What to Read? … What to Read?

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“My awesome fake summer tan. Obviously. It’s not like I have a pool in downtown Manhattan to lounge by, and anyway it’s way too muggy and humid in this city to stay outside for more than twenty seconds, so how could I get naturally sun-kissed? Unfortunately my camp tan is long gone. But is my fake tan a spray-on? Nope. Is it from one of those tanning booths that could pass for a medieval torture chamber? Again, nope.

What is it then? Why, I call it The Perfect Golden Tan That Makes Me Look Like I Live in California Spell. (Patent pending.)”

Do you have a young teen on your list this year? If you do why not pick up a copy of Parties & Potions, written by Sarah Mlynowski. This will be released December 23, 2008, just in time for the last minute gift getting.

Perfect hair, cute clothes, healthy tans—life’s a breeze when you’re a witch! Even special witchcraft classes Rachel agrees to attend with Miri turn out to be fun. The sisters meet other teen witches just like them—who knew? Everyone’s preparing for a magical party called a Samsorta—a debutante ball for witches. And it wouldn’t be a ball without warlocks. Cute ones. Like Adam, who wants to slow dance with Rachel, and ski with her in the Rockies—on a school night! Of course, Rachel is madly in love with her boyfriend, Raf. So why can’t she bring herself to tell Adam—funny, charming Adam—that Raf exists?

Rachel knows Raf likes her. Maybe even, gulp, loves her. But Raf doesn’t know her secret. Unlike Adam, Raf doesn’t know who she really is. And she can never tell him. Or can she?

This is the fourth book in Mlynowski’s Magic In Manhattan series. For those who are looking to get your teen into a new series why not try this teen lit. With its light and fun plot what girl would not fall for this series? Now don’t forget December 23, 2008.

Happy Reading

Sarah

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“”My dear Peabody,” said Emerson, “pray correct me if I am mistaken; but I sense a diminution of that restless ardor for living that is so noted a characteristic of yours, particularly upon occasions such as this. Since that happy day that saw us united, never a cloud has dimmed the beaming orb of matrimonial bliss; and that remarkable circumstance derives, I am certain, from the perfect communion that marks our union. Confide, I implore, in the fortunate man whose designated role is to support and shelter you, and whose greatest happiness is to share your own.””

O.K. mystery fans this one is for you; mark December 9, 2008 on your calendar. Especially if you are an Amelia Peabody fan. Elizabeth Peters is releasing Lion in the Valley and I am extremely excited about this.

The 1895-96 season promises to be an exceptional one for Amelia Peabody, her dashing Egyptologist husband, Radcliffe Emerson, and their precocious (some might say rambunctious) eight-year-old son, Ramses. The long-denied permission to dig at the pyramids of Dahshoor has finally been granted, and the much-coveted burial chamber of the Black Pyramid is now theirs for the exploring.

Before the young family exchanges the relative comfort of Cairo for the more rudimentary quarters near the excavation site, they engage a young Englishman, Donald Fraser, as a tutor and companion for Ramses, and Amelia takes a wayward young woman, Enid Debenham, under her protective wing.

But there is danger and deception in the wind that blows across the hot Egyptian sands. A brazen kidnapping attempt, a gruesome murder, and an expedition subsequently cursed by misfortune and death—all serve to alert Amelia to the likely presence of her arch nemesis, the “Master Criminal,” notorious looter of the living and the dead. But it is far more than ill-gotten riches that motivate the man known as Sethos. The evil genius has a score to settle with the meddling lady archaeologist who has sworn to deliver him to justice . . . and he’s got her dead-on in his sights.

Peters has given us an exception plot time after time, her character Amelia Peabody is one to be followed. I am hoping that Peters doesn’t disappoint on this one. It’s time to run out and find more books.

Happy Reading

Sarah

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“She made a stunning cat burglar, dressed entirely in black spandex that molded to her waist and sweetly curved hips. Her golden hair hung in a ponytail down her back. The ends swished gently across her shoulder blades as she moved her head from side to side, scanning the bookshelf.

She stepped to the side, silent in her black socks. She must have left her shoes outside the window, thinking she’d move more quietly without them. He noted her slim ankles, then let his gaze wander back up to golden hair. He would have to be careful capturing her. Like any Vamp, he had super strength, and she looked a bit fragile.

He moved silently past the wingback chairs to the window. It made a swooshing sound as he shut it.

With a gasp, she turned toward him. Her eyes widened. Eyes green as the hills surrounding his home in Scotland.”

All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth…or maybe a vampire, yes that’s it a vampire. I wonder if Santa can fit one in my stocking? Well maybe if he is unable to the jolly red man can leave me All I Want For Christmas Is a Vampire written by Kerrelyn Sparks.

Toni Davis’s Christmas wish list

1. Springing my best friend from the psych ward.

2. Living somewhere that doesn’t have coffins in the basement. Occupied coffins.

3. Finding Mr. Right. Please make him tall, dark, handsome, and alive.

This Christmas isn’t so merry for Toni. Her best friend’s been locked up in a mental hospital ever since she told the police she was attacked by vampires, and the only way for Toni to get her out is to prove that bloodsuckers really do exist. So she’s taken a job as a bodyguard for the Undead, but she gets more than she bargained for, especially when she meets Ian MacPhie, a Scottish rascal looking for Ms. Right.

Although Ian’s nearly five centuries old, he looks and acts like a twenty-seven-year-old hunk.

How can a dead man be so damn sexy? Could Mr. Wrong be Mr. Right? One forbidden kiss could lead to an eternity of passion—and all it takes is one moment under the mistletoe . . .

This is book 5 in the Love at Stake series; Sparks has managed to keep her series consistent; consistently funny that is, from the personal add that Ian’s friends place for him to the dialogue between Ian and Toni. Chalk this up as a fun light read and maybe if you are really good you will find that Vampire in your stocking.

Happy Reading

Sarah

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“The mouse mother held a handkerchief to her nose and then waved it in front of her face. She sniffed. “I will name him. Yes. I will name this mouse Despereaux, for all the sadness, for the many despairs in this place. Now, where is my mirror?””

Looking for good family fun before the holidays? Then why not try reading The Tale of Despereaux written by Kate DiCamillo. Not only will you be able to enjoy this story with the young and old but on December 19, 2008 children of all ages can see this wonderful story come to life on the big screen.

Kate DiCamillo, author of the Newbery Honor book Because of Winn-Dixie, spins a tidy tale of mice and men where she explores the “powerful, wonderful, and ridiculous” nature of love, hope, and forgiveness. Her old-fashioned, somewhat dark story, narrated “Dear Reader”-style, begins “within the walls of a castle, with the birth of a mouse.” Despereaux Tilling, the new baby mouse, is different from all other mice. Sadly, the romantic, unmouse like spirit that leads the unusually tiny, large-eared mouse to the foot of the human king and the beautiful Princess Pea ultimately causes him to be banished by his own father to the foul, rat-filled dungeon.

The first book of four tells Despereaux’s sad story, where he falls deeply in love with Princess Pea and meets his cruel fate. The second book introduces another creature who differs from his peers–Chiaroscuro, a rat who instead of loving the darkness of his home in the dungeon, loves the light so much he ends up in the castle and in the queen’s soup. The third book describes young Miggery Sow, a girl who has been “clouted” so many times that she has cauliflower ears. Still, all the slow-witted, hard-of-hearing Mig dreams of is wearing the crown of Princess Pea. The fourth book returns to the dungeon-bound Despereaux and connects the lives of mouse, rat, girl, and princess in a dramatic denouement.

A great cast is called upon; Matthew Broderick, Ben Falcone, Emma Watson, Tony Hale, Frances Conroy. Not only do you have a great cast, but you have a great story. DiCamillo has out done herself with this one. She once again has managed to draw her readers into the story and not let them go until the very end. Now go and get this book either for yourself or as a great holiday gift.

Happy Reading

Sarah

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“Like faces in a dream, Maureen recognized, among the strewn backpacks and spilled note cards, kids she knew: Josh, Valeen, Kristin, Kyle. She had to get to Velvet — grab her and pull her to safety. But, as if in a dream, she couldn’t make her feet move. Velvet was all the way across the room, and Mo was too afraid. Make this be a horrible dream, she thought. Make this not be happening.”

Christmas is just around the corner and like everyone else out there I have a few hard to buy for friends. Why not pick up a copy of The Hour I First Believed written by Wally Lamb.

When forty-seven-year-old high school teacher Caelum Quirk and his younger wife, Maureen, a school nurse, move to Littleton, Colorado, they both get jobs at Columbine High School. In April 1999, Caelum returns home to Three Rivers, Connecticut, to be with his aunt who has just had a stroke. But Maureen finds herself in the school library at Columbine, cowering in a cabinet and expecting to be killed, as two vengeful students go on a carefully premeditated, murderous rampage. Miraculously she survives, but at a cost: she is unable to recover from the trauma. Caelum and Maureen flee Colorado and return to an illusion of safety at the Quirk family farm in Three Rivers. But the effects of chaos are not so easily put right, and further tragedy ensues.

