FINISHED -

1. "LOVE WITH A PERFECT COWBOY" by Lori Wilde (Cupid, Texas #4) (A+++++) (book that I received from the author in exchange for a review) Melody Spencer had long-ago wiped the dust of Cupid, Texas, off her cute shoes...and done her best to forget the chiseled jaw and strong arms of cowboy Luke Nielson. Their families might be part of a long-time feud, but he was her very first love, even if it turned out they never wanted the same things. But now Luke's come striding back into her life, tempting her with the memories of long, lazy evenings and hog, passionate kisses. And he has an ulterior motive - as mayor of Cupid, he knows Melody's business savvy can help save their beloved hometown. His smooth talking might get her to Texas, but that doesn't mean he'll get her in his bed. Still, people do say love can be more perfect the second time around.
2. "IT'S HOW YOU PLAY THE GAME" by Willa Okati (Name of the Game #2) (A++++) In this follow up to The Name of the Game, Seth and Clay's friend Anthony decides to cater his happy friends' wedding,. Problem is, he can't cook, so he signs on to take lessons, willing to do whatever it takes to help out. Anthony bumps into the most amazing man at cooking school, a guy named Roan, who seems more edible than anything on the menu during class. Roan thinks Anthony is quite a dish, too, and sets out to demolish Anthony's defenses, captivating and seducing. Happy to play around, Anthony allows himself to be seduced, but Roan starts to push for something more. Unsure that he wants to make such a commitment, Anthony backs away, but Roan has a reason to live life like there's no tomorrow and he doesn't want to take no for an answer. like a game of fire and ice, Anthony and Roan come together and split apart, trying to find a middle ground. Can they find a way to be as happy as Seth and Clay?
3. "LOVING CARA" by Kristen Proby (Under the Big Sky #1) (New Author For Me) (A+++++) Chemistry was never this sexy in high school. Cara Donovan's summer tutoring job is turning out to be a challenge - and not just because of her troubled twelve-year-old student. It's his uncle Josh who's the real problem. If problem is the word for an irresistibly cocky, muscle-bound rancher with a taste for tight Levi's and shameless flirtation. Cara is nothing like the wallflower Josh King remembers good-naturedly teasing in high school.This Cara is gorgeous, confident, fun. From the moment the fiery teacher steps foot on his family's Lazy K Ranch, the stubborn playboy is determined to corral her. So what happens when his luscious lover takes over the reins? 
4. "SPELLBOUND" by Sylvia Day (A++++) Max Westin. Sex incarnate. She could smell it, feel it with his proximity. Everything about him was a little rough, a little gritty. He was a primitive creature. Just like her. He held her hand a little too long, his gaze, under thick lashes, clearly stating his intention to have her. To tame her. "Victoria." Her name, just one word, but spoken with such possession she could almost feel the collar around her neck. "It's in your nature," he murmured. "The desire to be taken.
5. "TAKEN IN DEATH" by J.D. Robb (In-Death #37.5) (unabridged audio CD) (A+++++) Two young children disappear from their East Side home in New York City, their nanny killed in cold blood. As Lieutenant Eve Dallas begins to unravel the crime scene and search for Henry and Gala MacDermit, she's drawn into the twisted mind of a kidnapper who will stop at nothing to take revenge. Horrific threats concerning the brother and sister hit too close to home for Eve, drawing her back into memories of her own tortured childhood. But Eve knows that there's no time to waste on the past and with every passing hour her determination to bring the children safely home strengthens. Eve and her team find themselves following an electronic breadcrumb trail left by a boy desperate to escape the evil witch. Their investigation into the kidnapper's sordid past reveals violent coercion, ritualistic killings and chilling bloodlust - making her terrifying plans for the children abundantly clear.
6. "FAIRE GROUNDS" by Willa Okati (A++++) Gypsy wanderer Lightning has a problem. Actually, he has tons of them, from his responsibility as the leader of his Caravan to the fact that he has to find his soul mate before his fast approaching twenty-first birthday. When he meets Traveler, a man he thinks is a Deserter of the Road, or a gypsy who has turned his back on the nomadic lifestyle he so loves, Lightning refuses to believe that he's found what he's been searching for. There's no way that Traveler can be the answer to the curse that will fall on his people. No way. So when the ancients insist that Traveler is the one, Lightning is less than thrilled. Even if Lightning is willing to give it a try, Traveler has problems of his own. His past is full of intrigue and danger, forcing him to hide his true identity from Lightning. When his former life catches up to him, Traveler has to leave Lightning behind and they might never find each other again. Can Lightning get past his natural suspicion and the sounds of his childhood to make a life with Traveler? Will Traveler's past mistakes cost them both their chance at happiness and bring more than one curse down upon their heads?
7. "CLOSE QUARTERS" by Lucy Monroe (Atrati #1) (Mercenary: Goddard Project #5) (A+++++) Opposites attract - if they don't combust first. To some, he is an assassin. To others, he's merely the man who gets the job done when no one else can. Now politico-military black-ops leader Roman Chernichenko has to take out the leak in an espionage plot that could destablize all of Africa. Nothing will distract him from his mission. Not even the deliciously appealing blonde who's awoken his deepest desires - and just happens to be his target. Tanya Ruston is a beautiful and brainy do-gooder - and now Roman is supposed to dispose of her when all he really wants to do is seduce her. Soon it's clear Tanya's no information agent - and now that his conscience has gotten the better of him, he and Tanya are on the run from the good guys and the bad. If they're going to make it out alive, Roman will have to act fast - and stop thinking about how he's going to get his feisty new charge down the aisle.
