Home to Holly Springs- Jan Karon

368 pages

I loved the Mitford series, so I was excited about this book.

Unfortunately, I didn't think it was as good as the Mitford books. It was nice to visit with Fr. Tim again, but this book left me homesick for Mitford. It lacked the charm, humor, and warm-fuzziness of the previous series.

2009 total: 1
pages read: 368

In the Forests of the Night- Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

176 pages

Vampire girl loves a tiger.
Vampire boy kills tiger because vampire girls hunts in his territory.
Vampire girl nearly kills vampire boy, and becomes a stronger vampire.
The end.

2008 total: 34
pages read: 13,988

The Witch of Blackbird Pond

249 pages

Amazon.com Review
Forced to leave her sunny Caribbean home for the bleak Connecticut Colony, Kit Tyler is filled with trepidation. As they sail up the river to Kit's new home, the teasing and moodiness of a young sailor named Nat doesn't help. Still, her unsinkable spirit soon bobs back up. What this spirited teenager doesn't count on, however, is how her aunt and uncle's stern Puritan community will view her. In the colonies of 1687, a girl who swims, wears silk and satin gowns, and talks back to her elders is not only headstrong, she is in grave danger of being regarded as a witch. When Kit befriends an old Quaker woman known as the Witch of Blackbird Pond, it is more than the ascetics can take: soon Kit is defending her life. Who can she count on as she confronts these angry and suspicious townspeople? A thoroughly exciting and rewarding Newbery Medal winner and ALA Notable Children's Book, Elizabeth George Speare's The Witch of Blackbird Pond brings this frightening period of witch hysteria to life. Readers will wonder at the power of the mob mentality, and the need for communities in desperate times--even current times--to find a scapegoat. (Ages 9 and older)


I liked this book. Even though it is a children's book, I found it hard to put down.

It gave any interesting picture of life in colonial Connecticut.
The witch hunt was actually a smaller portion of the story than you would expect.
The reasons for suspicion of witchcraft were ridiculous, though I'm sure similar charges were used during the New England witch trials.
All in all, this is a good, delightful read.

2008 total: 33
pages read: 13,812

A Spoonful of Poison- M.C. Beaton

312 pages (large print edition)

From Publishers Weekly
When elderly Mrs. Andrews blithely jumps to her death off the tower of Saint Odo the Severe during a church charity event in the Cotswolds village of Comfrey Magna, LSD-laced jam proves to be the cause in bestseller Beaton's saucy 19th Agatha Raisin mystery (after 2007's Kissing Christmas Goodbye). Agatha joins the local authorities in the investigation, which focuses on the six women who contributed jam to the church fete, including wealthy Sybilla Triast-Perkins. Agatha and Toni Gilmour, her young detective-in-training, soon find unmasking the lethal jam poisoner complicated by Sybilla's sudden suicide and a murder connected to the theft of the fete's proceeds. Beaton's sly humor enhances the cozy-style plotting, while updates on Agatha's and Toni's respective romantic travails are delightful as ever. The open-ended resolution points to more madcap mayhem to come


This is the newest Agatha Raisin mystery.
It wasn't my favorite.
It's not a bad book, but, it was predictable.
I find that all of the recent Agatha Raisin books have become predictable and pretty much the same.

2008 total: 32
pages read: 13,563

currently reading: The Witch of Blackbird Pond

Skin- Ted Dekker

400 pages

From Booklist
*Starred Review* A freak tornado drives five characters together in the little Nevada town of Summerville in this striking morality tale superficially reminiscent of Stephen King's Desperation (1996). Dekker's philosophical considerations are his own, however. It seems that as the storm descended a serial killer named Sterling Red began his killing spree. The reader won't understand why for a long time, but, apparently, the killer is partially motivated by the desire for revenge against a nervous deputy--a Las Vegas emigre--named Colt. Sterling Red makes a curious demand of the group: kill the ugliest person among you within six hours. Otherwise, he will wipe out the rest of Summerville. Not that the little group will accede, but just suppose. Is it beauty or ugliness that's skin deep?

I liked this book. I read it in one night. I couldn't put it down- I had to know what was really going on. lol

I have to admit, the explanation was surprising, though a bit off the wall and not likely to really happen.
This book definitely has its flaws, but it was still an enjoyable and suspenseful read.


2008 total: 31
pages read: 13,251

Recent Reads

Due to problems with my internet connection, I have been unable to update this blog in quite some time.
Obviously, I don't have time to review all of the books I've read since the last entry, so I'm just posting a quick list for my records.

Stephanie Meyer: Twilight (544 pages), Eclipse (640 pages), New Moon (608 pages), Breaking Dawn (768 pages)
Teri Blackstock: Breaker's Reef (480 pages)
Lisa Samson: Women's Intuition (386 pages)
PC & Kristin Cast: Marked (The House of Night series) (horrible book! I couldn't finish it)
The Quilter's Apprentice- Jennifer Chiaverini (224 pages)
The Quilter's Kitchen- Jennifer Chiaverini (224 pages)
Death of a Garage Sale Newbie- Sharon Dunn (304 pages)

2008 total: 30
pages read: 12,851

The Kanner Lake Series- Brandilyn Collins

To read my review of the first book in this series, Violet Dawn, click here.

Coral Moon

319 pages

From the Back Cover The figure remained still as stone. Leslie couldn’t even detect a breath. Spider fingers teased the back of her neck. Leslie’s feet rooted to the pavement. She dropped her gaze to the driveway, seeking … what? Spatters of blood? Footprints? She saw nothing. Honed through her recent coverage of crime scene evidence, the testimony at last month’s trial, the reporter in Leslie spewed warnings: Notice everything, touch nothing. Leslie Williams hurries out to her car on a typical workday morning—and discovers a dead body inside. Why was the corpse left for her to find? And what is the meaning of the message pinned to its chest? In Coral Moon, the senseless murder of a beloved Kanner Lake citizen spirals the small Idaho town into a terrifying glimpse of spiritual forces beyond our world. What appears true seems impossible. Or is it?

I loved this book. It was very good and very suspenseful. Supernatural elements make it different from anything else by this author (at least the ones I have read). I love Brandilyn Collins. The chapters are short (which I like because I tend to read in short spurts), she gradually reveals the identity of the killer through flashbacks, the characters seem real and you genuinely care about them.



Crimson Eve

336 pages

From the back cover: Realtor Carla Radling shows and "English gentleman" a lakeside estate- and finds herself facing a gun.

Who has hired this assassin to kill her, and why?
Forced on the run, Carla must uncover the scathing secrets of her past.
Secrets that could destroy some very powerful people.

I think this was my favorite book in the series. I read it in one day. It literally keeps you on the edge of your seat the entire time. Ms. Collins' tagline "Don't Forget to Breathe" is a fitting description for this book.


Amber Morn

315 pages

From the back cover:
On a beautiful Saturday morning the nationally read “Scenes and Beans” bloggers gather at Java Joint for a special celebration. Chaos erupts when three gunmen burst in and take them all hostage. One person is shot and dumped outside.

Police Chief Vince Edwards must negotiate with the desperate trio. The gunmen insist on communicating through the “comments” section of the blog—so all the world can hear their story. What they demand, Vince can’t possibly provide. But if he doesn’t, over a dozen beloved Kanner Lake citizens will die …


This was my least favorite book in the series.
I think part of the reason is because I didn't give it my full attention.
I read it during Hurricane Gustav.
Needless to say, I was somewhat pre-occupied while reading it.
It was a good story line, and I'm sure it is a good book if you read it under normal circumstances. :-)

Also read:
White Lightening- Minton Sparks (128 pages)
The Miracle at Speedy Motors- Alexander McCall Smith (224 pages)

2008 total: 21
pages read: 8673