Countdown of My Favourites

I am new to the blogging world but wanted to share my favourite reads from 2009 with you. These are all books that I read this year, half before I started blogging. I have a varied list but my favourite genre is Suspense.

Blogging has allowed me to meet some great people and I truly appreciate all my followers, the comments and the recommendations, my TBR list is out of hand now, lol. I was so narrow minded before :-0

They are in order of my enjoyment/favourite.

1 - Thriller – Twisted by Andrea Kane

2 - Suspense – The Weight of Silence

3 - Fiction (Alzeimers) – Still Alice by Lisa Genova

4 - Erotica – The Gift of Shame, Sophie Walker

5 - Suspense/Paranormal Romance – The Widow’s Season by Laura Brodie

6 - Thriller – Swimsuit by James Patterson

7 - Fiction (Friends) – Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah

8 - Fiction (Sex Scandal) – Testimony by Anita Shreve

9 - Chick Lit – Secrets of a Shoe Addict by Beth Harbison

10 - Humour – Gods Behaving Badly – Marie Phillips

And My Honourable Mention - Completely out of my comfort zone but I enjoyed it

Memoir – The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls

I look forward to 2010.

My favourite things about blogging

Somewhere to keep record of what i'm reading

Networking with Bloggers

Finding Bloggers with similar interest

Memes

Adding to my TBR list from Recommendations

Thanks for reading Tea Time with Marce, I look forward to any comments.

Kindle International Review - My immediate response

I got the Kindle for Christmas and this beautiful bronze Cole Haan cover.

I have only read 1 book so far but this is my immediate thoughts on it.

What I love about the Kindle

- It is fast and easy to start reading

- Reads like a book (I was impressed)

- Books in under 60 seconds

- No need to search for Wi Fi, it uses Wireless coverage

- Some ebooks are FREE, I got James Patterson's The Angel Experiment (Maximum Ride, Book 1)

- Great battery life, I read My Widow's Season in 4 days and didn't need to recharge

- Being able to download samples (first chapter before buying)

- I personally think $9.99 is a great price for books

- The built in Dictionary, WOW, I never would stop reading to look up a word but with it right there it was to easy for me not to use.

- The ability to highlight and keep notes, fantastic for bloggers and those that write reviews

What I would like to see in future - My personal preference - Also my didn't really like about the Kindle

- The cover of the book when it goes to sleep (I really missed looking at the cover of the book)

- The page of the printed book (You can tell where you are by a % but just didn't feel the same, this will take a little getting used to. I had to go to Table of Contents and see how many chapters the book had and feel it out from that)

What I look forward to

- Using the Text to Speech feature (Only some books have the audio part so I was unable to test this part out but I think it is a great feature for the kindle)

- Cover of books in colour

- A way to read the Kindle in the dark :-)

Now, I will NEVER give up the joy of holding and reading a real book but this will allow me to venture out of my norm and try different genre's. Also, I am a mood reader so the idea of saying I want to read "this" and being able to download and start reading it is a magical thought.

Thanks for reading Friends.

This link is what really Sold me since I hadn't actually seen one to touch, feel, experience it before. A Guided Tour http://www.amazon.com/Kindle-Wireless-Reading-Display-Generation/dp/B0015T963C/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1262187769&sr=1-1

Review - The Widow's Season by Laura Brodie (Kindle)

Summary - When Sarah turns the corner at the supermarket one afternoon and spots her husband David down the aisle, only she makes a big deal of it. The rest of the shoppers don't seem to notice or realize that Sarah's husband has been dead for three months.

This David-sighting begins a chain of events that turn Sarah's life from that of a quiet, mourning widower into a sought-after, fought-over, woman of mystery. As her dead husband resurfaces more frequently with an explanation that seems quite plausible, Sarah accidentally falls into a romantic relationship with his younger brother Nate. It is when these two worlds collide that Sarah is faced with her true choice - let her identity wash away with her past, or embrace her uncertain future alone.

My Review - The Widow’s Season made me feel like I was under a spell, it was a warm beautiful story. The quiet mixture of the writing had a special feel to it, a little suspense, aura of mystery, romance, immoral conduct that plays with emotions and also twists and turns of real life. I thought the author Laura Brodie did a great job to make the characters feel real.

