Carpe Librum TBR Challenge of 2015

So, not only do I read and write what I think about books I also follow or at least visit other book blogs. I came across this one CARPE LIBRUM GIRLS TBR CHALLENGE

Last year (2014) I focused on ARC (advanced reader copies) and my TBR pile (To Be Read) grew to over 300 books. Though I will be doing ARC reviews through out this year (2015) I am going to join this challenge and attempt to dwindle down my TBR pile. 

THE RULES:

1. The challenge will run from January 1, 2015 - December 31, 2015. The sign up link below will remain open until January 10, 2015 at 11:30am PST.
2. Anyone can enter! You don't have to be a blogger, just as long as you review the book you've read. You can review on your book on your blog, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Goodreads, Instagram etc.
3. Any genre, length, or format of book counts as long as it is a book that's been sitting on your self for some time. Short stories and novellas do count! The only stipulations that the book must have been released in 2014 or earlier. No 2015 ARCs or 2015 fresh-off-the-press releases allowed.
4. On the 30th of every other month, she will post a wrap-up for the previous two months and will contain new linkys for you to add your own wrap-up posts.
5. THERE WILL BE 2 GIVEAWAYS! - IN July and December. Giveaway details will be explained once the giveaway post goes up. She doesn't want to overwhelm you with too many details now  :)
6. You don't have to follow her to join the challenge, but you do have to follow her to be entered in the giveaways on Instagram/Twitter at @carpelibrumgirl and on her Blog through Google Friend Connect ( on the side bar) or Bloglovin Link ( also on the side bar)  either one or will do!.

The Book Levels:

* Put this in your Sign up post or (Social Media Desription signup)*

(how many books you're planning to read for this challenge in 2015)

1-10 - A Friendly Acquaintance


11-20 - A Firm Grasp on My Pile


21-30 - Clearing it out


31-40 - I Got This!


41-50 - More Room on My Shelves!


50+ - I'm Married to my TBR Pile

So How Do I Join??

1. Write a post about joining the 2015 TBR Pile Challenge on your blog. If you don't have a blog, post about it on Facebook or tweet about it via Twitter or repost my IG Post on  your IG Page!. 
2. In your post, don't forget to include: the button/banner, link back to My Sign Up Page, the level you're aiming at and - if you want - a list of books you're hoping to read for the challenge.
3. Place the challenge button in your sidebar (please use the grab link at the Bottom of the post).
4. Link up in the linky below using the link to your post/tweet.
5. That's it! You're done! Welcome to the challenge, stay tuned for lots of fun! And most importantly, good luck with tackling your TBR Pile! 

 

My TBR Goal : 31-40 - I Got This!

I would normally aim for higher ( I read almost 60 books in 2014 including children's books I reviewed) but I am still going to be doing my ARC's, just not as many, and working for BTSeMag.com reviewing books. 

Candy Experiments 2 by Loralee Leavitt

Published: December 2, 2014

Published by: Andrews McMeel Publishing

Paperback, 160 pages 

Candy Experiments 2 by Loralee Leavitt includes over 60 new science experiments using candy. 

Chapters include: 

Acid & Bases

Density

Light

Crystals

Melt

Dissolve

Just add (or remove) Water

Free the bubbles

and Just for Fun. 

There is also sections on experiment tips and candy experiment science fair projects. The author includes with each experiment the necessary information such as how long the experiment will take, skill level, what you will need, what to do and an explanation as to what is happening and why.She also includes cautionary notes when needed for experiments that are hot to the touch etc. so that no one gets hurt. Some of the experiments contain more candy experiment ideas to expand on what is being taught.

I found these experiments very informative. The author does an excellent job explaining why the kids are getting the reaction they are out of their candies well enough for the target age group to understand what is going on. 

The page's are laid out in such a way that it easily attracts the reader's attention and shows them how fun these experiments can be. This book will easily be a hit for any child interested in science and even those who aren't by making science fun.

Some fun experiments include making a Gummy Frog Swim, Bend a Straw without touching it and Bending Light. 

I received this book from Goodreads giveaway for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. 

