Review: I Heart Bloomberg by Melody Carlson

I Heart Bloomberg by Melody Carlson




My rating: 4.25/5.0

A fun look at what it's like for four girls who are complete strangers from different backgrounds and with different personalities to move in together.

I was captured from the first page by the girls in this book. Though I must confess Kendall did not grow on me until the end of the book, but the other three girls all touched at a part of me. There is the striking beauty from Hawaii who was a premed student but has dropped out and headed to the mainland leaving a secret behind. There is Anna, the mexican girl who is used to being pampered and taken care of, she is spoiled but she also works. There is also Megan who has just graduated college and lost her father. She is just rying to find her place in this world and get out of a bad living situation without having to move back home. And finally there is Kendall, the spoiled rich girl who brings them all together since she has received her grandmother's house free and clear and she figures she can make an easy living from rent money.

All the girls quickly learn that life is not easy, but Megan, Lelani and Anna all learn to lean on and trust each other and friendship blossoms between them. Megan is the only one strong in the faith, though Lelani and Anna both have strong moral convictions and know right and wrong. Kendall on the other hand is just learning. And as this series progresses I think she will learn more as will all the girls.

I didn't find the girls whiny or annoying. I think you had to take Kendall in her context and that she is the foil to the other girls in the book. I found each of them strong in their own way and all of them just trying to find their way. I think this is a great example of Christian chicklit (there are plenty of designer names thrown around and Lelani works at Nordstrom's).

I thought the storyline moved well and it never lost my interest. In fact I read most of it in one sitting and wished I had Let them Eat Fruitcake to pick up after I finished.

Ms. Carlson writes other fiction in the YA genre and I don't think moving to chicklit is much of a stretch for her at all. It is well written and the characters are wonderful.

About the Book:

Kendall’s managed to wrangle her grandmother’s house—free and clear—except for the rules. No male roommates. But that’s ok, with the right ad she’ll pull in some girls, their rent and if she’s lucky, she won’t have to go to work any time soon.

For their part, Anna, Lelani, and Megan all have their reasons for wanting to move in: Anna has got to get out from under her overprotective parents; Lelani can’t take another day in her aunt’s tiny crackerbox house overflowing with toddlers and Megan needs a place free of her current roommate from Hades. Though they come with assorted extra baggage filled with broken hearts and dreams, they will discover they also have a vast array of hidden strengths.

As they struggle to become the women they want to be, they’ll find new hope and maybe even Kendall will learn a thing or two about life, love and the true meaning of friendship.

Challenges:
100+ Book Challenge
Support Your Local Library Challenge
Fall Into Reading Challenge 2009
Countdown Challenge 2010 

2010 Young Adult Reading Challenge

I'm joining in on this challenge hosted by J. Kaye at J. Kay's Book Blog.  I love challenges and in the last year I have developed a love for young adult novels.  I tell myself I am keeping up-to-date for a world my son's will face in a few years, but the truth is I love the stories.  There is so much more out there than when I was a teenager over 20 years ago (ugh - where did time go).

So I am going all out for this on and doing the Super Size Me YA Reading Challenge and will be shooting for reading 75 YA books in 2010!


Rules for the challenge can be found at J. Kaye's book blog and you can sign up there with Mr. Linky and see the other people joining the challenge.


I will keep my list on this post and hopefully add reviews quickly too.  There is a post on J. Kaye's book blog to see the reviews and that is here.


That's it - I look forward to starting on January 1, 2010!


Books Read:

