
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Bombshell Catherine Coulter

Monday, July 29, 2013
Sunday Notes on Monday. What''s Good to Read?
Sunday Notes on Monday
So if you have been reading my blog by now you know that every Sunday I play this little game with myself. On Sunday the first section that I read of the Washington Post is the Outlook section, it contains the book section. I go to the last page and read the Washington Bestseller list. This week the bestseller list focused on Paperbacks but it alternates between paperbacks and hardcover. You can check my scoring system on the May 6th post.
This week I have read two on the list, Beautiful Ruins and Ender's Game. I have once again fallen short of my goal of three on the list. But on my list for this week's blog posts are another Catherine Coulter book Bombshell and a book called Sight Reading. What surprised me about these two books is that music is an integral part of the story line.
I have a whole stack of books next to my bed to get through and at this point I am not sure what I will pick up after I finish Sight Reading and Bombshell. My book club book is definitely on the top of the list since the meeting is in two weeks. The book of the month is the Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. This book happens to be on the paperback non-fiction list coming in at number 7. I like to read my book club selection the week before book club so everything is fresh in my memory. It would be interesting to know how many of you are in book clubs and if you wait till right before your meeting to read the book. I have to admit that sometimes I have cut it a little to close and the day of the meeting I am scrambling to get the book read. My book pick for the club is next and I am trying to decide which one to choose.
So have a wonderful week and make sure you pick up a book to read.
Click on the titles below for more info





Saturday, July 27, 2013
Ladies Night by Mary Kay Andrews

As part of the divorce proceedings she is forced to attend therapy to try to work out some of the hostile feelings she has for her cheating husband which happens to be all ladies and one man. They end up forming a bond and so their therapy session becomes Ladies night.
Thursday, July 25, 2013
Hot Fun in the Summertime
Nunley's was on Sunrise Highway and it was owned and operated by William Nunley. It was opened from 1939 to 1995. That is a long time. It had a fortune teller similar to the one that was seen in the movie Big with Tom Hanks. I am sure you all agree that was a really great movie. Aside from the rides there was an arcade with one of my favorite games Skee Ball.
When I was little the ferris wheel that you see in the picture above was so large or so I thought so at the time. Looking at it now I realize it was tiny. That still didn't take away from the fact that if it stopped and you were at the very top it was thrilling. But my very favorite thing in the whole park was the carousel. It was beautiful. All the horses looked majestic and beautifully painted. I tried never to ride the same horse twice but I did have a weakness for the ones that had roses along their mane. And I remember there was one lion. I could never figure out why the designer of the carousel put a lion on the merry go round at all but I guess it gave it character.
As with so many things Nunley's is gone but the memories will always live on. Check out this you tube video.
So beautiful
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
The Apple Orchard by Susan Wiggs

I like Susan Wiggs as a writer. She is a smart romance novelist that combines just the right elements of story line and romance. After reading this, I have decided it is one of my favorites of hers.
The thing about romance novels is that you can't really say to much with out giving the story away so I will keep this brief and hope you pick it up and read it. Tess finds long lost treasures for people. What Tess never expected to find was a family, her family. Her Mom had always told her that her Dad was just a one night thing who she knew nothing about. Just so happens she new a lot about him and Tess finds out she has a half sister Isabel and a Grandfather. Seething at her Mother who travels for her job and is conveniently unavailable to answer Tess' questions she makes the trip to this Apple Orchard owned by her newly discovered family. There she devlops a relationship with her sister, finds the man of her dreams who happens to be a neighbor of Isabel and oh yes a few antiquities thrown in for good measure. This book would make a great Lifetime movie and you all know how much I like my Lifetime movies.
Monday, July 22, 2013
Sunday Notes on Monday. What's Good to Read?

Sunday Notes on Monday
So if you have been reading my blog by now you know that every Sunday I play this little game with myself. On Sunday the first section that I read of the Washington Post is the Outlook section, it contains the book section. I go to the last page and read the Washington Bestseller list. This week the bestseller list focused on Hardcovers but it alternates between paperbacks and hardcover. You can check my scoring system on the May 6th post.
After weeks of not doing well playing my little game I am finally back on the boards. This week I have read these books as follows 1. Inferno (Blog Post June 25, 2013), 8. Gone Girl (Blog Post Dec 11, 2012) and 10. The Heist. In case you missed the post on The Heist It was release yesterday July 20, 2013 and it has a fun story line and all the humor found in Evanovich's Stephanie Plum novels.
In addition I am giving myself a half of a point because I am currently reading the number 3 book Bombshell by Catherine Coulter and I will let you know how I like it in the next week or so. In addition I am working on the novel Ladies night by Mary Kay Andrews. I always enjoy her books when I feel like just kicking back.
And before I close I just want to mention that I read a really good romance novel The Apple Orchard which I will blog about this week. So have a great week and happy reading!
Click on any book below to get to Amazon





Sunday, July 21, 2013
Have you ever Heard of Ted Talks
I met a friend at Nordstrom's Café the other day. We hadn't seen each other in awhile and so we had a lot of things to catch up on. It was great to just be able to sit and chat. Towards the end of the conversation we chatted briefly about books and she happened to mention something called TED talks. At first I thought she was going to start talking about the movie Ted which people find incredible funny or incredibly stupid. Sorry you Ted/Seth McFarland fans I am not one of the people thinking it is really funny. It has fleetingly funny moments but they are tiny moments.
She specifically recommended one on work life balance which I am sure many of you are struggling to find and so I watched it when I got home. I have included the link below. And because I was curious I went to the TED Website to find out what TED was all about and this is what their website said:
TED is a nonprofit devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. It started out (in 1984) as a conference bringing together people from three worlds: Technology, Entertainment, Design. Since then its scope has become ever broader.
TED's mission statement begins:
We believe passionately in the power of ideas to change attitudes, lives and ultimately, the world. So we're building here a clearinghouse that offers free knowledge and inspiration from the world's most inspired thinkers, and also a community of curious souls to engage with ideas and each other the non-profit devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading
Work Life Balance https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdpIKXLLYYM
Saturday, July 20, 2013
The Heist by Janet Evanovich

Friday, July 19, 2013
Gone Girl The Movie

Awhile back I blogged about the book Gone Girl. I just read that there is a good chance that the book will be made into a movie and that Ben Affleck will star as the male lead. One word about that PERFECT!
For the female lead they are looking at Emily Stone, Charlize Theron and Natilie Portman. I was thinking more like Jennifer Lawrence but I guess one of the others will do.
The good news is I have read the book first. I just hate to go to a movie before I have read the book, especially if the book was popular and I had it on my must read list.
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Foodie Wars
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
The Maze By Catherine Coulter
This is where it all began. Like When Harry Met Sally, this is where Sherlock met Savich. If you read Tailspin and enjoyed it, go back and read The Maze if you haven't already. Lacey Sherlock hadn’t really considered becoming an FBI agent—until life threw her a curveball that changed her path entirely.
She ends up assigned to a unit led by Dillon Savich. If you're a fan of NCIS, think of Savich as the FBI’s version of McGee, our favorite computer wizard. Not sure how many of you watch the show, but I never miss an episode. For those unfamiliar, McGee can do it all: track down bad guys, triangulate locations, and hack into any system. Honestly, I wish I had half his skills.
In The Maze, Sherlock and Savich take down the villain and fall in love—all in one thrilling novel. So if you're looking for a story that blends suspense and romance, this one’s a gem. And while you're on a Catherine Coulter kick, give The Cove a read—another romantic thriller that I thoroughly enjoyed.
Monday, July 15, 2013
Sunday Notes on Monday What's good to Read
Sunday Notes on Monday
So if you have been reading my blog by now you know that every Sunday I play this little game with myself. On Sunday the first section that I read of the Washington Post is the Outlook section, it contains the book section. I go to the last page and read the Washington Bestseller list. This week the bestseller list focused on Paperbacks but it alternates between paperbacks and hardcover. You can check my scoring system on the May 6th post.
So I am sad to report this week that I have not read one single book on the fiction paperback bestseller list from the Post this week. And what is sadder is there really isn't much to add. Well maybe I will add the Catherine Coulter novel Backfire.
It is another Savich and Sherlock FBI thriller and I really like that series. In fact check out my post on the book The Maze this week. Same dynamic duo is featured in that book.
What surprised me this week was that I had read one of the books on the non fiction list and I am reading another. I generally am a fiction reader but lately I find myself reading a lot more non fiction. Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail came in as number 7. I really enjoyed reading this book and you can check out my post on April 3, 2013 for more details. I am now reading the number 8 book The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. So I guess I can give myself 1 and one half points for that. I guess it wasn't a total wash out after all. Have a great week.
Click on any of the books below to enter the Amazon website.






