Must Read Series: The Cottage Tales Of Beatrix Potter

There are 8 books to this cozy mystery series that stars Beatrix Potter and a host of other little animals.

I have to get them all.

It is because of this series, that I renewed my love for Potter. And not Harry.

Blurb: Beatrix is eager to marry her fiancé, solicitor William Heelis. But with remodeling work at Castle Cottage, their future home, going at a snail’s pace, Beatrix finds frustration when the building contractor fires his best carpenter, Mr. Adcock, for stealing. At the same time, Will is investigating thefts on other construction sites—an inquiry that comes to a screeching halt when Mr. Adcock is found dead. Besides the construction debacle, there’s another hurdle for Beatrix and Will to overcome: the Potters have yet to give their blessing on the marriage. And when Beatrix’s brother decides to tell their parents about his own decade-long secret marriage, Miss Potter knows that any chance she had of finding her own happy ending is about to be destroyed

I Don't Do Hype

Things that get to much hype annoy the heck out of me. I always feel like people that fangirl/fanboy over stuff tend to be like lemmings, following something ridiculous to their certain doom.

Lately books have been the cause of a whole lotta hype.

First you had Harry Potter...this series got kids reading. The story was great and the characters were really wonderful. I've not read the complete series, but in my opinion, this series was worth the hype.

Then there's Twilight. I won't even go there. I can't understand why anyone read and went all crazy over these books. They are so bad.

Which leads me to the following, 50 Shades of Grey. It started as Twilight fanfic..and it got published.

WTF is the world coming to.

Fanfic is not supposed to get published.

When will the madness cease!

And why can't people hype better series, like Amanda Stevens Graveyard Queen?

Book Talk

I have a confession.

I'm in love with my ereader.

I've read so many books with my Nook that reading a hard cover book is uncomfortable.

I don't mind reading paperbacks in any form, but hard cover books I have a hard time dealing with now. They are simply too bulky.

That makes me feel awful. I feel like I'm betraying books.

Now that really sounds silly.

This wouldn't bother me so much if I needed my ereader to conserve space. (OK maybe I do, just a little) But I really bought my Nook so that I could read free galleys.

Yeah..I spent $120 on my nook so I could get free books!

Something only I would do!

I Have An Addiction.

Is there a 12 step program for Book-a-holics?

I can't get enough books.

Sure that's an admirable addiction, but it is getting out of hand. The books are piling up. The librarians know me by name and tease me when I return and take out books!

I find books at the lending library at the YMCA!

I buy books.

It is a sickness, I tell you.

It wouldn't be so bad if I could read quickly, but these days I seem to drag through books, because there is just so much I have to do from the time I wake up til I fall into bed...or into a chair...

~sigh~

Who else shares my book addiction?

I'm A Library Junkie

There is one thing I can say about rising gas prices, it keeps me out of Barnes and Noble. (My dad's poor health does that too).

So in order to get my book fix, I've become a good friend of my local library.

It's pretty small, but there's a decent enough selection, plus I can get in on the ebook library lending program. Plus I don't have to leave my own town!

So I save money on books and I save money on gas.

Not a bad thing.

Plus our library is really quite cute.

What things have you done to conserve money while still getting your reading fix on?

Too Much Of A Good Thing

The publishing industry is getting lazy. All they seem to want are series novels. Now I'm not knocking series, but it does seem to make authors a little lazy.

Let's face it when you right 10 + stories about the same characters things are going to suffer at some point. Have you heard anyone rave about the new Stephanie Plum, Temperance Brennan or Hannah Swenson novel?

Probably not.

Why?

All these books are well past their saturation points. Joanne Fluke's Swenson mysteries are
around book 14. Evanovich has hit book 18, and I've lost count one Kathy Reich's Brennan books. (BTW I'd rather watch Bones, the show is more entertaining)

You just can't keep things interesting that long. At some point the characters start becoming like family members that are just too darn predictable. That's not to say we don't love them, but we know them too well.

If you look at the reviews for the newer books, you'll see more and more 1 and 2 star ratings when the first books in the series at more 5 stars.

Its sad, but I think writing long term series novels sap the creativity of the authors. They really only know one set of characters and when they stay in their comfort zone for many many years, well the stories suffer.

Do any of you know any long running series that have stayed excellent?

Too Many Novellas Out There

I love a good book. I also love to discover new authors. Thanks to book blogging I've found quite a few great new writers in many genres that I absolutely adore.

