Happy Mothers Day

Mothers Day Clipart by Mothers Day Central

Wishing all the mother's out there a wonderful Mother's Day.  For everyone else who is not a mother, make sure you at least give your mom a call!

REVIEW - Case Closed? Nine Mysteries Unlocked by Modern Science

         'Case Closed?' was a very interesting book about nine mysteries from the past that may have been uncovered by modern science.  The logic of the answers were so simple and a 'duh', that the book perked my interest and I was able to keep reading, even though I generally don't like those kind of books.

         In the pyramid of Hatshepsut, the female pharaoh of Egypt, the mummy found in the royal tomb was not her.   So where was Hatshepsut?  Through cat scans and the magical power of teeth, the answer might lay in this book.

         During the period of the very first emperor of China, the Emperor sent out the famous explorer Hsu Fu to find the plant that will give you immortality.  He returned and said that a dragon and a sea magician had demanded three thousand men and woman in exchange for the plant.  Hsu Fu never returned.  So how far did he go on his bamboo ship?  All the way to Japan?  Or even America? 

         Where was the lost city of Ubar?  What made the Anasazi disappear?   What happened to Sir John Franklin and his two ships?  Did Anastasia survive?  Where were the bodies of George L. Mallory and his partner?  What happened to the Star Dust?  Or the submarine the INS Dakar?  These mysteries might have been solved by modern science, and with the help of common sense.

     The book was very well written with lots of interesting facts and stories.  It definitely deserves a four star  rating, and I'd recommend this book for all ages.  For those who are interested.

       Book written by Susan Hughes and illustrated by Michael Wandelmaier.  Book was received from author to review.

REVIEW - Bumped

Bumped by Megan McCafferty

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Description from Goodreads: When a virus makes everyone over the age of eighteen infertile, would-be parents are forced to pay teen girls to conceive and give birth to their children, making teens the most prized members of society. 

Sixteen-year-old identical twins Melody and Harmony were separated at birth and had never met until the day Harmony shows up on Melody’s doorstep. Until now, the twins have followed completely opposite paths. Melody has scored an enviable conception contract with a couple called the Jaydens. While they are searching for the perfect partner for Melody to bump with, she is fighting her attraction to her best friend Zen, who is way too short for the job. 

Harmony has spent her whole life in religious Goodside, preparing to be a wife and mother. She believes her calling is to bring Melody back to Goodside and convince her that “pregging” for profit is a sin. But Harmony has secrets of her own that she is running from. 

When Melody is finally matched with the world-famous, genetically flawless Jondoe, both girls’ lives are changed forever. A case of mistaken identity takes them on a journey neither could have ever imagined, one that makes Melody and Harmony realize they have so much more than just DNA in common. 


My thoughts:
Where do you begin on such a controversial subject? Megan McCafferty stated in a letter to the reader that she was creating a world where teen sex is encouraged instead of the confusion that we have. She was making a point about the teens caught in the middle of our society today.  She is taking an all or nothing approach. It's a society where teens are prostituted to have babies.

Melody and Harmony are identical twins separated at birth. One is raised, Harmony, in a highly religious society. I would even say cultish society. They do not leave the compound, wear clothing that leaves everything to the imagination and are told who to marry. They train their whole lives to become a wife and mother.

Melody is raised planning to surrogate deliver a baby for massive amounts of money. Both girls are given little choices to their future. They both have a purpose, chosen by their adoptive parents, Melody and Harmony are two extremes, they are direct opposites at the beginning of the novel.

The subject matter was so sensitive and horrifying to me that I struggled to read this book. At the same time I really wanted to see where McCaffery was taking the story. I can't and never want to imagine where a culture glorifies teen sex. Little girls as young as eleven are pregnant and are given scholarships if they can produce as many babies as possible before graduation. UGH!

This is a dystopian novel to the fullest. A virus has made it impossible for people to procreate after age 18. The world is facing extinction. Little girls carry around packs referring to their first menstrual cycle. They can't wait until it is their turn to sport a fashionable bump. No love, all business.

I will say that McCafferty has succeeded in creating a world making me think   You cannot read this book without thinking.  Her subject matter is very controversial.  Some will applaud this work and the forward thinking, others like me will be sick at heart.

It is well written,  even  though the cultural wording is offensive. It makes me glad that I live in a time where there is middle ground. This is a book about extremes.  I don't know that there will be middle ground reviews.  This book will be either love or hate. It depends where  you fall the spectrum. I received a copy to review from Netgalley.

