Three For The Money by Janet Evanovich

What could be more fun than riding along with Stephanie in whatever car that she is currently driving trying to find people who have failed to appear in court and broken their bond agreement. In this installment of the series, Stephanie is on the search for Mo, a candy seller who is beloved by all of the people who live in the burg. It should be an easy case for Stephanie but of course it isn't. This series is brainless mind candy but so much fun to read. I'm sitting in the breakroom at work laughing while I'm reading this and at the same time I am being thankful that I am the only one in there because otherwise I would look like an idiot. But you can't help but laugh at the situations that she gets herself into. Plus add Lula into the mix (who is my favorite character) and it is a wild and crazy ride. I recommend this series because it has been fun to read and hope that the next one is as fun as the first three books.
Challenges: Numbers Challenge
My Rating: 4 out of 5

Reading Update: I'm currently in the midst of Gods of Alabama by Joshilyn Jackson which is really good so far. I'm curious to see where the author is going and I really like what I've read so far. My son starts kindergarten the middle of next week so I've been trying to keep my mind occupied lest the waterworks begin early. That being said I am hoping that I get a good portion of this book read or even finished by this weekend. Of course that would mean that the Olympics don't distract me which they have been. Hope everyone is enjoying watching the Olympics and reading as well :)

Book Love

As busy as I have been lately, I have still been collecting books like crazy. I'm pretty sure that I've stated before that I am not usually a book buyer. Unless I am at Goodwill and buying books for dirt cheap...that is just to much for me to resist. Anyways....I went to visit a relative of mine and came home with two grocery sacks filled with books to borrow and read. Lovin it!! Here is what I got and let me know if you have read any of these:

• Critical Mass by Steve Martini
• Where The Heart Is by Billie Letts (turns out that I actually own a copy of this so I will be returning this one unread)
• Suzanne's Diary For Nicholas by James Patterson
• The Bourne Ultimatum by Robert Ludlum
• The Attorney by Steve Martini
• My Losing Season by Pat Conroy (plus she said that all of this author's book are REALLY good so I am adding the rest to my TBR list if I like this one)
• 1st To Die by James Patterson
• The Simple Truth by David Baldacci
• Riptide by Catherine Coulter
• Nights of Rain and Stars by Maeve Binchy
• A Price For Everything by Mary Sheepshanks
• Scarlet Feather by Maeve Binchy
• Evening Class by Maeve Binchy
• The Gulag Archipelago by Aleksandr I. Solzhenitsyn
• Echoes by Maeve Binchy

Plus I have a bunch of library books checked out that I need to get to:

• Undead and Unwed by Mary Janice Davidson
• The Laughing Corpse by Laurell K. Hamilton
• Shadow Game by Christine Feehan
• Reunion In Death by J.D. Robb
• The No. 1 Ladies Detective by Alexander McCall Smith
• Gods In Alabama by Joshilyn Jackson

How in the world am I going to read all of these books especially the library books before they are due? Aack! But it is such a good feeling to have plenty of choices and be surrounded by books :) I'm in the middle of Three For The Dough by Janet Evanovich which is a ton of fun to read. I'm always giggling while I'm reading these books. I'm off to blog hop and then put my nose in a book!

Book Reviews

Because I am 4 reviews behind I am going to catch myself up all in one fell swoop. Sorry if they are a bit short and you can always email me at samantha.1020@yahoo.com if you have any questions for me about a certain book or just leave a comment. Here is a few reviews of what I have been reading:

34. Seduction In Death by J.D. Robb- Another mystery involving Eve and her hubby Roarke. I can't even begin to explain how much I enjoy these series. It is a treat for me to pick up these books. In this book, Eve is trying to track down possibly two killers who are drugging and killing young women. I really liked the side story with Peabody and McNab and felt that it added to this book. This wasn't the best in the series but it was still pretty good so I gave it a 4 out of 5 rating. I already have the next book in this series checked out from the library :)
Read for the A-Z Challenge ("S" Title)

35. Grave Peril by Jim Butcher- I have been reading a lot of series books lately. This is a fairly new series to me (I'm only on #3) but I am really enjoying it. I love Harry and am always rooting for him to come through. In this installment, Harry is up against an unknown someone who has been stirring up ghosts and causing all sorts of trouble for Harry. This was a good book and I felt like he developed into an even more likeable character. The ending was bittersweet for me but also made me want to read the next book sooner rather than later. I ended up rating this one a 4.25 out of 5.

36. Better Read Than Dead by Victoria Laurie- The second book in her Psychic Eye series has Abby involved with the mafia. She has major relationship issues with Dutch and is trying to help Dutch's old partner in a serial rapist case. It all adds up to be a fun read that kept me guessing to see how Abby was going to get herself out of it all. I did guess one part of the ending but it didn't keep me from enjoying the rest of the book. I will keep reading this series and see where it goes from here. I rated this one a 4 out of 5.
Read for A-Z Challenge ("L" Author)

37. Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death by M.C. Beaton- I've been hearing a lot of differing opinions on this series with you either like or don't like Agatha. Apparently I like Agatha because I really enjoyed this first book. I know, I know....like I need another series to start reading but whatever. In this 1st book, Agatha moves to Cotswalds and then decided to enter into a baking contest in order to try and fit in with her neighbors. Except she buys her quiche and later it is found that it has poisoned and killed the judge of the contest. This was a very simple mystery but it still drew me in and kept me wrapped up within it wondering what kind of trouble Agatha was going to get into next. And I liked her as a main character. I rated it a 4.5 out of 5 and am looking forward to the next book in this series.
Read for the 1st In A Series Challenge

I am officially on book #38 for the year which is Three For The Money by Janet Evanovich. I am looking forward to a few good laughs and a visit with Grandma Mazur. I've got a ton of books checked out from the library that I need to get to. Plus, I should probably buckle down and read a few books for my challenges but....we'll see. I really just enjoy making the lists anyways. It is going to be a busy few weeks as we buy my oldest his very 1st school supplies and go to backpack night. He is going to have to start with a bedtime again which I am sure that he is not going to be thrilled about. Oh well...that is just the way the ball rolls sometimes, right? Well, I'm off to take my daughter on a walk and get some fresh air and exercise. Hope to talk to you all very soon :)

Go Cubs Go!

I've had a pretty laid back weekend which has been really nice. We grilled out and then played softball in the backyard. I'm knee-deep into Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death by M.C. Beaton. I really have enjoyed this book so far. It is very laid back and a definite cozy but still I am enjoying reading about Agatha. More reviews will be coming soon. Tomorrow is going to be a fun day as I'm off to Chicago on a bus trip to see the Cubbies play. Hence the title of this post. :) I'm ready to have a few beers and a hotdog or two. It was a stressfull and emotional week for me.
My oldest baby is five and I registered him for kindergarten this week. I got tears in my eyes just looking at him in his brand new Spiderman backpack. What am I going to do when he actually starts school? Plus, we had to go to the doctor for a physical which meant four shots! Very traumatic to say the least. But all is well now and he is very excited for school. Think of me tomorrow cause I'll be singing Go Cubs Go!

Drop Shot by Harlen Coben

Drop Shot is the 1st in Coben's Myron Bolitar series. I've read Coben previously but never any books relating to this series. It was a nice, suspenseful read. This author is the master of keeping the reader guessing. It is fun for me to let him lead me down a winding path of questions, suspense, and excitement. And quite frankly I have not read a bad book by this author yet.
Myron is trying to figure out what really happened to a girl that has been presumed dead for years...but now she might be alive. There all kinds of twists and complications that make this story suspenseful. A strong book and a great beginning to a new to me series...I'm anxious to continue on.
Challenges: 1st in a Series Challenge
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

I'm The Vampire, That's Why by Michelle Bardsley

This book was hot, hot, hot!! I'm fairly new to the paranormal romance genre and this is the 1st book that I have read by this author. The book was about a mother who is turned into a vampire and the changes that she has to deal with. To be honest, I couldn't figure out how this would realistically work. Especially with the main character being a mother. But I let the author take me for a ride and really enjoyed the book. It had me laughing at times and there were some very steamy scenes between the main characters. The ending was a bit weak but overall I really enjoyed this book! Can't wait to get to the next book in the series.
Challenges: A-Z Challenge ("B" Author)
My rating: 5 out of 5
In completely unrelated news...my baby is this close to walking. Yikes! I can't keep up with her, hence, I keep falling further and further behind....yada, yada. I feel like I keep saying that I'm going to catch up but life keeps getting in the way. So I'm not going to worry about it and we will see what happens. I'm reading Better Read Than Dead by Victoria Laurie. It's the 2nd book in her psychic eye series. Good so far but I'm not very far along. I still need to review Drop Shot (Coben), Seduction In Death (Robb), and Grave Peril (Butcher). I WILL get there. ;0) Until next time....

Sex, Murder, and a Double Latte by Kyra Davis

I really enjoyed this book and found it to be a fun read! Sophie, the main character, is a mystery writer who is caught up in a mystery herself. It seems that someone is reinacting the scenes from one of her novels and the police think that she is crazy. This book read like a chick lit/mystery which at times had me laughing out loud. I really liked Sophie and am going to have to check out the other books that this author has written. Sorry that this review is so short but I read this awhile ago and am now having trouble remembering exactly what I wanted to write about. :) Oh well.... On another note I have been buying books left and right. For some of you that isn't anything new but for me this is unusual. But I found out that my local thrift store sells books for dirt cheap (0.88-1.39) and I can't seem to help myself. Loads of fun if I do say so myself. Still working on catching up with reviews but I will get there...talk to you all soon.
Challenges: A-Z Challenge ("D" Author)
My rating: 4.25 out of 5

Aunt Dimity's Death by Nancy Atherton

How in the world did I get so far behind? And where did the time go? Aack! This is going to be a very belated review but I'll do the best that I can. Aunt Dimity's Death would probably be considered a cozy mystery but it isn't your typical mystery. There isn't a killer and the mystery of the story pertains to what happened to Aunt Dimity in her lifetime that is still haunting her after her death. I loved the atmosphere that the author created for this story. It sucked you in and made you feel like you were there. Because the mystery portion of this book was on the lighter side and combined with the atmosphere it gave the book a slower pace. The author still was able to keep the reader interested in the story that she was telling while slowly revealing pieces of Dimity's life. I enjoyed this story and am going to continue on with this series. It was a nice change of pace for me! I promise to try and catch up with reviews and challenges posts in the next week. :) LOL! We'll see how that goes....
Challenges: A-Z Challenge ("A" Author)
My Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Back Soon!

Busy, busy. I must apologize but I will be back soon...I HAVE been reading but haven't had a chance to do any reviews. Plus, I have a few challenge posts that I need to do. Talk to ya soon :P

Sam

The Sunday Salon- Absent

Sorry that I have been away for the past couple of weeks...I guess that is to be expected as I adjust to working full time rather than going to school. It has definitely cut into my reading time as well :( but what can you do? I HAVE been reading though which is always a good thing. I recently finished Aunt Dimity's Dead by Nancy Atherton. I'll try and get a review up later today but suffice it to say that I loved the atmosphere that the author created with this novel. I'll be continuing on with this series.

I've picked up a new to me author and am reading Sex, Murder, and a Double Latte by Kyra Davis. It's really good so far and I'm trying to fit in reading time whenever I can. It makes me giggle and the mystery has drawn me into the story so hopefully I'll be able to read this afternoon. It's a gloomy, rainy day...the kind of day I love where I can curl up with a good book. I've always loved a good thunderstorm :) I'm off to catch up with all of your blogs-happy reading!!