Jack with a Twist

Jack With A Twist (Red Dress Ink) ISBN: 0373895550 ISBN-13: 9780373895557

There are some books that have entertainment value but nothing out of the ordinary happens. I mean it wasn’t a bad book but how many times can you repeat the same theme and the review it to make it sound new?

Brooke land her first big case. She is excited until she learns that her fiancé  Jack is on the opposing side. No problem right? Work and home can be separated. Until Jack starts pulling every dirty legal trick in the books. Brooke starts to question is Jack really the man she thought he was.

I found this book to be fairly predictable. It was funny but the basic plotline is the same as almost every other chick-lit out there.

Sunday Salon

January Review

According to  the graph below.which I downloaded from here, I am behind on my reading. I have to be honest I did not try very hard this month so in February to get caught up i have to read 21 books.

I read 11 books for the month of January.

Jack with a Twist- An ARC book I am stuck on the review for this one. I liked it ok but it is the same as all other chick lit out there.

On Writing by Stephen King-review coming

Perfect on Paper-this was also part of a blog stop tour

Winnie the Pooh on Problem Solving-This had been sitting in my MT TBR pile for a long time. review coming

Forever Lily

Book Thief

Hiss and tell

night light- a book on mediations no review

if your cat could talk- a intro book to cats that was somewhat boring no review

angel cat- review coming

politics in compassion- an arc book that was just ok review coming

In February I need to buckle down if I am going to meet my goal of 200 books.

The Sunday Salon

I calculated hat I need to read at least 16 books a month to make my 200 a year goal. So far I have read 10 so that leaves 6 books for this week.

Last week I read four books

Jack with a Twist- An ARC book

On Writing by Stephen King

Perfect on Paper-this was also part of a blog stop tour

Winnie the Pooh on Problem Solving-This had been sitting in my MT TBR pile for a long time.

At the moment I am Tackling another book from MT TBR.

 

 

 

Soul Mates: Honoring the Mysteries of Love and Relationship: Thomas Moore: Books ISBN: 0060169281 ISBN-13: 9780060169282

This was picked up during one of my self help book phase. So far it seems to be good.

I also go another ARC book in the mail yesterday.

Politics In Compassion: The Future Of American Politics: Jack Schauer: Books ISBN: 1432729098 ISBN-13: 9781432729097

I need to catch up on reviews so check back this week for more.

Perfect on Paper

Perfect on Paper: The (Mis)adventures of Waverly Bryson ISBN: 098004250X ISBN-13: 9780980042504

I have to admit at first I had some trepidation about a self published book but the reviews started pouring in and I have to agree I really liked this book.

Waverly Bryson has just been dumped by her seemly perfect fiancé.She has a perfect career but one she really does not enjoy. Perfect on Paper is the story of her getting back in the dating game and finding her way in life.

As a hobby she starts “honey notes”. An example of a honey note:

Front: Can’t face the Dating scene after a bad break up?

Honey: Hit the bar and hit it hard. Beer goggles are the lonely girls cupid.

There are honey notes at the end of each chapter and in the book. I liked the idea of them being the head of each chapter. Waverly also hits it big with her Honey Notes when they get turned into greeting cards.

This is a light fun read. I read it in one sitting and enjoyed every minute of it. Waverly not only finds love again but also finds herself at the end of the book. The characters are enjoyable. The plot is predictable but the charters more than make up for that.

I want to thank Pump Up your Book Promotions for sending me a copy of this book to read!

 

author web site

The Book Thief

The Book Thief ISBN: 0375842209 ISBN-13: 9780375842207

I was surprised that this is actually considered a YA book. From the length to the subject matter it seemed like it was more.. adult..I think.

The story is a girl who is placed with foster parents in Nazi Germany. At first she did not go to school much so when she was placed she could not really read. As time goes on she gets the power of words and then she starts stealing books. The symbolism being that Hitler waged a war with words so she fights back with her own. She steals a book from a bonfire of un Nazi like books and proceeds to use it to learn to read. Later when she progresses to stealing from the Mayor’s wife, it is not stealing as the woman permits her to take the books but the symbolism is still there.

The story is different from other Nazi era books as it is told in the story of a German girl who is forced to go to Hitler’s Youth meetings and participate in other Nazi like activities. It is good as it gives the reader perspective on what is was like to be a germen youth during that time. From not having enough to eat, to having to conform to a standard set of behaviors we get a glimpse into a world that still remains unthinkable.

