More 2011 books

Down Our Street by Lena Kennedy

Amy is the apple of her mother's eye, she's the youngest of 13. With the outbreak of WWII the Flanagan family is sundered, shaken from their crowded nest in London's East End. Joe id made a sergeant, fighting in France. Billy volunteers for the Army Transport, young Dan fulfils his dreams and joins the RAF. The young ones are evacuated from the war torn capital-the girls to Devon and the boys to a school in the Midlands they reckon is worse than Colditz

The war brings tragedy-even the old home is in ruins, bombed and shell-splintered. It's Amy, with her fierce courage and determination, who pulls the family back together. Then handsome Sparky, full of wicked charm and Cockney banter, walks into her life and wins her heart. Turbulent happy years follow; times of great joy for Amy and times of bitter heartrending when family ties war against the needs of her feckless husband.
Quite a few surprises along the way, an interesting read.

Spider Bones by Kathy Reichs

When Tempe Brennan is called to the scene of a Quebec drowning, shocking discoveries await. The victim-identified as John Lowery-was engaged in a bizarre sexual practice when he died; and the same John Lowery was an American soldier declared dead in 1968, after a Huey crash in Vietnam. Who then, Tempe sets off to find out, is buried in the vet's North Carolina grave? Exhuming the remains and having them analyzed at a military compound in Hawaii gets complicated when Tempe's ex Detective Andrew Ryan, appears....and when a Honolulu ME consults with her on who or what lethally attacked a young victim-a shark, or a more sinister predator? And when Lowery's dog tags turn up linked to yet another corpse, Tempe must deconstruct a twisted tale of death that spans years, continents, and too many tragic losses.

Kathy Reich is one of my favourite authors but I must say I found this book rather confusing keeping all the corpses organized as to who was who.

A Time for Us by Josephine Cox

Lucy Nolan is the golden girl. The only daughter of local grocers, Sally and Mike Nolan, she's grown up in a home of total love and security. The one thing her heart desires is that Jack Hanson might ask her to marry him, and when he does eventually propose, Lucy is prepared to give up everything to be with him-even though it means leaving her beloved parents to live abroad where Jack has been offered an exciting business opportunity.

But then, almost on the eve of the marriage itself, tragedy strikes. And for the rest of her life, Lucy is forced to realise that Fate, which has been so kind to her, can also be just as cruel.

I found this an interesting read and do enjoy most of Josephine Cox books.

Love by Design by Nora Roberts

Two books in one

Loving Jack

Somehow her own fictional brooding hero had turned up in person right under her own roof, and now all romance writer Jackie MacNamara had to do was convince stubborn Nathan Powell that happily-ever-after began at home-with her.

Best Laid Plans

She was the sexiest thing in a hard hat that architect Cody Johnson had ever seen, but structural engineer Abra Wilson also had a will as strong as a steel girder-and just about as flexible. But Cody has plans for Abra that not even this spirited beauty could resist.

Two short predictable stories. Good for a summer read.

Promise Canyon by Robyn Carr

After years spent on ranches around Los Angeles, Clay Tahoma is delighted to be Virgin River's new veterinary assistant. The secluded community's wild beauty tugs at his Navajo roots, and he's been welcomed with open arms by everyone in town-everyone except Lilly Yazhi. :i;;y has encountered her share of strong, silent, traditional men within her own aboriginal community, and she's not interested in coming back for more. In her eyes, Clay's earthy, sexy appeal is just an act used to charm wealthy women like his ex-wife. She can't deny his gift for gentling horses, but she's not about to let him control her. There's just one problem-she can't control her attraction to Clay.

Forbidden Falls by Robyn Carr

Noah Kincaid arrives ready to roll up his sleeves and revitalize his new purchase, but he's going to need some help. An ad in the local paper brings an improbable candidate his way. "Pastor's assistant" is not a phrase that springs to mind when Noah meets brassy, beautiful Ellie Baldwin. With her colourful clothes and even more colourful past, Ellie needs a respectable job so she can regain custody of her children. Noah can't help but admire her spunk and determination and she may just be the breath of fresh air he needs.

This unlikely duo may come from two different worlds, but they have more in common than anyone would have expected. And in Virgin River lasting happiness in never out of the question.

