This is such a charming little book. I purposely didn't read the back blurb and as such wasn't sure what to expect when I began it. I only had some vaThis is such a charming little book. I purposely didn't read the back blurb and as such wasn't sure what to expect when I began it. I only had some vague memory of positive comments about the story. I was continually surprised by the plot twists and turns. It's been far too long since I've read something that was pleasant through and through. I enjoyed Sophie's go with the flow attitude (can't say as I'd be nearly as accepting and pleasant as she initially was with her transformation!) and her quirky sense of humor. Howl, the cad, was a great character. Very selfish and self-centered and almost childishly funny at times, he managed to worm his way into my good graces by giving Michael & Sophie a home without conditions or questions....more
This is the second book in Catherine Asaro's Skolian Empire Saga and is also another not-to-be missed read for hard-core scifi fans and romance reade This is the second book in Catherine Asaro's Skolian Empire Saga and is also another not-to-be missed read for hard-core scifi fans and romance readers looking for a well-written futuristic love story.
Ms. Asaro has created another extraordinary heroine and hero while maintaining a non-stop action filled read. I now know why these books appeal to so many different types of readers - there's adventure, romance, political intrigue and interesting future societies and theories that boggle the mind.
The best thing about this book for me was the characters. If I can't care about them I just won't be able to get into a book no matter how interesting others may find it. The author takes as much care developing her characters as she does her plot which makes this book so special. Tina may only be seventeen but she was forced to grow up early and her actions, and responses to the unbelievable situations she's thrust into are very realistic. She's vulnerable and tough, smart and easy to like. Althor is a perfect match for her, he's strong, sensitive and moody and with her strong empathic abilities she's probably the only one who would be able to fully understand and love him.
My only complaint, and it's a minor one really, that can probably be attributed to the fact that I don't read much hard scifi, is that sometimes the book lapsed into long technical explanations that jogged me out of the story and because I read this book immediately after finishing PRIMARY INVERSION some of the explanations didn't seem necessary to me so I skimmed them. Despite that nit I can't recommend this one highly enough. The characterization is flawless, you'll love and route for these people as they face impossible odds....more
This was one of my favorite romance novels back in the 90's and, being all burned out and jaded, I decided to pick it up again to see if I'd enjoy it This was one of my favorite romance novels back in the 90's and, being all burned out and jaded, I decided to pick it up again to see if I'd enjoy it as much as I did back before I became so grouchy.
Much to my surprise, I enjoyed it from beginning to end. Though a few of the pop references are dated, the humor and the romance were both a delight to read and it brought me back to those days when I looked forward to spending an afternoon reading to my hearts content.
This book is about Nina, a newly divorced 40 year old woman, who is finally living her life on her terms but she's a little lonely and decides to adopt a friend. Planning on adopting a spunky new puppy she instead falls for the soulful old eyes of a beagle mix named Fred. He smells, he's long past his youth and just looking at him makes her even more depressed but once she sets her eyes on him she can't leave him sitting in the pound and takes him home to her new apartment.
Because of Fred, who mistakes neighbor Alex's window for Nina's, she gets a surprise visit from the sexy younger ER doctor. The two become immediate friends and although he'd like to become a whole lot more, Nina is reluctant because she fears she's too old for him.
What follows is a book full of charm and wit and is a definite must read if you need some cheering up. ...more
My just-about-to-turn-six year old little girl (and fellow chocaholic) adores this book. We've read it so many times together that she knows each pageMy just-about-to-turn-six year old little girl (and fellow chocaholic) adores this book. We've read it so many times together that she knows each page by heart.
Lilly is a cute little mouse who decides to save her last Valentine's Day chocolate heart. But where shall she put it? Where will it remain safe and clean? She searches throughout her home but nothing will do. It's far too dusty under the bed, the picture frames are too narrow (the heart will surely fall off & get lost!), the bookshelves are too crammed with books. Finally, Lilly decides the best place to keep the heart safe is inside her belly. When she's finished enjoying her last treat she wonders aloud when Valentine's Day will come around again.
This is an adorable little hardback filled with charming drawings of Lilly's pastel world. I disagree that the packaging will turn off older kids. The light colored palette and lively drawings are exactly what attracted my daughter (well, that and the chocolate heart!). Boy's, however, will probably steer clear of this one ~ I know my son runs when we pull this one out :)...more
This is an audio collection of a few assorted Gaiman stories written for the kiddies. The stories were peopled with oddball characters and fantasticalThis is an audio collection of a few assorted Gaiman stories written for the kiddies. The stories were peopled with oddball characters and fantastical plots as is to be expected from Gaiman's work.
"Wolves In The Walls" begins when a young girl begins to hear odd sounds emanating from within the walls. She's eventually told by per parents the sounds are the wolves that live in the walls and if they get out "it's all over!". They don't seem too worried about it however as they carry on with their distracted lives. This is a wonderfully eerie little tale and it's read perfect by Gaiman (as they all are).
