FINISHED -

1. "SLOW BURN COWBOY" by Maisey Yates (Copper Ridge #7) (A+++++) In Copper Ridge, Oregon, a cowboy's best friend might turn out to be the woman of his dreams…If Finn Donnelly makes a plan, he sticks to it. After his brothers left Copper Ridge, Finn stayed behind, determined to keep their ranch going by himself. And when he realized his feelings for Lane Jensen were more than platonic, he shoved that inconvenient desire away. It was easy…until it wasn't. Suddenly his brothers are coming home to claim their share of the property. And Lane is no longer just in his fantasies. She's in his arms, and their friendship is on the line. He's been her buddy, her handyman, her rock. But until that one breathtaking kiss, Lane somehow overlooked the most important thing about Finn Donnelly - he's all man. They're right together, no matter how much his volatile past has bruised him. Finn wants to hold Lane's body, but he doesn't want to hold her heart. But Lane is falling fast and now she's got a plan of her own…to show Finn there's nothing hotter than friendship turned to slow-burning love. "TAKE ME COWBOY" by Maisey Yates (Copper Ridge: Desire #1) (A+++++) This sexy rancher is her best friend…but can he be more? She's just one of the boys, but with a new business in Copper Ridge, Anna Brown needs to change that. Her brothers bet she can't land a date for a fancy charity event. So Anna turns to her best friend - the hottest bachelor in town - for advice. Rancher Chase McCormack wants in on that gala. If Anna takes him, he promises to turn her into a lady. But the makeover reveals what he's long suspected - Anna's irresistible! Is his best friend prepared to be taken - heart, body and soul - by her very own cowboy?
2. "HARD-HEARTED HIGHLANDER" by Julia London (Highland Grooms #3) (A+++++) An indomitable governess...a brooding Highlander...a forbidden affair...An ill-fated elopement cost English-born governess Bernadette Holly her reputation, her unsuitable lover and any chance of a future match. She has nothing left to fear - not even the bitter, dangerously handsome Scot due to marry her young charge. Naive wallflower Avaline is terrified to wed Rabbie Mackenzie, but if he sends her home, she will be ruined. Bernadette's solution: convince Rabbie to get Avaline to cry off...while ignoring her own traitorous attraction to him. A forced engagement to an Englishwoman is a hard pill for any Scot to swallow. It's even worse when the fiancee in question is a delicate, foolish young miss - unlike her spirited, quick-witted governess. Sparring with Bernadette brings passion and light back to Rabbie's life after the failed Jacobite uprising. His clan's future depends upon his match to another, but how can any Highlander forsake a love that stirs his heart and soul?
3. "MILLION DOLLAR COWBOY" by Lori Wilde (Cupid, Texas #5) (A+++++) The illegitimate son of a Texas ranching dynasty, Ridge Lockhart left home ten years ago with one goal: to become more successful than the father who never accepted him. Mission accomplished, but now he’s back at the Silver Feather Ranch for a wedding - three days of best man duty until he can hightail it out. Then he spies Kaia Alzate, and suddenly leaving isn’t quite so appealing. Kaia Alzate grew up the daughter of the ranch foreman, servants to the mighty Lockharts in the mansion. Back then, she followed Ridge around like a puppy. Now, she’s fighting the attraction she feels for this sexy CEO. She’s determined not to make a big mistake - but when Ridge takes her in his arms she’s stunned…could he be the man she’s waited for all along?
4. "72 HOURS" by Bella Jewel (new author for me) (A+++++) A fate worse than death...It’s all part of his sick game. A game he’s been planning for an entire decade. Now everything is perfect: One woman and one man have been selected. They used to be a couple - and they can no longer stand one another. They are the perfect victims. He doesn’t intend for the game to be easy. He wants to push them to the brink of insanity, to make his hunt real. A desire worth fighting for...The couple has been captured and dumped into a massive wooded area. There’s only one rule in this fatal game: They will have 72 hours to find a way out before the sadistic serial killer begins his hunt...But what he never could have expected was the explosive passion that ignites between the two ex-lovers - one that makes them strong. Fierce. And determined to do whatever it takes to escape - and to survive.