1. Sydney's D.C. Discovery by Jean Fischer
2. Good Ghoul's Guide to Getting Even by Julie Kenner
3. L is for Loser by Lisi Harrison
4. It's Not Easy Being Mean by Lisi Harrison
5. Sealed with a Diss by Lisi Harrison
6. Private by Kate Brian
7. Don't You Forget About Me by Cecily von Ziegesar
8. Shadow by Jenny Moss
9. Nailed by Jennifer Laurens
10. Poseur by Rachel Maude
11. Invitation Only by Kate Brian
12. Freaksville by Kitty Keswick
13. Island Sting by Bonnie Doerr
14. Spring Breakdown by Melody Carlson
15. Katy's New World by Kim Vogel Sawyer
16. Dear Big V by Ellen W Leroe
17. Princess for Hire by Lindsey Leavitt
18. Oracle of Dating by Allison van Diepen
19. The Mark by Jen Nadol
20. Heavenly by Jennifer Laurens
21. The Naughty List by Suzanne Young
22. Anything But Normal by Melody Carlson
23. The Witchy Worries of Abbie Adams by Rhonda Hayter
24. Getting Revenge on Lauren Wood by Eileen Cook
25. Out with the In Crowd by  Stephanie Morrill
26. Never Blame the Umpire by Gene Fehler
27. Magic Hands by Jennifer Laurens
28. Leaving Gee's Bend by Irene Latham
29. The Secret Year by Jennifer Hubbard
30. A Golden Web by Barbara Quick
31. The Exile of Gigi Lane by Adrienne Maria Vrettos
32. ttyl by Lauren Myracle
33. Shadow Hills by Anastasia Hopcus
34. Asking for Trouble by Sandra Byrd
35. A Most Improper Magick
36. White Cat by Holly Black
37. Double Love by Francine Pascal
38. Love Will Keep Us Together by Ann Dayton and May Vanderbilt
39. Bleeding Violet by Dia Reeves
40. Prada and Prejudice by Mandy Hubbard
41. Prom by Laurie Halse Anderson
42. Fever, 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson
43. When Lightning Strikes by Meg Cabot
44. Infinity by Sherrilyn Kenyon
45. Wayfarer by R.J. Anderson
46. The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan
47. Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer by John Grisham
48. Untouchable by Kate Brian
49. Confessions by Kate Brian
50. The Carrie Diaries by Candace Bushnell
51. Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles
52. Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
53. The Iron King by Julie Kagawa
54. Princess of Glass by Jessica Day George
55. Plan B by Steven Verrier
56. The Everafter by Amy Huntley
57. Infinite Days by Rebecca Maizel
58. The Tension of Opposites by Kristina McBride
59. This is Me From Now On by Barbara Dee
60. The Van Alen Legacy by Melissa de la Cruz
61. Losing Faith by Denise Jarden
62. Wicked Girls by Stephanie Hemphill
63. Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare
64. Brightly Woven by Alexandra Bracken
65. Wings by Aprilynne Pike
66. The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong
67. The Summer of Skinny Dipping by Amanda Howells
68. Virals by Kathy Reichs
69. A Change of Heart by Shari Mauer
70. Katy's Debate by Kim Vogel Sawyer
71. Final Touch by Brandilyn and Amberly Collins
72. Monster High by Lisi Harrison
73. Premiere by Melody Carlson
74. The Deadly Sister by Eliot Schrefer
75. Freefall by Mindi Scott
76. Matched by Ally Condie
77. Evermore by Alyson Noel
78. Spells by Aprilynne Pike
79. Catwalk by Melody Carlson
80. Firelight by Sophie Jordan
81. The Candidates by Inara Scott
82. Inner Circle by Kate Brian
83. The Phantom Diaries by Kailin Gow
84. Legacy by Kate Brian
85. What I Learned from Being a Cheerleader by Adrianne Ambrose
86. Elffolk and the Crystal Caves of Atlantis by Tina McFadden
87. Chasing Brooklyn by Lisa Schroeder
88. Confessions of the Sullivan Sisters by Natalie Standiford
89. Nightshade by Andrea Cremer
90. Manifest by Artist Arthur
91. Hunger by Jackie Morse Kessler
92. Personal Demons by Lisa Desrochers
93. The Absolute Value of -1 by Steve Brezenoff
94. God is in the Pancakes by Robin Epstein
95. Candor by Pam Bachorz
96. Mostly Good Girls by Leila Sales
97. The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff
98. Three Quarters Dead by Richard Peck
99. Low Red Moon by Ivy Devlin
100. Bitter Frost by Kailin Gow

Thoughts on Children of the Dust by Ali Eteraz

Children of the Dust: A Memoir of Pakistan by Ali Eteraz

I received my copy of this book from Julie Harabedian of FSB Media.

