Favorite sites for book lovers

Well, hope everyone had a Christmas and has made New Year's resolutions---hopefully some that can be kept. Mine is to make no more resolutions. ha ha

I have been reading up a storm but haven't been posting. I have been exploring new sites and finding places for book lovers to find new authors and talk about what they read. In case you didn't notice, there is a new element added to my blog. This little widget is from a site called Shelfari. I found out about it on another of my favorite sites. Here you can list books you have read, are reading, want to read, already own, and a wish list of those you would like to own. I just started on my listings and haven't put reviews on all of my selections yet but I am getting there. I haven't even begun to add all the things I want to. At least it will keep me busy! Try it out and start your own shelf!

Copy and paste: http://www.shelfari.com/

One of my favorite sites I check daily is Eons. This is for us old folks over 50. There are hundreds of groups you can join, chat with and have lots of fun. Several are devoted to reading and I am a member of Bookaholics. You can post a blog, pictures, videos, etc.--sort of like a MySpace for adults. There are also lots of brain games to keep your mind active as well. I have made many friends and have learned such stuff as how to do widgets, backgrounds, animations, etc. So, as you can see, it is also a good place to gain computer knowledge. Here is a link to the site you can copy and paste into your browser.

http://www.eons.com/?a=b&cid=GoogleSearch77&gclid=CMn1wKPtuIoCFQ4hgQodnE2hPA&crid=Brand


Another site is Goodreads which is similar to Shelfari. I am on that one too and have some friends I email regularly. We share books we have read and would like to read. Copy and paste this link to view:

http://www.goodreads.com/


Finally, there is a site called Swaptree which is fairly new. It is a free site for swapping books, music, videos and videos games. You simply make a list of items you wish to swap and you will be given a list of items to choose from for swapping. The only cost is postage and since items can be sent by media mail--it is a cheap way of getting things you want. You can import your Amazon.com wish list and see it anyone has something you have been craving. Also, you can get rid of items you no longer want and someone will take them off your hands. Copy and paste this into your browser:

http://www.swaptree.com/

One of these days, I'll figure out how to make working links to these sites but for now, this is it. Try out these places and discover new authors, books, and friends!

My Wish for You in 2008

May peace break into your house and may thieves come to steal your debts. May the pockets of your jeans become a magnet for $100 bills. May love stick to your face like Vaseline and may laughter assault your lips! May your clothes smell of success like smoking tires and may happiness slap you across the face and may your tears be that of joy. May the problems you had forget your home address!

In simple words...

May 2008 be the best year ever!!!

Annie

Another new suspense/thriller author

I was at the library the other day, looking through the new books section and came across one called THE PAWN by Steven James. He has written other books but this is his first thriller and it is a doozy!

In the first of a trilogy, James introduces FBI agent Patrick Bowers. His specialty is environmental criminology, which attempts to track lawbreakers by analyzing the significance of the time and place at which the crime occurred. When corpses of young women start turning up near Asheville, N.C., he is called in to assist. The killer's MO is to tie a yellow ribbon in his victims' hair and leave a chess piece somewhere on the scene. Bowers begins to suspect that the governor of North Carolina is somehow connected to the murders, and that a cult with links to Jonestown might also be involved. Making matters worse, the special agent supervising Bowers turns out to be a longtime colleague with whom Bowers has some bad blood. Bowers, a recent widower, tries to keep his grief and confusion under control so that he can focus on the case as the killer targets more innocent women, including his stepdaughter Tessa. Christian faith makes a subtle appearance in the story and appears to be a theme that will be developed in future installments.

I started reading and it seemed kind of slow at first but boy did it ever pick up. I couldn't read it fast enough and now I can wait for the next installment THE ROOK coming in Spring 2008.

New suspense author

Got a recommendation from Debbie and I am glad she told me about this new author.

HeartSick by Chelsea Cain--Archie Sheridan spent ten years tracking Gretchen Lowell, a serial killer. He eventually became a ten day victim of hers, tortured and was released mysteriously. Now a new killer stalks the streets of Portland, killing teenage girls. Susan Ward, an investigative reporter begins to profile Archie and the investigation. A deadly game between the killer, Susan, Archie and Gretchen develops, leading to a shocking conclusion. An interesting debut novel for the suspense lover.


Also read You've Been Warned by James Patterson. Kristin Burns is an avid photographer who hopes to make it big. She works as a nanny for a couple with two children and is having an affair with the father. As she walks to work one morning, she passes a hotel where a crowd has gathered. Four body bags are removed and Kristin starts dreaming about the event. She also starts photographing people who have died, yet she sees them on the streets as alive. Are they premonitions, dreams, glimpses of the future or past? Is she alive or dead? This book was very confusing and I am still not sure what it was all about. Not one of his best but maybe someone can figure it out.

Ahhh-Fall

Well, the first day of Fall was yesterday and it sure didn't feel like it. After all my hard work cleaning off the deck, I couldn't enjoy it. Oh well, there will be time later. One thing I did notice though--my hummingbirds have flown the coop! I had five of the little critters dive bombing my feeder all summer and they sure were aggressive! I even had some of them nearly fly into me. I did enjoy watching them and I hope they will return next year.

Anyway--I did get some reading done and have a couple of reviews for you.

Critical by Robin Cook--New York City medical examiner Laurie Montgomery investigates a rise in infection deaths that can be traced to three Manhattan hospitals owned by Angels Healthcare. Angels, which specializes in high-profit surgeries of well insured patients, is on the verge of going public and can't risk any bad publicity. She's also unaware that Angels' main financial backer is a local Mafia don, who's prepared to kill anyone standing in the way of his investment. Suspense builds as Laurie's husband, Jack is scheduled for knee surgery at one of the hospitals and is determined to go through with it despite the deaths. Gripping, right to the very end!!!

The Bone Garden by Tess Gerritsen--Something a little different this time.
Julia discovers a skeleton buried in the garden of the Boston house she's just moved into and the fractured bones suggest murder. Flashbacks to 1830 tell the story of medical student Norris, an outcast among his wealthier classmates, who meets Rose in a Boston maternity ward, where her sister recently died of childbirth fever. When several gutted bodies turn up in deserted alleyways, Rose and Norris are the only ones to catch a glimpse of the West End Reaper. Norris, Rose and Norris's fellow student, Oliver Wendell Holmes, race to uncover the truth behind the murders. In the present, Julia is able to trace their progress with the help of a relative of the house's former owner. An interesting look into the medical practice and training of the 1800's adds to this suspense/love story.

Have just started reading The First Commandment by Brad Thor. For those of you who like Tom Clancy and Clive Cussler, this one seems like it is going to turn out to be an intense thriller. I'll let you know.

I fought the vine....and I won?

I had a productive but tiring weekend. Now that the weather has decided to behave, I decided it was time to take over my deck. I'm not sure if the drought had anything to do with it but this weird vine took over almost one third of the deck space. Who knows what might have happened if it had rained more. Covered the whole house!?!??!

Anyway, with my neighbors loaning me various implements of destruction, I started out to tackle the monster. I got in the mood by trying to cut down the hummingbird vine on the side. That thing grows faster than kudzu! After I managed to win that battle, I started in on the monster. I have no idea what kind of vine it is but by the time I got through it to the main stem, I was worn out, scratched and itchy. The stem of the monster was about four inches around. No wonder it took so long. I guess I won--at least I can sit on the deck and read now. I still have to clean the furniture. That vine had wrapped itself around the table, umbrella and chairs.

I did finish Strip Search when I took breaks from my battle. Talk about a hair-raising ending! Yep--it's a good one.

Also read Bones to Ashes by Kathy Reichs. For those familiar with the TV show, BONES, this series was inspired by the lead character of her books. For Temperance Brennan the discovery of a young girl's skeleton in Acadia, Canada, is more than just another assignment. Évangéline, Tempe's childhood best friend, was also from Acadia. When Évangéline disappeared, Tempe was warned not to search for her, that the girl was "dangerous."

Thirty years later, flooded with memories, Tempe cannot help wondering if this skeleton could be the friend she lost so many years ago. Follow Tempe and her sister Harry as they delve into a mystery that gets more and more involved and dangerous as they search deeper and deeper into the past.

More suspense plus something different

The Fourth Order by Stephen Frey---Michael Rose, CFO of Trafalgar Industries want to take over CIS, a computer company with ties to a secret government operation called the Fourth Order. Since 9/11, the Order has been given instructions to detain and torture anyone who they suspect may have connections to terrorism. Of course, innocent people are detained and a plot is uncovered to have a repeat of the 9/11 attacks but.....is it really terrorists or our own people? Follow Michael and find out.

Currently reading Strip Search by William Bernhardt. A serial killer of the worst kind is striking seemingly random victims in Las Vegas. Susan Pulaski, a behaviorist working for LVPD and an unusual assistant, Darcy work together to profile this unusual killer. Darcy is an autistic savant who is gifted in math and obscure mathematical formulas left at the crime scenes are a challenging puzzle for him to solve. Will they be able to solve the case before the killer strikes again? I am ready to find out but I won't spoil the ending for you. Readers won't be disappointed by this one.


Something different!!! I was a big fan of the TV series M.A.S.H. and especially loved Hawkeye played by Alan Alda. I am waiting to read his new book Things I Overheard While Talking To Myself. Eddie brought me a copy of his first book Never Have Your Dog Stuffed. Alda is a gifted writer as well as actor and this memoir of his youth will leave you laughing, crying and admiring how he was able to deal with being the son of a famous actor and a mother with a serious mental problem. I really do respect him more now that I know what he went through. There are also photographs included that depict him growing from a cute little boy to a grandfather with his grandchildren. I am eagerly awaiting his newest!!!

Suspense anyone?

Whew--it has been too hot to do anything! I've been sitting in my recliner, under the ceiling fan with a cold glass of green tea and lots of good books. Some of these you might want to check out. They have all been fast reads and entertaining.

The Quickie by James Patterson
Laura Stillwell has it all, until the day she catches her husband with another woman. She plans on having a "quickie" to get even but...witnessing a murder makes her affair more than she bargained for.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
Though not under the suspense category, I was caught up in the 7th and last episode of the young wizard. No spoilers, just a great story about good vs. evil. Who does die? I'll never tell--read and find out on your own. Now I want to go back and start the series over again.

The Burnt House by Faye Kellerman
The latest starring the husband and wife team of Peter Decker and Rina Lazarus. A small commuter plane crashes in the area of daughter Hannah's school. A missing flight attendant, her husband and her lover plus the unidentified body in the ashes puts Peter in the middle of a thirty year old unsolved murder. Who is the body and who is the killer? This was a "one afternoon" read for me. A very quick and thrilling read.

Up Close and Dangerous by Linda Howard
Another plane crash, this time in the mountains of Idaho start a thrilling fight for survival between Bailey Wingate, the "trophy wife" of a deceased millionaire and her pilot, Cameron Justice. Bailey's stepchildren want control of the money, bad things are happening in the family business and is the crash just an unfortunate accident? Read and find out---it is a fast read as well.