FINISHED -

1. FORGOTTEN SINS" by Rebecca Zanetti (Sin Brothers #1) (A++++) (Kindle) His secrets can destroy her...her love can save him. From the moment Josie laid eyes on sexy, mysterious Shane Dean, she was in love. Their desire ignited a passionate affair and within weeks, Shane had slipped a ring on her finger. It seems her every fantasy was coming true...until her new husband disappeared without a trace. Now, two years and one broken heart later, Josie is shocked when the hospital calls: Shane has been found...at a crime scene with no memory of how he got there. Shane can't remember the blue-eyed angel at his bedside - or who he even is - but he knows something isn't right. His hearing is razor sharp, his physical strength incredible and the urge to protect Josie overwhelming. For power enemies are hunting him and Josie is the key to discovering why. As Shane struggles to unravel his past, dangerous new truths come to light. Can he protect the only woman he's every loved? And can Josie trust a man she thought she knew - one who carries such a deadly secret?
2. "SWEET ANGER" by Sandra Brown (A++++) (unabridged audio CD) A timeless story of deep anger and redeeming love. Television newscaster Kari Wynne blamed her shattered life on one man - D.A. Hunter McKee. He hadn't directly caused her husband's death, but he had destroyed his reputation. Still, the desire that exploded every time they met was almost overwhelming. Now, Kari will begin a desperate search for the truth about her husband's mysterious death...and about the man she wants to hate who somehow awakens within her the kind of passion she has never known before.
3. "HERE IN MY HEART" by Anna DeStefano (Echoes of the Heart #4) (A+++++) (A book that I received an ARC copy from the author in return for an honest review) (Kindle) Live and work together or lose everything that matters. The ultimatum tilts Dru Hampton's contented life in Chandlerville, Georgia, on its ear. The man that Vivian, her cantankerous boss and benefactor, wants Dru to partner with - live with - is Brad Douglas, who's let Dru; down every way a man can.  Sheriff's deputy Brad Douglas has come a long way since his rebellious youth. He's back home to care for Vivian, his ill grandmother. He's stayed out of Dru's way all of these years to make up for the hurt he once caused her. Now, the delightfully mischievous Vivian's dying wish is for them to rebuild at least a working relationship together...and she's betting on them rediscovering much more. The family business and the Douglas home that Dru and Brad both cherish will be sold if they don't resolve their differences. Can these childhood sweethearts make up and reclaim each other's hearts before it's too late?
4. "RANSOM" by Danielle Steel (abridged audio CD) (A++++) Outside the gates of a California prison, Peter Morgan is released after four long years and vows to redeem himself in the eyes of the young daughters he left behind. Simultaneously, Carl Waters, a convicted murderer, is set on the path of freedom. Three hundred miles south in San Francisco, police detective Ted Lee comes home to a silent house; for twenty-nine years, he has been living for his job - and slowly falling out of love with his wife. Across town, in exclusive Pacific Heights, Fernanda Barnes faces a mountain of debt, a world destroyed and a marriage lost. Within weeks, the lives of these people will collide in ways none of them could have foreseen. For Fernanda, whose life had once been graced by security, success and stunning wealth, the death of her brilliant husband four months earlier was already too much to bear. Now, a devastating crime rocks her family and brings Detective Ted Lee into her life. A man of unshakable integrity, Lee becomes the one person who tries to save Fernanda's family from a terrifying fate. Fernanda must draw on a strength she never knew she had. Racing against time in the underbelly of the criminal world, buffeted by the dark side of power and unmoored by loss and betrayal, no one can predict where this tragedy will lead them.
5. "ON SUNSET BEACH" by Mariah Stewart (Chesapeake Diaries #8) (A+++++) Carly Summit's name couldn't be more fitting, since in life she always lands on top. She grew up wealthy and privileged in a tony Connecticut town, opened her own gallery in New York City and is about to make art world history displaying previously unknown works by a prominent twentieth-century painter. No wonder she possesses a can-do attitude that can't be soured. Ford Sinclair is another story. A military career in war-torn Africa, where he witnessed unspeakable violence and suffering, has left him haunted and deeply cynical. Now he's looking for a way to forget and a place to belong. He hopes to find both back home in St. Dennis. When Carly is forced to move the premiere of her new exhibit from her Manhattan gallery to St. Dennis, and Ford agrees to temporarily take over the town's paper, the two cross paths. While Ford is confounded by Carly's unflappable good cheer, he can't help being drawn to her. And undaunted by Ford's restless heart, Carly sees a man worth caring for. But when a late-night phone call sends Ford back to Africa, Carly's left to wonder if the pull of the past and its ghosts will prove stronger than the promise of their future together.
