A to Z Book Survey

My friend Amy posted on her blog Wife Hat, Mom Hat a Book Survey she had seen on a couple other blogs (mentioned) and I thought it interesting enough to fill it out myself... and since this is my Non-Family related blog and supposed to be about books (which I've failed at for the last year)... I thought this the perfect way to pick that back up again. 




A: Author you've read the most books by: Robin Jones Gunn --- I've read 44 books by her.  In fact of all the series she has written, Sister Chicks is the only one I haven't read... and I'm thinking I should. 

B: Best Sequel Ever: Oh man....... Probably Todd & Christy: The College Years.... but it's really hard for me to pick one.  I am pretty much happy with any of RJG's books, especially if they involve Christy and Todd or any of those characters.  

C: Currently Reading: Exposure the fourth book in the Virals series by Kathy Reichs and Brendan Reichs. 

D: Drink of Choice While Reading:  Hot Tea --- yes, I'm that person. Hot Tea and nice fire while reading a book

E: E-Reader or Physical Book?  Physical Book.  I have two e-readers, and have used them, but I prefer the physical book.  I will use the e-reader if the ebook is cheaper or the library has the digital version before the physical version available (if I don't buy it first). 

F: Fictional Character You Probably Would Have Dated in High School: Todd Spencer from The Christy Miller Series by RJG

G: Glad You Gave This Book a Chance: The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins and Divergent, Veronica Roth - I'm sure there are more... but at the moment, those ones are the most recent and therefore stand out.  As I was sitting here thinking about it, Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Trilogy, Stieg Larrson is also a book I'm glad I gave a chance.  They were AMAZING and I would recommend them to anyone who hasn't read them. 

H: Hidden Gem Book: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, Ransom Riggs.  I bought this book because I was intrigued by the idea that Riggs wrote the book based around old photographs he came across.  This book was way more than I could have imagined it to be.  The sequel Hollow City, is equally as charming. 

I: Important Moment in Your Reading Life: To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee.  This book gets me EVERY SINGLE TIME, so does the movie and the play.  The scene in the court room has me in tears, as well as when Scout finally meets Boo Radley.  This is the first book I really remember being riveted to. 

J: Just Finished: Allegiant, Veronica Roth - the third and final book in the Divergent Trilogy.  Being as I know a few people waiting to read it, and I detest spoilers - I will wait to air my opinion on this series for another day.

K: Kinds of Books You Wont Read: Romance Novels, Erotica- No Thanks, Graphic Novels (I just don't have the patience)

L: Longest Book You've Ever Read: Most likely Les Miserables, Victor Hugo which stands at 1, 488 pages.  I LOVE that book

M: Major Book Hangover Because Of: Any time I finish a Temperance Brennan (Bones) Novel (Kathy Reichs), or any of the other books by authors I follow. 

N: Number of Book Cases You Own: We own two bookcases, but could probably stand to own at least one if not two more.  I own almost every book by Robin Jones Gunn, Kathy Reichs, and Patricia Cornwell - as well as all of the Harry Potter Books, all of the Nikki Heat books, and a variety of many more. 

O: One book you have read multiple times: To Kill a Mockingbird,

P: Preferred place to read: Anywhere --- I can read anywhere.  I used to read at baseball games until my husband actually got me interested in the game.  Right now- nap time is my preferred time to read.

Q: Quote That Inspires You From a Book You've Read:

“You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view... Until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it.”To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee 

R: Reading Regret: I recently remedied that - I had tried and failed to read Jane Eyre many many times --- however I recently read the entire book.  Currently I don't have any reading regrets.

S: Series You Started But Still Need to Finish (All Books Are Out): I don't think there is one.  I am pretty good at reading the whole series once I start on it... even Twilight and I couldn't stand those books.  I did start the Shanara series by Terry Brooks... but I just didn't find myself compelled to read the rest of it.

T: Three of your Favorite Books: 

1. To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee (I know you're shocked)

2. The Princess Bride, William Goldman

3.  The Valley of Adventure, Enid Blyton

U: Unapologetic Fangirl For: The Nikki Heat books which are written by a fictional character from a TV show and actually published for us all to read ;)

V: Very Excited for This Release More Than Others: I get excited about Patricia Cornwell and Kathy Reichs book releases.  

W: Worst Bookish Habits: Reading when I should be doing other things like working on a project, sleeping, etc.  If its a good book, I won't put it down.

X: X Marks the Spot, Start at the Top of Your Shelf and Pick the 27th Book: Take My Hand from the Sierra Jensen Series by Robin Jones Gunn

Y: Your Latest Book Purchase: Exposure by Kathy and Brendan Reichs as well as Sybil by Flora Schreiber

Z: Zzzz-Snatcher Book-(The last book that kept you up way too late): The entire Divergent series... and before that Hollow City--- I wasn't kidding about reading when I should be doing other things. 

