Noah's Rainy Day trailer

The 4th book in the Liv Bergen series is coming in September and I am going to be reading both the third and this book soon!  I wanted to do a sneak peek of the cover and the book trailer below.  

Check back for my reviews of both Widow's Might and Noah's Rainy Day on August 27th and 29th!

Beware:  these book covers are not for the faint of heart!

Bout of Books August 2013

So, it's official me and my mom (Ope's Opinions) are going to read and read and read from August 19-25.  I have work during the day, but maybe during a lunch hour and definitely after work, I am going to read like it is going out of style!

So join us on Monday as we read away the week. 

I may also do a youtube video or two, so check out my channel for that.

I am hoping to do like the book tubers and read 300 pages a day!  So for 7 days that would equal 2,100 pages, here is what I am planning on reading:

1. Love & Lament by John Miliken Thompson - 400 pages
2. Equilibrium by Lorrie Thomson - 336 pages
3. Lying to Meet You by Anna Garner - 187 pages
4. Freud's Mistress by Karen Mack and Jennifer Kaufman - 357 pages
5. In the Shadow of Revenge by Patricia Hale - 203 pages
6. Emma vs the Tech Guy by Lia Fairchild - 180 pages
7. Strings of Glass by Emily Kimelman - 156 pages
8. Blogger Girl by Meredith Schorr - 222 pages

I am missing 59 pages that I will have to find somewhere, but I think I can do it.  With a lot of short little ebooks, I feel like this could possibly get done!


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, August 19th and runs through Sunday, August 25th 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 8.0 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog.

Across My Doorstop

Review:
Multiple Exposure by Ellen Crosby  (Goodreads Amazon)
Shoot the Dog by Brad Smith  (Goodreads  Amazon)
Tamarack County by William Kent Krueger  (Goodreads  Amazon)
Forever, Interrupted by Taylor Jenkins Reid  (Goodreads  Amazon)
Naked Paddock by M.K. Ducote  (Goodreads  Amazon)
The Hero by Robyn Carr (Goodreads Amazon)
Killer Image by Wendy Tyson  (Goodreads  Amazon)
The Good Wife by Jane Porter  (Goodreads  Amazon)
Troubled Daughters, Twisted Wives by Sarah Weinman  (Goodreads  Amazon)
This Girl by Colleen Hover  (Goodreads  Amazon)


Swap Sites:
The Seduction of the Crimson Rose by Lauren Willig  (Goodreads  Amazon)
The Temptation of the Night Jasmine by Lauren Willig  (Goodreads  Amazon)
Still Growing by Kirk Cameron  (Goodreads  Amazon)
The Masque of the Black Tulip by Lauren Willig  (Goodreads  Amazon)
Call Me Princess by Sara Blaedel  (Goodreads  Amazon)

Cover Reveal - Sue Monk Kidd

Author Sue Monk Kidd famous for The Secret Life of Bees is releasing a new book in January and here is the first look at the fantastically simple cover.  Her next book is titled The Invention of Wings.  It sounds like one I won't be able to wait to read!

Happy Birthday to me!

It is my birthday!  I have taken today off work to read a little, shop kitchen contractors, and have dinner with some of my favorite ladies!  I think this day will greatly reflect the next 30 years - a little books, a little house and good friends!

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Review: Pushing 30 by Whitney Gaskell

Pushing 30 by Whitney Gaskell

Publisher: Bantam

Pages: 336

Format: book

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Ellie Winters is dependable and loyal and has a near-phobic aversion to conflict. But as her thirtieth birthday looms ever closer, she starts to feel like she’s lost the instruction manual to her life. She has just broken up with her boring boyfriend, despises her job, and is the last of her high school friends to remain single. Worse, her dysfunctional family is driving her nuts, and she’s somehow become enslaved to her demanding pet pug Sally, who she suspects is the reincarnation of Pol Pot.

One night, after a botched attempt to color her hair at home, Ellie rushes to the drugstore for emergency bleach, Sally in tow. Sally is accosted by a smitten canine admirer . . . but it’s the dog’s owner who captures Ellie’s attention. Television news anchor Ted Langston is witty, intriguing, and sexy. The only catch? He’s twice her age--and the only man on the planet who isn’t interested in dating a younger woman. And no one, from Ellie’s best friends to Ted’s ex-wife, wants to see them get together.

Kritters Thoughts:  Approaching 30 is an interesting time in life, maybe you are settled and married and just enjoying a happy time or maybe like Ellie you are trying to get things settled and it isn't working, either way turning 30 can be rough!  I may have picked this book specifically to review this week as my 30th birthday may be tomorrow!

I loved how Ellie was trying to put the pieces together, it combusts and most of it comes together in the end!  The characters were fantastic, they felt real, but each had great stories.  I loved Ellie's friends almost as much as I loved her.  I completely felt the angst of her upcoming birthday and how the expectation of where your life should be when you are entering your 30s.  

No matter your age, this sweet throw back book from 2003, is a perfect addition to your late summer beach bag!


Rating: perfect beach read

Off the Shelf 2013 Challenge: 5 out of 30

It's Monday, What are you Reading?

Not as much reading occured this week, had to paint more trim, but the reading was REALLY good!!!

A meme hosted by Sheila at BookJourney. 

Finished this past week:

The Outcast by Jolina Petersheim
The Girl You Let Behind by Jojo Moyes
Widow's Might by Sandra Brannan

Currently Reading:

The Hero by Robyn Carr

Next on the TBR pile:

The Prayer Box by Lisa Wingate

Review: The Outcast by Jolina Petersheim

The Outcast by Jolina Petersheim

Publisher: Tyndale House

Pages: 400

Format: book

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Raised in an Old Order Mennonite community, Rachel Stoltzfus is a strong-willed single woman, content living apart from mainstream society until whispers stir the moment her belly swells with new life. Refusing to repent and name the partner in her sin, Rachel feels the wrath of the religious sect as she is shunned by those she loves most. She is eventually coerced into leaving by her brother-in-law, the bishop.

But secrets run deep in this cloistered community, and the bishop is hiding some of his own, threatening his conscience and his very soul. When the life of Rachel’s baby is at stake, however, choices must be made that will bring the darkness to light, forever changing the lives of those who call Copper Creek home.


Kritters Thoughts:  A modern retelling of the Scarlet Letter, but with a fantastic twist.  It isn't just modern it takes the story into a community where sex out of wedlock is a major no no, so it heightens the story to the next level.  The author made a perfect twist of fate into the story to allow for the father of this child to have to come out in the public and own up to his part of the whole fiasco.  

With two different characters providing narration, it was nice to get the story from another point of view besides Rachel; although it was a little odd and off putting for that other narrator to be a deceased person.  It was easy to forget that he was deceased as he was more of a third party narrator than one with an opinion.  

I loved how the community added a little extra to this story because she was extra shamed by the community by her actions.  The family dynamics were so interesting to read about.  I couldn't believe how one's family can completely disown them by actions that were not completely of their own.  

A great book that takes you into a different community that doesn't always have fiction written about it - I loved taking an inside peek into this community and was surprised of the geographic location of the story.  

Rating: absolutely loved it and want a sequel (and we are getting one!)

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from Tyndale House Publishers.  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.

Review: Sea Creatures by Susanna Daniel

Sea Creatures by Susanna Daniel

Publisher: Harper

Pages: 320

Format: ARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  When Georgia returns to her hometown of Miami, her toddler son and husband in tow, she is hoping for a fresh start. They have left Illinois trailing scandal and disappointment in their wake: Graham's sleep disorder has cost him his tenure at Northwestern; Georgia's college advising business has gone belly up; and three-year old Frankie is no longer speaking. Miami feels emptier without Georgia's mother, who died five years earlier, but her father and stepmother offer a warm welcome-as well as a slip for the dilapidated houseboat Georgia and Graham have chosen to call home. And a position studying extreme weather patterns at a prestigious marine research facility offers Graham a professional second chance.