I would not recommend this book to young teens.  Older teens would need parental permission in my opinion.

Teaser Tuesday

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!

I just finished a book this morning.  I opened the next book on my kindle and took my teaser from the first page.

This teaser comes from "Bumped" by Megan McCafferty .

"Do the deed.  Born to breed."


There it is.  Have a great day!

REVIEW - Jaclyn's Ghost

Jaclyn's Ghost by Dorlana Vann

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

DESCRIPTION FROM GOODREADS: Ghosts, Mystery, and Fashion. Can this diva solve her own murder, or will she be stuck in limbo forever? 

After recovering from the shock of seeing her own dead body, (still dressed to kill from last night’s party) fashion model, Jaclyn Jade, discovers she’s a ghost with a choice. She can either immediately go back to Hell, do nothing and stay in limbo, or find the reason she fell short of grace and advance to Heaven. 

Because she was murdered, Jaclyn hopes that finding her killer will unravel this mystery. With the help of a timid closet-psychic who can speak to the dead, and a handsome, yet arrogant, ghost of a man from the roaring 20s, her search for answers initiates a quirky journey of self-discovery. Personalities, eras, and worlds collide as this mismatched trio race against time to solve the mystery of Jaclyn’s Ghost.

MY THOUGHTS:
Jaclyn wakes up to find a strange man in her room. She is confused and then finds out that she is dead and that the man is another ghost. His name is Logan and he lives in her apartment building.

Jaclyn was a fashion model and had a lucrative career. She finds out that she was murdered and decides not to continue on in "hell", living lifetime after lifetime to try to qualify for entry into heaven. She has a chance to redeem herself and figure out what she did wrong and enter into heaven.

Logan, the handsome and helpful ghost, volunteers to help her. They find a medium named Morgan and the three of them investigate who killed her and why Jaclyn was murdered.

Mystery, romance, redemption, and friendship run through the pages of this book. It is cute, clean, and will leave you with a smile on your face. I enjoyed Dorlann's writing style.  It is easy to follow and she makes the characters believable, even though they are ghosts.  It is fun and fast.  I was hooked right from the beginning and she kept my attention until the end.

I received a copy of this book to review from the author.  Many thanks for sharing this book with me Dorlana.  It was well worth my time.

REVIEW - Sarah, They're Coming for You

Sarah, They're Coming for You   by Susan Kronick

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Description from goodreads:

Dr. Sarah Pullman has been haunted for as long as she can remember. The time has come for her to dig in and find out the reason for the paranormal activity and solve it before it consumes like it did her ancestors.

Will she make it through in time, or will she meet the same fate as the rest of her family?

My thoughts:
There is so much potential in this book. I love the premise of a woman being haunted by events in her family history.  From some of the things that I have read, I understand that Susan Kronick has had experiences with communicating with the dead and knows her stuff.  She adds quite a bit of detail to the different kinds of spirits and hauntings.

Sarah is able to see and communicate with the dead. She has been tormented by spirits since childhood that chant "Sarah, they're coming for you." As she ages the tormenting increases so that she is fighting for her soul and sanity. She finds out that she must travel to Austria to uncover secrets in her family history to stop the attacks.


See, the premise is compelling. But unfortunately the writing skills were lacking. I really tried to get past it. I wanted to see this as a fabulous book. Susan really has some great ideas. I couldn't get past all of the descriptions she uses for her character. She comes up with many ways to introduce Sarah in a sentence. I found it very confusing until I started to catch on to her writing style. My favorite was the "anal retentive journeyer". Unfortunately I only made it to page 81.

I wish Susan the best in her future endeavors and hope that she gets some better editing advice.  I think that there is some potential here.


If I get to a point where I feel that I may give it another try, I will add more to the review.

I received a copy of this book to review.  This is part of a book tour with Pump Up Your Book.  To find out more about Susan, visit her website: http://www.susankronick.webs.com/

REVIEW - Relic Master: Dark City

The Dark City by Catherine Fisher

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Description from Goodreads: Welcome to Anara, a world mysteriously crumbling to devastation, where nothing is what it seems: Ancient relics emit technologically advanced powers, members of the old Order are hunted by the governing Watch yet revered by the people, and the great energy that connects all seems to also be destroying all. The only hope for the world lies in Galen, a man of the old Order and a Keeper of relics, and his sixteen-year-old apprentice, Raffi. They know of a secret relic with great power that has been hidden for centuries. As they search for it, they will be tested beyond their limits. For there are monstersÑsome human, some notÑthat also want the relic's power and will stop at nothing to get it


My thoughts:
This book is great for all age groups. It has adventure, danger, and magic.

Galen is a relic master. He takes care of the left over "magical" technology that was left behind when "the masters" left his planet. He communes with the planet and is able to handle the mystical objects. He has an apprentice named Raffi, who is using the magic of communicating with the world in his master's place.

They begin an adventure that will lead them to old relics, enemies in disguise, and new friends.

This is the first of four books that is expected to be published in consecutive months.   The publication date for this book is May 12, 2011.  It appears to me that this series was published previously, but with the success of Incarceron is being re-published.  I am glad that it is coming out... again.  I was previously unaware of it's existence and I am grateful that I have been given the opportunity to discover this series.

I feel confident  and comfortable in sharing this book with my kids.

I received my copy from the Library Thing Early Reviewers program. Well worth the read, I plan on continuing with this series,

It's Carnival time - enter the Spring Blog Carnival

I love taking part in giveaways.  I love to read too much and share my love of reading with others.  I try to only give away books that I like (well, ,most of the time).  This carnival is hosted by some fantastic bloggers!  They are : Candace’s Book Blog, Reading Angel, Pure Imagination, and The Book Swarm .


Here is what I am giving away:

The First two books in the Drake Chronicles by Alyxandra Harvey, a Laney bookmark, and a Vampire bookmark.

Hearts at Stake: Description from Goodreads: The Drakes are rather different to your usual neighbours. They are vampires and some of the members of the family date back to the twelfth century. One of the children, Solange, is the only born female vampire known and, as such, she poses a direct threat to the vampire queen. Her best friend Lucy is human, and when Solange is kidnapped Lucy and Solange's brother, Nicholas, set out to save her. Lucy soon discovers that she would like to be more than just friends with Nicholas. But how does one go about dating a vampire? Meanwhile, Solange finds an unlikely ally in Kieran, a vampire slayer on the hunt for his father's killer. Also known as "Hearts At Stake."

Blood Feud: Description from Goodreads: The action and romance continue as the Drakes face a new vampire with a 200-year-old grudge. It’s been centuries since Isabeau St. Croix barely survived the French Revolution. Now she’s made her way back to the living and she must face the ultimate test by confronting the evil British lord who left her for dead the day she turned into a vampire. That’s if she can control her affection for Logan Drake, a vampire whose bite is as sweet as the revenge she seeks.
The clans are gathering for Helena’s royal coronation as the next vampire queen, and new alliances are beginning to form now that the old rifts of Lady Natasha’s reign have started to heal. But with a new common enemy, Leander Montmarte—a vicious leader who hopes to force Solange to marry him and usurp the power of the throne for himself—the clans must stand together to preserve the peace he threatens to destroy.

This second adventure in the Drake Chronicles—told from both Logan’s and Isabeau’s perspectives—has all the same butt-kicking action, heart-pounding romances and snarky humor that readers loved in Hearts at Stake, as well as exciting new revelations about the vampire dynasties to keep readers coming back for more.


I will be sending out this package to one winner.  This is an international giveaway, so as long as you have an address that I can ship to (I live in the US), you can enter.  I promise to mail it and hope that you have a secure mailing address, I cannot be responsible for lost packages. You must be at least 13 years old to enter and follow me on GFC.  There are extra entries for Networked Blogs, email subscription (You must confirm it, or it doesn't count), twitter and goodreads.  All are located in a row in the right hand side bar.  This contest ends at midnight Pacific  Daylight Savings time on the 8th. Fill in the form below the challenges list and have fun.






Who's game for a challenge?


May 1st-
Reading Angel: Haunted House
Reading Teen: Fortune Tellers Booth

May 2nd-
Candace’s Book Blog: Food Court
The Mod Podge Bookshelf: House of Mirrors

May 3rd-
The Book Swarm: Roller Coaster
Actin’ Up With Books: Karaoke Booth

May 4th-
Pure Imagination: Kissing Booth
Lovely Lit: Once Upon a Time Booth

May 5th-
Awesomesauce Books: Gaming Booth
Books R Us: Medieval Booth

May 6th-
Extreme Reader Book Reviews: Guessing Booth 
Colloquium: Cotton Candy Booth

May 7th-
The Minding Spot: Teacups Booth
Miss Remmers Review: It’s a Bad World Booth




Be sure to visit and enter the contests on the following blogs: