Undead and Unwed

Undead and Unwed by MaryJanice Davidson

My review
rating: 3 of 5 stars

I liked this well enough; it was a quick, mindless read and was about vampires, so I can't complain! I found myself getting a little annoyed at times with the main character's smart remarks though. They were funny at times, but now and then started to get on my nerves. Overall I enjoyed the book though and will pick up the rest of the series from the library when I'm done with the book I'm reading now.

The Shack

The Shack by William P. Young

My Review

rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a wonderful book! It had its emotionally difficult moments for sure, but overall was a completely comforting story. It reinforced many of the beliefs I had regarding God, but also showed me a few misconceptions or judgements that I share with Mack, the main character. I found myself wishing that somehow I could have an experience like Mack does, to meet God and receive the peace and healing bestowed upon him. I guess for now I'll have to be satisfied with knowing there are wonderful things (hopefully) waiting for me when my time on this planet is complete.

I think this brings my total to 27 books read since Memorial Day, so all in all, not a bad summer! I live about a mile and a half from St. Mary's by the Sea, a small park of sorts right on the water with benches, a walking path, etc. and that's where I've done most of my reading. At least 2 or 3 nights a week I've gone there after work, enjoyed the breeze and the view, and read practically until sunset. The sun is setting earlier and earlier now, so I think my speed of reading is about to decrease (not to mention that the Fall TV lineup starts next week for many shows!). I thought I'd share a few photos I've taken this summer to give you an idea of the views I see from where I sit - I think you'll see why I spend so much time there!

The Friday Night Knitting Club

The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs

My Review
rating: 3 of 5 stars

I snagged this off my mother's bookshelf this week and while I liked the majority of the book, I did not like the end, which is what kept me from giving this 4 stars. I loved the exploration of the lives of the characters and how the book was told from each of their perspectives. That made for a very interesting and well-rounded picture of this group of women. I don't want to give anything away about the ending, so I'll just say it was not what I expected and I wish it had ended differently. Otherwise this was a very enjoyable story and a well-written first book for the author.

I Heard That Song Before

This will be a slow week in Shamrocks and Seashells land, as I'm visiting my parents and have no stamping supplies with me. So, no projects to share, but I have read one book so far since I got here and if my mom keeps taking naps instead of hanging out with me, I just may read a few more before the week is up!


I Heard That Song Before by Mary Higgins Clark

My Review
Rating: 3 of 5 stars

I liked this book well enough, though it wasn't my favorite of Mary Higgins Clark's books (and I think I've read them all!). I don't want to give everything away, but the events at the beginning of the book (mainly the shotgun wedding between two of the characters) were just too unbelievable for me and didn't allow me to really connect with those characters and buy in to their story. That aside, this was a typical MHC mystery that kept me interested enough to read it in just a few hours. I generally find her books to be a little predictable, although this one did keep me guessing just a little longer than some of her others. Overall, a quick and easy mindless read!

Baby Proof

Baby Proof by Emily Giffin

My Review
rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the third Emily Giffin book that I've read and the third one that I've really enjoyed! I love Giffin's "chick lit" because while it has its indulgent frilly moments, it also touches on real issues that face women today. In this book, Claudia and Ben find a common bond that is unique among their friends - neither of them want children. They quickly fall in love and get married, but when one of them changes their mind about having a baby, they're forced to reexamine their lives together. There are some great supporting characters in the book that were fun to get to know and add a lot to the story. As with so many of the books I've read this summer, I read it in just a few hours because I was compelled to keep reading until I finished!

Lottery

Lottery by Patricia Wood

My Review
Rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was just the sweetest story. It is told from the viewpoint of Perry L. Crandall who is NOT retarded - he has an IQ of 76, and you have to have a number of 75 or lower to officially be mentally retarded, as Perry reminds you repeatedly throughout the book. I read this book in about 4 hours because I just couldn't put it down and kept telling myself "just one more chapter" until suddenly I was at the end! I loved seeing the world through Perry's eyes and his simple, no nonsense way of looking at things had me laughing out loud a number of times. It had a few sad moments too, but overall was a wonderful, uplifting read that made me stop and think about how it's the little things in life that really matter and can bring you joy.

Breaking Dawn

Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer

My Review
rating: 5 of 5 stars

Really, if I could have given Breaking Dawn 4.5 stars instead of 5, I would have. That's not to say I didn't enjoy it and won't read it repeatedly in the weeks and years to come, but in all honesty, I just didn't like the book as much as Eclipse or Twilight, so to give this the full five stars doesn't give enough credit to those two books. Yet I liked it more than New Moon, so I wanted to give it more than 4 stars. What a dilemma! I ended up giving the full five because it really was a wonderful book.

I don't know what it is that makes me hesitate just slightly about raving that I love love loved it. I guess I can't really explain it without giving anything away, and the last thing I want to do is spoil the book for anyone! There was definitely plenty of the good romance I was looking for, some tear-jerking moments, and some heart-pounding action as well. I was lucky enough to get the very last copy available in the bookstore at the Denver airport yesterday afternoon, so I was able to read my whole flight home, which made the 3.5 hours fly by! I was a little over 500 pages in by the end of the flight, and then saved the rest for this morning so I would have something to look forward to when I woke up, LOL! I'm really sad for the series to come to an end, and I REALLY hope Stephenie Meyer gets crack-a-lackin on writing Twilight from Edward's perspective. At least there's the movie to look forward to on December 12!

Second Chance

Second Chance by Jane Green

My Review
rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was not my favorite of Jane Green's books, though I did enjoy it. Her books are usually a little more frivolous and to be honest, that's kinda what I was hoping for out of this one too. I didn't really read the book jacket, just assumed it would be in the same vein as her other books, and was a little surprised that it had some very sad elements, as the main characters dealt with the sudden death of their friend and were forced to deal with the unhappy turn of events in many of their lives. It was still a good read, but I think Jemima J remains as my favorite Jane Green novel to date!

Nights in Rodanthe

Nights in Rodanthe by Nicholas Sparks

My Review
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I had never heard of this book, but saw a preview for the movie adaptation, starring Diane Lane and Richard Gere, which is opening in theaters on September 28th. The movie looked really good and, being a big Nicholas Sparks fan, I had to check out the book.

I did like it, but of the half dozen or so Nicholas Sparks books that I've read, I think this was my least favorite. The love story seemed a little too convenient, a little too contrived, and perhaps a bit unrealistic. I did shed a tear or two, and I'm convinced this is Sparks' primary goal when he sits down to write a book. He must love making people cry. This was a really quick read - I finished it in less than two hours, so while I didn't love it like I did The Notebook, it didn't require a big time commitment and I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a mindless love story.

The Time Traveler's Wife

I've been a bad blogger lately! I've been doing a ton of reading in between going to the beach, attending a family reunion in New Jersey this past weekend, and getting ready for my upcoming trip to Colorado. So all of that adds up to no stamping (that I can share at the moment anyway!) and therefore nothing to blog about! My book club meets this Thursday and tonight I finished this month's selection, The Time Traveler's Wife.

The Time Traveler's Wife
by Audrey Niffenegger


My Review
rating: 4 of 5 stars


The Time Traveler's Wife was my book club's most recent selection and, since I was so caught up in reading the Twilight Saga two weeks ago, I was afraid I'd never get through this 500+ page book in time. I don't like to start the books too far in advance because of my crappy memory, so I didn't even start it until less than a week ago. But, once I got started, it sucked me in and I was thankfully able to finish it very quickly!

I really enjoyed this book and the love shared between the two main characters, despite the inherent difficulties that come with one of them being an involuntarily time traveler who can disappear without a moment's notice and be gone for any length of time. I admit to being a little confused at a couple of parts as I tried to keep the past, present, and future, which were sometimes mixed together, straight. But nonetheless, I would definitely recommend the book. I'd been wanting to read it for a while and I'm glad my book club finally gave me the impetus to do so!

Eclipse

Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars

I LOVED this book! This one to me was more on the level of the first book, because I just can't get enough of Edward and the Cullen family! Luckily this book delivered plenty of them and made me even more excited for the last book to come out on August 2nd. I've always been a big reader, but I don't think I've ever devoured any books as quickly and enthusiastically as these, with the exception of the Harry Potter books of course! Come on Breaking Dawn!!

New Moon

New Moon by Stephenie Meyer

My Review
rating: 4 of 5 stars

I didn't like this book as much as Twilight for the simple reason that there wasn't nearly as much Edward as there should have been! It was still a great book though, and I again found that I couldn't put it down until I'd finished. The story just sucked me in and more or less forced me to keep turning the pages! Can't wait to start #3 tomorrow!

Twilight

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

My Review

Rating: 5 of 5 stars

I LOVED LOVED LOVED this book! I started it around 6:30pm, took a break for a little over an hour to get some stuff done, and just finished it shortly after 12:30am - and it's a 500 page book! It was just that good, one of those "can't put it down because you need to know what's next" type of books. I am 100% in love with Edward and want a mysterious and irresistible vampire boyfriend of my own! I've got the next two books waiting for me and will be digging into #2 tomorrow!

Shopaholic & Baby

Shopaholic and Baby by Sophie Kinsella

My Review

rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the 5th Shopaholic book featuring Becky (Bloomwood) Brandon. I've read them all and love them all! Like all of Sophie Kinsella's books, this was a quick and easy read, full of comically awkward situations that Becky continually gets herself into. A great summer beach book!

Goodreads Updates

Summer by Karen Kingsbury

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
Another great book from Karen Kingsbury and another tear jerker too! I finished this book at the beach yesterday and am quite sure people thought I was a crazy person sitting there sniffling with tears running down my cheeks as I got to the end! This book had a little more about the Flanigans than I like - I prefer the focus to be on the Baxters, who I've grown to love in the last 11 books about their lives. But all in all, it was a wonderful read!



Someday by Karen Kingsbury

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
Today I read the second to last book in Karen Kingsbury's 14 book series about the Baxter family. The storylines in Someday are a great reminder that everything happens for a reason; even the most tragic and heart-wrenching events in our lives can bring about miracles. It's also a reminder that even when God doesn't seem to answer our prayers the way that we ask or want Him to, He is listening and will answer them in the way that is best for us.

Sunrise

Sunrise by Karen Kingsbury

rating: 4 of 5 stars
Another quick and easy read from Karen Kingsbury. I find myself getting sad as I near the end of the Baxter Family books and know I will really miss the characters. I cried a number of times through this book, as I've done with many of Kingsbury's others. I love Katy and Dayne, and of course any book involving a wedding is right up my alley. Got to live vicariously through others, even if they're fictional!