Sunday Salon

It's the Sunday before Thanksgiving. . . seriously what happened to 2009? It has been a blur! I'm getting excited to travel for the holiday. I really need a break and getting away for a few days will be beneficial to my well-being.

As 2009 winds down, I'm starting to plan for 2010. I've started to center my thoughts around the theme "getting back to me". It seems somewhere this year, I lost me by over-committing myself, daily hassles, unnecessary stress and things that were simply out of my control. In order to get things back on track, I put myself last and wondered why I still felt overwhelmed, tired and basically out-of-whack.

In 2010, I really want to pursue those hobbies I put aside because I ran out of time, plans I buried because I was too tired to think about them and the "someday" projects that I would like to start, but just haven't. Along these lines, I'm brainstorming ideas on what I want to do differently for my blog next year. My reading has slowed in the last three months or so and I'm thinking of what I can do to get it back to where it was.

This time of year is when new challenges for the upcoming year are revealed. I'm not sure how many challenges I will sign-up for next year. I will more than likely join my favorites (100+, New Authors, Support Your Library, YA, etc), however I really want to focus on reading books from my shelves in 2010. So the challenges I do sign up for, will have to be compatible with what I currently own. I will admit there are several new challenges (well, new to me) that look very interesting, that I'm definitely considering despite having limited books on my shelves. (These challenges just look so fun and "different" to pass up. We'll see though.)

What about you? Are you starting to think about 2010 and what it will mean to you?

Happy Sunday everyone! For those of you traveling this holiday season, may you have a safe journey to your destination!

Suspicion by Kate Brian

Book Synopsis:

Forbidden fruit...

Reed, Noelle, and former Billings Girls Kiran and Taylor have been living it up on St. Barths over winter break. The tropical sun has melted away all the tensions of last semester, and for the first time in months, Reed is happy. She's got her best friends by her side, she has a palatial suite with an ocean view, and she's landed Upton, the most sought-after guy on the island.

Reed is falling in love.

But dating Upton makes Reed St. Barths' highest-profile guest — and not in a good way. Upton has a dark past, and he's broken a lot of hearts. One of his exes still wants him. And she'll do whatever it takes to get Reed out of the picture.

My thoughts:
Suspicion begins where Paradise Lost ended. Reed is mysteriously pushed off a yacht during a party and is treading water. She's eventually rescued by Sawyer and later taken to the hospital for observation. Terrified that someone tried to kill her, she immediately decides to go home. However, Noelle talks her into staying for the remainder of their vacation. During this time, Reed's life is threatened again, she learns the secret that Upton has been keeping and the reader learns the identity of the person who wants Reed out of the picture.

I have to say this edition to the Private series was my least favorite. I thought it was mostly "a filler" book and found myself struggling to stay focused while reading. The saving grace was the last chapter when Reed and her friends returned to Easton Academy from winter break. The unexpected has happened to their beloved Billings House. Most importantly, there's a new student starting at Easton. Which will make for quite an interesting semester for Reed. Scandal, book eleven will be released on March 9, 2010.

Book details:
Series: Private #10
ISBN-13: 978-1-4169-5885-7
Pages: 211
Year Published: 2009
Genre: YA Fiction (Series)
Source: Library
Date Finished: October 30

The Secret of Joy by Melissa Senate

Imagine growing up wanting a sister. What would you do if that childhood wish suddenly came true? How would you respond if your father confessed to a summer affair as he lay dying? And so begins The Secret of Joy by Melissa Senate.

Rebecca Strand is a twenty-something woman living and working in New York City. She’s a paralegal for Whitman, Goldman & Whitman. She’s dating (and living with) Michael, her lawyer boyfriend, and she's contemplating their future together. A future that comes to a screeching halt when her father is diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and given weeks to live. Having lost her mother at nineteen and being the only child, Rebecca is extremely close to her father and cannot begin to envision what her life will be like without him.

During one of her hospital visits, her father discloses a summer affair with Pia Jayhawk. An affair that occurred during one of their family vacations in Maine. The affair was over before it started and Daniel Strand returned home and stepped back into his life. Out of the blue Pia calls him to tell him she’s pregnant. She calls again to tell him he has a daughter. He never returned her call and remained silent about his newborn daughter and his relationship with Pia. Now that he’s dying, he wants Rebecca to know the truth. A truth that may complicated her life and cause her to view him differently.

After her father’s death, Rebecca begins to question her life and the direction she’s headed. Is Michael the one? Is New York really her home? What about her job? The job she loathes. Does she have the courage to pursue her dream of becoming a therapist? As she ponders these questions, she begins to wonder about her half-sister. She sets off to Maine to find Joy Jayhawk, not really sure what to expect when she meets her for the first time.

When I first read the title of the book, I assumed it meant her father’s secret affair and his secret daughter, Joy. But, as I continued to read about Rebecca's life and the lives of the supporting characters, I realized the title was about the secret of. . . well. . . joy. The characters are all struggling with an issue in their lives that is causing them pain and turmoil. As each comes to the fork in the road where they either move towards a resolution or continue down the same hurtful path, the author illustrates the difficult, but necessary, truths we must face in order to experience the peace we want in life. Rebecca struggles with the loss of her parents, the impact of her father’s affair, not only on her, but Joy and Joy’s mother. While Joy struggles with growing up without her father which resulted in her being emotionally detached from her husband.

To make amends with his decision, Daniel Strand writes a letter to Joy every year on her birthday. As Rebecca reads these letters, she begins to have insight about her father as a man and a husband. It's not until she reads the last letter he wrote to Joy that she truly understands the love he felt for Joy and how his decision kept two innocent sisters from knowing each other.

The reader will feel compassion for Rebecca as she loses the only family she knows and gains a sister she has always wanted. The Secret of Joy is a great read, with a likable main character and a great supporting cast. Pick it up. Read it. You won't be disappointed.

Thanks to Sarah Reidy, of Pocket Books, for providing this review copy.

Random tidbits: If you're interested in The Secret of Joy for your next book club selection, there's a reading discussion guide included (there's also a Q&A with Ms. Senate, which I recommend you read as well).

Book details:
ISBN-13: 978-1-4391-0717-1
Pages: 330
Year Published: 2009
Genre: Women's Fiction
Source: Publisher provided this copy for a blog tour
Date Finished: November 15

Other blogs participating in this blog tour:

http://books-movies-chinesefood.blogspot.com/
http://bookingmama.blogspot.com/
http://frugalplus.com/
http://www.bookwormygirl.blogspot.com/
http://www.rundpinne.blogspot.com/
http://brizmusblogsbooks.blogspot.com
http://www.psychoticstate.blogspot.com/
http://www.buuklvr81.blogspot.com
http://startingfresh-gaby317.blogspot.com/
http://aseaofbooks.blogspot.com/
http://thatsanovelidea.blogspot.com
http://myfoolishwisdom.blogspot.com/
http://my-book-views.blogspot.com/
http://dreyslibrary.blogspot.com/
http://justanothernewblog.blogspot.com/
http://bookjourney.wordpress.com/
http://booksiesblog.blogspot.com
http://booknaround.blogspot.com
http://keeponbooking.blogspot.com
http://www.ziarias.blogspot.com/
http://bethsbookreviewblog.blogspot.com/
http://bridget3420.blogspot.com/
http://myreadingroom-crystal.blogspot.com
www.mybookaddictionandmore.wordpress.com
http://www.crazy-for-books.com
http://www.bellasnovella.com/
http://www.blogbusinessworld.blogspot.com
http://ilratb.blogspot.com/
http://www.myfriendamysblog.com
http://bookmagic418.blogspot.com/
http://haleymathiot.blogspot.com/
http://purplg8r-somanybooks.blogspot.com/
http://www.jeannesramblings.com
http://redheadedbookchild.blogspot.com
http://readingwithtequila.blogspot.com
http://maryinhb.blogspot.com/
http://jensbooktalk.blogspot.com/
http://molcotw.blogspot.com/
http://litandlife.blogspot.com
http://entertainmentrealm.com/

Mailbox Monday

Marcia, The Printed Page, hosts Mailbox Monday each week. She writes:

"Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books came into their house last week (checked out library books don’t count, eBooks & audio books do). Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists."

Here's what I received in the mail last week:

From Sarah Reidy of Pocket Books for an upcoming blog tour:

Title: The Secret of Joy
Author: Melissa Senate

Is the half sister that Rebecca Strand has never met short? Tall? Rich? Poor? Pretty? Funny? Married? Lonely? Happy?. . .

Rebecca is about to find out. The New York City paralegal thought nothing could shake her life off its fast track⎯which includes her handsome lawyer boyfriend and their extravagant condo. The shocking revelation that she even has a half sister comes from her dying father, in a hospital bed confession of a long-past summer affair. . . and now the dad she adores has one last wish: would Rebecca deliver a cache of letters he never sent to his other daughter, Joy Jayhawk, in a tiny coastal Maine town?

But when Rebecca arrives in Wiscasset, with the life-changing letters stashed in a leather box, nothing goes as she imagined⎯and Joy Jayhawk is less than thrilled to meet her. Joy already has her own life, her own family, and her own business: she runs a bus tour for singles, a matchmaking excursion that's brought lovers together, healed broken hearts, and changed lives. Rebecca joins the singles tour in the hopes of unlocking a door into Joy's life and forming a relationship with the only family she has left. But as she spend more and more time with Joy and the women who dub themselves The Divorced Ladies Club of Wiscasset⎯and starts a flirtation with a seriously hunky local carpenter⎯Rebecca realizes it's her life and heart that are ready for healing and change. . . and that sometimes, you just have to go along for the ride.

The New Girl by Meg Cabot

Book synopsis:
When you are starting at a brand-new school, you have to wear something good.

Allie Finkle's starting her first day of school at Pine Heights Elementary! Plus, she's getting a new kitten, the first pick of show cat Lady Serena Archibald's letter!