Some thoughts on the book:


I haven't gotten really far on the book but wanted to post a few thoughts on it and a full review will come at a later date.  When I started this book I wasn't sure how I was going to feel about it.  I'm still getting used to memoirs and keep expecting them to bore me (I'm a fiction-lover what can I say).  But I keep trying memoirs because I want to branch out and learn more through my reading.  This is definitely a book to do that.  I know very little about Middle Eastern culture.  In fact I got out our globe just to help me orient myself better on how exactly these countries border each other.  I also know little about Islam.

So having said all of that - the first 100 pages that I have read have been fascinating.  The style of his writing for this section which is about childhood gets me right into the mind of Ali when he was a child.  His making his way and learning about Islam from those around him, is very interesting.  I could hardly  put it down and I am looking forward to finishing the book.  Ali has an interesting life and he writes about it well.



About the Book:

Ali Eteraz's Children of Dust is a spellbinding portrayal of a life that few Americans can imagine. From his schooling in a madrassa in Pakistan to his teenage years as a Muslim American in the Bible Belt, and back to Pakistan to find a pious Muslim wife, this lyrical, penetrating saga from a brilliant new literary voice captures the heart of our universal quest for identity.

Children of Dust begins in rural Islam at the lowest levels of Pakistani society in the turbulent eighties. This intimate portrayal of rustic village life is revealed through a young boy's eyes as he discovers magic, women, and friendship.

After immigrating with his family to the United States, Eteraz struggles to be a normal American teenager under the rules of a strict Muslim household.

In 1999, he returns to Pakistan to find the villages of his youth dominated by the ideology of the Taliban, filled with young men spouting militant rhetoric, and his extended family under threat. Eteraz becomes the target of a mysterious abduction plot when he is purported to be a CIA agent, and eventually has to escape under military escort.

Back in the United States, with his fundamentalist illusions now shattered, Eteraz tries to find a middle way within American Islam. At each stage of Eteraz's life, he takes on a different identity to signal his evolution. From being pledged to Islam in Mecca as an infant, through Salafi fundamentalism, to liberal reformer, Eteraz desperately struggles to come to terms with being a Pakistani and a Muslim.

Astonishingly honest, darkly comic, and beautifully told, Children of Dust is an extraordinary adventure that reveals the diversity of Islamic beliefs, the vastness of the Pakistani diaspora, and the very human search for home.

Book Tour and Review: The Cutting by James Hayman

I received this book for the tour and review from Dorothy at Pump Up Your Book Promotion.

My Review:

James Hayman is a new suspense author and I love trying out new authors to find new favorites and he is definitely going on that list.  I hope he is working on more books about McCabe as we speak.

From the start this book lures you in and then holds you hostage just like the bad guy is with Cassidy.  I loved the point-of-view from all sides, from the cop McCabe, from Cassidy, from the bad guy and from a few of the other key players.  It keeps the reader right in the  middle of the action through the whole book.  You don't have a chance to become bored because Hayman's plotting and pacing are done perfectly.

Another thing that was amazing about this book is I am not easily scared by books.  I've read a bunch that say don't read after dark or make sure all your doors are locked when you pick up this book and I don't really feel scared during the book.  The Cutting wasn't like that for me.  I was at home with my two sons last night while my husband was out.  The boys were playing on the computer and I was happily in my chair reading this book and I actually got freaked out. I had to get up and lock my doors (we don't usually lock ours until bedtime if we are at home).  That is how good this book is.

I loved McCabe.  I loved that he is a father, and he regrets his failed marriage (which is more his wife's fault than his), he is working at a committed relationship and he's a good cop.  He's not perfect, he has demons, but he doesn't let his demons get in the way of his life or the job.  It's kind of refreshing after all of the scarred cops that are dominate in suspense fiction right now.  McCabe has a great mind and he cares about people, he doesn't care about  bureaucracy, he loves his daughter, Casey, and his girlfriend Kyra.  He's just a great character and I really liked watching him develop during this book.  I also enjoyed the supporting characters from Casey and Kyra, to McCabe's partner Maggie and to the people who were in question throughout the book as the evil-doers.  They are sufficiently evil and the ultimate bad guy, while not a shock when he was given (though his identity wasn't obvious through most of the book), was very evil and very interesting.

It's a very twisted book and a very satisfying suspense read.  I hope it is the first in a series since several things in McCabe's personal life were brought up in this and I can see the story continuing with his next case.  I know I will be waiting money in hand when a new book comes out.



Like McCabe, I’m a native New Yorker. He was born in the Bronx. I was born in Brooklyn. We both grew up in the city. He dropped out of NYU Film School and joined the NYPD, rising through the ranks to become the top homicide cop at the Midtown North Precinct. I graduated from Brown and joined a major New York ad agency, rising through the ranks to become creative director on accounts like the US Army, Procter & Gamble, and Lincoln/Mercury.
We both married beautiful brunettes. McCabe’s wife, Sandy dumped him to marry a rich investment banker who had “no interest in raising other people’s children.” My wife, Jeanne, though often given good reason to leave me in the lurch, has stuck it out through thick and thin and is still my wife. She is also my best friend, my most attentive reader and a perceptive critic.
Both McCabe and I eventually left New York for Portland, Maine. I arrived in August 2001, shortly before the 9/11 attacks, in search of the right place to begin a new career as a fiction writer. He came to town a year later, to escape a dark secret in his past and to find a safe place to raise his teenage daughter, Casey.
There are other similarities between us. We both love good Scotch whiskey, old movie trivia and the New York Giants. And we both live with and love women who are talented artists.
There are also quite a few differences. McCabe’s a lot braver than me. He’s a better shot. He likes boxing. He doesn’t throw up at autopsies. And he’s far more likely to take risks. McCabe’s favorite Portland bar, Tallulah’s, is, sadly, a figment of my imagination. My favorite Portland bars are all very real.

You can visit our website at www.jameshaymanthrillers.com.

Someone is Stealing the Hearts of Beautiful Young Women. NYPD homicide detective Mike McCabe left New York for Maine to escape his own dark past and to find a refuge from the violence of the big city for himself and his teenaged daughter, but on the fog-shrouded, cobblestone streets of Portland he finds far more than he bargained for.
On a warm September evening the mutilated body of Katie Dubois, a pretty high school soccer star, turns up, dumped in a Portland scrap yard. Her heart has been neatly and expertly cut from her body. The same day Lucinda Cassidy, a young Portland business-woman and competitive runner, disappears during her morning jog.
Soon other bodies turn up. All young, all blond, all athletes. Very quickly McCabe discovers he’s on the trail of no ordinary killer. Rather his prey is a brilliant, psychopathic surgeon who kills in a bizarre way to satisfy his own strange and frightening desires.
McCabe knows he has to move fast. He has less than one week to find the killer before Cassidy dies and Casey, McCabe’s own daughter is threatened.
He also knows the clock is ticking.

 Standing here in a scrap yard in Portland, Maine, McCabe suddenly had the feeling he was back in New York. It wasn’t like he was imagining it. Or remembering it. It was like he was really there. He could hear the rush of the city. He could smell the stink of it. A hundred bloodied corpses paraded before his eyes. His right hand drew comfort from resting on the handle of his gun. Mike McCabe once again lured to the chase.
He knew with an absolute certainty that this was his calling. That it was here, among the killers and the killed, that he belonged. No matter how far he ran, no matter how well he hid, he’d never leave the violence or his fascination with it behind.

James Hayman’s THE CUTTING VIRTUAL BLOG TOUR ‘09 will officially begin on Oct. 5 and end on Nov. 30. You can visit James’ blog stops at www.virtualbooktours.wordpress.com during the months of October and November to find out more about this great book and talented author!

Giveaway - Knight of Pleasure by Margaret Mallory

THE GREATEST PASSION
Lady Isobel Hume is an expert swordswoman who knows how to choose her battles. When the king asks her to wed a French nobleman to form a political alliance, she agrees. But that's before the devilishly charming Sir Stephen Carleton captures her heart-and tempts her to betray her betrothed, her king, and her country.

IS WORTH THE GREATEST PERIL
Sir Stephen Carleton enjoys his many female admirers-until he dedicates himself to winning the lovely Isobel. So when a threat against the king leads Isobel into mortal danger, Stephen has a chance to prove that he is more than a knight of pleasure...and that love can conquer all.

Thanks to Anna Balasi of Hachette Books I have 5 copies of Margaret Mallory's new book Knight of Pleasure to giveaway (isn't that a wonderful title).  Open to the US and Canada only and no P.O. Boxes.  The books will come directly from the publisher.