What I can't stand about self publishing is that so many of the stories out there are novellas. W

Hmmm

I wonder how much that stupid Nanowrimo has to do with it? The word count of Nano is less than most Harlequin romances, m'kay and they are usually only about 180 pages.

Alot of the novellas out there have to be the results of Nanowrimo.

I despise Nanowrimo.

Ebooks are entirely too expensive when it comes to novellas.

$3.99 for 100 pages?

I don't fucking hardly think so.

Now I know many writers get on the discount train for Amazon and Barnes and Noble...so that the books cost is taken down to about a buck, but still, it leaves me feeling I didn't get my moneys worth.

How apt are you to buy a novella in print form or ebook form?

Childhood Reading

Growing up, Little Golden Books were always found all over the floor in my house. I was cleaning today and I found Good Little, Bad Little Girl, one of my absolute favorites.

The illustrations in this one are absolutely beautiful, which is why I think I loved it so much. Written by Ester Wilkin and illustrated by Eloise Wilkin. The story is simple but the illustrations really carry the story.

I'm glad I found this book today. It reminded me of simpler times.

What books did you read when you were a kid?

An Intriguing Book

I have to admit, Monica Ali's book that was inspired by Princess Diana really has me intrigued.

It has mixed reviews, but something about a what if, involving this woman really makes me want to grab a copy and start reading.

I always find it funny when people say American's don't care about British royalty. We do. They are intriguing people, even though it is hard to fathom why anyone is born to rule a country without anyone else having a say so in that matter. But then again....voting for someone doesn't always net a good ruler either...case in point...George W. Bush...oh wait, we didn't elect him the first time around, he stole the Presidency.

Ah well, it doesn't matter. I just think this looks like it might be a fun summer read. Tis a shame though that we don't have Princess Diana to read about. I'm sure if she were still alive, her life would be much more fascinating than what any author might dream up for her.

Any Idiot Can Write A Book

There are some things that really make me go Hmmm.

As if Sarah Palin's Going Rogue weren't bad enough, daughter Bristol has a memoir out.


This is just insane.

Her journey so far?

Pardon me while I throw up!

That's almost as bad as Miley Cyrus writing a book.

I realize publishers want to make scads of money off talentless people.

At least Miley has had some legitimate fame.

But Bristol Palin.

All she's done is get knocked up and go on Dancing With The Stars. I'm sorry that doesn't warrant a book in my eyes.

There are millions of teenaged girls making their way in the world with babies. Most of them have slightly more sane parents too.  Maybe one of them should write a book. Anything would be better than giving the Palin family more time in the spotlight!

Summer Reading

I have huge stacks of books that I'm trying to work through this summer. My Nook is overloaded with ebooks and my house is full of hard cover and soft.

Right now I'm reading Ira Wagler's Growing Up Amish.  Summer vacations to Lancaster, PA have given me a curiousity about the Amish culture. I snagged an ARC ebook copy of this one via Net Galley, and I'm about a third of the way through it.

I'm really enjoying it so far, and if you have a curiousity about the Amish, this book is really an eye opener.

The next few books I really want to read are historical fiction/bios.  The first is Brandy Purdy's The Turdor throne and the other is Margaret George's Elizabeth I. When I was younger I always read about the kings and queens of Europe on my summer vacations. I devoured many of Jean Plaidy's books and loved every one.

What books are you hoping to read this summer?

I Don't Understand Ayn Rand

In high school, I had teachers talk about Ayn Rand and how great she was and how everyone needs to read Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead. So finally, in college, I've made it to the latte - The Fountainhead - and over 100 pages in, I'm trying to figure out what the hype was about because really, she doesn't deserve it.

While her ultra-conservative views are definitely disconcerting, the main problem for me right now is The Fountainhead is incredibly boring. So far, it's a bunch of architects drawing and talking about drawing and going through architect drama. Nothing is happening. And I have lots more pages to go.

Going along with that is the fact that the characters are incredibly flat. They're all simple and they're all alike, to the point that I have trouble distinguishing between them. And because of that, I don't care about any of them. The dialogue is unrealistic and cliched. And the characters are unlikeable - they're all self-interested and boring, with nothing notable about them.

Am I alone in this?

I Can't Believe I've Read So Much

I keep track of all my reads at the eharlequin website. They tally up my books every time I post a review, and it doesn't have to be a harlequin.

~glares at people scoffing over my romance novels~

So far....I've read 158 books give or take a few.