8. "LUKE" by Cheyenne McCray (Armed and Dangerous #2) (A+++++) After spending four years abroad, Trinity MacKenna has returned home to her family's ranch in southeastern Arizona. Everything in her life is going just the way she planned - a home in London and a brilliant career and she's practically engaged to a gorgeous English gentleman. But when Trinity meets Luke, the cowboy turns her perfect world upside down. Everything about him is virile and sexy, dark and dangerous - and definitely not part of Trinity's carefully arranged plans. From the Moment Luke Denver sees the sensual strawberry blonde, he knows he's got to have her. Luke is intrigued by Trinity's combination of sophistication and innocence, boldness and shyness. Even when Trinity tells him that she's taken, Luke doesn't let that stop him, because he's determined to make her his...no matter the cost.
9. "THE COWBOY OF VALENTINE VALLEY" by Emma Cane (Valentine Valley, Colorado #3) (A+++++) Ever since a heated late-night kiss - that absolutely should not have happened - cowboy Josh Thalberg makes former Hollywood bad girl Whitney Winslow's pulse beat faster. But when she decides to use his gorgeous leatherwork in her new upscale lingerie shop, Leather & Lace, she's determined to keep their relationship strictly professional...even if she wants so much more. Josh has never met a challenge he isn't up for. Which is probably why he allowed Whitney to persuade him to take the sexy publicity photo that went viral - and now has every woman in America knocking down his door...every woman except the one he can't get out of his head. But how to convince a reformed bad girl that some rules are worth breaking?
10. "THE DEVIL SHE KNOWS" by Diana Whiteside (Devil #6) (A+++++) Even a devil deserves the good love of a woman. After avenging the murders of hi family, Gareth Lowell headed west to put his demons to rest. Though several years have passed, he still carries the weight of his sins and doesn't believe he deserves to be loved - even by the beautiful Portia Townsend. He's known Portia since she was a young girl and though she's blossomed into a voluptuous woman, he resists the deep longing she stirs in him. When Portia realizes Gareth will never see her as anything more than the feisty, silly girl she once was, she decides to move on. Trouble is, Portia has once again gotten herself into a dangerous situation and the only way out is to marry Gareth - if only temporarily. Turns out getting hitched was the easy part, while giving up a scorching passion is the last thing either are willing to admit.
11. "THE PERFECT STRANGER" by Alison Kent (Smithson Group SG-5 #9) (A+++++) Bachelor parties are fun, as long as you're not the poor sap getting hitched...or slipped a Mickey and waking to discover you just became the poor sap. Not to mention that your "wife" is pregnant and if you don't go along to her village to meet the in-laws, the nice police comandante will be muy unhappy. Just another day in the life of helicopter pilot J. Jackson Briggs? Not so much. His Smithson Group gig wasn't supposed to be dangerous, but the woman who drugs him, then knocks him out, then drugs him again certainly is. She also may or may not be a nun. She's definitely a lying, scheming, lethally gorgeous...American. Jack's light years from believing the story that Jillian Endicott gives him about her noble cause in the sweltering wilds of San Torisco, but he knows one thing: he'll get the truth - and plenty more - from her, one way or another. Being an Endicott of the Boston Endicotts taught Jillian plenty about the haves vs. the have-nots and made it easy to choose sides. But there's nothing easy about her mission in San Torisco and things only get harder when Jack Briggs is thrown into the mix. Six-foot-three of big Texas mouth and big other things...Jack's pegged her as a bored little rich girl. Hey, he can think what he wants as long as he does what she wants. Do unto others what needs to be done - that's Jillian's motto. Problem is, Jack knows how to push her buttons from minute one - and the closer he gets to pushing her over the edge, the more she wants him to.
12. "SUDDENLY LAST SUMMER" by Sarah Morgan (New Author For Me) (O'Neil Brothers #2) (A++++++) Fiery beloved French chef Elise Philippe is having a seriously bad day. Not only have the grand opening plans for her beloved cafe fallen apart, but Sean O'Neil is back in town looking more delectable than ever. Memories of the electrifying night they shared last summer leave Elise very tempted, but she knows all to well that eventually Sean will be leaving...again. Being back in Vermont - even temporarily - is surgeon Sean O'Neil's worst nightmare, Returning home to the Snow Crystal Resort means confronting the guilt he feels about rejecting the family's lifestyle years ago. But discovering that Elise is still in Vermont still sets his blood racing in a very welcome distraction! Remembering last summer and how good they were together is going to make walking away more difficult than he could imagine.
13. "FLY AWAY HOME" by Jennifer Weiner (A++++) When Sylvie Serfer met Richard Woodruff in law school, she had wild curls, wide hips and lots of opinions, Decades later, she has remade herself - her hair dyed and straightened, her hippie-chick wardrobe replaced by tailored knit suits. At fifty-seven her job is staying twenty pounds thinner than she was in her twenties and tending to her husband, the senator. Lizzie, the Woodruffs' younger daughter, is at twenty-four a recovering addict, Still, trouble always seems to find her. Her older sister, Diana, an emergency room physician, has everything Lizzie failed to achieve - a husband, a young son, the perfect - and yet she's trapped in a loveless marriage. After Richard's extramartial affair makes headlines, the three women are drawn into the painful glare of the national spotlight and each is forced to reconsider her life, who she is and who she's meant to be. 