Sara is the Widow or is she? Laura Brodie used the changing of the seasons along with Sara’s emotions and stages of her grief, it was the perfect choice of style/symbolism. The mystery/suspense comes from your own mind games, is Sara grieving, is she crazy, is David a ghost or is he beginning a new life and trying to capture Sara to disappear with him. You continue reading because you just can’t wait to understand and see how it unfolds.

Also Sara and Nate, the brother in law supported each other with the grief. This story line will raise a few eyebrows. Don’t want to say more and include spoilers.

Also any moms that have had miscarriages will totally embrace the additional grief and emotions Sara dealt with.

The overall story was very dreamlike. I totally felt like I had just had a massage and my body and mind just said ahhhhhhh. One thing I love about any book is when the ending flows with the story, this had the perfect wrap up.

This is a perfect read for a Book Club.

I give it 4 stars.

Teaser Tuesday - The Widow's Season

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
  
• Open to a random page
  
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
  
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
  
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

This is my first Kindle book and I have to say I am thoroughly enjoying the book and kindle BUT will never give up the joy of real books. Look out for reviews on both this week.

Now onto my Teaser - Chapter 7

The Widow's Season by Laura Brodie

She was mourning the loss of an idea, a vision of how her life should have been. And the at vision had not been swept down the river three months ago; it had been dying slowly over the past several years, with each small dream that she had abandoned.

For more go to my previous post for a summary........

Please leave a comment and also participate by going here. http://shouldbereading.wordpress.com/

What should be my first Kindle read?

All I wanted for Christmas was the Kindle and I got it, yaaaay. I'm so excited. Help me choose what I should read first please. I will do a Kindle Review after reading a book, it has so many features.

So these are the 3 contenders from my TBR list that I don't own already and that are available on kindle.



Summary - When Sarah turns the corner at the supermarket one afternoon and spots her husband David down the aisle, only she makes a big deal of it. The rest of the shoppers don't seem to notice or realize that Sarah's husband has been dead for three months.

This David-sighting begins a chain of events that turn Sarah's life from that of a quiet, mourning widower into a sought-after, fought-over, woman of mystery. As her dead husband resurfaces more frequently with an explanation that seems quite plausible, Sarah accidentally falls into a romantic relationship with his younger brother Nate. It is when these two worlds collide that Sarah is faced with her true choice - let her identity wash away with her past, or embrace her uncertain future alone.

Summary - "This book tells the life story of Laura Shane, born during a mysterious lightning storm, who is twice saved from being murdered during childhood by a mysterious stranger whose arrival is connected to the lightning. She grows up to become a famous writer, marries, has a child and attempts to live a normal life, but is again attacked by a killer and rescued by the stranger. She learns eventually that her rescuer is from another time, and that her survival is tied in to the fate of the free world. Together with her rescuer, she fights for her life and that of her son against an implacable enemy who can travel through time and find her no matter where she goes."

Summary - Sixteen-year-old Thomas wakes up in a place called the Glade, where towering walls close at night to keep a colony of boys safe from the monsters outside them. They have all had their memories erased, but Thomas remembers just a little too much. The world is in catastrophe and they are living in the Killzone, mere animals in a bizarre experiment. Soon Teresa, the first girl, arrives and tells them the game is on. Some boys think they are better off in this cold, cruel place than going back to where they came from -- they have formed a society after all, with rules and jobs like farming and even butchering their own meat. But Thomas turns out to be the leader they've needed to form their own army, revolt against the monsters, and take on the people who have set them up in this very cruel and isolated world. Of course the outside world may have its own scary challenges.

Thanks Blogging Friends for your recommendation and help with my choice.

The Return of Sade - Music Related

I LOVE SADE....... I totally came across this by accident and just had to share. The album is to be released February 2010.

E X C I T E D

Go to http://www.sade.com/ if your a fan also.

Review - The Wrong Mother

It began with an affair. And ended in death.

Sally Thorning is watching the news with her husband when she hears an unexpected name-Mark Bretherick. It's a name she shouldn't know, but last year Sally treated herself to a secret vacation-away from her hectic family life-and met a man. After their brief affair, the two planned to never meet again. But now, Mark's wife and daughter are dead-and the safety of Sally's own family is in doubt.

I will start by saying I think all first time Mothers, especially Working moms should read this. The overall mothering thoughts, good and bad were dynamite in a psychologically frightening way. Also the appreciation and love husbands show differently, I truly enjoyed. It will make you question what you take notice of or if your spouse will notice anything different when giving hints etc. That is the summary of what I enjoyed about the book. It was a great try but just not executed well, lots of twists but for me just not a believable story.

The story overall to me was not believable, the police work not believable and the main victim, Sally, not believable especially in her reaction to a few things and the ending, WTF, whatever I thought. Way too many characters and unnecessary to switch from real name to nickname, it was just an additional distraction to keep track of in the book that didn’t add to the story. Also with that many police officers why would female characters have male names, eg Charlie, just a dumb choice in my opinion. Background relationships that was unnecessary also. The book was 400 pages, could have been so much better with only 300.

The intro was brilliant but Sophia Hannah couldn’t keep that expectation through to the end for me. I was disappointed as it was my first read by this author but I will try another one by her before giving up. I had a ‘moment’ thought of rereading right away but I just couldn’t do it to myself. I am glad I read it but I simply can’t say go out and buy, borrow it. Unfortunately I will not recommend this one, you will have to make the decision yourself. Actually if you want it, be the first to comment and say “I want your copy” and I’ll send it to you. I have seen others give it 5 stars :-0 .

I give it 2 1/2 stars

Happy Holidays Everyone

Happy Holidays Everyone

Enjoy the Season and all that you do and of course HAPPY READING.

I hope you receive many books that are on your TBR Wishlist and some gift cards in order to choose your own.

Be safe during your travels.

Teaser Tuesday - Lips Touch

Happy Tuesday Blogger Friends,

This would be my first book in this genre but something about it has drawn me in, the cover, the title and............... what a surprise there are graphic pictures before each chapter :-) What a fun teaser surprise for me.

So I decided for my Teaser I will give the 1st sentence in each story, teaser is in italics.


Three tales of supernatural love, each pivoting on a kiss that is no mere kiss, but an action with profound consequences for the kissers' souls:



My Teasers.....

Goblin Fruit: In Victorian times, goblin men had only to offer young girls sumptuous fruits to tempt them to sell their souls. But what does it take to tempt today's savvy girls? Teaser - There is a certain kind of girl the goblins crave.


Spicy Little Curses: A demon and the ambassador to Hell tussle over the soul of a beautiful English girl in India. Matters become complicated when she falls in love and decides to test her curse. Teaser - Kissing can ruin lives.


Hatchling: Six days before Esme's fourteenth birthday, her left eye turns from brown to blue. She little suspects what the change heralds, but her small safe life begins to unravel at once. What does the beautiful, fanged man want with her, and how is her fate connected to a mysterious race of demons? Teaser - Six days before Esme's fourteenth birthday, her left eye turned from brown to blue.

To Play along go here http://shouldbereading.wordpress.com/2009/12/22/teaser-tuesdays-dec-22/

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

In My Mailbox & Mailbox Monday - My early Christmas presents to ME

Early Merry Christmas to Me :-)

My first time participating and finding the great blog The Story Siren which hosts In My Mailbox. http://www.thestorysiren.com/

&

So I can participate in Mailbox Monday also, such a great way to network and add more to the TBR list. :-) Marcia at Printer Page http://printedpage.us/2009/12/20/mailbox-monday-december-21st/






Lips Touch by Taylor Di Bartolo










The House on Tradd Street by Karen White (this looks like a favourite in the blogsphere)








And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie (can you believe my first AC book)










Promise Not to Tell by Jennifer McMahon

Thanks for visiting, I really felt like it was Christmas early. Merry Christmas and/or Happy Holidays :-)

The Body Finder Giveaway

How exciting, go over to the authors blog and join the contest.

http://kimberlyderting.blogspot.com/2009/12/counting-down-and-how-you-can-win-some.html

THE BODY FINDER
Coming March 2010 from HarperTeen

Violet Ambrose is grappling with two major issues: Jay Heaton and her morbid secret ability. While the sixteen-year-old is confused by her new feelings for her best friend since childhood, she is more disturbed by her "power" to sense dead bodies—or at least those that have been murdered. Since she was a little girl, she has felt the echoes that the dead leave behind in the world... and the imprints that attach to their killers.

Violet has never considered her strange talent to be a gift; it mostly just led her to find the dead birds her cat had tired of playing with. But now that a serial killer has begun terrorizing her small town, and the echoes of the local girls he's claimed haunt her daily, she realizes she might be the only person who can stop him.

Despite his fierce protectiveness over her, Jay reluctantly agrees to help Violet on her quest to find the murderer—and Violet is unnerved to find herself hoping that Jay's intentions are much more than friendly. But even as she's falling intensely in love, Violet is getting closer and closer to discovering a killer... and becoming his prey herself.

International Giveaway on Reading with Tequila

Make sure you head over to join the giveaway.....

http://readingwithtequila.blogspot.com/2009/11/100-follower-giveaway.html

Only 10 more days.

Books you could win

The Vampire Diaries: The Awakening & The Struggle by L.J. Smith
Frostbite by Richelle Mead
Wicked by Gregory Maguire
Wake by Lisa McMann
Stardust by Neil Gaiman
White Witch, Black Curse by Kim Harrison
Destined for an Early Grave by Jeaniene Frost
Blue Moon by Alyson Noel
Carpe Corpus by Rachel Caine
Bound to Shadows by Keri Arthur
Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay
Born of Night by Sherrilyn Kenyon
Covet by J.R. Ward
Me and My Shadow by Katie MacAlister
Princeps' Fury by Jim Butcher
Lover Avenged by J.R. Ward
Born to Fire by Sherrilyn Kenyon
The Darkest Whisper by Gena Showalter
Betrayals by Lili St. Crow
Flesh Circus by Lilith Saintcrow

Laugh out Flipping Loud - Christmas Read

Ok I have decided to do a little review on each short story as I read it.

These are the chapters

1. 1. You Better Not Cry
2. 2. And Two Eyes Made Out of Coal
3. 3. Claus and Effect
4. 4. Ask Again Later
5. 5. Why do You Reward Me Thus?
6. 6. The Best and Only Everything
7. 7. Silent Night

You Better Not Cry

Well I cried, I laughed out loud with tears rolling down my face. It was the perfect festive, or not so festive read I needed. When Augusten was young he didn't know the difference between Santa and Jesus he thought they were the same person. I won't go into details to give it away. And......... he licked Santa and then got carried away and ate him, lmao. Example of this humour, my opinion hilarious, omg i'm laughing just thinking about it. His granny called the Elfs, Santa's little people that helped, his response was 'You mean midget slaves?' H I L A R I O U S

This is the same author that wrote Running with Scissors, I may just have to read that now.

My Festive Read - You Better Not Cry

I decided on something funny as my Festive Read.

Written by Augusten Burroughs, ‘You Better Not Cry’

The author turns his wit to Christmas memories.

Have you ever eaten the face off a six-foot puffy Santa? Have you ever made your own gingerbread apartment? Have you ever woken up next to Kris Kringle himself? Well, Augusten Burroughs has, and in this cynically funny, wistful, emotional, and touching collection he narrates Christmases past and present. With gimlet eyed intelligence and enlightened text, Augusten shows how the holidays bring out the most awful in us and sometimes the very, very best.

I think I'm on the Naughty List for laughing at this.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/mpd/permalink/m1TH5W08S0VX9

Waiting on Wednesday - Caught by Harlan Coben

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

Caught by Harlan Coben

Published Date - March 2010

Summary

Wendy is a reporter on a mission: She's chasing down the lowest of the low-sexual predators-and exposing them on national television. Her big break comes when she nails a child advocate who works with abused and underserved children. She's there, cameras rolling, when the cops cuff him and the guy realizes his life is well and truly over. Three months later, the perp is off the grid, missing and presumed dead after the father of a victim claims to have killed him. Wendy, proud to have taken the man down in front of a shocked television audience, has moved on to the story of a missing girl, Erin, in a nearby suburb. The whole country is obsessed with finding this child, and Wendy should be well on her way to journalistic superstardom. Then is all comes unhinged: Wendy gets a phone call that changes everything. A group of local fathers, out of work and not above vigilante justice, begins to take matters into their own hands on Erin's behalf. Secrets long-buried rise to the surface and Wendy begins to wonder if her assumptions that fateful night three months ago were based on solid investigative journalism-or if she has unwittingly been part of a grand manipulation aiming to destroy and innocent man.

Please leave a comment and participate over on Jill's Blog - Breaking the Spine

http://breakingthespine.blogspot.com/2008/09/waiting-on-wednesday_17.html

Teaser Tuesday - The Wrong Mother

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

You can read a review (not mine) from my post yesterday on What are you Reading.....

The Wrong Mother, Sophie Hannah

pg. 300 I just started last night only on page 60

He opened one of Oonagh's messages. Nothing out of the ordinary, if you didn't count the fact that its recipient was no longer living when it was written and sent.

and I have to add the very 1st sentence....... Or your family.

The intro was great i'm excited to read this one, its my first by Sophie Hannah.

Please leave a comment and come over to participate here.

http://shouldbereading.wordpress.com/2009/12/15/teaser-tuesdays-dec-15/

What are you reading? Do you read more than 1 at a time?

Come on over to J. Kaye's Book Blog and join in http://j-kaye-book-blog.blogspot.com/.

A great way to add more to your TBR list, you know you want to add more. How do so many of you read more than 1 book at a time? I have a toddler and so i'm excited to even read 1 book a week which has been the average this year.

I just started my first Sophie Hannah book The Wrong Mother.

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Sally Thorning, part-time environment rescuer and full-time mother, struggles to maintain her sanity and juggle the overwhelming demands of work and home in this superior psychological mystery from British author Hannah (Little Face). During a week away from her husband and children, Sally has a brief affair. A year later a local headline tragedy—Sally's lover's wife appears to have murdered her six-year-old daughter then committed suicide—reveals that Sally's lover was not who he claimed to be and she needs to find out why. After surviving a shove in front of a bus, Sally re-examines that unwise affair as she plays amateur detective and nearly loses all she values in the process. The story alternates between Sally's confessional and a tight police procedural interspersed with evidence—pages torn from the diary of the alleged daughter-killer. Paced like a ticking time bomb with flawlessly distinct characterization, this is a fiercely fresh and un-put-downable read. 5-city author tour. (Oct.)

I also would like to finish Shattered Silence-- The Untold Story of a Serial Killer's Daughter but it wasn't what I expected so I keep starting a new book instead of finishing.

Review - Stephen King 'The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon'

So this was my 1st Stephen King book, not what I expected, I think my brother went for a soft read, I wanted to be scared......

Summary

"Trisha, a young girl, goes on a hike with her mom and brother and after being distracted just for a moment, gets lost in the forest. She hikes and climbs trying to find her way out with only the company of her walkman which she uses to tune into broadcasts of the Boston Red Sox and her favorite player Tom Gordon...the only thing that keeps her sane. She comes to the realization after finding mutilated animals and mangled trees that she is being hunted and this fuels her determination to find her way out of the unending woods."

My Review

I loved the character Trisha. 9 years old lost in the woods but she was strong and oh so sarcastic, the book is full of sayings and her inner voice scaring her or at least trying to scare her.

The chapters are creative - following a baseball game. I know nothing of baseball but felt it was just enough for those that love it and not enough to put me off from reading. Trisha is 'in love' major young girl crush on Tom Gordon and that helps her during her frightful, lonely times.

A tease paragraph from the book that gives a taste of style......

It's a special thing, Trisha - the thing that waits for the lost ones. It lets them wander until they're good and scared - because fear makes them taste better; it sweetens the flesh - and then it comes for them. You'll see it. It'll come out of the trees any minute now. A matter of seconds really. And when you see its face you'l go insane. If there was anyone to hear you, they'd think you were screaming. But you'll be laughing, won't you? Because that's what insane people do when their lives are ending, they laugh.... and they laugh... and they laugh.

My main issues with the book is that it didn't meet my expectations being my 1st Stephen King read and not hearing the side of the story from the other characters made me feel cheated.

I haven't decided between 2 1/2 or 3 stars yet.

Honest Scrap Award - Yaaaaaaaay

I am just so happy, being a part of this Blogging Family has added a whole joyful book reading adventure to my life. Getting Awards is exciting and I truly appreciate it. Thank you Jennifer from blog Reading with Tequila.

As for the rules of the award - I am to list 10 honest things about myself and then pass the award on to 7 blogs.My 10 truths:

1. I was born and raised in Bermuda, the beautiful island that you have to visit, we have influence from the English and US so the best of all worlds, the diveristy of culture here is amazing AND we are only 2 hours from NY, Boston and Philly to name a few. It is expensive though.
2. I studied Dance Education and was a professional dancer for 3 years but my passion was teaching not performing.
3. I am a Human Resource professional, currently work at a hospital, HR was my calling, I am lucky to love what I do.
4. I have to give a TMI answer because it is just so me :-) I love sex just as much as reading, actually I will have to say I do like sex more hahaha and this is why I can read erotica. My recommended erotica books is - The Gift of Shame by Sophie Hope Walker.
5. I drink Earl Grey Tea all day long, it is the small joy that makes me very happy.
6. My favourite author is Mary Higgins Clark
7. I do not do Facebook, Twitter etc, my only social network is my playgroup on iVillage
8. Purple is my favourite colour, I have a purple pen, umbrella, lots of clothes, shoes, stapler, purple walls in house and my VW car.
9. One of my favourite sayings is Okie Dokie
10. My 2 favourite vacation spots have been Capri in Italy and Vegas baby.......

I am passing this award on to some of my followers as a thank you for following me and because I enjoy reading their blog also.

http://www.bostonbibliophile.com/ Marie
http://missysbooknook.blogspot.com/ Missy
http://brizmusblogsbooks.blogspot.com/ Brizmus
http://firsttimewritersofya.blogspot.com/ Ash
http://ahauntofancientpeace.blogspot.com/ Nikki
http://stephthebookworm.blogspot.com/ Steph
http://bookaholicmom.blogspot.com/ Beth

Thanks again Jennifer

BTT - Bookmarks

This BTT was timely, I posted about Bookmarks yesterday, so I am just adding.

What items have you ever used as a bookmark? Of course I have used bookmarks, I especially like ones about dance or my horoscope.

What is the most unusual item you’ve ever used or seen used? Most unusual was wrapping paper from a present I loved.

Aren't the pictured bookmarks creatively divine, even though they will leave marks on the pages and that I cannot handle but they are so cute. And don't get me started folding over pages :-0

Yesterday's Post - What Bookmark are you using?

I'm curious, what Bookmark are you using, do you stick to the same one, change, fold over pages :-0 etc.

I currently am reading a hardback so I just use the flap.

Yaaaaaaaay New Books

Buying Books in Bermuda is soooooooo expensive but I still do it as I love new books. Well the following ones the stores didn't have, yes I could have ordered but a friend went away and got the following from Borders for me - yaaaaaaaaaaay.

Uglies is the first book of the trilogy. The second book is Pretties and the third is Specials. It's about a world in which everyone has an operation when they turn sixteen, making them supermodel beautiful. Big eyes, full lips, no one fat or skinny. This seems like a good thing, but it's not. Especially if you're one of the uglies, a bunch of radical teens who've decided they want to keep their own faces. (How anti-social of them.)

After - An infant left in the trash to die. A teenage mother who never knew she was pregnant . . Before That Morning, these were the words most often used to describe straight-A student and star soccer player Devon Davenport: responsible, hardworking, mature. But all that changes when the police find Devon home sick from school as they investigate the case of an abandoned baby. Soon the connection is made - Devon has just given birth; the baby in the trash is hers. After That Morning, there's only one way to define Devon: attempted murderer.And yet gifted author Amy Efaw does the impossible - she turns Devon into an empathetic character, a girl who was in such deep denial that she refused to believe she was pregnant. Through airtight writing and fast-paced, gripping storytelling, Ms. Efaw takes the reader on Devon's unforgettable journey toward clarity, acceptance, and redemption.

The Quickie - Lauren Stillwell is not your average damsel in distress. When the NYPD cop discovers her husband leaving a hotel with another woman, she decides to beat him at his own game. But her revenge goes dangerously awry, and she finds her world spiraling into a hell that becomes more terrifying by the hour. In a further twist of fate, Lauren must take on a job that threatens everything she stands for. Now, she's paralyzed by a deadly secret that could tear her life apart. With her job and marriage on the line, Lauren's desire for retribution becomes a lethal inferno as she fights to save her livelihood--and her life. Patterson takes us on a twisting roller-coaster ride of thrills in his most gripping novel yet. This story of love, lust and dangerous secrets will have reader's hearts pounding to the very last page.








The Wrong Mother - Sally Thorning is watching the news with her husband when she hears an unexpected name-Mark Bretherick. It's a name she shouldn't know, but last year Sally treated herself to a secret vacation-away from her hectic family life-and met a man. After their brief affair, the two planned to never meet again. But now, Mark's wife and daughter are dead-and the safety of Sally's own family is in doubt. Sophie Hannah established herself as a new master of psychological suspense with her previous novel, Little Face. Now with accomplished prose and a plot guaranteed to keep readers guessing, The Wrong Mother is Hannah's most captivating work yet.



I have wanted to read Uglies for so long I just want to grab it and read it now but I added it to a 2010 challenge :-) Jan 1 I will be ready......


Book Blogger Friends - THANKS FOR THE RECOMMENDATIONS

Your Blog is Over the Top Award

This was my very first award, thank you again Jennifer (Reading with Tequila) I am still excited she passed it on to me. I love her content and she gets so many bloggers involved so I love the diversity she brings to the blogging world.

Rules for Award:

1. Thank & post URL to the blog that gave the award.
2. Pass the award along to 4 brilliantly Over The Top blogs. Alert them so they know to receive the award!
3. Copy & paste the quiz-Answer with ONE word only.

I am passing this award on to: (Sorry I don't understand hyperlinks yet - still in training.)

1st - Jennifer - http://www.crazy-for-books.com

2nd - Allison - http://wellreadreviews.com/

3rd - Nickles - http://thewhowhatwhenwherewhy.blogspot.com/2009/12/in-my-mailbox.html

4th - A Club Members Blog - http://novel-discussions.blogspot.com

The quiz: My answers are here.........

http://teawithmarce.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-first-award-q-1-word-answers.html

Your cell phone?

Your hair?
Your mother?
Your father?
Your favorite food?
Your dream last night?
Your favorite drink?
Your dream/goal?
What room are you in?
Your hobby?
Your fear?
Where do you want to be in 6 years?
Where were you last night?
Something that you aren't?
Muffins?
Wish list item?
Where did you grow up?
Last thing you did?
What are you wearing?
Your TV?
Your Pets?
Friends?
Your life?
Your mood?
Missing someone?
Vehicle?
Something you're not wearing?
Your favorite store?
Your favorite color?
When was the last time you laughed?
Last time you cried?
Your best friend?
One place that you go to over and over?

Facebook?
Favorite place to eat?

Mary Higgins Clark Fans - Christmas Read

Tis the Season for a Festive Read



Are you a Mary Higgins Clark Fan? I would love to follow you as a new blogger friend and see what else you enjoy reading.

Here are her Christmas books, I haven't read any but will do so for the holidays. She is co-author, with her daughter Carol Higgins Clark, of the five holiday suspense novels.

Can you recommend one?

If you haven't read Mary Higgins Clark books before would you like to try with me? She is the Queen of Suspense........

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_0_21?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=mary+higgins+cla

My First Award - Q&A 1 word answers

OMG, how exciting - this is my very first Award. Thank you Jennifer.

Jennifers blog is called Reading with Tequila..... how cool is that, but not just a cool name she has a great blog you would want to follow. Go over and check out her blog............ www.readingwithtequila.blogspot.com

The quiz I have to answer with one word :-0

Your cell phone? crackberry
Your hair? bun
Your mother? dependable
Your father? dementia
Your favorite food? lasagna
Your dream last night? shrugging
Your favorite drink? tea
Your dream/goal? worldtraveller
What room are you in? livingroom
Your hobby? reading
Your fear? LIZARDS
Where do you want to be in 6 years? own home
Where were you last night? bed
Something that you aren't? fake
Muffins? yummy
Wish list item? Kindle (International)
Where did you grow up? Bermuda
Last thing you did? laundry
What are you wearing? loungewear
Your TV? off
Your Pets? none
Friends? lovely
Your life? wonderfully busy (ok that 2 words)
Your mood? good
Missing someone? bestfriend
Vehicle? Volkswagon
Something you're not wearing? shoes
Your favorite store? J Crew
Your favorite color? purple
When was the last time you laughed? earlier

Last time you cried? June'ish
Your best friend? NJ
One place that you go to over and over? work
Facebook? NOPE
Favorite place to eat? Frescos

Blogging Friends if you have a fun question for me please ask :-)

Have a great weekend everyone and Happy Reading

Review - The Pact, Jodi Picoult

The Summary..........

The Pact by Jodi Picoult is a heart wrenching story of love and betrayal that will leave readers questioning what they thought they knew of their own morals long after they have returned the book to the shelf. Chris and Emily grow up together, destined to be lovers before they are even old enough to talk. They are closer than siblings, able to feel each other's pain in a way no one else can possibly understand. One night, all of that changes, however, when their parents get the phone call all parents dread. One child is dead. The other is charged with her murder. Two sets of parents will question their own roles in this tragedy, wondering how they could not see it coming, how they could allow it to happen. Everyone will want to point.....


How did I feel about this book, hmmmmm

First off this was not a Love Story to me, omg, in the hospital room when Emily is born they put Chris right next to her, he was 3 months old. They were so close from birth, they were each others world, it was truly beautiful to everyone except Emily. So maybe I'll consider it to be everyone's "Love Story" in their mind but definitely not Chris and Emily's.

I had a hard time continuing this book but was intrigued I just had to find out what really happened, The Truth. Because I enjoyed the characters I think that is what helped me to finish it but the ending was TERRIBLE. First it took me 2 long weeks to slowly get through this book only to read the ending and it sucked. Can you say Disappointed....

I did enjoy the style of the book being in III parts - The Boy Next Door, The Girl Next Door and then The Truth. Also the story continued with the back and fourth style, Now and Then, I didn't love this part of the book but I think many will enjoy it.

If you love Jodi Picoult you will enjoy this, she makes you think about your own morals and how you would deal with a situation etc. There is so much I could say but I feel like the small parts of interest should come from your own reading.

This book just didn't do it for me and I really wanted it to. So unfortunately, I cannot recommend it but at the same time I wouldn't put it in don't waste your time category, some would love it i'm sure.

Additional choices for Thriller & Suspense Challenge

I need 12 for the challenge, here are a few contenders I am adding to the list.

1. Ace of Hearts, Jean Holloway

2. And Then There Were None, Agatha Christie

3. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Stieg Larsson

4. The Halo Effect, M. J. Rose

5. The Last Bridge, Teri Coyne

6. To Close to Home, Linwood Barclay

7. The Manufactured Identity, Heath Sommer

8. Bag of Bones, Stephen King

9. The Adderall Diaries, a Memoir of Moods, Masochism, and Murder by Stephen Ellio

If you have read any leave me a link to your review or tell me if you recommend it or not.

Thanks

Go to my sidebar to join the challenge

Teaser Tuesday - My First Stephen King

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

So Stephen King is my brothers favourite author, I asked him to recommend my first SK read and this is it, I think he is not trying to frighten me. I should be able to start on Thursday i'm still slowly making it through The Pact, Jodi Picoult.

Summary

Trisha McFarland's parents are newly divorced, and in an effort to keep the family together, her mother and brother and herself take a walk in the woods, on a portion of the Appalachian Trail near their home (near the Maine/New Hampshire/Canada border). At one point, they come to a fork in the road, and Trisha, needing to pee, goes down one path to take care of business. The mother and brother go down the other path. When she is through, she decides to cut through the woods rather than retrace her steps, after all who could get lost here?

My Teaser.....

pg. 82

-might as well knock on wood, toss salt back over your shoulder, or make the sign of the cross before you stepped into the batter's box, as Nomar Garciaparra always did. There were no cameras here, no instant replays, no cheering fans.

Please leave a comment and come over to participate here.

http://shouldbereading.wordpress.com/2009/12/01/teaser-tuesdays-dec-1/

My choices for the Book Blogger Recommendation Challenge

Here are my choices for the 2010 challenge.... updated March 2010

I am so excited to read a few that were already on my TBR list and more excited to get recommendations I wouldn't have found on my own.

I chose Level III - 15 books

1. 
   
   The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins completed
2. 
   
   To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee  completed
3. 
   
   Fight Club - Chuck Palahniuk completed
4. 
   
   Salem's Lot - Stephen King
5. 
   
   The Husband - Dean Koontz  DNF
6. 
   
   Uglies - Scott Westerfeld completed
7. 
   
   11 Minutes - Paulo Coelho
8. 
   
   Dead Until Dark - Charlaine Harris
9. 
   
   Bitter is the New Black - Jen Lancaster
10. 
    
    Push – Sapphire completed
11. 
    
    Blindness - Jose Saramago
12. 
    
    The Prisoner's Wife - Asha Bandele completed
13. 
    
    Th1rteen R3asons Why by Jay Asher completed
14. 
    
    The Wednesday Letters - Jason F. Wright completed, loved it.
15. 
    
    Hate List - Jennifer Brown

Possible Contenders

The Other Boleyn Girl - Philippa Gregory

The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon