Tag: Books

Put on Your Crown: Life-Changing Moments on the Path to Queendom, by Queen Latifah

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Put on Your Crown by Queen Latifah: CD Audiobook CoverFinished unabridged audio on 12-1-10, rating 3.5/5, inspirational for girls, pub. 2010

Read by Queen Latifah, with her mother Rita Owens

Queen Latifah has always seemed like a genuine and charming person to me.  I’m not really familiar with her music, but I do like to watch her on the big screen.  I even remember her from the 1990’s TV show, Living Single. So, I was very happy to win this audiobook from Zia.  I really like when authors read their work and I enjoyed listening to her tell her story.  Her mother also reads a small portion of the book.

Queen Latifah, real name Dana Evans, has led a life full of ups and downs and still managed to come out on top full of confidence and spirit.  This book is all about helping girls and young women find the confidence to be bold and brave and smart.  She does not claim to be perfect, far from it, she admits mistakes.  I think girls, especially those who like her and those who need the courage not to follow the crowd will really benefit from listening to this.  It is inspirational. 

I was not the target audience but I did enjoy it and Queen Latifah still seems like a genuine and charming person.  I am giving away this unabridged audiobook this month, you only need to be the first one to comment on this post and request it.

Free Books for December

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In my ongoing quest to keep books moving out and not just in I give away a few books each month.  Leave a comment, tell me which book you want and I’ll get the book to you for FREE either by mail or personally if I’ll see you soon.  The first one to request each book wins.  Once you’ve ‘won’ the book I can get your shipping address if I need it.  Also, you can come back and get a free book every month if you want.  These have all been read a time or two.

I know I’ve been getting the books out late the past few months and I apologize.  Happy reading 🙂

1. Put on You Crown: Life-Changing Moments on the Path to Queendom by Queen Latifah.  Unabridged Audio on 4 CDs.  4 hours.  Published 2010.

2. Midnight Warrior by Iris Johansen.  Mass market romance. 358 pages. Published 1994. for Linda H

3. See Jane Run by Joy Fielding.  Mass market fiction. 404 pages.  Published 1991.  for Mariska

4. Great Modern European Short Stories selected by Douglas and Sylvia Angus.  Trade Paperback, like new. 303 pages. Published originally in 1967.  This is the 1996 version. for Amy

Keeper of the Keys by Perri O’Shaughnessy

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Keeper of the Keys by Perri O'Shaughnessy: CD Audiobook CoverKeeper of the Keys. Finished unabridged audio 11-29-10, rating 3.5/5, fiction. pub. 2006

Read by Dick Hill & Laural Merlington.  Total time 9 hours.

Leigh has gone missing, but no one but her father seems concerned at first, at least not her husband, Ray.  He is more concerned with the last fight they’d had about her affair.  When her father sends in his police buddies and an old best friend start sniffing around Ray must find his wife or suffer the consequences.

After the first few cds I thought it was a fairly predictable mystery with an okay premise.  I was proved wrong about it being predictable, unreasonable at times but not a cookie cutter mystery.  Ray was an interesting character who left the reader wondering was going on with his model home and key obsession.  Leigh’s story was mainly told by her relationship with other people, Ray, her ex-best friend, her lover…so I felt sympathy for her even if I hardly knew her.  Was she alive or dead and was Ray as crazy as he seemed?

What made this story good for me were the performances by the two readers.  Both Hill and Merlington really brought the characters to life and probably made the book better than if I’d read it.  It was a good pick for our Thanksgiving road trip, Jason and I both enjoyed it.  Gage is undecided, at least we think so since he hasn’t given us his opinion yet.

I borrowed this audio from the library.

Remember When, by Nora Roberts/JD Robb

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Cover ImageFinished 11-18-10, rating 3.5/5, mystery, pub. 2003

She was a businesswoman, a solid member of the community, and a fraud.  In the back room of her store, she poured two cups of coffee and knew she was about to lie to a man she considered a friend.  And deny all knowledge of one she’d loved.

Chapter 1

 This two part novel, written by romance writer Roberts and her alter ego mystery writer Robb, focuses on a New York City diamond heist.  In the first half of the book Laine has attempted to overcome her parentage by changing her name and not letting anyone in her new town of Angel’s Gap know that her father is an incarcerated thief, but her past finds her.  Laine is confronted by the murder of an old friend, her father, a killer who is stalking her, and a sexy man who may or may not be using her for his own gain.  Aside from the ridiculously fast way in which Laine fell in ‘love’ I enjoyed this first half of the story.  It was fun, suspenseful, and the characters were enjoyable.

