Where I share my love of books with reviews, features, giveaways and memes. Family and needlepoint are thrown in from time to time.
Showing posts with label Library Loot. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Library Loot. Show all posts

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Library Loot - Late Edition - 1/27/2010





These books are from the last two weeks as I missed posting last week.

Library Loot is hosted by Eva at A Striped Armchair and Marg at Reading Adventures.







Ghostwriter
by Travis Thrasher


When a writer's haunting novels suddenly intersect with real life, he faces terror unlike anything he ever imagined.

For years Dennis Shore has thrilled readers with his spooky bestselling novels. Now a widower, Dennis is finally alone in his house, his daughter attending college out of state. When he's stricken by a paralyzing case of writer's block and a looming deadline, Dennis becomes desperate. Against better judgment, he claims someone else's writing as his own, accepting undeserved accolades for the stolen work. He thinks he's gotten away with it. . . until he's greeted by a young man named Cillian Reed -- the true author of the stolen manuscript.

What begins as a minor case of harassment quickly spirals out of control. As Cillian's threats escalate, Dennis finds himself on the brink of losing his career, his sanity, and even his life. The horror he's spent years writing about has arrived on his doorstep, and Dennis has nowhere to run. (back cover)






Eggs in Purgatory (A Cackleberry Club Mystery)
by Laura Childs


Suzanne, Toni, and Petra lost their husbands but found independence -- and, in each other, a life raft of support, inspiration, fresh baked goods, and their own business. But when the Cackleberry Club cafe opened its doors in the town of Kindred, who'd have guessed that the cozy oasis would become the scene of a crime?

Eggs to Go, Murder on the Side

Suzanne's lawyer is found in his car behind the Cackleberry with egg on his face and blood on the dash. Suzanne's taking the crime personally: The murder reveals a scandal in her late husband's past and brings a stranger fleeing a messianic sect to her for help. Now, discovering the link between a dead man with secrets and a runaway cultist may be putting Suzanne's own life on the line. (back cover)




When She Flew
by Jennie Shortridge


Police officer Jessica Villareal has always played by the book and tried to do the right thing: She's worked hard at her job and even harder at her family. Despite all that, she finds herself approaching midlife divorced, estranged from her daughter, alone. . . and completely unhappy. And she's wondering if she ever made a right choice in her life.

But then Jess discovers an Iraq vet and his young daughter living off the radar in the Oregon woods, avoiding the comforts -- and curses -- of modern life. Her colleagues on the force are determined to uproot and separate Lindy and her father, but Jess knows the damage of losing those you love, and believes the pair is safer and happier together.

Jess recognizes her chance to make a difference by doing something she's never dared. Because even though she's used to playing by the rules, there are times when they need to be broken. . .(back cover)




Death by Darjeeling
by Laura Childs


Meet Theodosia Browning, owner of Charleston's beloved Indigo Tea Shop. Patrons love her blend of delicious tea tastings and southern hospitality. And Theo enjoys the full-bodied flavor of a town steeped in history -- and mystery. . .

It's tea for two hundred or so at the annual historic homes garden party. And Theodosia, as event caterer, is busy serving steaming teas and blackberry scones while guests sing her praises. But the sweet smell of success turns to suspense when an esteemed guest is found dead -- his hand clutching an empty teacup. All eyes are on Theo . . . who is now trying desperately to save her reputation and track down the real killer. If only she can make sense of it all -- before someone else takes their last sip. . .(back cover)




Keeper of Light and Dust
by Natasha Mostert


From the acclaimed author of Season of the Witch comes a highly original supernatural thriller, blending magic, science, martial arts, and the greatest desire of all: to live forever.

Mia Lockhart has a secret. Her mother was a Keeper, as was her grandmother -- women who were warriors, healers, and protectors. As Mia practices her craft among the boxers and martial artists of South London, she has no idea that a man who calls himself "Dragonfly" is watching form the shadows.

Adrian Ashton is a brilliant scientist, an expert in the field of biophoton emissions from cells within the human body. He is also a skilled martial artist -- and a modern-day vampire. With the aid of an ancient Chinese text, he has mastered the art of draining the chi of his opponents -- the vital energy that flows through their bodies. Mia finds herself drawn to his dark genius. But when he targets the man she loves, she is forced to choose between them. It becomes a fight to the death in which love is both the greatest weakness and the greatest prize.

A fast-paced, highly evocative thriller, Keeper of Light and Dust is a twenty-first-century novel exploring themes as old as time: the imperative of violence and the redemptive power of love (inside cover)




A Quiet Belief in Angels
by R.J. Ellory


1939. In the small, rural community of Augusta Falls, Georgia, twelve-year-old Joseph Vaughan learns of the brutal assault and murder of a young girl, a classmate he knew better than anyone in his class, a girl he quietly loved. The murder is the first in a series of killings that will plague the community over the next decade. Compelled by fear and duty, Joseph gathers a group of friends to form "The Guardians," who vow to watch over the young girls of Augusta Falls. But the murderer evades them and they watch helplessly as one child after another is taken.

Even when the killings cease, a shadow of fear follows Joseph for the rest of his life. The past won't stay buried and, fifty years later, Joseph must confront the nightmare that has overshadowed his entire life. . . (inside cover)




Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Library Loot: 1-13-2010

More great books this week - These are all to be blamed on fellow bloggers!

Library Loot is hosted by Eva at A Striped Armchair and Marg at Reading Adventures.









The House of the Spirits
by Isabel Allende

Here, in an astonishing debut by a gifted storyteller, is the magnificent saga of proud and passionate men and women and the turbulent times through which they suffer and triumph. They are the Truebas. And theirs is a world you will not want to leave, and one you will not forget.

ESTEBAN - the patriarch, a volatile and proud man whose lust for land is legendary and who is haunted by his tyrannical passion for the wife he can never completely possess.

CLARA - the matriarch, elusive and mysterious, who foretells family tragedy and shapes the fortunes of the house of the Truebas.

BLANCA - their daughter, soft-spoken yet rebellious, whose shocking love for the son of her father's foreman fuels Esteban's everlasting contempt...even as it produces the grandchild he adores.

ALBA - the fruit of Blanca's forbidden love, a luminous beauty, a fiery and willful woman...the family's break with the past and link to the future. (inside cover)


Waiting for the Moon
by Kristin Hannah

Before she soared up national bestseller lists with her contemporary fiction, Kristin Hannah wrote stunning historical tales of destiny and magic. Waiting for the Moon is one of her most unforgettable novels--a haunting, lyrically written tale of obsession, redemption, and the healing power of love.

Selena doesn't remember who she is or how she came to the hidden mansion on the isolated Maine coast. Lost in a confusing world filled with strangers, she finds comfort in a man whose eyes reflect her own desperate loneliness. Dr. Ian Carrick invites her into his mysterious sanctuary where he has retreated from the world that betrayed him. For her, he begins to believe in himself once more. But even love cannot protect her from her own terrible secrets... (back cover)


The Wedding Girl
by Madeleine Wickham


From the author of the internationally bestselling Sophie Kinsella novels, Madeleine Wickham's The Wedding Girl is a delightful comedy about a secret that becomes the ultimate wedding crasher!

At the age of eighteen, in that first golden Oxford summer, Milly was up for anything. Now, ten years later, she is a very different person. Engaged to a man who is wealthy, serious, and believes her to be perfect, she is facing the biggest and most elaborate wedding imaginable. But one small episode from the past has the power to completely derail her carefully planned nuptials. Milly has locked away this history so securely that she has almost persuaded herself it doesn't exist--until, with only four days to go, her secret catches up with her...And when "I do" gives you deja vu, it could be a problem. (inside cover)


One Good Turn
by Kate Atkinson

On a beautiful summer day, crowds lined up outside a theater witness a sudden act of extreme road rage: a tap on a fender triggers a nearly homicidal attack. Jackson Brodie, ex-cop, ex-private detective, new millionaire, is among the bystanders.

