2010 Read (32)

• Last Light- Terri Blackstock
• Coming Back Stronger- Drew Brees
• A Little Class on Murder-Carolyn Hart
• The Strange Case of Dr. Jeckyll & Mr. Hyde
• Unbelievable: Pretty Little Liars 4
• Strawberry Shortcake Murder-Joanne Fluke
• Perfect: Pretty Little Liars 3
• Flawless: Pretty Little Liars 2
• The Enchanted April- Elizabeth von Arnim
• The Curse of the Pharaohs- Elizabeth Peters
• Pretty Little Liars
• Murder on a Girls' Night Out- Anne George
• Shutter Island- Dennis Lehane
• Elizabeth & her German Garden- Elizabeth von Arnim
• Carmlla- J. Sheridan LeFanu
• The Man that Corrupted Hadleyburg- Mark Twain
• Crocodile on the Sandbank- Elizabeth Peters
• The Solitary Summer-Elizabeth von Arnim
• Death of a Prankster- M.C. Beaton
• Shakespeare's Landlord- Charlaine Harris
• The Help-Kathryn Stockett
• The Tragedy of Puddn'head Wilson- Mark Twain
• Death of an Outsider- M.C. Beaton
• Saving CeeCee Honeycutt- Beth Hoffman
• Gilt by Association- Tamar Myers
• O Pioneers!- Willa Cather
• Larceny and Old Lace- Tamar Myers
• The Principle of the Path- Andy Stanley
• I Scream, You Scream- Wendy Lyn Watson
• Murder Takes the Cake- Gayle Trent
• Three Blind Mice- Agatha Christie
• The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

A Little Class on Murder- Carolyn Hart

As I've mentioned before, I usually read several books at a time. I almost always read e-books, but have a paper book for the bath.

This was my bath-tub book this month.....

My apologies to those who may have liked it, but I hated this book.

A professor comes up to a random person and asks them to teach a class on mysteries for a college journalism department?

That seems a bit implausible.

I also found the main character whiny, immature, and judgmental.

Phrases such as "this girl knows her mysteries" (used repeatly) made me cringe. I had the culprit figured out by the middle of the book..... not to mention the unnecessary use of crude language.

It was a tedious read. I don't know why I even finished it! lol

I haven't been reading as much lately as I did this summer- which is unusual because I normally read more in the winter. lol

I'm currently reading Teri Blackstock's "Last Light" series, which I got for FREE on my Kindle a few weeks ago.

Hopefully the reading bug will bite me soon and I'll have more to add to this blog. :)

update

I didn't do nearly as much reading as I wanted to do today.

Life got in the way. lol

However, I plan on reading through the rest of the morning.

I'm a bit sleepy, so hopefully I can make it. :-)

Read-a-Thon update

I am participating in Dewey's read-a-thon today.

I'm just posting a quick update to say that I've finished my first book (which I was already over half way finished), " The Body in the Library" by Agatha Christie.

Next up is "The Hunger Games.". I started it earlier this week. I am about 1/4 into it.

My goal is to finish all the books I am currently reading, then perhaps start and finish another one.

Happy reading!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

The Strange Case of Dr. Jeckyll & Mr. Hyde- Robert Louis Stevenson

94 pages

Most people know the story of Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde.

I wanted to read it because I had never read it before and I was curious to know if the actual book was true to what I'd always heard.

For the most part, it was.

It was interesting.

I liked the idea of the dual nature of man, and how we can feed either one.

There's definitely a spiritual lesson that can be taken away from this book.

2010 total: 29

Pretty Little Liars: Unbelilevable

352 pages

Book 4 of the series

I believe this was supposed to be the last book in the series, but they ended up adding 4 more to it.

This is the last one I will be reading.

In this book, we find out who "A" is.

We also find out who killed Ali......although I wasn't satisfied with the answer to that mystery...... I have a feeling the next books will dig deeper into that aspect of the story.

As I said, this is the last one I'll be reading. My curiosity is satisfied and, frankly, I'm tired of reading them. lol I liked them but I'm sure I would have enjoyed them even more if I'd read them when I was younger.... it's time for me to read something a little less YA now. :-)

2010 total: 28

Strawberry Shortcake Murder & Perfect

336 pages

Product Descripton:

In Rosewood, Pennsylvania, four perfect-looking girls aren't nearly as perfect as they seem.

Aria can't resist her forbidden ex. Hanna is on the verge of losing her BFF. Emily is freaking out over a simple kiss. And Spencer can't keep her hands off anything that belongs to her sister.

Lucky me. I know these pretty little liars better than they know themselves. But it's hard keeping all of their secrets to myself. They better do as I say . . . or else! ~A

Things are getting serious for the four friends, and we still don't know who "A" is.

The parents in this book make me very angry. They all seem to care about no one but themselves. Ugh!

I don't want to give anything away, so that's all I'll say.

320 pages

From School Library Journal:

Adult/High School-Cookie entrepreneur Hannah Swensen is recruited to judge a bake-off but gets embroiled in a bittersweet murder. The victims are not Lake Eden's finest; one is a wife abuser and the other is a snippety blackmailer, but the town is small, concern is rampant, and Hannah is curious. She and her sister Andrea begin sleuthing to prevent their friend (the wife of the first victim) from being accused of a crime she did not commit. The story is at times dense with detail, but the relationships among family and neighbors are pleasingly homespun-and occasionally sophomoric. Spanning the time of the bake-off, this whodunit is appropriately interspersed with mouthwatering dessert recipes. Readers who don't like guts or gore will enjoy this mystery and stick with the amateur detectives as they reach an action-packed conclusion.

I did not like this book. I usually like cozy mysteries and I liked the first book in this series, but this one lost me. There are sooooo many details about every. little. thing. I'm not fond of the main character, either. I won't be reading any more of this series for a long time (if ever).

2010 total: 27

currently reading: Pretty Little Liars #4

Flawless: Pretty Little Liars 2

352 pages

This book picks up where the first one left off.

A's messages and threats intensify until the end of the book when A successfully reveals some of the girls' secrets to everyone.

Also, they finally think they know who "A" is....... but are they right?

These books are fun and addictive, but again, I must warn, they are NOT for younger kids.

2010 total: 25

currently reading: Pretty Little Liars, #3

The Enchanted April

208 pages

"Elizabeth von Arnim's novel tells the story of four dissimilar women in 1920s England who leave their damp and rainy environs to go on a holiday to a secluded coastal castle in Italy. Mrs Arbuthnot and Mrs Wilkins, who belong to the same ladies' club but have never spoken, become acquainted after reading an advertisement for villas for rent in a newspaper. They find some common ground in that both are struggling to make the best of unhappy marriages. Having decided to seek other ladies to help share expenses, they reluctantly take on the waspish, elderly Mrs Fisher and the stunning, but aloof, Lady Caroline Dester. The four women come together at the castle and find rejuvenation in the tranquil beauty of their surroundings, rediscovering hope and love." ~from Wikipedia

This is another delightful book by Elizabeth von Arim.

I loved it.

On the surface it is a bit "fluffy," but it also digs deeper into the roles and feelings of women in the 1920s.

Some of my favorite quotes:

"Heaven is in our home."

"It isn't," said Mrs. Wilkins, again surprisingly.

Mrs. Arbuthnot was taken aback.

Then she said gently,

"Oh, but it is. It is there if we choose, if we make it."

"I do choose, and I do make it, and it isn't," said Mrs. Wilkins ~Lotty & Rose

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

She stared. Such beauty; and she there to see it. Such beauty; and she alive to feel it.

Her face was bathed in light. Lovely scents came up to the window and caressed her.

A tiny breeze gently lifted her hair.

Far out in the bay a cluster of almost motionless fishing boats hovered like a flock of white birds on the tranquil sea.

How beautiful, how beautiful.

Not to have died before this... to have been allowed to see, breathe, feel this....

She stared, her lips parted.

Happy? Poor, ordinary, every day word.

But what could one say, how could one describe it?

It was as though she could hardly stay inside herself, it was as though she were too small to hold so much joy,

it was as though she were washed through with light. ~Lotty

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For a long while she past she had been aware that her life was a noise, but it had seemed to be very much about

something.... but suppose it was only a noise about nothing? ~Caroline

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

She wanted to be alone, but not lonely. That was very different; that was something that ached and hurt

dreadfully right inside one. It was what one dreaded most. ~Caroline

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Was it possible that loneliness had nothing to do with circumstances, but only with the way one met them?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kind ladies smiled, reason or no. They smiled, not because they were happy, but because they wished to

make happy,.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The more he treated her as though she were really very nice, the more Lotty expanded and became really very nice.

and the more he, affected in his turn, became really very nice himself; so that they went round and round, not in a

vicious but in a highly virtuous cycle. ~Lotty & Mellersh

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was true, she liked him most when he wasn't there, but then she usually liked everybody most when they weren't there.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Just a rather red, rather round man?" whispered Lotty. Scrap bowed her head.

"He isn't." whispered Lotty.

"Rose sees through all that. That's mere trimmings.

She sees what we can't see, because she loves him." ~Lotty & Caroline

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

2010 total: 24

The Curse of the Pharaohs

285 pages

Product Description

One of the best-loved of mystery writers weaves another tale of intrigue featuring Amelia Peabody and Radcliffe Emerson of "Crocodile on the Sandbank". This time the willful and witty duo must catch a murderer at an excavation of an ancient Egyptian tomb

This is the second book in the Amelia Peabody series.
The first one was better, but this one was enjoyable just the same.

One thing annoyed me.
Emerson and Amelia are now married.
They have a son named Ramses.
Amelia has no maternal inclinations at all.
She has no problem leaving her child for months at a time, even when he was very young.

Also, the baby talk is extremely irritating.

In spite of this, it is still a good story and I look forward to reading more of Amelia and Emerson.

Amazon prices on these books tend to fluctuate.
Most of them are about $8.00, but they mark some of them down to about $2 from time to time. I've gotten 4 of them for that price. I hope they do more soon!

Oh! I almost forgot to say- I finally realized who Amelia reminds me of.
Captain Janeway of Star Trek: Voyager!

2010 total: 23
Currently Reading: The Enchanted April, Pretty Little Liars #2, and Strawberry Shortcake Murder (my current bath-tub book :-))

Pretty Little Liars

304 pages

In the exclusive Philadelphia suburb of Rosewood, Alison is the Queen Bee of her elite seventh grade hive. BFs Aria, Hanna, Spencer, and Emily vie for her attention, even as each of them hides a hideous secret only Alison knows. So when Alison goes missing after a slumber party, never to be seen again, each girl is heartbroken, but also a little relieved. Now it is three years later, and though the four girls have grown apart, they are each still hiding something. Artsy Aria is carrying on an affair with one of her teachers, fashionista Hanna shoplifts to accessorize her trendy outfits, blue-blood Spencer is sleeping with her older sister’s boyfriend, while straight-A Emily is trying to ignore her attraction to a new female classmate. When the girls begin receiving threatening text messages and emails that from someone known only as "A," they must confront the fact that against all odds, it appears Alison is back. Could Alison still be alive? And if so, why is she so determined to uncover all their dirty little secrets?

I liked this book.
I wouldn't want my daughter reading it, though.
These girls are far from good role models!

