Review: Adultery by Paulo Coelho

Adultery by Paulo Coelho, AF, 2014, Hardcover, 272p, My Rating=2
Source: library

Linda knows she's lucky.

Yet every morning when she opens her eyes to a so-called new day, she feels like closing them again.
Her friends recommend medication.
But Linda wants to feel more, not less.
And so she embarks on an adventure as unexpected as it is daring, and which reawakens a side of her that she - respectable wife, loving mother, ambitious journalist - thought had disappeared.
Even she can't predict what will happen next...

I truly enjoyed Coelho's Alchemist so when I saw this book with his name in big letters, it caught my eye. But, the title caused me pause. I was curious so I picked it up. Well, it was intriguing at first but overall I didn't feel I got anything substantial out of it. Comprehensively it was raw and honest, however, it bordered into the erotica genre. Not what I was expecting from Coelho! So clearly, I was disappointed.

Review: A Step of Faith by Richard Paul Evans

A Step of Faith (#4 of The Walk series) by Richard Paul Evans, AF, 2013, Hardcover, 279p, My Rating=2
Source: library
My review of: Book #1, Book #2, Book #3

After the death of his beloved wife, after the loss of his advertising business to his once-trusted partner, after bankruptcy forced him from his home, Alan Christoffersen is a broken man. Leaving everything he knows, he sets out on an extraordinary cross-country journey; with only the pack on his back, he is walking from Seattle to Key West—the end of the map.

Along the way, Alan begins to heal, meeting people who teach him lessons about love, sacrifice, and forgiveness. But in St. Louis, Alan faces another life-changing crisis, and now the journey is in jeopardy.

This was my least favorite of "The Walk" series thus far. This installment didn't offer me much cheerfulness. As if Mr. Evans took some dreary and crazy pills and they oozed out into this book.

I had forgotten the big cliffhanger from book #3 so when this book started to backtrack a bit, I was getting excited to see the outcome. Unfortunately the story dragged, the guest characters weren't that stirring (except Master El ..crazy cult leader I wanted to practice my judo moves to!), and generally there wasn't enough meat to the evolution. Perhaps Alan needed more time to recover from his surgery and resumed his walk at a different time and conceivably had a more inspiring trek. Nonetheless, I want to see Alan's journey through so, "On to book #5!"

Review: God Got A Dog by Cynthia Rylant

God Got A Dog by Cynthia Rylant, Illustrated by Marla Frazee, YR, 2013, 48p, My Rating=2
Source: library

A sublime book for all ages, God Got a Dog celebrates the simple things in our world while taking a long, close look at what it means to be human. The soft, reflective, and often humorous words and pictures create a glimpse into everyday life through wide and wondering eyes that blends the familiar with the profoundly spiritual.

Stumbled upon this book at the library. The title stuck out to me so I read it.

Interesting concept but I didn't really see the spiritual perspective it promised, "It's hard to be God. You have to well, be GOD. But you also get to be God. Which means you have quite a perspective on things-- a perspective that no one else has. No one. So there you are, looking out at the world and everything in it, and one day you just might want to see what it's like to be a part of it all, and since you're God, you can do that. And so ...you do." (front cover flap)

I think it would have worked for me if all the "God" words were replaced by the word "Michael Jackson" (or your choice of a famous person). Then, it would be perspective!

Review: Almost Royalty by Courtney Hamilton

Almost Royalty by Courtney Hamilton, AF -Romantic Comedy, 2014, ARC signed paperback, 302p, My Rating=2
Source: provided by publicist in exchange for an honest review

Courtney Hamilton is a Velveeta-loving attorney driven to distraction by a city that seethes with soul-sucking status seekers. When her friend Marcie formulates an impossibly detailed rating system for acceptable men--the Los Angeles Eco-Chain of Dating--Courtney goes on a self-destructive binge that doesn’t stop until she gets thrown out of group therapy for insulting a former child actress.
Courtney is mortified as she watches her best friends give up stellar careers in law and the arts to marry entertainment royalty and civilian overachievers. Worse, they expect Courtney to do the same. So they hatch plots to get her to give up her career, break her addiction to fake cheese, marry into high-orbit wealth and rule the stratosphere alongside them.
But Courtney resists. She doesn’t want to be a poster child for the Opt-Out Generation. And she certainly doesn’t want to be molded into date bait for the top rung of L.A. society. All Courtney wants is to be left alone so she can search beneath the surface for a meaningful life. But between a meddling, narcissistic mother, a self-absorbed therapist and friends trying to send her to dating re-education camps, it seems that fake cheese is the only genuine thing left in the city. Social ambition combats self-actualization in this biting tale of one woman’s search for certainty in a city full of mirages.

