Confessions of a Book Junkie

A Move

2009-12-21T08:36:00.003-06:00

After much thought and deliberation I have decided that I am moving Confessions of a Book Junkie to wordpress (I've already imported all of my posts but this one from this blog into the new address.) I've been thinking about doing this for a while now...There are just a few things that I like a little bit better about wordpress than I do Blogger and I am in dire need of a 3-column layout and I've managed to screw up my blog when I've tried to make it 3-columns here.

I hope that anyone who is following me or has me in their reader will update with the new link!

The new home of Confessions of a Book Junkie can be found at: http://confessionsofabookjunkie.wordpress.com

In My Mailbox

2009-12-20T08:31:00.006-06:00

In My Mailbox explores the contents of my mailbox on a weekly basis. Of course I only mention the really cool things, like books! If you would like to participate and have your own “In My Mailbox” post, you can find more information here. In My Mailbox is hosted by The Story Siren.

For Review:

There will be more exciting information/tidbits available in the near future about this book including a giveaway of a signed copy.

Synopsis (Available Feb. 16 2010): In this anemic medical thriller from bestseller Palmer (The Second Opinion), former trauma surgeon Dr. Nick Garrity, who suffers from PTSD as the result of a suicide attack on his field hospital in Afghanistan, is now in charge of the Helping Hands RV, a mobile clinic that plies the streets of Baltimore offering medical aid to the homeless. Meanwhile, a high-priced hit man starts to commit a series of murders, his first victim being Belle Coates, a nurse in Charlotte, N.C. When Belle's sister, Jillian, who lives in Virginia, searches for her sister's killer, she finds a connection to Nick. Several missing homeless men lead everyone to a massive plot involving high-level politicians and a secret CIA program. The action is all fairly predictable, the characters off-the-shelf, and the writing, if not exactly purple, at least mauve: “A guttural, primal scream exploded from Nick's throat as he crouched by the body.” 250,000 first printing. (Feb.)

Bought:

Synopsis: There were no surprises in Gatlin County. We were pretty much the epicenter of the middle of nowhere.At least, that's what I thought.Turns out, I couldn't have been more wrong.There was a curse.There was a girl.And in the end, there was a grave.

Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the small Southern town of Gatlin has ever seen, and she's struggling to conceal her power and a curse that has haunted her family for generations. But even within the overgrown gardens, murky swamps and crumbling graveyards of the forgotten South, a secret cannot stay hidden forever.

Ethan Wate, who has been counting the months until he can escape from Gatlin, is haunted by dreams of a beautiful girl he has never met. When Lena moves into the town's oldest and most infamous plantation, Ethan is inexplicably drawn to her and determined to uncover the connection between them.

In a town with no surprises, one secret could change everything.

Synopsis: There's something achingly familiar about Daniel Grigori.Mysterious and aloof, he captures Luce Price's attention from the moment she sees him on her first day at the Sword & Cross boarding school in sultry Savannah, Georgia. He's the one bright spot in a place where cell phones are forbidden, the other students are all screw-ups, and security cameras watch every move.Even though Daniel wants nothing to do with Luce--and goes out of his way to make that very clear--she can't let it go. Drawn to him like a moth to a flame, she has to find out what Daniel is so desperate to keep secret . . . even if it kills her.Dangerously exciting and darkly romantic, Fallen is a page turning thriller and the ultimate love story.

Synopsis: The most anticipated story in the blockbuster Dark-Hunter series. The never-before-revealed story of the Dark-Hunter leader, Acheron. He was made human in order to escape death, but in death he was reborn a god. . .

Eleven thousand years ago a god was born. Cursed into the body of a human, Acheron spent a lifetime of shame. However, his human death unleashed an unspeakable horror that almost destroyed the earth. Then, brought back against his will, Acheron became the sole defender of mankind.

Only it was never that simple. For centuries, he has fought for our survival and hidden a past he’ll do anything to keep concealed. Until a lone woman who refuses to be intimidated by him threatens his very existence.

Now his survival, and ours, hinges on hers and old enemies reawaken and unite to kill them both.
War has never been more deadly... or more fun.

I feel like such a weiney!

2009-12-18T09:36:00.002-06:00

I've been awarded a couple of awards since I've started my blog and I've been neglecting to get them posted. I will remedy this problem shortly. I aplogize to those who awarded them to me for neglecting to recognize you.

Oh my Google Reader!

2009-12-18T02:55:00.002-06:00

I got smart this morning and decided that I was going to add all the book blogs that I follow (the ones that aren't already in there anyway) to my Google Reader. An hour and almost 600 posts later y'all are in there. Have a great weekend everyone! Less than a week until Christmas! I can hardly wait!

Good Reads Book Swap and some other stuff!

2009-12-17T04:11:00.003-06:00

I just found this feature on Good Reads! I didn't even know it was there! How weird is that?!

In other news I've been working on finalizing my lists for all the challenges I've joined....Ok so I've just started to finalize my lists. Here's what I've finalized (for now anyway):

~ Book Blogger Recommendation
~ 2010 Debut Author Challenge
~ 2010 YA Challenge
~ Romance Reading Challenge 2010

2010 Book Blogger Recommendation Challenge

2009-12-17T02:51:00.005-06:00

Hosted by Reading With Tequila

The following information I borrowed from Tequila's blog:

The Top 25
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone - J.K. Rowling
City of Bones - Cassandra Clare
Twilight - Stephenie Meyer
The Time Traveler's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
Hush, Hush - Becca Fitzpatrick
The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins
Graceling - Kristin Cashore
Outlander - Diana Gabaldon
Lord of the Rings - J.R.R. Tolkien
Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
The Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho
Eragon - Christopher Paolini
The Book Thief - Markus Zusak
A Wrinkle in Time - Madeleine L'Engle
The Host - Stephenie Meyer
The Thorn Birds - Colleen McCullough
Catching Fire - Suzanne Collins
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - J.K. Rowling
Little Women - Louisa May Alcott
The Clan of the Cave Bear - Jean M. Auel
The Mists of Avalon - Marion Zimmer Bradley
To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
11 Minutes - Paulo Coelho
Eclipse - Stephenie Meyer

Click here to see the entire 2009 Book Blogger Recommendation List.

The Levels:

Level I - Read 5 books from the 2009 Book Blogger Recommendation List

Level II - Read 10 books

Level III - Read 15 books

Level IV - Read 20 books

Level V - Read 20+ books

The Rules:
~ Challenge will run January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2010. Participants can join anytime throughout the challenge.
~ Create an intro post, linking back to this post.
~ Sign up with the MckLinky below. Please link to your challenge intro post, not your blog home page.
~ Chose your own books from the list. You can decide to read books only on the Top 25 list or from the entire recommendation list. You do not have to make a list of books before the challenge begins.
~ All forms of books acceptable (audiobooks, eBooks, etc.)
~ Rereads do not count towards the completion of the challenge. The challenge is about discovering books that are new to you.
~ You don't need a blog to participate.
~ Reviews, while always appreciated, are not mandatory.

MY LIST (For Now):

1. Hush, Hush - Becca Fitzpatrick

2. Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen

3. Little Women - Louisa May Alcott

4. To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee

5. The Notebook - Nicholas Sparks

6. Perfect Chemistry - Simone Elkeles

7. This Lullaby - Sarah Dessen

8. The Green Mile - Stephen King

9. A River Runs Through It - Norman McLean

10. Persuasion - Jane Austen

11. Acheron - Sherrilyn Kenyon

12. Rhett Butler's People - Donald McCraig

13. The Help - Kathryn Stockett

14. Holes - Louis Sachar

15. Lamb - Christopher Moore

16. Manfield Park - Jane Austen

17. Teen Idol - Meg Cabot

18. The Five People You Meet in Heaven - Mitch Albom

19. Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte

20. Breakfast at Tiffany's - Truman Capote

2010 Chunkster Reading Challenge

2009-12-17T02:28:00.003-06:00

2010 Chunkster Challenge

February 1, 2010 - January 31, 2011

Definition of a Chunkster:
~ A chunkster is 450 pages or more of ADULT literature (fiction or nonfiction) ... A chunkster should be a challenge.
~ If you read large type books your book will need to be 525 pages or more ... The average large type book is 10-15% longer or more so I think that was a fair estimate.

The Rules:
~No Audio books in the chunkster. It just doesn't seem right. Words on paper for this one folks.
~No e-Books allowed - we are reading traditional, fat books for this challenge.
~Short Stories and Essay collections will not be counted.
~Books may crossover with other challenges
~Anyone may join. If you don't have a blog, just leave me a comment on this post with your progress (and to let me know you are playing)
~You don't need to list your books ahead of time.
~Once you pick a level, that's it...you're committed to that level!You must pick a level of participation (thanks again to Dana for the humor in these categories!):

The Chubby Chunkster - this option is for the reader who has a couple of large tomes on their TBR list, but really doesn't want to commit to much more than that. 3 books is all you need to finish this challenge.

Do These Books Make my Butt Look Big? - this option is for the slightly heavier reader who wants to commit to 4 Chunksters over the next twelve months.

Mor-book-ly Obese - This is for the truly out of control chunkster. For this level of challenge you must commit to 6 or more chunksters OR three tomes of 750 pages or more. You know you want to.....go on and give in to your cravings.

Duke We're Glad We Knew You Review

2009-12-17T01:47:00.000-06:00

Duke We're Glad We Knew You
Herb Fagen
4/5

Source: Library

Synopsis: To millions of movie fans, John Wayne was heroism personified, and to this day he is as big a star as he was in his prime. He was voted the 5th Greatest Movie Star of all time by Entertainment Weekly, the 4th Greatest Movie Star of all time by Premiere magazine, and #13 Greatest Actor on the 50 Greatest Screen Legends list put out by the American Film Institute.

Here, in loving memory of the Duke thirty years after his death, is the updated and expanded edition of Duke, We're Glad We Knew You, featuring never-before-seen photos and interviews. The legendary icon is made real through vivid anecdotes and observations from the insiders who worked, gambled, drank, and fought with the outsized personality that was John Wayne. Candid, funny, revealing, moving and inspiring, this two-fisted tribute shows John Wayne as the true hero he was.

Review: John Wayne is my personal ALL TIME FAVORITE actor. He is quoted as saying "you shouldn't go to movies if you don't believe in hero's." This book is a collection of rememberances from those fortunate enough to have worked with Duke Wayne during his impressive film career. From Harry Carey Jr. to Ben Johnson they are all there telling us their stories of the Duke. Stories that just goes to show that even John Wayne was human.

Romance Reading Challenge 2010

2009-12-15T10:24:00.004-06:00

Naida over at The Bookworm is hosting the Romance Reading Challenge. In my ever eclectic reading list I have decided to join up. Here is the information:

1. "Romance" isn't limited to steamy Harlequin novels. There is a huge selection of books in this category such as contemporary romance, historical romance, romantic suspense and paranormal romance to name a few. As long as the story has romantic love between the two main characters your selection will fit this challenge. The novels do not need to have a happy ending either, there can also be unrequited love.

Here's a few suggestions:

*Twilight By Stephenie Meyer

*Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell

*Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

*The Flame and the Flower by Kathleen Woodiwiss

*Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen or any other novel by Miss Austen

*Frederica by Georgette Heyer

*The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory

*Benny & Shrimp by Katarina Mazetti

*Beneath A Marble Sky by John Shors

*The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks

*P.S. I Love You by Cecelia Ahern

*The Princess Bride by William Goldman

need more suggestions? search through amazon.com Romance Section online for ideas.

2. Choose at least 5 novels read them between Jan 1st though Dec 31st 2010. You can change your choices at any time. Crossovers between other challenges are fine.

3. Read them at your own pace in 2010 then come here and post the link to your review(s).

Titles I've selected:

1. Gone With The Wind

2. P.S. I Love you

3. Pride and Prejudice

4. Emma

5. Dear John

Fireproof Review

2009-12-11T06:35:00.003-06:00

Fireproof
Eric Wilson

Source: Library

Synopsis: Growing up, his wife Catherine always dreamed of amrryuing a loving, brave firefighter...just like her father. Now, after seven years of marriage, she wonders when she stopped being "good enough." Countless arguments and anger have them wanting to move on to something with more sparks.
As they prepare for divorce, Caleb's father challenges him to commit to a 40-day experiment: "The Love Dare." Wondering if it's even worth the effort, Caleb agrees, for his father's sake more than for his amrriage.
Surprised by what he discovers about the meaning of love, Caleb realizes that his wife and marraige are worth fighting for. His job is to rescue others. Now Captain Holt is ready to face his toughest job ever...rescuing his wife's heart.
Complete with action, humor, and romance, this entertaining novel by Eric Wilson will have you laughing, inspired, and challenged. Based on the screenplay by Alex and Stephen Kendrick, the Fireproof novel includes subplots, characters, and back story not included in the movie.

Review: I'm going to keep this one short and sweet. I very rarely say this but the movie is better than the book in this case. I did NOT care for all the "extras" that were put into the book at all. For me personally, the book was pretty much the movie word for word plus all those extremely unwanted "extras."

Broken A Love Story Review

2009-12-11T06:21:00.003-06:00

Broken A Love Story
Lisa Jones

Source: Library

Synopsis: Writer Lisa Jones went to Wyoming for a four-day magazine assignment and came home four years later with a new life.

At a dusty corral on the Wind River Indian Reservation, she met Stanford Addison, a Northern Arapaho who seemed to transform everything around him. He gentled horses rather than breaking them by force. It was said that he could heal people of everything from cancer to bipolar disorder. He did all this from a wheelchair; he had been a quadriplegic for more than twenty years.

Intrigued, Lisa sat at Stanford's kitchen table and watched. She saw neighbors from the reservation and visitors from as far away as Holland bump up the dirt road to his battered modular home, seeking guidance and healing for what had broken in their lives. She followed him into the sweat lodge — a framework of willow limbs covered with quilts — where he used prayer and heat to shrink tumors and soothe agitated souls. Standing on his sun-blasted porch, pit bulls padding past her, she felt the vibration from thundering bands of Arabian horses that Stanford's young nephews brought to the ring to train.

And she listened to his story. Stanford spent his teenage years busting broncs, seducing girls, and dealing drugs. At twenty, he left the house for another night of partying. By morning, a violent accident had robbed him of his physical prowess and left in its place unwelcome spiritual powers — an exchange so shocking that Stanford spent several years trying to kill himself. But eventually he surrendered to his new life and mysterious gifts.

Over the years Lisa was a frequent visitor to Stanford's place, the reservation and its people worked on her, exposing and healing theplaces where she, too, was broken.

Broken entwines her story with Stanford's, exploring powerful spirits, material poverty, spiritual wealth, friendship, violence, confusion, death, and above all else,"a love that comes before and after and above and below romantic love."

Review: I was looking through our libraries shelf of "new" releases when I came upon this one. The cover is what caught my eye....I have a "thing" for horses....I just LOVE them. As I was reading I got a little lesson in Native American history, which I did not expect but I thought it fit really well with the story. I also learned that life on the "rez" is not all that great....you pretty much have to learn how to go without in many case and that you are judged by your skin color. The characters (main and supporting) all have very interesting stories too. A little something that I picked up from this book from the author and the rest of the characters is that we are all a little bit "broken" it's just a matter of figuring out how to put the pieces back together again.

Overall, this was a really good book. I was really happy that I checked this one out. It did take me a little longer to get read than I would have liked (dang real life!) but it was totally worth that extra time.

Change in Pace

2009-12-09T02:32:00.002-06:00

There will be a change in pace here at Confessions of a Book Junkie, effective immediately. In an effort to NOT feel like I'm pressuring myself to post on a daily basis I've decided that I am only going to post when I have a review or an update or something of that nature to say (though I will continue to post the meme's that I do participate in.). I don't want to burn myself out on reading or blogging (been there, done that already) by pressuring myself to post daily.

Right now I'm up to my eyeballs in library books....Most of which are for challenges that start in January, so for now some of them will be going back and requested again at a later date. Right now I'm in the process of reading a book called Broken A Love Story by Lisa Jones....It's really very good. It's a personal story about the author who does a story on a Native American man for a magazine and learns a little bit more about herself in the process.

So until next time,

Jamie

2010 Romance Challenge

2009-12-09T01:52:00.003-06:00

This challenge is being hosted by Royal Reviews. Here is the information you need to know:

This is the second year we have run the Romance Reading Challenge. Although this year it will be a little different with more options for those die hard lovers of Romance novels. This challenge includes all sub genres of Romance i.e. paranormal, young adult, historical etc. So this should give you plenty of options.

Challenge Guidelines:

1. Anyone can join. You don't need a blog to participate.--Non-Bloggers: Include your information in the comment section.

2. There are four levels:
-- Curious – Read 3 Romance Fiction novels.
-- Fascinated – Read 6 Romance Fiction novels.
-- Addicted – Read 12 Romance Fiction novels.
-- Obsessed – Read 20 Romance Fiction novels.

3. Any book format counts.

4. You can list your books in advance or just put them in a wrap up post. If you list them, feel free to change them as the mood takes you.

5. Challenge begins January 1st thru December, 2010. Only books started on January 1st count towards this challenge.

6. When you sign up under Mr. Linky, put the direct link to the post about the Romance Reading Challenge. Include the URL so that other participants can find join in and read your reviews and post.

On My Wishlist (5)

2009-12-09T01:12:00.006-06:00

On My Wishlist is a weekly meme hosted by Book Chick City, which will be posted every Wednesday. It allows us to share the books we haven't bought yet but are waiting to be bought and devoured. If you are anything like me then your wishlist is getting longer by the day! If you would like to take part and have your own 'On My Wishlist' post then you can find more info here. (This post was inspired by the fab In My Mailbox by Kristi at The Story Siren).

Synopsis (avalible April 27, 2010): When Carlos Fuentes returns to America after living in Mexico for a year, he doesn’t want any part of the life his older brother, Alex, has laid out for him at a high school in Colorado. Carlos likes living his life on the edge and wants to carve his own path—just like Alex did. Then he meets Kiara Westford. She doesn’t talk much and is completely intimidated by Carlos’ wild ways. As they get to know one another, Carlos assumes Kiara thinks she’s too good for him, and refuses to admit that she might be getting to him. But he soon realizes that being himself is exactly what Kiara needs right now.

With new characters to fall in love with and the same hot romance found in Perfect Chemistry, Simone Elkeles has crafted another sure-fire hit for teens.

Synopsis: I'm marooned.
Abandoned.
Left to rot in boarding school . . .
Viola doesn't want to go to boarding school, but somehow she ends up at an all-girls school in South Bend, Indiana, far, far away from her home in Brooklyn, New York. Now Viola is stuck for a whole year in the sherbet-colored sweater capital of the world.
Ick.
There's no way Viola's going to survive the year—especially since she has to replace her best friend Andrew with three new roommates who, disturbingly, actually seem to like it there. She resorts to viewing the world (and hiding) behind the lens of her video camera.
Boarding school, though, and her roommates and even the Midwest are nothing like she thought they would be, and soon Viola realizes she may be in for the most incredible year of her life.
But first she has to put the camera down and let the world in.

Synopsis (available January 5, 2010): In this heartwarming collaborative debut from country music star Evans and Christian romance veteran Hauck (Sweet Caroline), antique dealer Jade Freedom Fitzgerald of Whisper Hollow, Tenn., must make peace with her hippy mama, Beryl Hill, before she can marry her lawyer fiancé, Maxwell Charles Benson. But wait, there's more: she also needs an annulment from an elopement at 16, to resolve her anger at the father who abandoned her, to learn how to get along with a pushy mom-in-law-to-be and take responsibility for a dire choice she made 13 years before. The arrival of Jade's mother and her tempestuous little sister, Willow, before the big day shakes things up further, especially after Beryl reveals an unhappy secret of her own. Comforting in that Southern way and inspirational without being too saccharine, Evans and Hauck's first outing together shows promise.

In My Mail Box

2009-12-06T00:08:00.000-06:00

So this week on In My Mailbox, which is a meme put together by the Story Siren. Here's what I got this week:

***** Won *****

***** Borrowed for the Library *****

This is what I have gotten so far off of my list of requests and the items keep coming in...I was at the library for books 3 times this week alone.

The Vampire Diaries - The Struggle

Desperado City

I Love a Man in Uniform A Memoir of Love, War, and Other Battles

Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters

John Wayne A Novel

Friendly Persuassion

Food, Girls and Other Things I Can't Have

Fireproof

Wicked Prey

Certain Prey

Broken A Love Story

***** Bought *****

Most of these books were purchased at a local thrift store but the one at the bottom of the first photo was purchased used from my local library.

I Love A Man In Uniform Review

2009-12-04T07:10:00.002-06:00

I Love A Man In Uniform A Memoir of Love, War, and Other Battles
Lily Burana

Synopsis - 10/10

Plot - 10/10

Characters - 10/10

Overall Story - 10/10

Conclusion - 10/10

Overall Score - 50/50

Synopsis: An all-American love story about a former punk-rock stripper and her unlikely marriage to an officer in the U.S. Army.

In this brave, eloquent, and often funny memoir, critically acclaimed author Lily Burana writes about love, war, and the realities of military marriage with an honesty few writers would dare.

A former exotic dancer who once had a penchant for anarchist politics and purple hair dye, Lily's rebellious past never would have suggested a marriage into the military. But then she met Mike, a Military Intelligence officer, and fell hopelessly in love, resulting in a most unorthodox romance-poignant, passionate, and utterly unpredictable.

After Lily and Mike said "I do" in a brief, pre-deployment City Hall ceremony, Mike left for Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Lily was left in a strange town to endure his absence alone, with no support system and little knowledge of the vast and confusing military world into which she had married.

Upon Mike's return from the war, the couple moved to historic West Point, where Lily found that life on base had its own challenges. As the war continued and the past intruded unexpectedly into the present, Lily and Mike found themselves plunged into the nightmare of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Struggling to cope in a community where admitting weakness is the ultimate taboo and "suck it up" is the suggested response to emotional pain, Lily suffered from depression so severe, it almost ended their marriage. With the help of a revolutionary therapeutic technique, the couple made their way out of the darkness and back to each other. Through it all, Lily wrangled with her preconceptions about the military and found herplace within the uniquely supportive sisterhood of military wives.

From harrowing emotion to the dishy details of life on base, Lily Burana bares her heart and soul as a modern military spouse. I Love a Man in Uniform is a profoundly moving story of how a woman can locate, and heal, her true self as a dedicated Army wife, free spirit, and freedom-loving American.

Review: I was perusing the shelves at my local library when I found this gem. Personally, I think the synopsis pretty much says what I would have said about it. I LOVED this book, which is pretty evident by the elusive perfect score. Once I got started reading it I had a very hard time putting it down. It's funny, it's a tear jerker but most importantly....It's real.

2010 Erotic Romance Challenge

2009-12-04T02:40:00.002-06:00

Timeline: 01 Jan 2010 - 31 Dec 2010
Rules: To read TEN(10) Erotica Romance in 2010

Details:
* You don't have to select your books ahead of time, you can just add them as you go. Also if you do list them upfront then you can change them, nothing is set in stone!

* The books you choose can crossover into other challenges you have on the go.

* If you decide to participate in this challenge please use the links I have set up below with the buttons to post on your sidebar, this way others can find their way back to this post and join in the fun.

* If you decide to join this challenge be sure to create a post telling others, please make sure you add a link back to this post so others can join in.

* If you decide to join and don’t have a blog and would like to join – Please leave details in comment.

* You can join anytime between now and the later part of next year.

*You must be 18 years or older to join.

Musical Thursday - Burn It To The Ground

2009-12-03T00:49:00.000-06:00

On My Wishlist

2009-12-02T01:48:00.008-06:00

Synopsis: High Voltage Tattoo is a graphic perspective on today's global tattoo culture by Kat Von D, star of The Learning Channel's L.A. Ink and one of the most talented and popular artists working today. Designed in a style that is reminiscent of a handmade Gothic journal with its red padded cover, ornate typography, and parchmentlike pages, it throws the door wide open to tattooing culture in the way only an insider like Kat can.

High Voltage Tattoo traces Kat's career as an artist, from early childhood influences to recent work, along with examples of what inspires her, information about the show and her shop, her sketches, and personal tattoos. The book goes deep into tattoo process and culture: readers can see up close the pigments, the tools, and the making of complex, even collaborative, tattoos.

With a foreword by Mötley Crüe's Nikki Sixx, the book features images and stories about celebrities, rockers, pro skaters, and everyday citizens, including Slayer's Kerry King, Anthrax's Scott Ian, Margaret Cho, Jackass' Bam Margera, David Letterman, and many others. It profiles and showcases the work of artists Kat has selected from all over the world, her interviews with people who have compelling tattoos and stories, and amazing images of extraordinary tattoo work. Numerous portfolios throughout the book showcase a range of relevant subjects, from the black and gray portrait work for which Kat is famous to a popular tattoo theme, such as the rose or biblical images. There is a knockout ten-page full-body spread of Kat—clad in a yellow bikini and seven-inch, rhinestone-studded red stilettos—that catalogs in detail all her personal tattoos on her front, back, left, and right sides—even her hands and head.

And because I recently read a memoir on Stripping...I am adding this one to my list as well:

Synopsis: How does a girl go from being a shy, awkward bookworm to the biggest porn star in the world? In Sinner Takes All, Tera Patrick reveals all, including: her career as an international model; losing her virginity at fourteen to a thirtysomething photographer; learning oral sex techniques backstage at a Guns N' Roses concert; having an orgy with a team of firefighters; her unglamorous job in a nursing home; her first forays into the adult movie business; and how, with her husband's help, she launched her own multimillion-dollar empire.

Along the way, she dishes on the emotional side of being Tera Patrick, writing candidly about her battles with depression and anxiety. She also discusses finding true love and building a healthy marriage, achievements that many consider to be impossible in the world of porn. Featuring hundreds of photos, plus diary pages and scintillating sidebars, Sinner Takes All takes the tell-all to raunchy new heights.

Synopsis: "They've said some crazy things about me over the years. I mean, okay: 'He bit the head off a bat.' Yes. 'He bit the head off a dove.' Yes. But then you hear things like, 'Ozzy went to the show last night, but he wouldn't perform until he'd killed fifteen puppies . . .' Now me, kill fifteen puppies? I love puppies. I've got eighteen of the f**king things at home. I've killed a few cows in my time, mind you. And the chickens. I shot the chickens in my house that night.

It haunts me, all this crazy stuff. Every day of my life has been an event. I took lethal combinations of booze and drugs for thirty f**king years. I survived a direct hit by a plane, suicidal overdoses, STDs. I've been accused of attempted murder. Then I almost died while riding over a bump on a quad bike at f**king two miles per hour.

People ask me how come I'm still alive, and I don't know what to say. When I was growing up, if you'd have put me up against a wall with the other kids from my street and asked me which one of us was gonna make it to the age of sixty, which one of us would end up with five kids and four grandkids and houses in Buckinghamshire and Beverly Hills, I wouldn't have put money on me, no f**king way. But here I am: ready to tell my story, in my own words, for the first time.

A lot of it ain't gonna be pretty. I've done some bad things in my time. I've always been drawn to the dark side, me. But I ain't the devil. I'm just John Osbourne: a working-class kid from Aston, who quit his job in the factory and went looking for a good time."

Synopsis: As the daughter of notorious rock manager Don Arden, Sharon Osbournes childhood was an unruly mix of glamour and violence. In her late 20s, Sharon finally made the painful decision to break with her family. Always irrepressible, Sharon flourished, creating a loving family of her own while becoming a legendary manager and rockband promoter. In rock star Ozzy Osbourne, Sharon found her soul mate, yet Ozzys drug and drink-fuelled excesseswhich culminated in his attempt to strangle hermade their marriage a whiteknuckle ride from the start; only her devotion to their three children gave her the will to survive. From the tremendous highs of the hit show The Osbournes to the lows of Ozzys near-fatal quad-bike accident and her own bout with colon cancer, Sharons tenacity, honesty, and humour have triumphed again and again.

Synopsis: Sharon Osbourne’s life has always been tumultuous, full of both heartbreak and passion. When she completed her bestselling first book Sharon Osbourne Extreme she had hoped to find some peace and stability after her rollercoaster years. It was not to be. In her brand new memoir she reveals what really happened next—from famous celebrity feuds, to her eventful experiences on The X Factor, to her turbulent relationship with her father and the tragic impact of his death, Sharon remains as frank and insightful as ever. Never afraid to admit her own problems, she is brutally honest about her weight issues and plastic surgery. She also describes movingly how her husband’s unconditional love finally brought her true happiness, even amid all the chaos of her life.

Blog With Bite Ballad Review May Contain Spoilers

2009-12-02T00:23:00.008-06:00

Ballad

Maggie Stiefvater

Synopsis - 9/10

Plot - 9/10

Characters - 10/10

Overall Story - 8/10

Conclusion - 9/10

Overall Score - 45/50

Synopsis: Remember us, so sing the dead, lest we remember you

James Morgan has an almost unearthly gift for music. And it has attracted Nuala, a soul-snatching faerie muse who fosters and then feeds on the creative energies of exceptional humans until they die. James has plenty of reasons to fear the faeries, but as he and Nuala collaborate on an achingly beautiful musical composition, James finds his feelings towards Nuala deepening. But the rest of the fairies are not as harmless. As Halloween—the day of the dead—draws near, James will have to battle the Faerie Queen and the horned king of the dead to save Nuala's life and his soul.

***** MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS *****

Review: In the beginning of the book I was totally confused....The characters kept talking about events that took place "last summer" which I took to mean "the last book, Lament" which I did NOT read before I started Ballad (bad me!). The book starts off telling us - the readers - a little bit about the Leanan Sidhe and then about the death of a Leanan Sidhe. Then we meet Dee, who we "hear" from in the book mostly in the form of text messages to James. James and Dee are new students at a prestigeous music high school called Thornking-Ash. James plays the bagpipe and is kind of a smart ass (which is an unusual instrument, but if you've ever heard it belt out Amazing Grace your hooked) and Dee plays the harp. James' roomate in the dorms is Paul who is a talented Oboe player but in my opinion a little bit too straightlaced for my liking in the beginning of the book.

The first week of school is just like any other school....learning the ground rules, learning your way around....all that fun stuff. Then week two starts and James and Paul are assigned to read Hamlet in Mr. Sullivan's first hour English class AND James is hearing and seeing the Antler King (king of the dead)...which means that there are fey around. Seems that there is a cloverhand (calls to the fey) at the school. Then to top is off James is sent to take private piping lessons from a piper who is nowhere near as good as James. Upon leaving his disasterous lesson James meets Nuala who is a Leanan Sidhe. In the beginning Nuala wants to make a "deal" with James but James refuses. But Nuala doesn't give up....Nuala has never not gotten what (read: who) she wanted, so she decides that she is going to send him a dream that will just make him want to take the "deal." The day after James' disasterous piping lesson he is informed by Sullivan that he will either have to learn the guitar or the piano instead to meet his musical requirements.

I didn't really like Dee....She seemed really weak and whiney....Not to mention more than a little bit of a "user".....Nobody likes to be used, especially James. This is the point where is feelings start to shift in regards to the ladies in his life....In the beginning all he wanted was Dee and he wanted nothing to do at all with Nuala....now it's starting to shift the other way. Nuala takes James one night to a movie where they get to talking about things and end up sitting down and writing the play Ballad. Upon the completion of reading Hamlet Sullivan assigns a 10 page essay on Metaphor to his students. James and Paul are so NOT happy about the assignment that it leads to one of my favorite scenes in the book...Paul getting "drunk." This is where James tells Paul about Ballad and we learn that James and Dee aren't the only ones who are dealing with the paranormal.

The further into the book I got the more I learned and liked Nuala. In the beginning I thought she was going to be some soul sucking leech but she really isn't like that. Come to find out she's part human and every 16 years on Halloween she must burn in order to continue to live. But the kicker is that once she comes back she has no memories. Also, the further into the book I got the less I liked the "relationship" between James and Dee....Very UNhealthy. You also learn who the cloverhand is and what James and Nuala have to do while she is burning to make there dreams come true. Also, Thornking-Ash isn't just any ordinary prestigous music school either. Oh and all the "dirty deeds done dirt cheap" whichs ends up with a new King of the Dead being crowned. Oh, and Ballad? Ballad ends up being AWESOME!

Overall, I was really happy with the book. Next time though....I will start with the first book in the series so things make sense in the second book!

BWB Scale - 3/4

*****Blog With Bite Discussion Questions*****

1. James is a flawed and heart broken character, do you find his mental peculiarities charming or annoying? Please do explain.

I find them a little bit of both. Nobody likes to be used and I feel that in a sense Dee was using James.

2. What did you think of James and Dee's kiss? This being a pivotal moment for their relationship, how do you think it changed James?

I agree that the kiss was a pivotal point in the story but I also think with that kiss James finally realized that things with Dee were never going to be the way he wanted them to be.

3. Whom do you prefer Dee or Nuala?

Nuala hands down. Dee was a little bit tooo weak and whiney for my taste.

4. What's your verdict on the best way to read Ballad? Is it a stand alone book or do you need to read Lament first? If you read Lament, what did it add/not add to Ballad? If you haven't read Lament, do you think it would have added to your reading of Ballad?

In my opinion I think you need to read Lament first. I was sort of confused by some of the conversations that were taking place because they kept talking about events that happened "last summer" which I took to mean "last book."