But being the New Girl is turning out to be scary, too, especially since one of the girls in Allie's new class -- Rosemary -- doesn't like her. In fact, Rosemary says she's going to beat Allie up after school.

Everyone seems to have an opinion on how Allie should handle the situation. How can Allie tell who's right? Who knew it was going to be so hard being the New Girl?

My review:
Allie Finkle is starting a new school. It's her first day and she is nervous! Luckily for Allie she's in Mrs. Hunter's class with her new friends Erica, Caroline and Sophie. Her first day starts out well until she meets Rosemary. For whatever reason, Rosemary doesn't like Allie and wants to beat her up! Allie's not sure what to do, but thank goodness she has her rules for girls.

The New Girl is book two of the Allie Finkle's Rules for Girls series. Allie is adapting to her new home, new school and trying to make new friends. I enjoyed this book as much as the first. Allie is very likable and the reader will root for her as she finds her way being the new girl in fourth grade.

Book details:
Series: Allie Finkle's Rules for Girls #2
ISBN-13: 978-0-545-04049-5
Pages: 222
Year Published: 2008
Genre: Children's Fiction (Series)
Source: Library
Date Finished: October 24

Sunday Salon

It's November 1st. 2009. How can this be?? This year has been a blur for me. Anyway, I missed the Sunday Salon last week. Partly because I was too tired to write a post after the read-a-thon and partly because I spent my afternoon at a library book sale. Like I need any more books. But, I don't feel bad. Nope... I bought 3 trade-size paperbacks and a hardback for $5.65. Pretty good, huh?

On to my reading. Last week I finished:

I've written three of the four reviews for the books I read during the read-a-thon:

1. I Heard a Rumor by Nancy Krulik
2. The New Girl by Nancy Krulik
3. Moving Day by Meg Cabot
4. The New Girl by Meg Cabot

Following these reviews, I also have reviews to post for:

1. Testimony by Anita Shreve
2. Suspicion by Kate Brian
3. Peaks and Valleys by Spencer Johnson, M.D.

Now that new challenges are being posted for 2010, it's got me thinking about my level of participation in challenges, the direction I see my blog headed in 2010, changes to my review format, etc. Lots to think about over the next few weeks. Right now, I'm still in the brainstorming phase. So we'll see what happens.

Happy Sunday everyone!

Moving Day by Meg Cabot

Book synopsis:
I like rules. What I'm not so crazy about is everything else.

When nine-year-old Allie Finkle's parents announce that the family is moving, Allie's sure her life is over.

She's not at all happy about having to give up her pretty pink wall-to-wall carpeting for creaky floorboards and creepy secret passageways...not to mention leaving her modern, state-of-the-art suburban school for a rundown, old-fashioned school just two blocks from her new house.

With a room she's half-scared to go into, the burden of being "the new girl", and her old friends all a half-hour car ride away, how will Allie ever learn to fit in?

My review:
My first book of Ms. Cabot's was The Boy Next Door (which I loved and still recommend quite often) and from there I was introduced to the Heather Wells mystery series. I've enjoyed her books so much, that I spent most of my time last year reading her young adult collection. So when I heard she was working on a new children's series, I was curious to know more about it.

Meet Allie Finkle. She's nine years old, currently in the fourth grade, big sister to Mark and Kevin and best friends with Mary Kay. Okay, may be Allie would like to have a new best friend. Someone who doesn't cry all the time. Or someone who will allow Allie to decide what game to play next. Other than that, Allie's life is pretty good. Until her parents say these two small words: "we're moving".

Why would her parents leave their gorgeous home only to move into a falling-down Victorian? (Let's not even talk about that fact the house is probably haunted!) On top of that, her new school isn't so "new". The building is rundown and the gym is also the lunchroom! (Eww...need I say more??)

Allie has to think of something quick before her parents ruin her life. She's promised to be on her best behavior and not complain about the move. If she keeps her promise, her parents will allow her to have her very own pet: a kitten (the family also has a dog). The question is, can she stop the move, but still get the kitten?

I love Allie Finkle! Allie is a cute girl, with a big heart, who is trying to do the right thing all the time. To make sure she stays on the right path, she created rules for herself. Here are some of her rules:

• When you finally figure out what the right thing to do is, you have to do it, even if you don't want to.
• Don't be a braggart.
• Sometimes (but not always) it's better just to keep things to yourself.
• You can't let your family move into a haunted house.
• If you get a new best friend, it's rude to show off about it.

If I were nine again, I would want Allie to be my friend. She's creative, energetic, spunky and just fun! I loved reading Moving Day and cannot wait to read more from this series.

Random tidbit: Allie Finkle's Rules for Girls series would be a wonderful selection for a mother/daughter book club.

Book details:
Series: Allie Finkle's Rules for Girls #1
ISBN-13: 978-0-545-03947-5
Pages: 228
Year Published: 2008
Genre: Children's Fiction (Series)
Source: Library
Date Finished: October 24