A Spool of Blue Thread

A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A Spool of Blue Thread is Anne Tyler’s twentieth book she has written over her fifty years of writing. Some of her work has earned Pulitzer Prize, National Book Critics Circle Award and many have been New York Best Sellers.
The house on Bouton Road has housed two generations of Whitshank’s. It has now come down to Abby and Red Whitshank’s two daughters and two sons to figure out the best course of action for the future of the house and the best arrangement for their parents who are not getting any younger. Three generations of Whitshank family stories are shared, secrets revealed and magic of these stories are felt and forgiveness rendered.
The author uses the advantage of setting “A Spool of Blue Thread” in Baltimore, Maine which is where she lives, to make the platform for the story realistic. It’s off of this setting that she introduces the reader to the multitude and complex characters of this story. There isn’t a character or relationship in this story that the reader will not be able to relate to or be reminded of someone in their own family.
This is my first Anne Tyler book I have read. I enjoyed seeing the characters develop and how the title of the book played into the story. I look back on the cover of the book now and I get a different feel and sense to the book.
I recommend this book to anyone who likes family stories or stories that are based more on the characters then the plot.
I received this book for this review from Edelweiss. All opinions are my own.


View all my reviews

A Hippopotamus Needs Braces

Danny by Yann and Gwendal Le Bec

Publisher: Nobrow Ltd / Flying Eye Books

Publish Date: April 14, 2015

$14.95

Hardcover, 40 pages

Color Illustrations Throughout

Juvenile Fiction / Animals

Ages 3 to 7; Grades P to 2

ISBN-10: 1909263427

ISBN-13: 978-1909263420

Danny is a potbellied hippopotamus who lives in a swampy marsh. Upon getting his teeth cleaned by the local swamp fish, he learns that he can fix the gap between his teeth by going to the dentist. Leaving his swampy marsh, Danny travels to the city to find the dentist who insists on giving Danny braces. Showing off his new braces to the local swamp animals, Danny makes a reptile envious. The reptile goes to see the dentist himself, which doesn't end well for the dentist. 

I find the age group that is recommended for this book to be off. The author uses words like meticulous and aghast, which I find hard to believe that kids ages 3 to 7 would understand. I also think that the way some parts of the story are told it's a little long winded for kids with short attention spans. While reading this to my daughters who are 2,4, and 10, my two younger daughters lost interest really quickly but my eldest daughter's words were "this book should be directed for my age group." She found the ending quite comical.

The illustrations in the book, which were done by Yann Le Bec, are a perfect match for the story's scenes. They gave the right amount of detail for each of the scenes that were needed to visibly show the audience what was happening.
I recommend this book to kids ages 10 and up, who would get the most out of the story's pace and comical ending.
I received this book from edelweiss for this honest review. All opinions are my own (and my daughters).

~Jamie Crosby~

Do Opposite to Really Attract?

The Viscount's Christmas Temptation by Erica Ridley

Dukes of War #0.5

Amazon

• File Size: 4091 KB
• Print Length: 148 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1939713293
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Publisher: Intrepid Reads (October 21, 2014)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English

The Viscount's Christmas Temptation is a prequel to Erica Ridley's first series, Dukes of War. 

In London, England in 1815 Lady Amelia Pembroke, meticulously ran her younger brothers estate. She had be running it since their mother died when Amelia was only twelve. Now as a spinster at the age of nine and twenty, she realizes that unless she finds a husband her brother will never marry for fear of displacing his sister when she wife took over his estate. Not wanting to stand in the way of her brother's happiness,Lady Amelia concocts the rational idea of narrowing down her potential suitors by crossing off those without the right rank or the right reputation. 

She then planns to meet the ones that were suitable all under the same roof at the Sheffield seventy fifth annual Christmas ball. When her brother told her that the Christmas ball was canceled, Amelia decided to take things into her own hands. Even if it meant working the Viscount Sheffield, a man known for his reckless night time behavior. Will she find a husband? Do opposites really attract? Is being rational the right approach to love?

Though this prequel was short the author did a wonderful job giving the right amount of details in regards to the characters personalities and the setting. Anything more would have slowed down the plot of the story, making the story seem to drag on. Since that wasn't the case the plot smoothly went from one event to the next like one dancing to a slow song. 

I recommend for anyone who likes romance or historical fiction stories. 

I received this book as an ARC from Librarything.com. All my opinions are my own.

Noah Cases the Wind by Michelle Worthington

Noah Chases the Wind by Michelle Worthington Illustrated by Joseph Cowman

• Age Range: 3 - 8 years
• Grade Level: Preschool - 3
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Redleaf Lane (April 14, 2015)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 160554356X
• ISBN-13: 978-1605543567
  Release date: March 23, 2015

Noah sees, feels and thinks differently than most people. Always curious, this little boy loves science, weather, and books. He even loves his books more than his toys because his books answer his many questions. That is until he has a question his books and his mom can’t answer. Where does the wind go? Go on an adventure with Noah as he tries to catch the wind.