14. "FLASHPOINT" by Jill Shalvis (American Heroes: The Firefighters #1) (A++++) Zach Thomas risks his life battling flames every day. But since sexy EMT Brooke O'Brian joined the crew, he can't resist playing with fire. Brooke is feisty, a little uptight...and sexy as hell. And as Zach soon discovers, she's definitely hot stuff between the sheets. Still every firefighter knows that the hotter the blaze, the faster the action's over. After a whirlwind ride Zach's been taking her on, Brooke is ready to do anything for this man = in and out of bed! But she knows footloose and fancy-free Zach doesn't do commitment. So she plans to build up a five-alarm fire between them. The kind he won't ever want to put out.
15. "THE CURL UP & DYE" by Sharon Sala (Blessing #1) (A+++++) Those were the best days of her life... "Poor LilyAnn," the local ladies lament. "She sure is stuck in the past." Eleven years ago, LilyAnn Bronte was the Peachy-Kenn Queen of Blessings, Georgia - the prettiest, smartest and most popular girl in town, going steady with the star quarterback, a high school career on a fast track to success. Then Randy Joe was killed in Iraq and somehow LilyAnn just let herself go to seed. Ruby, Mabel Jean, Vera and Vesta of the Curl Up and Dye have been itching to give LilyAnn a makeover, but she knows it would take more than a new hairstyle for her to get her life back. Until one fateful day, when a handsome stranger roars into town and LilyAnn has a revelation. Maybe the best is yet to come...
16. "A WEDDING IN APPLE GROVE" by C.H. Admirand (Small Town U.S.A. #1) (Apple Grove, Ohio #1) (A+++++) Welcome to Apple Grove, Ohio (population 597), where everyone has your best interests at heart, even if they can't agree on the best way to meddle. When the townsfolk of Apple Grove need handiwork done, there's no job too small for the Mulcahy sisters: Megan, Caitlin and Grace. Specializing in hard work and family loyalty, tomboy Meg Mulcahy has left behind any girlhood dreams of romance. Enter newcomer Daniel Eagan, looking to bury his own broken heart and make a new start. He's surprised - and delighted - by the winsome girl with the mighty tool belt who shows up to fix his wiring. But Dan's got a lot to learn about life in a small town and when Meg's past collides with her future, it may take all 595 other residents of Apple Grove to keep this romance from short-circuiting.
17. "THE TROUBLE WITH COWBOYS" by Melissa Cutler (Catcher Creek #1) (New Author For Me) (A+++++) It was their parents' ranch, through the good days and the bad. But if they want to hang on to their land, their pride and their family, the three Sorentino sisters will have to reinvent it from the ground up - and one of them just may reinvent herself in the process. Cowboys have never been good for Amy Sorentino. First her hard-riding father bankrupted the family farm. Then her all-hat-no-cattle boyfriend sold her out on national television,m ending her promising career as a chef. Now she and her squabbling sisters have partnered up in a final attempt to save their land by starting an inn and local restaurant. So it figures that with everything on the line, Amy's key supplier is just the kind of Stetson-tipping heartbreaking bad boy she's sworn to avoid. But Kellan Reed has a few secrets of his own. and cowboy or not, Amy can't resist this kind of wild ride.
18. "IMPETUOUS" by Lori Foster (A+++++) Grade school teacher Carlie McDaniels trades in her frumpiness for the look of an exotic harem girl, at least for one costume party. So long, spinsterhood - and hello, tall, dark and handsome Tyler Ramsey. Even after the best night of their lives, Tyler hasn't guessed the identity of his harem hottie...and Carlie plans on keeping him in the dark. After all, a gorgeous guy like Tyler would never fall for his smart-talking best friend. And Carlie's not sure she wants to know what would happen if he ever unveiled the naked truth!
19. "FREEDOM" by S.A. Wolfe (Freedom #2) (A+++) (Kindle) Dylan Blackard is back in town and certain everyone knows his secrets. Putting away his notorious reputation as the wild guy with a womanizing past, he's now on a new path, wanting to be the good guy his brother can stop worrying over. As long as he gives up his old vices - including women - he can keep himself on the straight and narrow and finally live up to everyone's expectations. However, obsessing about his lack of self-control is making Dylan one humorless, cranky hermit. That all changes, though, when his brother hires a new employee, the stunning Emma Keller, who will be sharing an office with him and all of his tightly wound nerves. Emma, a spunky young woman from New Jersey, isn't about to feel sorry for Dylan and his situation She is beyond distracting to him and that is enough to turn his emotional balancing act upside down. Not only is she intelligent and a smark aleck, she's also very determined to pull the sexy Dylan Blackard out of his self-imposed isolation. From the moment he meets her, he feels alive again, but Emma doesn't come as a gift with a pretty bow; she comes with major baggage - a family embedded in its own tumultuous history.
20. "WHEN DAY BREAKS" by Maya Banks (Kelly Group International #9) (A++++) Eden Sinclair is said to be one of the most beautiful women in the world. Her face has graced countless magazines and her body has sold millions of dollars of clothing. But her fame and beauty have earned her more than she ever imagined. Evil is stalking her, determined to extinguish the ethereal beauty forever. Swanson, or "Swanny" as his teammates call him, is always up for the next mission. He came back from Afghanistan wounded and scarred, hardly the kind of man who even belongs in the same room with Eden. Because Beauty loving the Beast only happens in fairy tales and KGI doesn't deal in fairy tales. Ever. And yet there's something about the quiet beauty that stirs Swanny's blood and makes him dream the impossible.
21. "TANGLED" by Emma Chase (Tangled #1) (New Author For Me) (A+++++) When rich, handsome and arrogant meets beautiful, brilliant and ambitious things are bound to get tangled. Drew Evans makes multimillion-dollar business deals and seduces New York's most beautiful women with just a smile. So why has he been shuttered in his apartment for seven days, miserable and depressed? He'll tell you he has the flu, but we all know that's not really true. When Katherine Brooks is hired as the new associate in Drew's father's investment banking firm, every aspect of the dashing playboy's life is thrown into a tailspin. The professional competition she brings is unnerving, his attraction to her is distracting, his failure to entice her into his bed is exasperating. How can one woman turn a smooth-talking player into a broken, desperate man? by making the one thing he never wanted in life the only thing he can't live without.
22. "SWEET PERSUASION" by Maya Banks (Sweet #2) (A+++++) The man of her dreams would give the orders. For him, she had two words that satisfied them both..."take me." For five years, Serena has run Fantasy Incorporated and has devoted her time to fulfilling her clients fantasies - never her own. Until now. Her most secret desire is to give ownership of her body to a man. Someone who will command her, pleasure her and have complete authority over her. So she seeks out Damon Roche, owner of an exclusive sex club and a man strong enough to make her do anything he wants. Anything. Together they'll journey into a world she's only dreamed of. She will be given the opportunity to immerse herself in a different life while her normal one waits for her to return whenever she wishes. Damon has no desire to let her go, however. Serena is the woman he's long searched for and it's up to him to convince her to stay when the game is over. He wants their fantasy to become reality and wants Serena to remain his pampered cherished submissive.
23. "BIRDS OF PREY" by J.A. Jance (J.P. Beaumont #15) (A++++) The Starfire Breeze steams its way toward the Gulf of Alaska, buffeted by crisp sea winds blowing down from the Arctic. Those on board are seeking peace, relaxation, adventure, escape. But there is no escape here in this place of unspoiled natural majesty. Because terror strolls the decks even in the brilliant light of day...and death is a conspicuous, unwelcome passenger. A former Seattle policeman - a damaged Homicide Detective who has come to heal from fresh stinging wounds - will find that the grim ghosts pursuing him were not left behind...as a pleasure cruise gone horribly wrong carries him inexorably into lethal, ever-darkening waters.
24. "POCKET FULL OF DREAMS: AN INSPIRATIONAL MEMOIR" by David Burch (New Author For Me) (A++++) You don't have to settle for the cards you have been dealt. Rearrange your hand and look at your options, A mayonnaise sandwich, split three ways. Some days, that's all David Burch and his siblings would be given to eat. Their childhood was one of severe poverty, violence, abuse and unbearable tragedy. At one point, David just wanted to give up. "The pain just kept coming. It seemed every time I got myself back up and brushed off, I would get kicked in the teeth and knocked back down again. I did not buy the whole "God will not give you more than you can handle" crap. "Just leave us alone, God," I thought. "I am tired...really, really tired." But, he didn't.
25. "THE OLD BLUE LINE" by J.A. Jance (Joanna Brady #15.5) (A++++) (Kindle) Butch Dixon has been taken for a ride. Not a jump in the car, see the sights kind of ride, He's been taken for everything he has, He's lost his house, his restaurant business, his savings, his car, his best friend, his faith - all to his conniving ex-wife. But that was seven years ago. He picked himself up, left Chicago and started over in Peoria, Arizona, running the Roadhouse Bar and Grill. He doesn't look back on those bad years; there's no point. Not until two curious cops show up at the Roundhouse. Faith, Butch's ex-wife, has been murdered and the evidence points to him. Stunned, Butch quickly realizes that the black-hearted woman is going to ruin him again, from her grave. Lucky for Butch, the Old Blue Line, a group of retired - but still sharp and tenacious - former legal and law enforcement coots, have taken it upon themselves, as a favor, to make sure he doesn't cross that thin line. After the dust settles, Butch's life is again upended - when a little red-haired ball of fire, Sheriff Joanna Brady takes a seat at his bar.
26. "HOMEFRONT" by Kristin Hannah (unabridged audio CD) (A++++++) All marriages have a breaking point. All families have wounds. All wars have a cost. Like many couples, Michael and Jolene Zarkades have to face the pressure of everyday life - children, careers, bills, chores - even as their twelve-year marriage is falling apart. Then an unexpected deployment sends Jolene deep into harm's way and leaves defense attorney Michael at home, unaccustomed to being a single parent to their two girls As a mother, it agonizes Jolene to leave her family, but as a soldier she has always understood the true meaning of duty. In her letters home, she paints a rose-colored version of her life on the front lines, shielding her family from the truth. But war will change Jolene in ways that none of them would have foreseen. When tragedy strikes, Michael must face is darkest fear and fight a battle of his own - for everything that matters to his family.
27. "WOLF TOWN" by Joely Skye (Wolf Town #1) (New Author for Me) (Kindle) (A++++) Poised to run. Aching to stay. What lies between is sweet torture. For nine years, Scott Lund has been erasing himself. Making sure his own kind - those who can control people's minds - can't track him down. It has been a lonely existence. So lonely, that when he makes a real connection with a stranger, he breaks his own cardinal rule and falls asleep in the man's arms. Rory McIntyre has been sent by his pack alpha to keep a protective eye on Scott. Seduction wasn't part of the plan, but once he lays eyes on the Minder, Rory isn't satisfied to keep his distance. The moment Scott opens his eyes, he panics and flees - straight into a Minder trap. The handsome stranger from the night before turns out to be his rescuer, who whisks him away to a safe place. Wolf Town. Overwhelmed by Rory's family, Scott knows only two things for sure, His attraction to Rory is growing by the minute. And to keep his lover safe, he must put as much distance between them as possible.

​CURRENTLY READING -

1. "Ocean Beach" by Wendy Wax (Do Over #2)
2. "Barefoot by the Sea" by Roxanne St. Claire (Barefoot Bay #4)
3. "Back to Buckhorn" by Lori Foster (Buckhorn Brothers #7) (Kindle)

CURRENTLY LISTENING TO -

1. "Christmas Bliss" by Mary Kay Andrews (Savannah #6) (unabridged audio CD)

Enter Whining by Fran Drescher - audio - memoir. Not too deep, just gives the basics. Doesn't go into anything personal, like how her husband came out as gay. A bit of showbiz fluff.

I Remember Nothing by Nora Ephron - audio - A collection of commentaries about a variety of subjects. She's always so witty and interesting, it really doesn't matter what the subject is. The last chapter was a little hard because it was about death, and the things she's going to miss. She wrote it not all that long before she died, 2 years maybe. I wonder if she was starting to feel sick or something. I think it was cancer, I don't know how long she knew she had it though.

The Downhill Lie by Carl Hiaasen - audio - Story of returning to golf as a middle aged man. Carl is a master story teller and he even made golf interesting.

It Aint All About The Cooking by Paula Deen - audio - memoir, but it doesn't include any of the scandal or negativity that has plagued her which was a bit disappointing. I didn't really learn anything new, most everything she said I have heard in her press before. A long term affair with a married man was the closest she got to divulging anything interesting.

Anteater of Death by Betty Webb - Cozy with a female zookeeper as MC. It has the obligatory man issues and the mystery isn't very well developed but the characters are likeable and it has potential. It's not terribly well written but it is first in a series, it might get better.

Britty Britty Bang Bang by Hugh Dennis - audio - Kind of a British history lesson by comedian Hugh Dennis. He covers what it means to be British, and why things are considered British. Hugh is pretty funny and he inhects plenty of humor but it can get a bit dry anyway.

Flawed Dogs by Berke Breathed - Short novel from the Bloom County writer. It was a bit weird and quite fantastical as you would expect but it's really a statement on how we treat dogs as disposable, and how bad their plight can be. As you would expect. It's a bit horrific and also very humorous, very recognizable as Breathed.

Watchdog by Laurien Berenson - Cozy, set in the dog show world. Being a lifelong dog enthusiast, professional groomer and former dog show devotee I really felt talked down to a lot but I guess if you don't know anything about dogs or shows you might need to know those explanations. At least everything was correct. And yes, the show world is that competitive.

The Restaurant At The End Of The Universe by Douglas Adams - audio - Book 2 in the series, more zaniness in outer space. Not sure if these really have a plot....but don't forget your towel!

The Shepherd, The Angel and Walter The Christmas Miracle Dog by Dave Berry - Story of a loss and a found. Childhood Christmas, an old dog and a school nativity play. Very funny but also made me cry.

Life The Universe and Everything by Douglas Adams - audio - Book 3 in the series.

The F Word: How To Survive Your Family by Louie Anderson - Too much new-agey advice and too little funny. Louie is a messed up dude, I think he's closeted gay, and he seems to think everyone else is as messed up as he is. He's kinda whiny and martyr-y. There are a few good bits of wisdom in there but it's hard to take advice seriously in the given context.

You Suck: A Love Story by Christopher Moore - audio - sequel to Bloodsucking Fiends. Continuing story of our 2 main vampires and a few extras. Good story, pretty funny, not real vampire-y, even though it's full of vampires. No schtick or silliness, just fun.

Bite Me: A Love Story by Christopher Moore - Last book in the trilogy. Love the vampyre cats. Kind of a predictable ending but the journey is fun.

Trains And Lovers by Alexander McCall Smith - audio - several stories of relationships that had something to do with trains or the station. I liked this one. The stories were complex and not too sweet and not too sad.

It's Not Me, It's You by Jon Richardson - Memoir from the neurotic British comic. It was about how messed up he is and how the ways he is messed up have kept him from finding a long-term relationship. He is a bit funny but for the most part I just kept thinking how sorry I felt for any woman he ends up with. What a pain in the rear this guy's mind is.

Goodnight Opus by Berke Breathed - Short book, kind of a children's bedtime tale but with an adult spin. About losing yourself in books. Qyuite cute.

Beyond Uhura by Nichelle Nichols - audio - Memoir by the Star Trek actress, It didn't make me a fan, she seems very self-centered and egotistical. Every man she runs into wants her and she is just so perfect and poised at everything. She doesn't say too much about it but it seems her parents raised her son most of his life. And it's obvious she thinks she's very attractive. I couldn't stand the reader, she sucked big time. She paused before big words and complex names like she had never seen the words before. That didn't help. The book was informative but didn't make me a fan.

Coreyography by Corey Feldman - audio - Memoir, the story of his life and his friend Corey Haim. It was pretty good, a few things stretch to the incredible but he seems t be mostly honest. He certainly admits to his screw ups, which there are many. It hasn't been an easy life but he seems to be on a good track at the time of writing.

The Son by Jo Nesbo - stand alone novel, it lacked the complexity and twists of Nesbo's usual work. It wa sa good story, I just expect more than good from him. I hear it's a;ready been optioned for a movie and that may be why it's not quite as twisty.

Wahoo Rhapsody by Shaun Morey - audio - Crime drama with a humorous bend. Very, very reminiscent of Carl Hiaasen, in fact there was a scene involving a couple of jerks racing around the water that was nearly identical to a passage from one of Carl's books. It was an enjoyable story, it just sounded so much like Hiaasen that I listened to it as if it were one of his. Four stars for the story, 1 star for originality.

Everything But Money by Sam Levenson - The first 2/3 was great, a memoir about growing up poor. Very funny and I enjoyed it quite a biut. Then towards the end it changed into an unfunny rant about how you should raise your kids and what s wrong with the world. I eventually started skimming then abandoned the last part altogether.

El Dorado Blues by Shaun Morey - audio - Pretty much a redux of Wahoo Rhapsody. Kidnapping, murder, treasure. It was ok, just not terribly original.

Life Death and Vanilla Slices by Jenny Eclair - I've read one of her books before so I know better than to expect comedy. There are funny moments but it's not a funny book. It's a look back at how lives get messed up as a matriarch is dying. This family has some pretty big secrets and it was compelling enough that I had to find out what they were.

Finished

• Rhino Ranch by Larry McMurtry
• An Officer and a Spy by Robert Harris
• Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell
• The Vacationers by Emma Straum
• The Most They Ever Had by Rick Bragg
• The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach

Currently Reading

• Driftless by David Rhodes
• The Painter by Peter Heller

Listening To

The Directive by Matthew Quirk - a sequel to The 500

The Dante Club by Matthew Pearl, a big critical success when it came out and also a popular book club choice. I only finished it for my book club. Every time I picked it up I nodded off. I would have stopped at page 50. Didn't even enjoy the ending.

And The Dark Sacred Night by Julia Glass - includes some characters from her other books.

A Place Of Execution by Val McDermid - an excellent mystery, I had never read anything by her but have already ordered more.

Finished:  Suspect by Jasmine Cresswell -- 2nd in the Raven series, this is a REALLY good book, as was Missing [the 1st one]. Liam Raven is a divorce lawyer in Denver and has been hired by the wife of the murdered Denver mayor to defend her against the charge she killed her husband. Lots of twists and turns going on, some relating back to what happened in Missing , This is a real page-turner, so good in fact that I'm starting the 3rd in the series now, Payback, to find out what happens next.