 

Hiss and Tell

Hiss and Tell: True Stories from the Files of a Cat Shrink ISBN: 0140298533 ISBN-13: 9780140298536

This is a collection of true stories of a cat shrink. I thought most of the stories were laugh out loud funny. There is Mambo the cat who attacks his owner only on Sunday. And my personal favorite, the cat who hid dead birds in the owners guest bedroom bed springs. I laughed for days over that one.

The story of this book is while  humans may consider some undesirable behavior “bad” there is always a reason why a cat acts up. We just have to dig deep to find out the reason. There is always some form of cat logic behind the behavior.

As a cat lover I really enjoyed this book. If you like funny stories and cat stories you will probably enjoy this book also.

Forever Lily

Forever Lily: An Unexpected Mother’s Journey to Adoption in China ISBN: 0743292979 ISBN-13: 9780743292979

I have to admit, I felt some trepidation to pick up this book. Only cause the story seemed sad. Alex goes to China to adopt a baby (she brings along the author Beth Nonte Russell for moral support) while in China she decided she cant adopt. I mean that sounds cruel and heartless right?

When Alex decides she cant adopt but she also cant leave the baby in China, she asks the author if she would take her. The author agrees but the trouble isn’t over yet. Alex goes back and forth on her decision. One day she decides she can adopt the next she decides she cant. This makes for a tumulus journey for both Russell and Alex. The books explains why Alex acts this way and what happens to the friendship during this time.

My favorite part of the book is where the author weaves her dreams, which is past life Chinese, into the story. The dreams tell of loss of a baby and innocence. While the present story tell of gaining a baby. The two stories are woven beautifully together to make a rich whole telling.

While the premise of the story sounds sad, the book really does have an uplifting tone. It is a story about love and protecting it at all costs.

Peaceful Endings:The Noposam Project

Peaceful Endings: The NOPOSAM Project ISBN: 1432727397 ISBN-13: 9781432727390

This is a techno-thriller set in Rode Island. Dr Marilynn Harwell notices a bunch of people dying from relatively  minor injuries, she sets out to find out what is behind the deaths. Her accomplice Doug Talbot joins here in a thrilling two day adventure that includes being wrongly accused of a terrorist attack.

This was excellent writing. There are those books where the ending is predictable then there are those who leave you guessing to the end. This book was the latter. It provided twist and turns so the reader would never get bored.

The characters were well developed. There was one that I thought was overly mean but it helps the plot line. You cant help but like the two main characters and root for them.

Paul of Dune

Paul of Dune ISBN: 0765312948 ISBN-13: 9780765312945

This events in this book take place between Frank Herbert’s Dune and Dune Messiah. If you haven’t read the above this book may be hard to follow.

This book seeks to answer the question on how he became the prophet that he is in Dune Messiah.

Paul now is emperor of all worlds and sits on the throne. But his troubles are far from over.He must navigate the Jihad that he has unleashed on the universe.

Through his prophetic vision he can see that all humanity will be saved, but in the meantime he is victim to many plots to overturn and overthrow him. He must deal with his wife in name only, Ireluan the daughter of the former emperor Shadam.

One thing is that no matter how dire the circumstances are you know that Paul is going to live because he is alive in the Dune Messiah book. That is one of the condrums of writing a book such as this. You are confined to a narrow spectrum of events. However the author Kevin J Anderson does a brilliant job of making the story interesting and in keeping with the whole Dune Story.

Artemis Fowl: The Time Paradox

The Time Paradox (Artemis Fowl, Book 6) ISBN: 1423108361 ISBN-13: 9781423108368

Artemis is back with another adventure. In The Time Paradox, Artemis goes back in time to bring back a lemur to save his dying mother. As this is an Artemis Fowl book nothing is as it seems. What was supposed to be a straightforward trip back in time instead turns into a thrilling adventure.

I love the way the author weaves the storyline through many twist and turns. Just when you thought that Artemis has been outsmarted, another layer of the story drops and you find that he really does live up to his brilliance.

If you like fantasy you will like Artemis Fowl. After reading a bunch of his books in order I am beginning to see that each book builds up on the last, so that if you start in the middle of the series it becomes more difficult to follow the storyline. A book could stand on its own but is not meant to.