The Shipping News by Annie Proulx

When Quoyle's two-timing wife meets her just deserts, he retreats with his two daughters to his ancestral home on the starkly beautiful Newfoundland coast, where a rich cast of local characters and family members all play a part in Quoyle's struggle to reclaim his life. As Quoyle confronts his private demons-and the unpredictable forces of nature and society-he begins to see the possibility of love without pain or misery.

I found this book very difficult to stick with, even though I did finish it. I kept thinking it would get better, but it didn't. Sorry I wasted my time.

Hey, Good Looking by Fern Michaels

Darby Lane and Russell Gunn had been inseparable friends from their early years in the Horseshoe, their wonderful Baton Rouge neighborhood of southern comforts and childhood fancies, all the way through to graduate school dreams and beyond.. Then a tragic accident takes Russ's life-and Darby's world is shattered. But her long journey to healing takes hold as Darby begins to see Russ's brother Ben through new eyes. Suddenly love blooms in the place of grief, and now, with the help of three wily and colourful aunts who raise her, Darby faces the challenge of reuniting Ben with his estranged father-if she and her aunts can get through the conniving schemes of Ben's social-climber stepmother, Like the custom dollhouses Darby creates with tender care and patience, she begins to understand that loss can build new life-and love truly can conquer anything.

I found this to be a very silly but funny read.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

Harriet Vanger, scion of one of Sweden's wealthiest families, disappeared over forty years ago. All these years later, her aged uncle continues to seek the truth. He hires Mikael Blonkvist, a crusading journalist recently trapped by a libel conviction, to investigate. He is aided by the pierced and tattooed punk prodigy Lisbeth Salander. Together they tap into a vein of unfathomable iniquity and astonishing corruption.
I enjoyed this book as much as the first book, The Girl Who Played with Fire. I'm awaiting the third book to come out in paperback.

The Woman Who Left by Josephine Cox

Louise and Ben Hunter have a happy, loving marriage, marred only by their unfulfilled longing for a child. Living and working with Ben's father, Ronnie, they quietly accept their uneventful but contented lives. But when Ronnie dies, their whole world changes. News of his father's passing bring Ben's lazy brother, Jacolb, back on the scene, in the mistaken belief that he stands to inherit Ronnie's small fortune. Added to which he means to have his brother's wife, though just as she did years before, Louise warns him off. Jacob, however, is not so easily dismissed. When he realises it is Ben who will inherit everything, Jacob is beside himself with rage, and commits a terrible deed, one that threatens to destroy everything his brother and Louise hold dear-their home and their family, their friends, their marriage and even their lives.

I enjoyed this book, but certainly had its sad moments.

Phew, that's it, all caught up. I find putting pictures into a blog post is the most time consuming, frustrating process. There has to be a better way. Maybe there is and I don't know about it!!!Then when you have it all spaced correctly and saved and you publish the post there are huge gaps all over the place. Drives me crazy!!

Bye for now.

Still Reading

Still reading but not much else happening!

The Shadow of Your Smile by Mary Higgins Clark

At age 82 and in failing health Olivia Morrow faces a momentous choice: expose a devastating family secret, or take it with her to her grave. Olivia has in her possession letters from her deceased cousin Catherine, a nun now being considered for beatification by the Catholic Church. The letters are evidence that Catherine gave birth at age seventeen to a son she gave up for adoption. The young man who fathered Catherine's child, Alex Gannon, went on to become a world-famous doctor and scientist. Now, thirty-one year old pediatrician Dr. Monica Farrell, their granddaughter, stands as the rightful heir to what remains of Gannon's fortune. But to silence Olivia and prevent Monica from learning the secret, those who are exploiting the inheritance will stop at nothing-even murder.

Indulgence in Death by J.D. Robb

When a murder disrupts the Irish vacation she is taking with her husband, Roarke, Eve realizes that no place is safe- not an Irish wood or the streets of the manic city she calls home. But nothing prepares her for what she discovers upon her return to the sop shop in New York.

A limo driver is shot through the neck with a crossbow. Then a high priced escort is found stabbed through the heart with a bayonet. Eve begins to fear she has come across the most dangerous criminal: a thrill killer, and one with a taste for the finer things in life-and death'

As time runs out on another innocent victim's life. Eve's investigation will take her into the rarefied circle that her husband, Roarke, travels in-and into the perverted heart of madness.

Lap of Luxury by Kristine Rolofson

The perfect husband-once upon a time there was a fair maiden who found a sleeping prince on her doorstep. But the fantasy had one catch...

