R.I.P. IV Challenge

Carl at Stainless Steel Droppings has announced the R.I.P. IV Challenge over on his blog. This is the first one of these I have participated in, but I hear they are extremely fun. See Carl's main post for full information about the challenge.

The main gist is to pick books from the following categories, read them, enjoy them and post reviews. The categories are:
Mystery.
Suspense.
Thriller.
Dark Fantasy.
Gothic.
Horror.
Supernatural.

There are also different levels of the challenge - I plan on participating in:

Peril the First:

Read Four books of any length, from any subgenre of scary stories that you choose.

No official list is required, but we are encouraged to list books that we would like to read. That is what I will do here. I am thinking about reading the following:

1. Dead to the World by Charlaine Harris - read - review
   
2. Blue Bloods by Melissa de la Cruz - read
   
3. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson - read
   
4. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith and Jane Austen - read - review
   

I'll have decide on more later when I check out my review pile and my library pile.

Review: After by Amy Efaw (1-ARC-Tour)

After by Amy Efaw





rating: 4.0/5.0






From Goodreads:

An infant left in the trash to die. A teenage mother who never knew she was pregnant . . .

Before That Morning, these were the words most often used to describe straight-A student and star soccer player Devon Davenport: responsible, hardworking, mature. But all that changes when the police find Devon home sick from school as they investigate the case of an abandoned baby. Soon the connection is made—Devon has just given birth; the baby in the trash is hers. After That Morning, there’s only one way to define Devon: attempted murderer.

As soon as I received this in the mail, I opened it up and started reading it. After starting it I just had to keep on reading it. I read it on a Sunday - Sunday is the day I spend at my parent's house with my kids and usually it means little time to concentrate and read, but this book sucked me in so well that I read most of it during the day on Sunday.

I loved that in reading the book you slowly learned about Devon and her life, really at the same time that Devon was learning things. This was a great look inside a juvenile detention center and the wide-variety of girls who are in there. Devon is not what you would expect at all to end up in jail, but she does. Nothing is clear cut in this book - you are muddling through just as Devon is and that is what makes the book outstanding. Nothing is prettied up for the book - it's raw and real, but not in a completely unpleasant way if that makes any sense. It does put you out of your comfort zone, but in a good way.

It's an eye-opening book of a real epidemic that is out there, and Ms. Efaw handles it beautifully. It makes you think, it makes you feel and most of all it held my attention and made me read.

And isn't the cover just amazing . . .

I received this through 1 ARC Tours.

Binding: Hardcover
On-sale Date: August 11, 2009
Publisher: Viking Juvenile
Pages: 352

ARC Arrival: The Christmas Clock by Kat Martin

The Christmas Clock By Kat Martin

I received this from Kim Miller at Nancy Berland Public Relations, Inc.

Vanguard
October 2009
$14.95 U.S. / $18.95 CAN.
ISBN:978-1-59315-547-6
www.katbooks.com

Bestselling author Kat Martin creates an inspiring holiday story of vows broken and love redeemed, of courage and strength, and a memorable tale that will resonate long after the book is over.

Teddy Winters was eight years old that Christmas, too young to understand all the undercurrents swirling around him in the tiny Michigan town of Dreyerville.

He wasn’t able to value that Christmas for the miracle it truly was.

Teddy only knew he wanted to buy the beautiful Victorian clock in the window of Tremont’s Antiques as a gift for his grandmother, Lottie Sparks, a woman desperate to find him a home before her rapidly progressing Alzheimer’s left him an orphan.

Teddy didn’t know that in trying to buy the clock he would meet Sylvia Winters and Joe Dixon, a couple, once in love, desperate to overcome the past. He didn’t know he would form a friendship with his neighbors, Floyd and Doris Culver, two young people struggling to revive their long-dead marriage.

He didn’t know that these people would fill his Christmas with magic and hope; that the love of his friends would change his world, and he would forever change theirs.

ARC Arrival: Spinning Forward: A Novel (Cedar Key Series, book 1) by Terri DuLong

Spinning Forward: A Novel, Cedar Key Series, Book 1 by Terri DuLong

I received this from Kim Miller at Nancy Berland Public Relations, Inc.

Kensington Trade Paperback
November 2009
$15 U.S
ISBN-10: 0-758-23204-7
ISBN-13: 978-0-7582-3204-5
www.TerriDulong.com

In a debut novel brimming with warmth and wit, Terri DuLong spins a tale of new beginnings, old friends and lives forever bound . . .

A New Englander born and bred, the last place Sydney Webster expects to find herself starting over is on an island off the coast of Florida. Yet here she is in Cedar Key, trying to pull herself together after her husband's untimely death—and the even more untimely revelation of his gambling addiction. Bereft of her comfortable suburban life, Syd takes shelter at a college pal’s bed and breakfast, where amidst the bougainvillea blossoms and the island's gentle rhythms, a plan begins to form . . .

Syd never considered the possibility of turning her passion for spinning and knitting into something more than a hobby, but when the unique composition of her wool draws attention, a door is opened—the first among many. Yet even as she ventures out of her comfort zone, Syd finds herself stepping into the embrace of a community rich with love, laughter, friendship . . . and secrets. And as long-hidden truths are revealed, Syd faces a choice: spin a safety net—or spin decidedly forward and never look back . . .

This looks so good - I can't wait to read it.

Mailbox Monday - August 31

Mailbox Monday is hosted by Marcia at The Printed Page. To see this weeks list of participants go here. To find out more about my books - click on the book cover.

ARC/Review copies of:

And from Paperbackswap I received:

Another great week and a lot of reading to do!