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Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of  Should Be Reading . Anyone can play along! •  Grab your current read • Open to a random page • Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page •  BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!  ( make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others! ) •  Share the  title & author , too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! My teaser Tuesday is from: Of Bees & Mist by Erick Setiawan  The Matchmaker must have arrived while she had taken her morning bath, for she had not heard the front door open since the blue mist deposited Gabriel a half hour ago.

Title:   Even Tough Girls Wear Tutus: Inside the World of a Woman Born in Prison by Deborah Jiang Stein Publisher: Cell 7 Media 181 pages Genre: Memoir Synopsis: The story of a woman whose gift for finding purpose in life drives her to help others change their lives even as she struggles to accept and overcome her own past - born heroin addicted to a mother in prison. Her story proves we're more than a sum of our parts, and there's always a chance for redemption. Review: Deborah Jiang Stein's story could be tragic instead its empowering, it could be depressing, instead its uplifting.  I finished this book in a few hours because I couldn't put it down.  Brutally honest and unapologetic Deborah tells the story of finding out as a young girl that her birth mother gave birth to her while in prison and how she lived in a foster home before she came to live with her adoptive family.  This information colors Deborah's life from that point forward.  From her...

Booking it Through Thursdays asks: Which is more important a good story or good writing? I have to say to me they sort of go hand in hand but if I had to choose one I would go with a good story.  I can get past some icky text if the story grabs me but if the story sucks even if the writing is superb its still a boring sucky book.  So I guess a good story is more important to me.

Title:  The Art of Racing in the Rain: A Novel by Garth Stein Publisher: Harper Perennial 336 pages Genre: Fiction Synopsis:  Enzo is a lab terrier mix plucked from a farm outside Seattle to ride shotgun with race car driver Denny Swift as he pursues success on the track and off. Denny meets and marries Eve, has a daughter, Zoë, and risks his savings and his life to make it on the professional racing circuit. Enzo, frustrated by his inability to speak and his lack of opposable thumbs, watches Denny's old racing videos, coins aphorisms that apply to both driving and life, and hopes for the day when his life as a dog will be over and he can be reborn a man. When Denny hits an extended rough patch, Enzo remains his most steadfast if silent supporter. Review: I think I'm the last person I know who hadn't read this book and I thought it was fabulous, I'm not sure what took me so long to pick it up.  A touching story told by the dog's perspective on his life an...

WWW Wednesday is brought to you by  shouldbereading.wordpress.com What are you currently reading? What did you recently finish reading? What do you think you’ll read next? 1) The Art of Racing in The Rain by Garth Stein - I think I'm the only one left who hasn't read this.  My girlfriend just finished it and told me to read it and because I like tranquility in my relationship I am reading it. :) 2) Street Rules by Baxter Clare - eh so so - but its a good series (this was the 2nd book in the series and even the author doesn't think its her best work. 3) I'm still going with my next read being Of Bees and Mist by Erick Setiawan

Title:   Street Rules by Baxter Clare Publisher: Bella Books 260 Pages Genre: lgbt mystery Synopsis:  For `Frank,` L.A.P.D. Homicide Lieutenant L.A. Franco and her homicide squad, it's business as usual -- a multiple murder, ugly as it is, at least seems to have an easy explanation. Until it coincides with an untimely drive-by shooting. The investigation ultimately pulls Frank and her squad in conflicting directions while drawing Frank closer to the county's new Chief Coroner, Gail Lawless. Through a series of twists and turns, all Frank's leads eventually bring her to the disquieting possibility that the killer she seeks might well be one of her own brothers in blue. Review: Much slower than the last "Detective Franco" book but intriguing.  You can really see the politics of the police force in this one and how Frank has to work around some of the good ole boys club in order to get her job done. I also think she did a good job showing the cycle of stre...

Title:  How It Feels to Have a Gay or Lesbian Parent: A Book by Kids for Kids of All Ages by Judith E Snow Publisher: Harrington Park Press 101 Pages Genre: Non-fiction Synopsis: How It Feels to Have a Gay or Lesbian Parent: A Book by Kids for Kids of All Ages gives voice to the thoughts, feelings, and experiences of children, adolescents, and young adults who have a gay or lesbian parent. In their own words, they talk openly and candidly about how and when they learned of their parent’s sexual orientation and the effect it had on them—and their families. Their stories echo themes of prejudice and harassment, conflict and confusion, adaptation and adjustment, and hope for tolerance and a family that can exist in harmony. Review: The kids interviewed for this book range in age from seven to thirty-one.  It is interesting to see the differences and the similarities in all of their situations.  It seems that most of them were okay with their parents being gay it b...

