Thank You!

Thank you so much to those who took my blog survey in December. I did get some feedback and have some changes to look at, but for the most part, all replies were ego boosters! Everyone really seemed to like my blog. I have a lot of followers who read me mainly through their chose of a reader then who actually come to the blog. This is ok, it just means I can stop obsessing about my blog design. I spend a lot of time changing it all the time, mainly for me and what I think looks good. I strive for my blog to not be overcrowded with stuff on the sidebars and for it to have a "clean" look to it. I want it to load fast for those that do visit my actual blog.

I did have a request to post more links. Currently I link to amazon when I post the picture of the book to the blog. I had a request for links to goodreads also. So, I decided that with books that are not as well known that I will add a link to goodreads also at the end. I can not promise this to be on each blog post, but I will do my best to add a link to goodreads.

Once again, thank you so much for all your feedback! I look forward to hopefully improving more.

This Side of Crazy by Kimmie Thomas

Publication date: September 15, 2010
Pages: 220
Format: Tradeback (e-book available)
Genre: General Fiction
My Rating:



Book Summary: Maxine Payne s poor self-esteem leads her to marry the first man that showed any interest in her. After five years of marriage and misery she has nothing to show for it. Her sham of a marriage is falling apart and her dream of having a child is fading away each day. To make matters worst, she discovers that the people in her life are not there to love and help her as she has always believed. She struggles to come to terms with her failing marriage and her sick mother as she watches her chance at a happy home with children slip away. Her two childhood girlfriends offer help and support but they have their own personal struggles. The old saying, what s done in the dark will eventually comes to light has never been more true. When tragedy strikes, Maxine will have to make the most important decision of her life. But will the lies and secrets her husband and friends harbor bring Maxine s life crashing down around her?



My Thoughts:  Any reader will fall in love with Maxine Payne and want to see her get her life straight and build the confidence that a woman needs. Her husband Doug, well frankly anyone who reads about him will want to just smack him.  He is an egotistical jerk and the absolute last thing that Maxine needs, so when she does finally walk out the door on him, you feel the relief right along with her. Thank goodness she doesn't even look back at him. We then get to go on Max's journey towards independence, learning who she is, taking care of her sick mom, and trying to juggle a man who is deeply interested in her, however she isn't sure she is ready for the plunge. She has two best friends since school age, Cyan and Cilly. We get to know each of them better in this story and what is going on in their lives.

When the book starts out, we meet someone whom is called Mistress. This is an interwoven plot in the book as we try to figure out who Mistress is. You know that it has to either be Cilly and Cyan who is living a secret life as a Mistress with a dungeon where she performs dominatrix type stuff on men.

One thing I found the most shocking in this book was the amount of infidelity in this book. Everyone was cheating on everyone, and I was a little shocked by this. However, this did help make the story. The book was very interesting and kept me wanting to read more. This is an easy read in a day type of book as we get swept away with Maxine. I highly recommend this book. The sexual scenes are a bit strong in this book, so if this isn't your cup of tea, you can always skim over those parts, but don't let it turn you away from this great story of courage for any woman.



**This book was provided to me by the publisher/author in return for my honest review.**

Loss of a fellow book blogger.

Hoping onto my google reader today, I saw a post from Sheila at Book Journey HERE and was shocked to read that Anne Marie at http://amcatoir.wordpress.com/  (comments always came up as amcatoir) has passed away on December 25th at the age of 32. She was diagnosed with lymphoma a few months ago, which I did not know until reading Sheila's post. The name of the blogger kept nagging at me and it finally clicked. She was a follower of my blog as I was hers. We had an on going talk about a certain book. I had reviewed it and hated it! She has left me a message that she was still curious about it and decided to buy it off amazon. We chit chatted a few times before she read it and finally when she did read it, she hated it too! I was amazed with the few months that had passed that she remembered to come back to my blog and let me know. It warmed my heart the fact that she did, because so often in the blogging world, we forget where we saw a certain book at and whose blog. Anne Marie always left such thoughtful comments on my blog also. I am saddened by this news and my heart goes out to her family. I do not know much as all about her life outside her blog. I hope her family finds the strength to heal and Anne Marie, you will be missed!

Book Lovin' Bitches Ebook Tours

Did you get a new e-reader for Christmas? Do you like to read e-books on your computer? Well, go check out this new tour group that is exclusively for e-books! I know I am personally addicted to my e-reader and almost never want to pick up a book now. I love the e-ink and just the easy of the e-reader and an opportunity to get more books to review on it, well I just love it! So, go check it out. Theresa who is running it is so wonderful and nice! Click the picture and head over and check it out!

It's Monday, What are you Reading?

Its Monday! Thanks to Book Journey, we get this great weekly meme where we get to post what we read this past week and what we plan to read. So head on over and find some other great blogs and sign up your blog.

Overall, I think I had a pretty good reading week last week. I don't have too many complaints. I just can't figure out what to read next. I have a ton of paperbacks that I have been neglecting since getting my sony e-reader. But, I love reading on the e-reader more then I thought I would!

What I Read:




Yes, that looks like a lot! However a few of those I had started and just hadn't finished yet. With traveling here and there I had time to get some stuff finished up.

What's up next:
I am not sure. I know I need to read my book club book, but I want to save it to closer to time. I am deciding if I want to read something for pleasure, or since I am ahead, stay ahead and read up some more books for review. I currently have several books set up for future posts and it feels good to be ahead and not rushing.

Happy Monday!

My Mom Blog

Quick shameless plug here, lol. However, I am starting back up my family blog. I did this for almost two years before starting my oh so wonderful book blog. I wanted to try and get my family blog going again to share things about our lives. So, if any of my followers like Mom blogs or are mom, or have a mom blog, go check mine out. Also, leave me a link here if you have another blog and I will come and follow you!






Thanks!

A look back at 2010 (155 books read!)

I read 155 books in 2010! Wowzers, that's a lot. I keep a journal that I write down each book in and the month. So, it was quick and easy to add it up. What is most fun is to look back and see what I was reading a year ago at this time. Last year at this time, I was heavy into chick-lit. Soaking up Jane Green, Jennifer Crusie, Emily Giffin, Kristin Billerbeck, Janet Evanovich and Emily Weiner. These were always mostly "clean" romance books. I had gone through my paranormal stage in 2009. It was about July when I started to dive in with more risky romance writers and read some erotica. Well frankly, I am still there, lol. I love some smut as people call it, however there has got to be a story line there. I read one book this year in the smut category and it was so bad and the story line was horrible, I just had to put it down after about 50 pages.

My top 10 books from last year would probably be:

1. Goodnight Nobody by Jennifer Weiner
2. The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
3. The Pact by Jodi Picoult
4. Promises to Keep by Jane Green
5. Simon's Choice by Charlotte Castle
6. Take Me Down by Victoria Dahl
7. She's Gone Country by Jane Porter
8. Still Missing by Chevy Stevens
9. Rescue Me by Jennifer Johnson
10. One Night in Scotland by Karen Hawkins

2010 was great and I am looking forward to see what 2011 has in store for me as far as books. I think I will experience a lot of newer authors since getting my e-reader. I look forward to it!

Leave me a link to your 2010 reads if you have one.