The Wild Sight by Loucinda McGary

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


First off the Kindle edition has some problems with formatting. I tried not to let the bother me, but I have to admit that I think this would have been a much more enjoyable read if it hadn't been an issue.



Otherwise, this was a good solid mystery/romance with some paranormal elements thrown in for good measure. I liked the mystery more than the romance, I felt that the author could have developed it a bit more than just pawning it off as "instant lust/love" I mean that has it's place, but then I like things to develop a little more than it did. The rest was good. The mystery/suspense part was well written with a few twists that kept me guessing what would happen next.



Like a lot of the books I read for pleasure this isn't a hard book, won't make you think too much, just enough to be pleasant and enjoyable.

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So, since I've promised to blog more often I realized that this was sitting in my drafts and needed to be published so here it is. I'm sure Jackie and I are having a fantastic time and much stitching and knitting has been accomplished. Yeah, that's probably what's happening.....

Books and a Contest

A Morbid Taste for Bones by Ellis Peters

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I'd heard about this series for years and finally decided to look for a copy of the first in the series. Thankfully I found one at a local used book store and I'll be looking for the rest. Brother Cadfael is a wonderfully written character, not to mention the story is good. The good brothers of Shrewsbury Abbey are off to obtain the bones of St. Winifred from her resting spot in Wales and the adventure is on. Brother Cadfael came late to the monastic life, but the lessons learned prior come in handy to help solve the mystery of who shot Rhisiart, the prominent landowner and vocal opponent to the moving of St. Winifred's bones. A short book, but a great read. I can't wait to hunt down the rest in the series.


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And now for the contest. The ever wonderful Edgar is celebrating his 4th Blogiversary with a give away. Even if you don't want to enter you should take yourself over to his blog (Blacksheep's bit of the web)  and view the beautiful stitching. I also look forward to his estate sale finds and info on great movies, oh and the occasional baked treat is always nice too! 

I'm sorry I haven't posted pictures of any stitching lately. This week was the first at my new contract job and it's been busy from the beginning. Nothing like diving in and going straight to work. That also means by the time I'm done in the evenings I really haven't felt like doing much of anything. I have managed to knit on the surprise gift I'm making but that's about all. Tomorrow is Sampler Guild so I promise I'll stitch and make some pictures!

Tonight some friends are throwing a dinner party for my parents to celebrate their anniversary. Even though it was almost 2 months ago, they decided to have a get together and celebrate now that my mom is feeling a bit more herself. They are all close to my parents and I'm sure we'll have a wonderful time together tonight, as we usually do. I might have some pictures from that as well.

Hope you all have a wonderful evening and enjoy some fiber goodness!

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I thought this would publish Friday night, and it didn't, so I'm going to let you in on another contest. Deborah over on Cranberry Samplings is having a give away. So click the link and see if you want to put your name in the hat.

Books, Books, Books!

Obviously I needed to catch up on my book reviews since I've been away from the computer for a week. No really great reason why except that I took a break while I waited to receive the computer I'll be using for my new contract job and can get back to earning some real money. I've even been lax about reading blogs this week, but I'll be catching up this weekend and hopefully will be back to normal after Easter. For now, enjoy some reviews of books I've read lately. It's a bit of a hodge-podge, but then my taste in reading materials is pretty eclectic.

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The Ship in the Hill by William L. Sullivan

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


(Disclaimer: Won through Goodreads "First Reads", signed copy from author.



Another book I'd like to give 3.5 stars to if I could. I loved how this book blended the excavation of an actual Viking ship and the lives that the women found in the ship might have led in the 800's. Weaving some of what really happened, myth, legend and good old fashioned imagination the author brings to life the story of Asa of Agthir and the fictional Dr. Kirstin Williams. I think the author did a great job of taking the Viking legends and sagas handed down through time and used them as a starting point to flesh out the characters from the 7th century in the novel.



What I didn't like about the novel was how the people in the 20th century were "linked" to the people in the 7th century. I realize it helped to move the underlying plot, but seemed a bit contrived at times. But it didn't bother me too much, since it's a technique I've seen used by many a romance author who write stories that involve "time travel" (even though this book didn't).



All in all I enjoyed this book, it was interesting and well written enough to keep me reading well into the night. Plus I feel like I learned something about a part of the world that I didn't know that much about and it made me curious about Viking lore and history.


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The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


The first in a series of mystery novels set in Africa finds Precious Ramotswe setting up shop as a "Lady Detective" after her father's death, definately not something anyone thought she would do with her inheritance. Along the way we learn about Mma Ramotswe's life before becoming the first lady detective in Gaborone. The main mystery surrounds the disappearance of a young boy from a small town in the region, but throughout the book "smaller" mysteries, which really aren't mysteries in the traditional sense of the word, are revealed. Through it all Mma Ramotswe's down to earth intelligence and good sense shine as she helps those who come to her for assistance.



I'd really give this one 3.5 stars if I could. It's a fairly easy read, not too taxing on the brain. I liked that the author stayed true to the setting, giving me as a reading more insight to the area and the people. I'd like to read more of these and will probably try to get them from the library.

Disclaimer: I'm pretty sure I got this one free from Amazon on my Kindle. Too lazy to check and see.

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Enchanting the Lady by Kathryne Kennedy

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Some romance, some fantasy, some magic, some Victorian England and a hot man who's a shape-shifter...what's not to like? I have to admit that I thought this was more a YA book until I hit the first hint of sex and realized it was meant for adults.



This wasn't a challenging read, I had most of it figured out pretty quickly, but it was interesting and fun, and just what a friend likes to call "good brain candy".



I liked Felicity, the main female character. She has spunk, even though it seems she's almost invisible to everyone until she meets Terrence Blackwell, a shape-shifting baronet who is also a spy for the royal family. Terrance can't seem to forget the beautiful woman he can see through the spell cast by relic-magic, the type of magic that killed his brother. Terrence is a were-lion and his character reflects his animal nature, which made sense and made the story even more interesting in my opinion.



The author does a great job of describing an alternate Victorian England that is filled with magical peers and were-animals, where even the buildings aren't what they seem. This is the first in a series that I downloaded from Amazon when it was offered as a free promotional and is no longer offered free. I liked it enough that I'll be downloading the other books in the series soon since this really gets a 3.5 in my book!


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I started a new knitting project, but I can't show it off yet. It's a present for a friend that I'm fairly certain reads my blog. Also, I haven't taken any pictures. I do have some stitching updates that I need to blog about so be on the lookout for those. 

Finally A Book I Really Liked

Dead Witch Walking by Kim Harrison

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This book was a very nice surprise, partly because I've been reading a lot of ok but not good much less great books and partly because I really wasn't expecting to like it quite as much as I did. If I could give it 4.5 starts I would.



Rachel Morgan is the kind of character I like in my paranormal with a bit of thriller books. She's surprisingly more "human" than "witch" and she doesn't even realize it. She's tough, but a bit vulnerable. And she's honest, and steadfast (which is not a word you see often but I think it describes her perfectly.) She certainly can get herself into some interesting situations, living in an old church with a vamp qualifies as interesting in my book. Throw in some pixies in the garden, an old witch across the street, a rat turned human (or would that be a human turned rat turned human), a very interesting bad guy (or is he the really bad guy?), some more really mean witches and a demon and it's a fun ride from start to finish.



I'm looking forward to seeing what kind of secrets all the characters really have as this series progresses because that's what's going to make this all very interesting.

I downloaded a free copy of this book from Amazon to my Kindle.

View all my reviews

Friday's Should Be for Books

So from now on, or until I get tired of doing it, I'll  post about books on Fridays. Hopefully I'll actually have something to talk about each Friday. Of course with the knitting blog week I'm participating in this week that means there will be two posts at some point today. Luck ya'll

Murder Off the Books by Evelyn David

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I enjoyed this book. Not high lit by any means, but a good solid mystery. The characters were well written and I really loved the interaction between Mac and his lovely dog Whiskey. The story was convoluted enough to keep me interested and the ending was a bit of a surprise. I hope to read more about Mac and Whiskey solving mysteries and saving the day. (And maybe even getting the girl?)

View all my reviews

Downloaded when offered free on Amazon.

Currently reading: Dead Witch Walking (Rachel Morgan/The Hollows, #1) on Kindle.

Murder and Mystery: It's Books Again

Here I was lamenting I hadn't been reading so much and I've finished another book. I really would have given this one 3 1/2 stars if I could. I liked it, but can't say I loved it. I do have to say there was a lot of research that went into this one, and I respect an author that puts that much time into researching, especially a mystery. Makes it better. So, even though it's 3 stars I'd recommend it and I'll probably pick up the next in the series to see what happens. 

The 7th Victim by Alan Jacobson

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Having debated between 3 and 4 stars I went with 3 on this one. There was a little TOO much going on with this main character for me to believe she could hold it together as well as she did in this book. That's fine, I can suspend my belief for a good book but it did keep me from giving it 4 stars.



There are a lot of points to keep track of and even small things end up making sense in the end. Some are there to try and throw you off track, while others help you begin to see a picture before our heroine does. I didn't have any trouble believing she wasn't "seeing" all the pieces, since between her ex-husband, the investigation, her mother issues and her son's issues there were a lot of things for her to deal with and that's what I think kept her from figuring out what was going on earlier. Like any really good mystery all the clues are there, the reader just has to pick them out and put them together, much like the detective does.



All in all a good, fairly fast paced, mystery. I might even have to see what happens to Supervisory Special Agent Vail next.



View all my reviews

(I didn't receive any compensation for this, I picked this book up for my Kindle while it was free from Amazon. No affiliation, blah, blah, blah.)

Let's Talk Books

There's a problem with the title of this post. I'd love to talk about books I've been reading that I just love and have been engrossed in, but the truth is I haven't read anything like that lately. In fact, I've not been reading as much as I normally do. I can tell this because it's the 3rd month of the year and I've only actually read five books. Yes 5, two of which  I've rated with 2 stars on Goodreads and one with 3 stars. This may have something to do with my inability to get all settled in with a good book lately and just relax.

On the other hand, I've listened to 3 books on my iPod in the last 2 months. Mostly while stitching. All from the same author and they are part of a series I've been listening to over the last year. I love them. They are just good ear candy, they're probably great reading candy too, but I started listening to them at work and I just kept along with the series that way. Plus I enjoy listening to a book while I'm stitching.

Right now I'm reading

I downloaded it to my Kindle, I think when it was free. It sounded like something I might enjoy and when I was trying to decide on what to read the other night after finishing a YA book that I had figured out from the first page but kept reading because I thought I might like the characters. You can see from my review that I had some mixed feelings. Hopefully this latest book with come with a better recommendation.

The Luxe by Anna Godbersen

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I've had a hard time deciding if I liked this book or not. In some respects I did which is why I eventually erred and gave it 3 stars. There were wonderful descriptions of turn of the century, high society New York, and some of the characters were interesting, though probably not the ones I was supposed to be interested in. However, I had a hard time liking the older sister, the good sister, the sister whose funeral the book begins with. I'm sure I was supposed to like her, but I just had a hard time doing so. This is apparently the first in a series, and I'm not sure I'm curious enough to find out if the next book deals with the characters I liked or not. Perhaps later.



View all my reviews

(Hmmm, I think there's something about me having to say how I obtained my books that I reviewed. Well I purchased them from a large online bookseller, or at least I downloaded them from there. They may have been free when I did so, I really can't remember.)

Booking Through Thursday

Since I decided to participate in the Summer Reading Challenge over on GoodReads.com I figured I might as well share some of what I've read with you my fellow readers. Beware, I tend to have eclectic tastes in reading so you never know what you're going to find. I also happened across a meme blog entitled Booking Through Thursday, so here's today's entry.




What’s the best book you’ve read recently?

I'm going to go with the one that surprised me the most and was also good.

One of the challenges was to read a Dystopian novel. I ended up choosing this on a whim while browsing through my favorite used bookstore, Chamblin's. I was surprised to find that although the book made me uncomfortable, I also enjoyed it. The idea of a future world where when you reach a certain age you receive surgery that makes you "pretty" just like everyone else is unnerving and just a little scary. Who decided what is "pretty"? Along the way more questions are uncovered by the main character, Tally Youngblood, who is about to become old enough to be a "Pretty" and leave behind her "Uglies" days. Is the surgery just about changing the way people look, or is there more? Of course, since this is a series all the questions haven't been answered, but that just made me want to read the rest.

"Uglies" and the rest of the series, are considered YA, but I think they are certainly a good read for all ages. I do wish I belonged to an actual reading group and that we were reading it with the group. I think it deserves some thought and discussion to be fully understood.

So, what's the best book you've read lately?

It's all about the books

Well, I might be, but not any more then normal. I've decided to join in the Summer Reading Challenge on GoodReads.com that started Monday. To actually complete the challenge I'd have to read I think 70 books before August 31st. I don't see that happening. What I do hope to accomplish is to read some of the books on my "to-read" list. Some of them have been on there a very long time. (Small plug, if you are looking for a simple way of keeping track of what you read and for ideas of new books and authors to read I highly recommend GoodReads.com.) I'll have to wait to post my list of books so far, not enough time right now.

But speaking of reading...here's a chance to win a book. Oh and take a stroll through the blog while you're there, it has some interesting material.

Book update

I rarely talk about the books I've been reading but I'm making an exception. Technically I haven't been reading these books since I've been listening to them as audio books, but still. So, if you like a literature mixed with a little sci-fi, mixed with some hilarious comments, then this series is for you.

The main character is named Thursday Next and she's a woman I can relate to, even if she can leap into books and travel through time on occasion while I can do neither. I think what I like most about these books is that they assume you've actually read something other then the comics section in your local paper. It assumes you already know the story of Jane Eyre, or any of the other stories that might be mentioned. Jasper Fforde has certainly crafted 5 books that are a great read. I'm currently listening to the 5th book, "First Among Sequels". I love listening to these books mainly because the reader has such a great voice and does such a great job with the different characters. So, if you're looking for a great "listen" while you're on a trip or going to and from work check these books out. I warn you though, start with the first book, "The Eyre Affair" and go forward in order, you'll be hooked and will want to know how things turn out in the end...if there is an end.

I've also been reading my way through Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum's books. These are just fun and a great easy read. Nothing else to say. All of these books are just a good "romp".

So, what are you reading?

It's really all about the books

I saw this on a blog and thought it was interesting. Sunday is a great day to curl up with a good book and try to forget that Monday is coming. Feel free to share on your own blog.

Look at the list of (100) books below. Bold the ones you’ve read. Italicize the ones you want to read. Leave blank the ones that you aren’t interested in. (Movies don’t count.)

1. The Da Vinci Code (Dan Brown)
2. Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen)
3. To Kill A Mockingbird (Harper Lee)
4. Gone With The Wind (Margaret Mitchell)
5. The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (Tolkien)
6. The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (Tolkien)
7. The Lord of the Rings: Two Towers (Tolkien)
8. Anne of Green Gables (L.M. Montgomery)
9. Outlander (Diana Gabaldon)
10. A Fine Balance (Rohinton Mistry)
11. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Rowling)
12. Angels and Demons (Dan Brown)
13. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Rowling)
14. A Prayer for Owen Meany (John Irving)
15. Memoirs of a Geisha (Arthur Golden)
16. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (Rowling)
17. Fall on Your Knees (Ann-Marie MacDonald)
18. The Stand (Stephen King)
19. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Rowling)
20. Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte)
21. The Hobbit (Tolkien)
22. The Catcher in the Rye (J.D. Salinger)
23. Little Women (Louisa May Alcott)
24. The Lovely Bones(Alice Sebold)
25 . Life of Pi (Yann Martel)
26. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams)
27. Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte)
28. The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (C. S. Lewis)
29. East of Eden (John Steinbeck)
30. Tuesdays with Morrie (Mitch Albom)
31. Dune (Frank Herbert)
32. The Notebook (Nicholas Sparks)
33. Atlas Shrugged (Ayn Rand)
34. 1984 (Orwell)
35. The Mists of Avalon (Marion Zimmer Bradley)
36. The Pillars of the Earth (Ken Follett)
37. The Power of One (Bryce Courtenay)
38. I Know This Much is True (Wally Lamb)
39. The Red Tent (Anita Diamant)
40. The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho)
41. The Clan of the Cave Bear (Jean M. Auel)
42. The Kite Runner(Khaled Hosseini)
43. Confessions of a Shopaholic (Sophie Kinsella)
44. The Five People You Meet In Heaven (Mitch Albom)
45. Bible
46. Anna Karenina (Tolstoy)
47. The Count of Monte Cristo (Alexandre Dumas)
48. Angela’s Ashes (Frank McCourt)
49. The Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck)
50. She's Come Undone(Wally Lamb)
51. The Poisonwood Bible (Barbara Kingsolver)
52. A Tale of Two Cities (Dickens)
53. Ender’s Game (Orson Scott Card)
54. Great Expectations (Dickens)
55. The Great Gatsby (Fitzgerald)
56. The Stone Angel (Margaret Laurence)
57. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Rowling)
58. The Thorn Birds (Colleen McCullough)
59. The Handmaid’s Tale (Margaret Atwood)
60. The Time Traveler's Wife (Audrey Niffenegger)
61. Crime and Punishment (Fyodor Dostoyevsky)
62. The Fountainhead (Ayn Rand)
63. War and Peace (Tolstoy)
64. Interview With The Vampire (Anne Rice)
65. Fifth Business (Robertson Davis)
66. One Hundred Years of Solitude (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)
67. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (Ann Brashares)
68. Catch-22 (Joseph Heller)
69. Les Miserables (Hugo)
70. The Little Prince (Antoine de Saint-Exupery) (I actually have only read this in French, but I'm counting it since I had to discuss it in French as well, so I really do know what it is about.)
71. Bridget Jones' Diary(Fielding)
72. Love in the Time of Cholera (Marquez)
73. Shogun (James Clavell)
74. The English Patient (Michael Ondaatje)
75. The Secret Garden (Frances Hodgson Burnett)
76. The Summer Tree (Guy Gavriel Kay)
77. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (Betty Smith)
78. The World According To Garp (John Irving)
79. The Diviners (Margaret Laurence)
80. Charlotte’s Web (E.B. White)
81. Not Wanted On The Voyage (Timothy Findley)
82. Of Mice And Men (Steinbeck)
83. Rebecca (Daphne DuMaurier)
84. Wizard’s First Rule (Terry Goodkind)
85. Emma (Jane Austen)
86. Watership Down(Richard Adams)
87. Brave New World (Aldous Huxley)
88. The Stone Diaries (Carol Shields)
89. Blindness (Jose Saramago)
90. Kane & Abel(Jeffrey Archer)
91. In the Skin of (Ondaatje)
92. Lord of the Flies (Golding)
93. The Good Earth (Pearl S. Buck)
94. The Secret Life of Bees (Sue Monk Kidd)
95. The Bourne Identity (Robert Ludlum)
96. The Outsiders (S.E. Hinton)
97. White Oleander (Janet Fitch)
98. A Woman of Substance (Barbara Taylor Bradford)
99. The Celestine Prophecy (James Redfield)
100. Ulysses (James Joyce)

So, I've read almost 1/2 of the books on this list. Interesting.