Review Books and More

October 2, 2013 · 1:46 am

Dreck – WWW Wednesday

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions:

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?

Today I deviate from the standard meme.

What am I currently reading – easy, yesterdays Tuesday Teaser.

From the Booker Prize-winning author of The Remains of the Day comes a devastating new novel of innocence, knowledge, and loss.

What did I finish reading? – DRECK. Terrible dreckishy dreckful dreck.

What did I finish reading? – DRECK. Terrible dreckishy dreck. A book (actually more than one piece of dreck, but the last one I read was dreckishy dreck) I offered to review.

A book that has a poor plot, clichéd villains, POV flip flops. No descriptions or descriptions that contradict.

The male dialogue usually ends with , ‘he sneered.

The young female police officer is always in trouble, has a temper and her boss doesn’t like her. So he assigns a 20 year veteran cop to keep her out of trouble while they investigate a vampire like killer.

No one believes in vampires. But it just happens that her partner is the vampire kingpin. That’s right – Kingpin.

She kills him (the kingpin) and is covered with blood that spits. Sorry, that is what is written, spitting blood. Immediately there is a knock at the door. It is her boss, the Lieutenant.

” “I see we have a problem” he sneered.

“How did you know?”

“A neighbor called about the commotion. Don’t worry about a thing. I’ll get this taken care of this for you.” ”

Oh the humanity!

I push myself out of a sense of duty to read on. It doesn’t get better.

I don’t want to write an unkind review. I don’t want to hurt feelings.

And I will not say something that isn’t true or I don’t believe. So what is the answer?

Do I let the author know I have to give a bad review? Or do I just not review the book?

I am leaning the don’t review way out.

Input and advice would be appreciated.

Now, I that I am all worked up about the level of dreck my brain has endured, I need to relax.

10 Comments

Filed under Books, Not recommended, Reviews

Tagged as bad writing, Dreck, reviews

October 2, 2013 · 1:12 am

Friends & Liebster Peeps – Great Post

My blogger blog, Andrea Reads and Reviews was also nominated for Liebster by Argyle Doll. In the post I nominated several animal lover blogs.

One nominee was Three Pugs by Stella Rose. The pug answered my questions and she did a beautiful job. Fun and funny. Stop by and read Stella the Pug’s answers. Broaden your horizons and laugh.

Laughter and love from me. And my 2 pugs, 1 bug, 2 parakeets, the collective fish, 1 terrier mix, 1 shih Tzu and one beautiful Corgi, poodle, sheltie mix. We are not as funny as Three Pugs but sometimes we get the giggles and sometimes someone pees.

P.S. All family members are rescued and adopted except the Tzu. Chester came to the family via a step sister to help fill my broken heart after I had to let my dear Pepper go after 17 years. I can say that I often talk about the family in My other blog, I Love Dogs and Animals.

Tuesday Teasers 10/1/13

Tuesday Teasers! Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read • Open to a random page • Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page • BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!) • Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro.

“We were having this conversation on a fine summer evening, sitting out on the littlebalcony of her recovery room. It was a few months after her first donation, and now she was over the worst of it, I’d always time my evening visits so that we’d be able to spend a half hour or so out there, watching the sun go down over the rooftops.”

From the Booker Prize-winning author of The Remains of the Day comes a devastating new novel of innocence, knowledge, and loss. As children Kathy, Ruth, and Tommy were students at Hailsham, an exclusive boarding school secluded in the English countryside. It was a place of mercurial cliques and mysterious rules where teachers were constantly reminding their charges of how special they were.

Now, years later, Kathy is a young woman. Ruth and Tommy have reentered her life. And for the first time she is beginning to look back at their shared past and understand just what it is that makes them special–and how that gift will shape the rest of their time together. Suspenseful, moving, beautifully atmospheric, Never Let Me Go is another classic by the author of The Remains of the Day.

14 Comments

Filed under Books, Meme, Reviews, Teaser Tuesday

Tagged as meme, Reading, Tuesday Teaser

September 30, 2013 · 10:59 am

Many Monday Plans – Monday Meme 9/30/13

Many Monday Plans. My Monday Meme.

What the heck am I going to do this week? Time for a plan. Oops, I should have done that last night – make a plan I mean.
You can participate in Many Monday Plans – Monday Meme.

List 7 planning to do items. (It is a seven-day week)
Share with your friends.
List one TIP to share.
Enjoy your week.

Read a book. Read another book. Read another book. What only 3 books? OK, Read 2 More.
Blog. Plan to blog 3 times during the week for six posts or more. Schedule the posts. Review blog. Doggie Blog. Craft Blog. – Oh yeah, take pictures for craft tutorials. New Meme coming (and I don’t mean this one). Get With the Craft Blog! So Many Crafts. http://somanycraft.blogspot.com/
Write a Review. Write another Review. Write still another review.
Bathe some of the dogs. Hmmm, who is stinkiest?
Shred paper in the office. This could take a while.
Pack boxes and move to garage. Pack more boxes. Take a hot bath.
Take a nap. A girl just wants to have fun.

