Thursday, May 31, 2012

Mini-Review: Serere



Serere, a Prelude by Andy Frankham-Allen
Series: The Garden Saga (0.5)
Genre: Paranormal, Fantasy
Pages: 31 (ebook)
Source: Untreed Reads
Author's Website
Buy it: Kindle | Untread

Description:
In 1788 a mysterious man arrives in Newington Green, England, to discuss something of the utmost importance with Isobel Shelley. While there he happens upon the pages of the Book of Origin, and finds himself caught up in a series of events that lead him back to Newington Green 214 years later. There he bumps into a man called Willem Townsend; it is an accidental encounter that will change the lives of both men forever. Things have been set in motion, a prophecy waits to be fulfilled... "A man can surely do what he wills to do, but cannot determine what he wills."

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Review: The Year of the Gadfly & Giveaway




The Year of the Gadfly by Jennifer Miller
Genre: Literary Fiction, Mystery
Pages: 374 (ARC)
Source: TLC Book Tours
Author's Website | Facebook | Twitter
Buy it: Amazon | Kindle | B&N | Book Depo

Description:
Mariana Academy is a storied institution, built with gothic architecture, founded with a serious honor code and, for the most part, run by its students. But Prisom's Party, a secret society named after the school's founder, has been troubling these quiet halls, naming the student community code an empty motto—Brotherhood, Truth, and Equality for All—and exposing teachers, students, and the school for every indiscretion or dishonesty.

Taken by her parents from the familiar environs of Beacon Hill in Boston to escape the loss of her best friend, Iris Dupont is now living in small-town Nye, Massachusetts, and attending the hyper-competitive Mariana. Her only confidant is a chain-smoking, challenge-wielding spectre named Edward R. Murrow and when he tells her to stop moping and get out there in search of a story, she takes the charge.

Now Iris is on the hunt for a great story, one that will make her the youngest editor-in-chief in the school newspaper's history, but her research is leading her deep into the Trench (the school basement), toward the staff of The Devil's Advocate (the underground news organ of Prisom's Party), and to discovering all the secrets they both hold. Some of them seem to involve her favorite teacher, Mr. Kaplan. Some of them seem to point to the girl who used to live in her house—an albino named Lily Morgan who left the school abruptly twelve years ago and seems to have never returned. And everything seems to be connected to a rare book she found in her borrowed room, Marvelous Species: Investigating Earth’s Mysterious Biology.

Was all of this triggered by the string of incidents that set the school on high alert? Does it trace back to a scandal Mr. Kaplan is hiding in his past? What is the meaning of the strange symbol that keeps showing up in the wake of the Prisom's Party incidents? And when Iris gets deep into the story, torn by her allegiances, her reporter's instinct, and her yearning for a true friend, will it be enough for her to ask: What would Edward Murrow do?

My Rating:

My Review:

Why I Love Wednesdays...Humorous Reads

Reflections of a Bookaholic

I am returning with my new feature... Why I love which takes place on Wednesdays. Today's proclamation of love concerns our Favorite Funny Reads

Why I Love...Can You Keep a Secret

I think chick-lit is usually a bit cute and funny at moments but I have to say that Sophie Kinsella's Can You Keep a Secret is super special.  I giggle a little bit just thinking of it.  It's not just that Emma is a bit quirky and her inner reflections are laugh out loud funny, but it is also the way the other characters respond to her.  They tease her and react to situations it the most hilarious ways.  This book was funny because every character was funny even when they weren't trying to be.  The situations were hilarious and Emma's secrets were funny because they were so real. For example, when one of Emma's roommates and very best friend finds out one of her secrets, her subsequent reaction to Emma is so funny.  I couldn't had to rewind and listen to the section twice!  Emma is a cute quirky character that probably shouldn't have told all her secrets to a stranger on a plane even if she thought she was going to die.  But then again, the ticking time bomb on the information made this book all the more fun.  I can't help but love books where the humor isn't forced.  Funny just happens and I love that!

