Wednesday, February 25, 2009

New Stuff and Upcoming Books.....


"I must say I find televison very educational.
The minute someone turns it on, I go to the library
and read a good book."

Groucho Marx

Come on over and check out the Kindle! The Kindle is an e-book (embedded system for reading electronic books) The contents downloads over Amazon's Whisphernet and the content appears in minutes. The Kindle will be charged out for a month and the library will download selections of your choice while you have it. Interested? Give me a call or stop by and check it out. I enjoyed figuring out how to use it, but....I do love holding my book when reading.


I am hearing great things about some upcoming new releases ! Some to keep in mind.....

Handle With Care........Jodi Picoult



Picoult has become a pro at delivering a heart-wrenching family drama. Question here is: If knowing what you know now, would you have done things differently? Picoult incorporates choices, legal issues, and love, with the twists and turns she is known for as you reach the end.


Dead and Gone (Sookie Stackhouse/Southern Vampire Series #9)....Charlaine Harris

I will admit, I will be glued to the couch and read this from beginning to end because this series makes me laugh...and is easy to read. What happens when the "other creatures of the night" decide to go public like the vampires did? Love it!








The Last Dickens......Matthew Pearl




If you like period thrillers, I recommend you pick up Pearl. Either this one or one of his older ones, The Dante Club or The Poe Shadow. Pearl does fantastic research for his books which I appreciate because when the author doesn't research correctly, it does show in the story and takes away my enjoyment.(No, I am not giving names.)








Always Looking Up (Adventures of an Incurable Optimitst),,,,Michael J. Fox



Fox's last book, Lucky Man, was a best seller and this one continues with how he is living his life, coping with Parkinson's and loving his family.







B is for Beer.....Tom Robbins
I think the title says it all. Have one (or six) while you read the book.


Look Again.....Lisa Scottoline


Scottoline always writes a good, tight, thriller and I hear this one is right up there with her best. What do you do when the three-year old child you adopted, the child you have raised as your own for two years, looks like the child on a "Have You Seen This Child?" poster? I highly recommend Scottoline for an edge of your seat read. (Keep a light on)












What have you been reading? I feel the same way Groucho does, why waste the mind when you can fill with it wonder? I say, READ!!! Then...... read some more because you can never read to much.





































































































Wednesday, February 18, 2009

"My mother used to say that if you can't verify a man's existence, you probably shouldn't go home with him."

Isabel Spellman

I am always looking for a new author to give a try to. If it works out, great, and I will sing (well, blog) their praises to one and all. Here is one that has become a favorite of mine that I have been recommending to people. The great thing is when they come back
and thank me because I gave them a new author to read! That is always great stuff.
If you like Janet Evanovich, give Lisa Lutz a try.

Lisa Lutz writes a terrifically funny series about the Spellman family. We get the privilege of getting to know a family of private investigators: mom Olivia, dad Albert (ex-cop), the perfect oldest child, David, a perfect lawyer in a perfect house, the middle child Isabel (Izzy), 28, still living at home, with a strong sense of loyalty to her family-which ebbs and flows depending on what is going on in the family, then there is Rae, the baby of the family who is 14 going on 24 in many ways. David is the only member of the family not into the private investigating business-though as a lawyer he does use his family's unique skills when he needs to. Izzy realized very young that she would never outshine her brother so she did things her own way. Belonging to a family that, well, snoops for a living makes living your own life harder.

How do you date when your parents....and younger sister....check the guy out? When you storm out of the house and the family business, how do you get in to another line of work when your family sabotages your life? How do you explain that breaking and entering is second nature in your family? Eavesdropping is just something you do, even when out for dinner with someone? When your arrested your family shrugs their shoulders because it comes as no surprise. I always say that no family is perfect, look close and every family is dysfunctional in some way. Trust me, in the Spellmans we have a wonderful example of just that.



Laugh out loud moments in a delightful take on "hard-boiled" detectives. Give yourself a treat and check out Izzy and her cast of characters, you'll be glad did.




































Thursday, February 12, 2009

L-O-V-E

"I don't understand why Cupid was chosen to represent Valentine's Day. When I think of romance, the last thing on my mind is a short, chubby toddler with a weapon." Unknown





Oh yeah! I agree with Unknown-somehow a little person with wings shooting arrows at me doesn't conjure up romance to me either.

Seems love and romance are in the air so here are a few authors to curl up with and loose yourself with; movies that will turn you to mush; and some cool romance/love songs to get you going.

Historical Romance...

Bertrice Small

Rosemary Rogers

Sharon Kay Penman

Philippa Gregory

Rosalind Laker
Edward Rutherfurd
Mystery, romance with a splash of danger on the side....

Lauren Willig
Daniel Silva
Sandra Brown
Diane Mott Davidson
Faye Kellerman

Janet Evanovich

Lisa Lutz

Modern day romance....
Jennifer Weiner
Nicolas Sparks
Richard Paul Evans
Anita Shreve
Debbie Macomber
Luanne Rice
Danielle Steel
Susan Elizabeth Phillips
Jennifer Crusie
Nora Roberts
Romance with a walk on the, um, wild side.....let's give two cheers for the undead! (I so love a good vampire story^^)


Charlaine Harris (HBO's True Blood is based on her series)

Stephanie Meyer

Laurell K. Hamilton

Nora Roberts (great supernatural trilogy)

Kresley Cole
Karen Marie Moning
Movies......

Ghost

Titanic

Ghost and Mrs. Muir

Casablanca

The Notebook

Bridges of Madison County

The Way We Were

Music......
Barry White

Roberta Flack

Smokey Robinson

Nat King Cole

Frank Sinatra

Dean Martin

Aretha Franklin

Rod Stewart (his later CD's)

Here are some of my suggestions for the big love day---Valentine's Day. What are yours?

Hope your hearts desires come true.