Now you know a little bit more about me, and my book habits.  I think my next blog will be books I recommend - my FB news feed often has status updates from friends for book recommendations.  I figure making a post about it, is the best way to not forget one. :) 

Do you have any books you'd recommend?

Sam 

The Last Little Blue Envelope

Today I finished “The Last Little Blue Envelope” by Maureen Johnson. Judge me if you want that this book is “teen” fiction, but I truly enjoyed it. In fact it’s one of those books I saw at B&N and thought “Sweet! Another one!” See, this book is a part 2. The first Book is called “13 Little Blue Envelopes” also by Maureen Johnson and is a book I enjoyed probably about a year ago. That book was also a quick read, but it was enjoyable. The premise behind “13 Little Blue Envelopes” is that a 17 year old girl living in New York gets a set of letters from her Aunt, who she finds out has been living in London. Well, the envelopes are numbered and each letter has instructions of something Ginny (Main character) is supposed to do IN EUROPE! Of course, she goes on quite the adventure. “The Last Little Blue Envelope” picks up where “13 Little Blue Envelopes” ended. It took me two days to read this book, partly because it was an easy read, partly because it’s only 282 pages, and mostly because it was fun to read and I couldn’t put it down. I would categorize this book in the same “grouping” as “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants”. It is enjoyable like those books, and the writing style is very similar. Plus, there’s a slight hint of teenage romance, and what girl doesn’t enjoy that once and a while? (Now, I’m not talking ROMANCE like you’d find in a trashy novel, or apparently “50 Shades of Gray”, but the sweet innocent romance of teenagers.) This book was just as adventuresome as the first and equally as entertaining. In fact I was laughing at a bit in the story, and my dear Husband was laughing at me for laughing out loud. What can I say? That part was funny. If you’d like a quick adventure that’s easy to read and light hearted, I’d recommend this book.

Well, off to the next book.

Until Next Time~

Sam

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo trilogy

I have recently read “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” trilogy. I must admit I am sad that Steig Larsson will not be writing anymore books, as I thoroughly enjoyed these three books. (There is a note in the front of each book that Steig Larsson died of a Heart Attack shortly after dropping off the completed manuscripts for all three books to the publisher). All three books are VERY good and I would highly recommend them to anyone who enjoys a good Crime Thriller.

“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” introduces you to the two main characters, Mikael Blomkvist, and Lisbeth Salander, as well as the many supporting characters that join these two through the 3 books. Mikael Blomkvist is definitely the more central character, but Lisbeth plays a very important role. I couldn’t put “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” down. It has been a long time since I’ve read a book that was so entertaining that I JUST HAD to know what happened next. (All I can say is work really got in the way ;oD) The characters are well developed and in my case I actually cared about what happened to them. I also wanted to know more about them and how they came to be as they are at this point. The book also contains an adventure element. The part where you know something is going to happen, you aren’t quite sure what, but you’re going to read well past your bedtime to find out. If you consider that this book was first written in Swedish and then translated to English, it flows exceptionally well and at no point did I find myself thinking “translation error!” “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” has a villain character and I was pleased that I wasn’t able to figure out who that was until the lead characters did. I was also pleased that I wasn’t able to predict the ending (man, I hate when that happens). The plot line moved really well and at no point did I find myself “bored”… I have this tendency to skim wordy paragraphs that are mainly for description sake, and I didn’t do that in this book. As soon as I finished this book, I was ready to start the next one “The Girl Who Played with Fire”. I finished this book in a week’s time, but that’s because I had to work. :o)

“The Girl Who Played with Fire” was equally as good as “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” and just as hard to put down. I think it took me all of 3 or 4 days to read this book. When you pick up this book a substantial period of time has taken place between the end of the last book and the start of this book, but Mr. Larsson does a good job summarizing that period of time and you don’t feel like you missed anything important. This book started out running and never slowed down. There is a lot of character history in this book which helps fill in some of those blanks that are left by “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”. Mikael Blomkvist is still one of the main characters in this book, but Lisbeth Salander holds a greater spotlight, which is fine because at points she is by far the more intriguing character of the two. She has qualities that make you want to know more about her, and her history. You want to know her story. There are new characters in this book that weren’t in “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” and they definitely help the story along. At no point was there a character that I felt like was a filler and needed to just go away. There were however characters that I couldn’t stand and had strong opinions of. There were some moments where I was concerned for the characters and/or rooting for them to succeed. This book also has some villains and Mr. Larsson did a really good job of making them unlikeable. Just as with “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”, the ending was not predictable. This book ends dramatically and makes you want to know what is going to happen now, which means I couldn’t WAIT to pick up “The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest”.

“The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest” is the Finale to the trilogy. This book picks up where “The Girl Who Played with Fire” ended; there are no long periods of time between the two. Honestly, I had a hard time getting into this book and it took me much longer to read this one. I believe the main reason for this is because there are new characters introduced in this book and quite a few of the first chapters cover these characters, their background, and their importance in this story. By the end of “The Girl Who Played with Fire” I was attached to Lisbeth Salander and her piece of the story, so I could say I was disappointed she wasn’t as main a character at the start of this book as she had been previously. That’s not to say she isn’t important, because she most definitely is important. This book definitely answers all the questions you had left after reading the first two books. There is a lot of back story and history brought forward in this book that answer a lot of those “How?” questions you find yourself asking throughout the first two books. At no point did I have any idea how this book might even possibly end, Mr. Larsson did a fantastic job of leaving that a mystery until you reached the part where he was ready to tell you. Mikael Blomkvist is still in this book and still plays a pivotal role amongst all the characters. I’m pretty sure the book wouldn’t work quite as well if he didn’t exist. After the first two parts of this book I couldn’t put it down, the back story ended, and the adventure began. It’s the adventure that pulls me in. It took me two days to finish the final 300 pages, it took me a lot longer than that to get to that point. But, back story does that sometimes. (I didn’t do any skimming though, so that’s a good sign). This is definitely a classic trilogy, in that it doesn’t leave any loose ends that could possibly lead to more books. This book does a great job of wrapping it all up for the reader and even tying a bow around it as if to say “all finished”.

The person who loaned me these books stated “Book 1 you learn about Mikael, Book 2 you learn about Lisbeth, Book 3 answers all your leftover questions.” After reading them, I would say that is a very accurate summarization of them. I have watched the “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” movies, both the Swedish version and the American version. Both were good, but they both changed the story some, which bugs me. It doesn’t bother me if you take out some less important pieces of the story due to lack of time, but it does bother me when you CHANGE the storyline. Both movies changed how the ending happens, it still happens, but not at all how it’s written. So, my recommendation (as always) would be to read the books first, than see the movies. If nothing else, you’ll be better informed of the “extra” how that happened bits that are almost always missing from movies.

Well, time to move onto the next book… I will probably review it soon as I’m almost done with it.

Until Next Time~

Sam

Pantenburg Pastimes: New Blog for our Pantenburg Pastimes... my other b...

Pantenburg Pastimes: New Blog for our Pantenburg Pastimes... my other b...: New Blog for our Pantenburg Pastimes... this blog will be for book reviews.

Act of Valor

Today I had the privilege of seeing the movie "Act of Valor" with my family, (sadly, my husband had to work.) In case you haven't heard of "Act of Valor" click here for the official movie page. "Act of Valor" stars a group of active duty U.S. Navy Seals and is about real life Navel seal operations.

Now, if you know me, you know that I have a deep rooted since of patriotism and pride in my country. I fully support my friends and family who have served or are currently serving and am fully aware of what a privilege it is to know such brave and noble persons.

"Act of Valor" was one of the most moving, inspiring, and heroic movies I have ever seen. The amazing part is that the story did not come from the imagination of a Hollywood Screen Write, but is real life. It wasn't Transformers, GI Joe, or Independence Day, but the story of our real heroes. The very heroes that have decided of their own accord to risk their life for yours. The very heroes who leave their families to ensure that yours can remain safe in this country.

I sat their watching this movie, watching scenes I have never even imagined, and thinking of my friends and family who have been to war. My cousin, who's tank was flipped on at least two different occasions, when he was ensuring his team would be safe from mines. My friend, who went on a training mission, leaving his wife and newborn at home. My friend who served in Iraq three times and is now a proud father. I could keep going, but I think you get the point. I already knew they were heroes. Now, the rest of the country does too.

If you haven't seen "Act of Valor", do yourself a favor and go see it. I had the privilege to know one of the few Navy Seals who are remembered at the end of the movie as well as his family who continues to remember him every day. If nothing else, see this movie for the families of those who have courageously died for our freedoms.

Until Next Time,

Sam

I'm Published

I got a Children's book published!
I'm so excited. I hope if you have a child in your life you'll buy one.
Click here

Books to Read (eventually)

So... I have so many books to read on my "list" I thought maybe I should actually make a list. I will add to it as new books come along and intrigue me.

Sadly I'm "in the middle" of 5 or so books right now. That's the problem with my desire to read books, some get started and then set down or my genre of desire changes and I get distracted.

Anyway, here's the list in no specific order.


Canary Island Song by Robin Jones Gunn

Love Finds You in Camelot, Tennessee by Janice Hanna

Mosaic by Amy Grant

Love Finds You in Sunset Beach, Hawaii by Robin Jones Gunn

The Other Wes Moore by Wes Moore

A Stolen Life by Jayce Dugard

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

Patrick Swayze: One Last Dance Wendy Leigh

No Limits by Michael Phelps

Doc Holliday: The Life and Legend by Gary Roberts

Sisterchicks Series by Robin Jones Gunn
*Sisterchicks on the Loose
*Sisterchicks do the Hula
*Sisterchicks in Sombreros
*Sisterchicks Down Under
*Sisterchicks Say Ooh La La
*Sisterchicks in Gondolas
*Sisterchicks Go Brit
*Sisterchicks in Wooden Shoes

Departures by Robin Jones Gunn

The Outlander Series by Diana Gabaldon
*Outlander
*Dragonfly in Amber
*Voyager
*Drums of Autumn
*The Fiery Cross
*A Breath of Snow and Ashes
*An Echo in the Bone

Books by Maureen Johnson
*The Key to the Golden Firebird
*The Bermudez Triangle
*13 Little Blue Envelopes
*Devilish
*Girl at Sea
*Suite Scarlett
*Scarlett Fever
*The Last Little Blue Envelope
*Name of the Star

The Rizzoli and Isles Series by Tess Gerritsen
*The Surgeon (2001)
*The Apprentice (2002)
*The Sinner (2003)
*Body Double (2004)
*Vanish (2005)
*The Mephisto Club (2006)
*The Keepsake(US 2008)
*Ice Cold (US 2010)
*The Silent Girl (US 2011)

Tori Brennan Series by Kathy Reichs
*Virals
*Seizure

Temperance Brennan Series by Kathy Reichs
*Déjà Dead (1997)
*Death du Jour (1999)
*Deadly Decisions (2000)
*Fatal Voyage (2001)
*Grave Secrets (2002)
*Bare Bones (2003)
*Monday Mourning (2004)
*Cross Bones (2005)
*Break No Bones (2006)
*Bones to Ashes (2007)
*Devil Bones (2008)
*206 Bones (2009)
*Spider Bones (2010)
*Flash and Bones (2011)

Scarpetta Series by Patricia Cornwell
*Postmortem (1990)
*Body of Evidence (1991)
*All That Remains (1992)
*Cruel and Unusual (1993)
*The Body Farm (1994)
*From Potter's Field (1995)
*Cause of Death (1996)
*Unnatural Exposure (1997)
*Point of Origin (1998)
*Black Notice (1999)
*The Last Precinct (2000)
*Blow Fly (2003)
*Trace (2004)
*Predator (2005)
*Book of the Dead (2007)
*Scarpetta (2008)
*The Scarpetta Factor (2009)
*Port Mortuary (2010) Already Started
*Red Mist (2011)

Nikki Heat books by Richard Castle
*Heat Wave
*Naked Heat
*Heat Rises

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

Remaing Nicholas Sparks Novels
*The Notebook (1996)
*Message in a Bottle (1998)
*A Walk to Remember (1999)
*The Rescue (2000)
*A Bend in the Road (2001)
*Nights in Rodanthe (2002)
*The Guardian (2003)
*The Wedding (2003)
*Three Weeks with my Brother (2004)
*True Believer (2005)
*At First Sight (2005)
*The Choice (2007)
*The Lucky One (2008)
*Safe Haven (2010)
*The Best of Me (2011)

P.S. I Love You by Cecelia Ahern

A Prayer for Owen Meaney by John Irving

The Inheritance Series by C. Paolini
*Eragon
*Eldest
*Brisignr
*Inheritance

All of the Dan Brown books
*Digital Fortress, 1998
*Angels & Demons, 2000
*Deception Point, 2001
*The Da Vinci Code, 2003
*The Lost Symbol, 2009

Going Rogue by Sarah Palin

My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult

Dracula by Bram Stoker

Waiting for You by Susan Colasanti

Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen

Homicide House by David Frome

Storyteller, the authorized autobiography of Roald Dahl by Donald Sturrock

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte Already Started

Boy, Going Solo, and My Year by Roald Dahl

Something Borrowed Series by Emily Griffin
*Something BorrowedAlready Started
*Something Blue
*Baby Proof
*Love the One You're With
*Heart of the Matter

No Rest for the Dead compilation

Dewey by Vicki Myron

The Last Summer (of you and me) by Anne Brashares

Beautiful Boy by David Sheff

The Boy Who Loved Windows by Patricia Stacey

Lois Lane Tells All by Karen Hawkins

Helter Skelter by Vincent Bugliosi

Lizzie Borden by Arnold Brown

Romancing Miss Bronte by Juliet Gail

Charlotte and Emily by Jude Morgan

Buffalo Bill's America: William Cody and the Wild West Show by Louis S. Warren Already Started