Blaze by Richard Bachman

Blaze has had a hard life but things chance once he meets George Rackley. He feels like he is accepted again even if that means a life of crime. But the two of them come up with a scheme so that they don’t have to do any other crimes ever again. They plan on kidnapping a baby. But not just any baby, an heir to a fortune. Things go bad when George is killed and now Blaze is all on his own. Can he go through with it after all or will he chicken out now that he is alone?

Richard Bachman is a good writer. He knows how you to get interesting from page one till the end. I was pulled into this story and had to find out what was going to happen to not only Blaze but the baby that they had picked. It had slow moments for back story but all in all it made sense and was important. It really helped get a feel for the characters and their motivations in life.

I truly felt sorry for Blaze. If his father had been a better father, he probably would have had a completely different life. But being thrown down the stairs twice would truly mess up your life. He just wanted something better for himself and he got chances at it. Thought it never seemed to pan out, which bummed me out a lot. George was your typical guy who wanted to find someone to work with as well as make a plan and stick to it.

This was a good book and one that was a good read. The flashbacks were good to read because as I said before you got a better feel for the characters. That helped me actually feel for them. I definitely want to read more by this author.

At the end of the book is a short story by Stephen King called Memory. It was well written and sounds like that one is being turned into a story. So it will be interesting to see what is done with it.

Richard Bachman/285 pages/ Thriller/ 4 out of 5

Right now I am working on Play Dirty by Sandra Brown.

Dec Reads and Stats

Between working after Christmas through New Year's and then working 4 days in a row this past weekend, I have not been able to post my reads and stats for last month. SO here they are!

263. The Tokyo Look Book by Philomena Keet 11-29-07 through 12-01-07 A
264. Ask Now The Beasts by Ruth Rudner 12-01-07 through 12-03-07 A+
265. Mew for Murder by Clea Simon 12-03-07 through 12-05-07 A
266. In the Blood by Rick R. Reed 12-05-07 through 12-08-07 B
267. The Vision: Book 1 The Green Stone of Healing by C.L. Talmudge 12-09-07 through 12-14-07 A
268. The Fallout: Book 2 The Green Stone of Healing by C.L. Talmadge 12-14-07 through 12-17-07 A
269. Sliced Ice Cream by Tammy Lynn Whisman 12-17-07 through 12-18-07 B
270. Hell for the Holidays by Chris Grabenstein 12-18-07 through 12-20-07 A+
271. Minx by Megan Blythe 12-20-07 through 12-21-07 C
272. The Scent of Rosa’s Oil by Lina Simoni 12-21-07 through 12-23-07 A
273. Not Quite A Mom by Kirsten Sawyer 12-23-07 through 12-24-07 A+
274. The Handyman by Jodi Lynn Copeland 12-24-07 through 12-25-07 A+
275. Blood Dreams by Kay Hooper 12-25-07 through 12-28-07 A
276. The Murder Game by Beverly Barton 12-28-07 A+

Stats:
Total Books Read: 14
New Authors: 11
Fiction: 11
Non-Fiction: 3
TBR: 0
Chunksters: 0
Christmas Books: 1
Books Reviewed: 12
From the Stacks: 8
Books I bought: 1
Books Given to me: 4
PBS Sent: 2
PBS Received: 2
Total Pages Read: 3, 808 pages

I am still working on the numbers for the year. :)

Hell for the Holidays by Chris Grabenstein

Christopher Miller is at it again to save the city. Well maybe not so much the city but get one more bad guy off the streets. With the anniversary of the last attack, which affected Chris’ daughter Angela, he really wants to stick around home as much as possible. But that does not prove to be possible. It seems to be a terrorist attack at first but Chris does not see how that could be possible with the usual suspects uninvolved. It will take some quick thinking on his part as well as the team he works with to bring down whomever is leading the attack before something horrible happens.

Mr. Grabenstein brings it again with this thrilling story about the Holidays. It is one that leaves me on the edge of my seat. His compelling characters really keep you turning pages. They are easy to feel for or cheer for. The situations seem outlandish at first but then it does not mean something like this could not happen. The scary thing is that it could very well happen.

