Story Review - Tacky by Charlaine Harris

Monday, May 31, 2010

In My Big Fat Supernatural Wedding I found another short story in the world of Sookie, Tacky and the first Sookieverse story I have read that didn't include any Sookie. Yep no Sookie at all, this story follows Dahlia a vampire from Rhodes and her experiences dealing with the marriage of her friend and fellow vampire Taffy to the pack leader of Rhodes. Yep a Vampire marrying a Werewolf are tying the knot and you know that is going to attract a special kind of crowd.

So far I am just reading the Sookies stories in these collections but maybe after I finish all the Sookie books I will come back and read the rest of the stories in these collections.

Story Review - One Word Answer by Charlaine Harris

Sunday, May 30, 2010

Now that I'm getting near the end of the Sookie Stackhouse series (only two more to go) I've started to pick up the short stories at my local library.

One Word Answer shows us how Sookie found out about her cousin's passing and when she first meets Mr. Cataliades. I kind of wish I had read these in chronological order but either way it's great to go back and relive parts of the story that are in the past, it keeps the whole storyline fresh in my head.

Product Description for Bite:
A never-before-published Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter story from New York Times bestselling author Laurell K. Hamilton. A brand-new story from New York Times bestselling author Charlaine Harris, featuring the much-loved Sookie Stackhouse.

A hot new novella from USA Today bestselling author MaryJanice Davidson, set in the world of Undead and Unwed's Betsy Taylor, the newly, and reluctantly,crowned Vampire Queen.

Introduced in the collection Hot Blooded, and on the heels of the wildly successful Master of the Night, Angela Knight has created a fascinating universe of Arthurian Lore and erotic vampirsim. And a sexy original story from Vickie Taylor, a new addition to Berkley Sensation.

If you are loving the Sookie series don't neglect the short stories, they are great additions to the world Charlaine Harris has developed.

Book Review - From Dead to Worse by Charlaine Harris

Saturday, May 29, 2010

I was a little afraid when I wasn't so in love with the last book that the series was going downhill but I am happy to say I was so wrong. From Dead to Worse (Southern Vampire Mysteries, Book 8) is right up to par with what I have come to expect from Charlaine Harris and Sookie.

The best part of this one came at the very end but every page was worth it just to get there. That's all I'm saying, now go read it for yourself. And dear God if you aren't reading this series please go, start, Now.

of course this knocks one off the Sookie Stackhouse Reading Challenge.

Book Review - Tales for Delicious Girls by Barbora Knobova

Thursday, May 27, 2010

I received Tales for Delicious Girls by Barbora Knobova as part of her tour with Pump Up Your Book Promotions. Unfortunately the book arrived to late and I was only able to do a spotlight at the time of her tour. Now that I have read it I just want to say, it is oh so fun. If you are looking for a woman and you are looking for a good time, read this book!

Product Description from Amazon:

What's in a word? Anything you want there to be!
D for daring, E for enchanting, L for loving, I for inspiring, C for captivating, I for intriguing, O for outgoing, U for unique, S for sophisticated: DELICIOUS.

Twenty-five exhilarating real-life stories about delicious women, eccentric men and stubborn dogs.

Tales for Delicious Girls offers witty, refreshing, clever and ironic insight into relationships between men and women from all points of view. It is the ultimate relationship manual for the 21st century woman, providing answers to the most pressing questions you ask yourself:

• Who is the man with sinfully sexy fingers?

• Who is the guy that runs away from cabs?

• Who is the phantom of the French Riviera?

• Who is the Spy and why does he give away silver tea sets?

• Who is the Really Totally Gorgeous XY?

• And who the hell is JB...

...And why was he where he shouldn't have been?

"Tales for Delicious Girls" deals with wishes, desires and dreams gone hilariously wrong - as well as hysterical mishaps, slapstick dating disasters and eternal female friendship challenges.

The stories are told by a Delicious Girl who's been there, done it and written about it. The book takes you to Paris, Milan, Marseille, Prague and many other exciting cities, untangling the ingenious web of men, women and their never-ending mating dance.

