Review: See Mom Run: Side Splitting Essays from the World's Most Harried Blogging Moms by Beth Feldman

See Mom Run: Side Splitting Essays from the World's Most Harried Blogging Moms by Beth Feldman

My Rating: 4.0/5.0

Publisher: Plain White Press
Release: November 1, 2009
Binding: Paperback
Pages: 160

About the Book:

Motherhood is absolutely hilarious if you're not too exhausted to notice! These writings feature funny, blogging moms who chronicle motherhood from a uniquely contemporary perspective.

Essayists include: Tracy Beckerman (Rebel without a Minivan), Jen Singer (MommaSaid.net), Cheryl Lage (executive producer, BabyTV), Nancy Rabinowitz Friedman (television producer-turned-comedy writer), Jeanne Muchnick (Dinner for Moms), Sara Fisher (SelfMadeMom.net), Dawn Meehan (Because I Said So), Meredith Jacobs (Modern Jewish Mom's Guide to Shabbat), and more.

Beth Feldman, series editor, is founder of RoleMommy.com, an online community and events company that inspires, entertains, and informs busy moms.

My Review:

A very enjoyable set of essays on motherhood. Some made me laugh so hard. And I could relate to all of them. This is a must read for mothers who are feeling out-of-touch, out-of-sorts, feeling like supermom or not. You will understand, you will laugh and you will be touched. And most of all you will see that you are not alone in your experiences of motherhood.

This collection is well put together and encompasses so many different things pertaining to motherhood from babies to toddlers to teens to grandchildren. It's perfect for any stage in a mom's life. It's humorous and it's uplifting. An overall great read that reads very quickly and at the end you wish there were more essays for you to read because you have enjoyed the book so much.

I received this as an ebook for review from the publisher, Plain White Press through netgalley.com.

Challenges:
100+ Book Challenge
Fall Into Reading Challenge 2009

ARC Arrival: Lessons in French by Laura Kinsale

Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Release Date: January 26, 2010
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Pages: 480

I received this from Danielle L. Jackson at Sourcebooks, Inc. for review.

Quick Summary:

Lessons in French is a sweet tale of a reconnected childhood love, separated for years because of society and family expectations. Everyone loves a sweeping love story—complete with a shy wallflower learning what’s she capable of because of the devilishly dashing and fiendishly French Duc de Monceaux, still pining away for her after all those years apart…

Praise for Laura Kinsale and Lesson in French

“Kinsale’s delightful characters and delicious wit enliven this poignant tale of childhood loves reunited. It will charm your heart!” —Sabrina Jeffries, New York Times bestselling author of Wed Him Before You Bed Him

“As great as ever, Laura Kinsale captures our hearts all over again with her newest, sure to be best seller, Lessons in French.” —Sue Grimshaw, bookseller

“Laura Kinsale creates magic. Her characters live, breathe, charm, and seduce, and her writing is as delicious and perfectly served as wine in a crystal glass. When you’re reading Kinsale, as with all great indulgences, it feels too good to stop. If there is one thing I wish for every romance reader, it is to experience the singular and extraordinary pleasures of a Laura Kinsale novel.” —Lisa Kleypas, New York Times bestselling author of Seduce Me at Sunrise

“Kinsale is a master storyteller. The sheer beauty of her writing never fails to inspire me. —Laura Lee Guhrke, New York Times bestselling author of With Seduction In Mind

“Lessons in French will be welcomed by anyone who knows the subtle humor, powerful emotions, and witty charm of Laura Kinsale’s work. If you’re new to Kinsale’s writing, this is a perfect book to start with. Regardless, if you pick up this book, be sure to reserve several hours for complete indulgence.” —Smart Bitches Trashy Books

“A truly gifted writer, Laura Kinsale is one of the romance genre’s brightest stars.” —Loretta Chase, New York Times bestselling author of Don't Tempt Me

“Laura Kinsale is the gold standard in historical romance! Funny, sad, witty, and deeply sensual, Lessons in French is an exquisite romance and an instant classic. Laura Kinsale’s writing is such a pleasure I know that I’ll be rereading Lessons in French for years to come.” —Elizabeth Hoyt, New York Times bestselling author of To Beguile a Beast

“Laura Kinsale has had a tremendous influence on my writing. If we're talking about stars in the firmament of the Romance world, she's Ursa Minor—the one you use for finding your way.” —Joanna Bourne, national bestselling author of My Lord and Spymaster

“Lessons in French is très magnifique! A passionate and enchanting story of a second chance at first love.” —Dear Author.com

“Lessons in French is wonderful romp, presented with wit, style, and Laura Kinsale's trademark heart-stealing characters. I smiled my way through it, loving every word.”
—Jennifer Blake, New York Times bestselling author of Gallant Match

Review: Nine Dragons by Michael Connelly

Nine Dragons by Michael Connelly

Now I remember why I love Harry Bosch novels so much - it's a thrill ride that I don't want to end.

