WooooHoooo….another winter month almost over and getting closer to spring, which is my favorite season.  From what I have been reading on other blogs, it appears that I am not the only one who has had enough of this cold and snowy winter.  March, at least for me, will probably appear to fly by as I start my pre-op procedures and personal preparations for surgery.  Some days my postings may be either later and/or shorter than usual.

Now to usher February out:

 

BOOKS READ:
  *Among Thieves by David Hosp
  *Doors Open by Ian Rankin  (Gave up on)
  *Death of a Valentine by M.C. Beaton 
  *False Convictions by Tim Green 
  *Now & Then by Jacqueline Sheehan
  *A Note from an Old Acquaintance by Bill Walker 
  *Starting Over by Andy Serwer 
  *Sonnets for Sinners by John Wareham 
CHALLENGES PROGRESS:
  *Lisa Jackson Reading Challenge  5/10
  *Awesome Author Challenge  0/3  
  *RYOB Challenge  1/10
  *Romance Challenge  2/3
  * EBook Challenge  1/6
  * Reading From My Shelves Challenge  9/20
  *Suspense/Thriller Challenge  9/12
  *Books Won Reading Challenge  1/6
  *FOMA 12×12  10/?
  *50 Book Challenge starts March 1st
  *100+ Book Challenge 12/100
  *Buck-A-Book Challenge $12/100
  *Reagan Arthur Challenge  1/? 
And for later today, my plans are to RELAX & READ Sunday.  Happy Reading all !!!!

Sonnets For Sinners Everything One Needs to Know About Illicit Love by John Wareham (Rating 2)
Welcome Rain Publishers LLC
ISBN 10: 1-5664-5-3
ISBN 12: 978-1-5664-95-0
At the request of The Book Trib, a HC copy was sent, at no cost to me, for my honest opinion.
  Synopsis: (from the book’s jacket) Illicit love brings, thrill and tumble, intrigues and elations, secrets and lies, broken promises and shattered hearts-then, with a little luck, reflection and epiphany. It’s a subject dear to clear-eyed poets, and the impassioned journeys and piercing insights in this subversive compilation will startle even as they enchant. To succumb to the spell of this catechism-and the absorb the wry accompanying analyses-is to know why the New York Times observed, “John Wareham has the cool, clear eyes of a seeker of wisdom and truth.”
  My Thoughts: Generations of couples have had to deal with this devastating betrayal. The author breaks down the stages of disloyalty into the categories of: Attractions, Fevers, Lamentations, Farewells, Endings and Epiphanies. He has taken 49 poems over time and explore what these sonnets are truly saying and mean in today’s culture.
  My Opinion and Rating: And I will preface this by saying that this is my opinion, and my opinion only. Those that are not of the same belief system or who enjoy poetry may have a totally different view. That being said, I did not enjoy and/or like this book due to the aforementioned belief system and the morality that I feel that this society lacks. I also thought that certain people named in this book was unnecessary and, I would think, would cause further humiliation. I felt that those named, should only need to deal with these issues privately, and not be exploited as an example to sell a book of poetry. (Rating 2)

A Note from an Old Aquaintance A Novel by Bill Walker (Rating 5)
Published by iUniverse
ISBN-13: 978-1-4401-3335-0 (HC)
ISBN-13: 978-1-4401-3333-6 (PB)
ISBN-13: 978-1-4401-3334-3 EB)
At the request of Pump Up Yor Book, a PB copy was sent, at no cost to me, for my honest opinion.
  Synopsis:  Its 1991 in Boston, MA and Brian Weller and his business partner are invited to an associate’s party, a party that he attends out of obligation.  Once there he meets a young, beautiful artist, Joanna Richman.  He knows that he wants and needs to see her again. Brian and Joanna’s friendship grow and then there is no denying that they are falling in love.  But how can that be when she is engaged to an older, influential, rich and controlling man, Erick Ruby.  Ruby finds out about their relationship and he is not going to lose her to Brian, a nobody, with a struggling PR production business and a want to be author.  Ruby demands that Brian never see or talk to Joanna again or he will ruin him and his parents.  With a broken heart, Brian walks away, never telling Joanna why, and moves cross country.  Then 15 years later, he receives an email from Joanna.  His past becomes his present. Do people change?  Does true love endure?
  My Thoughts:  I had trouble putting this book down.  I don’t usually read romance novels but was pulled in to the plot from the beginning.  The way the author wrote about the thoughts and emotions of all the characters gave this reader the ability to feel those exact same emotions.  Not only between Brian and Joanna but the love of parents and the ugly traits of someone ruthless.
  My Opinion and Rating: This is a tender and emotion packed love story.  At times this reader was laughing and the next grabbing for the tissue.  A contemporary love story that even in certain scenes, the author chose to communicate the true definition of love between two people and allowing the reader to use their own imagination and visuals. Well written !! Fantastic !!  Awesome !! This reader will be looking forward to Mr. Walker’s next novel. Highly recommend (Rating 5)

