Bonnie's Day.

Iris Johansen is a favorite author of mine. She is a New York Times best selling author who now writes crime fiction. She has her main cast of characters that carry throughout her novels. Eve, Quinn and Bonnie are three of them. This year, she's finally released (in stages) the trilogy to explain the stories of each and how they've got to where they are.
Eve came out in the spring and it was largely the reason I purchased my e-reader...more on that some other day. I learned so much about her that I never knew. Where she started out, some of her secret struggles and so much character came out. I've read before that as an author you must know your characters right down to the last imaginable detail even if those details are never written. Iris Johansen has done a great job with that.
Quinn was a perfect accent to my summer reading and I raced through it because of the cliff hanger that was left from Eve.
Today, Bonnie makes her debut. I don't know yet if she completes the story but she does complete the set. I've bought my e-version copy and am now anxiously waiting until I can get home, grab a cup of tea and curl up to drink it all in. I have a funny feeling tonight is going to be a late one.
I'm also reading Book 6 in the Harry Potter series and my wonderful textbook at the moment. What about you?

The Gargoyle.

If you haven't yet read The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson, I suggest you best run out and do so right away.
It is one of the best love stories I have ever read.
Just read it.

Hand Wash Cold.

Well worth the watch. I'm adding this to my wish book this year.

Reading.

There are a whole schwack of books on my reading list. They include:

• The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
• Still Alice by Lisa Genova
• Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin
• Angel Time by Anne Rice
• The Saint, The Surfer, and the CEO by Robin Sharma
• Hell by Kathryn Davis
• The Red Tent by Anita Diamant
• Other People's Weddings by Noah Hawley
• Scarpetta by Patricia Cornwell

And those are just the ones that are sitting on my bedside table. I think I might try to list more that I hope to read through.
Dear 2010, please allow me some time to entertain my reading delight.

Stones, Philosophers, Wizards and The Like.

I finished it - Harry Potter and the Philosepher's Stone, that is. It was delicious. It was so good that I no sooner finished the book that I finally was able to watch the movie and not cover my eyes at the scary parts.
There is a thrift store or garage sale with the rest of this series just waiting for me to encounter. I know it. Are you getting rid of them? If you are, do let me know.

Tuesdays.

Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom.
Read this book.
Read anything by this author.
Read everything by this author.

Oh, Ms. Rowling,

I believe it has begun. I am enamoured in the first few pages of your brilliant Potter Boy series. I shan't be rushing to devour the stories but rather will sip them slowly like a nice Merlot. Perhaps I will read while doing just so.
I feel an adventure arising.
Signed, Kristina

Book Worm.

Sometimes I click so many links I can't remember where I started or what virtual road led me there. This is one of those things that I've come across...an awesome blog for a bookworm like me.

Which do you prefer? (Quick answers–we’ll do more detail at some later date)
Reading something frivolous? Or something serious? This summer, both in moderation.
Paperbacks? Or hardcovers? Paperbacks ALL THE WAY, though I have a number of hardcovers.
Fiction? Or Nonfiction? Fiction.
Poetry? Or Prose? Prose.
Biographies? Or Autobiographies? Biographies. I like hearing how others see things.
History? Or Historical Fiction? Historical Fiction.
Series? Or Stand-alones? Hard one...a 60/40 for Stand-alones.
Classics? Or best-sellers? Best-sellers.
Lurid, fruity prose? Or straight-forward, basic prose? Straight-forward.
Plots? Or Stream-of-Consciousness? I'll try some of column A. Try all of column B. (Lisa, name that movie!!)
Long books? Or Short? Shortish.
Illustrated? Or Non-illustrated? Non-illustrated.
Borrowed? Or Owned? Owned.
New? Or Used? Either, providing a used condition meets my standards.

I put it...

somewhere. I need to add it to the Done pile but can't quite recall where it became done. There are a few inconspicuous locations that I'm going to scan through today. Let's see what I find.
How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff was OK. It is Teen Literature about The Occupation. Perhaps I would have liked this one a little more if I hadn't have read this amazing book this summer. It isn't anything I'd rush out to get. I'm not sure I'd highly recommend it either.
Keep on keepin' on.

Down with Another.

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd is an absolute wonderful read. For the first time in a very long time, I am excited for the movie. I want to know that the two stories parallel. I want to know that the images in my head from reading can be transformed onto the screen seamlessly. I've watched the trailer and I can't wait to see it all!
My total pages read since June 20 is over 2100! That is awesome. I'm already into my next book. I'm fighting to get through it. I've set it aside a number of times already. I'll talk about it again some other day.

Books and More Books.

I'm reconnecting with my reading self again. It's been no secret around here that I love to read. I don't always do enough of it. This translates into me doing as much of it as I can when I can. My imagination is very vivid. Ask anyone that knows me or anyone who has listened to me rant about some description or other. There are bizarre ideas that swirl around in this mind of mine many of which are odd combinations or concoctions of various literature that has nourished me.
War of the Roses by Warren Adler and Notes from the Universe by Mike Dooley are in the DONE pile now. The both of them were cool books. Warren Adler's story of a rancid divorce and the psychosis that can surround them was hilarious. Much more appreciated in print than in film for me. He has also wrote a follow up titled The Children of the Roses. From the few reviews I skimmed, it's not looking like anything I'm going to rush out to get.
I have the other two books in Mike Dooley's Notes series although I'm resting on them for a while. Notes was deep. There were pages that made me dig down into my soul and think. There were also ones that had me paying attention to the little whisper in the shadows of me. It was an adventure.
In addition to these, I'm in the last few pages of The Barefoot Girl by Catherine Munroe. This one has been a one-day read for me. At first I wasn't sure about this book. Something about it made me want to read it but also made me want to leave it for some other day. I'm liking the story. It's about a peasant girl who is married away to a wealthy merchant. While her father believed he was marrying her up, the truth about what happens behind closed doors is supposed to stay there. She is but property purchased for a purpose. It's an interesting read.
For now, it's off to finish reading this book.

Water.

I fought through to the end of Before I Die by Jenny Downham. It was excellent. Real. Knowing the whole way that the main character was terminal, I kept thinking that by some miracle a cure would fix things. The last 100 pages of this one were hard. They sparked me to look within, deep within. I started wondering how I would act. What would I do. How much would I allow. Then, I started thinking about what would be on my list. That was it. This is where my musings ended.
I cried hard reading the story. I cried harder in my thinking. I cried more understanding that many people live in this reality.
This book is right up my sister's reading alley. Lisa, it's coming your way.
I'm into The Fiction Class by Susan Breen. The introduction has been thought provoking. I think this book is going to be a story as well as a personal writing adventure. The prompts so far have been fun.

Read me.

I can't say enough good things about The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. The book was delicious. The pages were pure sugar. The story reached deep into my soul. The control, the spontaneity, the determination, the dedication, so many more elements to list. All of what made up this novel is exquisite. A perfect tale to lay awake reading or laze about with or curl up and just devour. Very well done.
Now I'm into Before I Die by Jenny Downham. With each new turned page, I'm not sure I can believe how raw what I'm reading is and want to read more to know that the words really are there. It delivers many teenage taboos - sex, drugs, cancer - openly and honestly. It's the things that are whispered among so-called friends. It is one girl's list of missions to complete before her terminal illness takes her (or at least I think that's the way it may go). Perhaps this adds to it being right up my alley.
Let's see where it goes. What are you reading or what is on your list of want-to reads?

Reading Machine.

With Summer's official arrival, I compiled a list of books I hope to have read by the end of it. Dark Summer by Iris Johansen was at the top. Corny, yes, but how much more fitting than to kick off a summer reading marathon than with a book that contains the very season in its title.
This novel was not the author's finest work. I found it to be a bit lack lustre. There were intense moments but none quite as climactic as many of her others. Being one of my favorite authors, I anticipate her next book with higher hopes.
Very quickly, I dove into The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Schaffer and Annie Barrows. I have read half the book and can't wait to swallow the rest. It certainly isn't every reader's style. The tales are told in a post-WWII era through a series of letters penned by various characters. Thus far, this novel is an absolute afternoon delight. I would definitely recommend it for readers wanting to step just a touch away from regular reading into a world of delicious reminiscing.