If I keep up I should be somewhere between 170-180 books.

And not to worry, not all of them were harlequins. In fact a great deal of them aren't.

Now if you don't mind..I have a book to read.....

A Great Suspense Read

Harlequin's Mira line has a wonderful writer in Deanna Raybourn. She's written a fabulous historical mystery series featuring Lady Julia Grey. Now for those of you that say, "Harlequin! No way!" I say, suck it and try one of the Lady Grey mysteries. They should be read in order, but I never do things the easy way. I read the second book first and am now reading the fourth.



The best thing about the Lady Grey books are the characters. There's no wishy washy women here, and the men all have interesting character flaws that make you like them all the more.


Lady Julia is actually a bit annoying at times, and her dislike of dogs made me want to hit her a few times while reading Silence In The Sanctuary, but it didn't stop me from loving the book.


Deanna is definitely a must try author. Oh and there's no real romance in these books either.

Vampires Mummies And the Holy Ghost

These are the things that terrify me the most. (Special thanks to Mr. Buffett for writing that tune). I has me wondering, how long is the paranormal craze going to last this time?

Twilight really opened the doors to vampires and werewolves. Every book that is coming out these days has one or the other in starring spots, especially in the young adult market.

How much longer before this phase wears itself out again? I mean we had a vampire craze when Anne Rice's vampires were the thing. It eventually disappeared for awhile until the next big book. Heck, even Harlequin has a paranormal line of romances. (Some are pretty good too)

It is just amazing to look at the book shelves and see all the vampire fiction; The Blue Bloods, The Morganville Vampires, The House Of Night..the list goes on and on. It is wonderful that there are obviously a lot of young readers out there eating these books up, but I have to wonder, do they read anything other than paranormal? Don't they get bored?

So what is your paranormal poison? Any recommendations? Or are you sick of all the vampires, mummies and what not in today's fiction?

I Really Want To Read This Book

I've heard so much about this book, well the whole series actually, and I really want to read it, but lordy, I'm so sick of trilogies and sagas etc


Why?

Because when it comes to stuff like this I want to read them together, one right after the other. By the time I finish the books, I'll be totally burned out on the author and I probably won't enjoy the stories half as much as I would have if I would have discovered the book when it first came out.

It is kind of like Twilight. I wish I could have read the books before the movies started. My image of the characters is tainted by the casting directors bad choices. (Really bad in some cases..cough...Bella)

So the question is, should I read these and get totally involved in these three books, or just let them pass me by?

A Book Everyone Should Have

A Book Everyone Should Have

I bought this book ages ago and ever so often I pull it out to see if I've been to any of the places in the book. Considering I've only been as far north as Toronto and as far east as Atlantic City and as far west as Cincinnati and as far south..as...well Fairmont, WV, you'll see I've not covered much ground here.

However I have hit quite a few spots in PA. For one I've been to Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, PA many times.

But it got me thinking what about some places in my state that are fabulous that I haven't been to. Surely there are many. PA is pretty big state and there's a lot to be seen here. So I started to poke around some travel websites for PA.

Well I have found one place I must go, that's not in the book, but is definitely on my list, The Bayernhof Museum. Click the link and you'll see why. Neat isn't it?

What places in your area are must sees?

Augusten Burroughs: You Better Not Cry

Augusten Burroughs: You Better Not Cry

In some ways, Augusten Burroughs can be summed up like this: when I picked up You Better Not Cry, his collection of Christmas stories, my mom looked at the cover & said, "What the hell is that?" If you've read Augusten, this oddly makes sense. If you haven't, you should & it will when you do.

I fell in love with Augusten when I read - or more accurately, annihilated - Running with Scissors in high school. Now, I'm kind of jumping around because I have read A Wolf at the Table, which was fantastic & heartbreaking, but not Dry because my cousin currently has my copy & not Possible Side Effects because my cousin used to have my copy. It's a glorified Augusten Burroughs book swap a my house. But the point is, Augusten keeps me hooked by released something new every so often & using Twitter.

While most of Augusten's books are of the long, memoir persuasion, this one's more the short essay type. Some have complained that for this reason it lacks intensity, but it's also what makes it shine. It wouldn't function as a full book because it's not meant to. Instead, we see different Christmas stories as they occurred chronologically, & Augusten jumps right in by starting with a tale of how he started making out with a wax Santa & then literally ate its face. We see everything from the ridiculous to the simple & heartwarming, which is why I'm so drawn to Augusten as a writer. He's not necessarily trying to get you to feel for him or the other people in the stories, but he does anyway.

