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Menampilkan postingan dari Oktober, 2018

The Winters by Lisa Gabriele

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This novel fits into my Halloween reads perfectly: it involves mind tricks, ghosts, and a complicated family dynamic that leads the heroine down a dark path. The Winters is a thriller that starts off quietly enough: you get foreshadowing from the opening pages; you know something has gone terribly wrong. But then you're introduced to our heroine, who remains nameless throughout the novel. At first I thought I had just missed her name, but no, it never comes up. Hmmmm.... Meeting on the Cayman Islands where she works a drudge of a job for a horrible boss, Mrs. Winters-to-be meets Senator Max Winter, and they quickly fall in love. She's not at all what his first wife, Rebekah, was, and she becomes obsessed with Rebekah. Tall, blonde, beautiful, classy; killed in a car accident on the grounds of Asherley estate, Max's family Long Island mansion. There's Dani, Max's teenage stepdaughter, who is still grieving the death of her mother, and is a handful. She's angry,

The World of Lore: Dreadful Places by Aaron Mahnke

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I haven't listened to podcasts since I stopped commuting 100 miles a day a year ago.Let me tell you, those podcasts and audio books kept me company on early mornings and afternoons when I was sleepy and in danger of nodding off. Oftentimes I couldn't wait to get in the car to start listening again! Lore is a podcast that I haven't listened to, and I probably would if I was in the habit of listening to podcasts at home. I prefer music when I'm working in the yard, and my commute is now less than 10 minutes. So I'm glad Aaron Mahnke decided to put his podcasts stories into book form. Dreadful Places is the third book; Monstrous Creatures and Wicked Mortals are also available in hardcover. I dove right into Dreadful Places, because it's Halloween Eve Eve and I love my spooky stories.  Full of myths, folklore, and some tragically true tales, this book is a fun (yes, fun for me), easy read told in a conversational style. You can read a few pages, put it down, and ret

City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab

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This was a quick read I found at the library as I was checking in books. At first I thought it was a YA novel, but I discovered shortly after that is was actually a middle school novel. I never would have guessed, because it was well written, had great pacing, and well developed characters. I can't wait to read the next in the Cassidy Blake series! Cassidy is pretty young; I think she's about 12 in this novel. She has a gift: she can see the dead. Not only that, but she can cross over into the "Veil" and see all of the restless spirits, and how they are each in their own little time bubble, trapped between life and death. Her sidekick, Jacob, is a young boy who saved her from drowning--and yes, he's a ghost. After her accident, she's got this crazy gift. And to add to the story, her parents are famous authors of ghostly tales. She doesn't dare tell her parents what she's capable of now, a year after her near fatal accident.  Expecting to go on the fami

The Witch of Willow Hall by Hester Fox

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I put myself down for a hold on this at the library, but while I was at B&N I saw it, and couldn't wait. My time to read spooky tales in October is quickly coming to an end. This month has flown by, with much to do that has kept me from my favorite hobby: reading. I started this novel after hearing about it from friends and reading about it online. I was in the mood for a good historical tale. And I got it from this talented first-time author. I can't wait to read more from Hester Fox.  Quick plot info: The Montrose Family is forced to leave Boston for the quiet town of New Oldbury after a scandal involving daughter Catherine. You don't know exactly what the scandal is, but I figured it was probably something to do with being caught with a young man-it is, after all, 1821, and even wealthy families aren't immune to rumors and whispers. Off to New Oldbury they go, to live in what is their new summer home-now permanent home, Willow Hall. Make no mistake-this is a very

Pale as Death: A Krewe of Hunters Novel by Heather Graham

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I've been reading Heather Graham since I was a teen. First her historical romances; now I try to read every Krewe of Hunters novel that comes out. There are usually a few a year and I've got two on my bookcase that I still need to read. They, along with Pale as Death , are a mini-arc in the series; three brothers join the Krewe and get involved in ghostly happenings. And find love, naturally.  I've read a lot of series, but most of the time they jump the shark (see: the Happy Days episode where Fonzie actually jumps the shark--and so does the show) and I stop reading them before I get to the end. I didn't even finish the Sookie Stackhouse series, and I had been reading it since the beginning, when they were cheap paperbacks and Charlaine Harris' name was in tiny print at the bottom of the cover.  But for some reason, I keep reading the Krewe of Hunters novels. Part of the charm is the ghosty element. As you all know, I'm a HUGE fan of anything paranormal, and I

Life on the Leash by Victoria Schade

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It seems like forever since I've read something a bit lighter with a touch of romance. Gallery/Simon & Schuster sent me an ARC of this novel, and I'm so glad they knew I needed a novel about dogs, friendship, and romance before I realized it myself.  Cora Bellamy is an ex-corporate woman who has taken her passion and natural talent for dog training and created a full-time business in the Washington, D.C. area. Her main squeeze, Fritz, is adorable, as are all the dogs she trains for well-to-do clients. Cora's world is filled with some lovely people: her roommate Maggie, their friend Darnell, and Cora's client Fran. Then there's the delicious Charlie, boyfriend of one of Cora's clients, and owner of Oliver, a dog in need of training.  Charlie's a hottie, and he knows it. Cora is attracted, but obviously he's taken! Is he flirting with her, or is she reading him wrong? Meanwhile, Eli, a charming, quirky gentleman, is crushing on Cora, but she's got 

Time's Convert by Deborah Harkness

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I finally finished Time's Convert yesterday afternoon, after two weeks of reading a little bit, setting it down, then coming back to it. I wanted to take my time, and enjoy it, since I've been waiting some time to get back to the world of Diana and Matthew de Clermont.   So I'll just blurt it all out: I enjoyed it, but wasn't blown away by it.  There. I said it.  Settling into this novel felt a bit like revisiting old friends, and I was pretty happy to be back with Diana and Matthew, and Ysabeau, and the whole world of the de Clermont vampire family. It was pretty great to see how Diana and Matthew are fairing as parents to Becca and Philip, their adorable twins--who are a mix of witch and vampire. Where their talents will lie, no one knows. And the rarity of these two little people (witches and vampires have never been able to have offspring, and normally avoid each other) means that there will come a day of reckoning for their parents and for both of them. That is an

Girl, Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis

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I had not heard of Rachel Hollis before this book was published, and I began to see other women reading it and connecting to Rachel's message. I decided to buy it, and I'm glad I did because I underlined and starred passages that particularly resonated with me.  Rachel talks about the many lies we tell ourselves, and how they can damage our self-worth. We spend so much time comparing ourselves to other women, and think everyone has it all together in a perfect life. Rachel is here to tell us what we already know: it's just not so. We know this, she knows we know this, but sometimes we have to be reminded over and over again until it sticks. Rachel is pretty brave in telling her story; from a young girl who finds her brother after he commits suicide, to a woman struggling through her early relationship with her now husband; to her missteps and feelings of being a walking disaster. She frames each chapter with her own experience, and every "aha" moment that lead her