This story not only entertaining it teaches kids that it is okay to be different and that they too are capable of finding their own answers. The audience gets to see the world through the eyes of someone who sees it differently than they do.  The illustrations along with the well written story line will keep the audiences attention from beginning to the end.

I enjoy reading a story to my kids that is intriguing as well as teaches them something valuable.

I received this book from the publisher and edelweiss for this review. All opinions are my own.

Start a New Family Tradition

Reindeer Dust by Kate Dwyer

Illustrated by Joanne Lew-Vriethoff

• Reindeerdust.com
• 
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Reindeer Dust Inc (September 1, 2014)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0989317609
• ISBN-13: 978-0989317603

Available in Hardcover: $ 17.95

Santa's reindeer are hungry and with the fog rolling in as thick as cotton balls, the can't see where to land. Will Christmas be canceled? Not if one boy named William can help it. William comes up with a solution that will save Christmas: Reindeer Dust. 

Reindeer dust is a cute rendition of how reindeer dust came to be. Beautifully illustrated by Joanne Lew-Vriethoff, combined with rhymes int the story is a natural hit. It also includes the recipe on how to make your own reindeer dust for Santa's reindeer. 

Highly Recommend this book for families with kids of all ages. "I will always believe"

Note: I received this book to review from NetGalley; all opinions of my own.

FIND THE REINDEER DUST RECIPE HERE

The Witch of Painted Sorrows by M.J Rose

• Print Length: 384 pages
• Publisher: Atria Books (March 17, 2015)
• Sold by: Simon and Schuster Digital Sales Inc
• Language: English
• ASIN: B00LD1ONBC

Do you believe in curses, witches, ghosts, or being possessed? Or do you at least like to read books that contain it?

Set in Paris in the 1890’s, M.J. Rose, walks you through the streets of Paris while spinning a dark tale of a woman unknowingly running from one evil into the arms of another. Sandrine Salome flees her life in New York, and her dangerous husband, to her allegedly safe haven of her grandmothers in Paris. Upon arrival Sandrine finds her grandmother’s house mysteriously closed up. Unable to get any answers from her grandmother, or at least any straight answers, Sandrine goes searching for her own answers and what she finds is more dangerous than what she ran away from. Be coming possessed by an ancient family member who was a witch, a legend and a courtesan, Sandrine is opened up to her erotic nature as a lover and a painter. But is this possession a curse or a hidden gift?

In the beginning Sandrine is a meek, nervous, and scared but M.J. Rose does a wonderful job changing this character to be brave, passionate, and determined by the end. The author does this in a way that seems natural and not forced. She guides you through all the emotions and events that led up to and are constantly changing Sandrine, making the dramatic change in the character believable and not something that just happened over night.

The books description calls it a “provocative and magical spellbinder”. Which is not at all far from the truth, it has many explicitly erotic scenes. The pace of the story is that of one of the erotic scenes. Slow foreplay to start, an exciting and riveting middle, and a quick end. Though the story flowed from one scene without hesitation but the last to chapters seemed to jump from one time to the next with holes in the timeline. 

http://www.pinterest.com/mjroseauthor/journey-of-the-page-6-the-witch-of-painted-sorrows/

Doctor Who: The Blood Cell

• Print Length: 258 pages
• Publisher: Broadway Books (September 9, 2014)
• Sold by: Random House LLC
• Language: English
• Publication Date: September 9, 2014

Summary:

""Release the Doctor - or the killing will start." 

An asteroid in the furthest reaches of space - the most secure prison for the most dangerous of criminals. The Governor is responsible for the worst fraudsters and the cruellest murderers. So he's certainly not impressed by the arrival of the man they're calling the most dangerous criminal in the quadrant. Or, as he prefers to be known, the Doctor. 

What does impress the Governor is the way the new prisoner immediately sets about trying to escape. And keeps trying. Finally, he sends for the Doctor and asks him why? But the answer surprises even the Governor. And then there's the threat - unless the Governor listens to the Doctor, a lot of people will die. 

Who is the Doctor and what's he really doing here? Why does he want to help the Governor? And who is the young woman who comes every day to visit him, only to be turned away by the guards?  

When the killing finally starts, the Governor begins to get his answers..." ~Amazon

Review:

I am afraid to say that this book was not one of my favorites nor was it as good as the other (New) Doctor Who books in this series. Doctor Who: The Crawling Terror and Doctor Who: Silhouette where written in third person; where as this book was written in the first person. I found that this took way for the story what would have amplified it were it written in third person. Though I enjoyed the roots and principles of the story I felt that it was lacking in comparison to the other Doctor Who books I have read. 

*I received the book free from Blogging For Books for my review. All opinions are my own *

Our Endless Numbered Days: A Novel

Paperback: 382 pages Publisher: Tin House Books (March 17, 2015) Language: English ISBN-10: 1941040012 ISBN-13: 978-1941040010 Summary Peggy Hillcoat is eight years old when her survivalist father, James, takes her from their home in London to a remote hut in the woods and tells her that the rest of the world has been destroyed. Deep in the wilderness, Peggy and James make a life for themselves. They repair the hut, bathe in water from the river, hunt and gather food in the summers and almost starve in the harsh winters. They mark their days only by the sun and the seasons. When Peggy finds a pair of boots in the forest and begins a search for their owner, she unwittingly unravels the series of events that brought her to the woods and, in doing so, discovers the strength she needs to go back to the home and mother she thought she’d lost. After Peggy's return to civilization, her mother begins to learn the truth of her escape, of what happened to James on the last night out in the woods, and of the secret that Peggy has carried with her ever since. My Review I always approach a book with an open mind, no matter the genre or topic. But that being said, I didn't expect this book to be in my limited favorites shelf. I was amazed on many levels with this book. The authors description of the setting was vivid. I read before I fall asleep and upon closing my eyes I still could see the tree's, the hut and the rest of the scenery in detail. It was like I was right there. The turn of events at every corner made it a hard book to put down. It was amazing how the author writes and makes everything flow together, but then at the end she makes you doubt and question things and you can see how things could have been different. I can't really explain better without spoiling the whole story. I got so into the book that upon ranting and raving about certain events in the book to my husband he turns and laughs, saying "You really got into this book didn't you." Yes, Yes I did. I have nothing bad to say about this book. This book has the potential to be one of the must read books of 2015. I received this book for free for my honest review. All opinions are my own and I have not promised nor am I required to give a positive review for this book.

The Descartes Highlands

More Info

Author Bio

Print Length: 300 pages Publisher: Akashic Books (October 13, 2014) Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc. Language: English Genre: Fiction/Asian America Book Description: Two men, each unaware of the other, share a common family secret: they were sold for adoption by their American father shortly after their births in the Philippines. Three alternating stories interweave the experiences of father Andrew Breszky and the two sons who try to connect and piece together the puzzle of their reckless, impulsive father. One lives in New York and the other grows up in the south of France, later traveling all over Asia as a documentary filmmaker. Both will discover that their relationships somehow echo that of the young man whose history eludes them. Celebrated Filipino writer Eric Gamalinda's international debut novel is a contemporary work of ideas that combines mystery, film noir, and existential philosophy. Highly intricate and written in a style reminiscent of the maverick narrative techniques of such filmmakers as Andrei Tarkovsky and Béla Tarr, and with some of the philosophical underpinnings of Michel Houellebecq or Javier Marías. Named after the region of the moon where Apollo 16 landed in the same year these men were born, The Descartes Highlands demonstrates that for lives marked by unrelieved loneliness, the only hope lies in the redemptive power of love. My Review: I am sad to say I didn't make it through this book. The first chapter read rather choppy, that's the best way to describe it. It didn't flow well. The second and third chapter, got be extremely interested in the story and what was going to happen. But once I got to the four chapter I couldn't finish it. The graphic scenes and foul language was to much for me.  I am not even going to quote a piece for you to see yourself, I felt that uncomfortable I received this book from Edelweiss for my review

Doctor Who: The Crawling Terror

• Print Length: 258 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0804140901
• Publisher: Broadway Books (September 9, 2014)
• Sold by: Random House LLC
• Available at: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Books a Million, 
• 
  

" And I thought Iraqi camel spiders were bad." he muttered. 

The Doctor and Clara land in a quiet little town of Wiltshire, Britain. It wasn't until they stumbled onto a cocooned man rendered down to skin and bones, caught in a giant spider web that they realized that Wiltshire wasn't as quiet as it seemed. Zombie town people, giant mosquito, mysterious symbols on stones and a mad scientist, all lead to one ending, a dangerous one.

To be quite honestly with you, I have never watched, read or even heard of Doctor Who before I started to read this book. Even with that I caught on to everything rather quickly. I also don't particularly enjoy "creepy crawlies". That being said I surprising, not just liked this book, I loved it. The book made me laugh at times, and intrigued at others. I could not put it down. I can not wait to pick up another Doctor Who book

* I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

Bread Baking for Beginners

* I received this book for free for my honest review.

I was excited to start using this book, I have made white bread and banana bread before with hit or miss accuracy. I was looking forward to a more informative resource to help me understand what I was doing wrong. In this aspect I was not disappointed. The beginning of this 27 page ebook was set aside to explain why exact temperature, measurements and more are important when making breads.

Unfortunately, this was the only highlight of the book. I found the recipes incomplete and was not able to test any of them out, even though they sounded delicious. There were no oven temperatures on any of the recipes and no pictures. Though the pictures are not necessary, they would have made this document look more professional and less like something typed up in a word document.

Daily DASH for Weight Loss: A Day-By-Day DASH Weight Loss Plan

Publication Date: August 18, 2014

• Publisher: Rockridge Press (August 18, 2014)
• Available in : Print and ebook
• Available at: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Books a Million
• 
  

The DASH, standing for The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, diet focus' on weight loss and reducing one's blood pressure. "..(the DASH) plan was developed for people who have to manage high blood pressure (as known as hypertension)."

Broken into three parts, including a section full of information a 28 day meal plan and recipes, this book is your one stop source to getting your hypertension under control. It does not just stop after those 28 days are over, no, this book gives you tops and knowledge on how to continue to make progress on your own.

A clinical study in 1997 involving hundreds of people with this problem, looked at the effect of diet on blood pressure. Over eight weeks these people partook in one of three diets, one being the DASH diet. The results showed that the DASH diet. The results showed that the DASH diet had "lowered systolic and diastolic blood pressure the most."

Not only does the book provide you with recipes,a 28 days meal plan and how to use it. It also is a reference guide to how diet effects blood pressure, what organ's are effected and how they are effected by high blood pressure. Questions are answered like "Understanding what your blood pressure means" and what to do.

Amazingly informative and easy to comprehend book on DASH with recipes including Breakfast, Snacks, Soup/Salad/Sandwiches, Entree's and Desserts. All recipes are delicious and worth a try.

A Big Thumbs up!

Disclosure: I received this book free of charge from Library Things Early Reader Program in exchange for my unbiased review of it. All opinions are mine.

Of Life's Troubles and Triumphs

Publication Date: July 29,2014

Publisher: Random House

Available in: Print, Ebook, and Audio

Available at: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Books a Million

With an attention getting book cover and the first lines being "My father's wife died. My mother said we should drive down to his place and see what might be in it for us." Amy Bloom has attracted readers to enter to world of Eva Logan. But that's all she did. Though the book cover, at least for me, had nothing to do with the novel itself, it does get one wondering on what's inside. Mind you I am not saying that this novel is BAD I am saying that it doesn't live up to the hipe of the first two lines or the book cover. 

Eva's life before the age of twelve was one in which she had no complaints, but that changed when her mother dropped her on Eva's father's door step and drove off, never to return again. Eva is astonished to find out that her father is actually a wealthy, college professor with a sixteen year old daughter. Though her father won't even acknowledge that she is his own daughter Eva becomes know to all as his niece. With all this negativity in her life the only person with whom she is treated nicely is her own half sister, Iris. After helping Iris with practicing to win competitions, Eva and Iris run to Hollywood on the money from the competitions. 

This is only the beginning, the drama piles up in the novel, but Amy Bloom does a wonderful job describing her scenes and the characters experiences that it doesn't read like a contemporary drama. Narrated by Eva Logan herself, Ms. Bloom interrupts the narrative with letters from Iris and another character. Thus, the reader is able to follow these other characters in their paralleled lives without derailing the main narrative. 

This novel shows that family is not just limited to the relatives you have but the people who love you too. Though life can through a lot of troubles your way all you have to do is dust yourself off, move forward and triumphs will come your way. 

Book Synopsis:

"NEW YORK TIMES "BESTSELLER 
""My father's wife died. My mother said we should drive down to his place and see what might be in it for us."" 
So begins this remarkable novel by Amy Bloom, whose critically acclaimed "Away" was called "a literary triumph" ("The New York Times"). "Lucky Us" is a brilliantly written, deeply moving, fantastically funny novel of love, heartbreak, and luck. 
Disappointed by their families, Iris, the hopeful star and Eva the sidekick, journey through 1940s America in search of fame and fortune. Iris's ambitions take the pair across the America of Reinvention in a stolen station wagon, from small-town Ohio to an unexpected and sensuous Hollywood, and to the jazz clubs and golden mansions of Long Island. 
With their friends in high and low places, Iris and Eva stumble and shine though a landscape of big dreams, scandals, betrayals, and war. Filled with gorgeous writing, memorable characters, and surprising events, "Lucky Us" is a thrilling and resonant novel about success and failure, good luck and bad, the creation of a family, and the pleasures and inevitable perils of family life, conventional and otherwise. From Brooklyn's beauty parlors to London's West End, a group of unforgettable people love, lie, cheat and survive in this story of our fragile, absurd, heroic species. 

The Soul of the Witch by Dana Michelle Burnett

Published Date: July 19, 2014
Page Length: 246 pages
Available in: Print and Ebook
Available at: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Books a Million


Do two halves really make a whole?
Two families joined together by a single moment in history, separated for over four hundred years. Both families being watched over by employees of a hypercritical woman, for generations upon generations and why? Because they possess a gift that she wants to extinguish. 
Mystery, revenge, anger, and confusion possess these two families for over four hundred years and threaten to continue. That is, until Devan and Janesa become best friends in high school. That is when weird events become apart of their lives. Clueless to what is going on Janesa and Devan are imparted upon the knowledge of their past, by the very man who during this generation is supposed to find them and eliminate them before they reproduce any more heirs to their gift. Nick, though hired to follow and eliminate these two girls, wonders if they are really as bad as all the files he has been given from the past four hundred years states. Going against his employer Nick hands over the files to Devan to help her understand what has been happening to her and her best friend and maybe even why.
Told from the present with Janesa and Devan ,as well as letters from the file from over the past decades their story unfolds in front of your eyes. Leaving you to wondering as to why these two families are followed so thoroughly and make your own decisions as to what is good and evil. 
A great story for those of you whom love a mystery, witches, and suspense. A must read

Disclousure: I received this book free for my honest review

Indexing by Seanan McGuire

Publication Date: May 21, 2o13
Page Length: 420 pages
Publisher: 47North
Available as: Print and Ebook
Available at: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books A Million
Read the First Chapter: http://www.tor.com/stories/2013/05/indexing-excerpt


Are fairy tales real? If so, how dangerous can they really be?

Seanan McGuire helps the readers explores a new way of looking at fairy tales, through the eyes of a field team employed by a secret government agency to stop these fairy tales from surfacing in the real world."...most important, thing you need to know about fairy tales: once a story starts, it won’t stop on its own. There’s too much narrative weight behind a moving story, and it wants to happen too badly. It won’t stop, unless somebody stops it."

Told from the point of view of the agencies top field team leader, Agent Henrietta Marchen (an adverted Snow White), you walk through different fairy tale stories trying to stop them from coming into the real world. The rest of the field team includes a wicked step sister, an elf from the Elves in the Shoemaker, a non story agent and a Pied Piper. Not only do you follow a fairy tale story through each chapter but you also are walked through the bigger fairy tale going on in the background oblivious to all.

This story was sometimes hard to follow, and though you were in a different fairy tale each chapter it was repetitive in some descriptions and slow to get to the main plot of the story. Finding this to be the only real down fall to the story, the new way of looking at fairy tales as a whole was enlightening. Being a huge fan of urban fairy tale stories, fairy tales told in different ways, I have not found one that I have read yet that views them this way. It makes you see the common fairy tale characters in a new light.

I was though, a little disappointed in the fact that there weren't all fairy tales introduced in this story, they introduced Mother Goose and  Alice in Wonderland which are not fairy tales. I also felt that a different title would have suited the book better.

The Catch by Taylor Stevens

Goodreads Synopsis:
Vanessa Michael Munroe, the informationist, chameleon, and hunter who has built her life on a reputation for getting things done—often dangerous and not-quite-legal things—returns in this new novel from the New York Times bestselling series by Taylor Stevens.
   In the wake of going head-to-head with international sex traffickers in The Doll, Munroe has retreated to Djibouti, where, while passing as a man, she finds work as an interpreter for a small, private, maritime security company. Pressed into duty at sea by her boss, Leo, Munroe discovers she is part of a gunrunning operation and she wants no part in protecting the crew or cargo. When the ship is attacked by pirates off the Somali coast, Munroe escapes and takes the unconscious captain with her to get answers. Leo's wife, Amber Marie, the only person Munroe has cared about since she arrived in Africa, is desperate when Leo goes missing along with the rest of the hijacked crew, so Munroe agrees to try to find him for Amber Marie's sake. She soon realizes it's not the cargo or the ship or the crew that the hijackers were after: they want the captain. On the run, wounded, without connections or resources, and with the life of the captain as bait and bartering chip, Munroe believes that the only way to save Leo, assuming he's still alive, is to hijack the ship back.
Review:
I am finding it really hard to review this book, since I have not read the other three stories in this series. I had not released when requesting this book that it was apart of a series.

That being said I had a hard time understanding where everyone was coming from and who they were. Though I found it slow for this first hundred pages or so I found this book to very interesting and captivating.

The Angry Woman Suite by Lee Fullbright

I can not say this better then the reviewers at Kirkus Reviews

KIRKUS REVIEW

Secrets and lies suffuse generations of one Pennsylvania family, creating a vicious cycle of cruelty in this historical novel that spans the early 1900s to the 1960s.

Raised in a crumbling New England mansion by four women with personalities as split as a cracked mirror, young Francis Grayson has an obsessive need to fix them all. There’s his mother, distant and beautiful Magdalene; his disfigured, suffocating Aunt Stella; his odious grandmother; and the bane of his existence, his abusive and delusional Aunt Lothian. For years, Francis plays a tricky game of duck and cover with the women, turning to music to stay sane. He finds a friend and mentor in Aidan Madsen, schoolmaster, local Revolutionary War historian, musician and keeper of the Grayson women’s darkest secrets. In a skillful move by Fullbright, those secrets are revealed through the viewpoints of three different people—Aidan, Francis and Francis’ stepdaughter, Elyse—adding layers of eloquent complexity to a story as powerful as it is troubling. While Francis realizes his dream of forming his own big band in the 1940s, his success is tempered by the inner monster of his childhood, one that roars to life when he marries Elyse’s mother. Elyse becomes her stepfather’s favorite target, and her bitterness becomes entwined with a desire to know the real Francis Grayson. For Aidan’s part, his involvement with the Grayson family only deepens, and secrets carried for a lifetime begin to coalesce as he seeks to enlighten Francis—and subsequently Elyse—of why the events of so many years ago matter now. The ugliness of deceit, betrayal and resentment permeates the narrative, yet there are shining moments of hope, especially in the relationship between Elyse and her grandfather. Ultimately, as more of the past filters into the present, the question becomes: What is the truth, and whose version of the truth is correct? Fullbright never untangles this conundrum, and it only adds to the richness of this exemplary novel.

A superb debut that exposes the consequences of the choices we make and legacy’s sometimes excruciating embrace.

https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/lee-fullbright/the-angry-woman-suite/

September 2014 Review List

I thought I would give you all a preview of the books I have listed to read this month for Reviews:

The Angry Woman Suite by Lee Fullbright

Currently Reading 

Book Description

Publication Date: February 22, 2012

2012 DISCOVERY AWARD WINNER, FIRST PLACE, LITERARY FICTION
SAN DIEGO BOOK AWARD, "BEST MYSTERY"
2012 GEISEL AWARD FOR "BEST OF THE BEST," SAN DIEGO BOOK AWARDS
2013 READERS' FAVORITE INTERNATIONAL BOOK AWARDS GOLD MEDAL, "HISTORICAL MYSTERY"
KIRKUS CRITICS' PICK
More from Kirkus Reviews:

"Raised in a crumbling New England mansion by four women with personalities as split as a cracked mirror, young Francis Grayson has an obsessive need to fix them all. There's his mother, distant and beautiful Magdalene; his disfigured, suffocating Aunt Stella; his odious grandmother; and the bane of his existence, his abusive and delusional Aunt Lothian. For years, Francis plays a tricky game of duck and cover with the women, turning to music to stay sane. He finds a friend and mentor in Aidan Madsen, schoolmaster, local Revolutionary War historian, musician and keeper of the Grayson women's darkest secrets. In a skillful move by Fullbright, those secrets are revealed through the viewpoints of three different people--Aidan, Francis and Francis'stepdaughter, Elyse--adding layers of eloquent complexity to a story as powerful as it is troubling. While Francis realizes his dream of forming his own big band in the 1940s, his success is tempered by the inner monster of his childhood, one that roars to life when he marries Elyse's mother. Elyse becomes her stepfather's favorite target, and her bitterness becomes entwined with a desire to know the real Francis Grayson. For Aidan's part, his involvement with the Grayson family only deepens, and secrets carried for a lifetime begin to coalesce as he seeks to enlighten Francis--and subsequently Elyse--of why the events of so many years ago matter now. The ugliness of deceit, betrayal and resentment permeates the narrative, yet there are shining moments of hope, especially in the relationship between Elyse and her grandfather. Ultimately, as more of the past filters into the present, the question becomes: What is the truth, and whose version of the truth is correct? Fullbright never untangles this conundrum, and it only adds to the richness of this exemplary novel."  Kirkus Reviews

The Soul of the Witch by Dana Michelle Burnett

Received free for my review from Librarything.com

Book Description

Publication Date: July 19, 2014

From the author of the haunting Spiritus Series, comes an epic, mesmerizing novel of witchcraft and revenge.
Once again, she sweeps readers away with her spellbinding storytelling and the crafting of legend. Dana Michelle Burnett creates a reality of seductive witches, murder, revenge, and an ancient secret going back four centuries.
In a small Indiana town, alone in the dark, a man watches and waits...waiting to see if the stories are true about The Soul of the Witch.

It begins with two girls, the very best of friends with an amazing psychic bond. As children they were lonely outsiders, but now as adults, Devan and Janesa’s powers are growing stronger and more difficult to control. When a mysterious stranger comes to town offering to tell them a dark and magical secret about their past, they are thrown into an old battle they didn’t start, but one that threatens to claim their very lives.

Jealousy and suspicion threaten their lifelong bond as they set out to solve the mystery of their past and their budding supernatural powers. The novel moves from past to present from the small town of New Albany, to nineteenth century England, to the witch hunts in Ireland, and back again. A complex tale of seduction and evil unfolds--starting on a fateful night in the sixteenth century because of a forbidden love and a curse . . . A curse meant to punish and torment throughout the following centuries.

Can they trust this stranger? Can they trust themselves as the dark secrets they learn threaten to tear them apart? Will the curse at last claim The Soul of the Witch? 

Received free from Edelweiss Reviews for my Review

Book Description

Publication Date: July 15, 2014

“Intelligent writing, masterful pacing, and tense and fluid action scenes that feel ready-made for the cinema." —Associated Press
 
   Vanessa Michael Munroe, chameleon and information hunter, has a reputation for getting things done—often dangerous and not quite legal things.    The adrenaline-fueled work has left her with blood on her hands and a soul stained with guilt. Having borne the burden of one death too many, Munroe has fled to Djibouti, Africa. There, where her only responsibility is greasing the wheels of commerce for a small maritime security company, she finds stillness—until her boss pressures her to join his team as an armed transit guard on a ship bound for Kenya. 
   Days into the voyage, Munroe discovers the security contract is merely cover for a gunrunning operation of which she wants no part. The ship is invaded off the Somali coast and in a moment of impulse while fighting her way out, she drags the unconscious captain with her. But nothing about the hijacking is what it seems. 
   The pirates were never after the ship; they’d come for the captain. In chasing him, they make their one mistake: targeting Munroe raises the killer’s instinct she’s tried so hard to bury. Wounded and on the run, Vanessa Michael Munroe will use the life of her catch as bait and bartering chip to manipulate every player with a stake in the ship’s outcome, and find a way to wash her conscience clean.

Received at a reduced price from Amazon Kindle First~ Release date October 1,2014

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2014

Some mysteries are better left unsolved.
It’s been fifteen years since Mandy Reasoner was murdered—a crime for which her boyfriend, Duke, was convicted. But when high school students and best friends Betty and June discover that Mandy was June’s long-forgotten aunt, they decide to pursue the mystery. Galvanized by the growing community who doubts the evidence against Duke and is rallying to free him, the two girls start on a path that will bring them not only to Duke himself but smack into Nickel, a canny, tough-as-nails teenage P.I. attempting to keep his own life together. They make a good team, but Nickel is on his own mission of revenge, and the web of lies surrounding Mandy’s murder is growing ever thicker.
The closer they get to the truth, the less clear the path becomes. Will they survive the fight to bring Mandy’s killer to justice?
Award-winning author Aric Davis brings back his captivating anti-hero, Nickel, in Tunnel Vision, a work of edgy noir about unlikely friendship and long-overdue justice.