While Maureen fights to regain her sanity, Caelum discovers a cache of old diaries, letters, and newspaper clippings in an upstairs bedroom of his family’s house. The colorful and intriguing story they recount spans five generations of Quirk family ancestors, from the Civil War era to Caelum’s own troubled childhood. Piece by piece, Caelum reconstructs the lives of the women and men whose legacy he bears. Unimaginable secrets emerge; long-buried fear, anger, guilt, and grief rise to the surface.

As Caelum grapples with unexpected and confounding revelations from the past, he also struggles to fashion a future out of the ashes of tragedy. His personal quest for meaning and faith becomes a mythic journey that is at the same time quintessentially contemporary—and American.

Lamb is a gifted storyteller and by creating a variety of voices and a host of characters that are deep enough to evoke all of humanity; he brings his stories to life. I feel that we are given more than a page turner and the wait for this book was well worth it. This is one author who should be on everyone’s wish list.

Happy Reading

Sarah

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“You would think being a real live faerie princess would make your life fairy-tale-like, but fairy tales only end well. While the story is going on, horrible things happen. Remember Rapunzel? Her prince got his eyes scratched out by the witch, which blinded him. At the end of the story, Rapunzel’s tears magically restored his sight, but that was at the end of the story. Cinderella was little better than a slave. Snow White was actually nearly killed four different times by the evil queen. All anyone remembers is the poisoned apple, but don’t forget the huntsman, or the enchanted girdle and the poisoned comb. Pick any fairy tale that’s based on older stories, and the heroine of the piece has a miserable, dangerous, nightmarish time of it.”

Book 7 of the Merry Gentry series recently came out, Swallowing Darkness is written by the popular Laurell K. Hamilton. Now this is the way to spend a cold wet afternoon.

I am Meredith, princess of faerie, wielder of the hands of Flesh and Blood, and at long last, I am with child–twins, fathered by my royal guard. Though my uncle; Taranis, King of Light and Illusion, claims that he is the true father since he abducted me from my home, betrayed, and defiled me. And now he has branded my guards as a threat to my unborn children.

Bearing an heir has placed me halfway to my aunt’s throne, that much closer to my reign over the Unseelie Court–and well ahead of her son, my cousin Cel, in this race. Now I must stay alive to see my children born and claim my place as queen.

But not all in faerie are pleased with the news, and conspirators from every court in the realm plot against me and mine. They seek to strip my guards, my lovers, from me by poisoned word or cold steel. But I still have supporters, and even friends, among the goblins and the sluagh, who will stand by me.

I am Meredith Nic Essus, and those who would defy and destroy me are destined to pay a terrible price–for I am truly my father’s daughter. To protect what is mine, I will sacrifice anything–even if it means waging a great battle against my darkest enemies and making the most momentous decision ever made as princess of faerie.

Hamilton has a way of creating a vivid world that she immerses her characters in. She however couldn’t seem to pull this one off, although she has kept to her vivid writing it wasn’t quite up to her caliber. I was excited when I saw book 7 on the shelf, I eagerly picked it up seeing as how book 6 left us with a cliff hanger. If you haven’t read this series I will say this; the first part of this fantasy adventure is good, the second half not so much. It’s almost like there was no effort put into this. However, you may find you enjoyed it. If you did that is super if you didn’t on to the next adventure.

Happy Reading

Sarah

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“Sometimes, you get a girl to like you, then she ditches you.

Life is hard, move on!”

How to Talk to Girls? Now I don’t know about you but I had to stop and watch. There I am standing in my living room laughing; I was glued to the TV. This book was written by Alec Greven, Alec is only 9 years old. At the age of 9 we were still lumped in as a group and if you wanted to talk to someone you just opened your mouth and let the words flow. This will be released November 25, 2008.

Are you smart enough to take over a girl’s heart?

Leave it to a nine-year-old to get down to the basics about how to win victory with a girl. How to talk to girls is for boys of all ages—from eight to eighty—and the girls they like. So read Are you smart enough to take over a girl’s heart?

O.K. seriously this is a very cute book, does it work? I think if you have a boy who is shy then yes it might. However isn’t it still group dating when you are 9 years old? If you want a good laugh then try this book. I will give Alec credit; this was a good first try. If he keeps it up maybe in a few years we will be lining up to buy his hot new fiction release.

Happy Reading

Sarah

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“Only one thing is missing. The book comes to a neat conclusion, with all matters settled and all the characters safe. But you and I both know the story didn’t end. That it may never end.”

I went on a mystery, not any old mystery but an interactive mystery called Dracula’s Heir written by Sam Stall.

