O Wow! Omagosh! O fabulous!

At first sight, this ordinary "No More Strangers" book is just another ol book. Nothing glamorous or anything anyone would think to steal, right?

But BEHOLD! O good golly! This is so fabulous! I love it! It is perfect! It can even sit on my bookshelf just like my other loves!

There is even a little pocket on the other side to hold my beauty snug. (See it poking out?)

If this isn't the most clever thing....

Brought to me and MADE by my bestie, Moe!

PS she will be taking order on these pieces of domestic genius-ness. She does different sizes for different Kindles! And you can get really cool old book covers!

LOVE! LOVE! LOVE!

Thanks Moe, for rocking my world!

I've been busy

Yep, I have been reading. Fear not, my habits will not be contained by Christmas celebration! I just haven't had a chance to post due to Christmas celebration. So, forgive me and let's get right down to business. "The Distant Hours" by Kate Morton. So, after reading "The Forgotten Garden", I was on a Morton kick. Everyone tells me they loved "The Distant Hours" more, so I bought that and settled in for a GOOD read. I gotta say, I loved the other more! Call me crazy, but I could not get into this one like I could the other. That being said, I really did enjoy the characters in this book as well.
This is the story of three aging sisters that live in a rather famous castle with secrets galore. They ask a young journalist (with a family history woven into the castle) to come and do a piece on the castle. This book again goes between the past and present to unravel a story that will keep you reading long past bedtime.
Very clean book again. No sex, language, etc... Good read

"The Christmas Carol". Need I say more? A quick read that was perfect for the few days before Christmas. You all know this story but may not have read it. (I hadn't.) Very descriptive writing style. Awesome!

"When Parents Text"

I think I got this free or really cheap on the Kindle because it is no literary award winner. However, it is one of the funniest thing I have ever read! These gals stared a blog with the funny things their parents text them and then decided to print it. Hilarious!!! There is a lot of language and body humor so I would not recommend this to a young reader or someone who is offended easily. But, don't worry, I left it on the "hahaha" collection in the Kindle, just so I can refer back to it when in need of a good laugh.

This was a freebie as well. "Leaving Paradise" was an easy, quick little read that is like foreshadowing Heaven! I pretty much knew what would happen from the 2nd chapter. I think it is meant to be a young adult book, but it is anything but. There is a lot of language and adult issues.

Maggie and Caleb's lives are changed forever by one senseless act that left Maggie hospitalized and Caleb in jail. A year later, Caleb is back and hoping to reclaim the life he led before the incident, while Maggie is still picking up the pieces of her shattered body. Nobody seems to realize that things can never be the same. This was an ok one timer.

Soooooooo, I am in need of good books people!!! How many can we read this year?! Anyone have any resolutions? Mine might have to be....to actually make it into a 2nd chapter of a Jane Austen book.

The Forgotten Garden

Must read! Must read! If you loved "The Thirteenth Tale" as much as I did, this is the very next book you should read. This is an amazing book filled with characters you love and hate, places you wish you could visit and a story that you have a horrible time pulling yourself out of. Kate Morton's ability to capture your interest is unbelievable!
The story begins with a small girl docking in Australia all alone in the early 1900's. Her story continues when she finds out she is not who she believed she was. Then it is her granddaughter that continues the search for the truth. The book goes back and forth through time to capture the discoveries each on of them makes. It is a story of love and loss. Beautifully written to the end.
Very clean book. Just recommended it for my book club. Someone PLEASE read this and lets do lunch to discuss it:)

Ellen Foster

As soon as I read the first line on the back of this book, I knew I would read it.
"When I was little I would think of ways to kill my daddy." Now, nobody panic. I do NOT want to kill my daddy. I quite like my daddy. (Just to clarify.)
It has actually been on my "to read" list for quite some time now, so when I saw it at The Paperback Book Exchange, I was pretty happy. I've got to say, it was not what I was hoping for. It was a somewhat difficult read because it is written in first person of a little southern girl. I also thought it was unique though, in that it was wise and funny and yet it was a heart wrenching story about this neglected little girl.
It is a short pretty quick book with some language. I don't see a younger person staying engaged in the book long because of the style of writing. I really don't know how I feel about this one. Anyone read it?

The Seventeen Second Miracle

Another good read people. Uplifting and inspiring to the end, Jason Wright does it again.

Seventeen seconds can change a life forever as Rex Conner learned on a tragic day as a young man. Cole, his son, still feels the percussions years later. As a teacher, he invites struggling teenagers to attend his discussions on the Seventeen Second Miracles. Before the book is finished, the students are tested and Cole learns several things himself. This could be a life changing book for some. It certainly has me thinking a little differently. It is very clean and I would recommend it to anyone.

Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter

Wow, another great read! I am on a roll! So this book is a bit like "These Things Hidden". It's kind of a murder mystery novel.
In the 1970's, Larry and Silas were childhood pals from 2 different worlds. Larry, the son of middle-class white parents and Silas, the son of a poor black single mother. Then Larry takes a girl to the drive-in and she is never heard from again. He doesn't confess and was never charged, but lives as a recluse as he is presumed guilty by the entire town.
Now twenty years have passed and another girl has gone missing forcing these unlikely friends to come across each others paths once again.
This is another book that I would recommend to most. It does have a very foul-mouthed character in it, so I would advise that you be able to handle language. Some sexual and rape references as well. Overall a very good book. I own this one and plan to read more of Tom Franklin's novels.

Not Without My Daughter

Imagine being taken to a foreign country where you couldn't speak the language, adapt to the customs or even walk the street without fear. Where you are treated as nothing and have no way of getting home. This is the true story about a women taken on a short trip to Iran with her Iranian husband and her daughter. This book is quite long and goes through her grueling agony of trying to flee her captors. It is a pretty clean book but has some violence. I read it for my book club and don't know that I would read it again. But I have never been more fond of my toilet than after reading the horror stories of Iranian bathrooms:( It really made me appreciate being an American. This book is suitable for anyone. If you are curious about Iranian culture or treatment of women, this is pretty straight forward.