"Cinnamon" is the story of a young princess who will not talk. Her vexed family promises great riches to anyone who can force her to speak. A very-sure-of-himself tiger arrives to do the job correctly. The ending of this one had me grinning.
"The Day I Swapped My Dad For Two Goldfish" is a great story about another otherwise occupied parent. This time he gets traded away for two goldfish who interest his son much more than he does. Trouble arises when the boy realizes he's in big trouble when mom returns home!
The final story is a poem called "Crazy Hair" which any kid who has ever moaned at having his/her hair brushed can relate to. The disk ends with a sweet interview with the author who is questioned by his young daughter.
I've already listened to this twice and will probably read it several more times because it's so darned charming. ...more
Though I may not have the willpower to give up milk, fish, cheese and ice cream (say it isn't so!) cold-turkey I am definitely going to aim towards a Though I may not have the willpower to give up milk, fish, cheese and ice cream (say it isn't so!) cold-turkey I am definitely going to aim towards a bean, grain, fruit & veggie diet and am starting to research vegetarian & vegan lifestyles. This book is a real eye opener and I'm very glad I had the chance to read it.
The scariest part about this book for me was the possible US epidemic of Mad Cow and the fact that this book made so much sense that I want to scream out these facts to the world. Lyman, a former cattle rancher turned vegan activist, goes into graphic detail about practices kept well hidden from the unsuspecting public. It's a tough read but an important one....more
Because the world needs one more Rebecca review . . .
A shy young lady becomes friendly with a wealthy widower old enough to be her father. When her employer decides to pick up and relocate, Maxim de Winter proposes they marry rather than lose her to her job. She doesn’t quite expect this and doesn’t quite understand his intentions at first but no worries because he makes things clear, "No, I'm asking you to marry me, you little fool." Soon after, I guess to seal the deal, he calls her an idiot or something like it.
Now tell me, how could a girl resist that kind of romantic proposal?
They marry and he whisks her away to his mansion by the sea. It’s so fancy it even has its own name, Manderley. From the moment the new Mrs. de Winter arrives at Manderley, she is overwhelmed by its opulence and suffocating feelings of insecurity. She fears she will never be able to live up to the standards set by Rebecca, the former wife. Rebecca was beautiful, outgoing and everybody loved her. Rebecca’s presence lingers within every room of the house. Mrs. Danvers, the evil head housekeeper who adored Rebecca, makes matters just about as terrible as she can for the new wife.
I felt so bad for the new Mrs. de Winter. She was young, naïve, cripplingly shy and completely unprepared for the social aspects at Manderley. She feels inferior at every turn and who can blame her? Her husband is overbearing and dismissive and kind of a jackass, if you ask me.
Things are so bad she even compares herself to Jasper, the family dog, when her new husband finally sees fit to give her a little attention, “I was Jasper again.” My heart broke for her even as I wanted to scream at her to toughen the hell up.
Even though I thought Maxim was a terrible husband and I wished Mrs. de Winter had a stronger backbone early on, it did not take away from my enjoyment of the story. There is a feeling of dread that hangs over every crevice of Manderley and there are many ugly and juicy secrets that suited me just fine. I can see why this book has become a classic. It’s a pretty fabulous gothic and the villain is deliciously villainous!
The narrator, Anna Massey, brings the story to life and does an amazing job with all of the characters. There was never any question in my mind about who was speaking or who had just entered a room. Even as the last word was uttered, I was wishing for more and that’s not something that happens to me often. I’m the queen of “let’s get this thing done so I can move on to the next”. Now I can't wait to track down this movie!...more
This cookbook is highly recommended for anyone looking to eliminate animal products from their diet without sacrificing tasty treats.
So far I've madeThis cookbook is highly recommended for anyone looking to eliminate animal products from their diet without sacrificing tasty treats.
So far I've made the basic chocolate, basic vanilla, black forest and peanut butter cupcakes and they were all delicious. Just don't mix them up too much of the center falls. The author explains this in the technique section of the book but it's an error I continue to make....more
Read and reviewed in 1997 when I was a gushing fool.
I hesitated reading this book, not because I have anything against Justine Dare/Davis (she is one Read and reviewed in 1997 when I was a gushing fool.
I hesitated reading this book, not because I have anything against Justine Dare/Davis (she is one of my favorite authors) but because FIRE HAWK is the third in Dare's Hawk trilogy, and I have a thing about reading books in order and I don't yet have my hands on the 2nd book HEART OF THE HAWK yet. When I heard Dare was taking a different approach to the trilogy - writing them backwards - I decided to take a chance and read her latest FIRE HAWK first. And I'm real glad I did because, IMO, I think this book should be read first (not to mention it's a WONDERFUL read!). To my understanding all of these books are related by a mysterious tome that appears in each story when there is only one member of the Hawk line remaining. This book, FIRE HAWK, explains the origin of the mysterious tome that guides the Hawk family and introduces the characters who began the Hawk line back in the tragic and brutal medieval time period.
Jenna and her clan have managed to live in peace for years in their magical glade while the world around them is torn by war and death. But all of that comes to an end when an evil Warlord sets his sights on their glade and slowly begins killing them off as they wander from their safe haven ignorant of what awaits them. After her Brother is murdered Jenna is named Hawk - leader of the clan - an honor she never wanted. With this heavy responsibility on her shoulders, fear and anguish in her heart, she realizes the only way to save the few remaining members of her clan is by seeking out the mystical warrior known only as Kane, a man she fears may not even exist except in legends. She hopes he will teach her people, who've never learned how to fight, how to defend themselves and possibly save their magical land from invasion.
Kane has escaped his brutal and haunted past and found solitude on his isolated mountain. He is less than thrilled when Jenna shows up and asks him to don his warrior garb and help her out. He repeatedly refuses but her persistent arguments and his increasing attraction to her force him to take drastic measures to get her the heck away from him ASAP. He's bad for her and he knows it so he offers her a bargain that is sure to have her running in terror. But he screws up big time because he misjudges her courage and love for her people and she accepts his very ungentlemanly deal. Now he feels guilty and is in one heck of a mess but he can't take back his offer so he begins her lessons and puts his his heart in danger.
Kane and Jenna's love story is not an easy one. They have a lot of pain and obstacles to face before they can find love but with the help of Kane's gorgeous wizard friend, Tal, they get a little magical push to help them along. Both are strong, courageous and likable characters. And although the book is filled with adventure the story never loses focus of the love story. The sensual tone and the heart-wrenching emotions it tugged out of me kept me anxiously turning the pages and dropping everything to get back to the book. If I have anything to complain about it would be that Tal's interesting past is never fully explained. I'm going to be really bummed if Dare doesn't write his story!!! Anyway, I very highly recommend it, especially to those who like wounded/tortured heroes and courageous heroines ...more
This book murdered me and all of my emotions and it is getting all the stars. This was a reread because I like to indulge in a bit of self-torture eveThis book murdered me and all of my emotions and it is getting all the stars. This was a reread because I like to indulge in a bit of self-torture every now and again. I originally read it as a teen and remember it scaring me but this time it scared me on an entirely different level and broke my heart so many times. King is a master at characterization and at grief. You know these people, you understand why they do what they do even when you're brain is screaming "No, no, Noooooooo don't do it" but they do not listen. I was reading another book with similar themes at the same time as this relisten and it was striking to me how much better King did the people. I think every horror fan needs to do themselves a favor and read this book, if you haven't already.
Also, if you listen on audio get the version narrated by Michael C. Hall AKA Dexter. He is amazing.
This is not a review because there are ten million of them already so don't come at my lazy bum in my own review space about my lazy ways....more
If werewolves are your cuppa tea you HAVE to add this book to your to-be-bought list. It fascinated me from beginning to end. Aggie meets the hero by If werewolves are your cuppa tea you HAVE to add this book to your to-be-bought list. It fascinated me from beginning to end. Aggie meets the hero by running him down with her car. When he regains consciousness he doesn't know who the heck he is, just that his name is Michael. When Aggie learns he is going to be released from the hospital directly to the streets or a homeless shelter she feels so guilty she takes him home (she also has ulterior motives, she's a journalist/columnist suffering from writer's block and will use his recovery as a scoop). Slowly he begins to regain bits and pieces of his past and it's mostly frightening. He fears he's not human and he wills himself to forget but it's impossible with Aggie around arousing his senses, his libido and his, ummm, true self. I fully enjoyed this story. The plot was great fun, with a nice balance of lightness and angst, the hero was scrumptious and the heroine likable. I don't think I will ever tire of reading about werewolf heroes. There was an issue concerning the eventuality of children that I felt was wrapped up way too quickly but overall it's a small complaint because the story was terrific. There is just something so romantic about their mating for life that gets to me every time. This is the first book in a trilogy but it does stand alone quite nicely. ...more
This book took me a little longer than normal to finish it because I had to put down between stories as it kept tearing my heart out. The stories of hThis book took me a little longer than normal to finish it because I had to put down between stories as it kept tearing my heart out. The stories of healing and compassion are so very heartwarming but it was the author's own story of overcoming tragedy and how she managed to turn her life into one of servitude to broken souls that truly captured my attention. Many people would have sunk into a deep depression and a life of "why me?" but she instead turned it around to help others and if she got a little preachy I was able to brush it off because it seemed like her faith was something that helped her get through the rough days. This was a very inspiring book. I hope she someday writes a book based on her life and her struggles to get exactly where she is today. ...more
This is the accompanying book of (in my opinion of course) the most gorgeous tarot deck I've ever seen. I've always been drawn to the fey and these caThis is the accompanying book of (in my opinion of course) the most gorgeous tarot deck I've ever seen. I've always been drawn to the fey and these cards are beautiful and magical without being sickly cute. This book goes through the creative process of creating the deck with tons of enchanting sketches in progress. The cards and their meanings are described with beauty and the book ends with several spreads to gain a deeper insight into the cards. There is also a brief section on the history of the tarot.
...The Fey Tarot... The cards are interwoven with Dreams that soar above daily routine; with Joy that allows us to come through storms and tempests without losing our way; and with Magic, the vital breath of every Fey.
---end note by Riccardo Minetti, The Fey Tarot
This is a keeper but I'm recording it here to alert other to this great deck and book. If you're looking at purchasing a new tarot deck give this one a look. I've been using it for several years now and it has given me some amazing insights and accurate readings when other decks have left me stumped. I can't recommend this one highly enough!...more
I received a copy of this audiobook from Tantor Media. Thanks Tantor!
I’ll be real here. I requested this audiobook because of the cover. I had a vagueI received a copy of this audiobook from Tantor Media. Thanks Tantor!
I’ll be real here. I requested this audiobook because of the cover. I had a vague idea that this was a book of dog stories and had seen the title around for years (yikes, I just realized this is likely because the hardcover is sitting in my tbr pile!) but I had to have it because that cover called out to me.
Come on now, don’t tell me you aren’t tempted by that lovely cover because I won’t believe you.
Dog trainer and author Suzanne Cloutier loves animals.
“To travel in the company of animals is to walk with angels.”
If you feel the same, you’ll benefit in some way from reading this book.
So what’s it about? Well, the author is an experienced dog trainer and here she shares stories and lessons that she has learned over the years while working with dogs. This isn’t a book about how to train your dog to sit or heel or down-stay. This is a book on how best to deepen your relationship with your dog and how to learn to look at life through their eyes. I found that advice and those vignettes the most important take-away from this book. It’s easy to get stressed and irritated when your dog misbehaves and ignores your commands/demands/frantic pleas but taking a moment to calm yourself and see things from their perspective (and the author shows several examples which were so incredibly helpful) may help improve both their behavior and yours. I am totally guilty of being impatient and anxious and giving my poor dogs mixed signals and then I’m left wondering why they’re not doing what I think they should be doing. It also made me more aware of being present, instead of being all up in my own head (hey, I’m a Pisces) and then wondering why my dog has nearly taken my fingers off to get to the chicken in my hand. This book opened me up to my behavior and has made me stop and pause on several occasions.
The author comes across as human, sprinkling in some humor and admits to some of the terrible mistakes she’s made. She owns them and she’s learned from them and she is not perfect. She goes into in-depth discussions about aggression and the mislabeling of aggression that often results in tragedy and how to read warning signs before things escalate. I learned more about aggression and reading signals from this book than I did from any of the training manuals I’ve read in the past.
It’s not a read in one sitting kind of book, unless you’re really into this kind of thing, because some of this information needs to be digested and given a little time to sink in. At least that was the case with me. The ending made me weepy, as she recalls some of the stories of illness and death which is inevitable when you love any living creature but it’s not of the dragged out “Marley & Me” variety. There are beautiful insights about animal and human behavior inside the pages and it basically comes to down to treating those you love with kindness, empathy and sharing all of your love in order to strengthen your relationship. That’s advice the world needs to hear. This book will be a yearly reread for me, for sure.
The version I read was narrated by Pam Ward who has a strong, clear, accessible voice that fills with emotion when the words call for it. If you dig audio, Buddy, Bailey and I highly recommend reading this version.
Wow, did this book ever make me cry. I have to pass it along because every time I look at the back page containing a picture of Gus and Stephanie I goWow, did this book ever make me cry. I have to pass it along because every time I look at the back page containing a picture of Gus and Stephanie I go all teary again.
This book chronicles the story of Stephanie, a young woman battling cancer, who decides to save the life of a homeless young dog named Gus. The book tells their story in both prose and photography and is both beautiful and heartbreaking. I can't bear to read it again so will be setting it free sometime soon....more
My life is crazy and I can't string two thoughts together so the reviews will be short this month. I think this is my favorite Balogh book to date. I My life is crazy and I can't string two thoughts together so the reviews will be short this month. I think this is my favorite Balogh book to date. I just loved everything about it. The two wounded characters who find love and healing within each others arms, simply perfect. It was a beautiful, engrossing, angst-filled read and I have no nits to pick. It totally captured my attention and will be one I save to reread....more