Boy Band Fun

How I Met Your Father 

L.B. Gregg

Okay so I admit I have a love of boy bands even now in my mid-30s. So when I read about Justin Hayes, I had a blast. This book is quick and I really wanted more.

                       
This story is the one night stand(airport stand) that ends up being more than that; when Justin learns his hook up, Jack Bassinger, is actually the father of the bride at the holiday wedding he is the best man for. 

There is warmth to this story, with a lovely message of being true to oneself, being honest with family; those of blood and those chosen. The supporting cast has minor story arcs that make this book seem more real, which was wonderful.

I want to know what happens after the book ended.

 
A 4.5 star holiday read that is not all about mistletoe and snow.

Received a copy for an honest and fair review from Riptide Publishing and NetGalley. 

Twist, turns and lovely romance

The Deadly Series Boxed Set (Deadly #1-5)

by Jaycee Clark

I truly enjoyed this series of books. Family, drama, and dark chilling suspense. 

The stories revolve around the Kinncaid Brothers, and the women they love. These books will keep you on your toes. 

Deadly Shadows (Deadly #1)-- Aiden  and Jesslyn story set the stage for the rest of the books. 4 stars

Deadly Ties (Deadly #2) --Dr. Gavin Kinncaid and Taylor's story; this is a wonderfully told story. 5 stars

Deadly Obsession (Deadly #3) --Brayden and Christian's story.  Another wonderfully chilling book. 4 stars

Deadly Games (Deadly #4) -- Ian and Rori's story. This one was great, dark and lovely. You understand the demons that chase the hero and heroine in this book. 5 stars

Deadly Secrets (Deadly #5) -- Quinlan and Ella's story. This is the story of the youngest of the brothers and it was such a sweet and lovely twist and turns. What a perfect was way to end the series

Received copy for honest review from Netgalley.

I.T. Confidential

by C.D. Rahm

Okay I have to admit, I work in IT and so I looked at this book from an insider view. It was way too funny. I realized I am one of the people that Mr Rahm describes in the book, with 26 tabs open on two computers, waiting others to finish reports so I can finish 5 open projects, while reading on a tablet and listening to music on my phone. 

If you want to know what happens in the call centers where you call due to a computer issue read this book, it is way to true. This is a true tongue and cheek view of real cube life. 

#ITConfidential

I received this book for an honest review from NetGalley.

Cooking and Crafting again....

Fix-It and Forget-It 5-Ingredient One-Dish Dinners  

Phyllis Pellman Good

The recipes in this book are fairly straight forward 5 ingredient recipes for the slow cooker. These are not super fancy meals. This are good old fashion get food on the table for a family meal. I liked the book, the recipes I could try. (Stupid tomato allergy...no tomato sauce or ketchup for me).

I also had a bit of trouble adjusting a few of the recipes for my smaller slow-cooker. If you are looking for a nice small cookbook for easy meals that do take 100s of ingredients give this one a try.

Received copy from NetGalley for honest review.

Great Little Gifts to Knit

30 Quick and Colorful Patterns by 

Jean Moss

There is something so wonderful about casting onto a set of needles a gift for friend or loved one; this book reminded me of that. This book has 30 patterns that are a little bit of everything. Different textures and color work. Patterns for home, children, him and her.  There are patterns for all skill sets; I am usually an indeterminate however I am going to try a few of the advanced patterns in this book.. it is always good to push ones crafting ability. 

If you are looking for a few nice patterns to try give this book a chance.

 Received copy from NetGalley for honest review.

Beating the Lunch Box Blues

Fresh Ideas for Lunches on the Go!

J. M. Hirsch

On the dreaded question in my house every morning, what to do for lunch today. I am going to stop at QT on the way to work, or take leftovers from the night before, or am I going to eat the scary prepackage lunch meal that has lived in my desk drawer for at least 3 weeks. 

This book helps combat that question with easy, quick ideas to making lunch into a meal to enjoy not just something to get you through the day. This book had lovely recipes and wonderful pictures to motivate. I loved the idea of going out and getting a lunch box, instead of using the horrid brown bags or worst yet the plastic grocery sack.

I truly enjoyed this cookbook. 

 Received copy from NetGalley for honest review.

Cooking and Crafting

Gluten-Free on a Shoestring Bakes Bread
(Biscuits, Bagels, Buns, and More)
Nicole Hunn
I loved this book because my mother in law has Celiac and loves bread. In the fall I want to bake for the family. This book gave me recipes that will allow me to do that in a wonderful way. It was a beautiful book with lovely easy to follow recipes. 
Received copy to review from NetGalley. 

Vintage Beer: Discover Specialty Beers That Improve with Ageby Patrick Dawson

I am going to be perfectly honest, before I read this book I had no idea that beer could be aged. However, after reading this book I am really considering trying this out. 

This was a really interesting book about beer, and I really enjoyed it. If you are a homebrewer check this one out.

Received copy to review from NetGalley.

I Love Pasta: An Italian Love Story in 100 Recipes

by Academia Barilla

This book was food porn in the most lovely of ways. To me there is nothing quite like a good plate/bowl of pasta. The recipes are lovely in that they are both volume and weight measurements. The pictures are just beautiful.  

While there are several recipes I will never be able to cook due to my own food allergy, I cannot wait to work my way through all of the ones I can.  

Received copy to review from NetGalley.

Pick a Holiday to read about

Yes I know I have been slacking a bit, but it has been a busy week. So holiday books they can be good and they can be bad, and there are a few that you can read all year round.

The Secret Santa Wishing Well

by Nikki Lynn Barrett

This one is a sweet, almost too sweet holiday story. Jacob hates the holidays but thanks to a bit a "Christmas" magic he discovers love. Thanks to an ill sister and two adorable children. 

What can I say I am a sucker for sweet books with cute children in them. If you are looking for feel good warm the soul book, try it out. However, a little warning, this book has a few issues with editing, and some of it is hard to get through. 

Received copy of book from NetGallery for honest review.

 

Halloween: Magic, Mystery, and the Macabre  Paula Guran (Editor)

Time for things to go bump in the night. I love scary stories in the fall. Is there anything better than a that little chill that runs down the spine when it is dark outside. 

This book is a collection of 18 stories all about my favorite Holiday and I loved it. Gather your loved ones around and share a ghost story. 

Received copy of book from NetGallery for honest review.

Secret Santa

by Fern Michaels, Laura Levine , Marie Bostwick, Cindy Myers

The problem with anthologies is that one bad story can ruin the whole thing. I will say I really enjoyed Nightmare on Elf Street by Laura Levine. It was a great story with a lovely bit of mayhem.

 Mister Christmas by Fern Michaels seemed really rushed to me I know they supposed to be short stories but I have read many that are not as rushed as this one seemed.

The Yellow Rose of Christmas by Marie Bostwick. This is the one that was the hardest for me and I will be honest I did not finish it. I just did not like it.

Room at the Inn by Cindy Myers, this one was was a warm the heart and soul type of book. 

So if you are willing to read 3/4 of an anthology give this one a try to warm up on a cold Yuletide evening.  

Received copy of book from NetGallery for honest review.

Summer Reads and the joy of the escapism

Shadow Fall (Shadow #2)by Erin Kellison

I love to escape into a good novel, with a great world and I love series; even those that are 20+ books long. I will reread these series in binges sometimes. I will admit that I read this book before I read the first one in the series. That was a bit confusing however; after reading this novel I found a dark and wonderful world of 3 novels to fall into. If you like dark fantasy check this series out. Annabella is beautiful and bit unstable. Custo is strong, noble and sacrificing. 

Reviewed copy to review from NetGallery.

Faeries, Elves and Goblins: The Old Storiesby Rosalind Kerven

Fairy Tales have always been a love of mine. The old stories that have shaped the way we look at the mystical world around us. This book does not fail to deliver.   

This book called to the child in me that looks at a mushroom and sees a fairy door. That knows that elves still hide in the woods and that goblins come out at night. This is a lovely book to share with a child.

Reviewed copy to review from NetGallery.

The Old Magic of Christmas: Yuletide Traditions for the Darkest Days of the Yearby Linda Raedisch

As humans we have always been a bit afraid of the dark, and what is more dark then Yule. This book is about the old stories and traditions of Yule. This book talks about the early pagan beliefs about the shortest day of the year. 

I really enjoyed this book because it looks at the roots of one of my favorite days in the calendar year. It is there anything better than curling up with a good cup of a hot drink, a good book and a flame to keep watch over for 24 hours.

Reviewed copy to review from NetGallery.

Snarky Brits and Cleaver Canadian Authors

Can't Be Arsed: Half Arsed Shorter Edition: 63 Things Not to Do Before You Die

by Richard Wilson

I love snark. This book is the perfect book if you are looking for an excuse to not make a bucket list. We all have seen them the 100+ things to do before you die books; this is the anti book. The author is very British and does use terms that might take the American reader a bit to understand but it is worth it. 

I received a reviewer copy from NetGalley.

Light

by Nathan Burgoine

Gay Pride in Canada with a super hero that bends light. This book was fun, cute and sweet without being overly sexual as so many M/M book tend to be these days. The main character,Kieran, is so cute, and I truly enjoyed the secondary cast of characters. This book was well written and edited. It kept me completely entertained.

The book even surprised me with the twist at the end. I love that in a book.

Received reviewer copy from NetGalley.

Post Vacation

Okay so I was bad while I was on vacation and did not post here on my blog. :)

I got quite a few books read and completely enjoyed Dragon Con. 

Styxx (Dark-Hunter #23)

by Sherrilyn Kenyon

5 of 5 stars

So while I was in Dragon Con, I got the pleasure of meeting Sherrilyn Kenyon and getting a signed copy of this book. I have always loved this series and author; and I have to say I was no disappointed with this book in anyway. I cried and got angry and enjoyed hearing the other side of the story. 

I just want to take Styxx and give him a huge hug and not let go, the poor sweet damaged man.

Empty Net (Assassins #3)

by Toni Aleo

3 of 5 stars

This was a sweet book, those some of the violence was jarring near the end. I really wanted to smack the lead female a few time just because her self-esteem issues, but the young goalie was so sweet it completely made up for it. 

This was a cute little book, great for a vacation read to escape.\

Receive a reviewer copy from NetGalley

Shakespeare vs. Lovecraft: A Horror Comedy Mash-Up featuring Shakespeare's Characters and Lovecraft's Creatures

by D.R. O'Brien

Received as a review copy of NetGalley.

This book amused me so much. Those that know me, know I am a drama geek from way back and LOVE Shakespeare.  This book was so cute in the most awesome of ways. 

If you like mash up books give them one a try. 

Something different

So, vacation and traveling. The next few days I will not be posting reviews of books though I will be reading while on the planes so the reviews will be coming. Instead; DRAGONCON. Expect photos and stories galore and the husband and I go, play. This is your warning. :)  #DragonCon

Law's Strangest Cases

Extraordinary But True Tales from over Five Centuries of Legal History

Peter Seddon

This was an okay book. Every legal case that is in included in the book is just a few pages long with no real substance; but it was interesting to read each of them. It has a little bit of everything in it starting with a case for 33 CE to 2001 CE. It is a unique look at how views and the law have changed over the years. My favorite story in the book is Jury V. Bench related to a trial in 1670 London in which the bench tried to bully the jury into changing their not guilty verdict; needless to stay this one case most likely set the ton for jury trials for the rest of time.

If you like legal history you might really enjoy this one.

Received copy to review from NetGalley.com

Shuddering.....Twilight meets Jersey Shore

Fangsters: Clan of the Jersey Boys

by Ryan Field

I must confess, I have a secret; I love to read slash novels. Yes I am that woman that likes Gay Romance novels when done well. However, this book is just bad. I could not finish the book before it was just too bad to continue; which is very rare for me.  The vampire in this book is a mobster who lives and home and is working for daddy. He is a bit whiny and seems weak. The violence in the sex scene I got to in the book is what finally made me stop reading. I can handle BDSM in books and actually enjoy it most of the time however there was something very disturbing in this book. I cannot say if the book would have been redeemed itself later on, and I am going to try to finish it later; but for now I cannot recommend this book.

I received a copy of this book for review from NetGallery.

A Taste of Yummy

I love cooking and cookbooks. I can spend hours surfing the web looking for new recipes and one of my favorite sites is A Taste of Home, I also get magazine every month. I was really excited when I got as a reviewer copy from NetGallery. I loved this book. The recipes are good American comfort food from all the different regions of the US. I also loved all the little tidbits in the book about different states and cities. One of the few complaints I had about the book is there is not many pictures of the recipe but I found that did not hurt the book at all. This was a lovely book that I truly enjoyed and cannot wait to cook several of the recipes in it.

Not so True North to me

True North - The Shocking Truth about "Yours, Mine and Ours"

by Tom North

I know I am one of the few people that did not care for this book, but I could not bring myself to like it; I wanted to but it so did not happen. There was something about the book that was just not believable for me. The writing style was a jumbled mess to me. The author in one chapter goes from 16 to 12 to 16 again. This book just was not a book I can recommend to anyone. I found it odd that with 20 children in this blended household the only ones that are mentioned are his full blooded siblings; even his half siblings are not listed as part of the abuse he alleges. 

I received this book as a reviewer copy from NetGallery.com

Embracing Darkness

The End of Night: Searching for Natural Darkness in an Age of Artificial Light

by Paul Bogard 

I received this book as a Goodreads giveaway. I loved this book; to me there is nothing quite like the night sky and it is a shame there is a generation that has lost the ability to truly enjoy it. This book discusses the true dark and why it needs to be protected. Light pollution is a problem that should be address and talked about. If nothing else this book is a way to start a conversation about it. I would recommended this book to those that miss the dark.

Magic Simply

Supermarket Magic

Creating Spells, Brews, Potions & Powders from Everyday Ingredients  by Michael Furie

If you are witch you have seen the spell and ritual books that call for insane ingredients and shopping lists that are 5 miles long. This is not that book. This book is about the simple everyday magic that is found everywhere. Need a red candle, stop by the in aisle 5 and pick up a package of birthday candles, while you are in the aisle go to the end and pick up some sage from the dried herb and spices area. That is what this book is a lovely look at kitchen witchery. Using what is around us getting back to the roots of country magic.

A look inside your body book

Hidden Beauty

 Exploring the Aesthetics of Medical Science by 

Norman Barker and Christine Iacobuzio-Donahue

This is an beautiful look inside the inner workings of the body. The pictures of the different systems show what an amazing thing nature is. The cover itself shows the beauty of something, gallstones, which are usually held is such low regard.  If you enjoy photography, medical research or just the strange human condition this might be a book you are interested in.

Sunday, reading and other things.

Today was an interesting day. Woke up late (8am  shhh when you get up at 430 most days 8 is quite late LOL). Spent sometime feeding my inner geek playing some Rift. I then decided to go to the store for my bi-weekly meat run. Read a book. Made a new skirt for work tomorrow. Then cooked dinner. I made a few new things including strawberry-lemonade tiramisu. It was very yummy and quite a hit.

The recipe is from the Yummy Mummy cookbook I reviewed on good reads a few months back.

 The Yummy Mummy Kitchen: 100 Wholesome Recipes and Yummy Tips to Keep Your Family Healthy, Happy, and Glamorous by Marina Delio
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What a beautiful book. Trying to decide if it is a cookbook with pictures or an art book with recipes. If you do a meatless meal a week there are so many lovely recipes to choose from in this book. This book would make a lovely mother's day gift to the moms in your life. I have gotten so much out of this book. There are many recipes that are now staples in my rotation.


The next book I am going to look at is

Buffi's Dress Design: Sew 30 Fun Styles

Make It, Own It, Rock It  by Buffi Jashanmal

 

This is not a book for the beginner sewer. While the dress on the cover is deceptively simple looking, none of the designs in this book are. If you are a dressmaker  you will most likely already know this information; however if you are ready to move up to dressmaking from starch this might be a book you would want to look into. None of the 3 dresses in the book are my style so I will not be attempting them anytime soon so I cannot say if the designs are executable or not. 

Cookbooks.......

Today I am looking at two different type of cookbooks.


Year-Round Slow Cooker 100 Favorite Recipes for Every Season by Dina Cheney

This is a hard cookbook for me to actually review due to it being summer and well most of the recipes for summer in this book having tomatoes in them. Vile, evil things tomatoes; stupid food allergy. However the book is well laid out as a cookbook broken down into all four seasons. Each season focusing of the veggies that are readily available during that time of the year. If you like using your slow cooker and need some new recipes thing is a good book to check out. However if you are like me and have a tomato allergy you might want to look somewhere else.








Bake It Like You Mean It by Gesine Bullock-Prado

This book is beautiful, well laid out, and wonderfully scary. I am a little intimidated by this book. The recipes are lovely giving both, weighted measurements and volume so no having to do conversions. The pictures are wonderful and the step by step pictures for how to put together some of the cakes are so lovely. Do I think I will break down and bake one of these cakes, maybe/maybe not. However, I just love looking at the book.

Holiday Knittng

Recently I received a reviewer copy of Handknit Holidays Knitting Year-Round for Christmas, Hanukkah, and Winter Solstice Melanie Falick https://www.netgalley.com/catalog/show/id/22314. I am in love with the patterns in this book. I just need to make sure my stash of yarn is up to all the lovely projects listed. The pictures are lovely and the charts are so easy to read. If you are looking for a winter holiday project book for knitting check this one out.

Decided to post some of the reviews for books I have already read this year. Yes I will and do read anything including the back of the cereal box.


A Map of Tulsa: A Novel by Benjamin Lytal
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A Map of Tulsa was okay. I do not feel strongly one way or another about it. I am a long time Tulsan, so I did like seeing my home city portrayed in a positive light. However, I just could not really empathize with the protagonist in the story. One of the few things that stood out for me in the book was when the protag lamented that August was hot. Anyone that has spent any time in Tulsa during the summer knows just what that line means.


1,000 Places To See In The United States And Canada Before You Die by Patricia Schultz
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

You know those books you look at and go hmm well that could be interesting, this is one of those books. It makes me want to get into my car and just start driving to explore the lovely country side of the United States. Fill up the gas tank of your imagination and lets go for a spin.

Death of a Dowager by Joanna Campbell Slan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I loved this book, Joanna's version of Jane is so lovely and heartwarming. I did not want the book to end, I wanted to stay in London with Jane and Edward.

View all my reviews

Giving up TV

Back in December of 2012, I finally got fed up with paying for nothing to watch. The spouse and I decided to do an experiment...cancel the cable and remove the television from the living room. 8 months later and we still do not miss it. I have always been a reader, but now even more so; and my husband is now even a reader. There is nothing like sitting down in the evening after a stressful day of work and getting lost in the words.

Our house is a peaceful retreat from the insanity that resides outside the doors and windows. I cannot be happier that music and books are our refuge.