Top Ten Tuesday

Top ten popular authors I have never read
1. Stephanie Meyer
I just never got into the whole vampire vs. werewolves thing.

2. John Grisham
I just know he isn't as awesome as Todd Johnson, so why bother?

3. E. L. James
I rather think her books are degrading to women and show a twisted version of love.

4. Margaret Mitchell
As much as I find the Civil War era interesting, the movie adaption of Gone with the Wind was enough for me.

5. Dan Brown
Not interested in his idea of Christ being married.

6. Anne Frank
Somehow, I missed this one in school.

7. Stephen King
My imagination is active enough, thank you very much.;)

8. Rick Riordan
Just haven't taken the time to investigate his novels.

9. Tom Clancy
Military genre just isn't my thing. I read Storming the Black Ice  recently. While it had enough going on, I realized I shouldn't pursue any more like it.

10. Terry Pratchett
I've heard good things from fellow book lovers, but haven't tried one of his novels.

A Stillness of Chimes

When her mom suddenly dies at a young age, Laura Gantt returns to Georgia to go through all her parents belongings. With her mother's passing, rumors have surfaced of people seeing her father, a man who supposedly drowned 12 years before. As Laura, and her old beau seek to find answers to the mysteries surrounding Laura's family, more secrets come to light.
While I thought this book was well written, I didn't care for some parts of the story. The author tackled some hard themes, and did a wonderful job with them, but I liked her other two books better. Still, she writes beautifully and her stories are well developed.

Critical Condition

Ten years before, Shannon Frasier couldn't save her boyfriend when he was shot right in front of her. Now, as a surgeon, she still struggles with the feeling of loss and longs to save all who come to her for care. When a man dies on her front lawn from gun wounds, she is forced into a mystery surrounding the guy. Can she overcome some of her fears and learn to fully live?
I've read one other of Dr. Mabry's novels, and was excited when this one came up to review! The story is fast paced and I liked the characters. I also like that he writes from several different vantage points, though some things are still a mystery until the end. Two thumbs up!

No One to Trust

When Summer married Kyle Abernathy, she let him know up front that she expected complete honesty from him, since she and her siblings suffered at the hands of her lying father. When she awakes one morning to a gun in her face and twelve hours to find a missing computer and flash drive her husband stole from the mob, she realizes that there is more to her husband than he told her and that he broke his promise to her.
I loved how fast pace this novel is and that it didn't go where you thought it would, since there are so many twists in the tale! While I thought it was excellent, I will mention that I did find Summer a bit annoying with her holding a grudge against her husband for not telling her he was in a witness protection program. I can agree that you want totally honesty from your spouse, but in this case, he was trying to keep her safe. So, get over the shock and stop acting like a petty child. I still enjoyed the story though, and found it was a quick read that keep you going to get to the bottom of the mystery!

Top Ten Tuesday: Rewind!

This week, the theme is whatever one wants to pick. So, I am going to go with ten childhood favorites. Should be easy, right? lol. Or, perhaps it will be hard for me to narrow it down...

1. All time favorite as a child was most likely Little House on the Prairie. I believe I received my set one year before Christmas, before I had really taken off with reading. I would sit in my room and just look at the pictures, ready for the day when I could actually read the words that went along with them.;) The series did not disappoint! I look forward to going back and re-reading them with my own children.

2. Love You Forever by Robert Munsch. I remember my dad reading this book to us when my siblings and I were little. Pretty sure he generally got teary eyed.:)

3. Pippi Longstocking. One of my friends was addicted to the movie, so I went ahead and read the book it was based on. I loved her adventures! (now that I am a mother, I may want to go back and read it to see if it is something I want my own kids to read though, since I don't know that I want to encourage them to go off on their own and have adventures of that magnitude! lol)

4. Chronicles of Narnia. My favorite would be Voyage of the Dawn Treader, since I liked that it was based on a sea journey and that there are many adventures in it. I remember when I first started the series, I didn't care for it because I thought it to wordy. It didn't take me more than a book or two to decide I enjoyed Narnia!

5. The Boxcar Children. This might have been the first mystery series I was exposed to. And I loved them!

6. The Original Nancy Drew. I know these weren't the first mysteries I read, but I still enjoyed them, even though I didn't read all of them since the series went on for a long time.;)

7. Mara, Daughter of the Nile. I remember really enjoying this one when I was a kid! Again, it's another one I should re-visit.:)

8. Witch of Blackbird Pond. This one had to do with the witch trials in early American history. I remember really enjoying it!

9. Rose in Bloom. I think this one is my favorite out of all Louisa May Alcott's novels. The sequel is excellent also!

10.  The Ramona books. I loved these books when I was a kid, but I am definitely going to have to revisit them to see if I want my kiddos to read them and get ideas on how (not) to behave.;)

One Realm Beyond

Canton D’Ahma has prepared his whole life for the day when he could become a realm walker and jump between worlds without one of his mentors. But, on his first solo trip, he finds that not all is as he thought it would be. The Realm Walkers Guild has become corrupt and they no longer seek to maintain justice away from the world of the guild, where they only try to present a front. As Canton seeks to become a realm walker, despite the corruption, he makes friends with some interesting characters who drag him into adventures.
I loved this book! The characters are so much fun and the story line was enjoyable. I thought that the worlds were creative and the concept of realm walkers interesting. I highly recommend this one! In a world of mediocre books, this novel is a gem.

The Queen's Handmaid

Alexandria, Egypt 39 BC
Lydia has never known anything more than servant hood in the court of Cleopatra. Abandoned at a young age, with no knowledge of her family, she is left to construct her own family from those she works with. When her adopted father dies, leaving her with a task to return sealed scrolls to Jerusalem, she agrees to leave Egypt to serve Herod's wife.
Filled with palace intrigue and plenty of historical details, I loved this book! Tracey Higley is a favorite author of mine, and yet this novel far surpassed my expectations. Two thumbs up!