Yes, I liked the book, but I also felt a little cheated.
I know this is part of a series but I expected more answers by the end of the book.
By the end, we still have no clue who "A" is or what the girls did to Jenna.
We do, however, find out (partly) what happened to Alison.

I won't be reading the rest of the series unless I can find them at the library.

2010 total: 22
Thriller & Suspense Challenge: 12

Murder on a Girls' Night Out

244 pages

Product Description:

A Different Kind of Sister Act

Patricia Anne -- "Mouse" -- is respectful, respectable, and demure, a perfect example of genteel Southern womanhood. Mary Alice -- "Sister" -- is big, brassy, flamboyant, and bold. Together they have a knack for finding themselves in the center of some of Birmingham's most unfortunate unpleasantness.

Country Western is red hot these days, so over impulsive Mary Alice thinks it makes perfect sense to buy the Skoot 'n' Boot bar -- since that's where the many-times-divorced "Sister" and her boyfriend du jour like to hang out anyway. Sensible retired schoolteacher Patricia Anne is inclined to disagree -- especially when they find a strangled and stabbed dead body dangling in the pub's wishing well. The sheriff has some questions for Mouse and her sister Sister, who were the last people, besides the murderer, of course, to see the ill-fated victim alive. And they had better come up with some answers soon -- because a killer with unfinished business has begun sending them some mighty threatening messages...

This was my bath tub book this month.

It was.... just ok. I didn't love it. I didn't hate it.

It was enjoyable, but not memorable.

2010 total: 21
Thriller & Suspense challenge: 11

Shutter Island- Dennis Lehane

400 pages

From Booklist

Lehane is red hot--his Mystic River (2001) is currently being filmed by Clint Eastwood--and he returns with another blistering page-turner. It's 1954, and U.S. Marshals Teddy Daniels and Chuck Aule arrive at a small island in Massachusetts' Outer Harbor. It is home to Ashcliffe Hospital, a federal institution for the criminally insane, and one of the patients has escaped. Although the two men are new partners, they have already developed a wry, jocular relationship while also swapping personal, painful details. Daniels' lost his much-loved wife two years prior in a fire, while Aule requested a transfer out of Seattle after being harassed over his personal relationship with a Japanese American woman. After interviewing the hospital's medical personnel, both men have the feeling they are being stonewalled, especially by the director, who seems to alternate between a cold authoritarianism and a sudden and sweeping compassion. When the island is hit by gale-force winds and Aule disappears, Daniels must go it alone, beset by the fear that he has been fed psychotropic drugs and the belief that the hospital is performing radical brain surgery as part of a secret-ops program. Lehane throws in one mind-bending plot twist after another in a psychological thriller that will leave readers in suspense right up to the end. A master of the adroit psychological detail, Lehane makes the horrors of the mean streets pale in comparison to the workings of the human mind.


Wow! This book was amazing! It is not one that will be quickly forgotten.

There's not much more I can add to the above review without giving away the ending.


2010 total: 20
Thriller & Suspense challenge: 10

Elizabeth and Her German Garden

84 pages

This books goes along with "The Solitary Summer."
In fact, this one was written first.
They are both written in diary format.
While "The Solitary Summer" takes place in one summer, this book contains an entire year.

I loved this book.
I preferred "Solitary Summer," but they are both beautiful.

In the first part of this one, Countess von Arnim talks about her attempts at gardening. Of course, she doesn't do the actual gardening work (that would be scandalous!), rather she gives orders to the gardener. In the second part, she has 2 guests that stay for about 3 months. One of them she likes, the other... not so much.

It is said that Lucy Maud Montgomery read these books, and it is where she got the term "kindred spirits." I don't know how accurate that is, but I read it several places on the internet.

If you liked LMM, you would probably love these.

I am in love with Elizabeth von Arnim! She is definitely a kindred spirit :-)

Here are some of my favorite quotes from the book:

"there were days last winter when I danced for sheer joy out in my frost-bound garden, in spite of my years and children. But I did it behind a bush, having a due regard for the decencies."


(while watching owls in the garden) "They say the same thing over and over again so emphatically that I think it must be something nasty about me; but I shall not let myself be frightened away by the sarcasm of owls."


The people round about are persuaded that I am, to put it as kindly as possible, exceedingly eccentric, for the news has travelled that I spend the day out of doors with a book, and that no mortal eye has ever yet seen me sew or cook. But why cook when you can get some one to cook for you?


(on gardening) It is not graceful, and it makes one hot; but it is a blessed sort of work, and if Eve had had a spade in Paradise and known what to do with it, we should not have had all that sad business of the apple.


What a happy woman I am living in a garden, with books, babies, birds, and flowers, and plenty of leisure to enjoy them!

The garden is the place I go to for refuge and shelter, not the house. In the house are duties and annoyances, servants to exhort and admonish, furniture, and meals; but out there blessings crowd round me at every step—it is there that I am sorry for the unkindness in me, for those selfish thoughts that are so much worse than they feel; it is there that all my sins and silliness are forgiven, there that I feel protected and at home,


I long more and more for a kindred spirit—it seems so greedy to have so much loveliness to oneself—but kindred spirits are so very, very rare; I might almost as well cry for the moon.


A woman's tongue is a deadly weapon and the most difficult thing in the world to keep in order, and things slip off it with a facility nothing short of appalling at the very moment when it ought to be most quiet.


When I got to the library I came to a standstill,—ah, the dear room, what happy times I have spent in it rummaging amongst the books, making plans for my garden, building castles in the air, writing, dreaming, doing nothing!



It cannot be right to be the slave of one's household gods, and I protest that if my furniture ever annoyed me by wanting to be dusted when I wanted to be doing something else, and there was no one to do the dusting for me, I would cast it all into the nearest bonfire and sit and warm my toes at the flames with great contentment.


