Johnson & Lauren Myracle  (Goodreads  Amazon)
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak  (Goodreads  Amazon)

Gift from my aunt:
About My Sisters by Debra Ginsberg  (Goodreads  Amazon)


Thursday, December 26, 2013

Review: The Gift by Cecelia Ahern

The Gift by Cecelia Ahern

Publisher: Harper
Pages: 302
Format: book
Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Lou Suffern is always overstretched, immune to the holiday spirit that delights everyone around him. The classic workaholic who never has a moment to spare, he is always multitasking while shortchanging his devoted wife and their adorable children. And ever since he started competing for a big promotion, he has barely seen his family at all.

One frigid morning in an uncharacteristic burst of generosity, he buys a cup of coffee for Gabe, a homeless man huddled outside his office building. Inspired by his own unexpected act of kindness, Lou decides to prolong his charitable streak and contrives to get Gabe a job in his company's mailroom. But when Gabe begins to meddle in Lou's life, the helping hand appears to be a serious mistake. Gabe seems to know more about Lou than Lou does about himself, and, perhaps more disturbingly, Gabe always seems to be in two places at once.

With Lou's personal and professional fates at important crossroads and Christmas looming, Gabe resorts to some unorthodox methods to show his stubborn patron what truly matters and how precious the gift of time is. But can he help him fix what's broken before it's too late?



Kritters Thoughts:  A story within a story.  Doesn't happen, but was perfect for a holiday book meant to share a lesson to all readers.  A young man is caught throwing a turkey through his father and step-mothers window heads to the police station where the police share a touching story to help him learn a valuable lesson.

The story within the story centered around Lou who is a person who is always looking to the next appointment and where he is headed next.  I have to admit that there are moments in life where I am definitely guilty for appreciating what is currently going on, so even though the lesson was blatantly obvious from the beginning, it was beneficial to read this story to remember to soak up each moment as it is happening.

I think even us adults need to stop and read a book that has a lesson to it and really think about how we can make a change in our own lives.  This was sweet and simple, a perfect holiday book!

Rating: perfect to curl up with!






Wednesday, December 25, 2013

Merry Christmas!


Merry Christmas from our home to yours!  
I hope you are spending the day with those you are love most!

Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Review: The Christmas Train by David Baldacci

The Christmas Train by David Baldacci

Publisher: Warner Books
Pages: 288
Format: ebook
Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Disillusioned journalist Tom Langdon must get from Washington D.C. to L.A in time for Christmas. Forced to travel by train, he begins a journey of rude awakenings, thrilling adventures and holiday magic. He has no idea that the locomotives pulling him across America will actually take him into the rugged terrain of his own heart, as he rediscovers people's essential goodness and someone very special he believed he had lost. 


Kritters Thoughts:  A sweet novella with a naughty twist at the end that makes the story even sweeter!  Tom Langdon is a descendant of Mark Twain and decides/must take the train to LA to visit a girlfriend for the holidays, the journey is way more than he could have even imagined!

As a fan of train travel, only from DC to NYC, I absolutely adored how this book gave train travel the Hollywood glamour that it used to have.  The ease of getting on a train without security and the airport hassles and the ability to move around while travelling and meet people - I loved how the story mentioned the perks of train travel.  The other piece that made it feel like old Hollywood was the ability for a pair to meet after so many years and reignite their old flames for each other.

What a great book to curl up with!  It had travelling for the holidays, lots of snow and a little twist at the end!

Rating: perfect to curl up with!

Ebook 2013 Challenge: 79 out of 50

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from Edelweiss.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Monday, December 23, 2013

Review: Comfort & Joy by Kristin Hannah

Comfort & Joy by Kristin Hannah

Publisher: Ballantine Book
Pages: 272
Format: book
Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Joy Candellaro once loved Christmas more than any other time of the year. Now, as the holiday approaches, she is at a crossroads in her life; recently divorced and alone, she can’t summon the old enthusiasm for celebrating. So without telling anyone, she buys a ticket and boards a plane bound for the beautiful Pacific Northwest. When an unexpected detour takes her deep into the woods of the Olympic rainforest, Joy makes a bold decision to leave her ordinary life behind--to just walk away--and thus begins an adventure unlike any she could have imagined.

