Monthly Archives: July 2013

Emma’s Shelf

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In my reading room, I have started a shelf for my granddaughter Emma.  I am starting to read books ahead of time for her.  I want her to come to my house and know books are loved here.

This is my book shelf.



This is Emma’s shelf.



As you see she only has three books on the shelf now.  I have just started.  So if you have suggestions or books you would like me to read and review please let me know.

I read My Summer of Pink & Green – I reviewed it on May 29th.

I just received Kelsey Green, Reading Queen and Zero Tolerance from Claudia Mills.  I will be reading and reviewing these soon.

This is an exciting start!!  More to come….


Forever, Interrupted

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Author:  Taylor Jenkins Reid 
Publisher:  Washington Square Press              

Pages:  352
Genre:  Women’s Fiction
Source:  Edelweiss

Goodreads:    “Have you ever heard of supernovas? They shine brighter than anything else in the sky and then fade out really quickly, a short burst of extraordinary energy. I like to think you and Ben were like that . . . in that short time, you had more passion than some people have in a lifetime.”

Elsie Porter is an average twentysomething and yet what happens to her is anything but ordinary. On a rainy New Year’s Day, she heads out to pick up a pizza for one. She isn’t expecting to see anyone else in the shop, much less the adorable and charming Ben Ross. Their chemistry is instant and electric. Ben cannot even wait twenty-four hours before asking to see her again. Within weeks, the two are head over heels in love. By May, they’ve eloped.

Only nine days later, Ben is out riding his bike when he is hit by a truck and killed on impact. Elsie hears the sirens outside her apartment, but by the time she gets downstairs, he has already been whisked off to the emergency room. At the hospital, she must face Susan, the mother-in-law she has never met—and who doesn’t even know Elsie exists.

Interweaving Elsie and Ben’s charmed romance with Elsie and Susan’s healing process, Forever, Interrupted will remind you that there’s more than one way to find a happy ending.



Ope’s Opinion:  This book would have been given Five Chairs had there not been so much foul language.   The story was awesome!!  I read this book in two days and I am usually a slow reader – that tells you how fast this book grabbed me and kept me fixed on it.

                                         Switching from past to present in the book really worked.  It showed the progress of the relationships and helped you understand why each character was reacting the way they were.

                                       I don’t know how realistic this story is, but Taylor made me fall in love with the characters and root for them.  I liked them so much I didn’t care if all of it seemed so realistic.  It was great to see Susan and Elsie relationship develop.  I thought it was believable that they started out being very wary of each other and eventually turned to each other to heal.

                                       I highly recommend this book.  As a matter of fact I want to buy a copy for my daughter to read.  Just know there is a lot of unnecessary foul language in this book.  I wish the author had used more creativity to find other words in place of the foul language.

Rating:  Four Chairs – I like this book so much I know several friends to share it with.

                 FTC – Disclosure of Material Connection: 
      I received one copy of this book free of charge from
         Edelweiss. 
            I was not required to write a positive review
                 in exchange for receipt of the book;
         rather the opinions expressed in this review are my own.
                                                       


Big Girl Panties

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Author:  Stephanie Evanovich
Publisher:  William Morrow                                      

Pages:  336                              
Genre:  Women’s Fiction
Source: Tracy Diamond ( Harper Collins )

Goodreads:   They say that big girls don’t cry. But when the chips are down and the dip is gone, what can you do? Pull up your BIG GIRL PANTIES and change your life.

Holly Brennan didn’t expect to be a widow at thirty-two. She also didn’t expect to be so big. Through her husband Bruce’s diagnosis and death, food was the one thing she could always count on. Now, those extra pounds make flying coach more than a little mortifying-especially since she’s sitting next to Adonis himself, aka Logan Montgomery, a personal trainer to the country’s most famous pro athletes.

Though Holly doesn’t make the grade on his first-impression meter, Logan finds himself intrigued by her sharp wit and keen insight-a welcome change from the beautiful bubble-headed dolls he usually dates-and impulsively offers to get her back in shape. Ready to make at least one positive change in her life, Holly agrees.

To Logan’s (and her own) surprise, Holly turns out to be a natural in the gym. Throwing herself into exercise, the red head with the blazing wit and welcoming smile slims down into a bonafide looker with killer curves-and a new kind of hunger. Soon, the easy intimacy and playful banter of their training sessions lead Logan and Holly into the bedroom where they share their most intense and steamy workouts yet.

But can a man whose whole life depends on looks commit himself to a woman who doesn’t fit his image? Now that Holly’s turning other men’s heads, does she even need Logan anymore? Are they a couple built to last . . . or is this sizzling affair going to burn out fast?



Ope’s Opinion:  When I started this book, I thought it would be a really sweet love story.  And there is a really sweet love story in this book, but there is so much sex you loose the love story in it.  

                                      The way Logan and Holly met and the beginning of their relationship is priceless.  I really enjoyed it.  I loved the way Holly taught Logan what a real woman is like.  I also liked how she saw herself disappearing into what he wanted and was strong enough to stop it.  It was great to see Logan mature through the course of the story.

                                      Chase and Amanda were weird and useless characters.  Their sex life had little or nothing to do with the rest of the story and detracted from the read.  Other then being there for Holly and Logan to talk to the characters were not likable or realistic.

                                       The “f” word was used too often and not needed.  I wish the creative side of writing had been used and the author could have come up with another word.

Rating:  Three Chairs – I like the book enough to suggest it to a friend or two.



                 FTC – Disclosure of Material Connection: 
      I received one copy of this book free of charge from
                Tracy Diamond ( Harper Collins ). 
            I was not required to write a positive review
                 in exchange for receipt of the book;
         rather the opinions expressed in this review are my own.
                                                       

Library Sale

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Our Annual Library Sale!!!

Each year,  Kristi of Kritters Ramblings , Jennifer of The Underestimated Mom and I go the Loudoun County Library Sale.  It is an awesome girls day out together.  Since we are all book lovers, the event makes us all giddy!  We have different genres we are interested in, so we help each other search for the best books in each section.

We start off bringing bags to carry our treasures home in.

First we were off to the children’s section. Jennifer’s daughter ( my granddaughter ) gets her own supply from the sale.  Her Aunt KK ( Kristi ) helped me pick out a couple of great books.

Jennifer went off searching in the area of home improvement, crafts, etc.
She came up with several good ones for herself.
This is what the gym looked like when we walked in to start our shopping.  
I am sure you could find something here to read!

The back of the car after the shopping was done….




After the sale,  picked our favorite book to talk about over lunch! 


Great Day!!!





Fourth of July

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Tell me what you are reading on the fourth of July??


It is so wonderful that we have the freedom to read whatever we would like.  What is your favorite genre? Do you read outside your usual genres very often?

My favorite genre is chick lit or women’s fiction.  That is all I used to read until my daughter Kristin of Kritters Ramblings introduced me to some new ( new to me ) authors that I really enjoy now.

My daughter Jennifer of The Underestimated Mom  is into crafting books, home improvement and decorating books.

While you are watching the fireworks, remember how nice it is to have the choice of reading your favorite author or trying something new!

Have a great 4th!!

Hope this is your view some time this weekend!

All My Restless Life to Live

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Author:  Dee DeTarsio                                    

Publisher: Dee DeTasio
Pages:  306
Genre:  Women’s Fiction
Source:  BookSparks

Amazon:  All My Restless Life to Live Life is a soap opera, especially for Elle Miller, who writes for one. (Ellen dropped the “n” in her name in hopes of finding a better ending for herself.) When her laptop crashes, she borrows her recently deceased dad’s computer and gets way more than she bargained for. 

Elle unravels mysterious communications from his computer, while her mom decides to give Internet dating a try. As Elle tries to save her career at I’d Rather Be Loved with a storyline featuring a trip through Atlantis, she takes a trip to the Emmys, and finds herself in the middle of a romance between a real doctor and a hunk who just plays one on TV. Friends, family, and clues from “the other side” all help Elle figure out the difference between living the good life and living a good life. 

Fans of Marian Keyes and Jennifer Weiner will delight in Dee DeTarsio’s sparkling prose and lively dialogue as she takes readers into the heart of women’s lives. Filled with friendship, love, loss, betrayal, and challenges that force her characters to find their place in the universe, Dee’s novels give us that hopefully-ever-after we’re searching for. 



Ope’s Opinion:  This was a quick easy read.  I did have some trouble in the beginning getting into it.  It seemed a little wordy at times. 

                       I liked that Elle and Quez talked to each other – the opposite of soap operas where people lie or hide everything.  

                        I am not usually into people talking after they die, but the way the author did this was better than most.  

                        I did like how the book weaved both the soap opera story and the “real life” story together.  It worked.

                        I have not read Dee DeTarsio before – I may try another.



Rating:  Three Chairs – I like the book enough to suggest it to a friend or two.

                 FTC – Disclosure of Material Connection: 
      I received one copy of this book free of charge from
          Book Sparks. 
            I was not required to write a positive review
                 in exchange for receipt of the book;
         rather the opinions expressed in this review are my own.
                                                       



The New Crown

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Author:  Jason Sandberg
Publisher:  Jason Sandberg                          

Pages: 29
Genre:  Children’s
Source:  Jason Sandberg

Amazon:  Julietta the Carpenter can build almost anything using wood, metal or fabric. Her skills are put to the test when she runs afoul of her corrupt King. This new fairy tale introduces a resourceful heroine to the boys and girls of today.





Ope’s Opinion:  My review comes with help from my granddaughter.  I read to her and see how long she is interested and if she ask me to read it again.  So to be honest I have to give half the review credit to Emma!  

                      Emma was anxious to read the new book on the computer this morning.  She liked it, but I think a few of the words were over her head ( She is almost four years old ).  She did giggle at the ending! You’ll have to buy it to see what the ending is – no spoilers here!   When we were done, she asked for the dinosaur book ( Candy and the Cankersaur ), so at this point that is the hit at my house.  

                     I think The Crown is a little older then she is right now, but I think it is a really good book.
                     


Rating:  Three Chairs – I like this book so much I know several friends to share it with.



            FTC – Disclosure of Material Connection: 

      I received one copy of this book free of charge from

          Jason Sandberg. 

            I was not required to write a positive review

                 in exchange for receipt of the book;
         rather the opinions expressed in this review are my own.