5. We've been reading a lot of stories with fairies as the central paranormal creatures. What are your thoughts on the "Fair Folk". Do you believe in faires?

From what I've been reading in the books for the group fairies aren't necessarily nice creatures....so I'm not real sure how I feel about them. Do I believe in faires?....I'm not sure to be honest.

Hondo Review

2009-12-01T00:41:00.000-06:00

Hondo
Louis L'Amour

Synopsis - 9/10
Plot - 10/10
Characters - 9/10
Overall Story - 9/10
Conclusion - 8/10

Overall Score - 45/50

Synopsis: He was etched by the desert’s howling winds, a big, broad-shouldered man who knew the ways of the Apache and the ways of staying alive. She was a woman alone raising a young son on a remote Arizona ranch. And between Hondo Lane and Angie Lowe was the warrior Vittoro, whose people were preparing to rise against the white men. Now the pioneer woman, the gunman, and the Apache warrior are caught in a drama of love, war, and honor.

Review: Louie does it again in my opinion! This is another one of his novels that was turned into a movie featuring my favorite actor of ALL TIME John Wayne. There really is a lot going on in this book...The Apaches are uprising....Angie Lowe and her little boy have been left to fend for themselves on their ranch (which is on a watering hole that the Apaches frequent), the army is trying to get the Apache situation under control while trying to save the lives of the families around the fort and Hondo Lane is in the middle running dispatch for the army while trying to keep not only himself alive but also Angie and her little boy.

Lots of drama....Lots of gun play....Lots of all the things that make a Louis L'Amour western a Louis L'Amour novel.

Dark Side of the Moon Review

2009-12-01T00:14:00.000-06:00

Dark Side of the Moon (Dark Hunter novel #11)
Sherrilyn Kenyon

Synopsis - 9/10
Plot - 7/10
Characters - 9/10
Overall Story - 8/10
Conclusion - 7/10

Overall Score - 40/50

*Optional*Smuttiness - 8/10

Synopsis: Susan Michaels was the hottest reporter on the Beltway Beat until she walked into a setup that ruined her reputation. Now she’s working for a small Seattle paper, penning stories about killer moths and alien babies, convinced that her life couldn’t get any worse…
That was before an idea for a breaking news piece brought her to a local animal shelter where she ends up listening to her source rant about vampires and gets coerced into adopting a cat despite her allergies. But when her new pet suddenly reveals himself to be a gorgeous—and lethal—shapeshifter, Susan realizes that there’s far more at stake than a career-saving by-line.
Born into a world of predators, Were-Hunter Ravyn Kontis was betrayed by those he loved best. Soulless, pitiless, he has spent three hundred years battling the Daimons who seek to subjugate humankind. Against all odds, Susan evokes in Ravyn feelings of tenderness. Desire. Love. And with the ultimate battle about to begin, this one very human woman holds the power to shatter both their worlds...

Review: This is the first book that I've ever read by this author. I liked it but I didn't really LOVE it. Ravyn and Susan are both characters that are dealing with some extra "baggage" shall we say. Susan is this reporter who always get's her story (which has cost her dearly) but at the same time has a pretty quirky sense of humor (which you see a lot in the book) and Ravyn he's pretty much a no-nonsense kind of guy who doesn't particularly care to be around humans at all because they have cost him dearly. Well now that the Daimons (with the help of some humans) are trying to kill both Susan AND Ravyn they are kind of stuck with one another. The more time they spend together the more that we the readers learn about these two character's pasts...Not a pretty picture. There is even a little twist thrown in for good measure too. If you like a little Death, Destruction and Mayhem with some smutt thrown in this is a good book to check out.

2010 Once Upon A Time Challenge

2009-11-30T08:59:00.002-06:00

This challenge is being hosted by Tena over at Crazy Book Slut. Here is the information that you need to know (borrowed from Tena's blog):

This challenge is quite simple..... read the fairy tales you grew up reading but from another view than Disney's version. There are so many great fairy tale books out there, that might take the same story we know but with an added twist.

These books can be Young Adult, Romance, Erotic, e-books, audio books.... your only limited by your own imagination.

I am going to make this an easy challenge to finish, and say the goal is to read at least 5 books, again if you want to go big or go home... read more!The time frame for this challenge will be January 1, 2010- December 31, 2010. Plenty of time. Please do not start this challenge before the time, and don't use books you have already read.

Need some idea's for books?
* Once upon a Time Series
* Sleeping Beauty Novel's
(Adult books, must be 18)* Tons on Alice in Wonderland
* Gregory Maguire is a good author to use
Who is in?

A Little break

2009-11-27T02:33:00.002-06:00

I will be taking a little mini break (4 days) from my blog this week (for sure) to deal with the upcoming Christmas season that starts at my job in T minus 2.5 hours. Christmas is what we at my job like to refer to as a little bit of a "cluster (insert your own choice 4 letter word)." When I come back from my little mini break there will more than likely be a great big lump of posts for you all to read.

And on that note....I leave you with this photo.....

A little cowboy BUTT CAM! Enjoy!

On My Wish List (3)

2009-11-25T00:27:00.005-06:00

This week I've been going through some webpages looking for books for some of my challenges...Particularly the Debut Authors challenge that I'm doing. Most of what is now on my wish list I don't have a picture of the cover to add to the post so I apologize for that.

Somebody Everybody Listens To by Suzanne Supplee (available May 2010)

Synopsis:
Retta Lee Jones is blessed with a beautiful voice
and has big dreams of leaving her tiny Tennessee
hometown. With a beaten down car, a pocketful
of hard-earned waitressing money, and stars in her
eyes, Retta sets out to make it big in Nashville. But
the road to success isn’t a smooth one in a town
filled with dreamers, and Retta begins to have
doubts: can she make her mark while staying true
to herself?

Invisible Girl by Mary Hanlon Stone (Debut Novel, available May 2010)

Synopsis:
When poor Boston girl Stephanie is abandoned by
her abusive mother and taken in by Annie’s Beverly
Hills family, she feels anything but home. Her dark
complexion and accent stick out like a sore thumb
in the golden-hued world of blondes and extravagance.
These are girls who seem to live life in fastforward,
while Stephanie is stuck on pause. Yet
when a new rival moves to town, threatening Annie’s
queen-bee status, Stephanie finds herself taking
sides in a battle she never even knew existed,
and that feeling invisible is a wound that can only
be healed by standing up for who she is.

The Best and Hardest Thing by Pat Brisson (Debut Novel, available May 2010)

Synopsis:
Fifteen-year-old Molly Biden has always been studious,
dependable, some might even say saintly. And
she’s sick of herself. So when she spots mysterious bad
boy Grady Dillon, she devises a plan to make herself
over into someone new, someone who will attract
Grady’s attention. She succeeds—but a little too well.
When Molly discovers she’s pregnant, she’s forced to
make the hardest choice of her life.

This addictively readable portrayal of Molly’s struggle
to accept her pregnancy and the fact that her life
will never be the same is told entirely in poetry, from
sonnets to haiku.

Wolves, Boys, & Other Things That Might Kill Me: A Novel by Kristen Chandler (Debut Novel, available May 2010)

Synopsis:
What’s more dangerous? Falling
for a boy? Or falling for a wolf?

KJ Carson lives an outdoor lover’s dream. The only
daughter of a fishing and wildlife guide, KJ can
hold her own on the water or in the mountains near
her hometown outside Yellowstone National Park.
But when she meets the shaggy-haired, intensely
appealing Virgil, KJ loses all self-possession. And
she’s not sure if it’s a good thing or a bad thing that
they’re assigned to work together on a school newspaper
article about the famous wolves of Yellowstone.
As KJ spends time with Virgil, she also spends
more time getting to know a part of her world that
she always took for granted . . . and she begins to
see herself and her town in a whole new light.

Sea by Heidi R. Kling (Debut Novel, available June 10, 2010)

Synopsis:
Still haunted by nightmares of her mother’s death,
fifteen-year-old Sienna Jones reluctantly travels
to Indonesia with her father’s relief team to help
tsunami orphans with their post traumatic stress
disorder—something Sienna knows a lot about.
Since her mother’s plane went missing over the
Indian Ocean three years before, Sienna doesn’t do
anything if it involves the ocean or planes, so this trip
is a big step forward.

But the last thing she expects is to fall for Deni, a
brooding Indonesian boy who lives at the orphanage,
and just so happens to be HOT. When Deni hears a
rumor that his father may be alive, Sienna doesn’t
think twice about running away with him to the
epicenter of the disaster. Unfortunately, what they
find there could break both their hearts.

A compelling summer romance, Sea marks the
arrival of a stunning new voice in YA.

Faithful by Janet Fox (Debut Novel, available May 2010)

Synopsis:
Sixteen-year-old Maggie Bennet’s life is in tatters.
Her mother has disappeared, and is presumed dead.
The next thing she knows, her father has dragged
Maggie away from their elegant Newport home,
off on some mad excursion to Yellowstone in Montana.
Torn from the only life she’s ever known, away
from her friends, from society, and verging on no
prospects, Maggie is furious and devastated by her
father’s betrayal. But when she arrives, she finds herself
drawn to the frustratingly stubborn, handsome
Tom Rowland, the son of a park geologist, and to the
wild romantic beauty of Yellowstone itself. And as
Tom and the promise of freedom capture Maggie’s
heart, Maggie is forced to choose between who she
is and who she wants to be.

Available April 13, 2010

Synopsis: When the Prom Queen becomes your fairy godmother…
Sixteen year old outsider, Jess Parker, gets the chance of a lifetime: an invitation to join a secret girl power society dedicated to defeating the mean girls of the world. The Cinderella Society guides all new recruits through its top secret ultimate life makeover. It’s all part of preparing them to face down the Wickeds and win. Determined not to let the Cindys down, Jess dives in with a passion. Finally, a chance to belong and show the world what she’s made of.
… be careful what you wish for.
Jess’s transformation wins her the heart of her dream crush and a shot at uber-popularity. Until the Wickeds–led by Jess’s arch enemy–begin targeting innocent girls in their war against the Cindys, and Jess discovers the real force behind her exclusive society. It’s a high stakes battle of good vs. evil, and the Cindys in power need Jess on special assignment. When the mission threatens to destroy her dream life come true, Jess is forced to choose between living a fairy tale and honoring the Sisterhood… and herself.
What’s a girl to do when the glass slipper fits, but she doesn’t want to wear it anymore?

Available February 2010

Synopsis: When a mandatory course forces Fiona to “try the knot” with super-jock Todd Harding, she’s convinced life could not possibly get any worse. Until moments later, when her long-time crush is paired with her arch-enemy (otherwise known as Todd’s obscenely hot, slightly sadistic girlfriend). But that’s nothing compared to her best friend’s fate – a year with the very shy, very goofy, very big Johnny Mercer.
A series of hilarious pranks and misunderstandings leave Fiona wondering: is there something her supposed “best friend” hasn’t told her? Could there be more to Johnny Mercer than a deep voice and an awesome music collection? And perhaps most intriguing of all, is it possible that Todd Harding could actually have a heart – and a brain – beneath his pretty-boy exterior?
Who knows what might happen once you begin a match made in high school…

2010 Debut Author Challenge

2009-11-25T00:08:00.004-06:00

Since I'm on a big ole' reading kick right now I thought "what the heck...what's one more challenge." So I'm participating in The Story Siren's 2010 Debut Author Challenge. Here's the information that you need to know.....If you click on the RED words it will take you directly to the post with all of the information you need in it as well.

What is the 2010 Debut Author Challenge?

The objective is to read a set number of YA (Young Adult) or MG (Middle Grade) novels from debut authors published this year.* I'm going to challenge everyone to read at least 12 debut novels! I’m hoping to read at least 30! You don’t have to list your choices right away, but if you do feel free to change them throughout the year. I will also be focusing on mostly Young Adult novels.

Anyone can join, you don’t need a blog to participate. If you don’t have a blog you can always share your views by posting a review on Amazon.com/BarnesandNoble.com/GoodReads/Shelfari, or any other bookish site.

The challenge will run from January 1, 2009- December 31, 2009. You can join at anytime!

* I would like to limit the novels to those released in 2010.

The Potential List:

1. A Love Story Starring My Dead Best Friend by Emily Horner

2. The Secret Year - Jennifer Hubbard

3. Sea - Heidi R. Kling

4. Faithful - Janet Fox

5. The Cinderella Society - Kay Cassidy

6. Before I Fall - Lauren Oliver

7. Leaving Gee's Bend - Irene Latham

8. Forget-Her-Not's - Amy Brecount White

9. Wolves, Boys and Other Things That Might Kill Me - Kristen Chandler

10. Everlasting - Angie Frazier

11. Shooting Kabul - N.H. Senzai

12. The Best and Hardest Thing - Pat Brisson

13. A Match Made In High School - Kristin Walker

14. Under My Skin - Judith Graves

L.J. Smith Challenge!

2009-11-23T09:19:00.002-06:00

I am also participating in the L.J. Smith Challenge being put on by My Friend Amy. I've read the Twilight series but now I'm going to branch out a little bit and check out all this "The Vampire Diaries" thing is all about.

The "Reader's Digest" version of "The Rules":

So here are all the details again since this is the world's longest Introduction to a Challenge Post:

What are we reading? L.J. Smith's The Vampire Diaries!

What are we watching? The Vampire Diaries on the CW!

When do we start? September 1st!

When do we have to finish? August 31st, 2010

Who's that guy in the photo? Lenore's celebrity love match Ian Somerhalder who plays Damon in the Vampire Diaries!

In My Mailbox (2)

2009-11-22T00:56:00.001-06:00

So this week on In My Mailbox, which is a meme put together by the Story Siren. Here's what I got this week:

Synopsis: Susan Michaels was the hottest reporter on the Beltway Beat until she walked into a setup that ruined her reputation. Now she’s working for a small Seattle paper, penning stories about killer moths and alien babies, convinced that her life couldn’t get any worse…

That was before an idea for a breaking news piece brought her to a local animal shelter where she ends up listening to her source rant about vampires and gets coerced into adopting a cat despite her allergies. But when her new pet suddenly reveals himself to be a gorgeous—and lethal—shapeshifter, Susan realizes that there’s far more at stake than a career-saving by-line.

Born into a world of predators, Were-Hunter Ravyn Kontis was betrayed by those he loved best. Soulless, pitiless, he has spent three hundred years battling the Daimons who seek to subjugate humankind. Against all odds, Susan evokes in Ravyn feelings of tenderness. Desire. Love. And with the ultimate battle about to begin, this one very human woman holds the power to shatter both their worlds...

Synopsis: Sixteen-year-old Deirdre Monaghan, a gifted harpist who regularly plays for weddings and other events, has the kind of stage fright that makes her physically ill before a performance, which is an inauspicious way to start a romance; but while vomiting before a competition she meets a gorgeous boy who comes into the restroom to hold her hair. He is Luke Dillon, a flautist who proceeds to accompany her in a truly stellar performance. As four-leaf clovers start appearing everywhere, Deirdre develops telekinetic powers and encounters strange, unworldly people who seem to bear her ill will. Her best friend, James, also a talented musician; her beloved grandmother; and her mother all are in danger, as Deirdre is targeted by the queen of Faerie. Deirdre eventually discovers that she is a cloverhand, a person who can see the denizens of faerie, and Luke, not the only immortal who has her in his sights, is a gallowglass, an assassin assigned by the queen of Faerie to kill Deirdre but who falls in love with her instead.

Synopsis: In this mesmerizing sequel to Lament: The Faerie Queen's Deception, music prodigy James Morgan and his best friend, Deirdre, join a private conservatory for musicians. James' musical talent attracts Nuala, a soul-snatching faerie muse who fosters and feeds on the creative energies of exceptional humans until they die. Composing beautiful music together unexpectedly leads to mutual admiration and love. Haunted by fiery visions of death, James realizes that Deirdre and Nuala are being hunted by the Fey and plunges into a soul-scorching battle with the Queen of the Fey to save their lives.

Synopsis (The Sweetheart of Prosper County): Almost-15-year-old Austin Gray is tired of standing at the curb and watching the parade pass her by. Literally. She decides this is the year she’ll ride on the hood of a shiny pickup truck in the annual parade, waving to the crowd and finally showing the town bully that she’s got what it takes to be the Sweetheart of Prosper County.

But far from simply being a beauty contest, becoming Sweetheart involves participation in the Future Farmers of America (FFA), raising an animal, and hunting or fishing. Austin will do almost anything to become Sweetheart, and has the support of her oldest friend, Maribel, her new FFA friends (including the reigning Sweetheart, and a quiet, cute cowboy), an evangelical Elvis impersonator, a mysterious Cajun outcast, and a rooster named Charles Dickens. If only her momma would stop overprotecting her, and start letting Austin live her own life. But Austin can’t move on until Momma moves on, too—and lets the grief of losing Austin’s daddy several years before out into the open.

