Friday Finds -- 5/20

Happy Friday! My find this week is Home to Woefield by Susan Juby. This book peaked my interest because I have always wanted to try living on a farm! Here is the Barnes and Noble description:

Prudence Burns, a well-intentioned New Yorker full of back-to-the-land ideals, just inherited Woefield Farm—thirty acres of scrubland, dilapidated buildings, and one half-sheared sheep. But the bank is about to foreclose, so Prudence must turn things around fast! Fortunately she'll have help from Earl, her banjo-playing foreman with a family secret; Seth, the neighbor who hasn't left the house since a high school scandal; and Sara Spratt, an eleven-year-old who's looking for a home for her prize-winning chickens. Home to Woefield is about learning how to take on a challenge, face your fears, and find friendship in the most unlikely of places.

What did you find this week?

3 W Wednesday -- 5/18

This meme is hosted by Should Be Reading.

What are you currently reading? I am about halfway through A Clash of Kings, the second book in the Song of Ice and Fire series, by George R.R. Martin.

What did you recently finish reading? I just finished the wonderful Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin (the first book in the Song of Ice and Fire series). I need to write a review for this book and hopefully post it soon.

What are you reading next? I have People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks for book club and the new Sookie Stackhouse novel on deck.

How about you? What are you reading?

List of Reads -- A & B Edition

Recently, I updated my list of books read since starting this blog. Here are the As and Bs (by title) and a bit of commentary -- enjoy!!

A Hopeless Romantic by Harriet Evans: Fun book, a bit long, and took me awhile to warm up to the main character.

A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick: Intense character read, terrible characters who make terrible decisions.

A Wife's Tale by Lori Lansens: Great read, interesting look at a obese woman's search for her husband and herself.

Agnes and the Hitman by Jennifer Crusie and Bob Meyers: My favorite guilty pleasure, fun and entertaining story about a chef, a hitman, and a wedding.

All Together Dead by Charlaine Harris: Sookie Stackhouse series. Fun paranormal.

Already Dead by Charlie Huston: Intense detective story that takes place in the future with lots of vampires.

American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld: Based on the life of Laura Bush, engaging read, but slow at times.

Anybody Out There by Marian Keyes: Good chick-lit, sad story.

Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein: Phenomenal read, highly recommended.

Ask Again Later by Jill A. Davis: Funny, interesting story about a woman who is having trouble becoming an adult.

Austenland by Shannon Hale: Fun read for those who love Austen spin-offs.

Beach Trip by Cathy Holton: Women's fiction that details the adult friendship between four women. Good book club pick.

Best Intentions by Emily Listfield: Character driven novel that looks at marriage in crisis with a bit of a mystery.

Breaking Point by Suzanne Brockmann: Is it bad that I don't remember what this book is about? My guess -- a special forces unit who saves someone.

Burn by Linda Howard: I think this is the book where the main character wins the lottery and is kidnapped on a cruise.

I would recommend Agnes and the Hitman (so much fun) and Art of Racing in the Rain (it will make you laugh and cry). Have you read any of these books? If so, what did you think?

Friday Finds -- 5/13

This meme is hosted by Should Be Reading.

Happy Friday! My find for this week is Heads You Lose by Lisa Lutz and David Hayward. The premise is very interesting. The authors took turns writing chapters with no outline or ending in mind. Here is the Barnes and Noble description:

Meet Paul and Lacey Hansen: orphaned, pot-growing twentysomething siblings eking out a living in rural Northern California. When a headless corpse appears on their property, they can't exactly dial 911, so they move the body and wait for the police to find it. Instead, the corpse reappears, a few days riper . . . and an amateur sleuth is born. Make that two. When collaborators Lutz and Hayward (former romantic partners) start to disagree about how the story should unfold, the body count rises, victims and suspects alike develop surprising characteristics (meet Brandy Chester, the stripper with the Mensa IQ), and sibling rivalry reaches homicidal intensity. Think Adaptation crossed with Weeds. Will the authors solve the mystery without killing each other first?

I am really looking forward to reading this. What did you find?

Friday Finds -- 5/6

Happy Friday! My find this week is My Jane Austen Summer by Cindy Jones. I absolutely love this kind of modern day take on Jane Austen and am looking forward to reading it. Here is the Barnes and Noble description:

Lily has squeezed herself into undersized relationships all her life, hoping one might grow as large as those found in the Jane Austen novels she loves. But lately her world is running out of places for her to fit. So when her bookish friend invites her to spend the summer at a Jane Austen literary festival in England, she jumps at the chance to reinvent herself. There, among the rich, promising world of Mansfield Park reenactments, Lily finds people whose longing to live in a novel equals her own. But real-life problems have a way of following you wherever you go, and Lily's accompany her to England. Unless she can change her ways, she could face the fate of so many of Miss Austen's characters, destined to repeat the same mistakes over and over again. My Jane Austen Summer explores how we fall in love, how we come to know ourselves better, and how it might be possible to change and be happier in the real world.

Sounds good, right? What did you find this week?

3 W Wednesdays -- 5/4

This meme is hosted by Should Be Reading.

What are you currently reading? I just started Book 2 in the A Song of Fire and Ice series, A Clash of Kings, by George R.R. Martin.

What did you recently finish reading? I finished Book 1 in the A Song of Fire and Ice series, The Game of Thrones, by George R.R. Martin.

What are you reading next? I need to tackle House Rules by Jodi Picoult for book club on Monday night.

What are you reading?

Review -- A Hopeless Romantic by Harriet Evans

A Hopeless Romantic
by Harriet Evans
Simon & Schuster, 2007
544 pages
* I bought a copy at the bookstore.

Summary (from Barnes and Noble): Laura Foster is a hopeless romantic. Her friends know it, her parents know it - even Laura acknowledges she lives either with her head in the clouds or buried in a romance novel. It's proved harmless enough, even if it hasn't delivered her a real-life dashing hero yet. But when her latest relationship ends in a disaster that costs her friendships, her job, and nearly her sanity, Laura swears off men and hopeless romantic fantasies for good. With her life in tatters around her, Laura agrees to go on vacation with her parents. After a few days of visiting craft shops and touring the stately homes of England, Laura is ready to tear her hair out. And then, while visiting grand Chartley Hall, she crosses paths with Nick, the sexy, rugged estate manager. She finds she shares more than a sense of humor with him - in fact, she starts to think she could fall for him. But is Nick all he seems? Or has Laura got it wrong again? Will she open her heart only to have it broken again?

Review: Laura Foster is annoying and yet I love her. In the beginning of the novel, Laura makes romantic mistake after mistake and her choices effect her family and friends. Once she realizes the terrible mistakes she has made and looks to put her life back together, that is when the tale really picks up speed. At 544 pages, it is a bit long, some sections drag while others race by. In the end I was happy to have read it. It was an enjoyable and entertaining read. Rating: *** out of 5.

It's Monday! What are you reading? -- 5/2

Happy Monday everyone!! Today is my last day of class for the semester. My final paper is finished. The powerpoint is all prepared. Wish me luck!

Though I haven't been blogging, I have been reading! Currently, I am about 75 pages away from finishing Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin. The books are getting a lot of buzz due to the HBO series, so I needed to see what the fuss was about. This book is fantastic. If you like fantasy, heroes and heroines, but for an adult audience only, then definitely give this book a try.

Okay -- off the work and then class. Have a great day!!