Saturday, July 13, 2013
The Hit by David Baldacci

While I liked this book, it was not my favorite. I much preferred Baldacci's John Puller books which include Zero Day and The Forgotten.


Wednesday, July 10, 2013
Life After Life by Kate Atkinson

I broke my rule with this one. I almost put the book down but I decided to give it a little more time and I am glad I did because it was a most interesting read. There are many books on the market now that deal with near death experiences or maybe someone who has "died" and come back. Ursula the main character appears to die only to come back to life. And the book is almost but not quite like the movie Ground Hog Day. That is the movie starring Bill Murray who ends up living the same day over and over until he does everything right. Ursula lives many lives not just the same day over but I think you get my comparison. It is like she is stuck and keeps going back and doing things over again.
On the day of Ursula's birth she dies and it will not be the last time. What I found the most fascinating thing about the book is that with each life she leads there are subtle changes to her and the people around her. Which makes me wonder, if I could go back and redo an event or a period in my life how would the changes I make effect me and those around me. It sure would be interesting to find out. Would I have a different family and friends, would I pick the same college major, would I be living in the same place, the same state?
Then you look at the bigger world issues. Could catastrophic events be avoided if someone came back to a place in time and made one small change on how they responded to something. Would it change the course of history? Could Ursula change the course of history in this book?
The book brings up many thought provoking issues. I finished the book a week ago and I am still thinking about it.
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
OMG Leftover Doughnuts???
http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/food/ways-to-use-leftover-doughnuts/2013/06/24/ea05abe8-d93b-11e2-a016-92547bf094cc_story.html
Monday, July 8, 2013
Sunday Notes on Monday: What's Good to read?
So if you have been reading my blog by now you know that I every Sunday I play this little game with myself. On Sunday the first section that I read of the Washington Post is the Outlook section, it contains the book section. I go to the last page and read the Washington Bestseller list. This week the bestseller list focused on Hardcover books but it alternates between paperbacks and hardcover. You can check my scoring system on the May 6th post.
Alas for the past few weeks I have not reached my goal of three out of ten books read on the Washington bestseller list. I am sad but will not give up. It is not unusual for me to miss the mark when The Post focuses on hardcover since as a rule I wait for books to come out in paperback before I buy them. I also think I need to change my strategy a little bit, for the rest of the summer I will read books that kind of jump out at me when I am browsing online or at the library and I will let you know what made me choose them. Don't get me wrong I will still check the Post's list but just as a reference to add books to my list of What to Read.
This week the only book I have read on the list is Inferno which I recommend. It is a good read.
I was in the New Jersey area this week and I happened to pick up a copy of the Sunday New York Times. There book section is awesome, it is an entire section dedicated to new books. They don't just have one bestseller list they have several. It makes me wonder why the Post no longer offers this in the Sunday edition. Do they think that people aren't reading anymore? How sad for them.
So I picked a list, Paperback Fiction from The Times and I have read 6 out of the 25 on the list. Not bad but not all that good either. I hoped it would be at least 10 out of 25. My three favorites were The Light Between Oceans, The Art Forger and the Language of Flowers.
I have finished two books this past week Life After Life and The Hit. Look for my posts on these two books coming up soon. I will give you a quick heads up, Life After Life was one of the most fascinating reads for many reasons. That is all I will say so come back and check.
On my reading list for this week is a romance novel The Apple Orchard. I will let you know about that one once I finish it. Not sure what other books I will read this week. Have a great week and check back frequently for my new posts.






Sunday, July 7, 2013
So Much to Read So Little Time





