Exceedingly Mundane

I finished a really good library book last night, called “Match Me If You Can” by Susan Elizabeth Phillips. It is the story of a matchmaker in Chicago, who takes over the business from her grandmother, and is trying to jump-start her business by signing a high-profile sports agent as her client. She just has to find him the perfect wife, and believe me, he’s very discriminating. I really liked this book – good plot, predictable but good, great characters and a very good ending. I was thrilled with the ending and the way things were all wrapped up – always a big plus for me with a book.

For the record, that makes #51 so far this year, with a total of 18,029 pages read. Up next is the last book in the Tucker Mills trilogy by Lori Wick, called “Leave a Candle Burning”. I borrowed all 3 of these books from Tim’s mom and have really enjoyed the first two – they are light and sweet books. This should be a fairly quick read, and after I finish this borrowed book, I’ll probably head back to the library for more. 🙂 Then again, maybe I should try to tackle some of the ones I have bought, that are sitting on my bookcase shelf, all alone and unread. 🙄

I finished another library book last night, “Track of the Cat” by local author Nevada Barr. This was my first Barr book and won’t be my last, even though I wasn’t particularly swept away by the book or the style of writing of the author. Don’t get me wrong, I did like it, but I didn’t just {gushingly} love it. It was a good book, good plot, and I am going to read at least another couple of the Anna Pidgeon books, specifically the ones set in my local area. This one took place in West Texas, in Guadalupe National Park, and revolved around some mysterious “accidents” and deaths in the park. Anna, one of the park rangers, gets curious and decides to investigate when things don’t add up. 🙂

For the record, that makes #50 on the list so far this year, with my total number of pages read at 17,646. Up next is the last library book I got on my last trip, one that my sister Gail had read and liked. It’s called “Match Me If You Can” by Susan Elizabeth Phillips, another new author for me. Hope it’s good!

I finished another library book this afternoon, the final book in the Nora Roberts trilogy, the Irish Jewels series. I read all 3 of these books back to back, which is very rare for me.

I had not read any of Nora Roberts books before and I must say, I very much enjoyed this trilogy. The books were light and predictable, but also, since the subject was an Irish family and the breaking of a magical spell, they were fanciful and enchanting. They covered myths and legends in Ireland and painted a terribly beautiful picture of the place. Makes me want to go there and see it for myself one day! There was a bit more romance, almost bordering on the Harlequin-esque, in these books (compared to the fiction I normally read), but having not read any Nora Roberts before, I assumed that was par for the course. I really liked them though 🙂 I’ll try to write a review soon, that covers all 3 books, on Hambones.org.

For the record, that makes #49 so far this year, with a total of 17,408 pages read. Up next is another new author to me, local favorite Nevada Barr. I’m going to start with “Track of the Cat” and learn about her heroine, Anna Pidgeon. I hope it’s good!

I finished 3 books (“The Falls”, “I Do, but I Don’t” and “Jewels of the Sun”) that I had checked out from the library, and took them back a couple of days ago. I got four more, which are now on my sidebar. In case you’re interested, they are:

1. Tears of the Moon (2nd in the Irish Jewels trilogy) by Nora Roberts
2. Heart of the Sea (last in the Irish Jewels trilogy) by Nora Roberts
3. Track of the Cat (the first Anna Pidgeon book) by Nevada Barr
4. Match Me If You Can (a book my sister Gail read and liked) by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

I will wait and write a review on the Nora Roberts trilogy after I read all three. 🙂

I went ahead and got 4 books, instead of my normal 3, since I knew I would be able to read more this weekend. Tim is working on a big project for work, and he’s working off and on around the clock all weekend. Friday night, he worked from about 9 PM to about 4:30 AM. Needless to say, I was sleeping during the majority of that, but still.. I hope to get more reading time in this weekend 🙂

Oh, and on a book-related note: the last couple of times I’ve been shopping to any store that sells books, I’ve perused the books section. I have added several more books to either my “library books” or “bookstore books” lists on my PDA. Sigh. I have really long lists for both. I just love books and love to read 🙄

I finished a really great library book a couple of nights ago called “I Do, But I Don’t” by Cara Lockwood. This was my first book by this author and I hope it’s not the last. This one was, unfortunately, the only one available to me in my local library system, so I’ll have to head out to Borders one day and look for some more by this author.

After struggling through the last book, this one was a total and thorough joy to read. It was light, fun and frivolous, a true “chick lit” kind of book. I highly recommend it if you’re looking for something light and engaging. It sort of reminded me of the movie “The Wedding Planner”, since the main character, Lauren, is a wedding planner in good ole Austin Texas. But the similarities end there and I must say, I really liked this book. It just ended too quickly. 🙂

For the record, that makes #46 for the year so far, with a total of 16,346 pages read. Up next is my last library book from the trip a couple of weeks ago, “Jewels of the Sun” by Nora Roberts. I might possibly be the only person on the planet not to have read any Nora Roberts (or J.D. Robb) books yet, but this is honestly my first. It’s also the first of a trilogy of books set in Ireland. I hope I enjoy it as well. After that, I’m not sure if I’ll get more at the library or actually try to read one I have bought and stacked in my bookcase. I have a feeling I’ll head back to the library and get more. I do so much better when I have a book with a due date on it, LOL! (Of course, that doesn’t stop me from buying books when I go to the bookstore!!!!)

I finished a really long library book last night, “The Falls” by Joyce Carol Oates. This was my first book by this author and will probably be my last. I didn’t really like it, and was mostly just ready to be finished with it and start something else. I very nearly stopped reading it (something very difficult for me to do) several times, but I kept plugging away at it, but there was no joy in the reading.

I really hate to write negative reviews, or reviews in general, to be honest, because what one person likes and loves, another dislikes. Books and movies can be so subjective, you know?! But this book, I just didn’t like, and that’s a fairly strong statement for me – I generally like most every book I read. But, this book was not that way for me. The long, drawn-out plot and the writing style of this author just did not appeal to me on any level. I did not really enjoy it, and I was soooo glad when it was over. I rate it a 3 out of 10 stars, a very low rating for me.

For the record, that makes #45 for me so far this year, with a total of 16,011 pages read. Up next is a much lighter, more frivolous book, “I Do, But I Don’t” by Cara Lockwood. This is another new author to me, but I think I’m going to like this one better. Looks like some really good “chick lit”, yippeee! 🙂 From what I can tell, it’s going to be like a book version of the movie “The Wedding Planner”, which is a movie I really like. Check back in a couple of days for a review, I’ve got some time this weekend to read, and I expect to fly through this one in no time, LOL!!

Tim had to work late last night, so I stayed up late reading and finished another book – “A Good Yarn” by Debbie Macomber. This is the sequel to a book of hers I read last year and really liked, “The Shop on Blossom Street”.

This book is your typical women’s fiction – 4 women get together (in this case, for knitting classes) and form a bond, in spite of their different backgrounds, relationships, age, etc. Even though this was a sequel, it could easily be a stand-alone book as it introduces each character and covers who they are and why they are there. I like the way these books are ordered – each chapter is devoted to one of the women and tells their story of what is going on in their life, either in the knitting class or the other things that are covered with their storyline. A very enjoyable book (I don’t know a thing about knitting so I just skim over those sections, they are not involved and don’t distract from the storyline), and a good read. I own this book, if anyone would like to borrow it sometime!

For the record, that makes #44 for the year, with a total of 15,530 pages read. Up next, I’m going to read one of the 3 library books I checked out last Friday. I will probably start with the Joyce Carol Oates book, “The Falls”, but I’m going to read through the jacket covers again tonight and see if I don’t want to start on one of the others instead. See what I’m in the mood for, I guess 😀

Sheesh, I was a couple of months behind on entering book and movie reviews in the Reviews section of our main website, Hambones.org. I just entered them all, and for what it’s worth, most of what I wrote was already covered here in this blog. I’ve gotten accustomed to just blogging about movies or books here, and not entering the reviews. I’m not sure if anyone reads them (except Gail, of course, LOL), but I did go ahead and catch up and enter them all.

I entered book reviews for the following:
“The Preservationist” by David Maine (here)
“Goodnight Nobody” by Jennifer Weiner (here)
“The Secret Life of Bees” by Sue Monk Kidd (here)
“Vanishing Acts” by Jodi Picoult (here)
“Shem Creek” by Dorothea Benton Frank (here)
“Memoirs of a Geisha” by Arthur Golden (here)

And movie reviews for:
Finding Neverland (here)
Because of Winn Dixie ((here)
Failure to Launch (here)
Walk the Line (here)
Memoirs of a Geisha (here)

WHEW! I think I’m caught up now. Tim is watching Underworld:Evolution tonight, but I’m not. I’m waiting for Treasure Hunters, I like that show. I doubt there will be a review of Underworld, since I didn’t watch it. I have also read the first 2 books in the Tucker Mills trilogy, but I won’t write a review until I’ve read them all, and then I’ll write one to cover all three books. Taking the easy way out, yessirreebob! 🙂

I went to the library this afternoon and got 3 books that I had seen mentioned on other people’s blogs, either in a book review, something they are currently reading, or a meme. I’ve just added them to my sidebar, under the “up next to read” section.