6. "KISS OF HEAT" by Lora Leigh (Feline Breeds #3) (Breeds #4) (A+++++) They've waited a decade to come together. Long years filled with unbearable pain and soul-wrenching torment that have changed them both and left wounds that have laid their souls bare. Wounds that stand one chance of healing - if only they could stop fighting each other long enough for the truth to work its healing balm. Kane, a relentless warrior, lost more than his heart to Sherra in a night of mating passion that marked them both for life. But news of her death ripped his soul apart. For years he has fought to avenge the death of the woman he loved more than his own life, by revealing the deceit and cruelty of the Council that created the Breeds. But Sherra didn't die. In a cruel and evil twist she was convinced by her sadistic handlers that the man she had given her body, heart and soul to had betrayed not only her, but the child she carried - and lost. Amid the rapidly escalating violence against the Feline Breeds, Kane and Sherra learn that there's more to mating than just the "heat", just as there's more to love than just the sex.
7. "THE LAST TRUE COWBOY" by Kathleen Eagle (A+++++) The first time Julia Weslin sees K.C. Houston, she senses her world is about to be turned upside-down. The long, lean cowboy is the last of an untamed breed of men who live by their word and love by their own set of rules. And for Julia, who has returned to Wyoming and the cash-strapped High Horse Ranch, K.C. is a dream come true. He can tame a spirited horse with just a single touch, he offers to help save the ranch and he awakens in her a need she thought she'd lost. But Julia knows that this sexy drifter would never break a promise, and while he's filled her days with loving and her nights with passion...he's never told her that he'd stay forever.
8. "CADEN'S VOW" by Sarah McCarthy (Hell's Eight #6) (A+++++) His past has haunted him for a lifetime...but one woman could be his salvation. Gunslinger Caden Miller's compadres are becoming a bit too domesticated for his liking. So he's off to Kansas territory to carve out a living and a space of his own - alone, just the way he likes it. Maddie O'Hare has been drawn to Caden ever since she escaped to the Hell's Eight compound from the brothel where she was born and raised. And she's not ready to let him go so easily...until she's captured by his new neighbors. When Caden discovers that Maddie is being held by a rival at a nearby ranch, his plan to rescue rescue her backfires and he finds himself the groom in what's literally a shotgun wedding. As shocked as Caden is by the bizarre turn of events, Maddie's grateful kiss holds a fiery promise that's far more unexpected. But with old enemies catching up with him, Caden and Maddie will face a danger that tests their passion - and will either bind them together forever or break them apart for good.
9. "11TH HOUR" by James Patterson & Maxine Paetro (Women's Murder Club #11) (A+++++) Lindsay Boxer is pregnant at last! But her work doesn't slow down for a second. When millionaire Chaz Smith is mercilessly gunned down, she discovers that the murder weapon is linked to the deaths of four of San Francisco's most untouchable criminals. And it was taken from her own department's evidence locker. Anyone could be the killer - even one of her closest friends. Lindsay is called next to the most bizarre crime scene she's ever witnessed: two bodiless heads elaborately displayed on the patio of a world-famous actor's home. Five more heads are unearthed in his garden and Lindsay realizes that the grounds may hold hundreds of victims. A reporter launches a series of vicious articles about the cases and Lindsay's personal life is laid bare. But this time she has no one to turn to - especially not Joe, her husband.
10. "THE WILDE SIDE" by Janelle Denison (Wilde #2) (A+++++) She's tired of being good - he excels at being bad. Dollar signs. That's what most men see when they look at luxury hotel heiress Ashley St. Claire. The last thing the stunning good girl wants for her thirtieth birthday is another boring set-up with a stuffed shirt interested more in analyzing her portfolio than in making her crazy with desire. The time has come for Ashley to have a scorching fling before settling down...one hot, erotic night with a sexy stranger who'll break down her inhibitions and let her be as shameless as she dares...a man who has no idea who she really is. A man like the one giving her body a long, slow appraisal at the bar and making no attempt to hide the fact that he likes what he sees. Unwrap me, baby. That's the thought ricocheting around construction company owner Scott Wilde's brain - and other parts - as he tries very hard to keep his hands off the stunning creature who has just asked him to be her birthday present. He says yes, of course - it would be bad manners to refuse a lady. But Scott is totally unprepared for the sparks that fly between them...or the way that raw passion leads to an exciting, clandestine affair and something much deeper. Ashley may be running scared, but Scott's got stamina. When he wants something badly, he'll pull out all the stops to get it...and he's determined to show Ashley just how delicious a lifetime of passion can be if she's willing to take a walk on the Wilde side with him.
11. "THE TEA SHOP ON LAVENDER LANE" by Sheila Roberts (Life in Icicle Falls #5) (A++++) When it comes to men, sisters don't share! After a fake food poisoning incident in L.A., Bailey Sterling's dreams of becoming a caterer to the stars collapse faster than a souffle. Now Bailey's face is in all the gossip rags and her business is in ruins. But the Sterling women close ranks and bring her back to Icicle Falls, where she'll stay with her sister Cecily. All goes well between the sisters until Bailey comes up with a new business idea - a tea shop on a charming street called Lavender Lane. She's going into partnership with Todd Black, who - it turns out - is the man Cecily's started dating. It looks to Cecily as if there's more than tea brewing in that cute little shop. And she's not pleased. Wait! Isn't Cecily seeing Luke Goodman? He's a widower with an adorable little girl, and yes, Cecily does care about him. But Todd's the one who sends her zing-o-meter off the charts. So now what? Should you have to choose between your sister and the man you love (or think you love)?
12. "INFORMED RISK" by Robyn Carr (A++++) Playing with fire...Mike Cavanaugh was a firefighter: it was his job to rescue people. Though inviting them home wasn't usually part of the job description. But when he pulled Christine Palmer out of her burning house, something about the gutsy single mom made him want to protect her, to make her life a little better. Only somehow Chris and her family ended up giving Mike's life new meaning and he was happier than he'd been in years. But Chris was smart and resourceful. She'd get back on her own two feet - sooner rather than later. And when she no longer needed Mike's support, would she still want his love? "A HERO FOR SOPHIE JONES" by Christine Rimmer (A++++) (New Author For Me) A most unlikely hero - He was the kind of man her mama warned her about, workaday rancher Sophie B. Jones realized, as she looked up to find Sinclair Riker's unrelenting gaze on her. But resisting him was not an option, for though his words hinted as the darkness of his soul, his eyes spoke another message altogether - one that Sophie could not help but answer. Sinclair knew better than to fall for an innocent like Sophie Jones. He knew that heartless seduction was supposed to be his stock-in-trade and that he had come to the ranch with one purpose only - to do Sophie out of her beloved land, by any means possible. So what was it about this woman that had him yearning for the purity of her soul? And could love really turn Sin into Sophies?
13. "HIGH COUNTRY HOLIDAY" by Glynna Kaye (New Author For Me) (A+++) A holiday reunion...when Cody Hawk returns to Canyon Springs, Arizona, to make peace with his ailing father, his bad-boy reputation is still intact. So is his love for the woman he was forced to leave behind. But the privileged Paris Perslow is still off-limits. When Paris needs his help with the annual holiday gala, Cody braves the town's disapproving glances for a second chance with his first love Years ago Cody promised he'd return for her. But with everyone and everything against them, what will it take to prove to Paris that his love is the perfect gift?
14. "ENTWINED WITH YOU" by Sylvia Day (Crossfire #3) (A+++++) From the moment I first met Gideon Cross, I recognized something in hi that I needed. Something I couldn't resist. I also saw the dangerous and damaged soul inside - so much like my own. I was drawn to it. I needed him as surely as I needed my heart to beat. No one knows how much he risked for me. How much I'd been threatened, or just how dark and desperate the shadow of our pasts would become. Entwined by our secrets, we tried to defy the odds. We made our own rules and surrendered completely to the exquisite power of possession.
15. "THE PROTECTOR" by Dee Henderson (O'Malley #6) (A+++++) An arsonist is at work. Civilians are being hurt, Cassie saw him and the final fire is coming. Firefighter Jack O'Malley is fearless when it comes to facing an inferno. But being a target doesn't sit well with him, especially when a serial arsonist is endangering his men. Cassie Ellis is a firefighter who has already been touched by the flames She fears she's been sidelined for good. But faced with a house ablaze and fire engines too far away to make it in time, she's got no choice but to go in. Cassie's partner, Ash, got her through the aftermath last time, but now Cassie has to decide if she can trust Jack as her backup. For she saw the arsonist; he saw her...and Cassie's afraid it's someone she knows. Jack is determined to help her laugh again. He never expected love to tie his heart in knots or Cassie's faith to change his life. The fires are escalating; now the arsonist is targeting Cassie. And Jack has become the protector of a woman he will risk everything to save.