I don't like Duty—everything in the least disagreeable is always sure to be one's duty.


It is much easier, and often more pleasant, to be a warning than an example


We were meant to be happy, and to accept all the happiness offered with thankfulness—indeed, we are none of us ever thankful enough, and yet we each get so much, so very much, more than we deserve.


don't be afraid of public opinion in the shape of the neighbour in the next house, when all the world is before you new and shining, and everything is possible


Cultured individuals do not, as a rule, neglect to teach their offspring to read, and write, and say their prayers, and are apt to resent the intrusion of an examining inspector into their homes;


listening to the marvellous silence, and letting its blessedness descend into my very soul.


Every paradise has its serpent, however, and this one is so infested by mosquitos


Very well, I suppose I am eccentric, since even my husband says so; but if my eccentricities are of such a practical nature as to result later in the biggest cauliflowers and tenderest lettuce in Prussia, why then he ought to be the first to rise up and call me blessed.


2010 total: 19
currently reading: Murder on a Girl's Night Out (bath-tub book), Shutter Island, & Curse of the Pharoahs

Carmilla- J. Sheridan Le Fanu

132 pages

This is a vampire story that predates
Dracula.
In fact, it is better written than Dracula.

It is the story of Carmilla, a female vampire (though that fact isn't revealed until the end).
Through a strange series of events, she comes to stay in the castle of mere strangers.
There she befriends Laura, the daughter of the family, and very mysterious things begin to occur.

Some of the vampire lore is different than what is commonly "believed" today.

The atmosphere is very rich. It's wonderfully gothic and creepy. I loved the atmosphere and the background more than anything else!

2010 total: 18
Thriller & Suspense challenge: 9
Currently Reading: "Elizabeth and Her German Garden" and "The Curse of the Pharoahs" (Amelia Peabody series-#2)

The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg

128 pages

"A mysterious stranger is treated badly by the town of Hadleyburg-the town that proclaims itself "the most honest and upright town in the region." Through an ingenious sting operation, the stranger sets out to expose Hadleyburg's leading citizens and reveal their greedy, deceitful natures."

I really liked this book!

Mark Twain is fast becoming one of my favorite authors.

I remember my dad introducing me to Tom Sawyer when I was about 12. I enjoyed it, but wasn't particularly blown away by it.

In high school, we had to read Huck Finn.
I hated it.
I think I mostly hated it because I *had* to read it.
I was like that back then.
I automatically didn't like anything I was made to read.
Teenagers- go figure! lol

So that was my experience with Mark Twain.

Enter the Kindle and it's wonderful free-book goodness. :-)

Through Kindle, I have discovered lots of classics that I had never heard of, and re-discovered ones I didn't really give a chance the first time around.

This is the second Twain I've read this year and I plan on reading more.
I may even give Huck Finn another chance. ;-)

My favorite quotes from the book:
"Training in honesty-- honesty shielded from the very cradle, against every possible temptation.... is artificial honest, and weak as water when temptation comes."

"Why, you simple creatures, the weakest of all weak things is a virtue which has not been tested in the fire."


2010 total: 17

Crocodile on the Sandbank

272 pages

Amazon.com Review

Elizabeth Peters's unforgettable heroine Amelia Peabody makes her first appearance in this clever mystery. Amelia receives a rather large inheritance and decides to use it for travel. On her way through Rome to Egypt, she meets Evelyn Barton-Forbes, a young woman abandoned by her lover and left with no means of support. Amelia promptly takes Evelyn under her wing, insisting that the young lady accompany her to Egypt, where Amelia plans to indulge her passion for Egyptology. When Evelyn becomes the target of an aborted kidnapping and the focus of a series of suspicious accidents and mysterious visitations, Amelia becomes convinced of a plot to harm her young friend. Like any self-respecting sleuth, Amelia sets out to discover who is behind it all.

The love of my beloved is on yonder side
A width of water is between us
And a crocodile waiteth on the sandbank.
.~Ancient Egyptian Love Poem


I found it hard to get into this book (maybe because I was reading another book that I really loved at the time) but I'm glad I didn't give up on it.
About halfway into it, I couldn't put it down.

It was a wonderful, delightful read!
The Egyptian theme was perfect to read while lying out by the pool.
The imagery is superb. The characters are excellent.
It made me want to travel the Nile on a dahabeeyah!

This book contains history, mystery, and a bit of romance.
It reminds me of a mixture of Indiana Jones, Agatha Christie, and the Discovery Channel.

Several books in this series are currently priced at about $2 in the Amazon Kindle store.
Don't miss out!


2010 total: 16
Thriller & Suspense challenge: 8
Currently Reading: "Murder on a Girls' Night Out" and "The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg"

The Solitary Summer- Elizabeth von Arnim

210 pages

"May 2nd - Last night after dinner, when we were in the garden, I said, "I want to be alone for a whole summer, and get to the very dregs of life. I want to be as idle as I can, so that my soul may have time to grow. Nobody shall be invited to stay with me, and if any one calls they will be told that I am out, or away, or sick. I shall spend the months in the garden, and on the plain, and in the forests. I shall watch the things that happen in my garden, and see where I have made mistakes. On wet days I will go into the thickest parts of the forests, where the pine needles are everlastingly dry, and when the sun shines I'll lie on the heath and see how the broom flares against the clouds. I shall be perpetually happy, because there will be no one to worry me."

I absolutely loved this book. I can't think of another book that I have enjoyed more than this one. I found myself highlighting left and right- at least 1/4 of the book has been clipped on my Kindle!

It is about a woman (Elizabeth von Arnim) who spends an entire summer doing all the things she loves: spending many hours alone in her garden, reading, writing, playing with her children. It is not an entirely solitary summer because she has a family and servants, and at one point they must play host to a troop of soldiers. More accurately, she does not spend any time socializing or looking to other people for entertainment.

