Tackle Your TBR Read-a-thon Final Update

     I really enjoyed the past couple of weeks and realize that I need to make extra effort in the future to fit more reading into my days. This may require starting up a petition to add at least 4 extra hours to each and every day so I can find some spare time. Please sign it if it comes across your desk! While I didn't finish all of my intended list of books to tackle, I am happy to say that I did, in fact, reach both of my goals for this read-a-thon! Not only did I catch up on my 2015 reading challenge I am FIVE books ahead now! *happy dance* My second goal was for my "read" shelf to exceed my "to-read" shelf, which it does! Even if only by one book, that still counts. Without further ado my final review for the read-a-thon...

Day 11 of the Tackle Your TBR Read-a-thon

     Today I'm going to cover not only my update for the day but my findings for today's challenge: A Scavenger hunt! Fun, fun! Princessica of Books posted this challenge. Here are my findings for it...

Day 4 of the Tackle Your TBR Read-a-thon

We Have Always Lived in the Castle

by Shirley Jackson
146pp

     People can be so cruel even if they may eventually regret their cruelty.

I give it 4 stars!

The Book of Dragons

by E. Nesbit
150pp

     Nice compilation of classic fantasy short stories that involve dragons in one way or another.

I give it 3 stars.

What America Was Really Like in 1776

by Thomas J. Fleming
22pp

     I had expected just a brief history mainly regarding political atmosphere but it also includes info about economy, population, diet, and other common everyday things that aren't normally mentioned in history.

I give it 4 stars!

Total Books Finished: 6
Total Pages Read: 880

Day 2 of the Tackle Your TBR Read-a-thon

     I started off slow yesterday, having had to go back to work as half expected, and only got about 2/3 of the way through my first book, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. I finished it this morning, plowed through my second book - Haunted by Willow Cross which is shortish but has been on my TBR since I read her Birthright series back in 2011, and started my third book Falling for Nick by Joleen James.

Flashback Friday - The Hound of the Baskervilles

The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Genre: Mystery, Classic

     This was the first book that I had read in the Sherlock Holmes saga, at least the first one in recent history. For those wondering why I hadn't chosen this book, as it is one of Sherlock's wider known adventures, as one of the books to read of this feature author, it is because I had already read and reviewed it last year. If you missed it the first time around, you can read it here.

The Adventure of the Cardboard Box - Featured Author Book Review

The Adventure of the Cardboard Box by Arthur Conan Doyle Genre: Mystery, Classic

     This short story depicts another adventure of Sherlock Holmes. A spinster receives a cardboard box containing a most grusome "present". Two human ears are packaged up within salt to preserve their freshness. Holmes' buddy Inspector Lestrade writes to ask for assistance. With no obvious clues Sherlock uses his powers of deduction to solve the case easily.

     This is a nice simple story for Sherlock fans to enjoy that takes an hour or less and can be easily fit into even the busiest of reading schedules.

I give it 3 stars.

Curse of the Bane - Serial Sunday Review

Curse of the Bane by Joseph Delaney The Last Apprentice #2 Genres: Fantasy, Paranormal    Young Adult

     Thomas Ward returns as the Spook's last apprentice to continue his education in dealing with things that go bump in the night. In this adventure they encounter a creature even more dangerous than previously faced. While the bane has been trapped in the catacombs deep within the city of Priesttown, it still has the power to influence those living above ground. As it grows in power by feeding on the blood and life force of hapless animals that wander into the catacombs it spreads its evil to even the priests. The most corrupted of the bane's victims is the Quisitor, a man who tortures and kills accused witches and Spooks more for his own pleasure than for any sense of cleansing the world of darkness.

     I'm still not overly impressed with this series. I do enjoy the books fairly well while reading them but they don't seem to hold a candle to all the hype in my opinion. I've known people to say the same about the Twilight series as well. I think that maybe the thing that disturbs me most about this series is the fact that Ward is constantly disobeying his mentor, the Spook. Since this series is written for children, it seems to have an underlying lesson that it is OK to not do as instructed as long as the ends justify the means ... provided that one is lucky enough for everything to turn out as planned and not just end up making an even bigger mess in the end.

I give it 3 stars.

Life Blood - Featured Author Review

Life Blood by Thomas Hoover Genres: Mystery, Thriller

     Morgan James is producing a movie on adoption. The red tape, the pit falls, the suspense, disappointment, and sometimes the reward of finally having a child to call your own. This is a topic that is close to her heart that she has experience in, as she has personally run the gamut of fertility tests and pharmaceuticals in her own quest for a baby. She stumbles across a woman who adopted a beautiful baby within 3 months, she'd had to pay a hefty price but the red tape and paperwork had been minimal. During her research into this new source of adoption, Morgan finds much more than she was looking for.

A Modern Utopia - Featured Author Review

A Modern Utopia by H.G. Wells Genre: Classic, Nonfiction

     Wells has addressed quite a few of the problems with Utopia in this book. Some of his ideas have merit. But no matter the era, it is just impossible to make everyone happy all of the time. There will always be somebody somewhere who will find fault with something that another person feels is absolutely perfect.

     In the 19th century man was enthralled with the ideas of Utopia. Many writers theorized about how it could be obtained. Not just writers and philosophers were captivated with the idea of Utopia, architect Le Corbusier even designed buildings for his idea of the perfect Utopian city. At the time many people thought Utopia was attainable.

Socs and Greasers - Book Review

Socs and Greasers: Behind The Scenes of The Outsiders from Rob Lowe's Stories I Only Tell My Friends by Rob Lowe Genres: Nonfiction, Autobiography

     This short book actually appears to be an excerpt from Rob Lowe's autobiography and regales us with behind the scene stories from the making of The Outsiders. Even if they hadn't already read and enjoyed S.E. Hinton's book, every red blooded American teenaged girl loved this movie. As yet undiscovered actors: Tom Cruise, Ralph Macchio, C. Thomas Howell, Rob Lowe, Emilio Estevez. Add to this list the slightly older but still incredibly hot Patrick Swayze and singing heart throb Leif Garret and even if the movie had had no plot, we wouldn't have noticed while swooning over all the eye candy available.

     I decided to review this book today because it is Rob Lowe's birthday. I still remember this fact from the days that I was an official member of his fan club. The posters that had hung on my wall as a teen are probably still rolled up somewhere in my mother's attic. When I saw this book on amazon it made me feel nostalgic for the days when life's main concern revolved around gossiping with my friends about cute boys and the latest pictures of our favorite heart throbs in Sixteen magazine or Teen Beat.

     Lowe gives very emotional accounts of friendships formed, and situations experienced while filming this classic movie. He seems incredibly down to earth despite the fact that he became a megastar at the age of 18. Definitely some interesting reading and the ebook was still free when I wrote this review.

I give it 3 stars.

Harriet Tubman Biography Review

Harriet Tubman - The Moses    of her People by Sarah H. Bradford Genre: Biography, History,    Nonfiction

     Today marks the 100th anniversary since the death of Harriet Tubman. Slave birthdays were not celebrated and as far as she could recollect she was born around 1820-21 and passed away on March 10, 1913. Around the age of 13 she received a serious head injury at the hands of her master. Her skull was partially bashed in and would forever give her the appearance of being slow and stupid as well as having other health complications, but she was far from stupid. Harriet was a calculating, brave, and deeply religious woman. Her cunning helped save the lives of hundreds of slaves during a time when anyone - black or white - could be put to death for harboring or assisting slaves to escape to freedom.

The Island of Doctor Moreau - Featured Author Review

The Island of Doctor Moreau by H.G. Wells Genre: Science Fiction, Classic, Horror

     This story is told in the first person point of view of a man who has been shipwrecked and rescued at sea by a passing ship. It is hard to imagine the inconveniences of such situations back then. Pendrick pretty much is powerless over his future as his circumstances put him at the mercy of wherever the ship is sailing to. To complicate matters, the captain of the boat is a drunkard and becomes spooked, forcing Pendrick to disembark on the secluded island where he is dropping the other passengers and cargo. Pendrick relates to us the horrors of the creatures that he finds residing on that island.

Remember Me - Saturday Short Review

Remember Me by Serenity Woods Genre: Romance

     Hamish was injured in the line of duty in Afghanistan. After encountering a bomb he lost part of his leg and the last 15 years worth of memories. He returns home to recuperate and hopefully regain his memory. He runs into the girl he'd met during his last leave. While he has no memory of her, his brother informs him that they had been very close but broke up for reasons Hamish didn't share with him. Even knowing they had broken up, Hamish still finds himself drawn to Rose. Have they been given a second chance at love?

     A nice little short story that can easily be read within an hour or two that mom can relax with while the kids are busy with other activities on the weekend. Editing errors were fairly frequent but not too annoying.

I give it 3 stars.

Slow Hands - Fun Read Friday Review

Slow Hands by Leslie Kelly #1 in The Wrong Bed series Genre: Romance

     Socialite Maddy Turner spends a large amount of money to buy a gigolo during a bachelor auction that was organized as a charity benefit. She didn't bid on him for herself but so that her step-mother could not have him. But what Maddy hadn't expected was the strong chemistry or the fact that due to a printing error in the program, her prize was not the European gigolo she expected but an all American, down to earth, paramedic.

     This is not the type of book that I like to review on my blog. While I don't review a lot of children's books I do like to keep my posts within the family friendly category. While I used to enjoy steamy romances, I guess that I've become more of a prude in my old age. Maybe it is all the Victorian era romances that I read ... or maybe that is why I enjoy the older books now. On the rare occasion that I find I have mistakenly downloaded a book that closely borders on erotica, I generally don't review it. However, it may also serve as a warning to those readers like me, who aren't comfortable with the racier novels to take heed while downloading books. As much as I love Amazon, I really wish that they were a bit better about stating each book's genre(s) to avoid such surprises.

Waking Up Married - Review

Waking Up Married by Mira Lyn Kelly Genres: Romance, Romantic Comedy

     Happy Valentine's Day! In honor of the holiday I've got a Harlequin romance for you. Harlequin is one of the most renowned and well loved publisher of romance novels.

     What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. At least this is what Megan Scott is hoping when she wakes up after her cousin's bachelorette party next to a hunky stranger who is apparently her new husband. While she has little to no memory of the night before, her new husband remembers every little detail, including WHY he married Megan and isn't ready to agree to the request for a quickie divorce to go with their quickie wedding.

The Life of Thomas Edison - Review

American Legends: The Life of Thomas Edison by Charles Rivers Editors Genre: Biography

     I saw this on Amazon as a free book some time ago and downloaded it to review today ... the day that this great inventor was born. I'm not much of a biography reader, but I do like to shake things up a bit and review one from time to time to add a little mixture to the genres that are reviewed on my site. As far as biographies go, this was pretty good. I learned lots of new information that I had not known about Edison before. The first half of the book was not at all dry or boring. The second half of the book is merely a list of his patents which shows that the man was a genius and there was no aspect of technology that he was unwilling to tackle. But it is just a list of his accomplishments and as such lacks much of a plot ;)

     With only about 50 pages of actual reading, this book is a nice way to honor a man who shaped our lives by perfecting the technology that laid down the foundation for many of the gadgets we use today.

I give it 3 stars.

Summer on the Mountain - Pick of the Month Review

Summer on the Mountain by Rosemarie Naramore Genre: Romance

     Summer loves the outdoors. The closest she has gotten to spending time indulging this passion is a camping trip when she was a child and the landscapes that she hangs at the art gallery that she works at. Gwendolyn, Summer's boss, is not a woodsy person. Not at all. Not one little iota. In honor of Gwendolyn's husband's 65th birthday, they had planned a trip to the family mountain retreat that her husband had grown up in. Gwendolyn botched it badly, not even lasting a week in the rough setting. As a peace offering to her husband, Gwendolyn sends Summer to stay at the cabin, asking her to paint a landscape to remind her husband of his beloved area. Summer jumps at the chance, even though she has suffered from painter's block for close to a year and doesn't actually know anything about surviving in the wild.

     A good romance needs conflict. I realize that. All that I normally ask is that this required conflict is more than the often used "he is talking to another female so therefore he MUST be cheating" scenario. This book does deliver that new and fresh conflict. However, I found it really quite stupid. Summer had unknowingly made a mistake, taking the advice of someone she thought was more knowledgeable than herself in woodsy things. She uses this as her excuse for fleeing the mountain, without leaving any word or explanation to the hot mountain man that she had met during her vacation. She convinces herself that she just does not belong in his world and therefore, his life.

30,000 Dollar Bequest - Featured Review

30,000 Dollar Bequest and Other Stories by Mark Twain Genres: Classic, Humor

     I think Mark Twain's humor takes a little getting used to. The first and main story in this book is about a happily married couple who are informed by a distant uncle that they stand to inherit $30,000 when he passes. Human nature can go two ways with such a fortune, a very large fortune back in those days. Money can either enhance one's life to make it better, or it can change people completely. Money is the root of all evil after all. I'll leave it to you to guess which way this turns out so that you will still be surprised when you read it for yourself. It is easy to do since this is a free ebook within the public domain.

     The majority of these stories are enjoyable. Some are pretty out there. From my research when I wrote Mark Twain's biography there was a time in his life where he was just churning out essays and papers to pay the bills. A few of the stories included in this book are undoubtedly Twain writing just to hear himself speak and have something to sell.

The Phantom of Manhattan - Serial Sunday Review

The Phantom of Manhattan by Frederick Forsyth Fan Fiction Sequel Genre: Historical Fiction

     This is a fan fiction sequel to Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical version of The Phantom of the Opera, not Gaston Leroux's book. Forsyth begins with a lengthy introduction explaining the history of the original author and novel and how it was later interpreted by Webber. While this was a serious plot spoiler to the musical version, which I have never seen, I'm glad that he did explain it as I would have been completely lost when these scenes were referenced as it is completely different than the original book. Forsyth also goes into great detail about Leroux's error in "believing" an untruthful account of events in the original story which Leroux claims to be true. This is a literary license that many authors take, portraying a story as true events when it in fact is not. After Forsyth shows that events in The Phantom of the Opera are untrue, he goes forth to explain how Gaston did not understand the character of Erik, the Phantom. If the story were relating events that did actually happen then it could be possible that Gaston Leroux misunderstood the character. But as this is his own creation, he could not be confused as to Erik's past and current motivations as that is how Leroux created him. It's fiction, get over it and accept the character as he was created.

On the Decay of the Art of Lying - Featured Review

On the Decay of the Art of Lying by Mark Twain Genres: Classic, Nonfiction

     This is a short essay written by Mark Twain that gives one plenty of food for thought. He isn't implying that people are becoming more truthful, wouldn't that be nice? Twain reflects that people are becoming less artful in their deceptions.

     While theorizing that everyone lies he suggests that a well placed lie can do wonders. Everyone has been in this position ... No, that dress doesn't make your butt look big. Yes, I love your new haircut. Oh sweetie, that is the best drawing of a dog/cow/horse (I have no clue what it was supposed to be) that I have ever seen.