My Rating: 4.5/5.0


I received this book from Miriam Parker at Hachette Books for a Virtual Blog Tour.


Author's Website: http://michaelconnelly.com/index.html
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Release: October 13, 2009
Binding: Hardcover
Pages: 384

About the Book:

Harry Bosch is assigned a homicide call in South L.A. that takes him to Fortune Liquors, where the Chinese owner has been shot to death behind the counter in an apparent robbery.

Joined by members of the department's Asian Crime Unit, Bosch relentlessly investigates the killing and soon identifies a suspect, a Los Angeles member of a Hong Kong triad. But before Harry can close in, he gets the word that his young daughter Maddie, who lives in Hong Kong with her mother, is missing.

Bosch drops everything to journey across the Pacific to find his daughter. Could her disappearance and the case be connected? With the stakes of the investigation so high and so personal, Bosch is up against the clock in a new city, where nothing is at it seems.

My Review:

A few years ago I started reading the Harry Bosch books then I stopped because I found other authors and started finding other new books. There was never a "I don't enjoy Harry Bosch anymore" or anything like that, it's just that other newer books started catching my attention. The last one I read was book #6 Angel's Flight and I loved it. I kept meaning to get back to the series, but never did.

Then I was offered a chance to review the newest Harry Bosch book (#14) which is Nine Dragons for the Nine Days of Nine Dragons Book Tour. I am so glad I accepted this and read the book for review. I now remember that I love Harry Bosch and even though I haven't read all the books, I was not lost in this book. The daughter was new to me, but that was okay. I remember Eleanor from the books I read so she wasn't a surprise and some cases are alluded to, but nothing to ruin another book that I haven't read. In fact I would say that this book could stand alone quite well. I do think reading the series as a whole gives a better feel for the character of Harry and how he is, but the book works on it's own also.

So I thoroughly enjoyed the twists and turns in this book and the newer Harry who is now a father. Being a parent definitely changes your life and I like seeing the changes in Harry's life when it comes to having a family. He still takes chances and has a good head for detective work, but he also has something to live for which makes him different. But thankfully not too different. I loved the police work, I loved the foreign setting of Hong Kong (which I know little to nothing about) and some of the Chinese history. It was an enthralling plot and I could hardly put the book down. In fact I broke my self-imposed bed time last night to read a few more chapters and only put it down because my sleep medicine kicked in.

It's a great read full of twists and turns that I enjoy in my police procedural type suspense. Connelly is a master and I can't wait to get back to the Harry Bosch series where I left off. And I can't wait until the next Harry Bosch novel comes out either.



Challenges:
100+ Book Challenge
Fall Into Reading Challenge 2009

Waiting on Wednesday - October 21

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

In honor of my author interview that will be posted later today with the amazing Irene Hannon my "can't-wait-to-read" selection for this week is:

Invisible by Paul Auster

Release: October 27, 2009

'One of America's greatest novelists' dazzlingly reinvents the coming-of-age story in his most passionate and surprising book to date

Sinuously constructed in four interlocking parts, Paul Auster's fifteenth novel opens in New York City in the spring of 1967, when twenty-year-old Adam Walker, an aspiring poet and student at Columbia University, meets the enigmatic Frenchman Rudolf Born and his silent and seductive girfriend, Margot. Before long, Walker finds himself caught in a perverse triangle that leads to a sudden, shocking act of violence that will alter the course of his life.

Three different narrators tell the story of Invisible, a novel that travels in time from 1967 to 2007 and moves from Morningside Heights, to the Left Bank of Paris, to a remote island in the Caribbean. It is a book of youthful rage, unbridled sexual hunger, and a relentless quest for justice. With uncompromising insight, Auster takes us into the shadowy borderland between truth and memory, between authorship and identity, to produce a work of unforgettable power that confirms his reputation as 'one of America's most spectacularly inventive writers.'

So what are you waiting on this week?