I highly recommend this book.
It is perfect reading for an afternoon by the pool or an evening in the shade of a favorite tree.

Some of my favorite quotes from the book:

"What a blessing to love books! Everybody must love something and I know of no objects of love that give such substantial and unfailing returns as books and a garden."

"I long ago have discovered that the less a person knows, the more certain he is that he is right, and that no weapons yet invented are of any use in a struggle with stupidity."

"Books have their idiosyncrasies as well as people, and will not show me their full beauties unless the place and time in which they are read suits them."

(on taking a walk at 3 a.m.)
"I stood for a few minutes motionless on the steps, almost frightened by the awful purity of nature when all the sin and ugliness is shut up and asleep, and there is nothing but the beauty left."

"but here was the world wide awake and yet only for me, all the fresh pure air only for me, all the fragrances breathed only by me, not a living soul hearing the nightingale but me, the sun in a few moments coming up to warm only me, and nowhere a single hard word being spoken, or a single selfish act being done, nowhere anything that could tarnish the blessed purity of the world as God has give it us."

"Experience has taught me that whenever anything is on the tip of my tongue, the best thing to do is to keep it there."

"I have, it is true, a great many friends-- people with whom it is pleasant to spend an afternoon if such afternoons are not repeated too often, and if you are careful not to stir more than the surface of things."

"How can you help being happy if you are healthy and in the place you want to be?"

"I could almost fancy sometimes that as I come down the steps, gentle hands of blessing have been laid on my head. I suppose I feel so because of the hush that descends on my soul when I get out of the close, restless house into that silent purity."

"I jolted over the roots into the gathering shadows more and more pervaded by that feeling that so refreshes me, the feeling of being absolutely alone."

"And was there ever such a hopeful beginning to a day, and so full of promise for the subsequent right passing of its hours, as breakfast in the garden, alone with your teapot and your book!"

There's more, but I must stop myself now!


Here are some links about Elizabeth's life and the home described in this book.

Historic Gardens Foundation

Former location of Nassenheide, site of Elizabeth von Arnim's German Garden, described in her book of 1898. Historic site.

on Wikipedia

My TBR Pile (Updated)

Update: I've added more books to my pile.
Thankfully, most of these are on my Kindle so I don't have a literal pile.
I have to admit, having a Kindle has got me addicted to collecting books (esp. when they're free!)
I know I won't read all of these books this year, but it's still fun organizing and adding to my "little pile." :-)

The books with a strike through them have either been read or removed from my list.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The majority of these were free Kindle books.
A few are from paperback swap or library sales (aka my bath tub books ;-)).
I don't know if I will ever read every book on this list, but I do love having a large selection to choose from.

I've listed them in order of shortest to longest.


The Tragedy of Puddin'headWilson- Mark Twain- 118 pages READ
Weetzie Bat-Francesca Lia Block- 128 pages
Where Angels Fear to Tread- E.M. Forster- 128 pages
The Daffodil Mystery- Edgar Wallace- 134 pages
The Ghost Pirates-William Hope Hodgson- 136 pages
Jacob's Room - Virginia Wolf- 144 pages
Miss Map- E.F. Benson- 148 pages
Death of an Outsider(paperback)- M.C. Beaton-148 pages READ
The Evil Guest- Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu- 160 pages
Ghost Stories of an Antiquary- M.R. James-168 pages
The Body in the Library-Agatha Christie- 192 pages
The Divine Commodity- Skye Jethani-192 pages
Velvet Elvis -Rob Bell-208 pages
The Vanishing Man- R. Austin Freeman- 210 pages
The Solitary Summer-Elizabeth von Arnim 212 pages
Shakespeare's Landlord - Charlaine Harris-214 pages READ
Saving Sailor- Renee Riva-224 pages
The Monk who Sold his Ferrari- Robin S. Sharma- 224 pages
Tales of the Jazz Age - F. Scott Fitzgerald- 224 pages
Sin Boldly- 224 pages
Milrose Munce and the Den of Professional Help- Douglas Anthony Cooper- 240 pages
Stuck on Murder- Lucy Lawrence- 240 pages
The Last Time I Saw You- Elizabeth Berg 256 pages
Murder on a Girls' Night Out (paperback)- Anne George 256
One Bad Apple-Sheila Connelly- 272 pages
Poirot's Christmas 272 pages
Exposure- Brandilyn Collins- 272 pages
Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Jesus-Ann Spangler, Lois Tverberg- 272 pages
The Curse of the Pharoahs (#2)- Elizabeth Peters-285 pages
Sew Deadly-Elizabeth Lyn Casey- 288 pages
Robin and Ruby-K.M. Soehnlein- 288 pages
Dark Pursuit- Brandilyn Collins- 288 pages
The Fence My Father Built-Linda Clare-294
Death of a Trophy Wife-Laura Levine-304 pages
Tender Graces- Kathryn Magendie-316 pages
You Can't Stop Me- Matthew Clemens- 320 pages
Grave Surprise- Charlaine Harris- 320 pages
Strawberry Shortcake Murder- Joanne Fluke- 320 pages
Daring Chloe-Laura Jensen Walker- 336 pages
As Young as We Feel - Melody Carlson- 352 pages
Sushi for One? - Camy Tang- 352 pages
Thyme of Death (paperback)- Susan Wittig Albert-352 pages
The People of the Mist-Henry Rider Haggard- 356 pages
Daisy Chain-Mary E. DeMuth- 368 pages
My name is Russell Fink- Michael Snyder- 368 pages
Primitive- Mark Nykanen and Deborah Smith- 384 pages
Shutter Island- Dennis Lehane- 400 pages
Rooms-James L. Rubart- 400 pages
Seeing a Large Cat- Elizabeth Peters- 432 pages
The Help-Kathryn Stockett- 464 pages READ
The Killing Room- John Manning-484 pages
The Complete Sherlock Holmes- 944 pages

Death of a Prankster & Shakespeare's Landlord

176 pages

From Publishers Weekly:
Wealthy local Andrew Trent, notorious for practical jokes that have far exceeded short-sheeted beds and whoopee cushions, has summoned his would-be heirs to his northern mansion with the false announcement that he has only a short time left to live. Braving the Highlands winter are his adopted son and his TV-star fiancee, two spinster daughters, his brother (with his brittle wife) and his scientist stepson (with his punk, pink-haired girlfriend and colleague). After Andrew is murdered in a prank that backfires, Macbeth wends his way through a tangle of family squabbles and secrets. Another murder and an attempt on a third victim follow in this readable tale that doesn't, however, bear close scrutiny. Illogic abounds and the final confession is precipitated by a wild coincidence.

This book has all the classic mystery elements: numerous suspects snowbound in a big mansion, red herrings, and a gathering of the suspects in the drawing room for the solution to be given by the featured sleuth.

Most Amazon reviewers gave this book low ratings, but I rather liked it. In fact, I'd say this might be my favorite Hamish MacBeth novel I've read yet.



214 pages

From Publisher's Weekly While on a late-night jog in tiny Shakespeare, Ark., Lily Bard, 31, sees a furtive figure placing large plastic garbage bags in the local park and, untying one, discovers the body of her former landlord. In a quick but anonymous phone call (she is determined to avoid any questioning), she reports it to the police chief. With skill and wry wit, Harris, the author of the Aurora Teagarden series, soon reveals the horrific facts in Lily's background that explain why she is solitary, confrontational, obsessed with self-defense—and why she chooses, despite a first-rate education, to eke out a living as a cleaning woman. Realizing, however, that her fingerprints on the body of the dead man might make her a suspect, Lily subtly and insightfully queries her customers, some of them tenants of the murdered landlord, in the process meticulously evaluating their closets, drawers and motives. The renters are a well-defined lot: a happily promiscuous idler; a sanctimonious and hypocritical reverend; and an aging couple with much to grieve about. As Lily investigates, she develops a wary but cordial relationship with the police chief and forms a warmer tie with her karate instructor. But at the same time, someone has discovered the unspeakable facts about Lily's past and has begun stalking her.

I didn't really like this book. It wasn't very suspenseful and I couldn't connect with the characters. I found that I didn't really care to find out who the murderer was. I made myself finish reading it. After all, I had bought the book with my swagbucks gift card. ;-)
I don't think I will be reading more in this series any time soon.

2010 total: 14
Thriller & Suspense challenge: 7
currently reading: The Last Time I Saw You- Elizabeth Berg

The Help - Kathryn Stockett

464 pages

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. What perfect timing for this optimistic, uplifting debut novel set during the nascent civil rights movement in Jackson, Miss., where black women were trusted to raise white children but not to polish the household silver. Eugenia Skeeter Phelan is just home from college in 1962, and, anxious to become a writer, is advised to hone her chops by writing about what disturbs you. The budding social activist begins to collect the stories of the black women on whom the country club sets relies and mistrusts enlisting the help of Aibileen, a maid who's raised 17 children, and Aibileen's best friend Minny, who's found herself unemployed more than a few times after mouthing off to her white employers. The book Skeeter puts together based on their stories is scathing and shocking, bringing pride and hope to the black community, while giving Skeeter the courage to break down her personal boundaries and pursue her dreams. Assured and layered, full of heart and history, this one has bestseller written all over it.

I absolutely loved this book.
I always admire people standing up for what is right, despite the consequences.

I admire the courage of these woman to tell their stories, to reveal the truth, even knowing that by doing so they were putting themselves and their families in grave danger.

Some parts of the book were so intense that it was hard to read.
I had to stop and put it down at one point.

I think the overall theme of this book is hope.
Hope that things can get better, and that right will prevail.

Currently Reading: Death of a Prankster- M.C. Beaton
2010 total: 12

Death of an Outsider & The Tale of Puddn'head Wilson

118 pages

This is the first Mark Twain book I've read since high school.

It was interesting.

According to the author, it started out as a farce and ended up being a tragedy. He says it was actually 2 stories in one.

I have to admit, I don't understand the title.
Yes, it is a tragedy, but the tragedy part did not involve Pudd'nhead Wilson. In fact, he ended up being the hero. Neither is Puddn'head one of the main character. *shrugs* Maybe I'm missing something. I don't know.

This book is definitely NOT politically correct. It was hard to read in some places- both because of the content, and because of the dialect. It made me laugh. It made me angry. It is a good story.

It involves two babies being raised by a slave named Roxy.
Roxy is only 1/16th black. Her skin is white. Her son's skin is white.
Roxy cares for her son, and her master's son.
The two boys look like twins.
Roxy comes up with a plan to switch them so her son will never be sold, and hopefully will be able to stay with her.
After the many sacrifices she makes for her son, he turns out to be horrible.
He betrays in the worse way.

There is much more to the story than that, but I don't want to give anything away.

The book includes a duel, fingerprinting (which was apparently a new science at the time), cat burglary, palm reading, murder, and the phrase "he needed killing." lol



Death of an Outsider - M.C. Beaton

148 pages

"Nobody in the Scottish town of Cnothan had much liked William Mainwaring. The abrasive Englishman rubbed everyone the wrong way. And now that he's been murdered, nobody seems to mind. Constable Hamish Macbeth happens to be on temporary duty in Cnothan when the killer strikes, and now, like it or not, he's got to solve the crime and bring the killer to justice. But the closed-mouthed locals seem to be hiding many secrets. And as Hamish slowly pieces together a tale of illicit romance, secret vices, real-estate swindles and witchcraft, he begins to wonder if he will soon be joining Mainwairing ."

I liked this book. M.C. Beaton makes the setting and characters come alive. The town of Cnothan is a very bleak, depressing sort of place. I felt almost as homesick as Hamish did for Lochdubh.

This book was written in the 80s and it is very evident. There are references to Reagan, Gorbachev, Margaret Thatcher, AIDS, and more. Descriptions of clothing includes large shoulder pads in dresses! I think that's a fashion trend we'd all like to forget. lol

Currently Reading: "The Help"
2010 total: 11

11 p.m.

I did it! My 24 hours is up!!

I finished my last book just in time- with 15 minutes to spare.

So how did we do?

I read
Death of an Outsider-M.C. Beaton,
The Tragedy of Puddn'head Wilson- Mark Twain
the book of James (the Message bible)
6 chapters of The Help.

DD read
Nancy Drew Notebooks-Alien in the Classroom
Nancy Drew Notebooks- The Apple Bandit
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
126 pages (out of 220) of Emily Windsnap & the Monster from the Deep

DS read
The Yellow Feather Mystery (Hardy Boys)
Robinson Crusoe


Not too shabby, if you factor in interruptions by my 4 children, and breaks for exercise, showers, meals, and naps.

Tomorrow I will be visiting some of the other readers' blogs.
I love blog surfing.

This was very fun. I can't wait for the next read-a-thon.

I want to thank all of the cheerleaders and fellow readers for your encouragement.
I couldn't have done it without you! :-)

8 p.m. update

I am up to chapter 15 (61% complete) in Puddin'head Wilson.
It's a good book and I am enjoying it.

I have to admit, I am getting a little tired of reading.

Only 3 more hours until my 24-hour mark is up!
I might read past the 24 hour mark, though.
Like I said, I'm a night owl. It's no big for me to read all night. :-)

6 p.m. update

After my last update, I moved outside for a change of scenery.
I sat on the patio swing and read 8 chapters of Puddin'head Wilson.
Then I came inside, had a bath, and ate a tomato & avocado sandwich.

Now it's time to get back to business. :-)

My daughter is joining me again. She's been reading for about an hour.
She is on page 66 (chapter 3) of Emily Windsnap and the Monster from the Deep.

I am going to be starting on chapter 9 of Puddin'head Wilson in just a moment.

3 p.m. update

I've finally finished a book. Yay!

Next time I do a read-a-thon I will NOT choose a 500 page book!
I don't think I will be finishing The Help today.

I finished Death of an Outsider by M.C. Beaton.

I will be reading The Tragedy of Pudd'nhead Wilson by Mark Twain next.

My boys have abandoned me.
They went fishing with their dad.
I don't blame them, though.
If you were a teenaged boy, which would you choose? lol
They will be joining me again tonight.

DD finished The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and is now reading the second Emily Windsnap book.
She is taking a break for awhile.

I am feeling much better now- afternoons and evenings are my peak time.
The morning sluggishness has left me.
It's time to get down to some serious reading!

12:30 p.m.

I napped, had dinner, did some laundry, and woke up the kids.

Now it's time to get back to reading!

10 a.m. update

I read one chapter in The Help, and one chapter in Death of an Outsider.

I think I'm going to switch to Death of an Outsider until I finish it.
It's a rather short book and I need to feel like I've accomplished something.

I'm currently on chapter 15 of The Help and chapter 6 of Death of an Outsider.

I am having a hard time this morning.
It's easy for me to stay up and read, but mornings are not my best time of day.
I'm sleepy!

The kids are not awake yet.
I think I may take a short "power-nap," and then wake them up.

Read-a-Thon Intro Meme

Where are you reading from today? Louisiana

3 facts about me … I am 35 years old, I'm an (almost) vegetarian, and I'm a homeschooling mom of 4 children

How many books do you have in your TBR pile for the next 24 hours? 3 or 4

Do you have any goals for the read-a-thon (i.e. number of books, number of pages, number of hours, or number of comments on blogs)?

My goal is to finish "The Help," "Death of an Outsider" by M.C. Beaton, and at least one other book from my TBR pile.

If you’re a veteran read-a-thoner, Any advice for people doing this for the first time?

Nope, sorry. I'm a newbie. :-)

8 a.m.

I'm awake, time to get back to reading!!!

3 a.m. update

I read 4 chapters of "The Help."
They are long chapters.
This is a very good book, but I am getting tired of reading it.
I think I'm going to switch to something else for awhile.
I am currently on chapter 14 (40% complete, according to my Kindle).

DD completed her second book and is now reading "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes,"
Illustrated Classics edition.
She's currently on page 150- she only has 30 pages left in it.

DS (14) finished his first book (Yellow Feather Mystery) and is currently on chapter 13 of Robinson Crusoe.

I am getting sleepy.
I think I will have to stop for some sleep soon.

1 a.m. update

DD completed one book (Nancy Drew & Alien in the Classroom), and read 56 pages in another book (Nancy Drew & the Apple Bandit).

DS (14) read 79 pages of his book.
He's currently on page 148.

I read the book of James, 1 chapter in "Death of and Outsider" by M.C. Beaton (while in the bath), and 2 chapters in "The Help."

I'm currently on chapter 10 of "The Help."

Setting the Mood

It's time to start reading!!

At least it is for us. ;-)

We are night owls.
It's much easier for us to stay up late reading than to wake up at the crack of dawn to start.

We officially started at 11 p.m.

We will read until we fall asleep (which I expect to be about 3 a.m.), then we'll
resume when we wake tomorrow.


Before I start, I like to set the mood.