Sonnets For Sinners Everything One Needs to Know About Illicit Love by John Wareham (Rating 2)
Welcome Rain Publishers LLC
ISBN 10: 1-5664-5-3
ISBN 12: 978-1-5664-95-0
At the request of The Book Trib, a HC copy was sent, at no cost to me, for my honest opinion.
  Synopsis: (from the book’s jacket) Illicit love brings, thrill and tumble, intrigues and elations, secrets and lies, broken promises and shattered hearts-then, with a little luck, reflection and epiphany. It’s a subject dear to clear-eyed poets, and the impassioned journeys and piercing insights in this subversive compilation will startle even as they enchant. To succumb to the spell of this catechism-and the absorb the wry accompanying analyses-is to know why the New York Times observed, “John Wareham has the cool, clear eyes of a seeker of wisdom and truth.”
  My Thoughts: Generations of couples have had to deal with this devastating betrayal. The author breaks down the stages of disloyalty into the categories of: Attractions, Fevers, Lamentations, Farewells, Endings and Epiphanies. He has taken 49 poems over time and explore what these sonnets are truly saying and mean in today’s culture.
  My Opinion and Rating: And I will preface this by saying that this is my opinion, and my opinion only. Those that are not of the same belief system or who enjoy poetry may have a totally different view. That being said, I did not enjoy and/or like this book due to the aforementioned belief system and the morality that I feel that this society lacks. I also thought that certain people named in this book was unnecessary and, I would think, would cause further humiliation. I felt that those named, should only need to deal with these issues privately, and not be exploited as an example to sell a book of poetry. (Rating 2)

A Note from an Old Aquaintance A Novel by Bill Walker (Rating 5)
Published by iUniverse
ISBN-13: 978-1-4401-3335-0 (HC)
ISBN-13: 978-1-4401-3333-6 (PB)
ISBN-13: 978-1-4401-3334-3 EB)
At the request of Pump Up Yor Book, a PB copy was sent, at no cost to me, for my honest opinion.
  Synopsis:  Its 1991 in Boston, MA and Brian Weller and his business partner are invited to an associate’s party, a party that he attends out of obligation.  Once there he meets a young, beautiful artist, Joanna Richman.  He knows that he wants and needs to see her again. Brian and Joanna’s friendship grow and then there is no denying that they are falling in love.  But how can that be when she is engaged to an older, influential, rich and controlling man, Erick Ruby.  Ruby finds out about their relationship and he is not going to lose her to Brian, a nobody, with a struggling PR production business and a want to be author.  Ruby demands that Brian never see or talk to Joanna again or he will ruin him and his parents.  With a broken heart, Brian walks away, never telling Joanna why, and moves cross country.  Then 15 years later, he receives an email from Joanna.  His past becomes his present. Do people change?  Does true love endure?
  My Thoughts:  I had trouble putting this book down.  I don’t usually read romance novels but was pulled in to the plot from the beginning.  The way the author wrote about the thoughts and emotions of all the characters gave this reader the ability to feel those exact same emotions.  Not only between Brian and Joanna but the love of parents and the ugly traits of someone ruthless.
  My Opinion and Rating: This is a tender and emotion packed love story.  At times this reader was laughing and the next grabbing for the tissue.  A contemporary love story that even in certain scenes, the author chose to communicate the true definition of love between two people and allowing the reader to use their own imagination and visuals. Well written !! Fantastic !!  Awesome !! This reader will be looking forward to Mr. Walker’s next novel. Highly recommend (Rating 5)

Starting Over by Andy Serwer (Rating 2)
Published by Time Books
ISBN: 978-1-60320-160-5
At the request of The Book Trib, a HC copy was sent, at no cost to me, for my honest opinion.
  Synopsis: (from the book jacket) Bookended by 9/11 at the beginning and an epic financial meltdown at the end, the first decade of this century will surely go down as one of the most difficult in American history. We were plagued by a series of catastrophes and major missteps, from the convoluted presidential election in 2000 to the invasion of Iraq to the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, as well as all manner of financial upheavals such as the collapse of Enron, the tragedy of General Motors and the Bernie Madoff scandal. …..Andy Serwer explains how we fell into this national hole and, more important, how we can and will pull ourselves out of it……..
  My Thoughts: My forte is not finance but after reading the book’s jacket, I thought it would be a somewhat interesting read in learning about the nation’s economic status that has touched many Americans in some way. I was also interested in learning when financial experts thought the housing crisis would rebound and the nation’s unemployment numbers would turn around. And if there were some factual information that I might not have understood, my son is a financial analyst and knew that he would explain it to me in a way that I would understand. However, there were no questions that I needed to ask and it took me approximately one hour to finish the book. The first ten chapters consisted of one page of a picture from that year and one page, consisting of approximately 80 words, highlighting the main stories of that year. The writer appeared to put a lot of thought into what the last decade should be called as compared to “the nineties”. There was a line on page 71 stating one of the reasons for the downfall, which I found to be ironic. It stated “We will never eliminate greed, of course, and a certain amount of if may even be necessary…
  My Opinion and Rating: And this is only my opinion, which could be very different from other readers of this book. I found that the extensive damage of the financial institutions in this country, that took ten (10) years to destroy and crumble, could be conveyed in a book consisting of 85 pages, 13 of those are pictures. And again, this is only my opinion, but I find it ironic that with a book about our economic crisis and a book of this size would be affordable to the average American who has been affected. (Rating 2)