I wanted to give a shout-out to these nice ladies for mentioning them on their blog in the first place 🙂

1. The Falls by Joyce Carol Oates mentioned at Southern Fried Girl’s blog… hopefully, here (blogger doesn’t always like me!)

2. I Do (But I Don’t) by Cara Lockwood, mentioned by Debi at her blog, Caught Between Worlds… hopefully, here

3. Jewels of the Sun by Nora Roberts (first of a trilogy), mentioned at Yellow Roses Garden’s blog… hopefully, here.

Thanks ladies, for the book reviews and tips!

I finished the first book in the “Tucker Mills Trilogy” by Christian author Lori Wick last night, “Moonlight on the Millpond.” My mother-in-law had loaned me the first two, and is finishing the last one. These are quaint, charming books, set in the 1830’s in a small New England village. This book mostly covers the love story between two main characters, Jace and Maddie. I look forward to reading what happens to them next!

For the record, that makes #42 for me so far this year, with a total of 14,853 pages read. Up next is the next book in this trilogy, “Just Above a Whisper”. After that, I may head back to the library and snoop around, or I might just pick a book from my own bookshelf 🙂 After all, I have about 14 over there in my to-be-read list!

I finished another book last night, one I had actually purchased rather than checking out of the library! LOL, what an oddity for moi. 😀 I finished “Memoirs of a Geisha” by Arthur Golden. I had been wanting to read it for a while, before I rented the movie, so now I’m done and I’m ready to rent the DVD. It was a good book, not super-fantastic, but I did enjoy it and am glad I read it. It was very rich in detail and it is obvious that the author researched that period in Japan and the way of the geisha extensively for this book. I’m sure the movie is going to be breathtakingly beautiful in its own way.

For the record, that makes #41 for me so far this year, with a total of 14,568 pages read. Up next for me is the first book (“Moonlight on the Mill Pond”) in the Tucker Mills trilogy, a set of books by Christian author Lori Wick. My mother-in-law kindly brought me the first two last weekend, and I want to read them and return them to her in a timely fashion. I hope they are good; I’m looking forward to reading them! Check back in a few days to see 🙂

I finished another library book, in record time for me. It took me less than 2 days to read this one, “Shem Creek” by a previously new-to-me author, Dorothea Benton Frank. Maybe I was in the mood for a book like this to curl up with, maybe I was in the mood for something distinctly Southern, maybe I just made more time to read (since my ankle is hurting and wrapped up and I’m trying to stay off of it some) – but for whatever reason, I flew through this book! I must say, I really enjoyed it, and I plan to definitely read more of her books. This book read like you hear people “down here” talk, and it was a very quick read for me, with a good ending. Love those kind!

For the record, that makes #40 so far this year, with a total of 14,140 pages read. Up next, I think I’m going to try to actually read a book I have bought and is sitting on my nightstand, collecting dust. Never fear, though, I will have to go back to the library soon and get more books – I do so much better with books that I have a deadline to read them by, so I can return them on time! 🙂 Next, I’m going to start “Memoirs of a Geisha” and hope to read it soon so I can rent the movie. I always prefer to read the book before seeing the movie, even though I’ve been told I will be disappointed. I’ve got a system and I’m sticking to it though 🙂

I finished another library book last night, “Vanishing Acts” by Jodi Picoult. This is the second Picoult book I have read (I finished “Plain Truth” earlier this year) and although I enjoyed it, I did like “Plain Truth” better. I think I liked the Amish aspect of Plain Truth more. This book was very well written, a very good read, but I did get bogged down with a couple of the plotlines that were woven in. Where “Plain Truth” was about the Amish way of life, this book encompassed life in Arizona, including some about the Hopi Indian way of life. More so, it involved a character being in prison and I got very bogged down in her descriptions of prison life – the gangs, the tattoos, the hierarchy, the weapons they fashioned, how things work in a prison. I put the book down for several days when I got mired in that, and then was able to get through it and finish it. I was glad the book ended the way it did – it turned out how I wanted, and I always like that. I hate a book that ends badly.