Payback by Jasmine Cresswell --- Final book in the Raven series.  Kate Fairfax, daughter of missing Ron Raven, teams up with Luke Savarini, to find out the truth about her father.  It all comes down to whether Ron Raven is really dead or in hiding and if he's hiding, why? A plot full of twists that has the reader wondering who to believe and a surprise ending.  Very good series.  

His Touch by Mary Lynn Baxter --- A quick, easy read. Jessica Kincaid is the mayor of Dallas, TX and when she starts receiving threatening e-mails and phone calls, she is forced to hire a body guard. That body guard is Brandt Harding, a form Secret Service agent, who doesn't want the job, but is forced to take it by his former co-worker, now head of a security company. With two strong willed people tempers and passions flare.

The Christmas Pearl by Dorothea Benton Frank  --- What everyone hopes for, the perfect Christmas.  But for 93 year-old Theodora that seems an improbability with her contentious family. When an old friend unexpectedly appears magical things begin to happen.  Theodora is spry, feisty lady who, along with her friend, take matters in hand and this makes for a charming story that reads very quickly.  Lots of delicious recipes included.  

Compelling Evidence by Steve Martini --- A really good courtroom novel by Martini.  Paul Madriani is asked to defend a former lover accused of killing her husband.  All the evidence is circumstantial, but the police are convinced she's guilty and haven't looked beyond her for any other suspects. Paul has to convince the jury that there is no compelling evidence to convict. As always, Martini has the reader turning the pages to see what's coming next and he doesn't disappoint.  A surprise ending tops it off.

Final Jeopardy by Linda Fairstein --- This is an older series, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.  Alexandra Cooper is an Assistant DA prosecuting sex offenders in New York City. Since this is what Linda Fairstein did, it makes for interesting reading in that she certainly knows what she's writing about. In this first in the series, Alex Cooper becomes involved in the murder investigation of a movie star, murdered at Alex's vacation home on Martha's Vineyard, not because it's related to any sex crimes, but because it involves people she knows.  An engrossing plot that takes the reader right up to the last few pages trying to figure out who the murderer is.  Looking forward to reading more of this series.

She Walks These Hills by Sharyn McCrumb --- McCrumb writes beautiful stories about Appalachia, specifically the areas of Tenn. & North Carolina.  In this one she tells the story of Harm Sorley, a 63-year-old escaped convict, trying to get back to his home, wife and baby girl.  Except he's living in the past with no memory of why, who or where. Along with Harm's story Jeremy Cobb is tracing the path taken by Katie Wyler, captured by Shawnee Indians 200 years earlier and trying to get back home, Martha Ayers wants to be a sheriff's deputy and their stories all connect and intersect in amazing ways. If you haven't ever read any of McCrumb's books, you should. Highly recommended!   

Lavender Lies by Susan Wittig Albert --- 8th in the China Bayles series. China is preparing for her upcoming wedding when a local real estate developer is murdered and China's soon-to-be husband, acting chief of police, Mike McQuaid, is working day and night to find the murderer.  In order for them to get married on time, China and her friend Ruby "help out" by doing some investigating of their own. As always, a fun read.

Firestorm by Nevada Barr --- Each one of the Anna Pigeon series just gets better. #4 finds Anna working a forest fire in California with a group of firefighters. When it seems like the fire is under control the team is ordered to pull out. But one of the men has been hurt and as they are carrying him out, the fire sweeps back and threatens to engulf them all. What happens next is a riveting story as only Nevada Barr can tell it. A real page-turner!

Dance With Me by Luanne Rice---  Jane Porter has waited 15 years to see her daughter again, a daughter she gave up at birth. A beautiful story about mothers' love, facing the past and looking to the future. This is a feel-good story that will make the reader appreciate families and forgiving each others' mistakes, and the mistakes they made themselves.

Shattered by Karen Robards --- While Lisa Grant is filing cold-case files for the DAs office, she comes across one about a family that's been missing for 28 years.  The woman in the picture looks enough like Lisa to be her twin and because of that, Lisa begins to try to find out more about the family. What she finds could cost her her life.   A really good book, couldn't put it down.

Currently reading: Dark Horse by Tami Hoag

Up next:  Just choosing at random

Books read in 2014:  Jan. -- 8,   Feb. -- 7,   Mar. -- 7,  April -- 4,   May -- 9

Finished - First Phone Call from Heaven, okay but not Mitch Albom's best.

Shelved listening to Mists of Avon for now, just wasn't in the mood.  I started listening to Turn of Mind. 

Started The Binding Chair  in print.

Pursuit of a Woman on the Hinge of History by Hans Koning. never heard of this book or author. I have just barely started but it seems interesting so far.

I have had some luck lately. I have read several books that I really enjoyed.

Finished Pursuit of a Woman. very strange book. chaotic series of events and characters. There is a kind of puzzle in the heart of the book so I kept reading to see where things would go. I found out the author is Dutch. not sure if I would recommend the book.