Beautiful book cover and fascinating blurb so I'm not sure what this tells about my sense of humor since I struggled reading this book.  I couldn't get into the rhythm of this class defining romantic comedy.  It literally took me a month to read this because I wasn't getting it.  It felt like reading a boring textbook.  Haha, maybe I'm too low in the "Eco-Chain" to understand!  But seriously I plugged along trying to read between the lines and see a purposeful plot.  Still wasn't getting it.  Not that there wasn't a plot but again perhaps I'm not hip enough to find the novel funny as intended.  Anyway, I wanted to like this Velveeta-loving main character but for a supposed smart, down-to-earth woman she sure makes poor decisions.  Yes, I know that smart and down-to-earth people make bad choices too but there was just too many negative vibes that I got from the read.  Also found many social group classing and stereotypes disconcerting.  Many of the characters would be interesting if given a better venue as well.  Oh, I can't explain it eloquently!  Basically, I think this book just wasn't for me.  I was hoping the ending would make up for the tedious beginning and middle but nope, just finally something good happened.  However, by that time I was exhausted and indifferent. 

Review: Mary Had A Sleepy Sheep by Julia Dweck

Mary Had A Sleepy Sheep by Julia Dweck, Wilson Williams Jr. -Illustrator, YR, 2013, Kindle edition ebook, 25p, Rating=2
Source: own --free on Amazon

Young Mary had a little lamb.
His name was Sheppard sheep,
And everywhere that Mary went
That sheep was sure to sleep.
This is not your average Mother Goose nursery rhyme. In this hilarious parody, poor Mary has one very sleepy, slumbering, snoozing sheep named Sheppard and Mary’s mom is not happy.
Can Mary can keep her sleepy sheep awake?
Young readers will laugh along at Mary’s zany attempts, as she tries everything from spicy-hot fiestas to water fights. The humor is fast and fun in this easy to read rhyming adventure.

This is a parody to the well known nursery rhyme, Mary Had A Little Lamb.  However, I didn't care for this rendition. I liked the animated illustrations, the activity page at the end of the book (and find Whiskers challenge), and overall cute premise; but the part when the mother kicked the sheep out of the bed did not sit well with me (it was a very harsh depiction).  It was early in the book and it set an unpleasant tone to my read.  I also felt that some of the rhymes did not flow quite right.  Although, it seems that I'm in the minority.  Thus far this book has received mainly 5-star reviews on Amazon and Goodreads.  I don't see it.

The Kindle edition ebook is still available for free on Amazon so those who have a Kindle can download it.  If you do, let me know what you think.

Follow the link below to download:

Review: Romancing the Bookworm by Kate Evangelista

Romancing the Bookworm by Kate Evangelista, AF, 2013, 309p, Rating: 2
Source: ebook copy provided by AToMR Tours in exchange for an honest review
Adult content: language and sex

Sometimes, even the best-laid plans can unravel.

It's spring break, and Tamara Winters would rather stay on campus and read romance novels than flaunt her size-fourteen body on a beach. But her best friend, Ronni, has other ideas. Against her wishes, Tamara is whisked away to picturesque Maverick Bay, where she's wrangled into waiting tables with Ronni at the Shore Shack for its busy week leading to Maverick's Surf Invitational. There she meets fellow schoolmate Xavier Solomon, the Invitational's organizer and campus womanizer by reputation. From the moment Tamara sees him emerging from the waves like a hero in of one of her romance novels, all she wants to do is run away from the feelings he inspires in her.

Little does she know Xavier has been watching her for weeks now. In fact, after failed attempts at asking her out on campus, he's concocted a crazy plan: fabricating romantic situations straight out of her favorite books. Xavier quickly realizes that if Tamara gets a whiff of his designs, he might as well spell CREEPER across his forehead. Yet as they grow closer, he's convinced it's a risk worth taking. What he hasn't planned on, of course, is his drug-addicted, alcoholic stepbrother, who decides to join the fun and put a wrench in Xavier’s scheme.

Spring break is proving hotter than Tamara expected. Will her romance novels be able to compete?