To enter simply leave a comment with your email address.

For extra entries:

• Follow my blog (through rss, google, email)
• Follow me on twitter (@cfulcher or see sidebar)
• Tweet about this giveaway (1 entry per day)
• Blog about this or link to this giveaway it in your sidebar

Good Luck!  I'm also receiving a copy of this for review so look for my review on November 27th.  And look for others involved in the blog tour here:

http://froggaritavillesbookcase.blogspot.com/

www.chickwithbooks.blogspot.com
http://blog.lyndacoker.net
www.bibliophilicbookblog.com
http://myoverstuffedbookshelf.blogspot.com/
http://bridget3420.blogspot.com
http://www.kballard87.blogspot.com
http://www.saveyspender.com
http://myfoolishwisdom.blogspot.com
http://www.brokenteepee.blogspot.com

Waiting on Wednesday - November 18

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

My choice this week is based on an author I love and one who hasn't released a new book in over a year and I just recently heard that this one was releasing at the end of the year:

 





Deeper Than Dead by Tami Hoag

Release: December 29, 2009


  

California, 1984. Three children, running in the woods behind their school, stumble upon a partially buried female body, eyes and mouth glued shut. Close behind the children is their teacher, Anne Navarre, shocked by this discovery and heartbroken as she witnesses the end of their innocence. What she doesn't yet realize is that this will mark the end of innocence for an entire community, as the ties that bind families and friends are tested by secrets uncovered in the wake of a serial killer's escalating activity.

Detective Tony Mendez, fresh from a law enforcement course at FBI headquarters, is charged with interpreting those now revealed secrets. He's using a new technique-profiling-to develop a theory of the case, a strategy that pushes him ever deeper into the lives of the three children, and closer to the young teacher whose interest in recent events becomes as intense as his own.

As new victims are found and the media scrutiny of the investigation bears down on them, both Mendez and Navarre are unsure if those who suffer most are the victims themselves-or the family and friends of the killer, blissfully unaware that someone very close to them is a brutal, calculating psychopath.

So what are you waiting on this week?

Review: Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis

Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis




My rating: 4.0/5.0



My Review:


While this one was a little slow at the start, once it got going, it really got going. I thoroughly enjoyed the entire book and loved seeing another look into the world of Narnia with Peter, Susan, Edmond and Lucy. My 8-year-old son, Logan was a different story. We started listening to this one about a month ago. It's only 4 CD's, but as we started, I could tell that Logan just couldn't get into it. He kept wanting to listen to music instead (I was giving him a choice). Then as we kept trying it suddenly got interesting to him and we plowed through the next 2 CDs. After a certain point his interest dropped off again. I attribute this more to him and listening to longer books like this than the actual book. He does get bored easy. He will sit and read a book he is interested in for awhile though so I almost think if he was reading it instead of being read to, he would have enjoyed it more.

Though it is definitely slower than The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, it is well worth reading. We learn what has happened in the time since Peter, Susan, Edmond and Lucy were last in Narnia and how it is in serious trouble with only a few to try and recover the old days. Peter, Susan, Edmond and Lucy are also brought back to Narnia to help Caspian and the animals defend their lovely country from the enemy. Aslan also makes an appearance as the ultimate savior and again is likened to Christ in subtle and not overbearing ways. It's really a beautiful story that focuses on belief in the unbelievable and child-like faith. The world of Narnia is wondrous and full of very interesting characters and they are all fun to learn about.

A wonderful fantasy story for the young and old alike. I am ready to move on to The Voyage of the Dawn Treader now. Not sure about Logan, but hopefully in the next few days we will start it.

About the Book:

The four Pevensies help Caspian battle Miraz and ascend his rightful throne.

Narnia . . . the land between the lamp-post and the castle of Cair Paravel, where animals talk, where magical things happen . . . and where the adventure begins.

Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy are returning to boarding school when they are summoned from the dreary train station (by Susan's own magic horn) to return to the land of Narnia—the land where they had ruled as Kings and Queens and where their help is desperately needed.

Challenges:
100+ Book Challenge
Support Your Local Library Challenge
Fall Into Reading Challenge 2009