Rebel Bibliophile

My 2010 Reading List

2010-10-04T16:27:00.000-07:00

83) BEYOND HEAVING BOSOMS: THE SMART BITCHES' GUIDE TO ROMANCE NOVELS by Sarah Wendell & Candy Tan

82) UNDERWORLD: RESIDENT EVIL by S.D. Perry

81) LAID: YOUNG PEOPLE'S EXPERIENCES WITH SEX IN AN EASY-ACCESS CULTURE edited by Shannon T. Boodram

80) DEADLY PERILS AND HOW TO AVOID THEM by Tracey Turner

79) HEIST SOCIETY by Ally Carter

78) DUST by Joan Frances Turner

77) THE PASSAGE by Justin Cronin

76) MOCKINGJAY by Suzanne Collins

75) Z by Michael Thomas Ford

74) THE MAILBOX by Marybeth Whalen

73) LUCY by Laurence Gonzales

72) NUMBERS by Rachel Ward

71) NO GREATER PLEASURE by Megan Hart

70) DIRTY by Megan Hart

69) THE SHORT SECOND LIFE OF BREE TANNER by Stephenie Meyer

68) COOL BEANS by Erynn Mangum

67) FACES IN THE FIRE by T.L. Hines

66) PASSIVE AGGRESSIVE NOTES: PAINFULLY POLITE AND HILARIOUSLY HOSTILE WRITINGS by Kerry Miller

65) MATCH POINT by Erynn Mangum

64) REMATCH by Erynn Mangum

63) THE SEARCH by Nora Roberts

62) KILLER PROFILE by Max Allan Collins

61) CITY OF THE DEAD by S.D. Perry

60) BULLET by Laurell K. Hamilton

59) LISTEN by Rene Gutteridge

58) INTERVENTION by Terri Blackstock

57) UNDEAD AND UNFINISHED by MaryJanice Davidson

56) LOST SOULS by Dean Koontz

55) FALSE COLORS by Alex Beecroft

54) HEART TO HEART by Lurlene McDaniel

53) MISS MATCH by Erynn Mangum

52) CALIBAN COVE by S.D. Perry

51) THE DICTIONARY OF HIGH SCHOOL B.S. by Lois Beckwith

50) EDWARD OR JACOB? by Riley Brooks

49) FLIRT by Laurell K. Hamilton

48) GET LUCKY by Suzanne Brockmann

47) HOT ON HIS TRAIL by Zavo

46) PLEASURE AND PURPOSE by Megan Hart

45) TEMPTED by Megan Hart

44) THIS WORLD WE LIVE IN by Susan Beth Pfeffer

43) DECEPTION by Jonathan Kellerman

42) EPITAPH ROAD by David Patneaude

41) SAVOR THE MOMENT by Nora Roberts

40) OVER HER HEAD by Shelley Bates

39) THE GABON VIRUS by Paul McCusker & Walt Larimore

38) THE REPLACEMENT by Brenna Yovanoff

37) ANY MINUTE by Joyce Meyer & Deborah Bedford

36) TIME BANDITS: TWO BROTHERS, THE BERING SEA, AND ONE OF THE WORLD'S DEADLIEST JOBS by Johnathan & Andy Hillstrand

35) DEEPER by Megan Hart

34) EIGHT DAYS TO LIVE by Iris Johansen

33) BRIANS: A ZOMBIE MEMOIR by Robin Becker

32) RUBY UNSCRIPTED by Cindy Martinusen-Coloma

31) MATCHED by Ally Condie

30) A BAD DAY FOR SORRY by Sophie Littlefield

29) ROCK 'N ROLL SOLDIER: A MEMOIR by Dean Ellis Kohler

28) THE ZOMBIE SURVIVAL GUIDE: RECORDED ATTACKS by Max Brooks

27) LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE FROM A TO Z by Patrick Loubatiere