In 1897, Archibald Constable & Company published Bram Stoker’s Dracula, the most famous horror novel of all time. For reasons still widely debated by critics, the first chapter of Dracula was cut just weeks before publication. Here, it becomes the central clue in a spine-tingling interactive mystery.

Dracula’s Heir begins ten years after the horrific events described in the original novel. Jonathan and Mina Harker are happily married and enjoying life in Bixby, England. Meanwhile, their friend Dr. John Seward is tracking a string of crimes that seems eerily familiar: A 14-year-old girl sleepwalks out of her parents’ house and disappears into the night. Two “accident victims” are found drained of their blood, yet there is no crime-scene evidence to explain what happened.

As with The Crimes of Dr. Watson, Dracula’s Heir features an original novella plus several removable clues, including a private journal, a death certificate, a newspaper, and more. Once you’ve solved the mystery, you can open the final signature (sealed at the printer) to test your sleuthing skills.

All in all, this was a thrilling read for me, and it is reminiscent of Gothic mysteries in the style and manner in which it is written and presented. For all you mystery buffs this is one that you will want to try. I had a great time trying to figure out who did it. I know how good of a sleuth I am, so how good of a sleuth are you? There is only one way to find out. Get your copy and start sniffing out the truth.

Happy Reading

Sarah

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I just wanted to let you know that the giveaway has no winners; maybe next time right?

Ok guess what I did? Come on guess! I started my Christmas list, top of my list is Scarpetta written by Patricia Cornwell and it will be released on December 2, 2008, just in time for it to be bought and put in my Christmas stocking. This is her 16^th book in the Kay Scarpetta series.

 Leaving behind her private forensic pathology practice in Charleston, South Carolina, Kay Scarpetta accepts an assignment in New York City, where the NYPD has asked her to examine an injured man on Bellevue Hospital’s psychiatric prison ward. The handcuffed and chained patient, Oscar Bane, has specifically asked for her, and when she literally has her gloved hands on him, he begins to talk—and the story he has to tell turns out to be one of the most bizarre she has ever heard.

The injuries, he says, were sustained in the course of a murder . . . that he did not commit. Is Bane a criminally insane stalker who has fixed on Scarpetta? Or is his paranoid tale true, and it is he who is being spied on, followed and stalked by the actual killer? The one thing Scarpetta knows for certain is that a woman has been tortured and murdered—and more violent deaths will follow. Gradually, an inexplicable and horrifying truth emerges: Whoever is committing the crimes knows where his prey is at all times. Is it a person, a government? And what is the connection between the victims?

In the days that follow, Scarpetta; her forensic psychologist husband, Benton Wesley; and her niece, Lucy, who has recently formed her own forensic computer investigation firm in New York, will undertake a harrowing chase through cyberspace and the all-too-real streets of the city—an odyssey that will take them at once to places they never knew, and much, much too close to home.

Will this be as good as her other books? I hope so.  I wonder if this will be a best seller or even win Cornwell another award. Well only time will tell. I will be sitting on my hands waiting for this one. I must remember not to go snooping around looking for early Christmas gifts. It does ruin the surprise. Now off with you, go get yourself a new book while we are waiting.

Happy Reading

Sarah

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“Emma, lean as any stark, white birch outside one of the many windows of the vacation house, shook off her blue jacket. She was wearing the matching skirt and a white blouse. Lawyer clothes. Hair in a bun. Lawyer hair. Stockings but shoeless.”

On November 11, 2008 in the U.S. and Canada The Bodies Left Behind written by Jeffery Deaver will be released and if you are not in those areas then you will have to wait until January 2009. Looks like I will be making room on my bookshelf.

When a night-time call to 911 from a secluded Wisconsin vacation house is cut short, off duty deputy Brynn McKenzie leaves her husband and son at the dinner table and drives up to Lake Mondac to investigate. Was it a misdial or an aborted crime report?

Brynn stumbles onto a scene of true horror and narrowly escapes from two professional criminals. She and a terrified visitor to the weekend house, Michelle, flee into the woods in a race for their lives. As different as night and day, and stripped of modern-day resources, Brynn, a tough deputy with a difficult past, and Michelle, a pampered city girl, must overcome their natural reluctance to trust each other and learn to use their wits and courage to survive the relentless pursuit. The deputy’s disappearance spurs both her troubled son and her new husband into action; while the incident sets in motion Brynn’s loyal fellow deputies and elements from Milwaukee’s underside. These various forces race along inexorably toward the novel’s gritty and stunning conclusion.

Will Deaver keep up with the twisting plots, great characters and it’s three in the morning I’m still up reading? I’m hoping so. Now while I’m off making room for my soon to be new book, you should be heading to the library or bookstore.

Happy Reading

Sarah