Random but Great

My mom had given me a bag of "hand me down" books! I decided to try this book and was VERY pleasantly surprised. I have never heard of Alex Kava but he will now be an author in my household!

Expert Review:

Nebraskan suspense author Kava takes a break from her successful series featuring FBI Special Agent Maggie O'Dell (At the Stroke of Madness; Split Second) with this psychological thriller about the fallout from an abortive bank robbery. The principal players are Jared Barnett, just released by his shady attorney's machinations from a life sentence for murder; his docile sister, Melanie Starks; and her 17-year-old son, Charlie, to whom Jared is a father figure. Just as their lives seem to be approaching normalcy, Jared scopes out a bank heist and bullies his sister and nephew into helping him. Mel is designated driver in the high-risk chase that begins right after Jared and Charlie, empty-handed, flee the bank. In a remote state park cabin, Andrew Kane, a writer, happens to be alone when they appear and Mel, shocked, learns from his TV that four people were killed in the holdup. Then she remembers the childhood that she and Jared were cheated out of—a mother who washed down pills with vodka while their father mercilessly beat the children until Jared took matters into his own hands. Victims accumulate as fast as the escape route changes, while abbreviated chapters and truncated dialogue signal the approaching explosive climax. This is a one-night read with some unexplained loose ends that won't bother readers hooked on hair-raising car chases and gruesome murder

My Review: GREAT book for the beach! It was such an easy read and a suspense that makes you want to turn the pages! I sometimes had to keep my eyes open cause I wanted to keep on reading. A very easy read and a great suspense novel for lover's of CSI type books!

A Beautiful Boy

EXPERT REVIEW: “This story of parental love is a masterpiece of description and feeling. Sheff portrays addiction and its confusion in a way which is immediate, informative and heartbreaking. His quest for healing is a riveting suspense story which will enlighten and compel anyone who has ever dealt with addiction, and anyone who has ever raised a child."

MY REVIEW: I really LOVED this book. It was a very different take on the world of addiction than anything I have read before. I am normally prone to stories that are narrated from the actual person with the addiction versus the parent of a child with an addiction. It was heartbreaking, informative and very realistic. For anyone that has known an addict, is an addict or is questioning either this book is a great read! It is filled with real facts about rehab facilities and the statistics about drugs (mainly meth) in today's world. It is so scary especially as a parent to realize how accessible meth is in our society today. As a meth becomes a world-wide epidemic this is a very informative book on how drugs not only effect the user but the entire family! I recommend this book!

Bitter is the New Black

EXPERT REVIEW:
Jen Lancaster was living the sweet life-until real life kicked her to the curb. She had the perfect man, the perfect job-hell, she had the perfect life-and there was no reason to think it wouldn't last. Or maybe there was, but Jen Lancaster was too busy being manicured, pedicured, highlighted, and generally adored to notice. This is the smart-mouthed, soul-searching story of a woman trying to figure out what happens next when she's gone from six figures to unemployment checks and she stops to reconsider some of the less-than-rosy attitudes and values she thought she'd never have to answer for when times were good. Filled with caustic wit and unusual insight, it's a rollicking read as speedy and unpredictable as the trajectory of a burst balloon.

MY REVIEW:
This book is a laugh out loud memoir of possibly the most narcissistic person I have ever read about! Thru her narcissism she becomes endearing and you can help but cheer her on as she struggles thru really expensive life lessons! She is hilariously witty and there is absolutely NO FILTER as to what may come out of her mouth at any moment! You find yourself red with embarrassment for her and at other times you want to scream "You go girl!" This book is every bit as funny as it claims to be. Being in my very late 20's (actually almost 30) I still appreciated the humour and references to sorority living and drunken phone conversations! Great read for anyone who needs a good hearty laugh! I WILL be reading her other books. Read more sarcastic and witty writing on Jen Lancaster's website www.jennsylvania.com

Upcoming Book Reviews

These are the upcoming books I am looking forward to reviewing! This is NOT the order that I will be reading them but rather just a list of the books I have lined up to read at the moment! Feel free to let me know your opinions of any of these novels if you have read them!

Map of the World
The Other Boleyn Girl

At Home in Mitford

1st Book in the Mitford Series

Bitter is the New Black

A Beautiful Boy

The Lucky One

EXPERT REVIEW:

When U.S. Marine Logan Thibault finds a photograph of a smiling young woman half-buried in the dirt during his third tour of duty in Iraq, his first instinct is to toss it aside. Instead, he brings it back to the base for someone to claim, but when no one does, he finds himself always carrying the photo in his pocket. Soon Thibault experiences a sudden streak of luck—winning poker games and even surviving deadly combat that kills two of his closest buddies. Only his best friend, Victor, seems to have an explanation for his good fortune: the photograph—his lucky charm.
Back home in Colorado, Thibault can’t seem to get the photo—and the woman in it—out of his mind. Believing that she somehow holds the key to his destiny, he sets out on a journey across the country to find her, never expecting the strong but vulnerable woman he encounters in Hampton, North Carolina—Elizabeth, a divorced mother with a young son—to be the girl he’s been waiting his whole life to meet. Caught off guard by the attraction he feels, Thibault keeps the story of the photo, and his luck, a secret. As he and Elizabeth embark upon a passionate and all-consuming love affair, the secret he is keeping will soon threaten to tear them apart—destroying not only their love, but also their lives

MY REVIEW:

I used to relish in every one of Nicholas Sparks' books during what I call his "prime" but after so many I think I just burnt myself out on them. I don't think I have picked up another Sparks book since "The Rescue". For my birthday this year Tex bought me "The Lucky One". At first I didn't have much interest in reading it but after I read thru the first few pages I remembered why I loved Nicholas Sparks years ago! If you want an easy and fast read this book is for you! It is filled with suspense, twists and a remarkable love story! This book would be perfect for the beach or as a follow up to a more intense book. I REALLY liked this book and the ending was great!

The Time Travelers Wife

EXPERT REVIEW:
Audrey Niffenegger's bestselling novel has a fantastical concept--a man who involuntarily travel through time and his wife--but for all its strangeness, its true power lies in its ability to make the reader feel the force of the characters' love and the depth of their tragedies. Henry DeTamble suffers from a genetic condition called Chrono-Displacement that causes him to unexpectedly slip backwards or forwards in time, appearing completely naked at times and places with special significant to his life. As a result, he has visited his wife Clare many times during her childhood, so when she finally meets him at the age of 20 she already knows much about his personality and their life together in the future--he, however, does not know who she is because his time traveling episodes have not happened yet. Sly charming magic of this sort infuses the novel with a kind of dreamy wondrousness. More importantly, the time-traveling acts as a marvelous metaphor for the nature of love, how it changes, how it's constantly impacted by the events of the past, and the promises of the future

MY REVIEW -
I whole heartedly LOVED this book. I did not want to stop reading about Claire and Henry's lives together. I wasn't sure that I would fully allow myself to be consumed with this novel strickly because of the "time-traveling" aspect, I am more of a realist. Despite Henry's unrealistic condition you are drawn to the characters and the love they share for each other thru time. At some points in the book it can be confusing because it does jump from one time period to another but the author comes full circle in explaining to the reader exactly what is taking place filling in all of the details you may think have been left out. Henry and Claire are a couple for the ages and this book is wonderful!
I was highly disappointed in the movie (as I always am if I have read the book). If you have seen the movie do not hesitate to read the book because in the movie SO many wonderful details and story lines were left untold. I highly recommend this book, you will not be disappointed!

My New Blog!

I have always wanted a fun hobby...I have tried my hand in various hobbies that turned out to be very short-lived! One day I realized that I did have a hobby and that was reading! While it is not a phyiscal hobby like running or biking or a crafty hobby like scrapbooking or embossing I decided it was MY hobby and something that I am absolutley passionate about! I wanted to create a blog to review and recommend books that I have had the opportunity to read! I am always searching for a great book and I wanted to hopefully help my readers find books that will make them laugh,cry and be in their hearts forever!

I hope you enjoy reading my reviews and if you have any suggestions for great books PLEASE leave me a comment I always love to find a new book that I may not have chosen on my own!