I was really happy to read more about Christopher and his family. Angela is so sweet and his wife Nicole is always there to remind him when he needs to be home no matter what is going on. I was surprised at the character Dr. Tully that he could easily sway people’s thinking in following him just was not something I thought could happen. But if it is someone who shares your beliefs that definitely would help sway you. The things that that characters got away with at first was astonishing. It certainly made for interesting reading. I just was curious at how long it would take Christopher and his team to figure it all out.

This story had me at first since it is a character that I am fairly familiar with. This book did not disappoint for one moment. I hope there is another one in the works because this is a character I would love to read more about.
Chris Grabenstein/ Christmas Book Challenge for AN2R/ Christmas book/ 396 pages/ 5 out of 5

ask now the beasts by Ruth Rudner

Ms. Rudner takes up through different experiences in her life with animals. She also put into words how well and how poorly we communicate with animals. I was thoroughly impressed with how well she wrote her emotions down. I found this book really intriguing. Ms. Rudner has had a lot of fun experiences in her life and I enjoyed reading about them.

Some of it was about the different pack mules she would have on her travels. She also talked about the cat that she had growing up. It was so cool that she had remembered so much about her past. It was interesting to read not only about the different animal habits but how it affects their world. My favorite stories were Ripley’s Believe It Or Not, The Drugstore Cat, and Tulivu. Each story had a lot of heart in it and was interesting to me. I was surprised at how well Ms. Rudner presented the information in some of the stories. It felt like I was right next to her watching things unfold. She is even more curious than I am about animals and that was what kept me turning the pages.

This book was well written and the after word really touched my heart. She didn’t so much as tie things up neatly but explaining her journey with animals thus far really gave me a good glimpse into her life. Animals were important to her and she did her best to not to invade their world. We don’t want wild animals to depend on humans for food. That is one thing that most people forget, as much fun as it is to feed wild animals they won’t learn how to take care of themselves and we won’t always be there. Animals in a Zoo is a completely different world and I found myself agreeing with the author about it. She is definitely someone I want to read more about and learn more about her adventures.

Ruth Rudner, Non-fiction, Animals, 204 pages, 5 out of 5

I have a couple of more review books to read and then I hope to read another Christmas book!

Nov Reads and Stats

Books I read:
242.The Séance by Heather Graham A+
243. Cave Painters by Gregory Curtis A
244. Death’s Courtship by Jory Strong A
245. Harvest of Hearts by Ashley Ezell A+
246. Everlasting by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss A+
247. Thigh High by Bonnie Edwards A
248. The Flamenco Academy by Sarah Bird A
249. Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers A+
250. Stray by Rachel Vincent A+
251. Jinx by Meg Cabot A+
252. Camouflaged Hearts Anthology by Aliyah Burke, Jennah Sharpe, SL Majors & Bronwyn Green A
253. Too Late For Romance by L.M. Gonzalez A
254. A Valley To Die For by Radine Trees Nehring A+
255.The Sheikh’s Unsuitable Bride by Liz Fielding A
256. Love Under the Mistletoe by Deborah Macgillivray, Leanne Burroughs, Amy Blizzard, Billie Warren Chai, Gerri Bowen, and Judith Leigh A
257. Stone Cold by David Baldacci A
258. The Christmas Child by Max Lucado (Xmas Book Challenge) A+
259. A Simple Complexity by Rick Traylor A+
260. The Privateer by Dawn McTavish A+
261. Creepers by David Morrell B
262. Christmas with Anne by L.M. Montegomery (Xmas Book Challenge) A+

My Stats:
Total books Read: 21
New Authors: 24
Fiction: 20
Non-Fiction:1
TBR: 0
Scary Books: 1
Cozies: 0
Chunksters: 3
Christmas books: 2
Books Reviewed: 11
From the Stacks: 10
Books I Bought: 4
PBS Sent: 5
PBS Received: 4
Total Pages Read: 6,538

I would have posted this sooner but life is crazy!

