The Sunday Salon- Reading Phases

Good morning and Happy Sunday to all of my fellow bloggers! Unfortunately, I'm not reading as much as I would like to be but life interferes at times. I'm glad to say that I am loving my new job and everday there is something new. I'm kept busy at all times which is a must for me because with boredom comes a longing to be reading (and not doing whatever I should be doing). I finished and reviewed Dead Girls Are Easy by Terri Garey which I enjoyed. It was a fun read for me which is something that I needed. I have picked up Aunt Dimity's Death by Nancy Atherton. I have heard such good things about this series and I'm glad that I finally picked the first one up. I'm not very far in yet but I really like what I have read so far. Have any of you read this series yet??

I've also joined a few more reading challenges. I have come to the conclusion that I just like making lists for these challenges. And they inspire me to read more out of my comfort zone which is always a good thing. I did finally finish my 1st reading challenge ever which was the Spring Reading Challenge. But I haven't posted about it yet. Maybe later this afternoon after I am done checking out all of your blogs. For now I leave you with the above picture that is adorable to look at (my son is #8).

Dead Girls Are Easy by Terri Garey

The story starts with Nicki Styx almost dying....she is brought back to life by a sexy ER doctor. But now she sees dead people and the trouble doesn't end there. These spirits want her to do different things for them but one of the spirits is out to harm Nicki. Add in a few more twists and turns and you've got a recipe for a fun read!
I really enjoyed this book and need to look into if this author has written a sequel or not. The author leaves it open enough in the end that she could make a sequel but I haven't heard anything about a second book. I think I will go check out the Barnes and Noble website and see what I can find. Back to the book though...it was a really good book and I enjoyed reading it. Nicki was a fun character to spend time with and had her fair share of faults and strengths. All in all, this turned out to be a good read and I recommend!
Challenges: A-Z Challenge ("G" Author)
My Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Betrayal In Death by J.D. Robb

This is an overdue review but here we go! In the next book of the In Death series, Eve is dealing with a killer for hire. The problem is for once she knows exactly who the killer is but doesn't know why he is killing the victims or who has hired him. The only clear connection seems to be Roarke. Of course this is going to cause major problems for Eve but she continues to grow in this book. I love the way Eve interacts with other characters in the book. Robb (Nora Roberts) paints a very realistic picture of Eve and allows for the reader to connect with Eve. This book was read for pleasure as I love to read this series and find the books to be a relaxing way to spend the evening. This one was just as good as the rest of the books in the series so far. I'm looking forward to the next book for sure!
My Rating: 4.25 out of 5

The Sunday Salon- Not Enough Reading Time

Good morning everyone! I think my title to this post says it all. There just isn't enough time to read sometimes, is there? That being said I am flying through Dead Girls Are Easy by Terri Garey. This is fun and easy read for me with some paranormal aspects thrown in the mix. I'm really liking it so far. The main character is very strong and sassy. I'm also reading Boone's Creek by Katherine Neff. This is unusal for me as I don't usually read two books at once. Now that I am working full time though I am reading Boone's Creek at lunch on my breaks. I like the break between the two books. Does anyone else break up their reading like this??
I've recently finished Betrayal In Death by J.D. Robb. I need to get my review up but I've been too busy. I'll catch up soon enough. Now enough talking. I've got a bunch of library books that I REALLY want to read but they are going to be due soon. I hate when that happens. Got to get to reading and blog hopping. Everyone have a good Sunday!

Ill Wind by Rachel Caine

In Ill Wind, the author takes us on a thrilling ride. Joanne has an interesting job: she's a weather warden. This basically means that she helps to control the weather so that the weather doesn't destroy Earth and everyone living on it. But now she is running for her life and doesn't know who to trust. This story was filled with twists and turns as Joanne tried to figure out what to do to make things right. The author slowly gives us the reasons as to why Joanne is running as well as giving us background on what led up to cause all of this.
This was a good story that had me intrigued from the beginning. I loved the "new" take on the weather and thought that it was fun to read about. The author kept the pace fast and I became engrossed in this story. I wasn't a huge fan of the ending BUT now I'm interested enough to read the next book sooner rather than later. I keep wondering what the author will think up next :)
Challenges: Spring Reading Challenge, A-Z Challenge ("I" Title)
My Rating: 4.5 out of 5

The Sunday Salon- New Beginnings

I wonder how many of you think of Sunday as a new beginning....a new week is starting so maybe a fresh start as well. I'm going to admit that I don't always look at it in this way unless I have had a particularly bad week. Then I do. But today is a new beginning for me and I thought I would share it with you and then I'll talk about what I have been reading.

I'm graduating today with my elementary education degree. I've been going to school for what seems like forever! I'm really excited if you can't tell. And I would say that most certainly qualifies as a new beginning!! Add to the fact that I also landed a full time job teaching preschool (I start on Tuesday) and you could say that this is going to be a week full of beginnings. Just had to share!

Now on to what I have been reading. I have been working on a book that I received for review. It has a good concept (I think...) but the writing isn't pulling me in at all. For all of you who write and review books, what do you do when you don't care for the book that you have been given to review?? The author sent me this book so I really want to like it. But I am having a hard time getting past the way she writes. It is like she switches between past and present tenses whenever she feels like it. And the writing doesn't seem to have a flow to it. Needless to say I am struggling. I also picked up Betrayal In Death by J.D. Robb because I needed some brain candy. It most certainly is doing the trick and I am flying through it. I'm not going to say any more because you all know how much I love this series.

Happy Mothers Day to all of my fellow Mom bloggers!!!!!

P.S.- Go Cubs go! I got to go to the game yesterday and it was AWESOME! What a Mother's day/graduation gift for me!

Medical Mystery Challenge

Here is my list for this challenge as well with alternates/extras :) (I went ahead and changed my list up a bit)

Death Du Jour by Kathy Reichs
Body of Evidence by Patricia Cornwell
The Bone Garden by Tess Gerritsen

Extras/Alternates
Critical by Robin Cook
The Surgeon by Tess Gerritsen
The Society by Michael Palmer

Chick Lit Challenge

And the challenges just keep on coming :) This will most definitely be a fun one for me! Oops, I forgot to mention that I just need to read 3 off of my list.

Here is my list of possibilities:

• Bitter Is the New Black by Jen Lancaster


• Tales of a Drama Queen by Lee Nichols


• The Undomesticated Goddess by Sophie Kinsella


• Cocktails For Three by Madeleine Wickham


• Sushi For Beginners by Marian Keyes

Southern Reading Challenge

My goal today (if you haven't noticed) is to update my blog with all of the new challenges that I have joined. Then I plan on standing back and going "Aaaaaaack" because I am most assuredly over-extending myself. But it is all in fun so who really cares? For this challenge I had to pick only 3 books written and placed in the South. I added a few extra for just in case measures :)

• Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen


• Gods in Alabama by Joshilyn Jackson


• Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt


• The Girl Who Stopped Swimming by Joshilyn Jackson


• The Mercy of Thin Air by Ronlyn Domingue

Non-Fiction Five Challenge

I joined this challenge awhile ago but I don't think that I posted about it. Or made my list now that I am thinking about it. I made a list of possibilities to choose from for this challenge just because it seemed a bit more flexible. If you haven't joined this challenge yet then come on and have some fun!
Here is my list of possibilities:

• Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond


• The Nine: Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court


• Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah


• I Never Promised You a Rose Garden by Joanne Greenberg


• Mukiwa: A White Boy in Africa by Peter Godwin


• Under The Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer


• Don't Let's Go To the Dogs Tonight by Alexandra Fuller

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling

Oh my! Every single person that has said that this series just gets better and better is COMPLETELY right. I cried at the end of this book. (LOL! What a dork am I?) But I did. It was intense. And I completely didn't see the ending coming. Now I would talk about that but really I am sure that there are a select few who still haven't read this series besides myself. I've already talked about how reluctant I was to give this series a shot. And now I am gobbling them down. This is how insane that I have become...I'm ALREADY planning on rereading these and I haven't even finished the series. Aack! :)
Ok, so here is a brief synopsis: Harry is back at Hogwarts for his fourth year there. Mysterious things have been happening that are starting to make it look like Voldemort is gaining his power back. Enter the Triwizards Tournament. Somehow Harry's name is mysteriously entered into the goblet and now he has to compete in the tournament. But the question remains: who put his name in and why? When I was reading this book I found myself immersed in Harry's world. I just couldn't put this book down. And when I finished the book I just had to sit back and say wow! I ended up rereading the last hundred pages or so because I had read them so fast and I wanted to make sure that I didn't miss anything. I'm dying to pick up the next book but I think I better take a little bit of a break from Hogwarts just so I can savor the experience of reading these books. Suffice it to say that I think that everyone should give these books a shot. But that's just my opinion of course. :)
Challenges: Chunkster Challenge, Heard It From The Grapevine Challenge
My Rating: 5 out of 5 (A+++)

The Sunday Salon- Harry Potter Week

This Sunday I'm knee deep in the magical world of Harry Potter. I keep asking myself how I haven't read these books before now. I'm on the fourth book now and caught up in the Triwizarding tournament. These books are such fun to read. I really didn't think that I would like these books. That's why I waited so long to read them. And now I don't think that I've rated any of them less than a 5/5 rating. Seriously, these are good books! It just goes to show me that I should read more books that are outside of my comfort zone. Do any of you hesitate to read books that are different then what you normally read?
On other news...I got my 1st ever review book in the mail. How exciting is that?!? I can't tell you the title yet though because my daughter is asleep on my lap. ;) So that's up next on my list to read. Plus I have a bunch of good books from the library. Don't you love it when you have a bunch of good books to read? I do. LOL! Happy Sunday to all of you and I'll be visiting your blogs soon.