December 2011

Lots of 3 out of 5 reads for December.  Keeping it simple, here's the list:


THE WHISPER by Carla Neggers

Rating:  3.5/5 (Romance Scale)
Source:  Amazon
Format:  eBook
The December 2011 selection for the Barnes and Noble (Burlington, MA) Romance Readers.  We did not realize when selecting The Whisper that it was the fourth in a series.  A little continuity was lost in not knowing the backstory of some of the characters.  That aside, the Boston/Ireland setting, the suspense, and the hero/heroine romantic interaction made for a good read.  Sometimes, after reading a later installment in a series, I'll go back to catchup up; however, this time I will not.  Knowing who of the secondary characters in The Whisper ends up with whom would be definite spoilers for the earlier books.


AGAINST THE LAW by Kat Martin
Rating:  3.5/5 (Romance Scale)
Source:  Library
Format:  eBook
Third and my favorite in the Raines of Wind Canyon series.


WISHIN' AND HOPIN' by Wally Lamb
Rating:  3/5 (Fiction Scale)
Source:  Amazon
Format:  Trade Paperback
Reread for OTPS December Book Discussion.


EXPLOSIVE EIGHTEEN by Janet Evanovich
Rating:  3/5 (Mystery Scale)
Source:  Library
Format:  Hardcover
Stephanie having an attack of conscience?  I love him, I love him not.  Oh, and the usual band of bad buys who can't shoot straight, a sunrise hairdo, Lula finds her man (or maybe not), and Grandma Mazur takes up bowling.


THEN AGAIN by Diane Keaton
Rating:  3/5 (Non-fiction Scale)
Source:  Library
Format:  Hardcover
Not what I expected, but a beautiful homage to Ms. Keaton's mother, Dorothy Deanne Keaton Hall.


V IS FOR VENGEANCE by Sue Grafton
Rating:  4/5 (Mystery Scale)
Source:  Library
Format:  Hardcover
V also is for vortex as the characters in Grafton's latest alphabet entry are pulled and twisted into a plot full of action and connections none of them anticipated as May 1988 came upon them all.


I LOVE THIS BAR by Carolyn Broan
Rating:  3/5 (Romance Scale)
Source:  Library
Format:  eBook
A wonderful not much of a book.  The story of the Honky Tonk Bar, Daisy O'Dell, and Jarod McElroy was the perfect accompaniment for holiday cooking.


THE SISTERS by Nancy Jensen
Rating:  4/5 (Fiction Scale)
Source:  Library
Format:  Hardcover
Good intentions and a choice made in desperation set off the story of sisters Mabel and Bertie Fischer.  Not a particularly happy family saga for Christmas week reading, but I'm glad to have spent time with these sisters and the consequences of their decisions that reverberated through three generations.


GOOD GIRLS DON'T by Victoria Dahl
Rating:  3/5 (Romance Scale)
Source:  Library
Format:  eBook
A good mix of characters, story, and romance. The next two in the series (Bad Boys Do and Real Men Will) are in my library eBook queue.

And with this December 2011 monthly reading report, Owls Feathers will end.  Thank you to all who visited and who left comments.  Reading and learning from your blogs will continue to be part of my daily routine.  Wishing you all happy reading days ahead!


For anyone so interested, my books and reading comments can be found on Goodreads where my user name is Owlsfeathers.

Merry Christmas!

The rooms were very still while the pages were softly turned

and the winter sunshine crept in to touch the bright heads

and serious faces with a Christmas greeting.

~Louisa May Alcott

November 2011

"No heavy reading" was definitely the motto for my November reading. Lots of good romance, one fiction disappointment, and one outstanding memoir.

HUMMINGBIRD LAKE by Emily March
Rating:  3/5 (Romance Scale)
Source:  Library
Format:  eBook
The second in Emily March's Eternity Springs series. Not quite as good as the first (Angel's Rest), but good enough for me to reserve the third (Heartache Falls) and fourth (Lover's Leap) at the library.

First Line:  The echo of the gunshot jerked Sage Anderson out of her nightmare.

ALREADY HOME by Susan Mallery
Rating:  3/5 (Fiction Scale)
Source:  Library
Format:  eBook
A good story in need of some crisp editing. I did like the story of this unique family and circle of friends set against the background of a gourmet cooking/food store despite the sometimes endless passages moving me from event to event as the story played out.

First Line:  "What do you think?" Jenna Stevens asked, doing her best to sound confident.

CREED'S HONOR by Linda Lael Miller
Rating:  3/5 (Romance Scale)
Source:  Library
Format:  eBook
In this installment of Linda Lael Miller's Montana Creeds Series, a cowboy (a Creed, of course)and a stray dog bring love and comfort to Tricia McCall. While the family interaction was interesting (loved Tricia's great-grandmother!), the stubborn hero and heroine made this story drag a bit. I know the HEA is inevitable, but I prefer storylines where the H&H work the inevitable out earlier in the book and then deal with the fallout.

First Line: Tricia McCall was not the type to see apparitions, but there were times--especially when lonely, tired or both--that she caught just the merest flicker of a glimpse of her dog, Rusty, out of the corner of one eye.

FALLING TOGETHER by Marisa de los Santos
Rating:  3/5 (Fiction Scale)
Source:  Library
Format:  Hardcover
I fell into this author's first two books (Love Walked In and Belong To Me), but not so much her latest, Falling Together. Despite their weaknesses and the emotional hurdles they had to jump, these characters did not touch me at all. Their smugness irked me. Added to that, I didn't "get" the reasoning behind the initial breakup of the friendship. A disappointing reading experience.

First Line: Pen would not use the word summoned when she told Jamie about the e-mail later that night.

SWEET JUDY BLUE EYES: MY LIFE IN MUSIC by Judy Collins
Rating:  4.5/5 (Non-fiction Scale)
Source:  Library
Format:  Hardcover
With its many musical and musician references, reading Sweet Judy Blue Eyes was like déjà vu all over again. Some of what was included in the book, I knew; some, I knew once but now remember. Joy, sadness, success, failure--all covered openly and honestly in this book by the lady whose voice one friend described thusly: "If amethysts could sing...."

First Line: It's a Sunday night, and I am traveling from Hartford to New York City, heading in from a show.





COMING HOME by Mariah Stewart
Rating:  3.5/5 (Romance Scale)
Source:  Library
Format:  eBook
I was expecting one of those sweet hometown romances but instead got a really good story, a little suspense, a believable romance, and incentive to continue reading this series.

First Line: Diary--Whatever did we do here in St. Dennis before our little village was "discovered?"

DEEP IN THE VALLEY by Robyn Carr
Rating:  3.5/5 (Romance Scale)
Source:  Library
Format:  eBook
Having read all of Robyn Carr's Virgin River books to date, I thought I would go back to catch up on the Grace Vally series that introduced some of the secondary characters I met in the early VR books. I did like the way the romance played in the background while all of the characters and the town were introduced. Will put next two in this series on my library reserve list.

First Line: June stood in the shower a little longer than usual, preoccupied with a conversation she would have later in the day.




So, a comfortable November of reading. Just picked up EXPLOSIVE EIGHTEEN by Janet Evanovich and THEN AGAIN by Diane Keaton from the library, so December seems to be starting off with some promise!