If you're looking for it to be ridiculously funny, it's not. It has its moments, but really, it's better this way. Augusten doesn't need to be constantly hilarious, even if his humor shines through subtly often. He's just as good serious as he is funny. No need to be alarmed. And in this way, this is actually probably a decent place to start if you want to ease into his writing without going in any kind of order. Or jumping right into the chaos that is basically everything else he's ever written.

Yeah, Christmas is over, but this is a nice, relatively light read for the season. Even my mom ended up picking it up when I'd left it out & started to read it & quite enjoyed it. Plus it was the first book I finished in 2010!

Books That Scare Me

Books That Scare Me

My weekly emails from Books-A-Million are starting to scare me.

Why?

Because some very creepy people have books coming out. People that have no business writing books. You know like Mike Huckabee. I don't want to read politicians life stories or what they have to say, particularly if they are relgious wingnuts or ex-governors who just happened to be the worst choice as a vice-presidential candidate the country has ever seen. Sure, Ms. Palin is pretty, but I question how well the grey matter inside her head functions.

I'll give Mike Huckabee credit though, politics isn't part of his book which a collection of stories about his Christmases past, with a few reminders, I'm sure, of what Christmas is really about.

You guys do know what Christmas is really about don't you?

I'm just not sure that we need a politican reminding us that Christmas is about more spritual things and family than it is about who gets the biggest and best presents, or who spends the most money. Especially one that has just come off of a failed campaign and probably needs to regroup his funds. If this book had come out two years ago or maybe 3 years from now, I would say it would be worth a shot, but then again, in 3 years would we even remember who Mike Huckabee is?

That said, if you are going to read a book by a politican this year..I'd say go for this one, if the subject matter strikes your fancy. This is a book that goes more along the lines of heartwarming coffee table books that will give you warm fuzzies and not crazy political ramblings or me me me, I'm wondeful me-ness.

Now for the Must To Avoid Book of the year.

Sarah Palin's Going Rogue.


Dear God! Why Why Why! And Why why why! would anyone want to read this?

I think a more apt title might be Going Batshit Insane. Or How I Destroyed The Republican Party In 5 Easy Steps. Actually she didn't do that they were well on their way to destroying themselves long before McCain picked her up as a the Veep candidate.

But really? An American Life? Isn't it bad enough Miley Cyrus has written a book already, do we need to add more books from wingnuts that don't know how to write? Couldn't some of them just go away? Far far away?

What scares me the most is that Sarah's book will probably sell millions of copies, and I can't fathom why?

So ladies, are you planing to read these books or avoid them like the plague, like I am? Have you ever read a book by a politican?

Oh and on a crazy happy note..

I can't wait to buy this even if it sucks

I Never Should Read Those Recommended Books

I Never Should Read Those Recommended Books

This year I got roped into reading two of those "OMG you've got to read these books or your life won't be complete," books.

Though both have been good in their respective ways, for me they both were a huge disappointment.

The first book foisted on me by just about everyone was William Young's The Shack. This is actually my favorite of the two books I've read.

I like that the author reminds us in a very in your face way, that God made man and woman in his image and well that image can be like anyone you'd see on the street. But there's more to the story than some troubled soul who lost his child communing in a shack with God, who just happened to send him a note to come there.

Uh yeah. If God sends me any notes, the first place I'd go probably wouldn't be a shack, but that's beside the point. My biggest gripe with this book is the cheap cliche ending that really spoiled the whole thing for me. I don't know what I was expecting but from the rave reviews I did expect an ending that would have stood up with the rest of the story. Sadly it didn't.

Next up is The Lovely Bones, which came to me highly recommended after I read Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin. I expected a story of a similar nature, and it kind of is, but truth be told its a pretty depressing tale that really has made me wish I hadn't picked it up.

I have no problem with stories about crime or the afterlife, but this book was really gruesome at the beginning and as Susie starts seeing the way things played out of earth it just gets more and more depressing. I have a little over a hundred pages left in this book, but as it stands now I wish I hadn't picked up the book at all. I don't like books that are such downers. I hope something changes in the next 100 pages to make me rethink my opinion on this one, because of the two books, I was most excited to read this one. Its not even that its a hard read, because I've been whizzing through it. Its just too damn depressing and I don't need that.

Have you ever had a book recommended to you that you wished you hadn't read?