Book reviews awaiting my brain and fingers:
The Morac
The Starlight Chronicles
Crime Bites – finish reading.
600 Hours of Edward
Edward Adrift

Craft Projects for So Many Crafts
Another Easy Peasy Wreath
Paper Stitching
Products and coupons

My Tip for the week. To remove odors, for example musty dusty books removed from storage. Place a small container filled with vinegar nearby. Odor gone!

My silly tip. Using embroidery floss instead of dental floss doesn’t work.

I Recommend Amazon Prime Free 30 Day Trial

8 Comments

Filed under Books, Crafts, Meme, Reviews

Tagged as Crafts, meme, Reading, reviews

September 30, 2013 · 9:22 am

It’s Monday. What Are You Reading? 9/30/13

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading is a meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journey. It’s a great way to see what others are currently reading?

I finished Edward Adrift and just like 600 Hours of Edward the book was marvelous.
I am finishing several books for review. Just started a new one for review.

Crime Bites and So Do I by Angela Lockwood. up dead all over town completely drained of blood. Are the murders random or whom/what is the common link? Does a vampire have civil rights in a human court of law? When the lead Detective is placed under surveillance, how close will she get to the new man and how much does she really know about him? How much does she even know about her own life? The two work together to bring down the murderer, uncover her past and maybe even make a future together for themselves. What twists, turns and surprises will they find along their way?

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Filed under Books, Fiction, Reviews

Tagged as meme

September 28, 2013 · 2:24 am

Saturday Steals 9/28/13

SEPTEMBER CONTEST from Author Harlequin Intrigue Angi Morgan.
Register through Rafflecopter: http://bit.ly/SyCnNs

HOSTILE WITNESS (legal thriller, thriller) (The Witness Series,#1) by Rebecca Forster. Amazon Kindle Ebook FREE! Paperback is $10.30 so FREE rocks!

When sixteen-year-old Hannah Sheraton is arrested for the murder of her stepgrandfather, the chief justice of the California Supreme court, her distraught mother turns to her old college roommate, Josie Baylor-Bates, for help. Josie, once a hot-shot criminal defense attorney, left the fast track behind for a small practice in Hermosa Beach, California. But Hannah Sheraton intrigues her and, when the girl is charged as an adult, Josie cannot turn her back. But the deeper she digs the more Josie realizes that politics, the law and family relationships create a combustible and dangerous situation. When the horrible truth is uncovered it can save Hannah Sheraton or destroy them both.

“This story was inspired by a case my husband handled. As a superior court judge he had to sentence a minor to life in prison. It made me wonder how I felt about minors arrested for violent crimes. Are they most vulnerable among us – capable or horrible violence, perceived as adults and yet emotionally still children?” Rebecca Forster

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Loose Screw (Dusty Deals Mystery Series) by Rae Davies. Amazon Kindle Ebook – FREE!
Lucy Mathews, crime reporter turned antiques dealer, avoids confrontation like a home perm. She even lets a cat shove her around.

When Lucy trips over the body of a buckskin-clad relics trader, her ex-boss asks her to cover the story. She tries to tell him no, but old habits die hard and soon she finds herself directly in the path of a killer and the exasperating, if attractive, detective in charge.

Can Lucy catch a killer or is this the last confrontation for her—period.

Also available in the series:

SURRENDER (The Ferryman + The Flame) by Rhiannon Paille. FREE Ebook, everywhere! Paperback list price is $17.75 so the free Ebook is a STEAL.

How far would you go to save everything you ever loved?

Kaliel was warned about her love for the Ferryman. One day he will marry the land and leave Avristar forever. She doesn’t listen, and because of what she is– a Flame– one of nine apocalyptic weapons, she sparks a war. In a desperate attempt to save her home and her love, Kaliel tries to awaken Avred, not knowing she may have to make the ultimate sacrifice.

STEAL! Shirley Marks is ranked #12 Author in the Amazon Historical Romance Category. She writes Traditional Regency Romance and clean Romantic Comedies. Currently working on book 5 of the Gentlemen of Worth series. Currently 5 of her books are a STEAL through the end of the month at $0.99. Start with Book 1 The Suitor List. Another Shirley Marks STEAL. Hardback list price $16.97, Kindle Ebook $0.99

At the Wild Rose Press they are having a sale. ALL digital books are 50% off. A STEAL! And at The Wilder Rose Erotic Romance site, eleven books are 50% off. A STEAL! check under specials.

A Holiday Garden Gourmet and other Rose Petal books are FREE! These books are short stories.