Which humorous reads do you love? Feel free to create your own post and link up.  Don't want to create an entire post?  Tell me your favorites in the comments.  Thanks for stopping by for another week of Why I Love Wednesdays!!


If you want to play along, feel free to grab the image (there is a button on the right sidebar now) and link your post in the linky. Here goes.

LINKY INSTRUCTIONS:
When naming your link, please choose the name of your post. Mine would say "Why I Love...Rhett Butler."
Please link directly to your post and not your blog.
Please participate :)





Monday, May 28, 2012

Review: Love for Grown-Ups



Love for Grown-ups: The Garter Brides' Guide to Marrying for Life When You've Already Got a Life by Ann Blumenthal Jacobs, Patricia Ryan Lampl, and Tish Rabe
Genre: Non-fiction
Pages: 208 (paperback)
Source: TLC Book Tours
Authors' Website | Facebook
Buy it: Amazon | Kindle | B&N | Book Depo

Description:
Over thirty-five and still seeking that special someone? About to take a serious relationship to the next level and want to make sure it works—for keeps? The Garter Brides can help!

These three friends—whose name derived from the lucky garter passed from one woman to another—met and married wonderful men later in life. Now you can tap into the wisdom of this special sisterhood through the true stories and real-life strategies these women—plus the dozens of others they interviewed—used to meet the right guy, fall in love and create exciting, happy and fulfilling lives.

YOU’ LL FIND GREAT ADVICE ON:

- Transforming dating from a drag to a delight
- Revealing your history and hopes for the future
- Blending friends, family and kids
- Creating a home together
- Dollars and common sense for grown-ups
- Your wedding, your way
...and much more!

My Review:

Sunday, May 27, 2012

Sunday Best: A Little Bit of This and That

I'm especially grateful when I stumble across wonderful posts that interest me and brighten my day.  Plus, I'm drawn toward memes right now because I'm missing the interaction with bloggers (*sniffle *sniffle)  I decided to be proactive (I hate that word) and participate in The Sunday Best, hosted by Tanya at Girlxoxo.com.

On Sundays, we share the best post on our blogs from the week and link them up. Join us in showing off your Sunday Best and leave a comment or two.

My Favorite Blog Post of this Week:

Favorites From Other Book Blogs:
At Home with Edith Wharton by Five Alarm Book Reviews
Review: Teenie by My Little Pocketbooks
Large Publishing Company Files for Bankruptcy by Five Alarm Book Reviews

What did you think of the links I posted?  What were your favorite posts of the week, leave a link in the comments so I can visit them!



Saturday, May 26, 2012

Changes to Come!!



I want to thank everyone for their congratulations and well-wishes in regards to my graduation from law school.  I am truly relieved that I am finally done with school.  However, my work is not yet done.  I have to take the bar exam, which means I have to study.  Yes...I graduate so I can study.  And it seems that this will be unlike any studying that I have done before.  I know...I'm so sad.   Since I have class 6 days a week and will be studying 8 hours a day, Reflections of a Bookaholic will be on a semi-hiatus until August.  I KNOW!! THAT IS SUCH A LONG TIME!

What is a semi-hiatus you say? 
It essentially means that posts will be greatly reduced and I plan to abandon my Google Reader (*sniff *sniff).  No longer will you see 5-7 posts a week, with 2-3 reviews a week over here.  I plan to go to 3-4 posts a week with 1-2 reviews a week.  I'm not quite sure where the reviews will come from but hopefully they'll appear on their own. I will visit my favorite bloggers, reply to my comments, and return comments but I can't commit to more than that.

So what's going to be going on over in quiet land?
It won't be too quiet over here.  It is only a semi-hiatus after all.

I have some fantastic things planned, so you can still be excited.  Some of my favorite bloggers have agreed to guest post for Why I Love Wednesdays so every week in June and July, you can expect to hear from a couple of bloggers on the topic of the week.  It will be fun. I'm excited.

I've got some changes planned for the layout, which should make getting around easier.  I wanted it to be done before bar prep but such is my life.

