FEB 2010 Wrap up

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Well. Feb 2010 turned out to be a busy month for me.
Here is what I read and reviewed for Feb:

  HOODOO MONEY
  ETERNAL ON THE WATER
  THE LIGHTKEEPER’s DAUGHTER
  SILENT DESPERATION
  DEMONFIRE by Kate Douglas
  WE THE CHILDREN
  ALPHATUDES
  ECSTASY UNVEILED 
  DARE TO SURRENDER by Lilli Feisty
  SHADES IF MIDNIGHT by Lara Adrian
  FADE OUT by Rachel Caine
  POWDER AND PATCH by Georgette Heyer
  HEAVENLY by Jennifer Laurens
  YOU SLAY ME by Katie MacAlister
  FRAGILE by Chris Katsaropoulos
  THE GIRL MADE OF COOL by Alan Fox
  THE LAST GOODNIGHTS by John West 
  ORIGINAL SIN by Allison Brennan 
  NEVER SAY NEVER by Lisa Wingate 
  STRESSED IN SCOTTSDALE by Marcia Fine 
  MANGROVES AND MONSTERS
  SIZE EIGHT IN A SIZE ZERO WORLD
  FIRST DROP OF CRIMSON by Jeaniene Frost
  DELICIOUS by Shayla Black 
  NAUTI INTENTIONS by Lora Leigh 
  THE HIGHLANDER’S SWORD by Amanda Forester
  COWBOY TROUBLE  by Joanne Kennedy
  LOVE YOUR HEART 
  DOUBLE TROUBLE by Susan May Warren
  CRAVE: THE SEDUCTION OF SNOW WHITE
  THE AWAKENING OF SLEEPING BEAUTY
  WILLOW by Julia Hoban
  THE NEXT BEST THING by Kristan Higgins

For a total of 33 books.  Not too bad.

In other news, I finally caved and started a Twitter account for the blog.  So many people had asked if I had one, so I finally caved into the pressure of getting one, even though I am still trying to figure out the whole tweet world.  Very confusing,  I still don’t know how to link it to my blog to where my posts automatically post on Twitter. 

Feb. was also a hard month for me physically.  I had severe tooth aches and had to finally break down and get some teeth pulled.  Was not going to go the root canal route, so I told them just to yank them.  I am a huge baby and if I wouldn’t have done it, mym mom and hubby threatened to take me kicking and screaming! So I went. RELIEF!

I also became an affiliate of Reagan’s blog: StarShadow Creative Mishaps  I am having a great time chatting with her and she always seems to brighten my day.  She is the sweetest person to chat with, so go check out her blog and give her a shout!

Let’s see, what else happened? Hmmm.  I started a weekly giveaway contest for this blog. Every Tuesday I put up a new post with a book for giveaway.  It lasts a week and the winner is announce before the new book goes up.  Be sure to remember to check back every Tuesday for a new book! The more you shout out the contest, the more entries you get.  The one ending tonight is for Christine Feehans Hardback book Dark Possession.  Last contest Linda H won a 4 pack of books by Katie MacAlister.  So you never know how many books, or what titles of books, will be offered.  I will be adding new ways to enter this week, so you can have extra ways to enter, but they will be optional.  All you have to do to enter is be a follower of my blog and leave an email addy.

March will be another great month of reviews, book chatter, and other random things.  I do hope you are loving the blog.  I appreciate everyone who stops by and comments.  They truly brighten up my day!  I do want to mention that I have received some awards and such.  I love them.  I do have a family of 4 kids and hubby, so it is hard to repost these.  I just want to say that even though I hardly ever post the awards on here, I do appreciate them.  I will try harder this month to pass them on and share them with everyone!  As you can see, I try read and review as many books as possible for all of you, so books are my main focus on the blog.  The awards though are wonderful though and I WILL be getting to them.

Here are my blogs of the month that deserve shouts out for you to go and check them out.  Each month I will be doing a shout out of blogs for you to go discover:
BOOK ADDICT.
ESCAPE BETWEEN THE PAGES
FLIPPING PAGES FOR ALL AGES

THE NEXT BEST THING by Kristan Higgins

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THE NEXT BEST THING 
Genre: Contemporary Romance
  • Mass Market Paperback: 400 pages
  • Publisher: HQN Books; Original edition (February 1, 2010)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0373774389
  • ISBN-13: 978-0373774388
SYNOPSIS:
Lucy Lang isn’t looking for fireworks.
She’s looking for a nice, decent man. Someone who’ll mow the lawn, flip chicken on the barbecue, teach their future children to play soccer. But most important: someone who won’t inspire the slightest stirring in her heart…or anywhere else. A young widow, Lucy can’t risk that kind of loss again. But sharing her life with a cat named Fat Mikey and the Black Widows at the family bakery isn’t enough either. So it’s goodbye to Ethan, her hot but entirely inappropriate “friend with privileges” and hello to a man she can marry.
Too bad Ethan Mirabelli isn’t going anywhere. As far as he’s concerned, what she needs might be right under her nose. But can he convince her that the next best thing can really be forever? 
MY THOUGHTS:
When I first started reading this book, I fell in love with the authors humor.  By the end of this first chapter, you have laughed, and get a shock with the last line of the first chapter as well.  I was hooked.  You instantly fall for Ethan and find yourself cheering for him the whole time.  I found Lucy whiney and annoying though.  Whe whined so much I wanted to dial her a Wah-mbulance so she would shut up and fall in love with Ethan already. I hated how the author kept the book focused mainly on Lucy, and hardly ever had Ethan in the book.  He was suppose to be one of the main characters!  When we did get to see him, Lucy used him more of a doormat than a lover. 
Overall, I have mixed feelings on this book.  This is my first read by this author and I am sure I will probably read more by her, even if this book left me with mixed emotions about it.  Cut about half of the book out, mainly Lucy’s whining and watching her wedding tape each chapter, and bring on some more Ethan, and this book could easily get to my attention better.  The humor is what saved this book in my opinion.
MY RATING:


 
  A Good Book and Read! Perfect For Rainy Days
From the Library!

Open For Discussion

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I have been asked by several people lately if I have a Twitter account.  Well, no I don’t and I am wondering what the big thing is about Twitter.  So I thought I would have an open discussion on the issue so I can get more feedback on the pros and cons of it all.

Here are my thoughts, and please feel free to help me out on all of this.

I have my blog and I share a alot in my blog posts. I do my rants when I need to, I post my questions for everyone when I need to, and I post giveaways on blog posts as well.  What is the point of twitter?  To me it seems like just another blog.  I mean, if people are just following Twitter, isn’t it the same as following a blog?  I would rather someone read my blog and comment on it instead of someone just following a Twitter account that only mentions contests and such.  If people want to contact me, email me. It is clearly posted on my blog along with a contact form also.

So what is the big thing about Twitter?  Is there some secret link in your Twitter accounts that push people to your blog?  I am just not understanding the purpose of it.  I am computer dumb, so maybe this is going over my head or something.  I mean, what exactly is RT and all the other mumbo jumbo words that are all over the place?  Isn’t it the same thing as a blog post or an email to someone.  If anything it seems more like and instant messaging system.

What are your thoughts about Twitter?  Do you have Twitter and has it helped with traffic for your blog?  Have you really gotten more exposure with it?

WILLOW by Julia Hoban

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WILLOW
Author: Julia Hoban
Source: Library
  • Reading level: Young Adult
  • Hardcover: 336 pages
  • Publisher: Dial (April 2, 2009)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0803733569
  • ISBN-13: 978-0803733565
 SYNOPSIS:

Seven months ago, on a rainy March night, sixteen year- old Willow’s parents died in a horrible car accident. Willow was driving. Now her older brother barely speaks to her, her new classmates know her as the killer orphan girl, and Willow is blocking the pain by secretly cutting herself. But when one boy —one sensitive, soulful boy—discovers Willow’s secret, it sparks an intense relationship that turns the “safe” world Willow has created for herself upside down.

Told in an extraordinary fresh voice, Willow is an unforgettable novel about one girl’s struggle to cope with tragedy, and one boy’s refusal to give up on her. 
MY THOUGHTS:
This book was an emotional read that was also informative of a problem that is on the rise that is not thought about that much.  In Willow, the main character blames herself for the death of her parents after she is in a car accident with them where she was driving.  Instead of dealing with the pain, she turns to cutting herself to release some of the grief.  
I found the romance between Willow and Guy to be sweet and wonderful.  It was written beautifully and the characters definitely clicked together.  I still cannot believe that people can do this to their bodies, but that is only my opinion.  I can understand the reason that this character did it though, and each time she would do it, my heart would break for her.  There were many scenes in the book that Willow and her brothers interaction would also break my heart. 
I was sucked in from the first chapter and couldn’t put this book down.  I was hoping that Guy would get through to Willow and be her hero.  I wanted Willow to sit down and talk with ther brother and work things out.  There were times I wanted to jump into the book and help Willow work through it all. 
A wonderful book that was not only informative, but moving.  It sent my emotions all over the place. 
MY RATING:

Outstanding Book That Will Stay On My Bookshelf
For Rereading!