26) CALEB + KATE by Cindy Martinusen-Coloma

25) FIRE WILL FALL by Carol Plum-Ucci

24) ROOMS by James L. Rubart

23) BED OF ROSES by Nora Roberts

22) LETTERS TO JACKIE: CONDOLENCES FROM A GRIEVING NATION by Ellen Fitzpatrick

21) OBIT: INSPIRING STORIES OF ORDINARY PEOPLE WHO LED EXTRAORDINARY LIVES by Jim Sheeler

20) DELIVER US FROM EVIL by Robin Caroll

19) FANTASY IN DEATH by J.D. Robb

18) HOUSE RULES by Jodi Picoult

17) BLOOD TIES by Kay Hooper

16) THE UMBRELLA CONSPIRACY by S.D. Perry

15) BEAUTIFUL by Cindy Martinusen-Coloma

14) TEENAGER RULES OR TEENAGERS RULE by Tee Stuppiello

13) STEPHENIE MEYER: THE UNAUTHORIZED BIOGRAPHY OF THE CREATOR OF THE TWILIGHT SAGA by Marc Shapiro

12) RIGGLEBERRY BLOKE: AND OTHER SILLY WHATKNOTS by Jon Slone

11) BONESHAKER by Cherie Priest

10) THE GOOD SOLDIERS by David Finkel

9) WELL ENOUGH ALONE by Jennifer Traig

8) JOHN DIES AT THE END by David Wong

7) THIRSTY by Tracey Bateman

6) EVIDENCE by Jonathan Kellerman

5) OFFWORLD by Robin Parrish

4) DOPPELGANGSTER by Laura Resnick

3) DIVINE MISDEMEANORS by Laurell K. Hamilton

2) HOW IT ENDS by Laura Wiess

1) STATE OF THE ONION by Julie Hyzy

Prologue

2010-08-17T07:45:00.000-07:00

Here's the revamped (pun intended!!) prologue to the YA novel I'm *finally* making/taking time to work on! Please don't steal it!! :)

My name is not Bella.

I don’t have a boyfriend named Edward. Don’t, in fact, have a boyfriend at all.

I have no hot werewolf to save me. No one can save me, after what I’ve done.

I have no insanely beautiful family to protect me. In total honesty, my family needs protection from me, not the other way around.

There is no extreme baseball, no crazy cliff-diving, no reckless endangerment to get closer to the one I’ve lost.

There’s no sparkle in the sun. No pretty dreams of living happily-ever-after.

I’m not a vampire…

But my heart doesn’t seem to beat.

I’m sure if someone bothered to try and kiss me, I’d have lips of marble.

Remember the scene where Bella’s baby literally rips its way from her mother’s body?
I have no baby inside of me, but something tries to escape from me, every single day, with pain so extreme and intense that I might as well be living a scene from a horror novel.

I’m not a vampire…

But I’ve sucked the life from everyone around me.

I’m a killer.

I’m a monster.

I’m an abomination.

I’m not a vampire…

I’m just a girl who killed her little brother.

Recreating Book Covers

2010-03-11T19:31:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Princess Bookie, I've now found something else to obsess over!

The original cover:

My very first attempt:

2nd original cover:

My 2nd attempt:

What do you think?

Review: 102 Minutes

2010-01-27T13:41:00.000-08:00

102 MINUTES: THE UNTOLD STORY OF THE FIGHT TO SURVIVE INSIDE THE TWIN TOWERS by Jim Dwyer & Kevin Flynn

The dramatic and moving account of the struggle for life inside the World Trade Center on the morning of September 11, when every minute counted

At 8:46 am on September 11, 2001, 14,000 people were inside the twin towers-reading e-mails, making trades, eating croissants at Windows on the World. Over the next 102 minutes, each would become part of a drama for the ages, one witnessed only by the people who lived it-until now.

Of the millions of words written about this wrenching day, most were told from the outside looking in. New York Times reporters Jim Dwyer and Kevin Flynn have taken the opposite-and far more revealing-approach. Reported from the perspectives of those inside the towers, 102 Minutes captures the little-known stories of ordinary people who took extraordinary steps to save themselves and others. Beyond this stirring panorama stands investigative reporting of the first rank. An astounding number of people actually survived the plane impacts but were unable to escape, and the authors raise hard questions about building safety and tragic flaws in New York's emergency preparedness.

Dwyer and Flynn rely on hundreds of interviews with rescuers, thousands of pages of oral histories, and countless phone, e-mail, and emergency radio transcripts. They cross a bridge of voices to go inside the infernos, seeing cataclysm and heroism, one person at a time, to tell the affecting, authoritative saga of the men and women-the nearly 12,000 who escaped and the 2,749 who perished-as they made 102 minutes count as never before.

This was an absolutely amazing book. Not just because of the true-life accounts of many who survived (or, in many cases, didn't), but mostly because the authors pull no punches in telling the story of 9/11/01.

This isn't a book that bashes the government, both local and national, but it does tell both the good and the bad, the positive and the negative. While I was uplifted and encouraged by so many examples of human kindness, I was devastated to read that so very many deaths could have possibly been avoided, if there had just been better communication between political-minded departments.

Also, the fact that so many shortcuts were taken in building the World Trade Center, simply to create more rentable space, shows just how far people will go to make a buck. It saddens me that so many lives might have been saved if there were more staircases, if they had been spread out more, if they had had proper fireproofing.

If you're interested at all in the story that is 9/11, then this is a must-read.

Teen and Children Book Reviews

2010-01-27T13:38:00.000-08:00

You can find all of my teen and children book reviews on my profile page at the TeensReadToo.com website.

In My Mailbox 1/19/10

2010-01-19T16:41:00.000-08:00

All the books in my mailbox this week were from PaperbackSwap.com:

FIELD OF BLOOD by Eric Wilson (JERUSALEM'S UNDEAD TRILOGY BK. 1)

Judas hung himself in a place known as the Akeldama or Field of Blood.

But what if his death didn't end his betrayal?

What if his tainted blood seeped deep into the earth, into burial caves, causing a counterfeit resurrection of the dead?

Gina Lazarescu, a Romanian girl with a scarred past, has no idea she is being sought by the undead.

The Collectors, those released from the Akeldama, feed on souls and human blood. But there are also the Nistarim, those who rose from their graves in the shadow of the Nazarene's crucifixion--and they still walk among us, immortal, left to protect mankind.

Gina realizes her future will depend on her understanding of the past, yet how can she protect herself from Collectors who have already died once but still live?

The Jerusalem's Undead Trilogy takes readers on a riveting journey, as imaginative fiction melds with biblical and archaeological history.

WARRIOR'S HEART by Donna Fleisher (HOMELAND HEROES BK. 2)

A new home. A new life. To have both, she must outlast a bitter storm.

Once Chris fought for her country. Now she’s fighting for her faith. And she’s about to fight for her life. This is no mere storm. It’s a deluge of catastrophic proportions. Swollen by record rains and a ten-inch snowmelt, the Willamette River is hammering Portland, Oregon, with the flood of the century. In Chris McIntyre’s heart, a different kind of flood—a rising torrent of emotions—threatens to sweep her away from the community of Kimberly Square.

Her newfound faith keeps her from running. But how can she stay? Her push-the-limits personality may have made her a perfect soldier, but it sets her apart from the people at her church. And it sets her at odds with Scott Mathis, the husband of her closest friend, Erin. Fearing for Erin’s safety, Scott resents his wife’s high-risk friendship with Chris.

But when Scott and Chris are forced together to help Kimberly Square residents ride out the storm, a different, equally lethal danger descends on them. Death or redemption rest in the hands of one person—a woman with a warrior’s heart.

THE SISTER CIRCLE by Vonette Bright & Nancy Moser (THE SISTER CIRCLE SERIES BK. 1)

Seven unlikely women.
One unbreakable bond.

When Evelyn Peerbaugh hung the ancient sign in front of her house, she had no idea how life was about to change. In a matter of days she became the newly widowed owner of a busy boardinghouse, trying to cope with the lives and emotions of the most incompatible group of women ever gathered under one roof.

As the women settle into their roles at Peerbaugh Place, they discover the true meaning of friendship . . . and the joy of lives truly surrendered to God.

SCREAM by Mike Dellosso

Otherworldly Screams...
A Madman on the Loose...
This Time the Stakes Are Higher Than Ever

While talking to his friend on the phone, Mark Stone is startled by a cacophony of otherworldly screams. Seconds later, a tragic accident claims his friend's life. When this happens several more times--screams followed by an untimely death--he is compelled to act.

Battling his failure as a husband and struggling with his own damaged faith, Mark embarks on a mission to find the meaning behind the screams and hopefully stop death from calling on its next victim. When his estranged wife is kidnapped and he again hears the screams as she calls from her cell phone, his search becomes much more personal and much more urgent.

BLOOD & RUST: TWO NOVELS OF THE CLEVELAND UNDEAD by S.A. Swiniarski

Finally back in print, RAVEN and THE FLESH, THE BLOOD, AND THE FIRE are two boundary-breaking novels set in Cleveland, Ohio-but is this an average American city with hardworking families striving to fulfill the American dream-or the kind of town where death is anything but final and one's neighbors may not be as normal as they seem?

THE KILLING JAR by Donn Cortez (CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION)

A teenager is found dead in his motel room, the cause of death: millipede poison...Now crime scene investigator Gil Grissom must aid CSI's Nick Stokes and Riley Adams against a serial killer whose knowledge of entomology rivals his own -- a brutal murderer who is not only using insects as the tools of destruction, but actually modeling the attacks after their behavior....

In the meantime, CSIs Catherine Willows and Greg Sanders must investigate a bizarre death, where the victim had gotten mixed up with two very different groups of people -- one involved in using and dealing crystal meth, the other an avant-garde group of artists -- a collision of subcultures where everyone is a suspect and nothing is as it seems....

In My Mailbox 1/15/10

2010-01-15T13:46:00.001-08:00

I've been so busy that I'm three days late putting up my In My Mailbox post! Thankfully, I didn't receive too many books in the past week. :)

Reading right now (Amazon ordered):

DOPPELGANGSTER by Laura Resnick (ESTHER DIAMOND BK. 2)

There is no actual book synopsis listed either on Amazon or even on the book, but here's what I found for a description:

"In Laura Resnick's Doppelgangster, the New York actress is 'resting' between roles by working as a singing waitress at a Manhattan mob restaurant because wiseguys tip well. Then duplicated gangsters appear, bullets start flying, and it's up to Esther and her friend Max the Magician to fight Evil by stopping the gang war before it starts killing the wrong people. And if she has time, maybe Esther can actually keep a hot date with her hunky detective friend Lopez, who doesn't believe in magic. Yet. Unplug the phone and settle down for a fast and funny read." --New York Times bestselling author Mary Jo Putney

PaperbackSwap.com orders that arrived:

100 CREEPY LITTLE CREATURE STORIES selected by Robert Weinberg, Stefan Dziemianowicz, & Martin H. Greenberg

The authors gathered here comprise a volume of the utmost horror, with stories that will invade your daydreams as well as your nightmares, mercilessly twisting the arm of reality to create a world of uncertainty and terror.