I'm also participating in Foodie Friday, from Geeky Blogger Book Blog and perhaps Sunday's Best, hosted by Girl xoxo.com.

So things will be going on.  There won't be any real-time contact and there will be a serious lag in my appearances.  But you guys understand right? Awesome.

Also...kind of off topic, but still things to come.  Reflections of a Bookaholic will be switching to Wordpress after bar prep. (*gasp) I know. I know. I said that I wouldn't do it.  I'm only switching because I received some nifty graduation gifts that I want to play with.  I'm not going to create another website that I'll never use to play so I'll move this one and play that way.  I'm really sad about it, honestly.  But I want to play with my presents more.  So... Oh well.

Friday, May 25, 2012

Foodie Friday with Geeky Blogger...



There are going to be some changes around here (more about that later), one of which is my new participation in Felicia's (from the Geeky Blogger Book Blog) new Foodie Friday's meme.  She started this meme to combine her two faves--books and cooking.  Seeing as how I share those loves AND cooking decreases my stress, I couldn't contain my excitement.  I could kill two birds with one stone. It will be the perfect addition to Reflections of a Bookaholic as other content will slow and I can document the cooking I will do as I attempt to decrease the stress of bar prep.

Here's MY plan...
I've wanted to review cookbooks for sometime but I never quite knew how to accomplish it.  I'm going to try 1 to 2 new recipes a week (for a month) from a cookbook and end the month with a review of the cookbook.  This way I hope to give a more balance review after trying a few recipes.

I'm so excited because I'll be cooking and talking about books at the same time.  Yess!

First Cookbook up?

Are you excited?  I hope so... Just in case you can't wait, here's a recipe for No bake Nutella Cheesecakes that I stumbled on top on on Pinterest and I just love it!!!  Mel from Mel's Kitchen Cafe adapted this recipe from My Baking Addiction.

I made them during during finals when I was on a study break and all my friends loved them.  They went so fast that I had to bake another batch so the hubby could give them a try.



NUTELLA CHEESECAKES
6 Servings (Note: I stretched this to extra mini cheesecakes and it made 12 servings)


INGREDIENTS:
Crust: 18 Oreo cookies, (Note: I definitely used more.  I wanted my crust a little thicker)
crushed into crumbs
2 tablespoons butter, melted


Cheesecake:
12 ounces cream cheese, (Note: I actually used 1/3 fat free cream cheese)
1 cup nutella (chocolate hazelnut spread)
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 cups heavy whipping cream
3 tablespoons powdered sugar


Garnish:
Extra sweetened whipped cream, optional
Crushed oreos or chocolate curls, optional

Thursday, May 24, 2012

Giveaway Hop: Splash Into Summer


The Splash into Summer Giveaway Hop is hosted by I Am a Reader, Not a Writer and Page Turner's Blog.  It will run from May 25 - May 31.
Just because my summer is going to be sucky, doesn't mean everyone else can't have fun reading relaxing summer reads! My Giveaway?  Well I'm still the same lazy bum. I'm giving away the book of your choice up to $10 from amazon or the book depository. So whip out those wishlists and take your pick : )

Here's what you need to know:

  1. This is an International Giveaway (Whoohoo!)
  2. You do NOT have to be a FOLLOWER, but it is much appreciated
  3. I will use rafflecopter to choose a winner
  4. This contest will end on May 31 at 11:59 central time. I will announce a winner a few days after.
  5. Good Luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

More Participating Blogs after the jump :)

Review: Soulless



Soulless by Gail Garriger
Series: Parasol Protectorate #1
Genre: Steampunk
Pages: 373 (Ereader)
Source: Purchased
Author's website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter
Buy it: Amazon | Kindle | B&N | Book Depo
Currently $.99 on Kindle!!

Description:
Alexia Tarabotti is laboring under a great many social tribulations. First, she has no soul. Second, she's a spinster whose father is both Italian and dead. Third, she was rudely attacked by a vampire, breaking all standards of social etiquette. Where to go from there? From bad to worse apparently, for Alexia accidentally kills the vampire -- and then the appalling Lord Maccon (loud, messy, gorgeous, and werewolf) is sent by Queen Victoria to investigate.

With unexpected vampires appearing and expected vampires disappearing, everyone seems to believe Alexia responsible. Can she figure out what is actually happening to London's high society? Will her soulless ability to negate supernatural powers prove useful or just plain embarrassing? Finally, who is the real enemy, and do they have treacle tart?

SOULLESS is a comedy of manners set in Victorian London: full of werewolves, vampires, dirigibles, and tea-drinking.

My Rating:

My Review:

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Why I Love Wednesdays...Favorite Character

Reflections of a Bookaholic

I am returning with my new feature... Why I love which takes place on Wednesdays. Today's proclamation of love concerns our Favorite Character

Why I Love...Alexia Tarabotti (from the Parasol Protectorate)

I need to go back and look at my comment so I can find the wonderful commenter that recommended this book to me.  I can't wait to continue with this series.  Review to come tomorrow :)

This series takes place in a Victorian steampunk age.  I love love Alexia Tarabotti!  Talk about a bundle of contradictions.  Alexia is an old-maid who adheres to society social expectations while breaking all the rules at the same time.  It's wonderful because I never really know what she will do.  I love how Alexia cares about etiquette and is continuously amused or annoyed by Lord Maccon (who is quite swoonworthy in my honest opinion) lack of etiquette (he is a werewolf after all...who can blame him).  At the same time, she is quick to sneak out to vampire hives and gallivant about at night.  Not very Victorian and I love it!  Oh and of course is witty, which is kind of a requirement to be one of my favorite characters.  Oh I have to stop now because the review is still to come.  Long story short... Alexia is a witty ball of contradictions and I LOVES it!

Which characters do you love? Feel free to create your own post and link up.  Don't want to create an entire post?  Tell me your favorites in the comments.  Thanks for stopping by for another week of Why I Love Wednesdays!!


If you want to play along, feel free to grab the image (there is a button on the right sidebar now) and link your post in the linky. Here goes.

LINKY INSTRUCTIONS:
When naming your link, please choose the name of your post. Mine would say "Why I Love...Rhett Butler."
Please link directly to your post and not your blog.
Please participate :)




Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Teaser Tuesday: The Sweetheart Hoax


Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.
    I know that I've already reviewed The Sweetheart Hoax (here) but I'm so stinkin mad at myself for forgetting to post my teaser before the review.  I really wanted to share.  So being super spoiled and saying my favorite saying, "I do what I want," I'm going to share anyway.


    My Teaser: from The Sweetheart Hoax by Christy Hayes
    "I like those silly horror flicks where the girls are too stupid to live and there's plenty of blood," she said.  "Yuck.  She gave a snorting laugh when he cringed.  She kept forgetting to use the giggle she practiced instead of her unfeminine snort.




    Be sure to share a link to your teaser!


    Anyone can play along!

    Just do the following:
    • Grab your current read
    • Open to a random page
    • Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
    • BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
    • Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!



    Sunday, May 20, 2012

    Review: The Bungalow





    The Bungalow by Sarah Jio
    Genre: Historical Fiction, WWII
    Pages: 290 (eBook)
    Source: Negalley
    Author's Blog | Twitter | Facebook
    Buy it: Amazon | Kindle | B&N | Book Depo

    From Goodreads:
    A sweeping World War II saga of thwarted love, murder, and a long-lost painting.
    In the summer of 1942, twenty-one-year-old Anne Calloway, newly engaged, sets off to serve in the Army Nurse Corps on the Pacific island of Bora-Bora. More exhilarated by the adventure of a lifetime than she ever was by her predictable fiancé, she is drawn to a mysterious soldier named Westry, and their friendship soon blossoms into hues as deep as the hibiscus flowers native to the island. Under the thatched roof of an abandoned beach bungalow, the two share a private world-until they witness a gruesome crime, Westry is suddenly redeployed, and the idyll vanishes into the winds of war. A timeless story of enduring passion, The Bungalow chronicles Anne's determination to discover the truth about the twin losses-of life, and of love-that have haunted her for seventy years.

    My Rating:

    My Review:

    Saturday, May 19, 2012

    Guess Who Just Graduated From Law School?!!


    I'm officially a 2012 Law School Graduate!!

    Whoohooo!!

    (We happen to wear all white for graduation instead of regalia... this sucks but oh well.)


    Thursday, May 17, 2012

    Review: The Sweetheart Hoax





    The Sweetheart Hoax by Christy Hayes
    Genre: Contemporary Romance
    Pages: 169 (eReader)
    Source: Author (in exchange for an honest review)
    Author's Website | Blog | Twitter
    Buy it: Kindle | B&N

    Description:
    When urban architect, Phil Williams, must bring a woman home to quell rumors he's gay, his only choice is the one woman least likely to impress: his dowdy receptionist. Margot Manning has been secretly in love with Phil for years. She's just quit her job and is ready to begin her life anew as a nurse. Phil's outrageous offer is one she can't refuse. As Margot readies to accompany Phil to his hometown, she steels herself for heartbreak. After Margot's makeover and a weekend spent attached at the hip, Phil admits he misjudged his former employee. He's ready to pursue her in earnest, if only her scandalous past didn't stand in their way.

    My Rating:

    My Review:

    Wednesday, May 16, 2012

    Why I Love Wednesdays... Book Couples

    Reflections of a Bookaholic

    I am returning with my new feature... Why I love which takes place on Wednesdays. Today's proclamation of love concerns our Favorite Book Couples

    Why I Love...Anne & Gilbert



    I've been obsessed with books that I read when I was younger and I chose my book couple from one of my favorite childhood series, Anne of Green Gables.  I remember how much I loved this couple as a kid.  I love couples that have great chemistry and I tend to have a minor (or HUGE) crush on the hero. I'm a bit shallow these days.  But back then...I fell in love with a couple based on the words that they said to each other.  I was such a romantic :)

     
     “ I’ve loved you ever since that day you broke your slate over my head in school.” -Anne of the Island



     “For a moment Anne's heart fluttered queerly and for the first time her eyes faltered under Gilbert's gaze and a rosy flush stained the paleness of her face. It was as if a veil that had hung before her inner consciousness had been lifted, giving to her view a revelation of unsuspected feelings and realities. Perhaps, after all, romance did not come into one's life with pomp and blare, like a gay knight riding down; perhaps it crept to one's side like an old friend through quiet ways; perhaps it revealed itself in seeming prose, until some sudden shaft of illumination flung athwart its pages betrayed the rhythm and the music, perhaps. . . perhaps. . .love unfolded naturally out of a beautiful friendship, as a golden-hearted rose slipping from its green sheath. ” - Anne of Avonlea

    P.S.  Guess you just turned in her last law school paper ever?!  (Doing my happy dance!!)  I've been absent all week so I have a lot of catching up to do.  Graduation is Saturday!!  Ahhh! I can't believe Law School is over!!!




    Which Book Couples do you love? Feel free to create your own post and link up.  Don't want to create an entire post?  Tell me your favorites in the comments.  Thanks for stopping by for another week of Why I Love Wednesdays!!


    If you want to play along, feel free to grab the image (there is a button on the right sidebar now) and link your post in the linky. Here goes.

    LINKY INSTRUCTIONS:
    When naming your link, please choose the name of your post. Mine would say "Why I Love...Rhett Butler."
    Please link directly to your post and not your blog.
    Please participate :)





    Monday, May 14, 2012

    Review & Giveaway: Perla



    Perla by Carolina De Robertis
    Genre: Historical Fiction, Cultural
    Pages: 236 (Hardback)
    Source: TLC Booktours
    Author's Website | Facebook | Twitter
    Buy it: Amazon | Kindle | B&N | Book Depo

    Description:
    A coming-of-age story, based on a recent shocking chapter of Argentine history, about a young woman who makes a devastating discovery about her origins with the help of an enigmatic houseguest.

    Perla Correa grew up a privileged only child in Buenos Aires, with a cold, polished mother and a straitlaced naval officer father, whose profession she learned early on not to disclose in a country still reeling from the abuses perpetrated by the deposed military dictatorship. Perla understands that her parents were on the wrong side of the conflict, but her love for her papá is unconditional. But when Perla is startled by an uninvited visitor, she begins a journey that will force her to confront the unease she has suppressed all her life, and to make a wrenching decision about who she is, and who she will become.

    My Rating:


    My Review:

    Saturday, May 12, 2012

    What's on my Pinboard?


    As I've previously mentioned, I keep track of my wishlist/TBR using Pinterest now.

    Here's my pinboard for the board I call 'Ghosts.'


    Lying Season by Karina Halle
    Wide Open by Deborah Coates
    Picture the Dead by Adele Griffin

    Has anyone read these?  What did you think?  If you have any reviews/recommendations of ghost books (that aren't too scary) please post links/titles in the comments.  This board has been severely neglected.  I need more books to add to the list.  Help!

    Wednesday, May 9, 2012

    Why I Love Wednesdays... Bookish Gifts

    Reflections of a Bookaholic

    I am returning with my new feature... Why I love which takes place on Wednesdays. Today's proclamation of love concerns our Bookish Gifts  Note:  You don't have to have given or received them.  Picking a gift that would be good to give or receive in theory works as well :)

    Why I Love...Bookish Gifts


    So...graduation is a week and a half away.  It's not like I'm expecting gifts or anything.  But you know...if I were to get a few, I think bookish gifts would make me smile.  Aside from the go-to Amazon gift card (which is actually not a bookish gift for me because I tend to buy things for my kitchen... and my hair from amazon).  I've found some amazing bookish gifts that I would be excited to give and receive.

    Source

    Source
    It's an ipad cover!!
    It goes on your head!!  Before you laugh, you should know that I have one of these.  One of my favorite gifts from my dad (after the iPad of course).   Reading hands free :)


    Which bookish gifts  would you like to send/receive? Feel free to create your own post and link up.  Don't want to create an entire post?  Tell me your favorites in the comments.  Thanks for stopping by for another week of Why I Love Wednesdays!!



    If you want to play along, feel free to grab the image (there is a button on the right sidebar now) and link your post in the linky. Here goes.

    LINKY INSTRUCTIONS:
    When naming your link, please choose the name of your post. Mine would say "Why I Love...Rhett Butler."
    Please link directly to your post and not your blog.
    Please participate :)





    Tuesday, May 8, 2012

    Review: Veil of Night



    Veil of Night by Linda Howard
    Genre: Romantic Suspense
    Pages: 390 (eReader)
    Source: eLibrary
    Buy it: Amazon | Kindle | B&N | Book Depo

    Description:
    Jaclyn Wilde is a wedding planner who loves her job—usually. But helping Carrie Edwards with her Big Day has been an unrelenting nightmare. Carrie is a bridezilla of mythic nastiness, a diva whose tantrums are just about as crazy as her demands. But the unpleasant task at hand turns seriously criminal when Carrie is brutally murdered and everyone involved with the ceremony is accusing one another of doing the deed.

    The problem is, most everyone—from the cake maker and the florist to the wedding-gown retailer and the bridesmaids’ dressmaker—had his or her own reason for wanting the bride dead, including Jaclyn. And while those who felt Carrie’s wrath are now smiling at her demise, Jaclyn refuses to celebrate tragedy, especially since she finds herself in the shadow of suspicion.

    Assigned to the case, Detective Eric Wilder finds that there’s too much evidence pointing toward too many suspects. Compounding his problems is Jaclyn, with whom he shared one deeply passionate night before Carrie’s death. Being a prime suspect means that Jaclyn is hands-off just when Eric would rather be hands-on. As the heat intensifies between Eric and Jaclyn, a cold-blooded murderer moves dangerously close. And this time the target is not a bride but one particularly irresistible wedding planner, unaware of a killer’s vow.

    My Rating:

    My Review

    Monday, May 7, 2012

    Blogger Confessions: Comments


    This week I'm participating in Blogger Confessions, a meme that posts the 1st and 3rd Monday of every month, where book bloggers "confess" and vent about topics that are unique to us. It is hosted by Tiger's All Consuming Media and For What It's Worth.  If you want to participate, head on over there and link up.

    Q: Comments. The holy grail of blogging success! What type of posts do you leave comments on? How do you try to encourage more comments on your blog? Do you respond to people who leave comments on your posts? How do you handle negative/spam comments? Do you use captcha?

    A.  First of all, I know that I'm weird and different when it comes to comments.  I leave comments on all posts that I read.  Types of posts?  Usually reviews, but I'll leave them on discussion posts as well if it is something that catches my attention.  Essentially once I read the first sentence of a post (accidentally or not) I'm going to comment on it.  I'm not sure if it is an OCD thing or what.  For me it isn't necessarily the post that catches my attention but the blogger.  If I notice that the post is by a blogger that writes funny or entertaining or interesting or thorough or whatever kind of special reviews, I'm more likely to read the review even if the book cover doesn't catch my attention much.  I also return comment on bloggers who comment on my blog, which is currently how I figure out a blogger's style and I stalk them from there on out.  I'm not much of a lurker though.  I'm pretty big on commenting.

    I might ask a question at the end of a post and I tend to get more comments then.  But I really only do it if I'm looking for answer to a burning question.  This also happens if I'm really excited at the time I write a review.  Mostly I hope to get more comments by people returning the favor.  I comment on blogs and hope they'll take the time look around here and return the favor.  This actually doesn't work too well though.

    I respond to people who leave comments but I admit that I'm pretty slow at it.  One of my 2012 goals is to respond within 48 hours but I'm not doing very good with that.

    I just delete spam comments.  I've only gotten two all year so it isn't bothersome.  I don't delete negative comments because that doesn't seem very nice.  If someone disagrees with me, I think it adds to the discussion for them to share. I do not use captcha because I hate it with a passion.  If spam was a problem, I would switch to approving my comments before I'd turn on captcha.

    If anyone sees captcha on my blog PLEASE PLEASE let me know.  I don't like that at all.

    So what about you?  What are your commenting habits?

    Sunday, May 6, 2012

    Mini-Review: Garden Spells





    Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen
    Genre: Magical Realism
    Pages: 290 pages (eReader)
    Source: eLibrary
    Author's Website | Facebook | Twitter
    Buy it: Amazon | Kindle | B&N | Book Depo

    Description:
    The women of the Waverley family -- whether they like it or not -- are heirs to an unusual legacy, one that grows in a fenced plot behind their Queen Anne home on Pendland Street in Bascom, North Carolina. There, an apple tree bearing fruit of magical properties looms over a garden filled with herbs and edible flowers that possess the power to affect in curious ways anyone who eats them.

    For nearly a decade, 34-year-old Claire Waverley, at peace with her family inheritance, has lived in the house alone, embracing the spirit of the grandmother who raised her, ruing her mother's unfortunate destiny and seemingly unconcerned about the fate of her rebellious sister, Sydney, who freed herself long ago from their small town's constraints. ... Garden Spells reveals what happens when Sydney returns to Bascom with her young daughter, turning Claire's routine existence upside down. ...
    As the sisters reconnect and learn to support one another, each finds romance where she least expects it, while Sydney's child, Bay, discovers both the safe home she has longed for and her own surprising gifts. With the help of their elderly cousin Evanelle, endowed with her own uncanny skills, the Waverley women redeem the past, embrace the present, and take a joyful leap into the future.
    My Rating:

    My Review:
    After I read and reviewed The Girl Who Chased the Moon by Sarah Addison Allen (review here), I received so many comments recommending Garden Spells.  I had already read The Peach Keeper (review here) so I it didn't take much convincing.  I'm so glad that Garden Spells did not disappoint.  I love the magic that Ms. Allen introduces in her books.  There's enough to get the reader drawn into a fantastical whimsical world.  Yet, she always manages to make it seem so real and possible.  I also love the characters in this book.  The Waverly women--Claire, Sydney, Evanelle, and Bay--are all unique in their abilities and how they handle them.  Evanelle just might be my favorite character here though I love them all.  I found her so funny and sweet.  I couldn't wait to see what she would find herself doing next.  This is a story that tackles some  major issues such as child abandonment and domestic violence, but the book doesn't really feel like it is about that.  For me this was a story about family, hope, and accepting one's self.  Oh and there were some sweet guys thrown in.  If you haven't given Sarah Addison Allen a try, you are missing out.


    Thursday, May 3, 2012

    Review: An Incomplete Revenge (Audiobook)




    An Incomplete Revenge by Jacqueline Winspear
    Maisie Dobbs #5
    Genre: Mystery, Historical Fiction
    Length: 9 Hours and 18 minutes
    Narrator: Orlagh Cassidy
    Source: eLibrary
    Author | Blog | Facebook
    Buy it: Amazon | Kindle | Audiobook | B&N | Book Depo

    Description:
    Maisie Dobbs travels to Kent to investigate, among other things, a series of fires, a family of Dutch bakers who were killed during WWI in a zeppelin attack and the theft of some silver. Hop-picking has brought everyone to the area, from Londoners to Gypsies. Orlagh Cassidy, who also read Messenger of Truth, not only captures a range of London and Kentish accents, but she also individualizes even the most minor characters. The lilt of a Danish luthier is perfect, and the dozen or so villagers interviewed by Dobbs have their own rhythms of speech and tone. Cassidy's rendition of Roma words comes across as authentic. This engrossing mystery will be hard to put down, and the listener will be sad when the final, lively strains of a fiddle are heard.

    My Rating:

    .My Review:

    Wednesday, May 2, 2012

    Why I Love Wednesdays... Favorite Types of Heros

    Reflections of a Bookaholic

    I am returning with my new feature... Why I love which takes place on Wednesdays. Today's proclamation of love concerns our Favorite Heros

    Why I Love...The Bad Boy

    For some reason, I feel like I should apologize for my choice.  Some people like the Alpha Male but not me.  I seem to like the book heros, that in real life would turn out (likely) to be the loser.  Am I being harsh? Oh well, I have my books.  I love the hero that might have been a bad apple, maybe mistreating the heroine at a younger age.  Maybe he was once a womanizer.  But the key to my bad boy is that he changes and he becomes that man that every girl wants.  But wait!  When he changes, he still has the smooth air that only bad boys have.  Am I sounding delusional?  This is okay because I'm okay with that.  When I think of these bad boys turned sweethearts, I think of Morelli from the Stephanie Plum series (well form the earlier books anyway), Damon from The Vampire Diaries, and Jude from the Rawhide Man.  I like a unrealistic story what can I say?

    Which type of hero do you love?  I feel like most people probably prefer Alpha Males.  Am I right?


     Feel free to create your own post and link up.  Don't want to create an entire post?  Tell me your favorites in the comments.  Thanks for stopping by for another week of Why I Love Wednesdays!!


    If you want to play along, feel free to grab the image (there is a button on the right sidebar now) and link your post in the linky. Here goes.

    LINKY INSTRUCTIONS:
    When naming your link, please choose the name of your post. Mine would say "Why I Love...Rhett Butler."
    Please link directly to your post and not your blog.
    Please participate :)





    Tuesday, May 1, 2012

    Teaser Tuesday: Veil of Night


    Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.
      My Teaser: This week's teaser is from one of the books, Veil of Night by Linda Howard. I read it during Dewey's Read-a-thon.  I bookmarked so many quotes that I just had to share some of them some how :)
      "Pleased to meet you, Erick Wilder," she said.  "I'm Jaclyn Wilde.  It's just a name, not a comment on my personality or lifestyle."  He'd turned his hand just a little, the subtle movement changing their grip from that of a handshake to something more ... intimate.




      Be sure to share a link to your teaser!

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