Here is a bighearted story that will leave readers agreeing with Austin that sometimes, it’s not what you ride, it’s how you roll.

I also bought some books this week but I haven't decided yet which ones I'm going to keep and which ones are going to be part of a Christmas present yet. So next week's IMM should be interesting to say the least.

Whatcha Readin' Saturday

2009-11-21T00:47:00.000-06:00

This week on Whatcha Readin' Saturday....I'm reading:

Synopsis: Susan Michaels was the hottest reporter on the Beltway Beat until she walked into a setup that ruined her reputation. Now she’s working for a small Seattle paper, penning stories about killer moths and alien babies, convinced that her life couldn’t get any worse…

To participate in Whatcha Readin' Saturday all you have to do is link to a post about what you are currently reading and sign the Mr. Linky.

The 2010 Support Your Library Challenge

2009-11-20T01:20:00.002-06:00

Since I am FINALLY in good standing again with my local library I figured I could use it as a source for some of the books for my other challenges as well. This challenge is being hosted by J. Kaye's Book Blog.

Here is the information that you need to know:

1. Anyone can join. You don't need a blog to participate.

--Non-Bloggers: Post your list of books in the comment section of the wrap-up post. To learn how to sign up without having a blog, click here.

2. There are four levels:

--The Mini – Check out and read 25 library books.
--Just My Size – Check out and read 50 library books.
--Stepping It Up – Check out and read 75 library books.
--Super Size Me – Check out and read 100 library books.

(Aim high. As long as you read 25 by the end of 2010, you are a winner.)

3. Audio, Re-reads, eBooks, YA, Young Reader – any book as long as it is checked out from the library count. Checked out like with a library card, not purchased at a library sale.

4. No need to list your books in advance. You may select books as you go. Even if you list them now, you can change the list if needed.

5. Crossovers from other reading challenges count.

6. Challenge begins January 1st thru December, 2010.

7. When you sign up under Mr. Linky, put the direct link to your post where your library books will be listed. Include the URL to this post so that other viewers can find this fun challenge. If you’d prefer to put your list in the sidebar of your blog, please leave your viewers the link to the sign up page. Again, so viewers can join the challenge too.

Again, I'm going to aim high and go for the Super Size Me challenge...We'll see how well I do!

Candy Girl Review

2009-11-20T00:01:00.000-06:00

Candy Girl A Year in the Life of an Unlikely Stripper

Diablo Cody

Synopsis - 5/10
Plot - 8/10
Characters - 10/10
Overall Story - 10/10
Conclusion - 8/10

Overall Score - 41/50

*Optional*Smuttiness - 10/10

Review: Overall, I was really happy with the book. It's the story of a "normal" 20-something woman who get's this crazy idea that she should try her hand at being a stripper in addition to her day job as a typist for an advertising company in Minneapolis. The author doesn't mince any words and even uses some "colorful" language (if your not into f-bombs and "interesting" names for male parts DON'T read this book) for her year of being an "entertainer". You learn a lot about all the different clubs that she's worked at and a little bit about the other "entertainers" that she's come across.

I giggled, I cringed and I had a few WTF?! moments but overall the writing style and overall story are easy to follow. The only part that I was a little bit skeptical about was how cool her now husband was about the whole idea, but I guess that's a "too each there own" kind of thing.

2010 Thriller and Suspense Challenge

2009-11-19T04:29:00.002-06:00

Here's yet another 2010 challenge that I'm going to give a shot. This one is hosted by Book Chick City. Here is the information that you need to know:

Timeline: 01 Jan 2010 - 31 Dec 2010
Rules: To read TWELVE (12) thrillers in 2010

Details:
• You don't have to select your books ahead of time, you can just add them as you go. Also if you do list them upfront then you can change them, nothing is set in stone! The books you choose can crossover into other challenges you have on the go.

• If you decide to participate in this challenge please use the links I have set up below with the buttons to post on your sidebar, this way others can find their way back to this post and join in the fun. You can choose either button.

• If you decide to join this challenge be sure to create a post telling others, please make sure you add a link back to this post so others can join in.

• You can join anytime between now and the later part of next year.

• There will be a place for you to link your reviews, but this is optional.

There is also a list of sub-genre's that can be viewed HERE

2010 Young Adult Challenge

2009-11-19T03:19:00.003-06:00

This challenge is hosted by J-Kaye's book blog.

There are four levels:

--The Mini YA Reading Challenge – Read 12 Young Adult novels.

--Just My Size YA Reading Challenge – Read 25 Young Adult novels.

--Stepping It Up YA Reading Challenge – Read 50 Young Adult novels.

--Super Size Me YA Reading Challenge – Read 75 Young Adult novels.

Audio, eBooks, paper all count.

No need to list your books in advance. You may select books as you go. Even if you list them now, you can change the list if needed.

Challenge begins January 1st thru December, 2010.

So I think I'll be a major overachiever and go with the SUPER SIZE ME challenge.

1. Shadowland - Alyson Noel

2. Linger - Maggie Steifvater

3. Going Bovine - Libba Bray

4. Crescendo - Becca Fitzpatrick

5. Hush, Hush - Becca Fitzpatrick

6. Sea - Heidi R. Kling

7. The Secret Year - Jennifer Hubbard

8. Sleepless - Cyn Balog

9. Jekel Loves Hyde - Beth Fantaskey

10. Jessica's Guide To Dating On The Dark Side - Beth Fantaskey

11. Fallen

12. Beautiful Creatures

13. Before I Fall - Lauren Oliver

14. Deadly Little Lies - Laurie Faria Stolarz

15. Deadly Little Secret - Laurie Faria Stolarz

16. Forget-Her-Nots - Amy Brecount White

17. A Match Made In High School - Kristin Walker

18. Chasing Brooklyn - Lisa Schroeder

19. Sing Me To Sleep - Angela Morrison

20. The Cinderella Society - Kay Cassidy

21. My Soul To Take - Rachel Vincent

22. My Soul To Save - Rachel Vincent

23. My Soul To Keep - Rachel Vincent

24. You Wish - Mandy Hubbard

25. Sweet Little Lies - Lauren Conrad

26. L.A. Candy - Lauren Conrad

27. Evermore - Alyson Noel

28. Blue Moon - Alyson Noel

29. Everlasting - Angie Frazier

30. Wolves, Boy and Other Things That Might Kill Me - Kristen Chandler

31. A Love Story: Starring My Dead Best Friend - Emily Horner

32. Leaving Gee's Bend - Irene Latham

33. 13 to Life: A Werewolf's Tale - Shannon Delany

34. Faithful - Janet Fox

35. Under My Skin - Judith Graves

36. Boys, Bears and a Serious Pair of Hiking Boots - Abby McDonald

37. The Best and Hardest Thing - Pat Brisson

38. Shooting Kabul - N.H. Senzai

39. Rules of Attraction - Simone Elkeles

40. Perfect Chemistry - Simone Elkeles

41. Holes - Louis Sachar

42. Bridge to Terabithia - Katherine Paterson

43. The Host - Stephenie Meyer

44. To Kill A Mockingbird - Harper Lee

45. Little Women - Louisa May Scott

46. Just Listen - Sara Dessen

47. The Little House on the Prairie Collection - Laura Ingalls Wilder

48. Where The Red Fern Grows - Wilson Rawls

49. King of the Wind: The Story of the Godolphin Arabian - Marguerite Henry

50. Misty of Chincoteague - Marguerite Henry

51. Stormy, Misty's Foal - Marguerite Henry

52. Justin Morgan Had A Horse - Marguerite Henry

53. Mustang: Wild Spirit Of The West - Marguerite Henry

54. Black Gold - Marguerite Henry

55. San Domingo : The Medicine Hat Stallion - Marguerite Henry

56. The Black Stallion Series (20 total books)- Walter Farley

57. Man O' War - Walter Farley

Musical Thursday - Hillbilly Bone

2009-11-19T02:04:00.001-06:00

Lynsay Sands Challenge

2009-11-19T01:05:00.002-06:00

Amy over at My Overstuffed Bookshelf is holding a Lynsay Sands/Argeneau Family reading challenge. I'm big into vampire/werewolf/paranormal reading material right now so I am totally joining up. I've heard about this author on various book related webpages but I have yet to read one of her books yet. So I am super excited about this challenge.

101 Fantasy Reading Challenge

2009-11-18T04:37:00.003-06:00

NOTE: My review of The Blind Side and my On My Wish List posts are also up.

I totally joined up with this challenge. It's called the 101 Fantasy Reading Challenge. Now will my little ADD brain wrap itself around a challenge....who knows but I'm going to give it my best shot.

Here are the rules:

1. Pick the number of books you want to read. It can be a mixture of the top 101, and/or the whole list. For example, you might want to aim to read 5 from the top 101 and 5 from the rest of the list.

2. Create a list of the books you want to tackle. You can create a list now, or add them as you go. Completely up to you.

3. The challenge runs from 10/10/09 to 10/10/10.

The Blind Side Review

2009-11-18T04:02:00.003-06:00

The Blind Side
Michael Lewis

Synopsis - 9/10
Plot - 10/10
Characters - 9/10
Overall Story - 10/10
Conclusion - 8/10

Overall Score - 46/50

Synopsis: One day Michael Oher will be among the most highly paid athletes in the National Football League. When we first meet him, he is one of thirteen children by a mother addicted to crack; he does not know his real name, his father, his birthday, or how to read or write. He takes up football, and school, after a rich, white, evangelical family plucks him from the streets. Then two great forces alter Oher: the family's love and the evolution of professional football itself into a game in which the quarterback must be protected at any cost. Our protagonist becomes the priceless package of size, speed, and agility necessary to guard the quarterback's greatest vulnerability: his blind side.

Review: I saw the trailer for the movie first one day and decided that that was one of those movies that I MUST see. The next day on a whim I was surfing the Barnes and Noble webpage and I did a random search to see if The Blind Side was in book form. As we can all see it oh so very much is in book form and scores high on my review scale too! I'm not going to say a whole lot about this one because I don't want to give away too much.

Now if your not much of a football fan I would probably recommend skipping the book form. The book itself starts off with a little history of the "game" (and there are "history lessons" thrown in through out the book, but they all tie in to the story) and your about 3 chapters in before you even meet Michael Oher. Once you meet Michael and you learn just a teeny tiny bit about him you can totally understand why his "new family" took him in and loved on him and why he in turn turned around and loved on them in return.

School wasn't easy for Michael....He had to become academically eligible before he could even start playing sports at all. Football didn't come easy to Michael...He started out a basketball player and dabbled in Track too. But once he got the hang of football well to quote the late great Paul Harvey.... "Now you know the rest of the story." We'll put it this way in all of College football only one school didn't offer Michael a full scholarship to there school and that was Penn State.

I would totally recommend this book to pretty much anyone. Even though it is pretty football heavy (not always pertaining to Michael) it is still a very great story. A story that says even great things can come from a not so great beginning. In short: READ IT! TODAY!

On My Wish List

2009-11-18T03:23:00.006-06:00

On my wishlist this week:

Synopsis (from Good Reads):’Tis the season for mistletoe and holly, Santa . . . and suspense. And the gift that keeps on giving is Ice: premier thriller author Linda Howard’s breathless tale of a man, a woman, and a battle for survival against an unforgiving winter–and an unrelenting killer.

Oh what fun it is to read.Gabriel McQueen has only just arrived home on holiday leave from the service when his county-sheriff father sends him back out again with new marching orders. A brewing ice storm, and a distant neighbor who’s fallen out of contact, have the local lawman concerned. So he enlists Gabriel to make the long haul to the middle of nowhere, and make sure Lolly Helton is safe and sound. It’s a trip the younger McQueen would rather not make given the bitter winter weather–and the icy conditions that have always existed between him and Lolly.

But there’s no talking back when your dad is the town’s top cop. And there’s no turning back when night falls just as Gabriel arrives–and discovers that the weather outside isn’t the only thing that’s frightful. Spotting strangers in Lolly’s home–one of them packing a weapon–is all it takes to kick Gabriel into combat mode. And his stealth training is all he needs to extract Lolly from the house without alerting her captors. But when the escape is discovered, the heat–and the hunt–are on. And the winter woods are nowhere to be once the ice storm touches down, dropping trees, blocking roads, and trapping the fleeing pair in the freezing dark.

Synopsis (from Good Reads): J. R. Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood novels have introduced readers to a "different, creative, dark, violent, and flat-out amazing" (All About Romance)world. Now, as the vampire warriors defend their race against their slayers, one male's loyalty to the Brotherhood will be tested-and his dangerous mixed blood revealed...

Rehvenge has always kept his distance from the Brotherhood-even though his sister is married to a member, for he harbors a deadly secret that could make him a huge liability in their war against the lessers. As plots within and outside of the Brotherhood threaten to reveal the truth about Rehvenge, he turns to the only source of light in his darkening world, Ehlena, a vampire untouched by the corruption that has its hold on him-and the only thing standing between him and eternal destruction.

Synopsis (from Good Reads): In this mesmerizing sequel to Lament: The Faerie Queen's Deception, music prodigy James Morgan and his best friend, Deirdre, join a private conservatory for musicians. James' musical talent attracts Nuala, a soul-snatching faerie muse who fosters and feeds on the creative energies of exceptional humans until they die. Composing beautiful music together unexpectedly leads to mutual admiration and love. Haunted by fiery visions of death, James realizes that Deirdre and Nuala are being hunted by the Fey and plunges into a soul-scorching battle with the Queen of the Fey to save their lives.

Synopsis (from Good Reads): Dear Reader,Life is great for me. I have my chicory coffee, my warm beignets, and my best friend on the cell phone. Once the sun goes down, I am the baddest thing prowling the night: I command the elements, and I know no fear. For centuries, I've protected the innocent and watched over the mankind, making sure they are safe in a world where nothing is ever certain. All I want in return is a hot babe in a red dress, who wants nothing more from me then one night.

Instead, I get a runaway Mardi Gras float that tries to turn me into roadkill and a beautiful woman who saves my life but can't remember where she put my pants. Flamboyant and extravagant, Sunshine Runningwolf should be the perfect woman for me. She wants nothing past tonight, no ties, no long-term commitments.But every time I look at her, I start yearning for dreams that I buried centuries ago. With her unconventional ways and ability to baffle me, Sunshine is the one person I find myself needing. But for me to love her would mean her death. I am cursed never to know peace or happiness-not so long as my enemy waits in the night to destroy us both.--Talon of the Morrigantes

Teaser Tuesday

2009-11-17T10:13:00.003-06:00

I found Tuesday Teaser over at Should Be Reading and was inspired to join in! 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!

Here's my TT for this week:

"Girl-specific toys littered the living room rug, including a naked Barbie orgy that had ended in partial dismemberment. A juice box with the air sucked out of it had been left on the kitchen table, the perfect totem of innocence."

From:

Upcoming Reviews

2009-11-16T08:34:00.002-06:00

Just wanted to drop a little update about the reviews that will be coming up this week. The first one will be for Louis L'Amour's book Hondo and then of course there will be the review for The Blind Side....A lot of people have been wanting to hear about this one. So be sure to drop by and check them out.

In My Mailbox

2009-11-15T07:57:00.005-06:00

So this is my first week doing In My Mailbox, which is a meme put together by the Story Siren. Here's what I got this week:Synopsis: Decreed by David Letterman (tongue in cheek) on CBS TV's The Late Show to be the pick of "Dave's Book Club 2006," Candy Girl is the story of a young writer who dared to bare it all as a stripper. At the age of twenty-four, Diablo Cody decided there had to be more to life than typing copy at an ad agency. She soon managed to find inspiration from a most unlikely source— amateur night at the seedy Skyway Lounge. While she doesn't take home the prize that night, Diablo discovers to her surprise the act of stripping is an absolute thrill.

This is Diablo's captivating fish-out-of-water story of her yearlong walk on the wild side, from quiet gentlemen's clubs to multilevel sex palaces and glassed-in peep shows. In witty prose she gives readers a behind-the-scenes look at this industry through a writer's keen eye, chronicling her descent into the skin trade and the effect it had on her self-image and her relationship with her now husband.

Synopsis: One day Michael Oher will be among the most highly paid athletes in the National Football League. When we first meet him, he is one of thirteen children by a mother addicted to crack; he does not know his real name, his father, his birthday, or how to read or write. He takes up football, and school, after a rich, white, evangelical family plucks him from the streets. Then two great forces alter Oher: the family's love and the evolution of professional football itself into a game in which the quarterback must be protected at any cost. Our protagonist becomes the priceless package of size, speed, and agility necessary to guard the quarterback's greatest vulnerability: his blind side.