I was so looking forward to reading this!  I think highly of this author's writing skills.  I devoured a couple of her YA books (Taste; Reaping Me Softly).  I figured it would be wonderful to see what she does with adult fiction.  Well, her writing skill is still top grade.  Unfortunately, this new adult novel just didn't work for me.  A potentially good plot turned sordid and flat. 

When I got to chapter 5, I was rolling that my side ached.  I thought that this was going to be a fun read.  Almost immediately thereafter I found otherwise.  It was just carnal-thought-banters between the main characters, Tamara and Xavier.  Back and forth between the two were merely details of their lust for each other.  That took away any semblance of seeing them as a romantic couple finding true love but sole descriptions of their want to get into each other's pants.  Granted it's a normal feeling to desire someone that intensely but as a reader I want to know it's coming from somewhere substantial.  It didn't and I was sorely disappointed.

I saw the YA writing creeping in this novel and I think that's partly where this book went wrong.  Tamara and Xavier were in their early twenties so immaturity can still be a factor but their mindset were very teenager giddiness.  This book is marketed as an adult fiction, so I expect mature characters even if they're young adults.  Yes, adults can find themselves acting immature when a "hottie" comes their way but it's for a moment and they're back to reality.  Tamara and Xavier didn't live in this reality so their "relationship" didn't resonate with me.  The story then became superficially seedy instead of a warm romance I was hoping for.  Even the mysterious "plan" unfolded to a letdown ..that is to Tamara's reaction because I actually thought it was romantic!  Yet with all of this, the ease of finishing the book was there.  I may not be liking where it was not going but the storytelling was fairly engaging enough to see it through so kudos again to Ms Evangelista on her descriptive writing skills.  Next time though, focus more power to the brain instead of down south.

"Friends Forever"

Friends Forever by Danielle Steel, Performed by Nick Podehl, AF, 2012, Playaway digital audio book, 8hrs, rating=2
Source:  library

Two girls and three boys, all with strikingly different looks and talents, meet at the Atwood school as young children. Together, they become an inseparable group - known to outsiders as "The Big Five" - and lean on one another through all the bumps and bends of childhood and adolescence. But when the tight-knit group graduates and scatters to different colleges, their lives diverge dramatically, and some of the friends are lost forever... Those who remain will struggle to understand that even bonds that once seemed unbreakable are not proof against tragedy - but that they can also transform into something new and entirely unexpected... (Goodreads)

This is definitely not a Christmas read!  Not that it was advertised to be one but just letting you know that it was not a jolly book.  Quite depressing actually.  It practically didn't let up.  I was hanging on to the hope that there will be a happy ending.  Well, let's just say that I was so dispirited that it would have taken an amazingly, over-top ending to snap me out of my displeased trance. 

The premise was sweet enough, from kindergarten to adulthood these five individuals demonstrated the important bond lifelong friends can have.  In between were rough trials that tested their friendship and relationships with their parents and siblings.  Overall with a theme of examining a generational age prone to self destruction or tragedies.  Usually that kind of look in life is right up my alley but I didn't buy it here.  There was something about the storytelling that just didn't quite pierce into me.  There were several heart wrenching moments that should have but they felt superficial instead.  The repetitiveness didn't help as well but rather became somewhat annoying. 

Bless Mr. Podehl's heart because he did a great job at narrating but it was the script that just didn't allow him to convey depth.

This wasn't an awful book because there were tender moments and complex relationships worth exploring.  Perhaps that's part of the problem, too many things were going on.

"GPS With Benefits"

Welcome to my stop in this blog tour for GPS WITH BENEFITS released November 1, 2012.  "This is a funny short film script about a GPS with a mind of 'her' own.  The film based on the script will be shot in 2013." ~Vanessa Morgan

My Review

GPS With Benefits by Vanessa Morgan, Film Script, ebook, 2012, 173 KB, rating=2
Source: provided by author for review

How many people do you know that make jokes about their GPS device or even talk to it?
Nearly everyone, right?
GPS devices know where you are and how fast you are driving. Who says that, in the near future, they won't be able to know you look at and what you say.
These thoughts form the basis of my new release, GPS WITH BENEFITS, in which a womanizer test drives a new GPS device with a mind of 'her' own... a jealous and controlling mind, that it...
"The inspiration for GPS WITH BENEFITS came to me when I was in the car with a friend," Vanessa says. "We made jokes about the GPS device and imagined what it would be like if the GPS was actually aware of what the driver was thinking. I immediately knew that these ideas could be turned into a hilarious story."
I won't reveal more, but GPS WITH BENEFITS has some twists and turns that you won't see coming and that will have you laughing out loud.