WWW Wednesday is brought to you by  shouldbereading.wordpress.com What are you currently reading? What did you recently finish reading? What do you think you’ll read next? 1) Street Rules by Baxter Clare 2) How it Feels to Have a Gay or Lesbian Parent by Judith Snow 3) Not sure but I'm thinking Of Bees and Mist by Erick Setiawan

Title: The Hidden Child by Camilla Lackberg Publisher: Harper 504 pages Genre: Mystery Synopsis: Detective Patrik Hedstrom is on paternity leave. But his wife's enquiries appear to have set off a chain of murders and he's finding it hard to keep out of the investigation. A terrible secret from the darkest days of World War II is coming to light and their families histories are right at the heart of it. Review: What a fabulous book.  I loved the characters and learning about Sweden and Norway's involvement in WWII was really interesting.  I was caught up in the mystery from moment one and couldn't figure out what was going on until the very last few pages when everyone else in the book figured it all out. Unraveling the past from a few clippings, a bloody child's tshirt and an SS Nazi medal Erica and her husband Patrik find themselves caught up in a mystery that involves both of their families and secrets that have remained hidden for years .  Everythi...

Weekly questions brought to you by Booking Through Thursdays ! This interview is about me.  My answers are in bold.  1. What’s your favorite time of day to read? Anytime really.  I carry a book with me always...if I have a free minute I read.  2. Do you read during breakfast? (Assuming you eat breakfast.) I don't always eat breakfast, but if I do during the week or am alone on the weekends I usually do have my book open.  3. What’s your favorite breakfast food? (Noting that breakfast foods can be eaten any time of day.) This really depends on my mood, I love french toast,omelets and occasionally pancakes.  4. How many hours a day would you say you read? Between 2-4 hours  5. Do you read more or less now than you did, say, 10 years ago? No, I read about the same, just different stuff.  Being in school has cut into my pleasure reading so I am reading a lot of journal articles, and textbooks as opposed to novels.  6. Do you consid...

WWW Wednesday is brought to you by shouldbereading.wordpress.com What are you currently reading? What did you recently finish reading? What do you think you’ll read next? Currently Reading: The Hidden Child by Camilla Lackberg Recently Finished Reading: Waiting to Forget by Sheila Kelly Welch Not sure what I'll read next but probably something trashy....

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of  Should Be Reading . Anyone can play along! •  Grab your current read • Open to a random page • Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page •  BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!  ( make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others! ) •  Share the  title & author , too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! My Tuesday Teaser is: The Hidden Child by Camilla Lackberg 'As if that would stop me,' muttered Per, 'And that old man with the Nazi stuff? He got what he deserved. I heard the way he talked to my father when he came to get me.

Title:   Waiting to Forget by Sheila Kelly Welch Publisher: Namelos 170 Pages Genre: YA Synopsis: T.J. has always looked out for his little sister, Angela. When Momma used to go out and leave them home alone, he'd lock the door so they'd be safe, keep Angela entertained, and get out the cereal and milk for her. When Momma's boyfriend got angry at them, he'd try to protect Angela. Later, at their foster homes, T.J. was the only one who knew how to coax his little sister out of her bad moods. The only one who understood why she made origami paper cranes and threw them out the window. But now T.J. is sitting in the waiting room at the hospital, wondering if Angela, unconscious after a fall, will ever wake up. Wondering, too, if he will ever feel at home with his and Angela's new parents—Marlene, who insists on calling him Timothy, and Dan, who seems to want a different son. Going back and forth between Now and Then, weaving the uncertain present with the painf...

Booking Through Thursdays is a weekly meme- this weeks question is: If you could interview anyone who would it be and what would you ask them? I had a hard time with this question.  There are several authors that I would like to interview but I guess the one that always seems to come to mind is Jasper Fforde .  I am completely in awe of his talent and would love to be a fly on the wall of his computer while he is writing.  So what would I ask him? You seem to be extremely well read where do you come up with your ideas? Did you write as a child? Will there be any more Nursery Crime books? Have you always been a fan of Nursery Rhymes?

Title:   Wrecker: A Novel by Summer Wood Publisher: Bloomsbury 287 pages Genre: Fiction Synopsis: It's June of 1965 when Wrecker enters the world. The war is raging in Vietnam, San Francisco is tripping toward flower power, and Lisa Fay, Wrecker's birth mother, is knocked nearly sideways by life as a single parent in a city she can barely manage to navigate on her own. Three years later, she's in prison, and Wrecker is left to bounce around in the system before he's shipped off to live with distant relatives in the wilds of Humboldt County, California. When he arrives he's scared and angry, exploding at the least thing, and quick to flee.  Wrecker  is the story of this boy and the motley group of isolated eccentrics who come together to raise him and become a family along the way. Review: Families are complicated and at a time when the US is debating about who should be able to adopt, who should be able to marry etc. this is the perfect time to read this ...

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading . Anyone can play along! •  Grab your current read • Open to a random page • Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page •  BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!  ( make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others! ) •  Share the  title & author , too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! Wrecker by Summer Wood - "And still there seemed to be something unforgivable, something almost reprehensible, about condoning the way things had worked out. He'd been deprived of a past."  

Happy 2012!  I have set a goal of 100 book to read for the past few years and missed my mark by less than 10 each time.  This time I am determined to complete my goal.  School really cut into some reading time and although I am still going to school I think I will be able to fulfill my goal without much trouble this year. Books I'm looking forward to in 2012:  A Perfect Blood by Kim Harrison Deadlocked by Charlaine Harris The Wolf Gift by Anne Rice Lone Wolf by Jodi Picoult The Fault in Our Stars by John Green What books are you looking forward to?