Booking Through Thursday - April 9

For something different, I’m borrowing a question from … here! One of the very first questions ever at Booking Through Thursday. Back from 2005 when Laura owned the blog but, because it was so new, it didn’t get as many responses as it does now … so, why not revisit?

Here’s the question:

Some people read one book at a time. Some people have a number of them on the go at any given time, perhaps a reading in bed book, a breakfast table book, a bathroom book, and so on, which leads me to…

1. Are you currently reading more than one book?
2. If so, how many books are you currently reading?
3. Is this normal for you?
4. Where do you keep your current reads?

To see others answers see here.

1. I am currently reading more than one book
2. I am reading 4 books at this time:

• Handle with Care by Jodi Picoult is my audiobook
  
• At the Edge by Cait London is my carry-around book
• When the Heart Cries by Cindy Woodsmall is my car book
• Threshold by Bonnie Kozek as my review book.

3. About 3 is normal - 1 audio book, 1 for the car and 1 as my carry-around.
4. As described above - one is an audiobook which is on my mp3 player or on cds in the car, the carry-around book is either in my purse or my bag - this is my main reading book usually, the other is in the car for taking breaks at work (when I have to get away from my desk), and currently the review book is being carted around too. I always have something to read with me!

I'm off to see what others do about reading whether it's one at a time or multiples!

Cover Attraction - April 8

Marcia at The Printed Page presents the Cover Attraction Meme on her blog, every week. Here is what she writes:

I’m a very visual person and love beautiful, or interesting, cover art. It entices, and invites, me to stop and take a peek instead of walking right on by.

This week my Cover Attraction is:

This cover just speaks to me. I live on the coast, so the coastal look grabs me, the soft colors, the shells, the weathered walkway and the water all just draw me in. Add in the three women and I'm very interested in the book (and the fact that I like Kristin Hannah's books).

Synopsis from Amazon.com:

True Colors is New York Times bestselling author Kristin Hannah’s most provocative, compelling, and heart-wrenching story yet. With the luminous writing and unforgettable characters that are her trademarks, she tells the story of three sisters whose once-solid world is broken apart by jealousy, betrayal, and the kind of passion that rarely comes along.

The Grey sisters have always been close. After their mother’s death, the girls banded together, becoming best friends. Their stern, disapproving father cares less about his children than about his reputation. To Henry Grey, appearances are everything, and years later, he still demands that his daughters reflect his standing in the community.

Winona, the oldest, needs her father’s approval most of all. An overweight bookworm who never felt at home on the sprawling horse ranch that has been in her family for three generations, she knows that she doesn’t have the qualities her father values. But as the best lawyer in town, she’s determined to someday find a way to prove her worth to him.

Aurora, the middle sister, is the family peacemaker. She brokers every dispute and tries to keep them all happy, even as she hides her own secret pain.

Vivi Ann is the undisputed star of the family. A stunningly beautiful dreamer with a heart as big as the ocean in front of her house, she is adored by all who know her. Everything comes easily for Vivi Ann, until a stranger comes to town. . . .

In a matter of moments, everything will change. The Grey sisters will be pitted against one another in ways that none could have imagined. Loyalties will be tested and secrets revealed, and a terrible, shocking crime will shatter both their family and their beloved town.

With breathtaking pace and penetrating emotional insight, True Colors is an unforgettable novel about sisters, rivalry, forgiveness, redemption---and ultimately, what it means to be a family.

So what is your cover attraction this week?

Waiting on Wednesday - April 8

Jill at Breaking the Spine hosts "Waiting On" Wednesday where everyone posts what new not-yet-published books we are anxiously awaiting. I'm new to this one also but I am looking forward to being a part of it and seeing all the wonderful new releases out there (and hoping my library will get the online card catalog back up so I can reserve books again).

My Entry for this week is:

The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe

This book made a lot of lists last week and now I can't wait for it to come out. Here is the description from amazon.com:

A spellbinding, beautifully written novel that moves between contemporary times and one of the most fascinating and disturbing periods in American history-the Salem witch trials.

Harvard graduate student Connie Goodwin needs to spend her summer doing research for her doctoral dissertation. But when her mother asks her to handle the sale of Connie's grandmother's abandoned home near Salem, she can't refuse. As she is drawn deeper into the mysteries of the family house, Connie discovers an ancient key within a seventeenth-century Bible. The key contains a yellowing fragment of parchment with a name written upon it: Deliverance Dane. This discovery launches Connie on a quest--to find out who this woman was and to unearth a rare artifact of singular power: a physick book, its pages a secret repository for lost knowledge.

As the pieces of Deliverance's harrowing story begin to fall into place, Connie is haunted by visions of the long-ago witch trials, and she begins to fear that she is more tied to Salem's dark past then she could have ever imagined.

Written with astonishing conviction and grace, The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane travels seamlessly between the witch trials of the 1690s and a modern woman's story of mystery, intrigue, and revelation.

About the Author
Katherine Howe is completing a PhD in American and New England Studies, and is a descendant of Elizabeth Proctor, who survived the Salem witch trials, and Elizabeth Howe, who did not. The idea for this novel developed while Howe was studying for her doctoral qualifying exams and walking her dog through the woods between Marblehead and Salem. She lives in Massachusetts, with her husband.

So what are you waiting on this week?

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!