Synopsis: The Darkness Chosen Series

A thousand years ago, a brutal warrior roamed the Russian steppes and struck a sinister bargain. In return for the ability to change at will into a cold-hearted predator, Konstantine promised his soul -- and the souls of his descendants -- to the devil.

Scent of Darkness

Anna Smith loves her dynamic boss, Jasha Wilder, but her daring plan to seduce him goes awry when she encounters a powerful wolf who, before her horrified eyes, changes into the man she adores. She soon discovers that she can't escape her destiny, for Jasha is Konstantine's descendant, and Ann is the woman fated to break the curse that binds his soul.

Well that's it for this week. I can hardly WAIT to see what next week brings!

Whatcha Readin' Saturday

2009-11-14T02:45:00.001-06:00

It's Saturday again! Time for Whatcha Readin' Saturday. This week I'm reading Michael Lewis' book The Blind Side. It's the story of Michael Oher who was recently drafted by the Baltimore Ravens. Also, on November 20th the book in movie form featuring Sandra Bullock and Tim Mcgraw will be coming out in theaters.

Synopsis (from goodreads): By the author of the bestselling Moneyball: in football, as in life, the value we place on people changes with the rules of the games they play.

The young man at the center of this extraordinary and moving story will one day be among the most highly paid athletes in the National Football League. When we first meet him, he is one of thirteen children by a mother addicted to crack; he does not know his real name, his father, his birthday, or any of the things a child might learn in school such as, say, how to read or write. Nor has he ever touched a football.

What changes? He takes up football, and school, after a rich, Evangelical, Republican family plucks him from the mean streets. Their love is the first great force that alters the world's perception of the boy, whom they adopt. The second force is the evolution of professional football itself into a game where the quarterback must be protected at any cost. Our protagonist turns out to be the priceless combination of size, speed, and agility necessary to guard the quarterback's greatest vulnerability: his blind side. .

To participate in Whatcha Readin' Saturday all you have to do is tell us a little bit about what your currently reading and post a link in the Mr. Linky below. Pretty simple. So whatcha readin'?

Let's Brainstorm Together

2009-11-13T02:36:00.002-06:00

I am looking for gift idea's (AKA books) for my brother's fiancee' who is shall we say "a reader who reads because it's something to do when your broke." She likes to read but with there current situation can't really afford to go out and buy herself a new book all the time or even 1/2 of the time, so she's stuck reading the same things over and over again. That and they just moved to a new town...ok so it's actually a city and has no idea where a library is.

Any and all suggestions are helpful and greatly appreciated!

Have a great weekend!

Another Contest!

2009-11-13T02:05:00.002-06:00

Crazy for Books is giving away a copy of Coppola: A Pediatric Surgeon in Iraq. The contest itself ends on November 30th. If you want to check out more on this book there is an interview with the author over on Crazy for Books.

Musical Thursday - Uncle Kracker

2009-11-12T02:26:00.001-06:00

On My Wish List

2009-11-11T02:49:00.003-06:00

So it's Wednesday again and I am participating in Book Chick City's On My Wish List. This week on my wish list we have the following:

Synopsis: W. P. Kinsella plays with both myth and fantasy in his lyrical novel, which was adapted into the enormously popular movie, Field of Dreams. It begins with the magic of a godlike voice in a cornfield, and ends with the magic of a son playing catch with the ghost of his father. In Kinsella's hands, it's all about as simple, and complex, as the object of baseball itself: coming home. Like Ring Lardner and Bernard Malamud before him, Kinsella spins baseball as backdrop and metaphor, and, like his predecessors, uses the game to tell us a little something more about who we are and what we need.

Synopsis: As little girls MacKensie, Emma, Laurel, and Parker spent hours acting out their perfect make believe "I do" moments. Years later their fantasies become reality when they start their own wedding planning company to make every woman's dream day come true. With perfect flowers, delicious desserts, and joyful moments captured on film, Nora Roberts's Bride Quartet shares each woman's emotionally magical journey to romance.

In Bed of Roses, florist Emma Grant is finding career success with her friends at Vows wedding planning company, and her love life appears to be thriving. Though men swarm around her, she still hasn't found Mr. Right. And the last place she's looking is right under her nose.

But that's just where Jack Cooke is. He's so close to the women of Vows that he's practically family, but the architect has begun to admit to himself that his feelings for Emma have developed into much more than friendship. When Emma returns his passion—kiss for blistering kiss—they must trust in their history…and in their hearts.

The Blind Side Trailer

2009-11-10T04:40:00.004-06:00

I can hardly wait to pick this book up at the bookstore later this morning! The trailer makes this movie peak at the top of my "must see this movie" list!

My facebook page...

2009-11-09T02:52:00.002-06:00

I am in the process of re-doing my facebook page. When I created the page I mistakenly created a regular page to start of with and then created the page for Confessions of a Book Junkie. So I am going to delete the current page and start over. I just wanted to put that out there for all of you as a little heads up.

J

A Cover Alert! Lover Mine by J.R. Ward

2009-11-09T02:45:00.000-06:00

I found the image for the cover of the next Black Dagger Brotherhood novel on Lovin' Me Some Romance. I can HARDLY WAIT until April!

Synopsis: In the shadows of the night in Caldwell, New York, there's a deadly war raging between vampires and their slayers. And there exists a secret band of brothers like no other - vampire warriors, defenders of their race...John Matthew has been through his vampire transition and taken to the life of the Brotherhood with a vengeance, but he still can't shake the nightmare of his past and is unsure of his future as a warrior hero. He's made a promise to honour the Brotherhood and their fight with the slayers at all costs, until the love of his life is kidnapped and he is forced to make a choice that could change his life and the Brotherhood's forever...

We have a WINNER!

2009-11-09T02:27:00.003-06:00

The math has been done, the "scores" tabulated and we know have a winner for my first ever book giveaway! It was a really close one too!

Drum roll please......

Our winner is:

Jenn from Book Crazy!

The Shadow Riders Review

2009-11-08T01:26:00.000-06:00

The Shadow Riders
Louis L'Amour
224 pages

Synopsis -10 /10
Plot - 9/10
Characters - 9/10
Overall Story - 10/10
Conclusion -10/10

Overall - 48/50

Synopsis: Dal and Mac Traven left Texas young and idealistic. They came back from opposite sides of a living hell, a war that had torn the nation in two. They wanted only to reclaim their old lives…but one man held their future hostage.

Colonel Henry T. Ashford had gathered an army of criminals and renegade soldiers, leading them on a path of destruction and kidnapping through Texas to the Gulf. Among Ashford’s captives were the Travens’ sister and Dal’s tough-minded fiancée, Kate.

Now Mac and Dal must take up arms once again and ride together against Ashford’s army—ready to fight another war, if that’s what it takes to win the freedom of the women they love.

Review: I am a big fan of Louis L'Amour. He writes a story that when you start it you feel like you're actually there while it's taking place. Like a couple of his other novel's this particular book was made into a movie...Which I too enjoy. Naturally, I saw the movie before I read the book but I was equally happy with both.

The Traven brothers - Mac, Dal and younger brother Jesse - all head off to the war between the states. When the war is over they head for home only to find that a whole 'nother "war" has taken place before they even get home. A tough confederate Colonel who refuses to let the war end has taken to assembling an "army" of rouge soldiers and outlaws and proceeds to lead them on a path of death, destruction and kidnapping across Texas all the way to the Gulf of Mexico.

Now what this Colonel doesn't know is that he has taken the Traven's sister and Dal's tough-as-nails girl, Kate, hostage. The Traven's don't take to kindly to that thought and take up arms to get back their family as well as the other's who have been kidnapped. What happens next is a pretty AWESOME story of determination, love and some "ha, ha sucks to be you."

Whatcha Readin' Saturday

2009-11-07T00:14:00.000-06:00

Everyone who likes to read is pretty much on the hunt for that next "great read"....Me included. So I have decided to create my own little "meme" called Whatcha Readin' Saturday. So without further adue....I give you Whatcha Readin' Saturday.

To Participate:

1. Hey we're all here looking for the next "great read" so please write us a little blog post and tell us a little bit about what you're currently reading.

2. Sign the Mr. Linky so that we can visit you and check out what your reading.

3. See it's pretty simple....Anyone can play!

This week on Whatcha Readin' Saturday I am reading Louis L'Amour's book Hondo. I'm a HUGE Louis L'Amour fan so I thought I would share this one with all of you out there. Louie has a writing style that totally makes you feel like you are right there as all the action is taking place and I TOTALLY LOVE that!

Synopsis: He was etched by the desert’s howling winds, a big, broad-shouldered man who knew the ways of the Apache and the ways of staying alive. She was a woman alone raising a young son on a remote Arizona ranch. And between Hondo Lane and Angie Lowe was the warrior Vittoro, whose people were preparing to rise against the white men. Now the pioneer woman, the gunman, and the Apache warrior are caught in a drama of love, war, and honor.

Shiver Review

2009-11-06T01:45:00.000-06:00

Shiver

Maggie Stiefvater

390 pages

Synopsis - 9/10

Plot - 9/10

Characters -10/10

Overall Story - 9/10

Conclusion - 9/10

Overall - 46/50

Synopsis: For years, Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf--her wolf--is a chilling presence she can't seem to live without. Meanwhile, Sam has lived two lives: In winter, the frozen woods, the protection of the pack, and the silent company of a fearless girl. In summer, a few precious months of being human . . . until the cold makes him shift back again.

Now, Grace meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away. It's her wolf. It has to be. But as winter nears, Sam must fight to stay human--or risk losing himself, and Grace, forever.

Review: It took me a little longer than I would have liked to get this book read (dang real life!) but I throughly enjoyed it. This is a good old fashion young love story...of course with a twist. There ALWAYS is a twist! See when Grace was younger she was attacked by wolves, then there was the wolf with yellow eyes that saved her. Now Grace is in love with those eyes and that wolf...which strangely enough she only sees in the winter months. It turns out that Grace has seen those eyes before...In there human form.

Those yellow eyes and wolf body belong to Sam. After an incident human Sam finds his way to Grace's house where things start to fall into place for Grace. She knows those eyes...They belong to her wolf. This wounded boy IS her wolf.

From the "chance" meeting there are ups and downs for Grace and Sam. There is also a little bit of drama thrown in to keep the story from becoming a "sappy" love story. Overall, I really love how Maggie draws you in with her writing style. I giggled a bunch and there were a couple "chance for tears" moments. LOVED IT! Can hardly wait until July to read book 2 of the series...Linger.

Secret Santa

2009-11-05T02:20:00.003-06:00

I've also signed up for Secret Santa over at The Neverending Shelf. Here is the information that you need to know:

* A sign up sheet has been created here: www.theneverendingshelf.com/2009/10/secret-santa.html for those wishing to participate.

* This open internationally to all book lovers. I am hoping to pair those in like countries. For example: Canadians with other Canadians, UK with UK, etc.

* Books given can be new or used. If used, please make sure they are in good condition.

* Sign-ups end on November 15th. I will email you your partner's information by Wednesday, November 18th.

* Please have your package sent out no later than December 10th.

* When you’ve sent out your package, please email me and let me know. And please also email me when you receive your package. I want to ensure that all who sign up receive something.

* And most importantly: HAVE FUN!

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at neverendingshelf(at)gmail(dot)com.

Book Bloggers Holiday Swap

2009-11-05T01:47:00.002-06:00

I've signed up for the Book Bloggers Holiday swap. There is still a little bit of time to sign up. The final day to get in on the swap is November 12.

Musical Thursday Debut

2009-11-05T01:45:00.000-06:00

Dear John Trailer

2009-11-04T08:29:00.002-06:00

I haven't read the book yet but I am super excited to see the movie! It looks really good! There may be a Barnes and Noble trip in my future!

Wish List Wednesday (2)

2009-11-04T01:48:00.002-06:00

Wish List Wednesdays is hosted by Jennay at My Tea Time is Book Time. It's a weekly meme and anyone can join in!!! All you have to do is list a few of the books on your wish list (and all book lovers have one of those...right?). Come and share, so other readers can add more books to their growing wish list!

Win a copy of Fade to Black

2009-11-04T00:27:00.002-06:00

If you drop by my bloggy pal Book Crazy Jen's blog you could enter to win a copy of the book Fade to Black by Morgan Kearns. The interview with the author was really good too! Have a good one everyone!

Linger Cover and first paragraphs!

2009-11-03T23:13:00.006-06:00

• grace •

This is the story of a boy who used to be a wolf and a girl who was becoming one.
Just a few months ago, it was Sam who was the mythical creature. His was the disease we couldn’t cure. His was the good-bye that meant the most. He had the body that was a mystery, too strange and wonderful and terrifying to comprehend.

But now it is spring. With the heat, the remaining wolves will soon be falling out of their wolf pelts and back into their human bodies. Sam stays Sam, and Cole stays Cole, and it’s only me who’s not firmly in my own skin.

I don't know about anyone else out there but I am totally excited for the second book in this series. I totally enjoyed Shiver and I can hardly wait to see what happens next. Linger is due out on shelves July 20 2010.

I found all this information on A BookLover's Diary who found it at The World According to Maggie.

Teaser Tuesday

2009-11-03T07:46:00.000-06:00

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along.

* Grab your current read

* Open to a random page

* Share two "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page

* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS

* Share the title and author

My current read is Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater.

"Here take this. It's Salem's. Like he's going to use it anymore."

"Bark once for yes, twice for no?"

A random photograph

2009-11-01T07:55:00.001-06:00

Whatcha Readin' Saturday (1)

2009-10-31T08:17:00.004-05:00

Note: To learn more about Whatcha Readin' Saturday please click here.
The book that I am currently reading is Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater. I'm only a little ways into it but so far I am really liking the book. Grace was attacked by wolves (who turn out to be werewolves) when she was a 11....Now 6 years later she's kind of "attracted" to a wolf with yellow eyes. Sam (wolf with yellow eyes) has been "watching" out for Grace these past 6 years and is very much attracted to her when he is in his human form. Oh and I just got the part where Sam is human and him and Grace kiss in her parents kitchen!

Well that's where I'm at with what I'm reading....What are you all reading?

Whatcha Readin' Saturday Debut

2009-10-31T08:01:00.004-05:00

Note: If your interested in participate in my giveaway please click here.

Everyone who likes to read is pretty much on the hunt for that next "great read"....Me included. So I have decided to create my own little "meme" called Whatcha Readin' Saturday. So without further adue....I give you Whatcha Readin' Saturday.

To Participate:

1. Hey we're all here looking for the next "great read" so please write us a little blog post and tell us a little bit about what you're currently reading.

2. Sign the Mr. Linky so that we can visit you and check out what your reading.

3. See it's pretty simple....Anyone can play!

My Sister's Keeper Giveaway

2009-10-29T07:16:00.004-05:00

It's time for my very first giveaway! I hope you all have as much fun with this as I am!

Synopsis: New York Times bestselling author Jodi Picoult is widely acclaimed for her keen insights into the hearts and minds of real people. Now she tells the emotionally riveting story of a family torn apart by conflicting needs and a passionate love that triumphs over human weakness.

Anna is not sick, but she might as well be. By age thirteen, she has undergone countless surgeries, transfusions, and shots so that her older sister, Kate, can somehow fight the leukemia that has plagued her since childhood. The product of preimplantation genetic diagnosis, Anna was conceived as a bone marrow match for Kate — a life and a role that she has never challenged...until now. Like most teenagers, Anna is beginning to question who she truly is. But unlike most teenagers, she has always been defined in terms of her sister — and so Anna makes a decision that for most would be unthinkable, a decision that will tear her family apart and have perhaps fatal consequences for the sister she loves.

My Sister's Keeper examines what it means to be a good parent, a good sister, a good person. Is it morally correct to do whatever it takes to save a child's life, even if that means infringing upon the rights of another? Is it worth trying to discover who you really are, if that quest makes you like yourself less? Should you follow your own heart, or let others lead you? Once again, in My Sister's Keeper, Jodi Picoult tackles a controversial real-life subject with grace, wisdom, and sensitivity.

How to Enter:

* Leave a comment with your e-mail address in it.

Extra entries:

+2 - A current follower
+1 - A new follower
+2 - sidebar post
+3 - actual blog post
+4 - follow me on twitter
+10 - become a fan of Confessions of a Book Junkie on Facebook
+1 - for each additional comment left on my blog

The Rules:

* Open to U.S. residents only...Sorry.
* The Deadline to enter is November 8 @ 12 am CST
* Winner will be announced on November 9

A couple new features

2009-10-29T05:20:00.003-05:00

If you check out my sidebar you will notice that I've added a few new features to my blog. You can now follow me on Twitter and I've created a Facebook page for Confessions of a Book Junkie. I've also added a Contests! section to my side bar....I hope you'll check out some of those contests! I'm also going to be making an effort to post responses to your comments in the posts that you commented in as well. Oh and I'm in the process of putting together a little contest of my own for later today...I hope you'll join in. Have a great day!

Win Jessica's Guide To Dating On The Dark Side

2009-10-29T02:22:00.002-05:00

Books Obsession is giving away a signed copy of Jessica's Guide To Dating On The Dark Side. I hope you'll drop by and check it out...Click on the image to go to the giveaway post!

A contest!

2009-10-29T01:38:00.003-05:00

Lisa over at A Life Bound By Books is having a 50 followers contest! There are a bunch of really great books being given away in this contest! I hope you'll go over and check it out (if you click on the image it will take you to the contest post).

The books up for grabs:

Skipping Christmas By: John Grisham
Plan B By: Jenny O'Connell
Just Listen By: Sarah Dessen
The Truth About Forever By: Sarah Dessen
Geek High By: Piper Banks
Blue Bloods By: Melissa De La Cruz
Something Borrowed By: Emily Giffin
North of Beautiful By: Justina Chen Headley

Completed Reviews

2009-10-28T01:12:00.002-05:00

Intertwined - Gena Showalter
Good Girl Gone Bad - Karin Tabke
Puppy Chow Is Better Than Prozac - Bruce Goldstein
Breaking Dawn (Twilight Book #4) - Stephenie Meyer
Eclipse (Twilight Book #3) - Stephenie Meyer
New Moon (Twilight Book #2) - Stephenie Meyer
Twilight - Stephenie Meyer
Lover Awakened - J.R. Ward
Lover Eternal - J.R. Ward
Dark Lover - J.R. Ward
Under the Sweetwater Rim - Louis L'Amour
Showdown at Yellow Butte - Louis L'Amour
The Rider of Lost Creek - Louis L'Amour
Prada & Prejudice - Mandy Hubbard
When It Happens - Susane Colasanti
Winter Prey - John Sandford
Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
Forgiven (Sisters of the Heart #3) - Shelley Shepard Gray
Wanted (Sisters of the Heart #2) - Shelley Shepard Gray
Hidden (Sisters of the Heart #1) - Shelley Shepard Gray
Fool - Christopher Moore
Truck: A Love Story - Michael Perry

Blog with Bite - Intertwined Review

2009-10-28T00:22:00.004-05:00

Intertwined
Gina Showalter
440 pages

Synopsis - 8/10
Plot - 9/10
Characters - 10/10
Overall Story - 9/10
Conclusion - 6/10

*Overall Score - 42/50

Synopsis: Most sixteen-year-olds have friends. Aden Stone has four human souls living inside him:

One can time-travel.
One can raise the dead.
One can tell the future.
And one can possess another human.

With no other family and a life spent in and out of institutions, Aden and the souls have become friends. But now, they're causing him all kinds of trouble.

Like, he'll blink and suddenly he's a younger Aden, reliving the past. One wrong move, and he'll change the future. Or, he'll walk past a total stranger and know how and when she's going to die.

He's so over it. All he wants is peace.

And then he meets a girl who quiets the voices. Well, for as long as he's with her. Why? Mary Ann Gray is his total opposite. He's a loner; she has friends. He doesn't care what anyone thinks; she tries to make everyone happy. And while he attracts the paranormal, she repels it. For her sake, he should stay away. But it's too late. . .

Somehow, they share an inexplicable bond of friendship. A bond about to be tested by a werewolf shape-shifter who wants Mary Ann for his own and a vampire princess Aden can’t resist. Two romances, both forbidden... doomed. Still, the four will enter a dark underworld of intrigue and danger... but not everyone will come out alive...

I had heard a little bit about this book on a couple of different blogs and forums before I stumbled upon Blog with Bite. At first I was a little iffy on reading it because it's not something that I would normally read....Honestly I'm a big ole sap for a sappy love story. But I'm really glad that I decided to read this book. The first chapter was a little creepy in my opinion but that's exactly what it is...my opinion. The main character Aden Stone is viewed by society as a "troubled" teen but in actuality he is possessed by 4 souls...LOVE the souls...There's just something about them I just really liked. Aden wants to go public high school so that he can spend more time with Mary Ann...who has a couple "issues" of her own. Heck there is even a little forbidden romance thrown in for both Aden and Mary Ann. I don't want to say too much more because I don't want to give away anything. I really only had two gripes with the book....Just a tad bit too many paranormal characters make an apperance in the book and the rushed ending. Overall, I'm SUPER happy with the book and I'm glad that I decided to purchase a copy instead of wait for a copy from my library.

Discussion Questions:

#1 Do you feel the ending was cut short and needed more to be resolved before the book ended? I feel that the ending was pretty rushed...It wasn't the worst ending in the world but I wasn't particularly happy with it.

#2 Regarding Question #1, what are your thoughts on series books? For one you get more and more and more - depending on how long the series drags on - for another some series leave you with very little resolution at the end of the novels, i.e. the Merry Gentry series where only a couple of hours pass within the time span of one book. Do you find this is just an authors way of having guaranteed book sales - or do you really enjoy series and love reading about your fav characters over and over again? There are some series I feel that have been written just to get the books sold...Others I have enjoyed immensly...Overall I LOVE a GOOD series and enjoy reading about my favorite characters over and over again.

#3 Which "trapped" soul was your favorite and do you see potential in the future story lines with the remaining three? I liked Eve a lot....I felt that sometimes she was the "voice of reason" for Aden.

#4 When a larger-than-life character such as Vlad Tepes aka Dracula is used as a side-plot character do you believe it gives the story a more factual base, or makes it less real? I liked that Gena used actual characters in the story...I think it made the story more "real" for me personally.

#5 What did you think of the side plot involving Tucker and Penny? Do you think the issues from that plot were adequately resolved? Honestly, I didn't care for Tucker or Penny.

#6 What is your best guess as to what Aden Stone's superpower is - the power he possess without his souls? I think he's kind of got the "Jack of all trades" superpower...But that's just me.

Wish List Wednesday (1)

2009-10-27T23:56:00.005-05:00

Here are just some of mine:

Synopsis: Lucy Donovan always gets her man. As a fiercely independent CIA agent, she's survived hundreds of death-defying missions. But her latest may just get her killed. Weighed down with a secret she's desperate to keep, the last thing Lucy needs is to be sent undercover with a man who brings out the best--and the worst--in her.

Navy SEAL Gus Atwater never turns down an assignment, even if it means working with the only woman he's ever loved and lost. So with a volatile mix of desire and distrust, Lucy and Gus confront their tangled past. Pretending to be man and wife is risky enough, but now the clock is running out. As their mission escalates from desperate to deadly, will Lucy's secret expose them both?

Synopsis: The rest of the world had considered Dimitri dead. And to a certain extent, he was. But I hadn't been able to forget a conversation he and I had once had. We'd both agreed that we'd rather be dead—truly dead—than walk the world as Strigoi. It was time to honor our words.

Guardian Rose Hathaway's life will never be the same.

The recent attack on St. Vladimir's Academy devastated the entire Moroi world. Many are dead. And, for the few victims carried off by Strigoi, their fates are even worse. A rare tattoo now adorns Rose's neck, a mark that says she's killed far too many Strigoi to count. But only one victim matters . . . Dimitri Belikov. Rose must now choose one of two very different paths: honoring her life's vow to protect Lissa—her best friend and the last surviving Dragomir princess—or, dropping out of the Academy to strike out on her own and hunt down the man she loves. She'll have to go to the ends of the earth to find Dimitri and keep the promise he begged her to make. But the question is, when the time comes, will he want to be saved?

Now, with everything at stake—and worlds away from St. Vladimir's and her unguarded, vulnerable, and newly rebellious best friend—can Rose find the strength to destroy Dimitri? Or, will she sacrifice herself for a chance at eternal love?

Synopsis: In an attempt to escape the painful memory of her young sister Rose’s untimely and mysterious death, Emily and her altered family flee Dallas, Texas for the safety of small-town Beckley, West Virginia. Shortly after arriving, Emily falls for a handsome young man named Maxwell Snow. He’s perfect. Or so Emily thinks. And then the nightmares begin. Why is Rose haunting Emily inside her dreams? What is Rose trying to tell her? Perhaps Julian, Maxwell’s estranged twin holds the answers. Prepare as a “new” generation of vampires is discovered. These vampires could be friends, neighbors, or even family.

Good Girl Gone Bad - Review

2009-10-25T08:37:00.002-05:00

Good Girl Gone Bad
Karin Tabke
384 pages

Synopsis - 10/10
Plot - 8/10
Characters - 10/10
Overall Story - 9/10
Conclusion - 9/10

* Overall - 46/50

** Smuttiness - 10/10

Synopsis: IN HER SIZZLING DEBUT, KARIN TABKE SETS THE SCENE WITH HARD-HITTING COPS, A SCANDALOUS CRIME, AND UNINHIBITED PASSION THAT CAN'T BE DENIED....

Straight-laced, by-the-book police officer Philamina Zorn has always lived by the letter of the law — that is, until she is assigned to work with Lieutenant Ty Jamerson, a tough-as-nails, arrogantly handsome cop who knows exactly how to press her buttons. Staking out Klub Kashmir, the Bay Area's hottest gentleman's club, Phil and Ty go undercover to bait the kidnapper of three young women — including two strippers from the club — while trying to keep their clashing personalities at bay. Baring more than just her inhibitions, Phil dons a barely there ensemble, straps on stilettos, and reveals her feisty side as Kat, a seductively sexy cocktail waitress who lets her luscious curves do the talking. Not only is she determined to expose a criminal but she has vowed to show her hot-headed lieutenant, a.k.a. floor manager of Klub Kashmir, that she's no shrinking violet.

As Phil and Ty become more deeply entrenched in the sordid underground world of exotic dancing, where money means everything and passions run wild, flaring tension becomes uncontrollable lust. It's all they can do not to surrender to desire — a hunger that intensifies with each playful encounter. Meanwhile, a cold-blooded criminal is hiding in the shadows — and a devastating secret that, if revealed, could shake Phil to her core.

Review: In Tabke's first novel length book we go undercover with police officers Ty Jamerson and Philamina Zorn. Someone is kidnapping dancers from the Bay area's ELITE gentleman's club....Now Ty and Phil must join forces to find the kidnapper, two strippers and an undercover cop. There is just one "small" problem....Ty and Phil don't get along. Ty doesn't trust anyone - especially women and Phil is determined "best" Ty by proving that her undercover character - Kat - is hardcore.

As things start to heat up in their case, tension turns into uncontrollable lust. It's not a matter of "if" Ty and Phil will give into that lust but "when." Meanwhile, there is still a criminal to catch and a painful secret that is being kept from Phil that if it were to be revealed it would shock her in a very big way.

Single Black Female

2009-10-22T00:02:00.000-05:00

This has to be one of the best singles ads ever printed. It is reported to have been listed in the Atlanta Journal.

SINGLE BLACK FEMALE seeks male companionship, ethnicity unimportant. I'm a very good girl who LOVES to play. I love long walks in the woods, riding in your pickup truck, hunting, camping and fishing trips, cozy winter nights lying by the fire. Candlelight dinners will have me eating out of your hand.. I'll be at the front door when you get home from work, wearing only what nature gave me... Call (404) 875-6420 (404) 875-6420 and ask for Daisy, I'll be waiting.....

Scroll Down........

Over 150 men found themselves talking to the Atlanta Humane Society.

Some Random Cuteness

2009-10-20T00:30:00.000-05:00

I am without a computer this week so I leave you with some random cuteness....Thursday I give you "Single Black Female."

Puppy Chow Is Better Than Prozac

2009-10-19T02:31:00.000-05:00

Puppy Chow Is Better Than Prozac: The True Story of a Man and the Dog Who Saved His Life

Bruce Goldstein

Rating: 5/5

Synopsis:

Meet Ozzy. For the suicidally depressed author, this furry antidepressant came with only one side effect-unconditional, slobbery love.

Review: I was out one day shopping with my mom and we made a random trip to Barnes and Noble. I happend to be looking through the pet section (we had just started considering adopting another dog after we had to put our 19 year old lab mix to sleep) and found this book. I think the title alone is what had me purchasing this book...You have to admit it is a cute title. The very first sentence alone scares the crap out of you but in the end you know that things are going to go from REALLY bad to oh so much better for the author with the help of a little furry antidepressant.

What I REALLY thought:

Beginning: The VERY beginning (like the very first sentence) scared the crap out of me...but as I learned more about the author that sentence became much clearer.

Middle: Things are starting to look up.

End: Things are going pretty well for Oz and Bruce. Puppy Chow REALLY is better than Prozac.

Breaking Dawn - Review

2009-10-18T01:23:00.000-05:00

Breaking Dawn
Stephenie Meyer

Rating: 2/5

Synopsis: It ought to seem redundant to dismiss the fourth and final Twilight novel as escapist fantasy-but how else could anyone look at a romance about an ordinary, even clumsy teenager torn between a vampire and a werewolf, both of whom are willing to sacrifice their happiness for hers? Flaws and all, however, Meyer's first three novels touched on something powerful in their weird refraction of our culture's paradoxical messages about sex and sexuality. The conclusion is much thinner, despite its interminable length. Everygirl Bella achieves her wishes quickly (marriage and sex, in that order, are two, and becoming an immortal is another), and once she becomes a vampire it's almost impossible to identify with her. But that's not the main problem. Essentially, everyone gets everything they want, even if their desires necessitate an about-face in characterization or the messy introduction of some back story. Nobody has to renounce anything or suffer more than temporarily-in other words, grandeur is out. This isn't about happy endings; it's about gratification. A sign of the times?

Review: Didn't care for it at all....And that right there is what I REALLY thought.

Eclipse - Review

2009-10-17T00:16:00.001-05:00

Eclipse
Stephenie Meyer

Rating: 4/5

Synopsis:

Readers captivated by Twilight and New Moon will eagerly devour Eclipse, the much anticipated third book in Stephenie Meyer's riveting vampire love saga. As Seattle is ravaged by a string of mysterious killings and a malicious vampire continues her quest for revenge, Bella once again finds herself surrounded by danger. In the midst of it all, she is forced to choose between her love for Edward and her friendship with Jacob —- knowing that her decision has the potential to ignite the ageless struggle between vampire and werewolf. With her graduation quickly approaching, Bella has one more decision to make: life or death. But which is which?

Review: I kept going with the series because I wanted to see what happened with Jacob really. The highlight of the book was when the vampires and the werewolves worked together.

What I REALLY thought:

Beginning: It happened.

Middle: Really Jacob and the werewolves are what are keeping reading at this point.

End: Again, it happened.

Weeding it down...My Blog List that is and some other stuff

2009-10-16T02:21:00.004-05:00

As a result of having over 60 different book blogs currently in my blog list (me being new to book blogging I've been out and about "meeting" other book bloggers) I've decided it is time to try and weed that number down a little bit (dang it all there are so many good book blogs out there!). I've put all the book blogs that I follow (which are also all in my blog list) into my google reader....Now I have over 1000 unread posts in my google reader but that's okie dokie with me.

I just wanted to put a little heads up out there that I will be without a computer all next week so I will have some random cuteness posted...Unfortunately or fortunately depending upon how you look at it, none of it is book related. While I'm away I'll be coming up with some new "features" for my blog and doing a crap ton of reading (only so much tv you can watch right?).

MY COPY OF SHIVER IS DUE TO ARRIVE TODAY!!!!!!

New Moon - Review

2009-10-16T00:05:00.001-05:00

New Moon
Stephenie Meyer

Rating: 4/5

Synopsis:

Legions of readers entranced by Twilight are hungry for more and they won't be disappointed. In New Moon, Stephenie Meyer delivers another irresistible combination of romance and suspense with a supernatural twist. The "star-crossed" lovers theme continues as Bella and Edward find themselves facing new obstacles, including a devastating separation, the mysterious appearance of dangerous wolves roaming the forest in Forks, a terrifying threat of revenge from a female vampire and a deliciously sinister encounter with Italy's reigning royal family of vampires, the Volturi. Passionate, riveting, and full of surprising twists and turns, this vampire love saga is well on its way to literary immortality.

Review: I'll be honest...The only reason this book got 4/5 is because about the time of the "separation" I started to really NOT like Edward and at times Bella and really started to dig Jacob. Thought Edward was just being outrageously mean in his attempt to keep Bella from further danger.

What I REALLY thought:

Beginning: It started off great and in my opinion went downhill from there.

Middle: Dang it Bella....You're a total USER!

Ending: Whatever.

Twilight - Review

2009-10-15T01:40:00.001-05:00

Twilight
Stephenie Meyer

Rating: 4/5

Synopsis:

About three things I was absolutely positive:First, Edward was a vampire.Second, there was a part of him–and I didn’t know how dominant that part might be–that thirsted for my blood.And third, I was unconditionally and irrevocably in love with him.

Isabella Swan's move to Forks, a small, perpetually rainy town in Washington, could have been the most boring move she ever made. But once she meets the mysterious and alluring Edward Cullen, Isabella's life takes a thrilling and terrifying turn. Up until now, Edward has managed to keep his vampire identity a secret in the small community he lives in, but now nobody is safe, especially Isabella, the person Edward holds most dear. The lovers find themselves balanced precariously on the point of a knife -- between desire and danger.

Deeply romantic and extraordinarily suspenseful, Twilight captures the struggle between defying our instincts and satisfying our desires. This is a love story with bite.

Review: I know a LOT of people out there have already read this so I am going to keep it short and sweet. I really enjoyed this book. It's hard not to like Edward in this book, he's so noble and even though he's not a "normal" teen like Bella he tries to do "normal" things with her. It's a classic "first love" story. Let's not forget Jacob...he's there and he's also starting to become attracted to Bella. Now we're headed for a classic love triangle.

What I REALLY thought:

Beginning: When I first started reading it for the first time, I didn't really understand the beginning. Now that I've read it a couple times I really like it.

Middle: A vampire trying to act like a "normal" teen for the sake of his relationship.

End: Really liked it alot.

Lover Awakened - Review

2009-10-14T05:58:00.002-05:00

Lover Awakened (The Black Dagger Brotherhood #3) J.R. Ward

5/5

Synopsis:

Even within the vampire brotherhood, Zsadist is feared. Still bearing the scars from a tortured past, he is renowned for his unquenchable fury. Anger is his only companion, and terror is his only passion-until he rescues a beautiful female from the evil Lessening Society.

Review: I don't think you can really go wrong with this group of vampires. I'm half way through the series (which I will be taking a tiny break from) and I could not be happier. I think that this story has a little bit of a "lesson" in it too....everybody has their "scars" and nobody is unloveable. I really liked how the author let the readers in on Zsadist's tortured past...It really helps and makes Zsadist seem a little more "human."

What I REALLY think:

Beginning: Very fast paced....I started it last Friday morning and before I knew it I had read over 100 pages before I had to get some sleep.

Middle: Intense. Zsadist goes through a whole lot of "I do but I don't" phases with Bella because of his past. Then throw in the lessers and you get get a whol bunch of AWESOME!

End: Oh how the mighty have fallen.

To Be Read List

2009-10-14T04:05:00.003-05:00

Shiver - Maggie Stiefvater
Lover Revealed - J.R. Ward
Lover Unbound - J.R. Ward
Lover Enshrined - J.R. Ward
Heartbreak and Triumph: The Shawn Michaels Story - Shawn Michaels
Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
Emma - Jane Austen
Jemima J - Jane Green
Good Girl Gone Bad - Karin Tabke
Skin - Karin Tabke

Wish Lists, To Be Read Lists, and Book directories....Oh my!

2009-10-14T01:08:00.003-05:00

I've been in the process of updating my orginal wish list post. I've added the updated post to my side bar if you'd like to check out what I'd LOVE to get my hands on to read. I'll be adding my To Be Read list shortly....I have STACKS of books waiting to get added to this list!

In an attempt to get my blog out there for more book bloggers to view I've added myself to several blog directories and a book directory. The buttons for all the directories and book directory that I've added my blog to are in my side bar if you are looking to attract more attention to your blog.

Coming Soon To My Bookshelf....

2009-10-13T12:14:00.003-05:00

It should be in my hands either Thursday or Friday! I can hardly wait!

Lover Eternal - Review

2009-10-13T11:59:00.003-05:00

Lover Eternal (The Black Dagger Brotherhood #2) - J.R. Ward

5/5

Synopsis:

Within the brotherhood, Rhage is the vampire with the strongest appetite. He's the best fighter, the quickest to act on his impulses, and the most voracious lover-for inside him burns a ferocious curse cast by the Scribe Virgin.

Possessed by this dark side, Rhage fears the times when his inner dragon is unleashed, making him a danger to everyone around him. When Mary Luce is unwittingly thrown into the vampire world, she must rely on Rhage's protection. Knowing that Mary feels the same intense animal attraction, Rhage must make her his alone...

Review:

I LOVED it! I'm soooo very glad that I purchased these books....I don't particularly like to share all the time. I'm going to keep this short and sweet....If you've not read this book please do!

What I Really Thought:

Beginning - Fast paced right off the bat. When the beast comes out the brothers help take care of Rhage when the beast goes back into hiding....LOVE IT! Mary tries to avoid Rhage but Rhage just won't quit.

Middle - HOT!

End - Was a little bit predictable but I still really liked it.

My new favorite book shops!

2009-10-13T09:28:00.002-05:00

I just found out recently that my little town has not only 1 but 2 book shops. One is a nearly new book shop and the other is a regular independent book shop. Up until now I've been driving 15 miles to my local Barnes and Noble to get my book fix now that I know that they exist in my little town I think that will be cut down by about 14 miles! Now I'm going to write down the titles of the two books that I REALLY REALLY want and see if the independent store can order them for me.

I'm proud of myself....

2009-10-11T08:05:00.003-05:00

I've finally paid my library fine, a whole $5...Thought it was considerably more but I was good with that number, and now I've finally figured out how to order books from my public library from my home computer. It's the small things in life. :)

Have a great day everyone!

Froggy's Love You To Death Giveaway!

2009-10-10T07:56:00.003-05:00

My new bloggy pal Froggy is giving away 5 copies of the book Love You To Death. Check it out!

Synopisis:

It's been days since reporter Elise McBride has heard from her sister, Ashley. She's convinced Ashley has met with some kind of foul play, especially when she learns that bodies of other missing women have surfaced in and around Chicago--all victims of a brutal serial killer. Convinced her sister is still alive, Elise vows to risk everything to save her...
The last thing ex-cop Trent Brady needs is more blood on his hands. Yet when he catches Elise breaking into her sister's house, full of reckless determination and fear, he knows she needs his help. But just as desire ignites between them, a twisted madman sets his sights on Elise. Hell-bent on possessing her for himself, this psychopath won't rest until he has his perfect woman.

Dark Lover - Review

2009-10-07T23:50:00.003-05:00

Dark Lover (The Black Dagger Brotherhood #1) - J.R. Ward
5/5

Synopsis:

In the shadows of the night in Caldwell, New York, there's a deadly turf war going on between vampires and their slayers. There exists a secret band of brothers like no other-six vampire warriors, defenders of their race. Yet none of them relishes killing more than Wrath, the leader of The Black Dagger Brotherhood.

The only purebred vampire left on earth, Wrath has a score to settle with the slayers who murdered his parents centuries ago. But, when one of his most trusted fighters is killed-leaving his half-breed daughter unaware of his existence or her fate-Wrath must usher her into the world of the undead-a world of sensuality beyond her wildest dreams.

Review: I've read about this series of books ALL OVER the place and finally caved in and decided to give it a try. I'm definitely glad that I did cave. I LOVED this book. I'm even more glad that I purchased this book...Now I'll be able to "check it out" when ever I want. I had a very hard time putting it down so that I could get other things done...You know like eating, laundry, sleeping. I loved all the characters....Wrath is tall, dark, gorgeous, and views Beth as a liability. Beth has no idea that she's actually 1/2 vampire and gives crap as good as she get's it. The other "brothers" tall, dark, gorgeous and ISSUES in all capital letters. Butch the cop...well he's just beside himself. The lessers...they make really great bad guys....flat out EVIL!

What I REALLY thought:

Beginning: I thought that beginning started off a little bit slow. It also took me a little bit to figure out that the book itself is broken down and told from everybodies perspective. LOVED the descriptions of Wrath and all the brothers!

Middle: HOT!

End: INTENSE with a bunch tender thrown in for good measure.

Under The Sweetwater Rim

2009-10-07T04:53:00.003-05:00

Synopsis:

Deep in Indian country, Major Mark Devereaux and his men find a grisly scene: a wagon train savagely attacked, with no survivors. One of the wagons originally with the group is missing; in it is a fortune in gold and Devereaux’s daughter, Mary. The slaughter, Devereaux learns, was not the work of Indians but of a murderous outlaw band. With the stakes rising in a deadly game, the only wild card is Lieutenant Tenadore Brian, who is riding with the missing wagon—against orders. Devereaux knows Brian is a good soldier, but is he good enough to protect a saddlebag full of gold . . . and the life of his daughter?

I'm going to keep this one short and sweet....I loved it! Suspense, action, drama, a little bit of romance...you name it it was in this one. From page 1 until the very end it kept you guessing....Is Lieutnant Brian that good or is he not? Do they or don't they? I wonder what's gonna happen next?

5 out of 5

Showdown at Yellow Butte - Review

2009-10-07T04:43:00.002-05:00

Synopsis:

Tom Kedrick earned his stripes during the Civil War, fought Apaches, and even soldiered overseas. But in the high desert country of New Mexico, the battle-hardened Kedrick is entangled in a different kind of war, fueled by greed and deception. Hired by Alton Burwick to drive a pack of renegades and outlaws off the government land recently set aside for an Indian reservation, Kedrick begins to notice that things are not as they seem. As his suspicions grow, he realizes that he may be fighting on the wrong side of a land swindle. Disillusioned and outraged, Kedrick must take action against the very people who hired him–or be forced to witness the bloody massacre of innocent men and women.

Here is another Louis L'Amour book that again I had a very difficult time putting down because the action, drama, and suspense were always at a high. In the little town that the story takes place in....all things are not as they seem. The main character is hired to get rid of "renegades and outlaws" so that the land can be set aside for an Indian reservation. But once Kedrick starts nosing around there seems to be a LOT of things that just are NOT right about the situation at all.

If you've never read a Louis L'Amour book this is another one that is TOTALLY AWESOME in my opinion....Actually, this is the first one that I started with. 5 out of 5

The Rider of Lost Creek - Review

2009-10-07T04:30:00.003-05:00

Synopsis:

Lance Kilkenny has a debt to pay, and he isn’t about to let the friend who saved his life go down in a range war. But when Kilkenny tries to stop the fighting, he finds there’s more at stake than land or wire. Whoever is stirring up trouble has big ideas for the Live Oak country—and an army of hired guns to back them up. Nita Riordan, the beautiful and fiery owner of the Apple Canyon Saloon, warns Lance that the mysterious man orchestrating the conflict wants him dead. Lance realizes that if he doesn’t watch his step, he’ll pay the debt he owes with his own blood.

I read this book not all that long ago. Actually, this author is what got me into my current reading addiction. I do LOVE me some Louis L'Amour. I really LOVED this book. The action and suspense was at a high through the whole book. There are a couple of little twists and turns in it and you never would have guessed who the "bad guy" turns out to be.

If you've never read a Louis L'Amour book give this one a try. I was hooked and didn't put it down until I finished it. I give this one 5 out of 5.

Prada & Prejudice - Review

2009-10-06T08:45:00.002-05:00

Synopsis:

To impress the popular girls on a high school trip to London, klutzy Callie buys real Prada heels. But trying them on, she trips...conks her head...and wakes up in the year 1815!

There Callie meets Emily, who takes her in, mistaking her for a long-lost friend. As she spends time with Emily's family, Callie warms to them—particularly to Emily's cousin Alex, a hottie and a duke, if a tad arrogant.
But can Callie save Emily from a dire engagement, and win Alex's heart, before her time in the past is up?

More Cabot than Ibbotson, Prada and Prejudice is a high-concept romantic comedy about finding friendship and love in the past in order to have happiness in the present.

I was so very much looking forward to reading this book...I had read so many reviews on it that I thought that I would give it a shot. Well, I was a little bit luke warm on this book. It was cute but I personally just didn't care for it all that much. I finished it but I'm only giving this book a 2 out of 5.

The Blood Dagger Brotherhood

2009-10-04T05:55:00.003-05:00

I'm only a little ways into the first book of the Blood Dagger Brotherhood series by J.R. Ward but so far I am really enjoying what I'm reading. I think I'm going to read some this series for the 3-4-5 challenge that I joined last week. I can hardly wait to read more of this series!

Calling all Vampires!!

2009-10-01T12:57:00.002-05:00

Ok, since reading the Twilight series I've been more than a little bit into vampires. Ok, so more than just a little bit into vampires....Oh and certain werewolves aren't bad either. I'm looking for a "few," ok as many as I get my hands on, vampire novels. After I complete the book that I'm currently reading (I have this issue where I can only read one book at a time) I will be starting J.R. Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood series. What are some other good vampire novels?!

When It Happens - Review

2009-10-01T04:35:00.000-05:00

Synopsis:

Reminiscent of the movie Say Anything, a debut novel for all those searching for The One!

Sara and Tobey couldn't be more different. She is focused on getting into her first-choice college; he wants to win Battle of the Bands. Sara's other goal is to find true love, so when Dave, a popular jock, asks her out, she's thrilled. But then there's Tobey. His amazing blue eyes and quirky wit always creep into her thoughts. It just so happens that one of Tobey's goals is also to make Sara fall in love with him. Told in alternating points of view, Sara and Tobey's real connection will have everyone rooting for them from the minute they meet!

I found this book on Barnes and Noble's webpage after reading the review for Waiting for You (who is also by this author and the review will be coming shortly)...Usually, I'm not really into a lot of Young Adult books but once I got started reading this book it was very difficult for me to put down.

The two main characters could not be anymore different from one another. It's told in a way that makes sense to teens and deals with issues that are concerns of teens these days. The author in my opinion hit a homerun with this one. Oh and a little random fact about the author....she's a former high school science teacher from New York. I guess that gave her plenty of "material" to study while she was writing this book. :)

5 out of 5

Radcliffe Publishing Course Top 100 Novels of the 20th Century...Challenged or Banned

2009-10-01T04:24:00.002-05:00

I got this list from the American Library Association. The titles in BOLD represent banned or challenged books.

1. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
2. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
3. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
4. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
5. The Color Purple by Alice Walker
6. Ulysses by James Joyce
7. Beloved by Toni Morrison
8. The Lord of the Flies by William Golding
9. 1984 by George Orwell
10. The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner
11. Lolita by Vladmir Nabokov
12. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
13. Charlotte's Web by E. B. White
14. A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce
15. Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
16. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
17. Animal Farm by George Orwell
18. The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway
19. As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner
20. A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway
21. Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
22. Winnie-the-Pooh by A. A. Milne
23. Their Eyes are Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
24. Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
25. Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison
26. Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
27. Native Son by Richard Wright
28. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey
29. Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
30. For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway
31. On the Road by Jack Kerouac
32. The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway
33. The Call of the Wild by Jack London
34. To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf
35. Portrait of a Lady by Henry James
36. Go Tell it on the Mountain by James Baldwin
37. The World According to Garp by John Irving
38. All the King's Men by Robert Penn Warren
39. A Room with a View by E. M. Forster
40. The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien
41. Schindler's List by Thomas Keneally
42. The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton
43. The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand
44. Finnegans Wake by James Joyce
45. The Jungle by Upton Sinclair
46. Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
47. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
48. Lady Chatterley's Lover by D. H. Lawrence
49. A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
50. The Awakening by Kate Chopin
51. My Antonia by Willa Cather
52. Howards End by E. M. Forster
53. In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
54. Franny and Zooey by J.D. Salinger
55. The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie
56. Jazz by Toni Morrison
57. Sophie's Choice by William Styron
58. Absalom, Absalom! by William Faulkner
59. A Passage to India by E. M. Forster
60. Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton
61. A Good Man Is Hard to Find by Flannery O'Connor
62. Tender Is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald
63. Orlando by Virginia Woolf
64. Sons and Lovers by D. H. Lawrence
65. Bonfire of the Vanities by Tom Wolfe
66. Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut
67. A Separate Peace by John Knowles
68. Light in August by William Faulkner
69. The Wings of the Dove by Henry James
70. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
71. Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
72. A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
73. Naked Lunch by William S. Burroughs
74. Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh
75. Women in Love by D. H. Lawrence
76. Look Homeward, Angel by Thomas Wolfe
77. In Our Time by Ernest Hemingway
78. The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas by Gertrude Stein
79. The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett
80. The Naked and the Dead by Norman Mailer
81. Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys
82. White Noise by Don DeLillo
83. O Pioneers! by Willa Cather
84. Tropic of Cancer by Henry Miller
85. The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells
86. Lord Jim by Joseph Conrad
87. The Bostonians by Henry James
88. An American Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser
89. Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather
90. The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
91. This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald
92. Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand
93. The French Lieutenant's Woman by John Fowles
94. Babbitt by Sinclair Lewis
95. Kim by Rudyard Kipling
96. The Beautiful and the Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald
97. Rabbit, Run by John Updike
98. Where Angels Fear to Tread by E. M. Forster
99. Main Street by Sinclair Lewis
100. Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie

Banned, Censored or Challenged Books J-Z

2009-10-01T04:15:00.003-05:00

The Joy of Sex (1972), More Joy of Sex (1975) by Alex Comfort
Lexington police in 1978 confiscated these sex instruction books in accordance with a new county ordinance prohibiting the display of sexually-oriented publications in places frequented by minors.