 CURRENTLY READING - 

1. "Chances Are" by Christy Reece (Last Chance Rescue #10) (Kindle)
2. "Love, Life and a Polar Bear Tattoo" by Heather Wardell (New Author For Me) (Toronto #1) (Kindle)
3. "Living on the Edge" by Shannon K. Butcher (New Author For Me) (Edge #1)  
4. "Taken by Tuesday" by Catherine Bybee (Weekday Brides #5)

CURRENTLY LISTENING TO -

1. "Hidden Fire" by Sandra Brown (unabridged audio CD)

Busman's Honeymoon by Dorothy L Sayers. It was a chore getting through the book. Almost quit several times. Very little to do with the mystery and pages and pages of useless banter between characters.

Boychiks in the Hood by Robert Eisenberg. interesting so far.

North to Yesterday by Robert Flynn. my second time to read this. Funny western.

CURRENTLY READING

1. Hard Eight by Janet Evanovich

Kindle Book

FINISHED

1. Sphere of Influence by Kyle Mills (Mark Beamon # 4)
2. The Neon Rain by James Lee Burke ( Dave Robicheaux #1)
3. Cemetery Dance by Preston& Child ( Pendergast # 9)

Finished

• The House Girl by Tara Conklin
• Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng
• A Star for Mrs. Black by April Smith
• Whistling Past the Graveyard by Susan Crandall

Currently Reading

• The Maid's Version by Daniel Woodrell

Listening to

• Last Detective by Robert Crais

I am just finishing up Abracadaver - A Father Dowling Mystery by Ralph McInerny.  I wanted something light and non-taxing as I came down with a cold this week, and hoped this would ft the bill.  This is the first Father Dowling mystery for me, and I'm not exactly dazzled.  The character of Father Dowling is almost a minor character in that just as much (if not most) of the sleuthing is done by a police chief, and other town players.  I guess I wanted a better introduction to the title character.  The mystery is okay, not such a page-turner that I am unable to set the book down.  Not sure I will seek out another in this series, but it is a short book, at 148 pages, so that is a plus.

Finished: Ghost Night by Heather Graham --- 2nd in the Bone Island trilogy.  Vanessa Loren discovered the bodies of 2 young actors who were staring in a movie she was helping make.  Years later she returns to the island where they died with another film crew, hoping to find out what happened.  Paranormal story at it's best.

More Than Memory by Dorothy Garlock --- Iowa, 1958, Nelda Hanson has come back to her grandparents farm after their deaths to decide what to do with the farm that's been left to her. Along with the farm are memories of her first love, the boy she married at age 16 because she was pregnant, and then was forced to divorce by her domineering father.  Garlock always hits just the right notes with her descriptions of the eras she's writing about.  This book is no exception. I love her work.    

Murder On The Potomac by Margaret Truman --- Truman certainly knows Washington, DC and that's what makes her books so interesting, even though they are a little dated.  Mac and Annabel Smith become involved in the investigation of a murdered woman that leads to money-laundering and people with the power to make things difficult if they get too close to the truth.  Always an enjoyable read.   

The Last Original Wife by Dorothea Benton Frank ---Dorothea Benton Frank just gets better and better.  Leslie Anne Greene Carter is the last of the original wives still married to her husband, all her husband's friends have remarried "Barbies": i.e. much younger wives, and Les is feeling like she's been short-changed.  She's her husband's slave, her daughter's on-call baby-sitter and her son's "always there in a pinch" mother.  When she discovers  a secret her husband has been keeping from her, she decides it's time to live her own life.  How she goes about it makes the reader stand up and cheer!!  A terrific read, highly recommended.

Likely to Die by Linda Fairstein --- Fairstein goes into a LOT of detail in her writing, at times almost every single move she makes during a certain time period, which gets a little tedious at times.   It seemed like in this book it took a long time to get to the meat of the story because of all the details about procedure, etc.  When it finally did get there, it made for an interesting plot, just wish it hadn't taken quite so long. Alexandra Cooper is a DA with the Sex Crimes Division in New york City.  She works with the police to solve the murder of Gemma Dogen, a noted neurosurgeon.     