THE BEST OF EVIL by Eric Wilson (ARAMIS BLACK MYSTERY BK. 1)

“Spare your soul,” he ranted, “and turn your eyes from greed.…”

The tattoos on his arms still reading “Live by the Sword” and “Die by the Sword,” Aramis Black is ready for a fresh start. Determined to set aside his violent tendencies, he opens an espresso shop in Nashville and begins to put his childhood memories behind him. The past isn’t finished with him, though. One ordinary day at the shop, a man is shot before his eyes, speaking dying words to Aramis that are all too familiar.

Aramis realizes that his path to freedom will demand forgiveness–forgiveness from God and forgiveness of others. Along the way, he must uncover the conspiracy behind a centuries-old mystery and the shocking truth of his mother’s death. The question remains: Will Aramis be able to conquer his past, or will evil get the best of him?

AGAINST ALL ODDS by Irene Hannon (HEROES OF QUANTICO BK. 1)

For FBI Hostage Rescue Team member Evan Cooper and his partner, dignitary protection duty should have been a piece of cake. Unfortunately, Monica Callahan isn't making it easy. Estranged from her diplomat father--who is involved in a sensitive hostage situation in the Middle East--she refuses to be intimidated by a related terrorist threat back in the States. That is, until a chilling warning convinces her that the danger is very real--and escalating.

As Coop and his partner do their best to keep her safe, Monica's father triggers an abduction that puts his daughter's life at risk. And with every second that ticks by, Coop knows that the odds of saving the only woman who has ever breached the walls around his heart are dropping. After all, terrorists aren't known for their patience--or their mercy.

Book one in the Heroes of Quantico series, this suspense-filled novel will whisk readers along for the thrilling ride.

STRANGER by Megan Hart

I pay strangers to sleep with me. I have my reasons….

But they're not the ones you'd expect.

For starters, I'm a funeral director taking over my dad's business. Not exactly the kind of person you'd expect to fork over cash for the lust and urgency only live skin-to-skin contact can create. Looking at me, you wouldn't have a clue I carry this little secret so close it creases up like the folds of a fan. Tight. Personal. Ready to unravel in the heat of the moment.

Unsurprisingly, my line of work brings me face-to-face with loss. So I decided long ago that paying for sex would be one of the best (and arousing) ways to save myself from the one thing that would eventually cut far too deep.

But Sam was a mistake. Literally. I signed on to "pick up" a stranger at a bar, but took Sam home instead. And now that I've felt his heat, his sweat and everything else, can I really go back to impersonal?

Let's just hope he never finds out about my other life.…

Goodreads.com Contest:

MANIA by Craig Larsen

On the foggy streets of Seattle, a serial killer known as the Street Butcher is terrorising the city. Newspaper photographer Nick Wilder is accustomed to seeing gruesome homicide scenes. But when the Street Butcher claims Nick's brother his latest casualty, the case suddenly becomes very personal. Determined to find his brother's killer, Nick stumbles into a dizzying labyrinth of deceit and danger. As he digs deeper, Nick discovers his own past holds a key to unmasking a clever, diabolical psychopath. But the real motives behind the murders are as cold and stark as Seattle's winters - and much more blood will spill before Nick learns the horrifying truth.

In My Mailbox 1/5/10

2010-01-05T13:07:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Kristi aka "The Story Siren" for this great meme, which I've looked at numerous times - and finally decided to follow in her footsteps!

Currently reading from the Library:

DIVINE MISDEMEANORS by Laurell K. Hamilton (MEREDITH GENTRY BK. 8)

You may know me best as Meredith Nic Essus, princess of faerie. Or perhaps as Merry Gentry, Los Angeles private eye. In the fey and mortal realms alike, my life is the stuff of royal intrigue and celebrity drama. Among my own, I have confronted horrendous enemies, endured my noble kin’s treachery and malevolence, and honored my duty to conceive a royal heir—all for the right to claim the throne. But I turned my back on court and crown, choosing exile in the human world—and in the arms of my beloved Frost and Darkness.

While I may have rejected the monarchy, I cannot abandon my people. Someone is killing the fey, which has left the LAPD baffled and my guardsmen and me deeply disturbed. My kind are not easily captured or killed. At least not by mortals. I must get to the bottom of these horrendous murders, even if that means going up against Gilda, the Fairy Godmother, my rival for fey loyalties in Los Angeles.

But even stranger things are happening. Mortals I once healed with magic are suddenly performing miracles, a shocking phenomenon wreaking havoc on human/faerie relations. Though I am innocent, dark suspicions of banned magical activities swirl around me.

I thought I’d left the blood and politics behind in my own turbulent realm. I had dreamed of an idyllic life in sunny L.A. with my beloved ones beside me. But it becomes time to wake up and realize that evil knows no borders, and that nobody lives forever—even if they’re magical.

My latest Amazon order arrived today:

ON THE EDGE by Ilona Andrews (THE EDGE BK. 1)

The Broken is a place where people shop at Wal-Mart and magic is nothing more than a fairy tale.

The Weird is a realm where blueblood aristocrats rule and the strength of your magic can change your destiny.

Rose Drayton lives on the Edge, the place between both worlds. A perilous existence indeed, made even more so by a flood of magic-hungry creatures bent on absolute destruction.

ROSEMARY AND RUE by Seanan McGuire (OCTOBER DAYE BK. 1)

October "Toby" Daye, a changeling who is half human and half fae, has been an outsider from birth. After getting burned by both sides of her heritage, Toby has denied the Faerie world, retreating to a "normal" life. Unfortunately for her, the Faerie world has other ideas...

The murder of Countess Evening Winterrose pulls Toby back into the fae world. Unable to resist Evening's dying curse, which binds her to investigate, Toby must resume her former position as knight errant and renew old alliances. As she steps back into fae society, dealing with a cast of characters not entirely good or evil, she realizes that more than her own life will be forfeited if she cannot find Evening's killer.

DEADTOWN by Nancy Holzner (DEADTOWN BK. 1)

If you were undead, you'd be home by now...

They call it Deadtown: the city's quarantined section for its inhuman and undead residents. Most humans stay far from its borders-but Victory Vaughn, Boston's only professional demon slayer, isn't exactly human.

NIGHT SHIFT by Lilith Saintcrow (JILL KISMET BK. 1)

Not everyone can take on the things that go bump in the night.

Not everyone tries.

But Jill Kismet is not just anyone.

She's a Hunter, trained by the best - and in over her head.

Welcome to the night shift...

SKINWALKER by Faith Hunter (JANE YELLOWROCK BK. 1)

Jane Yellowrock is the last of her kind-a skinwalker of Cherokee descent who can turn into any creature she desires and hunts vampires for a living.

But now she's been hired by Katherine Fontaneau, one of the oldest vampires in New Orleans and the madam of Katie's Ladies, to hunt a powerful rogue vampire who's killing other vamps...

ZOMBIES FOR ZOMBIES: ADVICE AND ETIQUETTE FOR THE LIVING DEAD by David P. Murphy

So, you've been bitten by a zombie?

Bummer.

But there's no need to panic! Yes, your life will be undergoing a major transformation, but this doesn't have to be the end-all it once was when the Disaster first hit. There have been significant breakthroughs in the last decade in helping you keep significant parts of your wit and dignity. Together we can limit the damage.

Zombies for Zombies is a motivational guide designed specifically to make a profound difference in your accidental, strange new life. You say you don't want to become another one of those ghastly creatures you see on the news out in the Tempe Containment Zone? You don't have to—if you follow the great advice inside, including:

* How to dress for your new lifestyle Handy recipes for brains
* Fitness ideas for keeping you somewhat energetic
* New skin-care techniques to help ward off "rotting flesh syndrome"
* How to overcome that darned zombie social stigma
* Dance steps for the motor-impaired

Completely Revised and Updated Since the Containment Zone Disaster!

SWEET CAROLINE by Rachel Hauck

When a Southern waitress inherits the Lowcountry cafe where she works, she suddenly has to balance more than just her next food order.

Caroline Sweeney has always done the right thing--the responsible, dependable thing--unlike her mother who abandoned her family. But when her best friend challenges her to accept an exciting job adventure in Barcelona, Spain, Caroline says "yes" to destiny.

Then, without warning, ownership of the run-down cafe where she's been waitressing falls right into Caroline's lap. While she's trying to determine the cafe's future, handsome Deputy Sherriff J.D. Rand captures Caroline's heart.

But when her first love, Mitch O'Neal, comes back to town, fresh from the heat of his newly-found fame as a country music singer in Nashville, Caroline must make some hard choices about love and the pursuit of the sweet life.

And then there were my PaperbackSwap.com deliveries for the past week:

MISSPELLED edited by Julie E. Czerneda

Strange magic...in 17 fascinating tales of spells gone awry.

When it comes to magic, skipping the directions, changing the ingredients, or garbling the words of a spell can lead to unusual consequences-sometimes dire, sometimes comical. Included in these stories are just a few of the possible results: a cybermancer has her spell disk corrupted by some unexpected input; two students brewing up spells outside the curriculum forgo a critical ingredient; a young woman orders a fairy-tale life, but forgets to read the fine print. Now they're really spellbound...

GHOST ROAD BLUES by Jonathan Maberry (PINE DEEP TRILOGY BK. 1)

Evil Doesn't Die...

The cozy little town of Pine Deep buried the horrors of its past a long time ago. Thirty years have gone by since the darkness descended and the Black Harvest began, a time when a serial killer sheared a bloody swath through the quiet Pennsylvania village. The evil that once coursed through Pine Deep has been replaced by cheerful tourists getting ready to enjoy the country's largest Halloween celebration in what is now called "The Spookiest Town in America."

It Just Grows Stronger...

But then--a month before Halloween--it begins. Unspeakably desecrated bodies. Inexplicable insanity. And an ancient evil walking the streets, drawing in those who would fall to their own demons and seeking to shred the very soul of this rapidly fracturing community. Yes, the residents of Pine Deep have drawn together and faced a killer before. But this time, evil has many faces--and the lust and will to rule the earth. This struggle will be epic.

SOMETHING FROM THE NIGHTSIDE by Simon R. Green (NIGHTSIDE BK. 1)

John Taylor is not a private detective per se, but he has a knack for finding lost things. That's why he's been hired to descend into the Nightside, an otherworldly realm in the center of London where fantasy and reality share renting space and the sun never shines.

For John Taylor, there's no place like home...

SINCE YOU'RE LEAVING ANYWAY, TAKE OUT THE TRASH by Dixie Cash

All Debbie Sue Overstreet got out of her marriage to the sheriff of Salt Lick, Texas, was a gas station that didn't pump! So she turned the property into the Styling Station, the best beauty parlor in town -- and if she didn't get rich, at least she learned all the local gossip.

But she wasn't prepared for the news that the nastiest woman in town had been bumped off! Suddenly, everyone's a suspect and Debbie Sue decides to go after the reward ... even if it means she's got to get close to Buddy, that lousy, good-looking ex-husband of hers.

Debbie Sue's investigation sends her on a wild ride. Who is the man named Eugene ... and what's with his alter-ego Janine? Where is the mysterious red-haired woman? Why is Buddy trying to get her back? And, scariest of all, when did she begin to think he could be right?

SPELLS OF THE CITY edited by Jean Rabe & Martin H. Greenberg

Venture into Spells of the City, where a troll may be your toll collector on the George Washington Bridge...Harry the Book will be happy to place your best in a spellbinding alternative New York...a gargoyle finds himself left to a lonely rooftop existence when he's forced to live by his creator's rules...and leprechauns must become bank robbers to keep up with the demand for their gold.

FAIR GAME by Elizabeth White (and it's an autographed copy!)

Nothing worth having is easy to get…

Ana Cutrere’s homecoming to Vancleave, Mississippi, is anything but dull. Before she’s even reached town, the beautiful young widow has a run-in with a stray cow, loses her son in the woods, rescues an injured fawn, and comes face-to-face with Grant Gonzales, her high school crush.

Grant recently returned to town himself amid hushed controversy. His only plan: leave the corporate world behind and open a hunting reserve. Seeing Jana again ignites old memories . . . and a painful past.Tensions boil over when he learns exactly why she returned. Jana plans to convince her grandfather to develop a wildlife rescue center—dead center on the prime hunting property he promised to sell to Grant!

Jana is determined to make a new start for herself and her two children—and willing to fight for it. With deadlines drawing near for the sale of the property and no decision from her grandfather, can Jana trust God with her and Grant’s future, or will explosive emotions and diametrically opposing views tear them apart?

FROM THE BELLY OF THE DRAGON by Mark Mynheir (THE TRUTH CHASERS BK. 2)

A desperate escape into the South Florida marshes ends in murder.

But the true terror is just beginning…

Dr. Walter Simmons is a successful man. His books and tapes blend psychological principles with New Age, feel-good spiritualism and are a hit on college campuses. But when his top students join him for an intensive “training” program, they have no idea what awaits them. Not even the most insightful student of them all--Ruby Porter.

Tim Porter, an agent with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, knows his daughter is into something strange. He and his ex-wife grow increasingly concerned, but nothing they do or say helps. Then a young man is murdered, and the FDLE are assigned to the case. As Tim grapples for the truth, one fact becomes crystal clear: Ruby is in terrible danger. But can he do what it will take to rescue his daughter from a man she now trusts more than anyone else?

Faced with an FBI investigation, a corrupt chief of police, and a mounting spiritual battle, Tim hits obstacles at every turn. As each day goes by, he can’t escape the terrifying truth--His daughter’s time is running out…

A TIME TO MEND by Sally John & Gary Smalley (SAFE HARBOR BK. 1)

An unopened gift. A broken vow. A tragic fire. Sometimes there are wounds that even time can't heal.

Max and Claire Beaumont seem to have the perfect marriage. They live in a beautiful home, have four wonderful children and everything else that success and money can buy. Yet beneath this picture-perfect exterior, Claire's life is falling apart. She can no longer hold her peace and keep up appearances.

After all the silent years, she must speak the truth.

As their lives unravel, deep needs and even deeper hurts are revealed. Not only the wounds between husband and wife, but family wounds as well. Will this time of soul-searching and conflict bring them closer together--or tear their marriage apart?

It's a strange irony to leave home in search of a safe harbor. Yet that is often where the journey begins . . . especially when it is time to mend.

Happy reading for me, and you, and all...and more to come next week!

2010 Books I've Read List

2010-01-04T16:28:00.000-08:00

1/2/10 - STATE OF THE ONION by Julie Hyzy (WHITE HOUSE CHEF BK. 1)
1/4/10 - HOW IT ENDS by Laura Wiess
1/11/10 - DIVINE MISDEMEANORS by Laurell K. Hamilton (MEREDITH GENTRY BK. 8)

2010...Here I Come!

