Teaser Tuesday - April 7

TEASER TUESDAYS asks you to:

• Grab your current read.
• Let the book fall open to a random page.
• Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
• You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!
• Please avoid spoilers!

My teaser:

She'd felt his impatience, his frustration when she didn't answer his knock. Fine, let him be frustrated; she was not obligated to answer the door, not for someone who was clearly set to call her out. An argument would only leave her vulnerable.

Still. To deal with Neil, she needed to know more about him, and since he was within a few feet . . .

From At the Edge by Cait London which I am just starting.

Isolation by Travis Thrasher

Isolation by Travis Thrasher

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
When I read the back cover copy for this book I knew it interested me. A family comes home from Papua New Guinea where something has happened. Since they have returned strange things have been going on with the wife, Stephanie. The missionary husband, Jim, has been really busy since returning and has kind of lost touch with Stephanie. Then the offer comes in to stay in a wonderful home in a secluded area of the Smoky Mountains of NC (my home state). Jim thinks this is the best thing that could happen. At this retreat he can reconnect with his wife and family and get to work on his projects too. Stephanie is not so sure this is what she wants, but as a dutiful wife she goes along with it.



All seems fine when they see the majestic home. They are in awe of the number of rooms. The couple currently living there is a nice older couple who are a big help with the kids and comforting to both Jim and Stephanie too. Then things become unsettling. Strange things start happening. Because the lines of communication between Jim and Stephanie are already broken down, neither realizes what the other is going through and then it all goes crazy.



This was a serious suspense book, I could hardly put it down. I would say it's got a feel of The Shining but it is so much more than that. I think The Shining feel comes from the large secluded house idea, but this isn't an old idea used over again. Mr. Thrasher takes the large secluded house idea and makes it new. I also liken it to the works of Frank Peretti, another Christian author because Mr. Thrasher can make the demonic seem more real to me. I realize it is there, but this doesn't seem all that over exaggerated like horror books. It seems real, the fear is real, the situations real and the outcome interesting. Again Mr. Thrasher stands on his own and I will definitly read more of his books in the future.



If you start reading this make sure you lock your doors and leave plenty of time to read. Better yet, make sure you read it in the daylight. It's a haunting, suspenseful read that you will remember for some time to come.

Musing Mondays - April 6

Musing Mondays is hosted by Rebecca at Just One More Page. You can click on the link (or the picture) to see her blog and read everyone's Musing Monday post.

Today’s MUSING MONDAYS post is about your to be read list…

As a follow up to last week's question, Joseph asked how you keep track of your tbr list. Do you have a paper list or on your computer? Do you take it with you when you go shopping? How do you decide what gets added to it?

I try to keep track of my tbr, but I'm not very good at it. I do what I can in Library Thing. I try to add books when I get them and sometime I make lists of what I want to read next. But then the rebel in me rebels and I read something else.

I definitely don't have a paper list and when I go shopping I just guess whether I have it or not. Usually I am right, but sometimes I am wrong too.

As to what I add to my TBR pile - pretty much anything that catches my eye. I try to get what I can at the library or PBS and then buy the rest. Blogging has definitely expanded my wish list (which I now store at Amazon and peruse before I book shop at my local store and also in Library Thing). I am adding many books each week.

Which do I read next - whatever screams the loudest to me at the moment or needs to be read for review or to return to the library.

What Are You Reading Monday - April 6

Come post weekly and see what others are reading too just so you can add to your tbr - I always do! For more information see J.Kaye's Book Blog and join in!

Books Completed Last Week:
The Good Neighbor by Sharon Mignerey - Romantic Suspense - Love Inspired Suspense title - 4/5 - good quick read, love the small town everyone knows each other type books where the outsider is suspected. Review to come.
Who by Fire by Diana Spechler - Fiction - 4.5/5 - Wow - this was really good!
The Tenth Case by Joseph Teller - Suspense - 4.5/5 - great legal suspense, a little different than I'm used to but I really enjoyed it. Review to come.
The Sorority - Merilynn by Tamara Thorne - Horror - 4/5 - better than the first one - the story continues to develop. Review to come.
The Sorority - Samantha by Tamara Thorne - Horror - 3.5/5 - The story concludes - good trilogy - this one was a little more of a letdown than the second, but still a good quick fun read. Review to come.

Reading Now:

Handle With Care by Jodi Picoult - Fiction - audiobook - I am loving this - I'm down to the last few hours - should finish this week
Isolation by Travis Thrasher - Christian Suspense - this is very interesting so far - I didn't want to put it down last night. Kind of The Shining-ish mixed with Frank Peretti. Lots of suspense and a cool huge house.
Where the Heart Cries by Cindy Woodsmall - Fiction - I'm only a few pages in, but enjoying it so far.


Next:
At the Edge by Cait London - Romantic Suspense
The Hour I First Believed by Wally Lamb - Fiction
Seven up by Janet Evanovich - Mystery

It was another busy weekend, that will start to calm down in the next few weeks, after baseball, Easter and camp-outs. I'm looking forward to a Saturday at home soon where I can layout and enjoy the sun and read!

Friday Finds - April 3

Friday Finds is hosted over on Should Be Reading. It's all about what great books you have heard about/discovered in the past week. Here is my entry, and head over to the Should Be Reading Blog to read others and find books to add to your TBR pile!

Most of these come from other blogs that I have seen over the week. But they are all books I want to pick up. Click on pics for more information.

These are my finds at my older son's school book fair yesterday - I can't wait to read them:

Booking Through Thursday - April 2

Deb at Booking Through Thursday blog's question for this week is:

I saw that National Library week is coming up in April, and that led to some questions. How often do you use your public library and how do you use it? Has the coffeehouse/bookstore replaced the library? Did you go to the library as a child? Do you have any particular memories of the library? Do you like sleek, modern, active libraries or the older, darker, quiet, cozy libraries?

I accidentally deleted my post for this while working on this weeks, so I will try and reanswer just so it's available.

I use my public library about once a week at the moment. As soon as they get the online catalog working again I will be using it much more, but since I can't check what books they have available at the moment and reserve them, my frequency there to pick up books has declined.

I don't think the coffeehouse/bookstore has replaced the library. I love the coffeehouse/bookstore as DH and I always make a point when we go out to eat occasionally a few towns over to go to their BAM and sit, read and drink coffee, but it would never replace the library for me even if I had one in my town. The library is free and yes browsing books is free, but I would never have the time (or feel right about) reading a whole book while enjoying coffee at a bookstore and putting it back up. Now I would enjoy browsing the book enough to see if I would enjoy it, but the library does that for me - I can get the book and if I don't like it I'm not out of anything except some time. I still enjoy book stores for the ability to browse and then lovingly take home a lovely book (or twenty).

I loved the library as a child. My mom would take me for reading time occasionally which I enjoyed but I enjoyed checking out books the most. We had a bookmobile that would come down our street during the summer and I remember loving to go into there and check out books - it was so cool!

I will take any library - ours has an older feel, but I have been to a huge newer one when I lived in Raleigh and I loved the sheer number of books available there. Ours is quaint. It will soon be moving and I am looking forward to that. I think they will now have more of a reading area. Right now there are mainly tables plus a few chairs in the magazine section. They will also have more room for more books and that is exciting too!

Really Cool Contest

Check out this really cool contest from Jill Shalvis, Alison Kent and HelenKay Dimon - it's a great one - now go enter it!