"Tales for Delicious Girls" will make you laugh till there are tears in your eyes. It will become your faithful companion, and will help you see that no matter what happened to you, it could have been much worse.

Hilarious. Sharp-witted. Ironic. Caustically apt. Simply Delicious.

"Tales for Delicious Girls" contains almost sixty original illustrations which are edgy and feminine, just like the book.

Author Info:

Barbora Knobova is an internationally published author, speaker and radio host. She writes books for strong, bold, fearless ladies of all ages, who have a sense of humor and the courage to embrace their true self.

On her edgy, funny and very feminine blog, she reports on Delicious Girl's uproarious daily adventures with men, travels and shoes.

A world traveler and world citizen, Barb is a passionate lover of life, a chocoholic, a shoe collector and a very eager yet very lousy golf player. Barb speaks eight languages and lives in New York with her beagle Brinkley, the nasty dog from Tales for Delicious Girls. To her, writing is like breathing and she's currently working on her new book.

Book Review - A Weekend to Change Your Life by Joan Anderson

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

I recently picked up A Weekend to Change Your Life: Find Your Authentic Self After a Lifetime of Being All Things to All People by Joan Anderson from the library in an attempt to get started on the Non-Fiction Reading Challenge I signed up for a while ago. One of the things I really want to accomplish with this challenge is to read more Women centered books. Titles about women's lib, women's rights, women's history or biographies of women. This is a book to empower women to take a hold of their lives slow down, figure out what you want and do it, and to be comfortable with the fact that you are allowed to have things that are only for yourself. Don't give all of yourself away all the time.
Most of the people the author talks about, including herself are in more of midlife, they have already raised their kids or are almost ready to have the fly the coop. I wonder if by being interested in these types of books so early in life am I ahead of the game or am I over reacting to the life I have. I don't think I will know that until years in the future and I am looking back this way.



Copied from Amazon in turn from Publishers Weekly:

In her popular A Year by the Sea, Anderson wrote about a time she chose to live apart from her husband on Cape Cod in order to better understand herself. Anderson has turned her private retreat into a program, Weekend by the Sea Retreats, to help women learn how to have a full life apart from the needs and demands of spouses, children, aging parents and careers. Here, Anderson shares the exercises and activities she has developed to encourage change and growth. She draws on Erik Erikson's eight stages of life from infancy to old age and suggests listing the gains and losses from each phase in order to identify one's personal strengths. Another technique is the beach walk, which allows women to get in touch with their bodies and emotions as they trek alone on the shore, collecting shells, rocks and driftwood, swimming, or drawing pictures in the sand. Anderson's warm, inviting tone will appeal to women who feel, as she did, that they need time and space to reinvent themselves. (Apr. 4)
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Teaser Tuesday

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. 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!

I am still reading the Sookie Stackhouse novels so this week's Teaser Tuesday comes from the 8th in the series From Dead To Worse by Charlaine Harris:

"We know who did it," Dawson said, and a shiver ran through the room. There were more Weres in the house - I could sense them now - ... pg 124

and

"I mean that fairies who inhabit the woods identify with the woods so strongly that to hurt one is to hurt the other..." pg 84

I'm really liking this one so far, can't wait to get some reading in today.

Book Review - Doctor Who and the Revenge of the Cybermen by Terrence Dicks

Monday, May 24, 2010

First let me say I am sorry for the cut and paste here but my sentiment is the same for the last three Doctor Who books I read.


Doctor Who: And the Revenge of the Cybermen is another novelization of the television series with Tom Baker. Again I say reading these really helped me appreciate the show and The Doctor even more. Although the story is recycled and reads a bit like a script I much enjoy exploring the world of The Doctor in a way I just can't seem to do with the older television series.

If you know Doctor Who you can probably piece together the gist of this story but for everyone's bennefit let me say lives are in danger from Cybermen and the Doctor kicks their butts. You'll just have to read (or watch) to find out how.


And knock another one off these challenges: