Double-Stacked Bookshelves

Teaser Tuesdays:  Shadow Spell Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly meme hosted by MizB @ Should Be Reading . Here are the rules: grab whatever you're reading, open to a random page, select no more than two sentence (NO SPOILERS), share the title and author, and GO! Here's today's teaser: "She needed to set it aside for one bloody night, she told herself.  Connor, Cabhan, her mother, the whole of her family.  One quiet night, she decided, in her pajamas--with a thick layer of one of Branna's creams on her face.  Add a beer, some crips or whatever junky food she had about, and the telly. She'd opt for no more than that. Opting for the beer to begin--it wouldn't be the first time she'd taken a cold beer into a hot shower to wash away the day--she started toward the kitchen, and someone pounded on the door" --page 135            ----- Shadow Spell by Nora Roberts Happy reading!  

Nora Roberts' The Witness Logistics Title:  The Witness Author:  Nora Roberts Published:  January 1, 2012 Publishing Company:  Putnam Adult Page Count:  757 Summary via Goodreads Daughter of a controlling mother, Elizabeth finally let loose one night, drinking at a nightclub and allowing a strange man's seductive Russian accent lure her to a house on Lake Shore Drive. The events that followed changed her life forever. Twelve years later, the woman known as Abigail Lowery lives on the outskirts of a small town in the Ozarks. A freelance programmer, she designs sophisticated security systems -- and supplements her own security with a fierce dog and an assortment of firearms. She keeps to herself, saying little, revealing nothing. But Abigail's reserve only intrigues police chief Brooks Gleason. Her logical mind, her secretive nature, and her unromantic viewpoints leave him fascinated but frustrated. He suspects that Abigail needs protection...

Nora Roberts' The Last Boyfriend Logistics Title:  The Last Boyfriend Author:  Nora Roberts Published:  May 1, 2012 Publishing Company:  Berkley Trade Page Count:  319 Summary via Goodreads Owen is the organizer of the Montgomery clan, running the family's construction business with an iron fist - and an even less flexible spreadsheet. And though his brothers bust on his compulsive list-making, the Inn BoonsBoro is about to open right on schedule. The only thing Owen didn't plan for was Avery McTavish... Avery's popular pizza place is right across the street from the inn, giving her a first-hand look at its amazing renovation - and a newfound appreciation for Owen. Since he was her first boyfriend when they were kids, Owen has never been far from Avery's thoughts. But the attraction she's feeling for him now is far from innocent. As Avery and Owen cautiously take their relationship to another level, the opening of the inn gives the whol...

 It was very difficult...well, impossible, to come up with an author to represent the letter U.  I guess Umberto Eco could work, but that would go against how I've been categorizing every author in the challenge.  I refuse to do that.  So I'm sneaking in an abnormal way to get around this letter with:  Utterly Awesome Authors. Marissa Meyer (1984-) A young adult author, Marissa Meyer is a recent addition to my library.  My friend and fellow blogger, The Sassy Starfish , happens to be a school librarian in a southern state recommended her work.  I'm glad she did!  Meyer published her first book, Cinder , a New York Times bestseller, in 2012, though she had worked in editing and fan fiction prior to this.  Her debut series, The Lunar Chronicles , is based on futuristic re-tellings of various fairy tales.  And she just received a 2-book deal for a new series based on Alice in Wonderland .  If you're looking for quick, enterta...

Week one has come to a close and we're rounding it out with the letter E.  Today's authors of choice are:  Leif Enger and Janet Evanovich. Leif Enger (1961-) I first encountered Leif Enger in 2006 when I moved to Austria.  Before leaving, I popped into a bookstore to grab something for the flight and picked up Peace Like a River .  Needless to say I fell in love with the book, mainly because of Swede (she reminds me of Scout from To Kill a Mockingbird ), and recommend it to a lot of people.  Even though it's infused with religious references, which isn't necessarily something I gravitate toward, this is a great book.  I wasn't as impressed with his second novel, So Brave, Young, and Handsome , but it's still a decent read. *Recommendation:  Peace Like a River Janet Evanovich (1943-) Another great author to read when you want something that doesn't take a lot of effort (or braincells), Janet Evanovich is fairly prolific.  I stil...

TGIF!  I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm sure ready for the weekend and I plan to do a bit of reading...like always.  So, to continue on with this wonderful alphabet of writers, we come to D and I bring you:  Katherine Dunn and Jude Deveraux, the first women writers to appear on my list! Katherine Dunn (1945-) An Oregon writer, Katherine Dunn is probably best known for her novel Geek Love , but she is also a journalist, poet, voice artist, and radio personality.  She has had many columns published in various magazines, including Vogue , Playboy , and the LA Times , and has also been recognized for her writing on boxing ; Dunn is a writer for cyberboxingzone.com , an online boxing magazine.  Geek Love is a great look into the seedier side of a traveling circus, focusing on the sideshows instead of the main stage acts. *Recommendation:  Geek Love Jude Deveraux (1947-) Sometimes you just need a little cheesy romance book to take you a...

Another Tuesday has reared it's head in my world again and we all know what that means:  Teaser!  This week's teaser comes from Nora Roberts' The Witness .  Thank you Aunt Gayle for lending it to me over the weekend :)  And without further ado, the teaser... "Add guns, he thought, and a to-do could go from a scene to a ruckus to a bloodbath in a heartbeat" (424). Hmmm...wonder what this one's going to be about?  Happy Tuesday all :)

I'm halfway through with the dreaded week of finals; I still have a stack of final essays to grade and one department grading session to complete this week before I can sign off for a much needed week long break, but it's finally starting to wind down.  Added to the chaos that is final's week, the Euro Cup started a few days ago and I have watched every game (even if I had to DVR it and watch it later).  Naturally this takes time away from grading essays (whoops) and posting reviews.  However, this is a necessary evil because I LOVE the Euro Cup and football/soccer in general, as I stated in a previous post .  But that's beside the point.  It's Tuesday and that means one thing: teaser time!  I've picked up a quick read because I'm behind on my GoodReads 2012 Challenge quota and I'm trying desperately to get caught back up.  So today's teaser comes from Nora Roberts' The Last Boyfriend .  It's the second in the Inn BoonsBoro series and just ...

So last week I posted a teaser for E.L. James' Fifty Shades of Grey and I quickly plowed through that book.  I'm nearly 300 pages into the second one, but here's a teaser anyway! "He smirks.  He's trying to put me off my game, the bastard.  He pulls his cream sweater over his head, tosses it onto the back of a chair, and grins at me, as he saunters over to take his first shot" (238). Hot damn...that's probably the sexiest game of pool I've ever read.  I'd play a game of pool with this guy!  Happy Tuesday everyone :)

Needless to say, I have been a big time slacker in posting my reviews and whatnot.  I have three books that I've finished and need to write reviews for and I'm about finished with another book.  It's that time of the term (damn you midterms and essays that have to be graded in a "timely" manner), and it's been a busy one.  However, despite those necessary distractions, I've still been able to keep up on my reading.  Because of that, I give you today's teaser from E.L. James' Fifty Shades of Grey : "'Ana, there's something about him.'  Her tone is full of warning.  'He's gorgeous, I agree, but I think he's dangerous.  Especially for someone like you.' 'What do you mean, someone like me?' I demand, affronted. 'An innocent like you, Ana.  You know what I mean,' she says a little irritated.  I flush" (39). Oh man oh man, I've been hearing a lot about this book.  A lot of racy stuff and a l...

Wow.  Just wow.  I rated Jude Deveraux's The Raider as receiving three out of five stars on Goodreads, but I was being generous.  I didn't care for this book at all.  I didn't like the lead male character and didn't enjoy the plot.  So not good.  Despite being part of the Montgomery series, which I've enjoyed, this one takes place in America instead of the UK.  I think I'll stick with the British ones from now on. Raider is set in Colonial New England and focuses on the homecoming and re-immersion of Alexander Montgomery into the town he grew up in.  When he arrives he is recovering from a gunshot wound and is dressed up in a fat suit and garish clothes.  This sets tongues wagging about him being fat, lazy, and a perpetual drunk.  The image is only perpetuated by Jessica Taggert, the most beautiful, unattainable, and tomboyish girl in the entire town.  Also during this time, the British have essentially taken over the town and ar...

This week's teaser comes from Linda Lael Miller's The Rustler .  I've never read much of Miller's writing, but my mom really likes her; so I thought I'd give it a try.  We'll see how it goes. "Men like Mr. Yarbro didn't marry, they dallied with foolish women, and then moved on" (65).

Jude Deveraux's TheDuchess , yet another in the Montgomery series (which I will completely knock out one of these days) was a pretty decent read.  While I didn't quite enjoy it as much as some of the others, I did like the fact that it was a quick read with characters that I believed. Duchess tells the story of Claire Willoughby and her journey to finding a "suitable" husband, as declared by her grandfather.  Claire finds Harry Montgomery, the Duke of MacArran, and a seemingly perfect fit for her grandfather's stipulations.  The engagement is announced and Claire and her family move into the historic castle of her intended.  While there, some interesting things occur.  Claire is thrust into the mix of an extremely eccentric bunch of people, all of whom inhabit the castle.  A mysterious man, Trevelyan, appears in the countryside who draws Claire like a magnate.  Harry starts to show some of his true colors.  People's feelings and true circumstan...

Jude Deveraux's The Heiress was a pleasant, easy read.  The book is one of the many in the Montgomery series, of which I am rather enjoying.  It's nice because this series does not need to be read in order (though it would probably help to do so in order to see the timeline), which is a wonderful thing seeing as how there are quite a few in it.  Heiress follows the story of Jamie Montgomery, an impoverished knight, and Axia, an extremely wealthy heiress.  Jamie is taxed with escorting Axia to her newly arranged husband, a mission that will supply him with a nice nest egg to help his two sisters as well as himself.  Of course he would be even more well off if he could get Axia to fall in love and marry him, thus inheriting her entire fortune.  His sisters further spur the mission toward this outcome.  Unbeknownst to Jamie, Axia and her cousin Frances, her only companion aside from Tode the jester, have decided to pretend to be each other and trick Ja...

I'm trying to pick books that will be quick reads and that I can finish before I leave on vacation this weekend.  Having said that, this week's teaser comes from Jude Deveraux's The Duchess , one of the many books in the Montgomery series and NOT to be confused with the Keira Knightley film of the same name. "She sat there for a long while, breathing the sweet, cool Scottish air and looking at the hills.  After a while she turned and saw that Trevelyan was staring at her.  He seemed able to read her thoughts, but she had no idea what he was thinking" (65). This book started off really slow...thankfully it's started to pick up (100 pages in).  Now I have until Friday night to finish it, along with grading a massive stack of essays and poem responses.  Joy to my burning eyes ;)

Finally knocked out another book in the A-Z challenge; it's been a while since I've selected a book that will work for the challenge.  I originally had a different novel chosen for the letter "K", but I decided to choose something that I knew I could get through quickly in an effort to finish up the challenge.  Thank you Jude Deveraux for providing me with such a choice in A Knight in Shining Armor (one of my 50 centers from the Friends of the Library sale). Reading the synopsis of this novel really presented me with not much to go on.  I thought it was going to be a historical novel, but I was mistaken...kind of.   Knight follows Dougless along her journey to love and self-acceptance in 1988.  She is on vacation in England with her significant other (a self-centered ass) and his spoiled brat of a daughter.  Trouble ensues and she's left to fend for herself without anything to her name.  Cue the entrance of Nicholas Stafford, an earl from the six...

Today's teaser is brought to you by the letter K!  I am still trying to get through my A-Z Book Challenge (I keep reading books starting with letters that I've already read), so I grabbed one that will count toward that specific challenge.  Though it wasn't the original intention for the letter, I felt like I was so far behind that I grabbed one I knew I could get through quickly.  So, because of that, this teaser comes from Jude Deveraux's A Knight in Shining Armor ; it's one of my Friends of the Library purchases! "As she hung up, Dougless realized she wasn't surprised by the coincidence.  It seemed that some kind of wish therapy was at work.  Every time she wished for something, she got it.  She wished for a Knight in Shining Armor and he had appeared (a crazy one who thought he was from the sixteenth century, but a man in armor no less); she wished for money and he had a bag of coins worth hundreds of thousands of pounds.  Now she needed reservat...

I posted a teaser for Jude Deveraux's The Scent of Jasmine yesterday and managed to finish the book yesterday evening.  And, I have to say, the book was a pleasant surprise.  Most romance novels have a set in stone formula, which this one does stick to, but for some reason I found this book much more compelling than most.  I've read some of Deveraux's other novels, but none seem to stick out in my mind.  This one does that. The book follows Catherine Edilean Harcourt, lovingly referred to as Cay, and Alexander McDowell's adventure across the Southern states.  Cay has inadvertently placed herself in Alex's protection after helping him escape from prisoner for a crime he claims he's innocent of committing.  Along the way they encounter obstacles which must be overcome.  They discover certain truths about each other and their respective circumstances.  They grow as people.  I think what I like most about this book was the characters.  C...

After reading the truly heartbreaking memoir by Mary Karr, The Liar's Club , I had to choose something light and easy.  Because of that, I present an excerpt from Jude Deveraux's The Scent of Jasmine : "Puzzled by what she'd said, Alex began to hurry across the fields, and Cay stayed with him.  After they'd been running in a zigzag pattern for nearly twenty minutes, Cay was tempted to remove the cloak and her gown and run in her underwear.  And if she did that, she'd use the Scotsman's knife to cut her corset strings.  Right now she needed to breathe deeply more than she needed a tiny waist." (46) Amen, Sister!!

Sometimes you just need a romance novel to lose your mind in.  Thank you Diana Palmer for providing me with something mindless and fun to read in Nora .  Of course, as nearly all romance novels do, Nora follows a pretty predictable pattern:  boy meets girl, girl hates boy, boy sets out to get girl, boy gets girl, boy and girl fight, boy and girl make up and live happily ever after.  It's pure romance gold!  Nora follows Eleanor "Nora" Marlowe out West from her comfortable, sophisticated, SNOBBY home in Virginia and chronicles her time spent in Tyler Junction, Texas.  Here she meets Cal Barton, who might not be exactly what he seems, and quickly falls in love with his rugged persona.  There are ups and downs, social constraints, personal heartaches, legal deals gone bad, secrets kept and told, and so much more. You really don't have to stretch your imagination far in these novels and that's exactly why I pick them up.  After spending years rea...