At the push of a button . . . .

I'm a huge fan of the book  'The Passage' -- and, I've waited patiently for the 2nd book in this series - I needed to know the rest of the story - to find out 'what happened'.   Because the first book left you gasping for breath and hanging on a thread.

This morning (the day it was released), I pushed a button and through the magic of technology -- 'The Twelve' is mine.  No driving to my local Barnes & Noble and standing in line - no pre-ordering and waiting for the package to arrive. In a instant, I downloaded my own copy, and today on my lunch hour, I'll open the leather case of my Kindle to read and savor each and every word. 

And for those of you who say that reading from a e-Reader is just not the same as reading a 'real' book' - all I can say is the written word will always be the same - the delivery or format may change - but the words still have the power to engage and entertain us.  And, isn't that really matters in the end ?

(Thank you Kyle, Jessika, Joe & Laney for this gift of  magic in the form of an e-Reader this past Christmas - one of the best gifts I've ever received.  It's truly the gift that keeps on giving!)

No passport required . . ..

Over the summer, I've traveled to  - -

• Guernsey Island off the coast of England, during WWII
• London, during the middle ages
• Lake Superior area, in modern times
• New England and the University of Oxford, modern times
• London, middle ages.

None of the above travels required a passport (or close encounters with a TSA agent either!) 

Pictured below was my method of transportation, using the written word and my imagination.

Just a sample of the 'Good Reads' I've enjoyed lately. 



Good Reads X 3

I've seen the book 'In the Woods' on book club lists for a year or more - intrigued, I googled 'Tana French' - read her bio and some reviews of her books.  Ordered the book from my favorite book   website* and entered 'The Woods'.  Over the past month or so, I've tried to explain my love for this book to my family and friends - and the word that keeps popping into my head is savor  (definition below):

sa·vor      /ˈseɪvər/ noun

1. the quality in a substance that affects the sense of taste or of smell.

2. a particular taste or smell.

3. distinctive quality or property.

4. power to excite or interest.

Number 4 -- yes that's it exactly!  From the first page 'In the Woods' had me hooked - so much so, that I immediately ordered her 2nd book: 'The Likeness'; and, after reading just a few pages, I placed an order for 3rd book:  'Faithful Place'.  I'm half way through the third book and this week, will most likely order her newest book from Amazon, Broken Harbor released July 2012 (Better World Books doesn't have it in stock yet). 

Good Reads X 3 indeed !  

* http://www.betterworldbooks.com/  - books at good prices, no shipping costs and the money goes to literacy programs throughout the world. 

Good Read: 'Shelter Me'

'Four months are her husband's death, Janie LaMarche remains undone by grief and anger.'

The above is the first line I read on the back of the book 'Shelter Me' by Juliette Fay.
I was drawn to the book because of the cover - a picture of a woman & child, on a porch, wrapped in a colorful hand-made afghan. 

After picking up the book and reading that first line - I immediately put it back on display table, thinking 'not another tragic widow's story'.  No thank you -  not in the mood.  Moving on down the aisle in Barnes & Noble, I searched for something else to read that was light and entertaining.  If I'm correct, I believe this is about the time I got sucked into the world of 'Game of Thrones' (all 5 books in 4 months).  FYI - the Game of Thrones series is filled with beheading, pillaging, dragons, and evil villains - not 'light'  but, entertaining all the same.  But, this post is not about Game of Thrones is it ?

I must confess that I started reading it expecting not to like it at all -- and, you need to know, the book it is filled with grief & sadness.  But, it's also packed with characters I really felt at home with - that I didn't want to leave at the last page.  Janie, the young widow, a fierce personality who loves deeply and grieves even deeper.  And, then there are all the people who come in/out of her life - some are permanent - some are short term - but all important.  Shelly, her sassy neighbor, Cormac, her big lovable brother (the baker), her wacky & 'always there for her' Auntie Jude, her children, Carly the baby & Dylan the pre-schooler, and Tug, the capenter (all flannel and big heart). And, that's just a short list of the characters -- all of them touch Janie and in big/small ways, helping her navigate her way through her grief.   Yes, it was a little 'Lifetime Movie'ish - but, in a good way.   I did not want the book to end and I think that's a good recommendation. 

Now I'm onto working my way through this pile of books on my bedside table -- hope they are all 'good reads' too.

Note:  Can't believe I almost forgot to mention one last thing from 'Shelter Me' -- 'pology cake'.  It has magical powers to right wrongs, dry tears and cause an out-break of spontaneous smiling.

Last of the summer reading

Finished as Summer gave way (finally) to Autumn.

All three books were 'good reads' -- all three were about love. 
Old love, new love, surprising love, comforting love. 
I didn't want any of the three to end -- and, that's one of the best recommendations I can make.
  

Now to work my way through the stack of books by my bed  -- and the 'to do' pile on sewing table --

and the WIPs in the knitting basket.

Summer Reading -- 'Z'

Because our summer was hot, hot, hot ---- there was a lot of reading going on at my house.

 

World War Z by Max Brooks
This is not something I would have even been tempted to put on my reading list -- but, a good friend talked about it at our weekly Stitcher meeting and intrigued.  The next day, after a search on Amazon.com, I found myself pressing the 'buy now' button.  Received the book on a Thursday and finished it late following night.

The entire book is done in a report format by different survivors of a plague.  Those who get the plague become zombie-like creatures and they in turn, bite and infect others, creating more zombies. It sounds as though the book would be filled with blood/guts and moaning/hungry monsters -- it's not.  Don't get me wrong - there are zombies, and they do moan and go after healthy humans - but, that's not the main story.  The real story is how a small portion of the world's population did survive and what we can learn from their stories. 

And, I do have to put a disclaimer in here - another reasons I wanted to read this book --
it will soon be a movie - starring Brad Pitt.
Brad looking all angst-filled -- trying to save the world - nuff said.
I know, I'm shallow like that !