*What did you recently finish reading?
     The Cutting by James Hayman (awesome…rated it 4.5 out of 5…great read)
 *What do you think you’ll read next?
     The Memory Thief by Rachel Keener (The Hachette Book Group)
     Our Promised Land by Michael T. Darkow (Phenix & Phenix Publishers)
in the fun. You don’t need a blog to comment, but if you do and want to join in, links provided for each and all memes.

Hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine http://breakingthespine.blogspot.com/

“Waiting On” Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted here, that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.

  I read Crossing The Bridge by Michael Baron in December 2009 at the request from the publisher, The Story Plant, and have been anxiously awaiting his next novel:

Antoinette is an elderly woman in an assisted living facility. She’s spent the last six years there since her husband died, and most of those years have been happy. She enjoys the company of others in her situation and her son comes to visit often. But in recent months, she’s had a tougher and tougher time leaving her room. Her friends seem different to her and the world seems increasingly confusing. She spends an escalating amount of time on a journey inside her head. There, her body and mind haven’t betrayed her. There, she’s a young newlywed with a husband who dotes on her and an entire life of dreams to live. There, she is truly home.

Warren, Antoinette’s son, is a man in his early forties going through the toughest year of his life. His marriage ended, he lost his job, and in the past few months, his mother has gone from hale to increasingly hazy. Having trouble finding work, he spends more and more time by his mother’s bedside. But her lack of lucidity both frustrates and frightens him. With far too much time on his hands, he decides to try to recreate his memories of home by attempting to cook his mother’s greatest dishes using the rudimentary appliances available in her room. He finds the challenge surprisingly rewarding, especially because the only time he feels his mother is truly with him anymore is when she is eating the meals he prepares for her.

Joseph, Antoinette, and Warren are three people on different searches for home. How they find it, and how they connect with one another at this critical stage in each of their lives, is the foundation for a profound and deeply moving story.

About the Author
Michael Baron is the pseudonym for a successful nonfiction writer. He is the author of two previous novels, When You Went Away (Story Plant, October 2009) and Crossing the Bridge (Story Plant, January 2010). His next novel, Leaves will come in the fall of 2010. A more extensive bio from the author is available at his site, www.MichaelBaronBooks.com.

The Cutting by James Hayman (Rating 4.5)

Published by St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books
ISBN-13: 978-0-312-53129-4
ISBN-10: 0-312-53129-X
At the request from Pump Up Your Book, a HC copy was sent, at no cost to me, for my honest opinion.
  Synopsis: (from the book’s jacket) Early on a September evening, the mutilated body of a pretty teenaged girl, a high school soccer star, is found dumped in a scrap-metal yard. She has been viciously assaulted, her heart cut from her chest with surgical precision. The very same day a young business woman. also a blonde and an athlete, was abducted as she jogged through the streets of the city’s west end.
  Thoughts: First I have some caveats to this review..due to personal issues it took me a lot longer than usual to finish this book. I wish I had been able to read this during a non-chaotic time. This review will be written as if I had read it as I have read books in the past. The length of time that it took me to finish it, by no means reflects on the author and/or his book. With that said, and having finished reading this novel, it is hard to believe that this was the debut novel by Mr. James Hayman. His writing style is amazing for a new author. He pulls you into the story and never lets go. Not only with the nail biting story line but even the relationships among the characters. The author’s ability to convey his written words to allow this reader to form my own visuals were amazing for a first novel. The suspense in this book took so many different twist and turns right to the very last page made it one roller coaster read!!
  My Opinion and Rating: I gave this a 4.5 rating only due to the fact that I thought that Lucinda’s character and the situation she was in should have been given more attention since she was a main character in the plot. But this is my opinion and my opinion only. But overall, if you like suspense, mystery, who done it, books then read this!! Put this author on your radar, a first novel this good, can only get better with future novels. I anxiously await knowing what and when his next novel will be published. The only thing left to say is……Mr. Hayman, KUDOS!!!!!!! WELL DONE!!!!!!

And if you would like to know more about Mr. James Hayman, check out his Guest Author Spotlight on this blog dated 03/23/10.

The Cutting by James Hayman (Rating 4.5)

Published by St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books
ISBN-13: 978-0-312-53129-4
ISBN-10: 0-312-53129-X
At the request from Pump Up Your Book, a HC copy was sent, at no cost to me, for my honest opinion.
  Synopsis: (from the book’s jacket) Early on a September evening, the mutilated body of a pretty teenaged girl, a high school soccer star, is found dumped in a scrap-metal yard. She has been viciously assaulted, her heart cut from her chest with surgical precision. The very same day a young business woman. also a blonde and an athlete, was abducted as she jogged through the streets of the city’s west end.
  Thoughts: First I have some caveats to this review..due to personal issues it took me a lot longer than usual to finish this book. I wish I had been able to read this during a non-chaotic time. This review will be written as if I had read it as I have read books in the past. The length of time that it took me to finish it, by no means reflects on the author and/or his book. With that said, and having finished reading this novel, it is hard to believe that this was the debut novel by Mr. James Hayman. His writing style is amazing for a new author. He pulls you into the story and never lets go. Not only with the nail biting story line but even the relationships among the characters. The author’s ability to convey his written words to allow this reader to form my own visuals were amazing for a first novel. The suspense in this book took so many different twist and turns right to the very last page made it one roller coaster read!!
  My Opinion and Rating: I gave this a 4.5 rating only due to the fact that I thought that Lucinda’s character and the situation she was in should have been given more attention since she was a main character in the plot. But this is my opinion and my opinion only. But overall, if you like suspense, mystery, who done it, books then read this!! Put this author on your radar, a first novel this good, can only get better with future novels. I anxiously await knowing what and when his next novel will be published. The only thing left to say is……Mr. Hayman, KUDOS!!!!!!! WELL DONE!!!!!!

And if you would like to know more about Mr. James Hayman, check out his Guest Author Spotlight on this blog dated 03/23/10.

Hosted by Rebecca at Just One More Page http://rebeccavoy.blogspot.com/
Today’s MUSING MONDAYS post is about multitasking.

Do you – or are you even able – to do other things while you read? Do you knit, hold a conversation, keep an eye on the TV? Anything?
  This is a bit difficult to answer.  I’m not sure if it would be considered multitasking.  I usually have the tv on a cable news station, volume low and if there is “breaking news” or I hear something of interest, I stop reading.  Reading while having a conversation?  Only if someone interrupts me and asks a question.

in the fun. You don’t need a blog to comment, but if you do and want to join in, links provided for each and all memes.