Stuck on you-who would have thought hanging wallpaper would lead to the perfect man and the perfect ready made family? Still-it was turning into a sticky situation.

Make believe honeymoon-a jilted bride, a sexy duke-a make believe honeymoon to die for. Except marriage wasn't on the menu.

Bye for now.

Spring in Canada

This is what it looked like two weekends ago.

We got 30cm./12" of snow.

Then we got 20cm./8" yesterday.

We are going to get another 20cm./8" tomorrow!!!

When will this ever end.

Books Again!!

Someday Soon/Sooner or Later by Debbie Macomber

I had already read the second story in this book.

Someday Soon is about a lonely young woman who gets under the skin of a dangerous mercenary who discovers that love wins over war every time.

Where Yesterday Lives by Karen Kingsbury

Ellen Barrett is a Pulitzer prize winning journalist with an uncertain marriage, a forgotten faith, and haunting memories of her hometown and the love she left behind. The eldest of five siblings, Ellen longs for the time, long ago, when they were happy-when they were a family. Then tragedy strikes. Ellen's father is dead, and she must go back home. As she returns an avalanche of memories is unleashed. She is on a quest to make peace with the people who still live there.

An Afternoon Walk by Dorothy Eden

On an afternoon walk Ella and her five year old daughter come upon an abandoned house with an eerie overgrown garden. The house conjures up images of grand parties and bygone fashions. Then they hear a horrible scream and from a second story window, see the spreading white wings of an owl taking flight. When she tells her husband that evening he reminds her that having recently lost a child at birth she is still emotionally unstable. Then she starts receiving a series of anonymous phone calls. Who did she hear scream?

Staying at Daisy's by Jill Mansell

Daisy MacLean runs the country house hotel owned by her flamboyant father, Hector. When she hears who's about to get married there, she isn't worried at all-her friend Tara absolutely promises there won't be any trouble between her and ex-boyfriend Dominic, whom she hasn't seen for years. But Daisy should have been worried. Dominic has other ideas. And seeing Tara again sets in motion a chaotic train of events with far-reaching consequences for all concerned.

Devices and Desires by P.D. James

A serial killer of women is on the loose in a remote area of the Norfolk coast.

Overshadowing the bleak landscape and the lives of the local community is the Larksoken nuclear power station, run by the charismatic Alex Mair. Commander Adam Dalgliesh, who is staying at his aunt's converted windmill, becomes involved in the hunt for the murderer, a search that implicates him in the concerns and dangerous secrets of the headland community. And then one moonlit night it becomes chillingly apparent that the mass murderer isn't the only killer at work in Larksoken.

Bye for now.

New Year, More Books

Breaking the Rules by Barbara Taylor Bradford

Following a terrifying encounter, a beautiful young woman flees her quiet English countryside in search of a new life. She adopts the initial M as her name and embarks on a journey that will lead her onto the catwalks of Paris to New York, where she meets and soon marries a handsome Hollywood actor. M believes she has truly put the demons of her earlier days behind her. But life in the spotlight is about to take a dark turn. Someone from her past, a psychopath with deadly intent, has made a vow to shatter M's world forever. M also makes a vow: to do everything in her power to keep herself safe and protect her loved ones-even if that means breaking the rules.

O'Hurley Born by Nora Roberts

Two stories in one book.
The Last Honest Woman

If sex sells, then so do lies-especially when the truth is revealed. And cynical journalist Dylan Crosby knew that the just-a-simple-widow routine Abby O'Hurley was giving him wasn't anything close to the truth. There was a story there. All he had to do was turn on the charm, turn down the lights and she would whisper all her secrets. Unless she uncovered his first.

Dance to the Piper

Maddy O'Hurley shone in the spotlight. Her passion for dancing set the stage aflame and left no one in her audience unaffected-including business mogal Reed Valentine. But Reed wasn't used to burning-not for anything or anyone. And he wasn't about to let the ruthless business skills he honed be affected by wild passion. So was he prepared to fight fire with fire?

More light reading with the usual predictable endings.

Exclusive by Fern Michaels

When Toots Loudenberry relocated to Los Angeles from South Carolina to be near her daughter, Abby, she expected to bump into the occasional celebrity. She just never expected them to be dead. Meanwhile, Toots, Sophie, and Mavis are concerned that the prestigious Dr. Sameer's budding romance with Ida may have something to do with his ailing bank balance. And Abby's attempted makeover of the celebrity magazine the Informer into the most talked-about tabloid in town could end more than just her career.

But the Godmothers wouldn't be Godmothers if they weren't pulling a few behind-the-scenes strings, and Abby's hopes of changing the fortunes of The Informer are still alive. Yet it'll take an assist from a source no one could have predicted, let alone see, to secure a story that will shake Tinseltown to its very core.

This was cute and funny although I think its part of a continuing story that I haven't read.

Bye for now.

Beautiful Orchid

I changed the picture in my header.

I received this beautiful orchid as a Christmas present. It is absolutely gorgeous and has more than 20 flowers on it. It started out with four leaves but it is down to one now. I think I may have messed up . I was listening to a gardening show on the radio shortly after Christmas and they were saying that if you received an orchid and it is in moss take it out . So I took all the moss out and I was sure that they said to replace it with rock, so I did. Of course, now I'm thinking how will it retain water for the roots in rocks? I think that is why I've lost three of the leaves. I've only just lost one flower so that is pretty good as it's six weeks since Christmas. I think I need to get some wood chips and replace most of the rocks with that. Hopefully it doesn't die on me!!

Bye for now.

Books

1022 Evergreen Place by Debbie Macomber

This is a continuation of the Cedar Cove books. This one focuses on Mack McAfee and Mary Jo Wyse, their budding romance. Also Mary Jo finds some old letters hidden under the floorboards in her side of the duplex. They are determined to trace who they came from. Another good light read.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larson

I found this book a little difficult to get into but once I was over the first few chapters I really couldn't put it down. The book is about Mikael Blomkvist, a journalist, and Lisbeth Salander, a computer hacker. They set out to solve the disappearance of Harriet Vanger forty years ago.

This book is number one in a trilogy and I'm already part way into the second one, and waiting for number 3 to come out in paperback. Unfortunately the author died so this will be it from him.

Birthright by Nora Roberts

When 5,000 year-old human bones are found at a construction site in the small town of Woodsboro, the news draws archaeologist Callie Dunbrook out of her sabbatical and into a whirlwind of adventure, danger, and romance. While overseeing the dig, she must try to make sense of a cloud of death and misfortune that hangs over the project-fueling rumors that the site is cursed. She must cope with the presence of her ex-husband, Jake and when a stranger claims to know a secret about her privileged Boston childhood, she must question her past as well.

I enjoyed this book, it kept you wanting to read more.

By Summer's End by Pamela Morsi

Some things are just too hard to imagine. For instance, Dawn Leland never thought in a million years that she and her girls would end up back with her in-laws. Sixteen years is a long time to be away, but life has dealt her something unexpected. Now she has no choice. And some things don't bear thinking about. Sephora Leland said good riddance to bad rubbish when her son's widow took her two little girls and left Knoxville all those years ago. And despite her husband's best efforts the bitterness still remains. But all things turn out in the end. It takes some forgiveness, a little understanding and the magic of two young girls to make everyone see that.This was a good light read.

Married in Seattle by Debbie Macomber


How to meet and marry a man in Seattle. There are all the usual ways, of course, but here's how Janine Hartman and Meg Remington did it.
Janine: My grandfather Hartman arranged a husband for me! Zach Thomas, the intended groom, was just as outraged as I was. But Gramps insisted we'd be "a perfect match"
Meg: My teenage daughter, Lindsey, had the nerve to place a personal ad on my behalf-Wanted: Perfect Partner. Worse, Steve Conlan, who answered the ad, was perfect, according to her
Cute, but sooooo predictable!!


The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson

Crusading publisher Mikael Blomkvist has decided to run an explosive expose of a wide-ranging sex trafficking operation. Just before the piece is published, the two reporters responsible are murdered. The fingerprints on the murder weapon belong to his friend, the troubled hacker genius Lisbeth Salander. Blomkvist, convinced of Salander's innocence, plunges into an investigation. Meanwhile, Lisbeth herself is drawn into a murderous game of cat and mouse, and is forced to face her dark past.
I think this second book was even better than the first and I can't wait for the 3rd book to come out in paperback.
This post was started way back in November and was put in the 'draft' area. It's taken me ages to get the pictures taken and the rest of the writing done and finally finish the post. Although this is actually being posted in February it is really the end of the books that I read in 2010.
Bye for now.