My favorite time to read is on a rainy night.
Unfortunately, it isn't raining at the moment, so I will listen a recording
of a rain storm on my iPod while I'm reading.

I do this quite regularly.
I like the cozy feeling it produces, and it helps to drown out any noise that
may distract from my reading.


I also don't like harsh overhead lights while I'm reading, so I use my trusty Energizer headlight.
It's the best!

I am going to be reading in the living room.
For some reason, I can't read comfortably in bed.
So, I am going to curl up on the sofa with my pillows and a comfy quilt
for the remainder of the night.

DD is beginning with "Nancy Drew notebooks: Alien in the Classroom."
She is on page 38 at the moment.

C (14 y.o. son) is currently reading The Yellow Feather Mystery.
He's on page 69.

I am going to begin reading a chapter or two in the book of James (the Message translation),
then move on to "The Help."

I will be updating our progress through the night.

Read-a-Thon

It's almost time for the read-a-thon!
If you'd like to participate, there's still time to sign up.
It starts at 5 a.m. Pacific this Saturday.
Click on the picture for more info.

You don't have to read for the entire 24 hours.
You are allowed to sleep and take breaks.

I must say right now that I will not be starting early in the morning. I have insomnia, so it will be no problem for me to stay up all night reading, but I absolutely cannot wake up early enough for the start time. I guess that means I'll be using my sleep time at the beginning of the read-a-thon instead of at the end. :-)

My children will also be participating. I don't think they will read the entire time, but they will be reading for a large part of the day.

We will be blogging our progress on this blog.

Here are our reading lists:

Mine
The Help- Kathryn Stockett
At the moment I have read about 25% of it.

Death of an Outsider- M.C. Beaton
I am currently on page 48 of 148.

My goal is to finish these two books and then start (and hopefully finish) something from my TBR pile.


My 14 year old son
The Yellow Feather Mystery (Hardy Boys)
He is about half way into it.

Robinson Crusoe
He's already read it twice, but wants to read it again.
It's his favorite.

Warriors #1 - Into the Wild
Warriors #2- Fire and Ice

My 10 year old daughter
Emily Windsnap and the Monster from the Deep- Liz Kessler
Emily Windsnap and the Castle in the Mist
This series is about a girl who finds out she is really a mermaid.
DD's already read the first in the series and has read a little of the second book

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (Children's Illustrated Classics edition)

Nancy Drew Notebooks- The Apple Bandits, and Alien in the Classroom

My 13 year old son
He does not like to read.
This makes me sad.

However, he will be participating as well.
He bought a large collection of "Goosebumps" books from Ebay.
He will be reading some of these.

It's not my favorite choice, but at least he reads them.



I can't wait for Saturday!!!

"Saving CeeCee Honeycutt" & "Gilt by Association"

320 pages

From Booklist

Momma always told CeeCee (short for Cecelia Rose) that “being in the North isn’t living—it’s absolute hell.” Of course, having to live with Momma—Camille Sugarbaker Honeycutt, that is, Vidalia Onion Queen, 1951—doesn’t make it any more heavenly, especially when Momma starts standing in the front yard blowing kisses to passersby. You know this is going to end badly, and so it does, when the erstwhile onion queen is run over by a speeding Happy Cow Ice Cream Truck. Before you can say “sweet magnolia blossoms,” 12-year-old CeeCee is sent off to Savannah to live with her elderly great aunt, Tallulah Caldwell, and her wise African American housekeeper and cook, Oletta. It being 1967, you know there will be one dark episode of racial hatred, but it’s quickly—and conveniently—resolved offstage, leaving all the characters free to continue being relentlessly eccentric, upbeat, sweet as molasses, and living, as CeeCee puts it with a straight face, “in a breezy, flower-scented fairy tale . . . a strange, perfumed world that . . . seemed to be run entirely by women.” Light as air but thoroughly pleasant reading.

I really liked this book.
I don't know what else to say about it.
You should read it.
Told ya I wasn't a very good book reviewer! lol

256 pages

"......But a superb, gilt-edged 18th-century French armoire she purchased for a song at estate auction has just arrived along with something she didn't pay for: a dead body.

Suddenly her shop is a crime scene--and closed to the public during the busiest shopping season of the year--so Abigail is determined to speed the lumbering police investigation along. But amateur sleuthing is leading the feisty antiques expert into a murderous mess of dysfunctional family secrets. And the next cadaver found stuffed into fine old furniture could wind up being Abigail's own."

This was my bathtub book this week.
Yes, I have specific books for reading in the tub. Ha!
I have a Kindle, which I use for most of my books.
However, my nightly indulgence is a bubble bath and a book.
That's where PaperBackSwap.com comes in.
I use my credits to buy paperbacks for the bath. :-)

This is the second book in this series.
I have the same complaint about it as I did about the last one.
The language.
I don't like bad language in a book, especially when it seems to be used for no real reason.
I find the language in this book very unnecessary.

This is supposed to be in the "cozy mystery" genre.
I don't think it should be labeled as such.

The definition of a cozy is as follows:
"Cozies very rarely focus on sex, profanity,or violence. The murders take
place off stage, and are often relatively bloodless" (from Wikipedia).
(Click here for more on cozies).

Granted, this is still a mild book, but I would not label it a cozy.

My second complaint is that this is supposed to be a Southern novel.
Other than saying "ya'll" and various characters complaining about yankees (which I have NEVER heard a southerner seriously do), you would never know these characters are supposed to be from the south.
It's obvious that a non-southerner (dare I say, a yankee?) wrote this book.

All of that being said, I didn't hate the book.
It was an ok read.
To be fair, I loved the author's Penn-Dutch Inn series.

2010 total: 9
Currently Reading: "The Help", "Death of an Outsider" (Hamish MacBeth), and "The One Year Chronological Bible"