I like the concept of this script ..what would a global position system (GPS) do if it can express itself?  Well, you'll find out a scenario through Theo's experience.  See, fifty year old, balding Theo likes women.  He's the type of man whose head will turn when a pretty woman passes by, even while driving.  So it was a no-brainer that he picked a sexy woman GPS to test out over a Godzilla or puppy GPS.  He was in for a surprise of course because sexy woman GPS had no qualms about getting cartoon-physical on him.  You know, like a large boxing glove will come out of her to strike Theo to his senses.  She does more and that's where things got too much for me. 

This had raw humor that just wasn't to my taste.  In spite of that, a big congratulations to Ms. Morgan on having this screenplay being adapted into a movie!  That's pretty big!

About the Author

Find Author: Blog | Amazon

Vanessa Morgan is known as the 'female version of Stephen King'. Her screenplays, A GOOD MAN and GPS WITH BENEFITS, are currently being turned into movies. She is also the author of the books DROWNED SORROW and THE STRANGERS OUTSIDE. If she's not working on her latest supernatural thriller, you can find her reading, watching horror movies, blogging, digging through flea markets or indulging in her unhealthy obsession to her cat. She writes in English, Dutch and French.

"Indecent Proposal"

by Jack Engelhard, AF, 2012, c1988, Kindle edition ebook, 310p, rating=2
Source: purchased
Content:  adult sex and foul language

Arab billionaire Ibrahim Hassan offers Joshua Cantor $1 million if he will allow Hassan to sleep with his beautiful blond wife, Joan. But this ostensibly "indecent proposal" has darker overtones for Cantor, whose parents survived the Holocaust. He's a corporate speech writer with an average salary and he's "tired of being poor." He's also afraid of losing his well-bred wife. Joan has never complained about their financial situation, but now Joshua's whining drives her to consider Hassan's offer. (Goodreads)

Wow, very different from the movie and wouldn't you know it, I like the movie version much better!  The only significant thing I saw that the movie stayed true to the book was the proposition (a very rich man to pay a million dollars to spend a night with another man's wife).  Everything else was different, from character names to the journey to the ending. 

A very moral seeking situation this proposition invites and so goes the fascination for the read.  I didn't care for the book's process though.  Maybe too political and racy for my taste.  I'm more for the fluff and personal meaning to the adventure.  Hence, I did like the overall conclusion of the struggle to finding relationship resolve.  There's quite a lot to muddle through when a marriage is strained with such a heavy ethical offer. The potential for irreversible damage is highly likely. Consequently, that was the true gamble that Joshua and Joan was taking.  Did their marriage survive in the end?  I won't spoil it for you just in case you want to read it.

An Unexpected Date

by Susan Hatler, AF, 2012, 11p, rating= 1  2
Source: own this ebook

Holly loves living in her cozy mountain town and all the surrounding beauty soothes her soul. She treasures beading jewelry for her own small business while watching nature and its amazing creatures outside her window. But, her mom begs her to move back to the city so she can find a man to marry. Holly doesn’t want to give up on her dreams, but does that mean she’ll have to give up on love? (Goodreads)

Did you catch that page count above?  11 pages!!  Incredibly too short.  As cute of a story as it was, there was just not enough content and character development for this to work for me.  It's like a short chapter one for a novel.  I don't get it.  I'm glad I downloaded this for free because if I had spent more, I would kick myself.  It's not even long enough to read while waiting at the doctor's office.  It's a shame because it appears that the author can write.  She just needs to write a lot more! ;)

**Update (5/28/12): I get it now (I read two short stories yesterday)! Sorry An Unexpected Date, you happened to be the first short story ebook I read and got slammed for my ignorance of the design of short story books. Which I've recognized might be to taste the author's writing style and perhaps include an excerpt of the author's full length books at the end of the short story. Anyway, I have a new perspective and have been enlightened. Unfortunately, you took the sacrifice for my learning.

Brief Reviews

33 Habits of a Really Good Man by Yvonne Swinson, NF, 2010, 79p, rating=3.5
Source: won from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer

This is the author's sweet and tender tribute to her father, Bill Wells.  A mini memoir.  Each story prefaced with simple quotes of wisdom then gives examples of how Mr. Wells was inspired by them and then lived them.  A wonderful legacy he left on how to make good principles become habit.  Inspirational.  A Soup for the Soul feel.

I cried at the author's poem.  There lies her talent.

Unlocking the Power of the Spirit by Campbell Gray, NF, 2010, 118p, rating=3.5
Source: won from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer

A good book to help recognize and make use of the power of the Holy Ghost.  Mr. Gray gives examples from personal life experiences to make the points.  It's a good refresher course for strong, active LDS members and inspirational for those struggling to find the Spirit. 

Hotel Vendome by Danielle Steele, AF, 2011, Playaway digital audio, 9hrs, rating=3
Source: library

A trying father-daughter story.  Father, Hugues, left by wife for a rock star.  He gets custody of their daughter, Heloise.  He owns and manages a prestigious hotel and Heloise grows up in that life.  No surprise she wants to follow in her father's footsteps ..even though it wasn't what Hugues would have wanted for her.  Overall the story was about growth for the both of them as individuals. 

Character wise, with the exception of Hugues' delay in telling Heloise about Natalie, Hugues seems to be too perfect!  He had all the answers regarding hotel and life.  And Heloise, well, she was down right a spoiled brat when it came to finding out her father's personal affairs.  These qualities I found to be a flaw so it made for a stirring (not the touching kind) read for me.

By the way, Fred Stella did a wonderful job narrating this book.  :)

The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks, AF, 2008, audio CDs, 10.5hrs, rating=2
Source: library

Nicholas Sparks love stories usually move me but this one didn't really do it for me as a whole.  The soldier (Logan) and best friend (Victor) angle was a classic lure so that part had potential.  I suppose I didn't completely buy into the premise ..soldier finds a picture of a pretty woman (Elizabeth) and it ends up giving him "luck" in surviving the war, so he goes to seek out the woman to thank her but doesn't tell her the entire story before they fall in love with each other so when the secret finally comes out, yikes, trouble!  Of course, there's got to be other elements to spice things up, like the woman has a son (Ben), a meddling ex-husband (Clayton, who you'd like to smack a few times!), and a wise grandma (Nana).  My favorite character ended up to be Logan's dog, Zeus ..he was consistently genuine.

Looks like the movie version might be better than the book.  Zack Efron looked smokin' on the film trailer!  Reason I wanted to get my hands on this book in the first place.  Bummer that the book wasn't as good as I'd hoped it would be.  Though, I really liked the ending.  It was it's saving grace. 

"The Fault in Our Stars"

by John Green, YA, 2012, 318p, rating=2
Source:  library
*SPOILER ALERT*

Diagnosed with Stage IV thyroid cancer at 12, Hazel was prepared to die until, at 14, a medical miracle shrunk the tumours in her lungs... for now.
Two years post-miracle, sixteen-year-old Hazel is post-everything else, too; post-high school, post-friends and post-normalcy. And even though she could live for a long time (whatever that means), Hazel lives tethered to an oxygen tank, the tumours tenuously kept at bay with a constant chemical assault.
Enter Augustus Waters. A match made at cancer kid support group, Augustus is gorgeous, in remission, and shockingly to her, interested in Hazel. Being with Augustus is both an unexpected destination and a long-needed journey, pushing Hazel to re-examine how sickness and health, life and death, will define her and the legacy that everyone leaves behind. (Goodreads)

WARNING  --this review might sound preachy but it's merely what I felt during the read.  Anyway, this started off with a bang for me.  I was thinking, 5 stars definitely 5 stars.  Then that physical connection thing between Hazel and Augustus happened.  I was taken aback!  It bothered me.  It's just not an occurrence to be taken so lightly.  It seemed that subliminally it was saying that it's okay to have fornication (remember, they're teenagers) because you're dying of cancer and under the umbrella of "we're in love" syndrome.  Yes, this was not the main focus of the book but to me it shouldn't have been added.  It was so subtle that it could easily be missed but you've read it and it's saying that it's no big deal.  It is to me.  I want my children to reserve their gift of procreation to the person they have lawfully and legally committed to.  MY OPINION.

That aside, this book tackled the world of dying in varying voices.  Namely, two teenagers (Hazel and Augustus) and a broken literary writer (Van Houten).  Hazel's voice was one of acceptance of death ..que sera, sera; Augustus was one of "I'll be the dashing debonair to make a cancer girl's last moments great since I don't have it as bad as others" attitude (yikes, the twist!); and Van Houten was just an unpleasant man drowning in the excuse of self pity.  Quite a group of characters, eh?  Indeed the mixture was recipe for boredom buster.  But overall, I saw this book to be over my head philosophical.  --Oh, I did like a couple of the sidekicks ..Isaac (Augustus' best friend) and lady Lidewij Vliegenthart (Van Houten's personal assistant).  Those two rocked!!

I'm not soulless.  This book did make me cry but this time around the indiscretion overpowered that emotion to award a great rating.

"Too Clever"

by Julia E. Antoine, illustrated by Frankniell Concepcion, YR, 2010, 64p, rating=2
Source: won from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer

Too Clever is the first in the series of the too clever kids. These are kids who are adventuresome, curious and inquisitive. They have very inquiring minds and are always looking for solutions to life’s many situations. They have their own ideas on how things should be, and will go to great lengths to prove a point, to learn a lesson or to accept the inevitable. Come meet them, and see how they go about trying to prove or disprove the obvious.(Goodreads)

This book has great potential.  The stories were charming but needed more follow through.  The idea of using characters that were autonomous was great but most of the adventures they went through weren't developed enough to really sustain my interest.  I did enjoy Megan's Troublesome Pronouns because that was a practical lesson.  Other than that, the stories in general didn't captivate me.

The presentation of the book as well needed some work.  The illustrations didn't appeal to me and the binding of the book was not attractive ..it wasn't like the usual picture book binding but like a soft book handout you'd get from a seminar.  I would not have picked this book up but the blurb did sound interesting.  Bummer that it wasn't.

Granted this is written for young readers but I think even they might find this book confusing at times.  Perhaps the author could concentrate on one story and develop it well.  She's got the right beginings ..she just needs to see it through in full bloom.  :)

"Rumpelstiltstkin"

by Donna Diamond, retold from the Brothers Grimm, YR, 1983, 28p, rating=2
Source: library
Book image:  personal scanned copy of book I read from
*SPOILER ALERT*

Locked in a room and ordered to spin straw into gold for the king, the miller's daughter gets help from a strange little man -- but only on the condition that she give him her firstborn child. The classic tale of Rumpelstiltskin is vividly brought to life in this new edition. (Goodreads, partial)

I liked the illustrations by Donna Diamond ...very pretty pencil drawings.  I don't however like this edition's ending!  Oh my, that was disturbing.  If I read that when I was a kid I'd sure to have nightmares!  Other than, this was an interesting folk tale.  It gives room for moral interpretations. 

What morals can you find in the tale's events?:

• The miller boasted to the king that his daughter can spin straw into gold so he would look important.
• The miller's daughter really couldn't spin straw into gold.
• However the king believed the miller and had the miller's daughter locked in a room to do the task or she shall be killed.
• Rumpelstiltskin, the fairy, comes to the rescue and spun the straws into gold in exchange for the miller's jewelry.
• The king was happy and had her do it again, but in a much bigger room with much more straws.
• The miller's daughter was out of jewelry so Rumpelstiltskin made a deal to spin the straw into gold for the miller's daughter's once again but this time for her first born child to be.
• The miller's daughter agreed in order to save her life.
• The king married the miller's daughter.
• Later they have a baby so Rumpelstiltskin came to the queen to claim the child.  The queen pleads to keep the child.
• Rumpelstiltskin offers her a chance to keep her child if within 3 days she can guess his name.
• The queen seeks help from servants to figure out the name.
• Rumpelstiltskin in a stroll sings a song that tells his name.
• It happens that he was overheard by the queen's servants.
• The queen was then able to correctly give Rumpelstiltskin when he asked so the queen got to keep her baby.
• Upset, Rumpelstiltskin drove one foot into the ground until it sank to his waist and tears himself into two when he pulled his other foot.

Perhaps: 

• Don't lie
• Be happy with what you have
• Don't be greedy
• Be careful what you say
• Think about consequences

How about you?  What do you see?

Rating:

"Smokin' Seventeen"

by Janet Evanovich, AF, 2011, Playaway digital audio, 6.5hrs, rating=2
source: library

Where there's smoke there's fire, and no one knows this better than New Jersey bounty hunter, Stephanie Plum. The bail bonds office has burned to the ground, and bodies are turning up in the empty construction lot. To make matters worse, Stephanie is working out of a motor home she shares with a dancing bear, and Joe Morelli's old world grandmother has declared a vendetta against her. And just when Stephanie decides it might be time to choose between the two men in her life, Morelli and Ranger, a third man from Stephanie's past moves back to Trenton... (Goodreads)

Yikes, I missed the first sixteen of this series!  That's okay, it was still an entertaining read as a stand alone.  It kept me in pace during my morning walks.  I especially found Lula a hoot!  Wanda Sykes kind of funny.  The story in general was weird ... what can I say, it had a dancing bear and a stalker.  But I must say, I like the ironic ending. 

"Once Upon a Time, There Was You"

by Elizabeth Berg, AF, 2011, Playaway digital audio, 9.5hrs, rating=2
*SPOILER ALERT*

...a beautiful and moving novel about a man and woman, long divorced, who rediscover the power of love and family in the midst of an unthinkable crisis.
Even on their wedding day, John and Irene sensed that they were about to make a mistake. Years later, divorced, dating other people, and living in different parts of the country, they seem to have nothing in common—nothing except the most important person in each of their lives: Sadie, their spirited eighteen-year-old daughter. Feeling smothered by Irene and distanced from John, Sadie is growing more and more attached to her new boyfriend, Ron.  When tragedy strikes, Irene and John come together to support the daughter they love so dearly. What takes longer is to remember how they really feel about each other.  (Goodreads)

The beginning left me saying, "Oh no!".  Irene knew on her wedding day that she shouldn't marry John but she went ahead and married him anyways.  One could say that it was cold feet.  But, several years later they did divorce and lived thousands of miles apart.  Then only to find themselves together again because they're 18yo daughter was missing.  So they had to deal with each other while they wait for their daughter's return. 

I was alright with the read up until the abduction.  That whole scene and the aftermath just didn't make sense .. Sadie gets abducted, placed somewhere, abductor leaves and says he'll come back later with someone, days pass and no one returns, then police finds her, Sadie calls her boyfriend, marries him, and then calls her parents.  From there the book continues to work on relationships ... now including Sadie's mother-in-law. 

I can't seem to put it into words but to say that this book was screwy and just okay.

"44 Charles Street"

by Danielle Steel, AF, 2011, Playaway audio, 9hrs, rating=2

"The plumbing leaked; the furniture was rescued from garage sales. And every inch was being restored to its original splendor—even as a relationship fell apart. Owner of a struggling art gallery and newly separated from her boyfriend, Francesca Thayer does the math and then the unimaginable. She puts out an advertisement for boarders, and soon her Greenwich Village house becomes a whole new world. First comes Eileen, a pretty L.A. transplant, now a New York City schoolteacher. Then there’s Chris, a young father struggling for custody of his seven-year-old son. The final tenant is Marya, a celebrated cookbook author hoping to heal after the death of her husband. Over the course of one amazing, unforgettable, life-changing year, the house at 44 Charles Street fills with laughter, heartbreak, and, always, hope. In the hands of master storyteller Danielle Steel, it’s a place those who visit will never want to leave."  (book cover)

I'm glad I'm rediscovering Danielle Steel.  She's not the raunchy romance novelist that I pegged her out to be.  I don't remember which of her books that I read in the '80s that gave me that impression but the raunchiness is gone!  In fact, she's mixing in a bit of mystery (ex. Southern Lights).  Anyway, this book was straight out romance.  Man and woman meet, buy a house and live together, partnership a business, then things just don't work out and woman scramble a plan to save house and business. 

The meat of the story then became Francesca's relationship with the three tenants she had to take in to her home.  There was no surprise that through time they built a friendship and bond.  That development was a nice read.  That was pretty much the best part.  I liked the exploration of the dynamics of roommates. 

Overall, there wasn't anything too exciting, even with the Eileen incident, that wowed me.  Even the happy ending didn't add much depth ...too predictable.  But I wouldn't consider the read a complete waste of my time ... I liked Marya and the Frenchman.

Brief Reviews: Tuck Everlasting; I, Alex Cross

Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbit, YR, 1975, 139p, rating=4

"A kidnapping, a murder, a jailbreak. If this were Winnie Fosters story only, it would be like any other great adventure: you would come to the end, with all resolved, and that would be that. But this is also the story of the Tuck family and therefore, though it has a beginning and a middle, it can never end. The two stories cross near the village of Treegap during a handful of hot August days in the 1880s, days which are a curious mixture of violence and love, of anguish and tranquility. And when those days are over, young Winnie is left to make a fundamental choice. What she chooses at last is not what she might have chosen at first. For when you have known the Tucks as Winnie has, however briefly, you can never be quite the same again."  (book's blurb)

You have discovered a fresh water spring that will allow you to live forever at the age you drink it ... would you?  The Tuck family did and what did they learn?  Now, Winnie knows about it ... will she drink it?  What effects does living forever have?  Should it be available to all?  What would you do with your endless days? 

Questions, questions, questions.  A short book that is simply thought provoking and live-life affirming. 

~Just for fun, if I ended up stuck to live forever in one age, I'd pull a Ground Hogs Day and learn something and better it everyday.  Maybe become an awesome writer/author! Or end world hunger.  :)

I, Alex Cross by James Patterson, Alex Cross #16, AF, 2009, Playaway audio, 7hrs, rating=2

"Alex Cross's niece is found brutally murdered. Overcome with grief, Alex vows to take down her killer before he strikes again. But shortly after he begins the investigation, Alex discovers that his niece had gotten mixed up with some very important, very dangerous people. And she's not the only one who has disappeared..." (book's blurb..first paragraph)

I'm speechless.  This was just not my cup of tea ... adult content and language.  Overall far fetch scenario.

"The Choice"

by Nicholas Sparks, AF, 2007, audio CDs, 9hrs, rating=2
**SPOILER ALERT**

Set amid the austere beauty of the North Carolina coast, Nicholas Sparks tells the story of Travis Parker, a small-town veterinarian who's perfectly content with the active and exciting life he leads. Since he uses his spare time bungee jumping and swimming with the dolphins, he can't shake the belief that a woman would simply slow him down. That is, until Gabby Holland enters his life. Gabby, Travis's new neighbor, is in love with her boyfriend of three years, and wants nothing more than to start planning the wedding she's always dreamed about. However, there is a story within a story and the connection between Travis and Gabby is just a beginning. As their tale unfolds, their relationship becomes something different--with much higher stakes. With echoes of THE NOTE BOOK abound, listeners everywhere will fall in love. (Goodreads)

This was not particularly original ... man, happy being a bachelor but then the "right" woman comes along and it's love at first sight.  Man in this case was Travis and the woman was Gabby.  The problem of course was that Gabby was engaged to another man so she's suppose to be off limits.  That doesn't seem to stop any of them.  For the sake of true love they end up together, have children, and lo and behold later in their marriage, a car accident ends up putting Gabby in a coma.  Travis's choice was whether or not to pull the plug.  Did his decision give them the happily ever after?  But of c-----!

I basically tuned out after the affair so I could have been singing a different tune if that part was left off.  It's so disheartening.  Maybe I'm bitter because I've been the other person.  But really, have the decency to break the relationship you're in first then go ahead and have another one!!

Perhaps if I didn't tune out, I would have been bawling because it had major sap factor.  Mr. Sparks is pretty good about squeezing your heart for tears.  So this doesn't end my reading journey with his books.  I'm a sucker for torture! j/k  :)

P.S.  Now you know the behind the scene reason why I gave The Bridges of Madison County a rating of one star.  It was incredibly passionate that it rightly deserved five stars had I not taken account of the affair.  That said, this book might actually merit three stars.

"Miles to Go"

by Richard Paul Evans, book #2 of The Walk series, AF, 2011, 320p, rating=3

I bring a book when I go to work just in case I have a minute to read during my breaks.  I usually don't get very far.  Too many distractions or often I'm too tired to do anything but crash in the recliner.   However, I discovered that I was able to concentrate when I was reading this book at work.  I figured out why.  There was a lot of dialogue.  That moved the reading along rather quickly.  It helped also that this was another tug at the heartstrings kind of book. 

This was a nice follow through to the first book.  It incorporated a review of the first book while supplying a continuation.  Unfortunately, it didn't move me as much as I'm use to of Mr. Evans' books.  There were more sweets characters but also presented incongruity. 

Perhaps the subliminal preachings finally got to me as well.  Yet, Mr. Evans remains to be one of my favorite authors.  He has a way with words that touches my heart and characters that are exemplary and inspiring.  So, I will continue to follow this walk and look forward to book #3.