The Tokyo Look Book by Philomena Keet

This book is a guide to fashion on Tokyo primarily. It shows everything from mainstream well known brand names to the underworld of fashion. There are characteristics to each side but they can often be blurred. But that is the fashion world; nothing has to stay the same. Everyone interprets what he or she wants from each designer. I really liked the individuality of each person pictured in this book. I was even surprised that the author got people to pose for her. Sure they only had their first names or character names mentioned in the book but it took a leap of faith to get that much information.

A couple things that I really enjoyed were the fact that the designers were real people. They started out on the bottom like everyone else. I also liked the fact that they were doing their best to stay true to who they are. Whether that meant creating their own line or selling things that were second hand. They had a gathering that was amazing. And even some celebrities were after some of the clothing of the Japanese designers.

Having a fashion week in Japan didn’t surprise me at all. Though I was surprised that it didn’t start till later on. I guess some things take time but that would be fun to go too. Not sure I would buy any of the clothes, but it would be fun to watch it all happen in front of me. I do sew from time to time so seeing the creations that happened were fun and brilliant. Some of them I’d never wear in a million years but applauded the brave souls for them anyways.

If you love fashion and want to learn more about a culture this would be the book for you. I was impressed with how it was put together and I certainly learned a lot from it. Definitely one I am glad I have read. I also have to applaud Yuri Manabe for being able to capture people so well with her camera!

Philomena Keet. New Author, Non-Fiction, 224 pages, Fashion

I have a couple more review books and then I hope to get back to a few of my own.

Chirstmas with Anne and Other Stories by L.M. Montgomery

Christmas with Anne and Other Stories by L.M. Montgomery

Being a huge Anne of Green Gables fan, I picked it up when it first came on in 1996. It has been sitting on either a shelf or a box for the longest time. Picking up for my Christmas Book Challenge, I figured this would be a good time as any to finally read it. I wasn’t sure what to expect. But I was pleasantly surprised at how wonderful L.M. Montgomery can write. I loved all of her novels whether it was Anne or Emily of New Moon or some of her stand alones.

The two stories taken from the Anne stories were so familiar to me thanks to the movies that were done that I could hear the characters speaking in my mind. The rest of them each had a moral lesson and it was wonderful. The characters were so vivid and I couldn’t get enough of them.

This was a refreshing Holiday read because it showed the simple Christmas where you give more than you receive is important. I really liked that. I wish I could hug Ms. Montgomery for all the imagination she stirred up in my life. And bonus to Rea Wilmhurst for putting these stories together.

L.M. Montgomery, Edited by Rea Wilmhurst, 214 pages, Christmas Stories, AN2R Christmas Challenge, 5 out of 5 stars

Now off to a few other review books. :)

Creepers by David Morrell

Frank Belanger is wanting to do a report on people who like to go through abandoned buildings. They are referred to as creepers since they come in at night and risk their own lives for the adventure. The five people are suspicious of him but figured since that the guy leading up this expedition seems to be okay with everything. There is a mystery surrounding the Paragon Hotel. A reclusive millionaire built it; the structure is magnificent. It is marked for demolition so to get in there before it is gone is the key. But what will they find?

Mr. Morrell certainly has a morbid mind. And in this case, it made the book pretty scary. Yet that helped the essence of the man who built the hotel and other quirky characteristics come alive. The idea that time can be frozen into place was really evident in this novel. People often leave things behind them and so things are remembered as they once were. Also the millionaire who owned the hotel kept buying the same furniture.

I really weren’t too sure about any of these characters at first. Yet the prize for them was seeing old things as they once were. Frank seemed to just be along for the ride. Yet as it went along his motives really became clear. The three people that followed the professor were interesting in that they all knew each other from college. Yet they had been able to stay friends and two of them were married. There was a lot of back-story to the novel but it played up so much of what ended up happening.

I would recommend this book pretty highly. It’s creepy but fairly fast paced which I like. It was a quick read for me and I hope to read more by this author. I really like the group I am involved in because then I try new authors. Ones that I may have heard of or like in this instance I didn’t know anything about Mr. Morrell and I definitely want to try another one of his books.

Next up is christmas with anne by L.M. Montegormery. Then I have 2 books I need to review.

The Christmas Child by Max Lucado

A Chicago journalist needs to go to Texas for an assignment over Christmas. He and his wife Meg had a fight. So he decides to stop in the town of Clearwater to find out the meaning behind the picture of the church there that was sent to his father a long time ago. The only thing the guy knew about it was that he was born there but he was adopted. But there is more to the town than meets the eye. He meets an old man who knows a story to be told about a young girl’s faith, a wooden manager scene, and a scarlet cross that will lead the journalist home.

Mr. Lucado is a fabulous writer. Though a short book in length, there is so much emotion poured into it. It is a story that will make you tear up and all that happens. The characters are strong and want to be there to be peace made.

The journalist in this book does not have a name and it really does not matter to some extent. The journey he goes on is one that can be for anyone. He has a lot ahead of him and it could be overwhelming. Yet he takes it all in stride. He is not perfect but he understands what is given to him and that is what helps him the most.

I absolutely loved this book. It is a sweet story and one that can be read all through the Christmas season. Once will not be enough for me. This is one I would even love to own. Forgiveness is something that can always be given. Mr. Lucado does a wonderful job telling the story and I look forward to reading more of his work.

Update on Nano

Well I am over 33,000 words. If I continue to write 1,975 words a day, I'll make my goal no problem. :) Well off to writing, before I have to go to work.

Stone Cold by David Baldacci

Oliver Stone is hard at work again. This time, the Camel Club’s friend Annabelle needs their help. She has a man after her and she can’t get rid of him on her own. Problem is, members of the elite team Oliver was on keep dying one by one. The only man behind it is Harry Finn. Oliver will have met his match on this one and hopes the team can do both tasks so that everyone will be okay.

Mr. Baldacci is quite the author. I am not a big political thriller type reader but his characters are so compelling that they pull me in and don’t let me stop reading till it is done. A few changes were made in the time frame of things but Mr. Baldacci explained them at the end. Truly don’t read that note till the book is over. It gives away a few things that surprised me. The action in the book never really seems to stop and that is what I enjoyed so much.

Oliver doesn’t do well with facing his past. Harry certainly does not help with that. Things seem to go from bad to worse in this story. Oliver relies on his friends and they back him up. He also does his best to help out whenever he can. Even if that means working with the enemy from time to time, Oliver is determined to keep some of the stuff in his past buried. The world wouldn’t know what to do with it if they found out.

I can’t say enough about these characters. I hope there are more stories to come about The Camel Club. They are a fun bunch and they really do know their stuff. Plus Mr. Baldacci has to redeem himself. One of the deaths in this book upset me but I won’t say who it was. Definitely a good read for anyone who likes politics and thrillers mixed together.

David Baldacci, Fiction, Political, Spies, 388 pages, 4 out of 5

A Valley To Die For by Radine Trees Nehring

Carrie McCrite had shared a dream with her husband of moving to the Ozarks to start a new life after he retired. But after he dies in a hunting accident, Carrie decides she will keep the dream alive. Her best friend and neighbor Joanne Harrington keeps her busy between walks and the committee to get the quarry out of their little town. Yet someone decides to kill Joanne and so Carrie must not only figure out who did it but why. Her new neighbor and retired cop Henry King thinks that Carrie was the real target. Carrie thinks it is ridiculous. But it is no more so than the secrets Henry is keeping to himself.

Ms. Nehring knows her area. She does live there but she makes it come so alive. I felt like I was on the walks with Carrie. Everything is heart felt and wonderfully written. Some secrets can hurt others while some are just kept to protect others in the long run. The characters in this book are created beautifully. I couldn’t get enough of this story.

Carrie is a spunky woman. I truly enjoyed her as a character. She looked out for the best interests of others. She truly wanted to be the best person she could be and pursued it fully. She clung to her faith and used it as her lifeline. Her world is turned upside down but she faces it head on every day. Henry King has a few issues he needs to deal with. He is headstrong but has to figure out when to ask for help. He is a kind man but he drove me up the wall a few times.

I cannot wait to see how the rest of this series pans out. It kept me from the very beginning. Life is definitely in an uproar in this small town but the citizens will not go down without a fight. Small towns are wonderful even if they know all about you. There seems to be a greater want to help others than I have seen in big towns. I hope to pick up the next book soon because these characters are ones you just love to read about.
Radine Trees Nehring/New Author/Mystery/ 284 pages/Ozark Mountains

Okay quick update, I am now at 27,334 words for Nanorwrimo! SO the end is in sight and there is a little more to figure out yet! So I just might be able to do this! Yay! I have one book to review and hope to fit in one more of my own before I review another one. :) After Thanksgiving, I'll be reading a lot of my own Christmas books.

Jinx by Meg Cabot

Jean had to get away from home. Her parents sent her to New York to live with her Aunt and Uncle. But even that hasn’t stopped bad things happening. Least of all is her cousin Tory who is not pleased to have her around. Being jinxed her whole life may just be the thing that keeps her safe.

Meg Cabot does it again. She can pretty much write anything and I enjoy it. She writes characters that come across as very real. I don’t necessary like the idea of witches. Yet I know they are out there and that the pre-conceived notions we have are not always accurate. Ms. Cabot really wanted there to be some truth and I appreciated that.

Jinx just wants to get rid of her jinx. Being known as Jean would be a nice change. Her cousin Tory certainly is not helping. Zach is always on her mind but she doesn’t want to deal with past issues. Being 16 is not easy but when family hurts you, life is so much more difficult.

Being one who reads almost anything, I really enjoyed this book. Jean aka Jinx had to learn to embrace who she is before coming to terms with her past. It may not happen necessarily in that order but Jean needs to take the time to figure it all out. I disliked Tory because she’d do awful things to her cousin to be the center of attention. That is just wrong though I know of people who have done that. Jean handled it all very well which made the book even better.
Meg Cabot/ 262 pages/Witches/Young Adult Fiction

Well I started one of my books fore review. Now off to write some more. For an update as of yesterday I had 18, 053 words done! So off to write!

Stray by Rachel Vincent

Faythe is one of the last breeding were cats left. She left her family’s Pride and started a life for herself. It all changed when a stray came after her. She was summoned home for protection. Two other tabbies had disappeared. She wasn’t the type to sit still but she really didn’t have much of a choice.

Ms. Vincent created a world that bit back. Others may have tackled this world before but this one was enticing from the beginning. I had to see where she was going to take things. The characters truly felt emotions and were willing to kill if they had to. They would rather work things out and get information but they knew sometimes that was not an option.

Faythe is a were cat who can handle her own. She didn’t put up with much and was very determined to make her own decisions. Marc, the were cat her dad picked as her mate, had to understand that Faythe needed her freedom. She never looked for taking up huge responsibilities when it comes to her Pride. She liked the human world and would rather stay there then go back home. But if needed, could she embrace it?

I saw somewhere that this might turn into a series. I truly hope it will because there are more stories to be told about the Pride even if they don’t focus on Faythe. There are plenty of characters to write about. This was a book I couldn’t put down for nothing. Ms. Vincent fills her books with character and tension that will keep you turning pages. The page amount didn’t get in the way. I never realized how many pages I read till I was finished.

Rachel Vincent/Paranormal/ 624 pages/Chunkster/New Author

I really liked this book but have not had time to post it. :) I have one more to post too, the review for Jinxed. :) Off to read review books!

The Seance by Heather Graham

Christina Hardy has always known she had a gift even as a child. But was told to suppress it, but at her house they start talking about the “Interstate Killer” murders that stopped 15 years ago. Then she is asked to bring out her Ouija board, and the spirit of Beau Kidd shows up. He was considered the chief suspect when his partner killed him. Now he has come back to clear his name and only Christina can see him. It seems that the killer is still out there and Christina’s life is hanging in the balance.

Ms. Graham does it again. I cannot get enough of her books. They are creepy, scary, and have great romances in them. Most people would find that combination odd but I love it! This book had me going from the beginning. The characters are full of life and you want to see them do well. The plot is full of twist ands turns and I had no clue who was behind the killings. It threw me for a loop! She is that good at surprises!

I loved Christina and her family. They were a good Irish family. That helped me fall in love with them. I also liked Jed Braden. He wanted to fall in love but had a hard time accepting that things were out there that he could not see. That was completely normal for me and I really got to like his character. Those two really knew how to heat things up!

I loved seeing the Harrison Investigation team again. Jed had to understand what was happening to Christina. It just takes time like any relationship. There was a lot of stuff to figure out cause it is not smart to just point fingers. Jed and Christina had to work with the police so things could be handled in the correct manner. Though I could understand the times that Christina just wanted to jump ahead. This was a good suspenseful book and even though I thought I might know who was behind it all. I never came close to figuring it out.
Heather Graham/Paranormal/384 pages/ 5 out of 5

Quick sidenote, I made it to 3,720 words today. :) Off to reading review books!

My Stats and Reads for Oct

Here are my stats:
Total books read: 26
New Authors: 35
Fiction: 22
Non-Fiction: 4
TBR:
Scary Books: 3
Cozies: 5
Chunksters: 1
Books Reviewed: 15
From the Stacks:
Books I Bought: 8
PBS Sent: 7
PBS Received: 2
Total Pages Read: 6,137 pages

Books:
216. Beyond the Mommy Years by Carin Rubenstein, PhD 9-28-07 through 10-01-07 B
217. Don’t Make A Scene by Valerie Block 10-01-07 through 10-03-07 C
218. Plenty Good Room by Cheri Paris Edwards 10-03-07 through 10-04-07 A+
219. Dead Men Don’t Lye by Tim Myers 10-04-07 through 10-05-07 A+
220. Merle’s Door: Lessons from a Free Thinking Dog by Ted Kerasote 10-05-07 through 10-09-07 A+

221. The Ghost and Mrs. McClure by Alice Kimberly 10-09-07 A+
222. Fernseed for Fairysight by Sally Odgers 10-09-07 through 10-11-07 A
223. The Tunnels by Michelle Gagnon (Scary Book Challenge) 10-10-07 through 10-13-07 A
224. The Rules of Darkness by Tia Fanning 10-13-07 through 10-14-07 A
225. One for the Money by Janet Evanovich 10-14-07 through 10-15-07 A
226. Weirdly by Various (Scary Book Challenge) 10-15-07 through 10-17-07 D
227. The Dead Guy Interviews by Michael A. Stusser 10-17-07 through 10-18-0-7 A
228. Summer Wine by Helen Ravell 10-18-07 through 10-19-07 A
229. Keepsake Crimes by Laura Childs 10-19-07 through 10-20-07 A
230. Photo Finished by Laura Childs 10-21-07 A+
231. Bound for Murder by Laura Childs 10-22-07 A+
232. You’ve Been Warned by James Patterson and Howard Roughan (Scary Book Challenge) 10-22-07 through 10-23-07 C
233. Away by Amy Bloom 10-23-07 through 10-24-07 C
234. Always A Warrior by Patricia Bruening 10-24-07 A
235. Between the Gutter and the Sky by Babe King 10-24-07 through 10-25-07 A
236. Blood of Flowers by Anita Amirrezvani 10-25-07 through 10-26-07 A
237. Redemption by Keira Ramsay 10-26-07 through 10-27-07 A+
238. Plato and A Platypus Walk Into A Bar by Thomas Cathcart and Daniel Klein 10-27-07 through 10-28-07 A
239. The Prayer Chest by Joel Fontios and August Gold 10-28-07 A
240. Sacred Ground by Rita Karonapp 10-28-07 through 10-29-07 A
241. Ardenwycke Unveiled by Kelly Ferjutz 10-29-07 through 10-30-07 A

I did not finish The Seance by Heahter Graham in time so that is the first book for November. I hope I am able to read quite a few books but with writing we'll have to see.

Plato and A Platypus Walk Into A Bar by Thomas Carthcart and Daniel Klein

Philosophy can be rather boring if it is not taught right. There is a lot you can learn about how we started our world and why people think certain things. I really enjoyed it and a few of the jokes in the book I knew about. They just made a lot more sense because of the idea applied behind them.

These authors really know how to express their thoughts very well. I had taken a Western Philosophy course when I was in college so I believe that did help me a little. But as they explained things, I remembered things slowly. I had a difficult time putting this book down because it was so funny. But what better way to tell something that will stay with you than with jokes.

I really don’t want to give this book away. It covers a lot of different philosophies and in pretty good depth too. I came away with some information that I did not know and remembering a lot of information that stuck with me. If philosophy is an interest to you then I would recommend it. And since it is written by two men that have philosophy degrees, that helps a lot in making this book very creditable. I enjoyed this book from beginning to end.

Thomas Cathcart, Daniel Klein, New Authors, Non-Fiction, 208 pages, 4 out of 5


I have two more books for review and then I hope to read The Seance by Heather Graham.

Took A Leap of Something

Today I signed up for Nanowrimo. I am going to write a novel next month. I hope to finish it. We'll just have to wait and see. :) maybe you guys can keep me going. :)

The Blood of Flowers by Anita Amirrezvani

A young woman has to leave the life she knows and move to the city. Her father dying has sent her whole life upside down. Now her and her mom’s fate is in the hands of relatives that live in Isfahan. Her uncle weaves carpets for the shah. But being headstrong is going to get her in some serious trouble. That puts her mother and her in a serious desperate situation that she is not sure that she can get them out of. She is forced into a marriage by contract that will be renewed every 3 months. Now she has to figure out if that is what she wants and will she be able to keep weaving carpets.

Ms. Amirrezvani knows how to weave a tale. With all the research she did, this book came alive for me. I know very little about this culture but she was able to put into terms that I could understand their cultural heritage and the things that they held dear. I found the young woman very easy to understand and I enjoyed her. She was true to herself and her beliefs.

The young woman had great talent. Her uncle only had to help her figure out how to do things correctly whether it was color or design for a carpet. It did not take her long and she was getting commissions and hiring people to help her. That was so amazing! I was completely astounded. Her marriage really tested her and she had to figure out what was more important being tied to a man by contract or find someone who she knew would not give up on her.

This book was beautifully written and I was able to see how much she cared for presenting a story. She had to change a few facts but the fact that she was honest about it made it even better at the end. I truly enjoyed this book and hope to see more by this author!
Anita Amirrezvani/Fiction/377 pages/Persia/New Author/ 4 out of 5

Right now I am reading a book to then use it to interview an author! :) Then after that it is Plato and a Platypus Walk Into A Bar by Thomas Cathcart and Daniel Klein. :)

Away by Amy Bloom

Lillian Leyb lost all her family except her daughter Sophie. She thinks she is still alive but she leaves her home to go to America. She has a cousin visit her only to tell her that Sophie is alive. Now Lillian is determined to find her daughter and reclaim her. But it will be a long journey and will it end happily.

Ms. Bloom is an author who does know how to tell a story. Though I found a lot of the story completely unnecessary and the flow was not really there, some people might enjoy this. She really is able to create characters that you want to root for and hope for the best. Yet something always seemed to be lacking in this book. I am not sure what but it jumped a bit too much for my taste.

Lillian was a lady I could root for. I could understand why she wanted to go see her child so much. If I ever lost my child, I would go as far as she did. Okay maybe not quite as far but I would work diligently to find him. I loved when she spent time in the theatre and learning about that time of life was interesting. There were times though I found information presented not needed since to me it took away from the story and Lillian’s journey.

This was not a great book and I do not think I will read more by this author. I have heard it got great reviews and I wish I could give it one. But it was tedious and I could not wait to finish it. I do not like to leave a book unfinished because my opinions change sometimes by the last sentence. Unfortunately that was not the case with this book.
Amy Bloom/ Adult Fiction/ 240 pages/ 3 out of 5

Well off to read some reivew books and then not sure what is next. :)