In the small town of Rain Valley, six-year-old Bobby O’Shea is facing his first Christmas without a mother. Unable to handle the loss, Bobby has closed himself off from the world, talking only to his invisible best friend. His father Daniel is beside himself, desperate to help his son cope. Yet when the little boy meets Joy, these two unlikely souls form a deep and powerful bond. In helping Bobby and Daniel heal, Joy finds herself again.

But not everything is as it seems in quiet Rain Valley, and in an instant, Joy’s world is ripped apart, and her heart is broken. On a magical Christmas Eve, a night of impossible dreams and unexpected chances, Joy must find the courage to believe in a love--and a family--that can’t possibly exist, and go in search of what she wants . . . and the new life only she can find.


Kritters Thoughts:  Joy has had a rough year, her husband and her hit a rough patch and he has ventured into the arms of another woman.  She isn't feeling satisfaction on the job and overall life isn't going well for her.  So she ends up on a crazy adventure that from the beginning is more than doomed.  And then the book takes an unexpected turn and of course I can't share or it would ruin the whole deal!

This one was a little too lifetime movie for me.  I was hoping for a sweet holiday book and from the beginning this one took the dramatics and amplified them.  Family drama, a plane crash and beyond, this book packed the punch from the beginning.  It had a little bit of the holiday cheer, but just not enough for me.

Rating: enjoyable, but didn't leave me wanting more

Off the Shelf 2013 Challenge: 5 out of 30




Sunday, December 22, 2013

It's Monday, What are you Reading?


What a fantastic reading weekend!!  I did the Christmas Booktubeathon although I didn't booktube it at all, just did the twitter and the reading and finished quite a few books!!  I may just hit my Goodreads goal!!

A meme hosted by Sheila at BookJourney. 

Finished this past week:
The Gods of Heavenly Punishment by Jennifer Cody Epstein
The House on the Cliff by Charlotte Williams
The Rainy Day Killer by Michael J. McCann
What I Had Before I Had You by Sarah Cornwell
A Measure of Blood by Kathleen George
Where Love Finds You by Marilyn Grey
Down From the Clouds by Marilyn Grey

Currently Reading:
The Life I Now Live by Marilyn Grey

Next on the TBR pile:
The Fixer by TE Woods

Friday, December 20, 2013

Review: A Nantucket Christmas

A Nantucket Christmas
by Nancy Thayer

Publisher: Ballantine
Pages: 224
Format: eARC
Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Holidays on this Massachusetts island are nothing short of magical, from the jolly decorations on the Brant Point lighthouse to the much anticipated Christmas Stroll, in which merrymakers promenade through quaint streets adorned with Yuletide cheer. The season’s wonderful traditions are much loved by Nicole Somerset, new to Nantucket and recently married to a handsome former attorney. Their home is already full of enticing scents of pine, baking spices, and homemade pie.
 
But the warm, festive mood is soon tempered by Nicole’s chilly stepdaughter, Kennedy, who arrives without a hint of holiday spirit. Determined to keep her stepmother at arms’ length—or, better yet, out of the picture altogether—Kennedy schemes to sabotage Nicole’s holiday preparations. Nicole, however, is not about to let anyone or anything tarnish her first Christmas with her new husband.


Kritters Thoughts:  Nicole is the main character and the most outsider of the group, she married into this crazy dysfunctional family and this is her first Christmas in their mix.  She takes quite the emotional beating while still keeping a game face on - I was extremely proud of the abuse she took, I couldn't have done it!  

Nicole mostly deals with a grown step daughter who even as an adult with parents that have been separated for awhile dreams of her family reuniting.  I found her to be the most frustrating and each time she spoke, I cringed.  

The other part that was weird/confusing were the parts that were narrated by the very young grandson and the others by the dog; I am not sure I was a fan of throwing in these chapters, I get why they were done, but I didn't love it.

With a few annoying characters, I probably would have loved this more if a few more pages would have been devoted to them realizing that they weren't the most lovable of people.  

Rating: enjoyable, but didn't leave me wanting more


Ebook 2013 Challenge: 77 out of 50

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from edelweiss.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Thursday, December 19, 2013

Bout of Books 9.0



It's official!  I am going to participate in my second Bout of Books - January 6-13th and hopefully this will start 2014 with quite a good boost of reading!  I am excited that my mom at Opes Opinions will be joining me as well.  

My hope is to read 250 pages per day.  

Check back here on January 3rd for a video of the books I plan on reading!



The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, January 6th and runs through Sunday, January 12th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure, and the only reading competition is between you and your usual number of books read in a week. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 9.0 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team

Review: Undressing Mr. Darcy

Undressing Mr. Darcy
 by Karen Doorenbos

Publisher: Berkley Trade
Pages: 368
Format: book
Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Thirty-five-year-old American social media master Vanessa Roberts lives her thoroughly modern life with aplomb. So when her elderly Jane Austen centric aunt needs her to take on the public relations for Julian Chancellor, a very private man from England who’s written a book calledMy Year as Mr. Darcy, Vanessa agrees. But she’s not excessively diverted,” as Jane Austen would say.

Hardbound books, teacups, and quill pens fly in the face of her e-reader, coffee, and smartphone…

…Until she sees Julian take his tight breeches off for his Undressing Mr. Darcy show, an educational "striptease” down to his drawers to promote his book and help save his crumbling estate. The public relations expert suddenly realizes things have gotten…personal. But can this old-fashioned man claim her heart without so much as a GPS? It will take three festivals filled with Austen fans, a trip to England, an old frenemy, and a flirtatious pirate re-enactor to find out….


Kritters Thoughts:  Vanessa grew up with her aunt as her sole provider and grew up knowing the world of Jane Austen, but not appreciating the stories that Jane Austen has given the world.  Through certain events Vanessa starts to learn how Austen fans become so hooked!  

A little disjointed and for some reason I felt like the story just jumped from thought to thought and wished it had a little more flow.  There were a few moments where I had to stop and reread to make sure I hadn't missed something, a little frustrating.  I think if you are quite the Austen fan you could look past this and enjoy the story more than I did.


Rating: enjoyable, but didn't leave me wanting more

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from Penguin.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.






Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Wordless Wednesday: The Nutcracker


This past weekend, my parents and I took my niece Emma to see a production of The Nutcracker, it was awesome!  

For a four and a half year old she was mesmerized and loved "the show!"

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Review: Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker

Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker
by Jennifer Chiaverini

Publisher: Dutton Adult 
Pages: 352
Format: book
Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  In March 1861, Mrs. Lincoln chose Keckley from among a number of applicants to be her personal “modiste,” responsible not only for creating the First Lady’s gowns, but also for dressing Mrs. Lincoln in the beautiful attire Keckley had fashioned. The relationship between the two women quickly evolved, as Keckley was drawn into the intimate life of the Lincoln family, supporting Mary Todd Lincoln in the loss of first her son, and then her husband to the assassination that stunned the nation and the world. 

Keckley saved scraps from the dozens of gowns she made for Mrs. Lincoln, eventually piecing together a tribute known as the Mary Todd Lincoln Quilt. She also saved memories, which she fashioned into a book, Behind the Scenes: Thirty Years a Slave and Four Years in the White House. Upon its publication, Keckley’s memoir created a scandal that compelled Mary Todd Lincoln to sever all ties with her, but in the decades since, Keckley’s story has languished in the archives. In this impeccably researched, engrossing novel, Chiaverini brings history to life in rich, moving style.



Kritters Thoughts:  An educated free slave becomes Mrs. Lincoln's dressmaker, confidant and friend.  Told through Elizabeth’s eyes, there is a new perspective on the Lincoln presidency and the impact that his decisions and the timing of those on the slaves in the United States. 

I know there are many books on the Lincoln presidency and now a Speilberg movie, so I was worried this book was going to be redundant and not feel fresh, but I was wrong – using an outside character to tell the story and where the story really impacts her life was a perfect way to see the Lincoln presidency and the Civil War.

I absolutely adored that this story went beyond the moment where President Lincoln was assassinated.  I had never heard Mary Todd Lincoln’s story beyond President Lincoln’s last breath and the hurdles she had to endure as the country moved on without her and her famous husband.  To read about her ups and downs after leaving the White House was so interesting, I wouldn’t have minded if the author had inserted a chapter or two that told her perspective before he was assassinated and after to give even more detail as to who she was through it all.

There was a lag in the middle where I felt like the story didn't quite center around Elizabeth, but instead the bits of war that more focused on Mr. Lincoln and the Union.  Once the details of war were complete, the story picked up in pacing and then I couldn't put it down.  

A piece of historical fiction that although packed with information, read with ease.

Rating: definitely a good read, but can't read two in a row

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from TLC Book Tours.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.