Currently Reading

From the back of the book:
At the seaside resort of Blackpool, England, the Singleton family enjoys all the amenities of the Belvedere Hotel ("Hot and Cold Water in Every Room"). But in this fading realm of boardwalk, beach, and tourist traps, Ruth Singleton can't escape her lust for a bigger home and her need to make her youngest daughter's illness disappear. Her husband, Jack, hides a letter that stretches back to the horrors of the war and into his unbearable loneliness. Daughters Helen and Beth, sixteen and seven, will wade into a tide of longing and delusion: Helen falls under the spell of a wanton waitress; Beth fights a disease that has threatened her life and now her spirit. Full of secrets, passions, and fateful choices that will transform this family and their friends, the world of the Singletons will tilt precariously from a violent past toward a future bearing dangers and wonders of its own....

Anne of Green Gables - a review

Anne of Green Gables.L.M. Montgomery.1908
Signet.320 pages.
[Source: Purchased]


When I was in elementary school I was given a copy of Anne of Green Gables from a librarian who thought that I would really enjoy it. I fell in love. That was at least 19 years ago. Recently I found the collection of all of the books featuring Anne for sale on Amazon in ebook format. Finally, after so many years, I picked up Anne of Green Gables again.

I think that what attracts so many people to Anne and her world is that she is an insanely likable character, who finds where she belongs. The other characters in the book are just as rich: Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert, Diana Barry, Gilbert Blythe, and even Mrs. Rachel Lynde. I also believe that people are attracted to the story because it's so timeless, and we can all relate a bit to Anne's passions, insecurities, and incredible imagination.

Anne of Green Gables is truly a wonderful read no matter your age.


I rated this book 5 out of 5 stars on Goodreads.

"Waiting On" Wednesday: The Girl in the Spider's Web

Today I'm joining Breaking the Spine for "Waiting On" Wednesday

My selection for my "can't-wait-to-read" pre-publication book is: 

The Girl in the Spider's Web

by David Lagercrantz (continuing the Millennium series by Stieg Larsson)

Publication Date:  September 1st

From Barnes and Noble: 

This fall, Lisbeth Salander and Mikael Blomkvist return in the highly anticipated follow-up to Stieg Larsson’s THE GIRL WHO KICKED THE HORNET’S NEST

In this adrenaline-charged thriller, genius-hacker Lisbeth Salander and journalist Mikael Blomkvist face a dangerous new threat and must again join forces. 

Late one night, Blomkvist receives a phone call from a trusted source claiming to have information vital to the United States. The source has been in contact with a young female super hacker–a hacker resembling someone Blomkvist knows all too well. The implications are staggering.

Blomkvist, in desperate need of a scoop for Millennium, turns to Lisbeth for help. She, as usual, has her own agenda. In The Girl in the Spider's Web, the duo who thrilled 80 million readers in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played with Fire, and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest meet again in an extraordinary and uniquely of-the-moment thriller.

I'm really excited about this book, but a little apprehensive since it's being written by a different author (the original author of the series passed away). I absolutely love the Millennium series. The characters are so complex, as well as the storyline. I'm really hoping that it lives up to Stieg Larsson's work.

If you want to participate each week then head over to  Breaking the Spine.

Currently Reading

My currently reading list:

From Goodreads:

Schuyler Van Alen is starting to get more comfortable with her newfound vampire powers, but she still has many unanswered questions. A trip to Italy in search of her grandfather only serves to make things more confusing. What secrets are the leaders of The Committee hiding? Meanwhile, back in New York, preparations are feverishly underway for the famous Four Hundred Ball. In true Blue Blood fashion, the ball is totally fab, complete with masks-and hidden behind this masquerade is a revelation that will change the course of a young vampire's destiny.

The thrilling sequel in Melissa de la Cruz's vampire mythology has all the glamour, attitude, and vampire lore that made the first book a hit.

From Barnes and Noble:

Cinder, the cyborg mechanic, returns in the second thrilling installment of the bestselling Lunar Chronicles. She's trying to break out of prison--even though if she succeeds, she'll be the Commonwealth's most wanted fugitive.

Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit's grandmother is missing. It turns out there are many things Scarlet doesn't know about her grandmother or the grave danger she has lived in her whole life. When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information as to her grandmother's whereabouts, she is loath to trust this stranger, but is inexplicably drawn to him, and he to her. As Scarlet and Wolf unravel one mystery, they encounter another when they meet Cinder. Now, all of them must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen Levana, who will do anything for the handsome Prince Kai to become her husband, her king, her prisoner.  