The second half of the novel is part of the In Death Eve Dallas series and takes place over 50 years later in 2059.  I have never read this futuristic series so I was not familiar with Eve or her friends.  I thought this part of the book was okay.  I didn’t feel like I was missing anything by not having read the series, but I wasn’t that interested in it either.  We knew who the bad guy was fairly quickly and then it was just sort of biding time til the end.  If I was a fan of the series I may have enjoyed time with the characters, but as it was I didn’t care much.

The diamond heist that tied the two halves together was enough to make it interesting.  It is a fun, light read.

This is from my personal library and was chosen by Donna and Debby.

Sundays With Gage and On Becoming Baby Wise by Gary Ezzo and Robert Bucknam MD

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This is the perfect picture of what a sleeping newborn should look like – and yes, I do see the resemblance to a frog.  Sleeper, check.  Baby on back, check.  Absolutely nothing else in crib, check.  As you can see Gage knows the correct procedure.  At least every time but nighttime.  I consider it a little funny that this night owl has a son who seems to think daytimes are for napping and when the sun goes down it is time to party.  I won’t go into the sleeping woes of this new mama because my parents came for the weekend and I got two nights of extra sleep.  I’m feeling good and ready for the mostly sleepless nights of the upcoming week. 

The following book was given to me for a pregnancy gift, but I only read it after Gage arrived.  My loss.  It has proved invaluable.

This photo was taken when Gage was 2 weeks old.  He’s pushing 4 weeks now 😉

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On Becoming Babywise by Gary Ezzo: Book CoverFinished 11-6-10, rating 4.5/5, parenting, revised & updated 2006

I am not a huge fan of schedules but I think that babies and children can benefit from them so I was happy to read this book on how to give my baby some structure.  The book recommends forming and maintaining a routine for your infant that is based on sleeping, feeding, and waketime.  There are tips on how to establishing a schedule for your child and I have found it useful.  I have not been able to follow it to the letter (Gage is only a newborn, after all!), but by using the guidelines loosely I have found my day to have a little more certainty. 

I think there may be a danger if you try to follow it too closely.  I’ve tried that and there are some things that I think will not work for Gage.  Making him nap when he wants to play for a few hours seems counterproductive to getting him to sleep at night.  But keeping in mind the three blocks of time and shaping them to suit your needs I think will help many first time parents feel more in control and knowledgeable.  Having a plan, whether you follow it to the letter or not, goes a long way in making you feel prepared.

While I think the first chapter called Your Baby Needs a Family was well intended it did seem to lack empathy for most mothers and fathers out there that for whatever reason do not have the ideal nuclear family.  If you are one of them, as are most families these days, I might just skip that chapter altogether.

This book was a gift from my friend, Kate.

The Exile: An Outlander Graphic Novel by Diana Gabaldon and Illustrated by Hoang Nguyen

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The Exile by Diana Gabaldon: Book CoverFinished 11-6-10, rating 2.5/5, graphic novel, pub. 2010

I am a huge fan of the Outlander series so when I saw this was being published I was excited.  The series is so exciting and the settings are so colorful that it had to be good.  And I’d finally get to see how Gabaldon envisioned Jamie and Claire.  Well, I was disappointed in all aspects. 

The story jumped around a lot and if you aren’t already familiar with the book I think it would be confusing and to add to the confusion many of Jamie’s clan members look way too much alike.  I had to go back and check who was who more than once. 

As for Jamie and Claire, well, I have a few gripes about them too.  I would have been okay with Claire except her cleavage was just too ridiculous.  There was no reason for it and it was distracting.  And Jamie is more rugged and manly in my mind (think Aragorn minus all the dirt and with red hair).  The body seemed right, but the face didn’t do it for me.  These are the same things that make it hard for a movie to stand up to the book in the minds of fans.  It was still interesting to see what Gabaldon had in mind as she wrote it.

With those complaints I did still find it a fairly fun experience.  It was quick and the illustrations were good.  This is my first graphic novel and I’m not sure the genre is for me.  I have one more sitting on the shelf so I’ll have to see what I think of that one before I write off the whole genre.  I would recommend this one to Outlander fans only and then I would tell you just to find it at the library or borrow it from a friend.

This was from my personal library.

Free Books for November

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In my ongoing quest to keep books moving out and not just in I give away a few books each month.  Leave a comment, tell me which book you want and I’ll get the book to you for FREE either by mail or personally if I’ll see you soon.  The first one to request each book wins.  Once you’ve ‘won’ the book I can get your shipping address if I need it.  Also, you can come back and get a free book every month if you want.  These have all been read a time or two.

1. Confessions of a Shopaholic  by Sophie Kinsella.  mass market fiction. B&N review. for Misha

2. Weep No More, My Lady by Mary Higgins Clark.  mass market mystery.  B&N review.  for Mariska

3. The Parsifal Mosaic by Robert Ludlum. mass market fiction.  B&N review. for Linda B

4. Miracles Happen by Mary Kay Ash. trade paperback non-fiction.  B&N review.  for Carol M

Happy Reading!

The Shop on Blossom Street, by Debbie Macomber

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Cover ImageFinished 10-26-10, rating 3/5, fiction, pub. 2004

You see, I’d always assumed I would die before my father.

Most people find talk of death unsettling, but I’ve lived with the threat of it for so long, it doesn’t have that effect on me.  The possibility of death has been my reality for the last fourteen years, an d I’m as comfortable talking about it as I am the weather.

Chapter 1

Lydia has opened up a yarn shop in Seattle.  After two bouts of cancer she has decided to make her dream job come true.  She begins a knitting class to bring people to the store and suddenly has three new friends to knit with every Friday.  Jacqueline is a society gal who is hard to like, Carol and her husband are on their last in vitro treatment and she is desperate to have a child and  Alix is a troubled girl looking for an easy way to fulfill her court appointed community service.  The four women become fast friends and are able to provide support through their troubles.

This was a sweet, easy read, like most of Macomber’s books.  The chapters jump between the women and this diluted the stories for me.  I got a little taste of each, but wasn’t really invested in any of them.  The women were relatable and their stories made them feel like familiar friends, or maybe just acquaintances.  I liked it but won’t be reading any of the other books of this series.  It was just a little too easily wrapped up for me.

This is from my personal library and was chosen by ‘Nise, Mom, and Bonnie.  Here’s what they had to say…

“You have to read Debbie Macomber and this is a great series about a knit shop and women’s friendships.”  Bonnie

“It’s great when you need a light read.” ‘Nise

What to Expect When You’re Expecting, by Heidi Murkoff with Bonus Belly Shot :)

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What to Expect When You're Expecting by Heidi Murkoff: Book CoverFinished 10-16-10, rating 4.5/5, pregnancy, revised pub. 2008

When I found out I was pregnant I made the decision to buy and read only one pregnancy book and this is the one I chose.  I’ve heard women complain about it being outdated or not detailed enough, but I found it to be very useful.  I did not read it cover to cover and the last section on things that could go wrong I didn’t read, although I did reference it early on when I was afraid I might be having trouble.  I felt like it gave me just enough information to feel comfortable, but not too much to cause increased worry, which is some thing I struggle with anyway.  I definitely have a worry gene and I hope I haven’t passed it on to Gage!

Not only does the book cover eating for two, but its week by week updates were so much fun to read with Jason every week.  It also helped for Jason to see some of my symptoms in print so he didn’t think I was making them up 🙂  As a first time mom who has spent very little time around pregnant women I thought this book was a wonderful resource and I would recommend it.

As a bonus I thought I’d share the last picture we took of me ‘expecting’.  We took this Saturday afternoon and I went to the hospital later that evening.  I gained 45 pounds during my pregnancy.  Hard to believe I gained all that belly for a 6 pound little guy!

This book was from my personal library.

Why We Buy:The Science of Shopping, by Paco Underhill

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Why We Buy by Paco Underhill: CD Audiobook CoverFinished unabridged audio 10-13-10, rating 3/5, pub. 2000

Read by Rick Adamson

This book is a must have for retail managers or for those, like me, who would love to open my own business someday.  Underhill is the CEO of a research company that specializes in helping companies, like McDonald’s and General Mills, attract more customers and bigger sales.  He and his associates spend hours studying the psychology of the shopper in the shopping environment.  They study the most mundane of decisions shoppers make to help the companies change things like product placement and the addition of seating to optimize sales.

I enjoyed this look into the mind of the shopper.  It is a sneak peek into the things we do when we shop that we are not aware of and I found it interesting.  I think the book was a little long and I did grow bored with it about halfway through, but if you are involved in retail and get to make decisions for the store then this would prove invaluable. 

There is an updated version, but I did not listen to that one.  I assume that it would address internet shopping with more authority.  When this was first published it was still very new and not that accurate a representation of today’s internet reality.

I checked this audio out of the library.