The even thrusts Jackson into the orbit of the wife of an unscrupulous real estate tycoon, a washed-up comedian, a successful crime novelist, a mysterious Russian woman, and a female police detective. Each of them hiding a secret, each looking for love or money or redemption or escape, they all play a role in driving Jackson out of retirement and into the middle of several mysteries that intersect in one sinister scheme.

Kate Atkinson "writes such fluid, sparkling prose that an ingenious plot almost seems too much to ask, but we get it anyway," writes Laura Miller for Salon. With a keen eye for the excesses of modern life, a warm understanding of the frailties of the human heart, and a genius for plots that turn and twist, Atkinson has written a novel that delights and surprises from the first page to the last. (inside cover)








Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Library Loot: 1-6-2010

I am trying to slow down the books that I check out from the library - but since my daughter has just discovered that she really likes to read - I have actually been spending more time there!

Library Loot is hosted by Eva at A Striped Armchair and Marg at Reading Adventures.







Grave Sight
by Charlaine Harris


I have what you might call a strange job: I find dead people. I can sense the final location of a person who's passed and share their very last moment. The way I see it, I'm providing a service to the dead while bringing some closure to the living -- but I'm used to most people treating me like a blood-sucking leach. . .

Harper and her stepbrother Tolliver are experts at getting in, getting paid, and then getting out of town fast, because the people who hire Harper have a funny habit of not really wanting to know what she has to tell them. At first, the little Ozarks town of Sarne seems like no exception. A teenage girl has gone missing, and Harper knows almost immediately that this girl is dead. But the secrets of her death, and the secrets of the town, are deep enough that even Harper's special ability can't uncover them. With hostility welling up all around them, she and Tolliver would like nothing better than to be on their way. But then another woman is murdered. And the killer's not finished yet. (back cover)



The Beach Street Knitting Society and Yarn Club
by Gil McNeil


For every woman who has ever dreamed of starting over, or being a better mother, or just knitting a really nice scarf. . .
When her husband dies in a car crash -- not long after announcing he wants a divorce -- Jo Mackenzie packs up her two rowdy boys and moves from London to a dilapidated villa in her seaside hometown. There, she takes over her beloved Gran's knitting shop -- a quaint but out-of-date store in desperate need of a facelift. After a rough beginning, Jo soon finds comfort in a "Stitch and Bitch group: a collection of quirky, lively women who share their stories, and their addiction to cake, with warmth and humor. As Jo starts to get the hang of single parent life in a small town, she relies on her knitting group for support. The women meet every week at the shop on Beach Street and trade gossip and advice as freely as they do a new stitch. But when a new man enters Jo's life, and an A-list actress moves into the local mansion, the knitting club has even more trouble confining the conversation to knit one, purl two. The Beach Street Knitting Society and Yarn Club is an uplifting, winning tale about the healing power of friendship and new beginnings. It's a charming novel that will delight all passionate knitters -- and win over befuddled, would-be knitters, too. (inside cover)



Fools Rush In
by Janice Thompson


Bella Rossi may be nearing thirty, but her life is just starting to get interesting. When her Italian-turned-Texan parents hand over the family wedding planning business, Bella is determined not to let them down. She quickly books a "Boot Scoot'n" wedding that would make any Texan proud. There's only one catch--she's a country music numbskull because her family only listens to Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin. Where will she find a DJ on such short notice who knows his Alan Jackson from his Keith Urban? When a misunderstanding leads her to the DJ (and man) of her dreams, things start falling into place. But with a family like hers, nothing is guaranteed. Can the perfect Texan wedding survive a pizza-making uncle with mob ties, an aunt who is a lawsuit waiting to happen, and a massive delivery of 80 cowboy boots? And will Bella ever get to plan her own wedding? Book one in the Weddings by Bella series, Fools Rush In is fun, fresh, and full of surprises. Readers will love the flavorful combination of Italian and Tex-Mex, and the hilarity that ensues when cultures clash.














Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Library Loot: 12-16-2009

I have been spending way too much time at the library recently - the problem is that I have actually been combing back over all my Friday Finds and Waiting on Wednesdays and reserving them!

Library Loot is hosted by Eva at A Striped Armchair and Marg at Reading Adventures.







Evermore by Alyson Noel (audio book)

The first book in Alyson Noel's extraordinary new Immortals series. Enter an enchanting new world, where true love never dies.

After a horrible accident claims the lives of her family, sixteen-year-old Ever Bloom can see people's auras, hear their thoughts, and know someone's entire life story by touching them. Going out of her way to avoid human contact and suppress her abilities, she has been branded a freak at her new high school -- but everything changes when she meets Damen Auguste.

Damen is gorgeous, exotic, and wealthy. He's the only one who can silence the noise and random energy in her head -- wielding a magic so intense, it's as though he can peer straight into her soul. As Ever is drawn deeper into his enticing world of secrets and mystery, she's left with more questions than answers. And she has no idea just who he really is -- or what he is. The only thing she knows to be true is that she's falling deeply and helplessly in love. (back cover)


Ballad: A Gathering of Faerie by Maggie Stiefvater

This is the second book following Lament which I should finish by tomorrow - I am the first one to check it out from our library. I don't think that I have ever been the first person to check out a book!

James Morgan has an almost unearthly gift for music. And it has attracted Nuala, a soul-snatching faerie muse who fosters and then feeds on the creative energies of exceptional humans until they die. James has plenty of reasons to fear the faeries, but as he and Nuala collaborate on an achingly beautiful musical composition, James finds his feelings towards Nuala deepening. But the rest of the fairies are not as harmless. As Halloween -- the day of the dead -- draws near, James will have to battle the Faerie Queen and the horned king of the dead to save Nuala's life and his soul. (inside cover)


Velva Jean Learns to Drive by Jennifer Niven

One Sunday when she is ten years old, Velva Jean Hart is saved. But being saved isn't anything like Velva Jean expected, and life soon brings devastating changes: her father disappears on one of his adventures, and her loving mother becomes gravely ill. Before her mother dies, she urges Velva Jean to "live out there in the great wide world."

The only world Velva Jean knows is her home in the gold-mining and moon shining mountains of Appalachia. her secret dream is to become a big-time singer in Nashville -- until she falls in love with Harley Bright, a handsome truant-turned-revival preacher. As their tumultuous love story unfolds, Velva Jean struggles to find happiness. Will it be as the demure wife Harley wants her to be?

Beautifully written, this is an unforgettable story about love, spirit, and finding the courage to follow one's dreams. (back cover)






Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Library Loot: 12-9-2009

I have been spending way too much time at the library recently - the problem is that I have actually been combing back over all my Friday Finds and Waiting on Wednesdays and reserving them!

Library Loot is hosted by Eva at A Striped Armchair and Marg at Reading Adventures.









Dark Places by Gillian Flynn

Libby Day was seven when her mother and two sisters were murdered in "The Satan Sacrifice of Kinnakee, Kansas." As her family lay dying, little Libby fled their tiny farmhouse into the freezing January snow. She lost some fingers and toes, but she survived -- and famously testified that her fifteen-year-old brother, Ben, was the killer. Twenty-five years later, Ben sits in prison, and troubled Libby lives off the dregs of a trust created by well wishers who've long forgotten her.

The Kill Club is a macabre secret society obsessed with notorious crimes. When they locate Libby and pump her for details -- proof they hope may free Ben -- Libby hatches a plan to profit off her tragic history. For a fee, she'll reconnect with the players from that night and report her findings to the club . . . and maybe she'll admit her testimony wasn't so solid after all.