2009-12-19T23:59:00.000-08:00

Although I've read and reviewed hundreds of titles in the last few years, I've never had one specific place where I gathered them all. I plan to change that in 2010 with this blog.

In order to achieve that goal, I'm joining a few reading challenges, typing up my TBR list in a database so I can keep track of what I own, and generally whipping myself into shape.

It should be a fun experience.

To start, I've joined up for this challenge:

I'm attempting to aim for the Obsessed goal, because, you know, why not? Wish me luck!

Here are all of the first in a series books I own - I'll have to narrow it down to which 20 I want to start with:

ABIDE WITH ME: HOME TIES TRILOGY Delia Parr
ALLAH'S FIRE: TASK FORCE VALOR SERIES by Gayle Roper & Chuck Holton
ALWAYS WATCHING: THE RAYNE TOUR SERIES by Brandilyn & Amberly Collins
AS THE WORLD DIES - THE FIRST DAYS: A ZOMBIE TRILOGY by Rhiannon Frater
BAD CONNECTION: THE SECRET LIFE OF SAMANTHA MCGREGOR SERIES by Melody Carlson
THE BEACH HOUSE: THE BEACH HOUSE SERIES by Sally John
BLACK MAGIC WOMAN: QUINCEY MORRIS SERIES by Justin Gustainis
BLESSED IS THE BUSYBODY: MINISTRY IS MURDER SERIES by Emilie Richards
BREACH OF TRUST: CALL OF DUTY SERIES by DiAnn Mills
CANDY APPLE DEAD: CANDY SHOP SERIES by Sammi Carter
CAPE REFUGE: CAPE REFUGE SERIES by Terri Blackstock
COOKING UP MURDER: COOKING CLASS SERIES by Miranda Bliss
CORPSE POSE: MANTRA FOR MURDER SERIES by Diana Killian
COULD I HAVE THIS DANCE?: CLAIRE MCCALL SERIES by by Harry Kraus
THE CULLED: THE AFTERBLIGHT CHRONICLES by Simon Spurrier
DARK POWERS: FORBIDDEN DOORS BKS. 1-3 by Bill Myers
DEAD TO ME: SIMON CANDEROUS SERIES by Anton Stout
DEADLINE: OLLIE CHANDLER SERIES by Randy Alcorn
DEADWATER: DEADWATER SERIES by Anthony Giangregorio
DREAMING IN BLACK AND WHITE: PHOEBE GRANT SERIES by Laura Jensen Walker
DYING TO LIVE: DYING TO LIVE SERIES by Kim Paffenroth
END OF STATE: LEFT BEHIND POLITICAL THRILLER SERIES by Neesa Hart
EVER PRESENT DANGER: PHANTOM HOLLOW SERIES by Kathy Herman
EVIDENCE OF MERCY: SUN COAST SERIES by Terri Blackstock
FLEE THE NIGHT: TEAM HOPE SERIES by Susan May Warren
FOOLS RUSH IN: WEDDINGS BY BELLA SERIES by Janice Thompson
FRASIER ISLAND: FRASIER ISLAND SERIES by Susan Page Davis
FUNERAL FOOD: TORY BAUER MYSTERY SERIES by Kathlee Taylor
HANGMAN'S CURSE: THE VERITAS PROJECT SERIES by Frank Peretti
HAPPY HOUR OF THE DAMNED: AMANDA FERAL SERIES by Mark Henry
HORSEMAN: THE HOLLOW SERIES by Christopher Golden & Ford Lytle Gilmore
I HEART BLOOMBERG: 86 BLOOMBERG PLACE SERIES by Melody Carlson
I, ZOMBIE: TOMES OF THE DEAD SERIES by Al Ewing
IN A HEARTBEAT: IN A HEARTBEAT SERIES by Sally John
INVISIBLE: IVY MALONE SERIES by Lorena McCourtney
THE INVITATION: MUSTARD SEED SERIES by Nancy Moser
IT'S ALL ABOUT US: ALL ABOUT US SERIES by Shelley Adina
JUMPER: JUMPER SERIES by Steven Gould
A KISS BEFORE THE APOCALYPSE: REMY CHANDLER SERIES by Thomas E. Sniegoski
LAND OF ENTRAPMENT: K.C. FONTERO MYSTERY SERIES by Andi Marquette
LIFE SUPPORT: SANTEE SERIES by Robert Whitlow
LORD LOSS: THE DEMONATA SERIES by Darren Shan
LUCINDA, DARKLY: DEMON PRINCESS CHRONICLES by Sunny
THE MIRACLE GIRLS: THE MIRACLE GIRLS SERIES by Anne Dayton & May Vanderbilt
MIXED BAGS: CARTER HOUSE GIRLS SERIES by Melody Carlson
MONA LISA AWAKENING: MONERE, CHILDREN OF THE MOON SERIES by Sunny
MONKEEWRENCH: MONKEEWRENCH SERIES by P. J. Tracy