Late Bloomer by Fern Michaels --- Cady Jordan was seriously injured as a 10-year-old and had to learn to walk again because of a childhood incident that cost the life of the town bully.  Now she's come back to the town where it all began, except she has no memory of what happened and wants to find out from the childhood friends that were with her that day. But none of them want to admit they were there and risk losing the town's respect for what they are now.  An interesting plot with likable characters.  

Minding Frankie by Maeve Binchy --- Noel Lynch doesn't seem to have much future, a dead-end job, on his way to becoming an alcoholic and not really concerned about anything, until he finds out that he's the father of the baby a dying woman is carrying. Binchy has a way of writing about numerous people and tying their lives together in complicated ways.  There are some characters from previous novels  interspersed with several new ones, but they all come together to help raise Frankie and get Noel straightened out.  A heart-warming story with a sweet ending. Loved it!!

Currently reading:  Cat in a Diamond Dazzle by Carol Nelson Douglas

Up next:  The Gold Coast by Nelson DeMille

Books read in 2014:   Jan. -- 8,  Feb. -- 7,  March -- 7,   April -- 4, May -- 9,  June -- 11,  July -- 9,   August --- 11

Chillwater Cove by Thomas Lakeman

Reading:   The Morganville Vampires, The Belgariad Sorcerer (long and complicated), Bitten, Dark Mirror, Odd Thomas.

Finished:  The Belgariad Sorcerer, People of the Long House, Into the Dreaming, Burnt Offerings, The White Dragon.

Kicked to the curb:  The Devil's Labyrinth, the Giver.

Judye / maysied

Good grief, I learned how many books you can listen to depends greatly on the length.  I stayed with Belgariad forever. .Also I decided to make up a collection of classical music, and I spent a huge amount of time on that..

Boy it took forever for me to get into reading this month.

Paths Of Disharmony by Dayton Ward - Star Trek book, taking place in a future that hasn't happened in any video franchise. It was terribly written, long boring passages of meaningless drivel. I hated it.

Maybe You Never Cry Again by Bernie Mac - Memoir by the late comedian. It was pretty good, he does seem to be glorifying himself a bit. He states several times that he isn't perfect and has made mistakes but he doesn't really talk about them, except for one instance of hitting his wife and child which seemed like he glossed over a bit. I did find his insistence that he was funny from birth a bit iffy. I'm making it sound too negative, it wasn't. Those things just stuck out to me. It was entertaining and interesting. He couldn't have known it at the time but he would join the rest of his family in dying fairly young. Those people seemed to have scythes over their head or something. Not a hardy lot.

Operation Napoleon by Arnaldur Indridason - I was a bit dejected when I started it and saw it was military based and I don't like military stories but it turned out ok. The military setting wasn't the biggest part of the story. It's much more a murder story with a bit of military mystery added. The premise is a bit overboard, the kind of thing conspiracy theorists get into, but the story was good enough.

And A Child Will Lead Them bu Marcus Herzog - YA novel about the lead singer of a band who takes off as a kind of anti-Jesus, he is against the church but preaches the basics for getting along. There are parts I didn't get, like how the new pope fits in, but it was good anyway. Some really good speeches extolling atheism.

Lady Chatterly's Lover by D H Lawrence - audio - For a classic it wasn't terribly impressive. The first part is all about sex, with some pretty graphic descriptions which I'm sure is what gets it banned. I swear if I heard "she reached her crisis" one more time though I was going to scream. Mix it up man! The end part was all about how sex and love is bad and nothing but trouble.

Agatha Raisin and the Vicious Vet by M C Beaton - #2, better than the first. Not a complicated tale but I enjoyed it.

The Last Dog On Earth by Daniel Ehrenhaft - I didn't know this was a YA book when I ordered it but read it anyway since the description still sounded interesting. It's written very juvenile-ly but the story is good, the facts aren't dumbed down. The ending isn't entirely happy, which kind of surprised me. I would have liked to see it written on an adult level, the story would hold up to it.

Mr Mercedes by Stephen King - audio - Surprisingly this was not horror but a police procedural. Really good story, thorough character development but not as ramble-y as King can be. Alternates between the killer and the ex-cop protagonist, you know who the killer is but not what his next move is. I thoroughly enjoyed all 860some minutes of this book.

The Postman Always Rings Twice by James Cain - audio - Noir story of a murderous couple. Moral of the story - you reap what you sew.

QI The Sound Of General Ignorance by John Lloyd - audio - Audio of The Book Of General Ignorance. Corrections of commonly believed but wrong facts and obscure facts that you haven't heard before. It's written with a humorous slant but still kind of dry being read to you.

Agatha Raisin and the Potted Gardener by M C Beaton - #3 in the series, every one I read I like them better. For such an unlikeable person she sure grows on me.

Still Alice by Lisa Genova - Novel by a neuroscientist about an active, intelligent woman slipping into early onset Alzheimer's disease. It was actually quite scary, how someone can completely lose themselves and be powerless to stop it.

An Officer And A Lady by Rex Stout - A collection of stories. Quite a surprise, I didn't know he wrote non-mysteries. This is a very diverse bunch of stories, about love and betrayal and a little bit of mystery. As many of his books as I've read I wouldn't have known this was him if I didn't know it was him. Totally didn't recognize the style.

Just finished Peace Like a River see endings thread for an opinion.

Now I am reading Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend  --by--  Matthew Dicks. This is the third book by Dicks for me and the first two are really good. So far this one is too.

Currently Reading:

Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend - Matthew Dicks

Finished:

Beautiful Ruins - Jess Walter - 3.00 Stars - This was not my kind of book.   I kept waiting for it to take off - It never did.

Ghost on Black Mountain - Ann Hite - 5.00 - I love Ann Hite.    I have also read The Storycatcher - it was my book of the year last year. 

Beautiful Day - Elin Hilderbrand - 3.00 Stars

The Lost Wife - Alyson Richman - 3.50 Stars

Finished:
What Happens in London by Julia Quinn: I liked this a lot better than the first book in the Bevelstoke series. This one was sweet and funny.

Reading/Listening to Now:
Babylon 5: Armies of Light and Dark by Peter David
Mastiff by Tamora Pierce

FINISHED

Numbers: Rachel Ward

Heaven's Keep : William Kent Krueger

The Target-David Baldacci

Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail : Cheryl Strayed

Just finished Bare Hands by Bart Moeyaert.  This was supposedly YA--but holy crap, it went into some quite dark places: though most of it a young boy carries around the body of his beloved dead dog all while he and a friend plan revenge on the spooky neighbor that killed it.  And other themes about missing fathers and feelings of abandonment.  All intertwined with a fantasy-laden backdrop as the New Year approached.  To me it read more like a short story, and nothing about it said "young adult" to me, except that the primary characters were children.  Hmm.  Thought provoking, but not, in my opinion, for the 9-12 crowd.

I have just finished Rush Home Road by Lori Lansens.   I really enjoyed the story, something about the writing style was odd to me, and the story was sad but it was one of the good ones.  I am listening to One Thousand White Women, and really not enjoying it.  It just seems so over simplified and full of stereotypes.  I feel bad because it seems everyone else likes this book, I hate to quit but I am starting to dread it. ETA - I just finished How to Breathe Underwater , I highly recommend this assortment of dark stories, some are funny, some are sad, but they are all filled with great characters and dialogue.

FINISHED

Spirit Animals:Wild Born-Book 1

This is listed as a children's book, age 9-12.  But, my 10 year old granddaughter would be lost.  I feel it should be listed under YA. 

FINISHED

The Hypnotists: Gordon Korman         I really liked this YA book.  I have book 2 on my wishlist.

Dark Places: Gillian Flynn                     The best book I have read in quite awhile.

Deceived : Randy Wayne White              Another good book by this author.

Fireproof (Maggie O'Dell, Bk 10): Alex Kava          Enjoyed this alot.

I finished reading IN THE DEVIL'S SNARE, by Mary Beth Norton.  It's a very interesting story of the Salem Witch trials in the 1690s.

Currently reading - The Book of Saints, about the lives of the saints through the year

                               Benedict XVI Light of the World- a personal interview with Pope Benedict in 2010

                                Nightshade Tavern - 2 stories of a woman vampire, with werewolves, others

                                Extreme Makeover - a book about women transformed by Christ

Finished - 

Everything to Lose - Andrew Gross

Personal - Lee Child:  Actually I never did finish it.  I usually really enjoy his Jack Reacher character, but this was so boring that halfway through I stopped caring and stopped trying to follow the plot.

Currently reading -

Suspicion - Joseph Finder

Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin. I am only on page 70. The length of the book at about 750 was daunting. I delayed starting because of the length, but it's going pretty well so far.

I am about half way through Team of Rivals. Lincoln is just barely in the White House and Sumter has fallen. No battles have been fought yet.

Also reading for a change of pace Red in the Morning by Dornford Yates. old mystery book. D Yates is a pen name.

FINISHED

Bear Bait : Pamela Beason          I recently discovered this author.  If you like nature, outdoor mysteries you will like books by this author.

Sycamore Row: John Grisham        Another good book by Grisham.  One of my favorite authors.

Just finished The Sea House by Elisabeth Gifford.  I didn't think I would like it, but I did.   I do have the ARC copy, if anyone is interested.

In 1860, Alexander Ferguson, a newly ordained vicar and amateur evolutionary scientist, takes up his new parish, a poor, isolated patch on the remote Scottish island of Harris. He hopes to uncover the truth behind the legend of the selkies -- mermaids or seal people who have been sighted off the north of Scotland for centuries. He has a more personal motive, too; family legend states that Alexander is descended from seal men. As he struggles to be the good pastor he was called to be, his maid Moira faces the terrible eviction of her family by Lord Marstone, whose family owns the island. Their time on the island will irrevocably change the course of both their lives, but the white house on the edge of the dunes keeps its silence long after they are gone.

It will be more than a century before the Sea House reluctantly gives up its secrets. Ruth and Michael buy the grand but dilapidated building and begin to turn it into a home for the family they hope to have. Their dreams are marred by a shocking discovery. The tiny bones of a baby are buried beneath the house; the child's fragile legs are fused together -- a mermaid child. Who buried the bones? And why? To heal her own demons, Ruth feels she must discover the secrets of her new home -- but the answers to her questions may lie in her own traumatic past. The Sea House by Elisabeth Gifford is a sweeping tale of hope and redemption and a study of how we heal ourselves by discovering our histories.

Just finished The Sea House by Elisabeth Gifford.  I didn't think I would like it, but I did.   I do have the ARC copy, if anyone is interested.

In 1860, Alexander Ferguson, a newly ordained vicar and amateur evolutionary scientist, takes up his new parish, a poor, isolated patch on the remote Scottish island of Harris. He hopes to uncover the truth behind the legend of the selkies -- mermaids or seal people who have been sighted off the north of Scotland for centuries. He has a more personal motive, too; family legend states that Alexander is descended from seal men. As he struggles to be the good pastor he was called to be, his maid Moira faces the terrible eviction of her family by Lord Marstone, whose family owns the island. Their time on the island will irrevocably change the course of both their lives, but the white house on the edge of the dunes keeps its silence long after they are gone.

It will be more than a century before the Sea House reluctantly gives up its secrets. Ruth and Michael buy the grand but dilapidated building and begin to turn it into a home for the family they hope to have. Their dreams are marred by a shocking discovery. The tiny bones of a baby are buried beneath the house; the child's fragile legs are fused together -- a mermaid child. Who buried the bones? And why? To heal her own demons, Ruth feels she must discover the secrets of her new home -- but the answers to her questions may lie in her own traumatic past. The Sea House by Elisabeth Gifford is a sweeping tale of hope and redemption and a study of how we heal ourselves by discovering our histories.

Finished:
What Happens in London by Julia Quinn: Fun, light, and sweet read.
Armies of Light and Dark by Peter David: If this wasn't sanctioned by the creator of Babylon 5, I'd say there were a lot of things that were out of character, but apparently he thought it was fine.
The Cygnet and the Firebird by Patricia A. McKillip: I liked this better than the first book, probably because it was less confusing (or maybe I just got used to the world and the magic).
Aurelia by Anne Osterlund: I enjoyed this and read most of it in one day. I hope to read the sequel this month and I'm happy to know the author is working on book three.
Mastiff by Tamora Pierce: I didn't like the Beka Cooper series and I only listened to this to complete the series. I don't think I'll be reading any more new stuff by Pierce because her style has changed and I haven't liked any of her newer books.
The Eagle & the Nightingales by Mercedes Lackey: A good, quick, entertaining read. Much like Pierce, I don't like Lackey's newer books, so it's been nice to read one of her old series.