From Barnes and Noble: 

How far would you go?

The Collapse has ransacked the economy, making work almost impossible to find and forcing Amy from college hopeful to sole provider for her terminally-ill grandmother and rebellious younger sister. To make ends meet, Amy auditions for a slot on a new reality TV show, which promises both a hefty salary and full medical benefits for her entire family. Somehow, she gets chosen, and she leaps to sign a contract despite her misgivings.

The show in which she’ll take part has an irresistible premise: audience members can win millions by predicting the behavior of each member of the cast in a crisis. But the producers are willing to do anything to maintain ratings, including using blatant setups, 24/7 surveillance, and even state-of-the-art holographic technology to simulate danger. But soon, the danger becomes all too real, and Amy—on and off the camera—must fight for her life….

"Waiting On" Wednesday: The Taming of the Queen

Today I'm joining Breaking the Spine for "Waiting On" Wednesday

My selection for my "can't-wait-to-read" pre-publication book is:

The Taming of the Queen

by Phillipa Gregory

Publication Date: August 25th

From Barnes and Noble: 

By the #1 New York Times bestselling author behind the Starz original series The White Queen, a riveting new Tudor tale featuring King Henry VIII's sixth wife Kateryn Parr, the first English queen to publish under her own name.

Why would a woman marry a serial killer?

Because she cannot refuse...

Kateryn Parr, a thirty-year-old widow in a secret affair with a new lover, has no choice when a man old enough to be her father who has buried four wives—King Henry VIII—commands her to marry him.

Kateryn has no doubt about the danger she faces: the previous queen lasted sixteen months, the one before barely half a year. But Henry adores his new bride and Kateryn's trust in him grows as she unites the royal family, creates a radical study circle at the heart of the court, and rules the kingdom as Regent.

But is this enough to keep her safe? A leader of religious reform and the first woman to publish in English, Kateryn stands out as an independent woman with a mind of her own. But she cannot save the Protestants, under threat for their faith, and Henry's dangerous gaze turns on her. The traditional churchmen and rivals for power accuse her of heresy—the punishment is death by fire and the king's name is on the warrant...

From an author who has described all of Henry's queens comes a deeply intimate portrayal of the last: a woman who longed for passion, power, and education at the court of a medieval killer.

I'm obsessed with European royal history, namely Tudor history, so I'm extremely excited to read this one. 

If you want to participate each week then head over to Breaking the Spine. 

The Two Princesses of Bamarre - a review

The Two Princesses of Bamarre.Gail Carson LeVine.2001.
Eos. 304 pages.
[Source: Library Loan]


This book was pure magic.

The Two Princesses of Bamarre tells the story of timid and fearful Princess Addie and her adventurous sister Princess Meryl. Both of their lives are changed when Princess Meryl falls ill with the dreaded Gray Death and Addie has to embark on a quest to find a cure.

If you want a vacation from reality for a while, then I suggest you pick up this book. It is juvenile fantasy, but it's such a wonderful read! It's so easy to get sucked into their world of ogres, gryphons, specters, and even a dragon. You really feel like you're going on an adventure.


I rated this book 5 out of 5 stars on Goodreads.

"Waiting on" Wednesday: Go Set a Watchman

Today I'm joining Breaking the Spine for "Waiting on" Wednesday

My selection for my "can't-wait-to-read" pre-publication book is:

Go Set a Watchman

by Harper Lee

Publication Date: July 14th

Yes, that Harper Lee, of To Kill a Mockingbird fame. I'm extremely excited to read this one.

From Barnes and Noble:

An historic literary event: the publication of a newly discovered novel, the earliest known work from Harper Lee, the beloved, bestselling author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning classic, To Kill a Mockingbird.

Originally written in the mid-1950s, Go Set a Watchman was the novel Harper Lee first submitted to her publishers before To Kill a Mockingbird. Assumed to have been lost, the manuscript was discovered in late 2014.

Go Set a Watchman features many of the characters from To Kill a Mockingbird some twenty years later. Returning home to Maycomb to visit her father, Jean Louise Finch—Scout—struggles with issues both personal and political, involving Atticus, society, and the small Alabama town that shaped her.

Exploring how the characters from To Kill a Mockingbird are adjusting to the turbulent events transforming mid-1950s America, Go Set a Watchman casts a fascinating new light on Harper Lee’s enduring classic. Moving, funny and compelling, it stands as a magnificent novel in its own right.

If you want to participate each week then head over to Breaking the Spine.