101 Stovetop Suppers (101 Cookbook Collection)From Gooseberry Patch. Cook book lovers. Amazon has a book with digital list price of $11.00 on sale through the end of September for $1.99. A STEAL! When schedules are busy, the time to make good, wholesome dinners often can be cut short…until now! We’ve gathered our best single-skillet meals and paired each with a full-color photo for 101 Stovetop Suppers. Not only is each one super-simple, but one pan, pot or skillet means less clean-up and more time to spend with family & friends.
Starting things off is a whole chapter dedicated to quick & simple recipes that are short on time but big on taste. Whip up a pan of Pepperoni Tortellini, Kickin’ Cajun Tilapia or Honey Chicken & Carrots in the blink of an eye. When you find yourself with a little more time to spare, try one of the slowly-simmered dishes like Low Country Shrimp Boil, Buttermilk Fried Chicken and Family-Favorite Pork Tacos…sure to be a hit with everyone. There’s also an entire chapter dedicated to recipes that make enough to feed a crowd. They’ll come in handy when entertaining or even at the holidays! When family & friends gather, you’ll love treating them to Mom’s Chicken Riggies, Hunting Cabin Chili or some Seafood Linguini with a Kick. To top it all off, each chapter has a perfect pair of dessert recipes to put the cherry on top! Dark Chocolate & Hazelnut Blondies, Simple Skillet Peaches and Pineapple Pudding are all deliciously sweet & simple endings to a perfect dinner. So forget the oven and toss together dinner on the stovetop…just a skillet, pot or pan are all you need to whip up a tasty, memorable meal.

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1 Comment

Filed under Fiction, Meme, Reviews, Saturday Steals

Tagged as cookbooks, free, saturday steals

September 25, 2013 · 12:02 pm

WWW Wednesday 9/25/13

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions:

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?

Currently Reading:

Edward Adrift by Craig Lancaster.

It’s been a year of upheaval for Edward Stanton, a forty-two-year-old with Asperger’s syndrome. He’s lost his job. His trusted therapist has retired. His best friends have moved away. And even his nightly ritual of watching Dragnet reruns has been disrupted. All of this change has left Edward, who lives his life on a rigid schedule, completely flummoxed.

But when his friend Donna calls with news that her son Kyle is in trouble, Edward leaves his comfort zone in Billings, Montana, and drives to visit them in Boise, where he discovers Kyle has morphed from a sweet kid into a sullen adolescent. Inspired by dreams of the past, Edward goes against his routine and decides to drive to a small town in Colorado where he once spent a summer with his father—bringing Kyle along as his road trip companion. The two argue about football and music along the way, and amid their misadventures, they meet an eccentric motel owner who just might be the love of Edward’s sheltered life—if only he can let her.

Endearing and laugh-out-loud funny, Edward Adrift is author Craig Lancaster’s sequel to 600 Hours of Edward.

The Wisdom of No Escape: And the Path of Loving-Kindness by Pema Chodron. Almost finished!
It’s true, as they say, that we can only love others when we first love ourselves and we can only experience real joy when we stop running from pain. The key to understanding these truisms lies in remaining open to life in all circumstances, and here Pema Chödrön shows us how. Because when we embrace the happiness and suffering, intelligence and confusion that are a natural part of life, we can begin to discover a wellspring of courageous love within our hearts.

Finished Reading:
600 Hours of Edward by Craig Lancaster. Loved it! Review Coming

Reading Next: 2 Books for Reviews.
The Morac by Colleen M. Bratley.

Four friends just out of high school are on a weekend getaway when the power goes out. At least that’s all they thought it was. But returning home they don’t see any cars, lights or people. Not one soul.

Searching for answers to what exactly happened, reveals information leading them to an event that they wouldn’t have thought of even in their wildest dreams. It’s a realization so impossible, their nightmares dim in comparison.

Now they just have to figure out what to do next; not just to control their destiny, but how to survive it.

The Starlight Chronicles: Slumbering by C.S. Johnson.
Sixteen-year-old Hamilton Dinger is an above-average teenager. He’s got the grades for the top of the class, the abilities of a star athlete and Tetris player, and the charisma to get away with anything. Everything seems to be going along perfectly as he enters into tenth grade at Apollo Central High School. Everything, that is, until a meteor crashes into the city, unleashing a whirlwind of evil and awakening a deep, hidden power as the long battle between good and evil continues. Bringing an abrupt halt to the easygoing pace of Hamilton’s life, he and his longtime dormant supernatural powers are caught up in the middle of things when his comfort zone is turned into a war zone. On top of everything else, there’s the homecoming game, the school play, and the history test to worry about.

Can Hamilton overcome his ignorance and narrow-mindedness to see what is truly real? Can he give up his self-proclaimed entitlement to happiness in order to follow the call of a duty he doesn’t want? More importantly, will he willingly sacrifice all he has to find out the truth?

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