As Libby's search takes her from shabby Missouri strip clubs to abandoned Oklahoma tourist towns, the narrative flashes back to January 2, 1985. The events of that day are relayed through the eyes of Libby's doomed family members -- including Ben, a loner whose rage over his shiftless father and their failing farm have driven him into a disturbing friendship with the new girl in town. Piece by piece, the unimaginable truth emerges, and Libby finds herself right back where she started -- on the run from a killer. (inside cover)




The Girl on Legare Street by Karen White

There was a time when Melanie's dysfunctional family was out of sight and mind, and her only worries were her monthly sales figures, what shade of beige to paint her low-maintenance condo, and whether she was ready to make charming journalist Jack Trenholm a permanent fixture in her life. Those days are over.

After receiving a deadly premonition, Melanie's mother, who deserted her more than thirty years ago, suddenly returns to Charleston to protect her. But all Ginnette Prioleau Middleton does is remind Melanie of how little they have in common - except for their ability to communicate with ghosts.

And now Ginnette is moving into their ancestral home on Legare Street, and she needs Melanie's advice on restoring it and her sixth sense to talk to the dead who inhabit it. But Ginnette's return has awakened a dark spirit, whose strength has been growing for decades -- and who is ready for revenge. With Jack's help, Melanie and her mother must find a way to work together to fight the malevolent presence and save what's left of their family. (back cover)



The September Sisters by Jillian Cantor

Abigail Reed and her younger sister, Becky, are always at each other's throats. Their mother calls them the September Sisters, because their birthdays are only a day apart, and pretends that they're best friends. But really, they delight in making each other miserable. Then Becky disappears in the middle of the night, and a torn gold chain with a sapphire heart charm is the only clue to the mystery of her kidnapping. Abby struggles to cope with her own feelings of guilt and loss as she tries to keep her family together. When her world is at its bleakest, Abby meets a new neighbor, Tommy, who is dealing with his own loss, and the two of them discover that love can bloom, even when it's surrounded by thorns.

This exquisitely written first novel illustrates life as it truly is -- filled with fear and danger, hope and love, comfort and uncertainty. (inside cover)







Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Library Loot: 12-2-2009

I have been spending way too much time at the library recently - the problem is that I have actually been combing back over all my Friday Finds and Waiting on Wednesdays and reserving them!

Library Loot is hosted by Eva at A Striped Armchair and Marg at Reading Adventures.









The Dead and the Gone by Susan Beth Pfeffer

When life as Alex Morales had known it changed forever, he was working behind the counter at Joey's Pizza. He was worried about getting elected as senior class president and making the grades to land him in a good college. He never expected that an asteroid would hit the moon, knocking it closer in orbit to the earth and catastrophically altering the earth's climate.

He never expected to be fighting just to stay alive.

Susan Beth Pfeffer's Life As We Knew It enthralled and devastated readers with its brutal but hopeful look at an apocalyptic event from a small-town perspective. Now this harrowing companion novel examines the same events as they unfold in New York City, revealed through the eyes of a seventeen-year-old Puerto Rican New Yorker. When Alex's parents disappear in the aftermath of tidal waves, he must care for his two younger sisters, even as Manhattan becomes a deadly wasteland.

With haunting themes of family, faith, personal change, and courage, this powerful novel explores how a young man takes on unimaginable responsibilities. (inside cover)





The Last Summer of Her Other Life by Jean Reynolds Page

From Jean Reynolds Page - the critically acclaimed author of The Space Between Before and After and one of the most compelling voices in contemporary women's fiction -- comes a dazzling novel of loss and redemption, of relationships that damage and those that heal.

Thirty-nine and pregnant by a man she's decided to leave behind in California, Jules' life is changing. Always the protected daughter, she must now relinquish that role and prepare to be a mother herself. But her efforts are upstaged by shocking allegations from a local teen in her North Carolina hometown. The boy has accused her of what the police are calling "inappropriate sexual contact." Three men rally in her defense: Lincoln, her brother, who flies in from New York to help her; Sam, her high school boyfriend, who after so many years still offers unconditional support; and Walt, the uncle of the teen, who charms Jules with his intelligence and unanticipated kindness.

Her search for the truth about the troubled teenager becomes, for Jules, a first step toward discovering the woman she wishes to be. But with so many wrong choices behind her, how can she trust herself with the future of her unborn child? (back cover)










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