CURRENTLY READING

1. The Mage in Black by Jaye Wells ( Sabrina Kane # 2)

Kindle Book

1. A Time to Kill by John Grisham

FINISHED

1. Seven Up by Janet Evanovich
2. Back Spin by Harlan Coben ( Myron Bolitar # 4)
3. Cause of Death by Patricia Cornwell (Kay Scarpetta #  7)
4. Unlucky 13 by James Patterson ( Women Murders Club # 13)

I was checking my list to see if my estimate of 10-12 books per month was accurate.  Right on target - for June - 12.

Judye / maysied

Reading:  1. Dead in the Family

                2.  Devil's Labyrinth

                3.  Flashback

                4.   Swan Song

                 5.  Ocean at the End of the Lane

                  6.  Darkness Falls

Finished Esperanza, Hammered, Magic Kingdom for Sale, Two Ravens and One Crow, From Dead to Worse, Trapped, Dead Witch Walking, Game of Thrones, Ender's Game, Hunted.

Judye/maysied

Finished:   Rainwater by Sandra Brown.    3.5 *

Reading:    Tell the Wolves I'm Home   and    A Land More Kind than Home by Wiley Cash

 She Sins at Midnight by Whitney Dineen - Dineen is new author and was recommended to me by a friend.   It's a really fun and easy story with quirky characters who get into over the top situations The story line is well done and there is book within book concept that really comes together well.  Found the book on Amazon

When I Found You  by Cathrine Ryan Hyde - very memorable book that makes you think about promises made and promises kept - Free Kindle download

The Hit - David Baldacci - part 2 in Will Robie series - decent spy/government thriller yet nothing memorable - received via paperback swap

reading The Long Home by William Gay. so far it is moonshine and murder in the back woods.

I have discovered Repairman Jack, I have begun reading "The Tomb" by F. Paul Wilson. Only a few chapters in, but I am hooked. Gonna start looking for the other books in the series here!

CURRENTLY READING:

Tell the Wolves I'm Home - Carol Rifka Brunt 

FINISHED:

The Star Garden - Nancy E. Turner - 4 Stars

Always Watching - Chevy Stevens - 4.2 Stars

FINISHED

The Long Earth (Long Earth, Bk 1): Terry Pratchett, Stephen Baxter

Inferno: Dan Brown

Mary K.      The Elephant Keeper is going on my RL.

Just finished Gone by Michael Grant.  Sorry, no hidden gem here.  This was YA which I normally like, but also science fiction, which I normally don't like.  And this time, the science fiction/don't like won out.  Basically, the premise is that one day---poof---everyone over the age of 15 disappears: teachers, parents, cops, doctors, etc.  Kids rule, but of course there is then a divide of kids against kids all leading to a huge battle for supremacy.  Then some of the kids start to mutate and gain special powers, which of course some use for good and some for evil.  Gah.  Oh, and coyotes talk.  Double gah.  The book was too long, it needed an editor desperately.  Also, it was written in a style that made me think the author was dreaming of it being a big explosive special effects driven movie rather than a novel that would stand on its own.  I get why young kids of 10-14 would enjoy it, but it was just a thumbs down for me.  So sorry to say.

Just finished Gone by Michael Grant.  Sorry, no hidden gem here.  This was YA which I normally like, but also science fiction, which I normally don't like.  And this time, the science fiction/don't like won out.  Basically, the premise is that one day---poof---everyone over the age of 15 disappears: teachers, parents, cops, doctors, etc.  Kids rule, but of course there is then a divide of kids against kids all leading to a huge battle for supremacy.  Then some of the kids start to mutate and gain special powers, which of course some use for good and some for evil.  Gah.  Oh, and coyotes talk.  Double gah.  The book was too long, it needed an editor desperately.  Also, it was written in a style that made me think the author was dreaming of it being a big explosive special effects driven movie rather than a novel that would stand on its own.  I get why young kids of 10-14 would enjoy it, but it was just a thumbs down for me.  So sorry to say.

I read Elephant Keeper and really enjoyed it, I still remember it which means something for me, so many books I read and enjoy but can't tell you the plot two months later!

I had too many books come up on kindle, and audio at the library this week and I am having to rearrange what I am reading right now and fight my daughter for the iPad/kindle. Most importantly I want to read the novella "the Space Between" by Diane Gabaldon that I just downloaded before it expires! ** Finished that - it was good quick read!***

But I did finish The Binding Chair, it was really good and I enjoyed it while reading it but the ending left me conflicted.

*** I just downloaded "Written in my Own Hearts Blood" and I have done little else since!***

FINISHED

The Secret Zoo: Bryan Chick             \

This is listed under Children's genre, but I think it could be under YA.  I liked it and have the next 2 in the series on my wishlist.

The Long War: Terry Pratchett, Stephen Baxter

2nd in the series and now waiting on The Long Mars.

Lisa, what did you think of the Long War? I loved the Long Earth.

I actually liked it a little more than Long Earth.

Bait: A Novel: J. Kent Messum       

This book was a quick read by a new author.  I enjoyed the book.