When Georgia takes a job as an errand runner for an artist who lives alone in the middle of Biscayne Bay, she's surprised to find her life changes dramatically. Time spent with the intense hermit at his isolated home might help Frankie gain the courage to speak, it seems. And it might help Georgia reconcile the woman she was with the woman she has become.

But when Graham leaves to work on a ship in Hurricane Alley and the truth behind Frankie's mutism is uncovered, the family's challenges return, more complicated than before. Late that summer, as a hurricane bears down on South Florida, Georgia must face the fact that her choices have put her only child in grave danger.

Kritters Thoughts:  There are many forms of insomnia and some can really affect a relationship and a family - Georgia and Graham both deal with different forms of insomnia and it has gravely affected their son and themselves.  With a sudden move to Miami, this book dives straight into how a family must try to pick up the pieces and put everything back in order, but can it be done?

Although the story seemed crazy, weird and interesting, the characters were so deep and became so personal, that I couldn't put it down and wanted to know where they were all going end up.  There were times where I felt uncomfortable because I felt so close to their intimate dramas, but I think that was all in creating these characters that I was invested in.  At times this book went to a place that I didn't want it to go, I never felt like it wasn't honest and true.

Not a lighthearted read, but with a cast of characters with quirks and truth, I would say this is one to spend a weekend with.  

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.

Review: Triumphs and Tragedies by Bill Hayes

Triumphs and Tragedies

by Bill Hayes

Publisher: Final Word Press

Pages: 384

Format: eARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Hermosa Beach, California, in the mid-1960s. Sun, surf, swanky sand castles along the Strand, and a soundtrack of “Fun, Fun, Fun.” But the hang-loose life of the locals would soon be drowned out and painted black. The social storm brewing could turn even the most perfect wave into a brutal riptide.

Karl McMillen, Jr. deserved a piece of the Pacific paradise. He’d plumbed his way up from screwfittings and sweat into mega-business ownership and multimillions. He’d earned the azure-awesome view that he woke to every magical morning. And he’d earned the ideal family at his side. A dynamic wife and two bright, talented sons with sky’s-the-limit potential.

But that storm…

He never saw it coming. It hit hard and it hit fast. The grinding gales of addiction ripped everything he had apart.  How do you go from planning exotic family vacations and evaluating real estate investments to planning prison visits and evaluating rehab centers and criminal defense pleas? How do you watch your surfer champion sons transform into drug lords? Inmates? How do you watch your entire family die; one by one?

And yet never stop fighting.

What does it take to look in the mirror and search for the meaning of enabler? To face that you’re sacrificing your own livelihood for Scotch? To ride a sheer, pounding wave of triumphs and tragedies, and then pull out and paddle back for more?

It takes a rare and special person—Karl McMillen.

Kritters Thoughts:  A true story about a family's battle with addictive issues to drugs, alcohol and maybe even working.  There were many moments in this book that I wished it were a piece of fiction, because I wanted this family to take a different avenue or approach to their son's and their own issues. 

My biggest issue with the story was the continuous amount of second chances that Karl and Thelma provided to their sons.  Even at the end, Karl was still giving chances when he was stating in letters to his children that he would stop providing for them.  Karl was an enabler and I am not sure he ever truly admitted it and that was hard to read and understand.  Along with that, I felt that maybe Karl and Thelma didn't provide enough attention to their sons as they were young and this could have prevented the path that the boys took.  They had all the "things" they needed, but Karl and Thelma didn't give of their time to their family.  Finally, I was not a fan that Karl and Thelma were not battling their own demons with truth and honesty.  They had issues of their own and should have taken care of themselves, just as much as they were worrying about their boys. 

The one interesting thing that I took from the book was the time that I read this book, right after a well known Glee actor, Corey Monteith died from a mix of heroin and alcohol.  After reading about Karl's son's life long battles with addiction and how recovery is hard, it made me think about Corey and how even though he had a few stints in rehab, he never found complete recovery.

As this is a true story, it is hard to really rate the characters and the story, but I just couldn't handle this family and their crazy story.

Rating: not such a good read


Ebook 2013 Challenge: 54 out of 50

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from JKS Communications.  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.

Review: Reality Ends Here by Alison Gaylin

Reality Ends Here by Alison Gaylin

Publisher: Pocket Star

Pages: 250

Format: eARC 

Buy the Book: Amazon 

Goodreads:  With a major crush on an adorable pop star, annoying younger siblings, and a mom and stepdad who are too strict, Estella Blanchard is a typical teenage girl-except that her daily struggles are plotlines on the reality show Seven Is Heaven, which relentlessly documents her life as the older half-sister of sextuplets. Estella's an Oscar-worthy actress at hiding her true feelings from the camera.

However, she can't outrun the spotlight when she receives a Christmas present from her biological father...who died ten years ago under mysterious circumstances. Blamed for this "sick prank," Estella is placed in an unorthodox support group for troubled child stars-including a twenty-three-year-old has-been, a backstabbing drama queen, and a super-cute (but very off-limits) boy bander. And, as weird as the group is, when a creepy paparazzo starts stalking her, claiming that her dad is actually alive, Estella's going to need their help to uncover the truth and stay alive.

Kritters Thoughts:  Are you a reality tv fan?  Do you like to read books that take you behind the scenes?  As I would answer YES, to both questions, I loved this book that took me inside a reality tv show through the eyes of the teenager where her home has become the set for the show.  One might think this show has some similarities to John & Kate Gosselin's adventure in reality tv, but I do wonder what the author used as a reference.  

I absolutely loved how the author presented the family and the workings of the reality tv show and how when a tv show is shot in a family's home, the child looses a safe place as their home is invaded by a whole production team.  As Estella joins a support group of sorts, it was interesting to see the similarities and differences between her experience on a reality show and other stars who shoot tv shows and films, but get to maintain a "home" life.

The one thing that threw me for a loop was the pace of the book.  The beginning moved at a perfect pace as things were unfolding, but the end of the middle and the end sped along like a bus out of control.  I wish there was a little more pulled out to give a little more depth to the ending.

A book that I would recommend to a teen audience as the subject matter and presentation were definitely tame enough for a true YA reader.  

Rating: perfect YA read

Ebook 2013 Challenge: 52 out of 50

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from Simon and Schuster.  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.

It's Monday, What are you Reading?

I may have spent a few hours on the couch this week and weekend avoiding everything and reading!  I have to be honest, it was awesome after spending many hours painting trim last weekend - didn't finish, but someday it will be done!

A meme hosted by Sheila at BookJourney. 

Finished this past week:

Pushing 30 by Whitney Gaskell
Unfinished Business by Carolyn Ridder Aspenson
Escape From Eden by Elisa Nader
Honeymoon From Paris by Jojo Moyes
Sea Creatures by Susanna Daniel

Currently Reading:

The Outcast by Jolina Petersheim

Next on the TBR pile:

The Girl You Left Behind by Jojo Moyes

It's a Birthday!

I am so excited to share a birthday month with my mom!  So today is my mom's birthday and I just want to thank her for sharing her love for reading.  She is definitely one of my partners in crime when it comes to bookish things!

Check out her blog at Ope's Opinions!

Signing by Koethi Zan

I had read just 40 pages of The Never List by Koethi Zan when I went to a reading and signing of her book at Politics and Prose.  I took my mom along with me as she is always a fan of meeting and finding new authors.  

Koethi was so fun to listen to.  She had such a history with the subject of this book and you could tell that she was definitely excited to get it out and talk about it.  I enjoyed hearing her talk about the book while I was currently reading it, it made my reading the book feel deeper.  

Check out my review of the book that I posted earlier today and grab The Never List, I am recommending it to read during the Halloween season!

Review: The Never List by Koethi Zan

The Never List by Koethi Zan

Publisher: Pamela Dorman Books

Pages: 320

Format: book 

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  For years, best friends Sarah and Jennifer kept what they called the “Never List”: a list of actions to be avoided, for safety’s sake, at all costs. But one night, against their best instincts, they accept a cab ride with grave, everlasting consequences. For the next three years, they are held captive with two other girls in a dungeon-like cellar by a connoisseur of sadism.

Ten years later, at thirty-one, Sarah is still struggling to resume a normal life, living as a virtual recluse under a new name, unable to come to grips with the fact that Jennifer didn’t make it out of that cellar. Now, her abductor is up for parole and Sarah can no longer ignore the twisted letters he sends from jail.

Finally, Sarah decides to confront her phobias and the other survivors—who hold their own deep grudges against her. When she goes on a cross-country chase that takes her into the perverse world of BDSM, secret cults, and the arcane study of torture, she begins unraveling a mystery more horrifying than even she could have imagined.


Kritters Thoughts:  Sarah/Caroline lived through a horrific car accident and with her best friend made a list of things never to do to hopefully avoid any other catastrophes.  Something happened one night while they were at college and they end up kidnapped and locked in a basement and tortured.  The story picks up years after Sarah escapes and is thrust into a hunt for information to avoid her captor to be put out on parole.  She must link up with the other two girls who survived the terror to finish what she started.

The twists and turns in this book were completely unpredictable and took my breath away.  There weren't too many where I was overwhelmed or tired by it.  The author held back with a great final reveal that really made the book finish strong.  

As a warning, there are bits and pieces of BDSM in this book, but as I am definitely not a reader of that genre of fiction, I didn't feel like the book completely focused on that subculture.  It was just a part of the girls' captivity and experience.  I had gone to a reading by the author while reading the book, so I am definitely thankful that I knew it was a part of the book going into it, but I wouldn't let that part of the book put anyone off from reading this great piece of crime fiction.

The creepy factor was extra high during this book and I may have lost a little sleep while reading it, but I couldn't wait to finish it and find out where these girls would end up.  A page turner with a creepy factor, a book that I would suggest for readers to enjoy during the Halloween season!

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 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.

Review: Not Your Average Joe by Nell Carson

Not Your Average Joe by Nell Carson

Publisher: Escape Publishing

Pages: 155

Format: eARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Jennifer Wright is finishing a long shift on the assembly line at Brickman Foods when she meets her newest trainee, Jason Baxter — only that’s not his name and she knows it. She recognises him instantly as Jared Brickman, internationally renowned playboy and son of the CEO of Brickman Foods, working undercover to film the reality show, Joe Average.

Jared is also the father of Jennifer’s son, Chris, although he doesn’t know it. The six years since they dated have been momentous for Jennifer, but it’s clear when they meet again that Jared doesn’t even remember her. Jennifer knew Jared the boy — irresponsible and reckless. Now she has the opportunity to discover Jared the man. She’d like to tell him about his son, but fears his reputation as depicted in celebrity magazines.

Is Jared an infamous heartbreaker, or is he the man she sees now: sweet, shy, and dependable — someone who can be trusted in her son’s life…and maybe even her own?


Kritters Thoughts:  A reality show that mimics the likes of Undercover Boss, but the person undercover and one of the employees have a past that may be uncovered.  Jennifer has been working hard at a plant for Brickman Food and soon the son of the CEO is going to come undercover to work a few jobs and she will be his trainer.  As always on reality tv, drama ensues and a great book blends the reality tv phenomenon and chick lit in one book!

From the start I fell in love with the character of Jennifer and wanted her to succeed.  Jared/Jason was an easy character to envision and although I thought he could have maybe showed more signs of recognizing Jennifer from the past, I loved how the story played out.  Jennifer's son Chris was written so well.  I loved how he didn't obsess over who his father was, but the reader could definitely tell that Chris wanted to know.

With a definite sweet ending, this book ended on a high note.  I definitely enjoyed the epilogue that took place a year after the final activity, but still wouldn't mind a sequel to move the story even more into the future.


Rating: absolutely loved it and want a sequel

Ebook 2013 Challenge: 51 out of 50

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from the author.  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.