Divine Appointments by Charlene Ann Baumbich

I have to admit that I chose this book because of the snow globe. I have an extensive snow globe collection so this book caught my eye. I just hoped that the story would satisfy me as well. And it did!

Josie is a 47 business analyst who swoops down on a company and suggests restructuring and downsizing. She does this job with no feelings for the people involved. And that is how she lives her life, with no feeling. 

The snow globe adds a mystical component to the story and we discover that people aren't always what they seem to be and that people can change. I think we all know that but this story is a nice reminder.

I really enjoyed reading this book and found myself having a hard time putting it down - I wanted to continue being a part of these character's world. This is the second book in the Snowglobe Connections Series and I can't wait for more. And I will be adding the first book, Stray Affections to my reading pile.  

http://www.charleneannbaumbich.com/

Download and read the first 2 chapters of Divine Appointments.

~~ I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

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Delirium by Lauren Oliver

I am so excited for this book to come out! I read Before I Fall by Ms. Oliver after receiving an ARC from B&N's First Look Book Club and absolutely loved it. I think the premise of the book was very intriguing and it was one that I wanted to read quickly but found myself reading slowly because I didn't want it to end.

Since reading Before I Fall, I have been anxiously waiting for Lauren's  next book. And Delirium is almost here! It sounds like a really great read!!

Before scientists found the cure, people thought love was a good thing. They didn’t understand that once love -the deliria- blooms in your blood, there is no escaping its hold. Things are different now. Scientists are able to eradicate love, and the governments demands that all citizens receive the cure upon turning eighteen. Lena Holoway has always looked forward to the day when she’ll be cured. A life without love is a life without pain: safe, measured, predictable, and happy.

But with ninety-five days left until her treatment, Lena does the unthinkable: She falls in love. ~~from author's website

Delirium is Lauren Oliver's second book, and also, the first in the Delirium Series. It will be released on February 1st, 2011. 

http://laurenoliverbooks.blogspot.com/

Great line from........

..... Divine Appointments by Charlene Ann Baumbich.  

"His dad taught him that when allowed to work in the relaxed subconscious -- his dad described the subconscious as 'the miracle space that lives in the background of life's noise' -- the mind could produce perfect solutions."

What kind of reader are you?

This is kind of fun! And this is so true - I AM a dedicated reader!! Try it!

What Kind of Reader Are You? Your Result: Dedicated Reader You are always trying to find the time to get back to your book. You are convinced that the world would be a much better place if only everyone read more.
Obsessive-Compulsive Bookworm
Literate Good Citizen
Fad Reader
Book Snob
Non-Reader
What Kind of Reader Are You? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

The Last Girls by Lee Smith

Thirty years ago, the girls in an American literature seminar at an idyllic Blue Ridge campus made their own trip down the Mississippi River on a raft, inspired by Huckleberry Finn. Now a tragedy brings them back together for a repeat voyage under very different circumstances on the luxurious steamboat Belle of Natchez. Somebody takes a trip is the oldest plot of all, these English majors learned in college, but the archetypal heroic journey has proved a woefully inadequate plot for tracing these women's life stories, now caught in the painful decisions and realizations of middle age. -- from the author's website

This is the book that my book group, The Book Bags, (don'tcha love that name?) is reading for the month of January. The book goes between present time, when the women are traveling down the river as a favor to the husband of one college friends, and the time when they were in college. Knowing what they went thru in college helps to understand the why and where of their present life.

I am sure that this book will lead to a lot of discussion about the different characters and what they have gone thru in the lives to get to this point, some good and some bad.

Authors website - http://www.leesmith.com/

Great line from........

.....Ur by Stephen King

"But just owning the pink Kindle made him feel a little bit like a crook, It wasn't his, after all, and the stuff he had downloaded wasn't really his, either, because he wasn't the one paying for it. Maybe no one is, he thought, but didn't believe it. He thought one of the universal truths of life was that, sooner or later, someone always paid."

Someone always pays, especially in a Stephen King story!

UR by Stephen King

Ok - once again I got to the end of a SK book and am not sure what just happened. I was enjoying this Kindle version of a book about a Kindle. And I was enjoying the strangeness of the book as only SK can make it. Then the book just ended. 

It was almost like he was tired of writing this book and just wanted to be done so he just ended it. It did not go into that creepy "I'm gonna get ya" place - it just ended. Now, I know some people like a 'happy ending' but come on, this is Stephen King - there are no happy endings in his world. 

So, I guess you would be safe to assume that I am a bit disappointed in this book. Oh well, on to the next book in the Stephen King Reading Challenge.

http://www.stephenking.com/index.html

Sizzling Sixteen by Janet Evanovich

Love, love love this series! I remember seeing the first one come thru the library where I worked back in 1994. It grabbed me then and I have recommended these books to everyone I can since then. They are hilarious and I find myself smiling (and laughing) the whole time I am reading one of Evanovich's books.

Stephanie Plum is a self-trained bounty hunter that bumbles thru her job. She sometimes even snags her bounty. There is always a car getting blown up or caught on fire and Stephanie is involved somehow. Luckily she has 2 hotties looking out for her, Morelli, cop and sometimes boyfriend and then there is Ranger, desirable and delicious.

Don't forget about Grandma Mazur, who make's it her mission to attend all of the neighborhood funeral viewings. And Lula, the former 'ho that loves to eat and is a big 'help' to Stephanie when she goes after her bounty. Gotta love all those wacky characters!

http://www.evanovich.com/

FictFact - Track Your Fiction Book Series

Check out this website I just discovered! FictFact - Track Your Fiction Book Series

You can keep track of all the different series that you read; what you've read, what the next book in the series is that you need to read, and it will also let you know of upcoming books in the series so that you don't miss anything. 

Nice!

Great line from........

.....Sizzling Sixteen by Janet Evanovich 

"I'm on a new diet where I only have one of anything. Like I can have one pea. And I can have one piece of asparagus. And I can have one loaf of bread" ~ quote from Lula

I like her logic - the possibilities are endless - one pizza, one bottle of wine, one cake......

R is for Ricochet by Sue Grafton

Book #1 for 2011 - Just finished R is for Ricochet in the Sue Grafton alphabet series. Just need to read S, T and U to get myself caught. I love how these books are still set in the 80's which causes Kinsey to make do without some of our more modern conveniences, like cell phones and computers.

I have to admit that it has been a few years since I read any books in this series and I had kind of forgotten how enjoyable they are. I especially like the relationship that Kinsey has with her neighbor and landlord, Henry. They are really there for each other. And she is a huge fan of McDonald's Quarter Pounders with Cheese - awesome! 

I had the pleasure of hearing Sue Grafton speak and read some of her work at a library conference in South Dakota a few years back. She was so funny and that carries over to her writing. Very entertaining speaker!

Her website is pretty great too - check it out! http://www.suegrafton.com

 

Chance to Win Free Books

I bet we can make these books best sellers is having a NEW YEAR book giveaway to celebrate adding two new books. Giving away 30 books when they reach 3000 members or on January 31st. Just join the page for all of the details.
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