MUM'S THE WORD: FLOWER SHOP MYSTERY SERIES by Kate Collins
MURDER IS BINDING: BOOKTOWN MYSTERY SERIES by Lorna Barrett
A MURDEROUS GLAZE: CLAY AND CRIME MYSTERY SERIES by Melissa Glazer
THE MYTH HUNTERS: THE VEIL SERIES by Christopher Golden
NEPHILIM: NEPHILIM SERIES by L. A. Marzulli
NEVER AGAIN GOODY-BYE: SECOND CHANCE SERIES by Terri Blackstock
THE NIGHT WATCHMAN: RAY QUINN SERIES by Mark Mynheir
NIGHTLIFE: CAL AND NIKO LEANDROS SERIES by Rob Thurman
THE NIMBLE MAN: THE MENAGERIE SERIES by Christopher Golden & Thomas E. Sniegoski
THE NYMPHOS OF ROCKY FLATS: FELIX GOMEZ SERIES by Mario Acevedo
ONE GRAVE TOO MANY: DIANE FALLON SERIES by Beverly Connor
ORIGINAL SIN: COLTON PARKER SERIES by Brandt Dodson
A PEACH OF A MURDER: FRESH-BAKED MYSTERY SERIES by Livia J. Washburn
PLAGUE OF THE DEAD: THE MORNINGSTAR STRAIN SERIES by Z. A. Recht
PLAGUE YEAR: PLAGUE SERIES by Jeff Carlson
THE POTLUCK CLUB: THE POTLUCK CLUB SERIES by Eva Marie Everson & Linda Evans Shepherd
PRIVATE JUSTICE: NEWPOINTE 911 SERIES by Terri Blackstock
RELENTLESS: DOMINION TRILOGY by Robin Parrish
RIPPLE EFFECT: TIME THRILLER TRILOGY by Paul McCusker
ROLLING THUNDER: THE TRUTH CHASERS SERIES by Mark Mynheir
A RUSH OF WINGS: A RUSH OF WINGS SERIES by Kristen Heitzmann
SECOND CHANCES: SISTERS SUSPENSE SERIES by Debra White
SECOND OPINION: THE HEALING TOUCH SERIES by Hannah Alexander
SHATTERED JUSTICE: FAMILY HONOR SERIES by Karen Ball
SHE'S ALL THAT: SPA GIRLS SERIES by Kristin Billerbeck
A SHRED OF EVIDENCE: SEAPORT SUSPENSE SERIES by Kathy Herman
SIMPLE JUSTICE: BENJAMIN JUSTICE SERIES by John Morgan Wilson
SLEEPING WITH THE FISHES: FRED THE MERMAID SERIES by MaryJanice Davidson
SOUL TRACKER: THE SOUL TRACKER SERIES by Bill Myers
STAMPED OUT: STAMPING SISTERS SERIES by Terri Thayer
STAND-IN GROOM: BRIDES OF BONNETERRE SERIES by Kaye Dacus
STATE OF THE ONION: WHITE HOUSE CHEF SERIES by Julie Hyzy
TESTED BY FIRE: BAXTER SERIES by Kathy Herman
TIME LOTTERY: TIME LOTTERY SERIES by Nancy Moser
THE TROUBLE WITH MAGIC: BEWITCHING MYSTERY SERIES by Madelyn Alt
THE TROUBLE WITH TULIP: SMART CHICK SERIES by Mindy Starns Clark
UNSHAPELY THINGS: CONNOR GREY SERIES by Mark Del Franco
VAMPIRE HIGH: VAMPIRE HIGH SERIES by Douglas Rees
VIOLET DAWN: KANNER LAKE SERIES by Brandilyn Collins
THE WATCHERS: THE WATCHERS SERIES by Mark Andrew Olsen
WHAT'S A GHOUL TO DO?: GHOST HUNTER MYSTERY SERIES by Victoria Laurie
WHEN THE DAY OF EVIL COMES: DYLAN FOSTER SERIES by Melanie Wells
WITHOUT A TRACE: ROCK HARBOR SERIES by Colleen Coble
WITHOUT WARNING: SHAKEN SERIES by K.G. MacGregor

Today's Amazon Order

2009-10-14T11:58:00.001-07:00

THE LOST by J.D. Robb, Patricia Gaffney, Mary Blayney, & Ruth Ryan Langan - Yearly anthology; I always buy them for the new Eve & Roark novella, but usually end up liking at least one other story.

CIRQUE DU FREAK: THE MANGA, VOL. 3 by Darren Shan (For Nick; we borrowed volumes 1 & 2 from the library and he absolutely loved them - read them in two days!)

ON THE EDGE by Ilona Andrews - First of a new series; I've not previously read anything by this author, but have heard really good things about them!

DEADTOWN by Nancy Holzner - First of a series; I haven't read this author before, but the book features zombies, so you know I have to read it!

DOPPLEGANGSTER by Laura Resnick - Finally, FINALLY, the follow-up to DISAPPEARING NIGHTLY, which I totally loved: the 2nd story featuring Esther Diamond.