5. "TOO WILDE TO TAME" by Janelle Denison (Wilde #3) (A+++++) Mia Wilde has a reputation for being too wild to tame, but that doesn’t mean she’s going to let someone get away with distributing provocative photographs of her. She needs to find out who is threatening her before her overprotective brothers find out. For that, she’s going to enlist the help of private investigator Cameron Sinclair - the one man who seems immune to her flirtatious and outrageous personality. But Mia soon learns that appearances can be very deceiving. The moment Cameron agrees to help, he knows he’s in deep trouble. Because Mia isn’t just your average bad girl. In fact, beneath that wild, untamable facade is a beautiful, too sexy woman who’s been driving him crazy with desire. And if he isn’t careful, the hot passion sizzling between them might just tempt him to do something he might regret. Like propose something hotter and wilder than either of them had ever imagined.
6. "LOVE BY DEGREE" by Debbie Macomber (A+++) When Ellen Cunningham decides to go back to school as a mature student, she knows that money is going to be tight. She also knows she's lucky to find inexpensive lodging in a house near the campus, but she didn't count on having to live with three college-aged boys- - or deal with the bad-tempered landlord, Reed Morgan. Reed has no patience for college-boy antics, but the chemistry between him and Ellen might warm him up to his new tenants. "THE RAIN SPARROW" by Linda Goodnight (Honey Ridge #2) (A++++++) Renowned yet private, thriller writer Hayden Winters lives a life colored by lies. As he is deeply ashamed of his past, his hunger for an honest relationship and dreams of starting a family remain unsatisfied, and he can trust no one with his secrets - until he meets Carrie Riley. When they discover a vulnerable young boy hiding at the inn where Hayden is staying, the two are compelled to help him, and soon they're drawn into a centuries-old mystery that will either bring them closer together - or tear them apart.
7. "RUNNING TO YOU" by Rachel Lacey (Risking it All #1) (A+++++) One little lie. A whole lot of trouble. Moments after meeting the most gorgeous guy ever, Gabby Winters promptly gets stung by a zillion yellowjackets and falls-not gracefully-into a stream. Yup, Ethan Hunter is trouble with a capital "hot," and Gabby definitely needs to keep her distance. Except in the small town of Haven, there's nowhere to hide from Ethan's sexy, infectious grin...and all the residents are conspiring against her. At the center of the town's matchmaking is Ethan's grandmother, who's convinced their relationship is a done deal. Rather than break her heart, Gabby and Ethan find themselves cornered into pretending to be falling in love. The problem: there's serious sizzling attraction between them. And if this charade continues, they won't fool just the entire town - they might fool themselves too.
8. "UNDER PRESSURE" by Lori Foster (Body Armor #1) (A+++++) He can protect anything except his heart...Leese Phelps’s road hasn’t been an easy one, but it’s brought him to the perfect job - working for the elite Body Armor security agency. And what his newest assignment lacks in size, she makes up for in fire and backbone. But being drawn to Catalina Nicholson is a dangerous complication, especially since it could be the very man who hired Leese who’s threatening her. What Catalina knows could get her killed. But who’d believe the sordid truth about her powerful stepfather? Beyond Leese’s ripped body and brooding gaze is a man of impeccable honour. He’s the last person she expects to trust - and the first who’s ever made her feel safe. And he’s the only one who can help her expose a deadly secret, if they can just stay alive long enough.  "BUILT FOR LOVE" by Lori Foster (The Carlisles #3) (A+++++) Contractor Jesse Baker knows all about knocking down walls - but chipping away at Tonya Bloom's defenses has been tougher than he expected. The gorgeous blonde has made it clear she doesn't have room in her life for romance…so what is it about her that makes Jesse determined to prove her wrong? Realtor Tonya is an expert on houses, but building a home - and family - for her newly orphaned nephew, Kevin, is a challenge she never expected. And while Jesse might be a shoulder to lean on, he's also a distraction she can't afford. But with Jesse set on winning her heart, will she realize once and for all that the perfect love doesn't always happen at the perfect time?
9. "THIS IS OUR SONG" by Samantha Chase (Shaughnessy Brothers #4) (A+++++) She knows him by reputation...Riley Shaughnessy knew that to stand out in his large family, he'd have to go big. Making a name for himself as a musician wasn't easy, but he followed his dreams to rock-star success. But the relentless expectations of fans is not helping the slump he's in now. So of course the person who attracts him is the woman who is not impressed by fame.
10. "FAMILY TREE" by Susan Wiggs (Switchback, Vermont #1) (A+++++) Sometimes the greatest dream starts with the smallest element. A single cell, joining with another. And then dividing. And just like that, the world changes. Annie Harlow knows how lucky she is. The producer of a popular television cooking show, she loves her handsome husband and the beautiful Los Angeles home they share. And now, she’s pregnant with their first child. But in an instant, her life is shattered. And when Annie awakes from a yearlong coma, she discovers that time isn’t the only thing she’s lost. Grieving and wounded, Annie retreats to her old family home in Switchback, Vermont, a maple farm generations old. There, surrounded by her free-spirited brother, their divorced mother, and four young nieces and nephews, Annie slowly emerges into a world she left behind years ago: the town where she grew up, the people she knew before, the high-school boyfriend turned judge. And with the discovery of a cookbook her grandmother wrote in the distant past, Annie unearths an age-old mystery that might prove the salvation of the family farm.
11. "TROUBLEMAKER" by Linda Howard (A+++++) For Morgan Yancy, an operative and team leader in a paramilitary group, nothing comes before his job. But when he’s ambushed and almost killed, his supervisor is determined to find out who’s after the members of his elite squad - and why. Due to worries that this unknown enemy will strike again, Morgan is sent to a remote location and told to lay low and stay vigilant. But between a tempting housemate he’s determined to protect and a deadly threat waiting in the shadows, keeping under the radar is proving to be his most dangerous mission yet. The part-time police chief of a small West Virginian mountain town, Isabeau “Bo” Maran finally has her life figured out. She’s got friends, a dog, and a little money in the bank. Then Morgan Yancy shows up on her doorstep. Bo doesn’t need a mysterious man in her life - especially a troublemaker as enticing and secretive as Morgan. The harder they fight the intense heat between them, the closer Morgan and Bo become, even though she knows he’s hiding from something. But discovering the truth could cost Bo more than she’s willing to give. And when Morgan’s cover is blown, it might just cost her life.
12. "DELIVER US FROM EVIL" by David Baldacci (A. Shaw #2) (unabridged audio CD) (A++++) In South America a 96-year-old man of great wealth reads a book late one night and an hour later he lies dead in his bed, the secrets of his past starkly revealed. Six months later another mystery man lies dead at the bottom of his pool in a villa in Provence. This time, however, there's a witness at the scene: Shaw, who barely escapes with his life. Meanwhile, a half a world away, photojournalist Katie James is working on a story of international importance. But shortly after her meeting with a potential inside source, she is smuggled unconscious onto an airplane headed to an undisclosed destination. In the days to come, Katie and Shaw will be reunited in a deadly duel of nerve and wits against a surprising, secretive enemy and led around the world at a breakneck pace.
13. "DAUGHTERS OF THE BRIDE" by Susan Mallery (A+++++) With joy, love and a little trepidation, Courtney, Sienna and Rachel invite you to the most emotional wedding of the year...their Mother's. Courtney - the misfit - As the awkward one, Courtney Watson may not be as together as her sisters, but she excels at one thing - keeping secrets, including the white-hot affair she's having with a sexy music producer. Sienna - the free spirit - When Sienna's boyfriend proposes, he takes her by surprise. She already has two broken engagements under her belt. Should she say - I do - even if she's not sure she does? Rachel - the cynic - Rachel thought love would last forever...right up until her divorce. With Mom's wedding day imminent and her ex begging for a second chance, she'll have to decide if she'll let pride stand in the way of her own happily-ever-after.

CURRENTLY READING -

1. "Gastien: From Dream to Destiny" by Caddie Rowland (Gastien #2) (reading on a Kindle app on my computer)
2. "Don't Tempt Me" by Lori Foster (Guthrie Brothers #1) 

CURRENTLY LISTENING TO -

1. "Mistaken Identity: Two Families, One Survivor, Unwavering Hope" by Don Van Ryn (new author for me) 

An unfinished woman by Lillian Hellman. interesting and easy read. Finished it fairly quickly. I might try the next volume in the memoirs Pentimento. I looked that word up one time a few years ago but I have forgotten what it means.

The Conde Nast Traveler Book of Unforgettable Journeys: Great Writers on Great Places

Finished:  Hawaii  by James A. Michener  for book club

               Chasing Light - Michelle Obama Through the Lens of a White House Photographer  by:  Amanda Lucidon

               Fifty Shades of Grey  by:  E L James

               Fifty Shades Darker  by: E L James

               Fifty Shades Freed   by: E L James  (Finished January 1)

Currently Reading:  Grey  by: E L James

Hope to get to:  The Giver by:  Lois Lowry  for book club

                        Gathering Blue by: Lois Lowry

                        Messenger  by:  Lois Lowry

                        Son  by:  Lois Lowry

Just started Seven Locks by Christine Wade. Takes place in New York Catskills in the late 1700’s.

Reading:  

War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy

On Par: The Everyday Golfer's Survival Guide by Bill Pennington

Seventh Plague by James Rollins

Finished:

Class A:  Baseball in the Middle of Everywhere by Lucas Mann

The Good Mayor by Andrew Nicoll

A Grown-Up Kind of Pretty by Joshilyn Jackson

Live Girls by Beth Nugent

EndGame: Bobby Fischer by Frank Brady

CURRENTLY READING

1. Cross The Line by James Patterson (Alex Cross #24)

FINISHED -

1. Wrestling With The Devil by Lex Luger
2. Quarterback Draw by Jaci Burton (Play by Play # 9)
3. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle

Charles, Pentimento is worth reading.  I've got those books around somewhere.  The 1977 movie, Julia, is based on them.  Vanessa Redgrave, Jane Fonda

Another distinguishing factor in Julia the movie is that Meryl Streep was in it as her first appearance in a movie. The story is that Woody Allen saw her in Julia and cast her in his next movie Manhatton and as they say the rest was history.

I could get it here but it is only availabble in mass market paperback and I don't like to read those because the print is usually a little small for me.

Too small print, isn't that the truth?  I've gotten rid of many old paperbacks because the print shrunk just sitting there on the shelf!

Mysteries by Knut Hamsun. Read this book many years ago but have forgotten it.

The Dry by Jane Harper. Good mystery

Susan wrote,  "I've gotten rid of many old paperbacks because the print shrunk just sitting there on the shelf!"  
A phenonena that I've noticed as well!  LOL

Just finished Any Two Can Play by Elizabeth Cadell and The Far Country by Nevil Shute (both re-reads), and some holiday fare that I read at this time every year which include:  A Child's Christmas in Wales by Dylan Thomas, A Christmas Feast and other Stories by Katie Fforde.

Have just started A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman - really was touched by his book, "And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer", so am trying another.   Then, poetry; one or two per day from  'Picnic - Lightning' by Billy Collins.  Truly love this man's work; it's like reviewing all the thoughts in my head, except he expresses in a wonderful way so many things that I think and feel but could never come close putting into words...

Also (on ereader), I'm midway through Minimalist Living by Genevieve Parker Hill - not sure I'm ready for that...

It's been so cold this month I've gotten a lot of reading done in a short time!!

Finished this month: Down to the Bone by Karen Harper--- Rachel Mast is an Amish widow with two small boys who's trying to keep the farm running by herself after her husband died.  But that's not considered the Amish way by Bishop Eben Yoder, he wants Rachel to marry him. When "English" Mitch Randall admires her old barn and offers to make needed repairs in exchange for using pictures of it on his web sight Rachel comes under close scrutiny by Bishop Yoder. A great read!

Clouds Without Rain by P. L. Gaus --- Professor Michael Branden has been deputized and poses as an Amish man to try to find out who is robbing Amish people as they drive their buggies. When one of the buggies  is hit by an 18-wheeler and people are killed, his job becomes much more involved.  Love this series!!

Dark Harvest by Karen Harper --- [I seem to have gotten caught up in Amish novels] Kat Lindley is a former cop who has taken a desk job after being shot.  She's hired by the sheriff of Maplecreek as a dispatcher, but when the Amish community comes under attack by unknown assailants, she is ask to go undercover as an Amish woman to find out who is responsible. She assumes the role of Luke Brand's bretrothed, but strong feelings develop between them. Another great read by Harper.

Blood Is The Sky by Steve Hamilton --- Alex McKnight helps his friend, Vinnie LeBlanc, search for his brother who has gone missing along with the group of men he had accompanied on a moose hunt in Canada.  What they find leads them to search for the people responsible for a crime that happened years before. As always, Hamilton writes a real page turner!

Night Watch by Linda Fairstein--- Alex Cooper is in France with her boyfriend when a young woman's body is found and then is called back to New York to oversee the investigation of the head of the World Economis Bureau accused of rape. When the two cases seem to be connected, Alex has to figure out what's happening.

The Return Journey by Maeve Binchy --- A collection of short stories as only Binchy can write; stories of love and loss, revelation and reconciliation. A wonderful quick read.

Eye of the Storm by Marcia Muller --- Muller books are kind of dated now as far as technology goes, no cell phones, etc., but the story lines are still right on track.  Interesting characters, Sharon McCone is an appealing private eye and the tension never lets up.  I enjoy her books.

Things Remembered by Georgia Bockoven  -- I really enjoy Bockoven's books, interesting characters, solid writing and story lines that really speak to me. Karla Esterbrook returns to her grandmother's home to help her put her affairs in order.  But Karla is torn about her feelings for her grandmother as they had a very tumultuous relationship when Karla and her younger sisters lived with her after their parents deaths. Love the way the conflict is resolved.

I Left My Heart by Debbie Macomber --- Two of Macomber's earlier works combined in one book. Elizabeth Wainwright, an East Coast heiress, comes to California to find herself, ends up working as a waitress and meets people who will change her life.  Carrie Lockett is an artist whose work attracts architect , Shayne Reynolds.  When he buys one of her portraits her life changes completely.  Quick fun reads with happy endings!!

Snow Blind by P.J. Tracy --- When Leo Magozzi and Gino Rolseth investigate the murders of two policemen and then another body turns up in the same manner, all wrapped up in snow like snowmen, they call on the Monkeewrench firm to help hack a few chat rooms.  What they find leads them to the least likely of subjects, abused women. Great series!!

Currently reading: Shadow and Silk by Elizabeth Lowell

Finally found an audio book I like so far:  Druids by Morgan Llwelyn.  Finished the 100 by Kass Morgan and am on to The Elysium Commission by L. E. Modesitt.

Judye

The Day of the Locust by Nathaniel West. This is an old time reading program edition. There is an intro by Budd Schulberg. I did not know that West was Jewish. Changed his name from Westein I think. I also didn't know that he was killed in a traffic accident. That was one reason his output was so small. Only 4 novels.

Trying to clear off my shelves of old books.

Finished this month:

Seven Locks by CHristine Wade (already mentioned, posted and received)

Wild Fire and The Lion by Nelson Demille

The Secret Speech by Tom Rob Smith, the ssecond in the Child 44 triology.

His Bloody Profect based on a true story about a murder in rural Scotland in the 1860's  (for book club)

Next up is the next in the Miss Julia series, good for a laugh.

by Harol McGee

Every Fifteen Minutes by Lisa Scottoline- good so far

Currently Reading - The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng

Finished:

The Spirit Keeper - K. B. Laugheed

The Whisperer - Donato Carrisi

Beartown - Fredrik Backman, Neil Smith

Lilac Girls - Martha Hall Kelly

Reading A Conspitacy Of Faith - a Department Q book by Jussi Aden-Olsen. Very good so far, I love this series, great characters.

Events Leading Up to My Death the Life of a Twentieth-century Reporter  

by Howard K Smith. fascinating read. The earliest parts about early life and WW2 are the most interesting I think. There are some interviews with Smith on youtube that cover a little of the same material.

After a couple months of rereading books because it is winter, I read two great novels this past week:

If You Lived Here     Author: Dana Sachs

Shotgun Lovesongs: A Novel     Author: Nickolas Butler

Both books are very character driven.  Good things happen but not without work and struggle which seems to hit home right now.  Looking forward to spring.