Having said all that, I did enjoy the book and am glad I read it. Rather than trying to write my own synopsis, I will reference you to Amazon’s 2 reviews of it here, and say that the second, by Bookmarks magazine, is more in line with my feelings on the book. And, in case you want to know more, here is the synopsis from the book’s jacket cover…

Delia Hopkins has led a charmed life. Raised in rural New Hampshire by her widowed father, Andrew, she now has a young daughter, a handsome fiance, and her own search-and-rescue bloodhound, which she uses to find missing persons. But as Delia plans her wedding, she is plagued by flashbacks of a life she can’t recall. And then a policeman knocks on her door, revealing a secret that changes the world as she knows it.

In shock and confusion, Delia must sift through the truth – even when it jeopardizes her life and the lives of those she loves. What happens when you learn you are not who you thought you were? When the people you’ve loved and trusted suddenly change before your eyes? When getting your deepest wish means giving up what you’ve always taken for granted? “Vanishing Acts” explores how life – as we know it – might not turn out the way we imagined; how doing the right thing could mean doing the wrong thing; how the memory we thought had vanished could return as a threat. Once again, Jodi Picoult handles a difficult and timely topic with understanding, insight and compassion.

For the record, that makes #39 so far this year for me. This book was longer than what I normally read, weighing in at 418 pages, so that brings my pages read count to 13,824. Up next for me is another new author, Dorothea Benton Frank, and an older book of hers entitled “Shem Creek”. I hope it is good!

I finished a really great book this afternoon, called “The Secret Life of Bees” by Sue Monk Kidd. I had gotten this at the library last week and started it, and have had a hard time putting it down. It’s a different kind of book, very Southern and very much set in a certain time period, the beginning of the Civil Rights movement in the deep South. I must say, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It has a certain voice and spirit to it that really appealed to me. I didn’t want to put it down, and that’s the sign of a really good book for me.

Rather than try to write my own synopsis, here’s one I “borrowed” from Amazon.com – “In Sue Monk Kidd’s The Secret Life of Bees, 14-year-old Lily Owen, neglected by her father and isolated on their peach farm, spends hours imagining a blissful infancy when she was loved and nurtured by her mother, Deborah, whom she barely remembers. These consoling fantasies are her heart’s answer to the family story that as a child, in unclear circumstances, Lily accidentally shot and killed her mother. All Lily has left of Deborah is a strange image of a Black Madonna, with the words “Tiburon, South Carolina” scrawled on the back. The search for a mother, and the need to mother oneself, are crucial elements in this well-written coming-of-age story set in the early 1960s against a background of racial violence and unrest. When Lily’s beloved nanny, Rosaleen, manages to insult a group of angry white men on her way to register to vote and has to skip town, Lily takes the opportunity to go with her, fleeing to the only place she can think of–Tiburon, South Carolina–determined to find out more about her dead mother.”

For the record, that makes #38 so far this year, with a total of 13,406 pages read. Up next to read is another library book, “Vanishing Acts” by Jodi Picoult. I recently read my first book by Picoult, “Plain Truth” and I really enjoyed it. I hope this one is equally good 🙂

I made yet another trip to my library today… to return the “Finding Neverland” DVD and “The Preservationist”, both of which I finished this week. I tried to just drop them off and walk out of there, but I have this sort of defective gene when it comes to the library. I feel like I have to at least look around, then after I start looking, I feel compelled to leave with several items in my hand. It’s a sickness, I tell you, a sickness.

I brought home 2 more movies – I have discovered the joy of renting movies for free from the library and I just can’t resist. I got another one on our rental list that we missed earlier when it came out, “Hotel Rwanda” and I also picked up the DVD of “Wuthering Heights”. Sigh.

I got 2 more books, and have just added them to my sidebar in the “up next to read” segment. They are “Vanishing Acts” by Jodi Picoult and “Shem Creek” by Dorothea Benton Frank. I have read one other Picoult book, “Plain Truth” and really enjoyed it, so I looked for another one. I have never read anything by Frank, but she’s a Southern writer and I generally like books like this. I have seen her newest one “Full of Grace” at the bookstore and resisted, so I thought I would start with an older book of hers (aka, free from the library). 🙂 Check back in the next couple of weeks for a review of these… these are both a bit heftier books, weighing in at 400 and 300 pages or so, so it may take me a bit longer with the weekend and holiday to finish them. 🙄