The Last Mission (1979) by Harry Mazer
Against the recommendation of school librarians, teachers, and administrators, the board of the Carroll Middle School removed this novel from the library for its scattered "bad words." The novel, which was named 1979's New York Times Best Book of the Year, is based on the author's experiences in the Air Force during World War II. Mazer said, "It's like a slap in the face of veterans. The book speaks about the sacrifices of the soldiers who fought in that war." Local residents and parents petitioned and protested as well. In a final decision, the board voted 6-1 to return the book.

The Last of the Wine by Mary Renault
Fifth-century B.C. Athens is the setting of the historical novel that was challenged in a high school for references to homosexuality. Not only did the complainants and their supporters revile the book, which enlivened an honors history class, but they also attempted to humiliate the teacher by calling him a "sexual predator" and accusing him of trying to "recruit" children to homosexuality. The school board supported the teacher and the novel.

Literature in Society
In an improbable complaint about this textbook, two eminent African-American authors were the main targets of censorship. An excerpt from Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man was deemed offensive for its use of the word "nigger," and the sexual slang in Nikki Giovanni's poetry was found unacceptable. School officials also found intolerable a reference to homosexuality elsewhere in the book and seized the ever-so-dangerous texts (that include Wordsworth and other immoralists) while 12th-grade students were reading them.

Lolita (1955) by Vladimir Nabokov
Although it was published in Paris, it was soon (1956) to be banned there for being obscene. An Argentinian court banned the book in 1959 and again in 1962 ruling that the book "reflected moral disintegration and reviled humanity." In 1960, the New Zealand Supreme Court also banned the book. It was later freely published in France, England, and the U.S.

Lord of the Flies by William Golding
The Toronto School Board banned this classic from all its schools, claiming it was racist for use of the word "niggers." Even Golding's Nobel Prize in literature did not protect this author's book.

Lysistrata by Aristophanes
U.S. import ban on Lysistrata was lifted in 1930.This Greek tragedy was written somewhere around 400 B.C.

Nothing New on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque
Banned in Chicago and Boston, in Austria, and Czechoslovakia in 1929; in Germany in 1930; and in Italy in 1933. There was a public burning in Germany in 1933.

Pentagon Papers (1971) Commissioned by Defense Secretary Robert McNamara, this 3,000 page history of U.S. involvement in Indochina, was banned from publication by court order. The NY Times was printing portions of it when the order came down. Later that year, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the decision and Bantam proceeded to publish a paperback edition.

Portnoy's Complaint (1969) by Philip Roth
Several libraries and librarians throughout the U.S. were harassed and threatened for carrying this book on their shelves.

Search for Truth in History by David Irving
This video tape has already been banned in three countries.

Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie
The Ayatollah Khomeini of Iran put a price on the head of this author for writing this book which allegedly is critical of the Islam religion. Rushdie, as a result, went into hiding for an indefinite period of time, fearing for his life.

Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig
In 1977, the Illinois Police Association urged librarians to remove the book, which portrays its characters as animals, and presents the police as pigs. The American Library Association reported similar complaints in 11 other states.

The Valachi Papers (1968) by Peter Maas
Asked by the Justice Dept. to edit the papers of Mafia leader Joseph Valachi, Maas was later sued by the Justice Dept. for trying to publish the memoirs. The reason they said was that the book would hamper law enforcement. The suit was settled and Putname published the book in 1968.

Things Your Father Never Taught You by Robert Masullo
Production of this lighthearted look at male grooming was delayed by a born-again Christian art director who objected to a description of Japanese furniture arranging as "occultist."

Waco: The Davidian Massacre by Carol Moore
This controversial book challenges the government's version of events at Waco. A public library refused to carry the book stating the reason was that the book was privately published.

Who Built America?
Apple Computer has distributed Who Built America?, an acclaimed history series created for CD-ROM, as part of a free software package for schools buying its computers. When it received protests about material relating to the history of birth control, abortion, and homosexuality, Apple asked Voyager to delete the offending material. Voyager refused, and Apple suspended distribution. Following many protest letters, Apple reversed its decision and resumed distribution.

Worlds In Collison by Immanuel Velikovsky
In the 1950s, the scientific community tried to ban this controversial version of the origins of our solar system because it didn't comport with the "official" version of events. The publisher, MacMillan, was forced to give up publication of the book even though it was on the New York Bestsellers list at the time. If your are interested in this Velikovsky's Worlds In Collision and The Saturn Myth, see David Talbot's video documentary, Remembering the End of the World.

Women on Top by Nancy Friday
Would-be censors got their way in their demands to remove this book from the Chestatee Public Library in Gainesville ( Hall County ), Georgia. Before a final vote was taken by the library board on the fate of Women on Top, the book was borrowed and "accidentally" destroyed. The board voted not to replace it.

Banned, Censored or Challenged Books A-I

2009-10-01T04:03:00.002-05:00

Since it is banned book week I thought that I would share this list with you. I got it off of banned books.

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1885)by Mark Twain
The word "nigger," which appears many times in the novel, was the cause for the removal of this classic from an eighth-grade reading list. In the 1950s, the NAACP objected to the book's perceived racist tone. In 1984, the book was removed from a public high school reading list in Waukegan, Illinois, because a black alderman found the book's language offensive.

American Heritage Dictionary (1969)
In 1978, an Eldon, Missouri library banned the dictionary because it contained 39 "objectionable" words. And, in 1987, the Anchorage School Board banned the dictionary for similar reasons, i.e., having slang definitions for words such as "bed," "knocker," and "balls."

Andersonville (1955)by MacKinlay Kantor
Awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1956, this story of a Confederate prison camp during the Civil War, was viciously attacked throughout the U.S. It was banned in Amarillo, TX.

Annie on My Mind
The Olathe, Kansas school system ordered all copies of this book removed from high school library shelves. It is a story of two women who meet and fall in love and struggle with declaring their homosexuality to family and friends.

As I Lay Dying (1932)by William Faulkner
In 1986, Graves County, Kentucky, the school board banned this book about a poor white family in the midst of crisis, from its high school English reading list because of 7 passages which made reference to God or abortion and used curse words such as "bastard," "goddam," and "son of a bitch." None of the board members had actually read the book.

Atkol Video CatalogWIRED magazine (Feb. 1996) reported that AOL censored Atkol Video's catalog from its virtual shopping mall for carrying gay titles. AOL gave no censoring criteria when it "cut some titles and retained others."

Banned From Public Radio: Humor, Commentary and Smart Remarks Your Government DOESN'T Want You To Hear (1991)by Michael Graham
The title of this first book is literally true: he was banned from the South Carolina Educational Radio Network courtesy of those geniuses in our General Assembly for commentary which poked fun at their 1991 Ethics Act. Graham also has the distinction of being the only person officially fired from his job as communications director for SC Secretary of State Jim Miles by an act of those same courageous geniuses.

The Book Your Church Doesn't Want You To Read (1995)by Tim C. Leedom, Editor
The book traces astrological and mythical origins of modern day western religions. A Barnes & Noble bookstore in San Diego refused to stock this book because of its content.

Boss: Richard J. Daley of Chicago (1971)by Mike Royko
A Ridgefield, CT school board in 1972 banned this book from the high school reading list, claiming it "dowgrades police departments."

Catch 22 by Joseph Heller
This book was banned and/or challenged more than once. It was banned in Srongsville, Ohio in 1972 and that decision was overturned in 1976. It was also challenged in Dallas, Texas (1974) and again in Snoqualmie, Washington (1979).

Catcher in the Rye (1951)by J. D. Salinger
This is a perennial favorite of censors and has been banned in the U.S. and Australia. In 1960, a Tulsa, OK teacher was fired for putting the book on the 11th grade reading list. The teacher was reinstated, but the book was permanently removed from teaching programs. A Minnesota high school administration was attacked for allowing the book in the school library.

The CIA and the Cult of Intelligence (1974)by Victor Marchetti and John D. Marks
The CIA obtained a court injunction against this book's publication stating the author, a former CIA employee, violated his contract which states that he cannot write about the CIA without the agency's approval. First amendment activists opposed this ruling, "raising the question of whether a citizen can sign away his First Amendment rights." After prolonged litigation, the CIA succeeded in having 168 passages deleted.

The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty Beauty's PunishmentBeauty's Releaseby Anne Rice (under the pseudonym, A.N. Roquelaure, written in the early 1980s)
April 28, 1996, the Columbus, Ohio Dispatch reported that following a complaint from a patron in the Columbus Metropolitan Library removed the trilogy of Rice's Sleeping Beauty books and their audio tapes after determining the books were pornographic. These same books were also removed from the Lake Lanier Regional Library system in Gwinnett County, Georgia, in 1992.

Daddy's Roommate by Michael Willhoite
A favorite of censors, this children's book about gay parenting was the subject of a challenge in the public library. In an all-too-familiar request, a parent complained about references to homosexuality in material for children. The library board voted to uphold basic library principles by retaining the book on its appropriate shelf in the children's section.

Deadly Deceits (My 25 Years in the CIA) (1983)by Ralph McGheehee
The CIA delayed the publication of this book for three years, objecting to 397 passages, even though much of what the author wrote about was already public knowledge.

Decamerone by Giovanni Boccacio (1313-1375)
In Cincinnati, an "expurgated" version of Boccacio's Decamerone is confiscated in 1922. In 1926, there is an import ban of the book by the Treasury Department. In 1927, U.S. Customs removes parts of text from the "Ashendene edition" and ships the mutilated copy back to me British publisher in London. In 1932, import ban lifted in Minnesota. In 1934, the New England Watch and Ward Society still bans the book. In 1954, it is still on the black lis tof the "National Organization of Decent Literature."

Dictionary of American Slang by T.Y. Crowell, publisher
Max Rafferty, California superintendent of public instruction in 1963, and his supporters found over 150 "dirty" passages in the book.

Don't Call Me Brother by Austin Miles
In 1992, former Christian fundamentalist minister, Austin Miles, was sued; charges were that his book, Don't Call Me Brother, was "...a vitriolic attack upon organized Christianity." The $4 million lawsuit filed in Los Angeles Superior Court also screamed "libel" and "slander." After a lengthy and costly process, the court ruled that the book was not defamatory.
1-The Drowning of Stephan Jones by Bette Greene
2-The Education of Harriet Hatfield by May Sarton
3-Maurice by E. M. Forster
All three of these books, which treat homosexuality in various ways, were removed from a regional high school. The novels' purchase was financed by a grant that teacher Penny Culliton received and was approved by the school superintendent and principal. However, shortly after a local newspaper reported that Culliton was involved with a lesbian and gay support group for young people, the books were found unsuitable and were banned. Maurice and The Education of Harriet Hatfield were seized from the students while they were reading the novels in class. Personal attacks on the teacher and demands for her dismissal have been so vehement that her job is now in jeopardy.

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
This book is about censorship and those who ban books for fear of creating too much individualism and independent thought. In late 1998, this book was removed from the required reading list of the West Marion High School in Foxworth, Mississippi. A parent complained of the use of the words "God damn" in the book. Subsequently, the superintendent instructed the the teacher to remove the book from the required reading list.

Families by Meredith Tax
A young children's book that creatively describes different family structures, was finally removed by the Fairfax County school board. Meredith Tax's beloved book had been under attack for a long time, during which many individuals and organizations rose to its defense. What's more, Families was praised by the board's own review committees.

Flowers in the Attic by V.C. Andrews
The county's board of education decided to remove all school curriculum materials and library books containing any and all "profanity" and "pornography," both concepts ill-defined. The tremendous public outcry made the board backtrack and resolve to review its selection policy. However, after this conciliatory decision, and while the review process still inches along, most of the books in Andrews's popular series Flowers in the Attic were removed from the high-school library for "pornographic" content.

Forever by Judy Blume
Forever censored, this wildly popular teen novel was attacked once again for its frank treatment of adolescent sexuality and was removed from an eighth-grade optional reading list. In Rib Lake, Wisconsin, a school district principal had the book removed from the library after confiscating a copy from a student in the lunchroom, finding "graphic descriptions of sex acts."

Freedom and Order by Henry Steele Commager
The U.S. Information Agency had this book banned from its overseas libraries because of its condemnation of American policies in Vietnam.

From Here to Eternity by James Jones
This book was censored in 1951in Holyoke, Springfield, Massachusetts and in 1953 in Jersey City, New Jersey; blacklisted by National Organization of Decent Literature in 1954.

The Glass Teat (1970)by Harlan Ellison
The Glass Teat is a collection of essays which appeared as columns in the Los Angeles Free Press and Rolling Stone during the 1960s. They were critical essay on the subject of television broadcasting; and essays critical of the president and vice-president. The publisher, Ace Pub. Corp. consequently recalled his book and had it removed from bookstores. Years later it was later re-released.

Grapes of Wrath (1939)by John Steinbeck
Several months after the book's publication, a St. Louis, MO library ordered 3 copies to be burned for the vulgar words used by its characters. It was also banned in Kansas City and in Oklahoma.

Howl by Allen Ginsberg
Officials of the Cold War era saw only willful destruction of American values in a poet's grief over suffocating 1950s convention.

My Book Wishlist

2009-09-30T02:26:00.013-05:00

Here is my "Wishlist" so far....Slowly but surely I'm finding all sorts of new and very interesting books that are tripping my trigger!
Show No Fear - Marliss Melton
Hybrid - Angee L. Reed
Hush, Hush - Becca Fitzpatrick
Standing In The Shadows - Shannon McKenna
Line of Scrimmage - Marie Force
Shoulda Been A Cowboy - Lorelei James
Old Dogs Are The Best Dogs - Gene Weingarten
Big Little Life - Dean Koontz
Sworn to Silence - Linda Castillo
Blood Promise - Richelle Mead
Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side - Beth Fantaskey
Loving Mr. Darcy - Sharon Lathan
Ballad - Maggie Stiefvater
The Return - Victoria Hislop
Deadly Little Secret - Laurie Faria Stolarz
Wonderous Strange - Lesley Livingston
The Darkest Pleasure - Gena Showalter
Scent of Darkness - Christina Dodd

Confessions of a Book Junkie

A Move

In My Mailbox

I feel like such a weiney!

Oh my Google Reader!

Good Reads Book Swap and some other stuff!

2010 Book Blogger Recommendation Challenge

2010 Chunkster Reading Challenge

Duke We're Glad We Knew You Review

Romance Reading Challenge 2010

Fireproof Review

Broken A Love Story Review

Change in Pace

2010 Romance Challenge

On My Wishlist (5)

In My Mail Box

I Love A Man In Uniform Review

2010 Erotic Romance Challenge

Musical Thursday - Burn It To The Ground

On My Wishlist

Blog With Bite Ballad Review **May Contain Spoilers**

Hondo Review

Dark Side of the Moon Review

2010 Once Upon A Time Challenge

A Little break

On My Wish List (3)

2010 Debut Author Challenge

L.J. Smith Challenge!

In My Mailbox (2)

Whatcha Readin' Saturday

The 2010 Support Your Library Challenge

Candy Girl Review

2010 Thriller and Suspense Challenge

2010 Young Adult Challenge

Musical Thursday - Hillbilly Bone

Lynsay Sands Challenge

101 Fantasy Reading Challenge

The Blind Side Review

On My Wish List

Teaser Tuesday

Upcoming Reviews

In My Mailbox

Whatcha Readin' Saturday

Let's Brainstorm Together

Another Contest!

Musical Thursday - Uncle Kracker

On My Wish List

The Blind Side Trailer

My facebook page...

A Cover Alert! Lover Mine by J.R. Ward

We have a WINNER!

The Shadow Riders Review

Whatcha Readin' Saturday

Shiver Review

Secret Santa

Book Bloggers Holiday Swap

Musical Thursday Debut

Dear John Trailer

Wish List Wednesday (2)

Win a copy of Fade to Black

Linger Cover and first paragraphs!

Teaser Tuesday

A random photograph

Whatcha Readin' Saturday (1)

Whatcha Readin' Saturday Debut

My Sister's Keeper Giveaway

A couple new features

Win Jessica's Guide To Dating On The Dark Side

A contest!

Completed Reviews

Blog with Bite - Intertwined Review

Wish List Wednesday (1)

Good Girl Gone Bad - Review

Single Black Female

Some Random Cuteness

Puppy Chow Is Better Than Prozac

Breaking Dawn - Review

Eclipse - Review

Weeding it down...My Blog List that is and some other stuff

New Moon - Review

Blog With Bite Ballad Review May Contain Spoilers