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

Reading

So, back in January I wrote a post about books to read well, I can say I haven't read any of those. Lately, I've been more drawn to books that are more biographical in nature.

During my Honeymoon while lounging on the beach and enjoying the island time I read Into the Storm by Reed Timmer and it was fabulous. I highly recommend it if you have ANY interest in storms, tornadoes, or weather. I am now reading Zero Regrets by Apolo Ohno and must say I'm thoroughly enjoying it.

Next on my list is Beneath the Surface and No Limits by Michael Phelps. I would also like to read Not Afraid of My Life: My Journey So Far by Bristol Palin. (Mock me if you want, but I think it looks like a good book and I happen to like the Palins)

There are a few other books I'm interested in, but I think I'll start with these.

Until Next Time,

Sam

Honeymoon

Brett and I started our honeymoon out on Friday 6/3/11 with a red eye out of Springfield that had a layover in Chicago before taking us to the Philadelphia airport for the night. Our final flight to DR didn't leave until the next morning.



We spent the first night of our Honeymoon in the Philadelphia Airport in a place
called the Minute Suites where you can stay in a room with a day bed,
pillow, and comforter over night without leaving the secure area. It was much nicer than trying to sleep on airport chairs or having to leave security to pay too much money to spend a few hours at a hotel.




We made it to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic around 12:30p Eastern Standard Time. All I can say is Brett deserves major kudos for having the insight to pack a days worth of clothes, toiletries, etc, in our carry on luggage. When we arrived we learned our luggage somehow remained in Philadelphia when we left.

We arrived at our destination with the bags on our backs and spent some time at the pool. We checked into our rooms and then went and had a mediocre dinner at the buffet. When we came back to our room ready to take a walk and then go to bed hoping our bags would show up tomorrow our suitcases were there waiting for us. Needless to say, it definitely improved our mood and we were glad to change our clothes.







We went to the shows most of the nights, which was mostly just dancing, and we also did a few excursions. It poured down rain a few times but even that doesn't put a damper on the Island Spirit. Tuesday we went Deep Sea Fishing and Brett got to experience my super sensitive motion sickness. I even wore the motion sickness bracelets and still got sick. He did however catch a 45# White Marlin. There were four other folks with us and they each got a chance to reel but Brett got to finish the reeling and pull the fish in (with help of course).

We went and swam with Stingrays and Nurf Sharks Thursday and Brett had his first snorkeling experience. The Snorkel and Brett didn't get along so well but we were able to have a good time. We got our picture taken with the Stingray and in true Dominican fashion we worked it to where our picture was on our own camera. They don't like to let you use your camera because they want you to buy their picture however we refused to have our picture taken with any other camera and after about ten minutes they decided they would let us use our own camera.











We had a stray cat at our back door one night mewing loudly and we saw plenty of beach dogs. We also went up the beach to the "shops" where Brett got very good at bartering. We spent a lot of time on the beach and playing in the water. We won a 25 minute massage at the Welcome Party Monday night which we cashed in on Friday.







Our return trip home was almost as exciting as our trip there. Our flight in Charlotte to Chicago got cancelled and we ended up having to stay in Charlotte and it stormed while we were there and the hotel we stayed in got struck by lightening and the alarm system went off at 1:00a. We had to be back at the airport at 5:30a so needless to say we didn't get much sleep.

Overall we had a fabulous time and it sure was nice to be away from the world :o)

New Blog

I have a new blog... I'll keep this one... but I have a new one, mostly for following others. SamanthaMoose.tumblr.com

It's been a while

So, I didn't read much in 2010. The books I did read I didn't do a good job of keeping track of. I've been contemplating turning this into a regular blog. We'll see though.
However, as far as reading goes, I'd like to read mainly censored books in 2011. I probably won't re-read books I've already read unless I just love it. I will also continue to read Patricia Cornwell, Robin Jones Gunn, and Kathy Reichs because they are my favorites.

Here is the list of the top 100 Censored/Banned books in the USA for the past decade. The bold ones are ones I have read before. The Italics are ones I hope to read this year.

1. Harry Potter (series), by J.K. Rowling
2. Alice series, by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
3. The Chocolate War, by Robert Cormier
4. And Tango Makes Three, by Justin Richardson/Peter Parnell
5. Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck
6. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, by Maya Angelou
7. Scary Stories (series), by Alvin Schwartz
8. His Dark Materials (series), by Philip Pullman
9. ttyl; ttfn; l8r g8r (series), by Myracle, Lauren
10. The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky
11. Fallen Angels, by Walter Dean Myers
12. It’s Perfectly Normal, by Robie Harris
13. Captain Underpants (series), by Dav Pilkey
14. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain (the original, a number of times)
15. The Bluest Eye, by Toni Morrison
16. Forever, by Judy Blume
17. The Color Purple, by Alice Walker
18. Go Ask Alice, by Anonymous
19. Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger
20. King and King, by Linda de Haan
21. To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee **MY FAVORITE BOOK**
22. Gossip Girl (series), by Cecily von Ziegesar
23. The Giver, by Lois Lowry
24. In the Night Kitchen, by Maurice Sendak
25. Killing Mr. Griffen, by Lois Duncan
26. Beloved, by Toni Morrison
27. My Brother Sam Is Dead, by James Lincoln Collier
28. Bridge To Terabithia, by Katherine Paterson
29. The Face on the Milk Carton, by Caroline B. Cooney
30. We All Fall Down, by Robert Cormier
31. What My Mother Doesn’t Know, by Sonya Sones
32. Bless Me, Ultima, by Rudolfo Anaya
33. Snow Falling on Cedars, by David Guterson
34. The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big, Round Things, by Carolyn Mackler
35. Angus, Thongs, and Full Frontal Snogging, by Louise Rennison
36. Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley
37. It’s So Amazing, by Robie Harris
38. Arming America, by Michael Bellasiles
39. Kaffir Boy, by Mark Mathabane
40. Life is Funny, by E.R. Frank
41. Whale Talk, by Chris Crutcher
42. The Fighting Ground, by Avi
43. Blubber, by Judy Blume
44. Athletic Shorts, by Chris Crutcher
45. Crazy Lady, by Jane Leslie Conly
46. Slaughterhouse-Five, by Kurt Vonnegut
47. The Adventures of Super Diaper Baby, by George Beard
48. Rainbow Boys, by Alex Sanchez
49. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, by Ken Kesey
50. The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini
51. Daughters of Eve, by Lois Duncan
52. The Great Gilly Hopkins, by Katherine Paterson
53. You Hear Me?, by Betsy Franco
54. The Facts Speak for Themselves, by Brock Cole
55. Summer of My German Soldier, by Bette Green
56. When Dad Killed Mom, by Julius Lester
57. Blood and Chocolate, by Annette Curtis Klause
58. Fat Kid Rules the World, by K.L. Going
59. Olive’s Ocean, by Kevin Henkes
60. Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson
61. Draw Me A Star, by Eric Carle
62. The Stupids (series), by Harry Allard
63. The Terrorist, by Caroline B. Cooney
64. Mick Harte Was Here, by Barbara Park
65. The Things They Carried, by Tim O’Brien
66. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, by Mildred Taylor
67. A Time to Kill, by John Grisham
68. Always Running, by Luis Rodriguez
69. Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury
70. Harris and Me, by Gary Paulsen
71. Junie B. Jones (series), by Barbara Park
72. Song of Solomon, by Toni Morrison
73. What’s Happening to My Body Book, by Lynda Madaras
74. The Lovely Bones, by Alice Sebold
75. Anastasia (series), by Lois Lowry
76. A Prayer for Owen Meany, by John Irving
77. Crazy: A Novel, by Benjamin Lebert
78. The Joy of Gay Sex, by Dr. Charles Silverstein
79. The Upstairs Room, by Johanna Reiss
80. A Day No Pigs Would Die, by Robert Newton Peck
81. Black Boy, by Richard Wright
82. Deal With It!, by Esther Drill
83. Detour for Emmy, by Marilyn Reynolds
84. So Far From the Bamboo Grove, by Yoko Watkins
85. Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes, by Chris Crutcher
86. Cut, by Patricia McCormick
87. Tiger Eyes, by Judy Blume
88. The Handmaid’s Tale, by Margaret Atwood
89. Friday Night Lights, by H.G. Bissenger
90. A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeline L’Engle
91. Julie of the Wolves, by Jean Craighead George
92. The Boy Who Lost His Face, by Louis Sachar
93. Bumps in the Night, by Harry Allard
94. Goosebumps (series), by R.L. Stine
95. Shade’s Children, by Garth Nix
96. Grendel, by John Gardner
97. The House of the Spirits, by Isabel Allende
98. I Saw Esau, by Iona Opte
99. Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret, by Judy Blume
100. America: A Novel, by E.R. Frank

So, that's 27 books I've picked out and I may add more later.
I hope to be better about writing in this blog this year.

Until Next Time,

Sam