ReadingGrrls Paper Safari

Title:   Wingspan by Karis Walsh Publisher : Bold Stroke Books 182 pages Genre: lgbt romance I received this as an advance e-book through netgalley.com It was released February 17, 2014. Synopsis:  When architect Kendall Pearson finds an injured osprey on her property, she expects to simply drop it off at a local wild bird rehabilitation center and be done with it. Quick and painless, like every other relationship she has. But wildlife biologist Bailey Chase has other plans for Ken. First, as surgical assistant, and second, as the designer for her new raptor sanctuary. Bailey protects her privacy with the vigilance of a hawk, hiding in her rescue center where she has complete control over her life and her work. Isolated on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula, she’s surrounded by natural beauty and plenty of solitude. Until sexy Ken Pearson walks in with a wounded bird and Bailey finds her life has been invaded by more than just an extra beak to feed. Sometimes pain is invisib

Title:   House of Bathory by Linda Lafferty Publisher: Lake Union Publishing 486 pages Genre: Historical mystery Synopsis: In the early 1600s, Elizabeth Báthory, the infamous Blood Countess, ruled Čachtice Castle in the hinterlands of Slovakia. During bizarre nightly rites, she tortured and killed the young women she had taken on as servants. A devil, a demon, the terror of Royal Hungary—she bathed in their blood to preserve her own youth. 400 years later, echoes of the Countess’s legendary brutality reach Aspen, Colorado. Betsy Path, a psychoanalyst of uncommon intuition, has a breakthrough with sullen teenager Daisy Hart. Together, they are haunted by the past, as they struggle to understand its imprint upon the present. Betsy and her troubled but perceptive patient learn the truth: the curse of the House of Bathory lives still and has the power to do evil even now. Review: I am fascinated by Elizabeth Bathory and her twisted mind, and her horrific crimes. Apparently so

I stole this photo from amazon Title:   Chosen with Purpose: A Story of Adoption and Identity by Mark Molzen Publisher: Amazon Digital Services 103 pages Genre: Adoption Synopsis:  Born to a fourteen-year-old girl and an eighteen-year-old high school dropout, the odds of Mark Molzen being in prison, dying young or becoming a drug addict were far more likely than any other outcome. So how did he beat the odds — becoming a successful, highly regarded public relations professional for an $18 billion, Fortune 150 Company? It’s all because of the plan God had for him—a plan that started when his understanding of adoption radically changed. Mark Molzen’s debut explores the stigma surrounding adoption, delves into what the Bible says about this issue, and examines the inherent power of choosing to accept that adoption is part of God’s plan for our lives. Adopted into the “United Nations of Adoption,” a family consisting of two biological children as well as four adopted children of N

Title:  Humans of New York by Brandon Stanton Publisher: St. Martin's Press 304 Pages Genre: Photography Synopsis:   Humans of New York  began in the summer of 2010, when photographer Brandon Stanton set out to create a photographic census of New York City.  Armed with his camera, he began crisscrossing the city, covering thousands of miles on foot, all in an attempt to capture New Yorkers and their stories.  The result of these efforts was a vibrant blog he called "Humans of New York," in which his photos were featured alongside quotes and anecdotes. Review: I am a huge fan of Brandon's tumblr page, so when I discovered he was making a book I just had to get it.  I love all the diversity in New York and I love the captions that accompany the photos.  NYC is truly a melting pot of humanity and this book is beautiful, quirky and well worth having on your coffee table or shelf.  Love it!

Title:   The Quickening: Book Two of the Sisters of Spirits Trilogy by Yvonne Heidt Publisher: Bold Stroke Books 210 pages Genre: LGBT paranormal romance Synopsis:  Tiffany Curran has the ability to read places and people by touch, and although it’s a gift she uses to help people, it’s also a curse that prevents her from having much human contact. She tries to keep life simple, but that all changes when Katerina Volchosky calls in the Sisters of Spirits paranormal team for help. Kat is tired of reporting about violence in the city and vows this story is her last. She is hoping that S.O.S. can connect with a serial killer’s victims to help provide clues. When she meets Tiffany, she dreams of a promise made centuries ago to a flame-haired priestess. Ancient whispers of curses and witches haunt Tiffany’s nightmares, and the closer she and Kat get to the murderer, the louder the whispers get. Worse, Tiffany has a horrific suspicion she might know who the killer is. Review: N

Title:   Hoping to Adopt: How to Create the Ideal Adoption Profile (Preparing to Adopt) by Russell Elkins Publisher:  CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform 38 pages Genre: adoption, Synopsis:  It’s cliché to say it, but you never get a second chance to make a first impression. Clichés are cliché because they’re true. When a potential birth parent is browsing through profiles, being able to create an ideal first impression is essential for hopeful adoptive parents. An ideal profile can help catch the eye of potential birth parents by more effectively showing how their homes work, look, and feel. Because few (if any) adoption agencies use the “first come, first served” method anymore, some couples are chosen very quickly— but others, who might not have the right tools, wait for years. If you’re hoping to adopt, there are things you can do to greatly increase the odds that you will be one of the couples whose wait is a short one. Not all adoption agencies are the same. Differ

Title:   Hounded: The Iron Druid Chronicles, Book One by Kevin Hearne Publisher: Del Ray 320 pages Genre: fantasy Synopsis:  Atticus O’Sullivan, last of the Druids, lives peacefully in Arizona, running an occult bookshop and shape-shifting in his spare time to hunt with his Irish wolfhound. His neighbors and customers think that this handsome, tattooed Irish dude is about twenty-one years old—when in actuality, he’s twenty-one  centuries  old. Not to mention: He draws his power from the earth, possesses a sharp wit, and wields an even sharper magical sword known as Fragarach, the Answerer. Unfortunately, a very angry Celtic god wants that sword, and he’s hounded Atticus for centuries. Now the determined deity has tracked him down, and Atticus will need all his power—plus the help of a seductive goddess of death, his vampire and werewolf team of attorneys, a sexy bartender possessed by a Hindu witch, and some good old-fashioned luck of the Irish—to kick some Celtic arse and de