Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Teaser Tuesday

TEASER TUESDAYS asks you to:
Grab your current read.
Let the book fall open to a random page.
Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!
Please avoid spoilers!

Night World Vol.2, by, L.J. Smith page 318- The Entrance to the crypt was a battered green door inset with a narrow cloudy window.The buliding looked as if it had once been a small factory-there was still an ancient wooden sign on the door that read-No Admittance,Authorized Personnel Only.
Finger Lickin Fifteen by, Janet Evanovich page 278-I lugged the charcoal and wood and fire starter stuff across the field to Lulu and grandma.Lulu filled the bottom of the grill with charcoal and piled wood on top.She poured accelaerant on and used the gizmo to light it.WHOOSH!

The Thirteenth Tale by, Patricia Wrede page 160-Well, if he was going to blame me anyway, I decided that I was going to give him something to blame me for.At least I could try to keep Lan from cutting loose-no matter what I did, I figured it couldn't possibly be as bad as a double-seventh son letting go of his temper.

Cybele's Secret by, Juliet Marillier

Juliet Marillier has done it again, spinning another tale full of fantasy and feminine ingenuity. Cybele's Secret,a companion to Wildwood Dancing, features scholarly Paula as our heroine.She travels with her father on a secretive trading expedition to procure the fabled Statue of Cybele, an ancient Pagan Goddess. During Paula's adventures she gets sucked into a love triangle between her bodyguard Stoyan and the dashing "pirate" Duarte Aguiar as the search for Cybele.
Cybele's Secret was an okay book.It took a little more time to get into than Wildwood dancing, but it was very readable. It's a very basic love story; nothing leaves you hanging on the edge of your seat.As always with a Juliet Marillier story, true love prevails over all.
I give Cybele's Secret 3 ***.

Sara Schuster

Monday, June 29, 2009

Preying For Mercy 3-in 1 by, Patricia Briggs

Preying For Mercy 3-in-1 by, Patricia Briggs
From the book flap:
Kennewick, Washington, car mechanic Mercy Thompson doesn't exactly have a normal life. Her next door neighbor is a werewolf. Her former boss is a gremlin. And she's fixing a VW bus for a vampire. But then, she's not exactly normal herself. Because Mercy Thompson is a walker-a shape shifter who can change into a coyote at will.

#1-Moon Called
Mercy Thompson is a walker which means she can change into a coyote she is not like the werewolves that need the moon to change she can change anytime she wants. Her next door neighbor is the alpha wolf and when a new untrained werewolf shows up at her door things go from bad to worse,as she tries to figure out whats going on.
With the help of a hippy vampire and a gay werewolf she saves the day!

#2-Blood Bound
In this book Mercy has to deal with the vampires with the help of the werewolves and the Fae.The worst part is the enemy is not just a vampire but a vampire with a demon attached to it ,and as usual Mercy risks life and limb to help out a friend!

#3-Iron Kissed
In Iron kissed Zee her former boss and mentor who is also a gremlin (Fae) is accused of murder and in Mercy's mind it is up to her to prove his innocence. She does so at great personal harm(as usual) to herself. She always has help but she doesn't like asking for it. She's lucky her friends know her so well that they always seem to be there when she needs them!

This series is great because the heroine is an adult and there is romance but no sex!Just romantic tension I would highly recommend this series to young adults and adults alike!

My Rating 5 *****

Saturday, June 27, 2009

T.A.B. Meeting change

TAB Meeting will be Monday June 29th @ 7 o'clock.

Finger Lickin' Fifteen by, Janet Evanovich

Another great romp in the berg by, Janet Evanovich!Lulu witnesses a murder and she is front and center in the book because of it.The murder victim is a cook famous for his BBQ sauce so she teams up with grandma to enter the contest the murdered chef was supposed to be in.Stephanie is working for Ranger as security consultant plus still looking for skips with Vinnie.She is also off men which is hard for her as usual with the two men in her life Morelli & Ranger.I was happy there was lots of grandma who gets to use her dirty harry gun and Stephanie makes new records of getting cars blown up!With the tension at an all time high between her and Ranger and Morelli being chased by Joyce Barnhardt Stephanie has some big decisions to make!Who will she choose?Read the book to find out!This was a great addition to the Stephanie Plum Series!

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Dark Magic by Cate Tiernan (#4 in the Sweep series)

Wow, this book made me so angry!!! Cal really made me mad because he was suck a jerk to Morgan. If a book can actually bring emotions out in a person, i believe that it is a successful book. Also, the ending of this book leaves you hanging, so you just want to pick up the next one and start reading it!! I give this book a 5 out of 5 stars. This series is very good!! I can't wait to read the next one.

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

New Books & Library Happenings

We will be having a Brunch Benefit on July 5th from 10-2 at the eagles Club.Free Will.
In Adult Fiction;
Split Second by, Alex Kava
A Faint Cold Fear by, Karen Slaughter
The Wedding Machine by, Beth Webb Hart
The Birth of Venus by, Sarah Dunant
The Stonewycke Trilogy 3-in-1 by,Michael Phillips & Judith Pella
Light on Snow,Where or When & Eden Close by, Anita Shreve
Pacific Hope by, Betty Nordberg
Leeway Cottage by, Beth Grutcheon
The Book Club by,Mary Alice Monroe
The Fallon Blood by, Robert Jordan
Daughter of Joy & Woman of Grace by, Kathleen Morgan
Light of my Heart by, Ginny Aiken
A Daughter's Inheritance by, Tracy Peterson
The Red Gloves Collection 3-in1 & Where yesterday Lives by, Karen Kingsbury
Daughter of Fortune by, Isabel Allende
The year of Fog by, Michelle Richmond
The Oldest Confederate Widow Tells All by, Allan Gurganus
White Oleander by,Janet Fitch
A Salty Piece of Land by, Jimmy Buffett
Novelty by, John Crowley
High Fall (Large Print) by, Susan Dunlap
The Reader by, Bernard Schlink
She's Come Undone by, Wally Lamb
Ladder of Years by, Anne Tyler
Charming Billy by, Alice McDermott
Born Brother by, Larry Woiwode ( ND Author)
East of the Mountains by, David Guterson
The Body in the Cornflakes by,J.K. Beck
A Widow for One Year by, John Irving
Dead Man Walking by, Sister Helen Prejean
Time and Again by, Jack Finney
Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by, Fannie Flagg
The Shipping News by, E.Annie Proulx
California Angel by, Nancy Taylor Rosenberg
Wake Up Little Susie by,Ed Gorman
In Non-Fiction:
Bad Land An American Romance by,Nathan Raban
The Worst hard Time by, Timothy Egan
Krakatoa The day The World Exploded:August 27,1883 by, Simon Winchester
Standing Next to History and Agents Life Inside the Secret Service by, Joseph Petro
On Call in Hell by, CDR Richard Jadick
Heaven by, Randy Alcorn
The F Word How to Survive Your Family by, Louie Anderson
Polar Pilot the Carl Ben Eilson Story by,Dorathy Page
The Informant A True Story by, Kurt Eichenwald
Presidential Courage Brave Leader and How They Changed America 1789-1989 by,Michael Bechloss
In Our Own Words Extraordinary Speeches of the American century by, Senator Robert Torrricelli
The Applause of Heaven,He Chose The Nails,& The Great House of God by, Max Lucado
In Young Adult :
Preying for Mercy 3-in-1 by, Patricia Briggs
In Juvenile Fiction:
Buffalo Gal by, Bill Wallace
In Chapter Books:
Sacajawea Her Story by,Joyce Milton
The Mummy With No Name by, Geronimo Stilton
Stanley in Space by, Jeff Brown
Junie B. Jones First Grader Boss of Lunch by, Barbara Parks
In DVD:
The Janette Oke Collection Including-Love Comes Softly-Love's Enduring Promise-Love's Long Journey

Monday, June 15, 2009

Runemarks, by Joanne Harris

Maddy Smith is a fourteen year old girl who lives in the village of Malbry in the Strond Valley. She was born with a strange runemark on her palm, a mark which is considered magic in the village, and dangerous. Her mother died giving birth to her, her father can't look at her, and her sister is a beautiful ditz. The other villagers dislike her, and she's constantly teased by other children her age. Maddy seems to have no friends, except for a traveler named One-Eye. Maddy likes to work the magic that was given to her, and One-Eye teaches her all about how to cast runes and the old stories about the fallen gods.
On One-Eye's annual visit, he tells Maddy that he wants her to descend into Red Horse Hill, a fortress of goblins and who-knows-what other vermin, to retrieve an artifact of the old gods: the Whisperer.
Harris creates a beautiful and terrible world with her descriptive writing and intricate characters. Runemarks is filled with clever plots and enthralling adventures, as well as powerful and greedy villians that the reader just wants to reach out and slap in the face. I absolutely loved this book, and I had alot of trouble putting it down. I give Runemarks 5 of 5 stars.

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Where the Truth Lies, by Lucy Cullyford Babbitt

Kyra, a 17 year old from a city called Sanctuary, has been appointed to stop a bloody religous war. The thing is, her city is godless. Sanctuary has sent messages to each of the two warring peoples: the Godslanders and the Tribes. One youth from each is to travel with Kyra to the sacred cave to decide who is right. Is there one god, many gods, or no god at all? Kyra and her people believe that all the secrets lie in the 'sacred cave'. So Kyra meets up with the boy from the tribes in Sanctuary, and together they travel into the Godslander's territory with Eli (the tribal boy) dressed up as a convert and Kyra dressed as a regular Godslander to meet with the Godslander representative and travel to the sacred cave with another group of pilgrims. Through their journeys, Kyra begins to wonder if her beliefs are true.

Anyway, I didn't really think much of this book. At first it was just really silly and predictable, and then in the middle it got better. But still, a Sacred Cave? Like we haven't heard that one before. I guess I was just disappointed, because I expected a little bit more out of it. I was thinking of giving this book 4 stars, but then I read the ending. Perhaps it was genius, but I think it was just stupid. It might have worked had their been a sequel, but to my knowledge there isn't one. So, I gave this book 3 of 5 stars.

Monday, June 8, 2009

Dragon's Milk By: Susan Fletcher

Dragon's Milk By: Susan Fletcher
Kaeldra is FARIN, she is different. She has long blond hair. She is tall, too tall. Kaeldra has green eyes...Kaeldra's mother died when she was a little girl and she was taken in by Granmyr, who sees past Kaeldra's differences.Ryfen won't accept Kealdra, but her daughters do, which is a blessing to Kaeldra. Lyf, Ryfen's youngest daughter, gets sick.One thing can cure her, Dragon's Milk. Hard to come by, dangerous to get...and live. A hatching has happened, baby dragon's need milk.... Kaeldra must get milk, Lyf needs milk.Kaeldra ventures up the nearby mountains and stumbles upon the dragon's lair. She bargains with a mother dragon, in return for milk, Kaeldra will watch the draclings while the dam hunts. kaeldra has green eyes... "To find a dragon, first you must find a green eyed lass."The local people are missing livestock... Kaeldra could lead them to the dragon but she denies any knowledge of such a creature so the local people devise a plan to lure and kill the dragon.Plot twists, cool insight on the chapters, interesting events, info about dragons that you might not have known before.A good easy read that makes you want to know what happens so bad its like House's need for vicodin. My only regret is that its so short.
4 stars ****
by, Showie

The Goblin Wood by, Hilari Bell

In a world where common magic has been deemed "unholy", a young hedgewitch learns the injustice of her world. Her mother dead,Makenna sets off on her own. She soon learns to servive by any means necessary. She soon finds herself in the company of goblins, though she may not wish to be. She becomes accustomed to thier ways and adopts them as her own. She thinks of humans as enemies, and the goblins become her family. She becomes thier leader and helps them to fight the humanswho have been encroaching on thier territory, the one they were forced to flee to, thier last haven. A young knight, and his employers have other plans for the goblins, until he is kidnapped by them and held prisoner. While held prisoner in thier village he learns about them, and finds that they aren't so different from humans. They're just shorter and some have a green complection... nope not so different. Makenna and Tobin, soon team up and try to find a solution to the imposing human threat.
A nice, easy read. Interesting, and not too predictable. 3 1/2 Stars
By, Showie

Saturday, June 6, 2009

"Good Omens" by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman

The Antichrist is born. The Apocalypse is nigh. Angels and demons furiously ready their plans to vanquish their foes. The only problem is...the Antichrist has been "misplaced." "Good Omens" is an admirable collaborative effort by two well known authors. It's filled with two characters that stand out from the rest, and a plethora of supporting characters. Crowley is a demon. Aziraphale is an angel. Their relationship with each other is quite unorthodox compared to what you'd normally expect. They tolerate each other for one. They've reached an arrangement where they've agreed to not interfere with each other's jobs. Crowley, being a demon, attempts to bring out the bad qualities in humans. He does this mainly by tying by the Central London phone lines and...bringing about Armageddeon. Aziraphale, of course, does the opposite. Here's where it gets interesting. Crowley and Aziraphale are both discovering that they don't want to end this world. They like it. The problem is, Crowley's in charge of setting it all in motion.

The writing is sharp and well done. There are many moments of clever humour and amusing side characters. At times, it seems like the authors are suffering from ADD as they jumped from a climactic moment in one character to a random character study of another. In the end, it makes sense as those characters play a more important role. It's an interesting ride that doesn't disappoint. There are a few passages that drag on a bit. Also, I didn't find the second half nearly as entertaining as the first. I'll be leniant because, while I knew how it had to end, I wasn't sure how the book would be able to reach that point. Another aspect that I particularly enjoyed was choosing which character I liked the most. Crowley or Aziraphale? The demon or the angel? It reminds me of an open-world videogame where you can choose whether to do good or evil. Of course, whichever character you favor, it (obviously) doesn't affect the ending of the book. Although, that would be interesting now wouldn't it? It added another level of enjoyment that I experienced with "Good Omens." I award it 4 stars. ****

Review by Alisa Heskin

Thursday, June 4, 2009

Three Days By: Donna Jo Napoli

Donna Jo Napoli captures your attention right from the start. She has the amazing and unique ability to pull the reader into the story.First she tells about Aly's everyday life. Then Aly's father dies leaving her stranded on the side of the rode in a foreign country. Not even able to speak the language Aly is thrown into a series of events that will turn her world upside down and inside out. Will she make it home or will this foreign country swallow her up never to be seen again?  Find out in Three Days.

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

The Book Thief by, Markus Zusak

The Book Thief by, Markus Zusak is interesting to say the least.It takes place in Nazi Germany at the beginning of WWII, with the story narrated by death.He follows Liesel Meminger, a young foster child through her life and her many book thieving expeditions.
The Book Thief is a beautifully written story.the characters are well developed and they are so real.The book is about books, and a little girl's love of them.She forms many bonds through the written words of her books. The story also has a deeper meaning about how words and your knowledge of them can cause amazing things to happen.
This book is Amazing I give it 5 Stars!
Sara Schuster

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

On a Serious Note-Twilight's Edward Boyfriend Material??

I really found this blog to be interesting and I think if you have/or are a younger girl who wants to read Twilight you should read this blog!

http://seesarawrite.blogspot.com/2009/04/on-serious-note.html

Monday, June 1, 2009

The Seven-Per-Cent Solution Being a Reprint from the Reminiscences of John H. Watson, M.D. As Edited by Nicholas Meyer

If I could use a singular term to describe this non-canon entry to the Sherlock saga, I would happily deem it to be “fascinating.” If I could use two terms, I would use both fascinating and diabolical. The Seven-Per-Cent Solution was not penned by the original author, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Rather, it was written by Nicholas Meyer who is one of few authors who could recapture the style of the original tales. The novel completely claims that “The Final Problem” and “The Adventure of the Empty House” (Holmes’ apparent death and resurrection) were complete fabrication, and that this is the true account of Sherlock’s “Great Hiatus.” The story involves Holmes being radically affected by a very dangerous habit of his—the injection of cocaine. He raves to Watson about the great “Napoleon of Crime”, Professor Moriarity. In actuality, Moriarity is an innocent mathematics instructor who is becoming increasingly distressed by Holmes’ persistent dogging. Watson eventually finds a way to lure Holmes to Vienna where he can be treated by none other than…Sigmund Freud. At first when I found out that Sigmund Freud was playing a part, I found the idea ridiculous. However, I was proven wrong, and it worked very well. Anyway, Watson couldn’t accomplish this alone. Here we, the readers, are re-introduced to Sherlock’s supposedly more intelligent brother, Mycroft. After much plotting, they form their plans to outwit the cleverest detective in all of London. Watson (with Mycroft’s assistance) succeeds in delivering Holmes to Freud (although Holmes reveals later on that he had deduced Watson’s plans). The treatment, detox, and recovery are no doubt the most intriguing parts of the novel, although an interesting mystery does ensue afterwards. Doyle rarely delves extensively into Holmes’ inner character (which forces the reader to hunt relentlessly for even the smallest detail). Meyer does an excellent job of keeping this aspect intact. However, this is the most I’ve ever found out about my favorite detective. I am absolutely enthralled with darker characters and the hidden mysteries involving them. The payoff to discovering, bit by bit, more about the qualities and traits that define them is absorbing beyond explanation. There is a secret about Holmes’ past that is discovered in the final pages that gives an extraordinary glimpse into the mind that is Sherlock Holmes. I wholeheartedly recommend it for any Sherlockian. I award The Seven-Per-Cent Solution five stars. *****

Review by Alisa Heskin