Gone fishing!

I really planned to get more done before now but Saturday Hubby and I got to go to a Yankees game that he won tickets for (long, long day but very fun!) and Monday we are going to the lake with family for a few days. No TV, no internet and hopefully lots of sunshine! I have plenty to do when I get back (contests and reviews coming up) but for now, I'm away from the "office"! Have a great week!

Review: The Home Fires Are Burning...My Feet! by Nora Barry

Stories From the Domestic Front

The Home Fires Are Burning...My Feet! is a dry, funny book about surviving life with teenage sons, mid-life job crisis, high school football, and turning 50.

With humor that recalls Erma Bombeck, The Home Fires tackles middle-age sex and gardening, the similarities between Vladimir Putin and "The Little Mermaid", the magic of witchcraft and student drivers--and why pink is actually a good color for living rooms if you have teenage boys in the house.
(Goodreads.com)
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Review
Boy, can I relate! I loved this book! As soon as I saw the comparison to Erma Bombeck I had to read it. Humor is always a draw for me and this is about teenage boys as well. Score! Nora Barry writes with intelligence and wit, heart and humor, sincerity and snark. And I do love snark. She shares her true stories of teenage boys and middle-age, and how she copes with both. Fortunately, for the reader, she does it so very well. I've dealt with many of the same issues she mentions and it's nice to know I'm not alone. And there have been plenty of times as a parent where I've been so frustrated that I had to laugh to keep from crying. A sense of humor and the support of family and friends gets me through. That's what makes me appreciate this memoir even more.


Barry was a divorced mom to young sons Wally and the Snapper when she met George. Although he had never had children of his own, he quickly stepped into the role of father figure and partner. I'm guessing with his described similar sense of humor and gift of repartee, he fit right in. The hilarious essays that make up The Home Fires focus on the high school years and the transition to the empty nest. As an author, she knows how to tell a story, choosing just the right words to keep you turning the pages. As a mom, she knows how to convey the emotions, choosing just the right words to explain the highs and lows of parenthood. Quite simply, she nailed it.


I'd never used the highlight function on my Nook until I read this, and then I was using it constantly.  These were a few of my favorite quotes:

*Explaining to her son why he was doing yard work for mother's day -
I was in labor between 12 and 27 hours with you two, so each year on mother's day I like you to do hard labor, too.

*In reference to her son's bedroom -
One of my friends who has two boys in their twenties advises me to just close the door. But I need to open the door, if only to open the window and let the locker room aroma out.
 
*While thinking about the future and how someday her sons will add two more people to the family -
Two women I don't even know yet who will eventually know more about my sons than I do.
And to lighten the moment -
The upside is I'll have someone to go with me to the lady's room.


I rarely read a book more than once. There are just too many out there to read. But this book is different. I've already read it twice and laughed my ass off both times. And I will read it again. I even bought an ebook for my friend who also has three boys and she loved it too! I look forward to anything Nora Barry writes in the future.

Thank you to the author for an ebook in exchange for my honest review.
www.druidmedia.com
Webdame 

Release date: 2011
Publisher: Druid Media, Inc
Pages: 298 (paperback)
Type: memoir

Saturday Snapshot

 Saturday Snapshot is hosted by At Home with Books. To participate in this meme post a photo that you (or a friend or family member) have taken then leave a direct link to your post in the Mister Linky. Photos can be old or new, and be of any subject as long as they are clean and appropriate for all eyes to see. How much detail you give in the caption is entirely up to you. Please don't post random photos that you find online.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
I had planned to show adorable photos of my mom's new golden retriever puppy but I'll have to save that for another week.  If my kids can all stay healthy! (knock wood)

Oops he did it again...
Remember this photo from Father's Day? My youngest son had a mishap while he was racing his 4 wheeler. Guess where we were this week? Back at the ER! And not just one, but two!

ER visit for Father's Day injuries

I got this text from my youngest son Tuesday afternoon. "Don't freak out. I cut my hand badly" (Is there a way to cut it goodly?) I calmly wrote back "I'm not freaking out but I'm going to call you"  He told me that he was on his way to the ER because he had cut his hand at work with a carpet knife. (like a utility knife) When we met him there and talked to the doctor, she was concerned because he had cut three fingers quite deep and it was hard to control the bleeding. She was also pretty sure that he had injured tendons so they wanted to send him to a hand specialist at a large hospital two hours away. When I asked if we would be driving him ourselves she said we should let him go in an ambulance because of the bleeding and the IV. So hubby ran home to grab our stuff in case we needed to stay overnight while the transportation arrangements were made. We even got to request his buddy who is an EMT and who also rode with him the last time. (We have become frequent flyers of the ER.) We met our son at the next hospital (he got there much sooner since he got to ride with lights and sirens!) in much different surroundings. We went from our dinky little ER with six curtained off beds and a few private rooms to a much larger, city ER with security guards and multiple rooms. We were in bed 48! My brother lives nearby so he came to wait with us while our boy was assessed. To make a long story short-ish (so sorry for the length of this post) he didn't damage the tendons but does have nerve damage that will hopefully regenerate. He needed 18 very loose stitches (to allow for drainage) across the palm side of three fingers, an antibiotic, pain meds, lots of gauze and a splint. We got home at 2:30 a.m. I have disgusting, yet interesting photos before, during and after the stitches but I will spare you those details.

So to sum it up, that's three ERs and two ambulance rides for the same kid in one month. And those weren't even his first trips in an ambulance. Or obviously to the ER. Or my only kid to ride in an ambulance. Good grief... My three boys sat around one evening this week comparing scars, stitches (they've all had them in the last year) and stories of other accidents. It sounds like they're clumsy but that's not the case. They've all played sports their whole lives including college, all have jobs and sometimes they have dangerous hobbies. They work hard and they play hard. They are males.

A friend of mine made the comment that we never seem to catch a break. On the contrary. We definitely caught a break. Again.  My kid got to come home with us from the ER and I feel we are very fortunate. I count my blessings every-single-day.

ER visit for cut fingers

The little bandage he wore home

Winner!

The winner of Struck by Jennifer Bosworth is:

Tammy

Congratulations!
I've sent you an email.  Please send me your mailing address so I can get this sent to you.

More giveaways are coming right up!

Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly meme hosted by Miz B of Should Be Reading and asks you to :
1. Grab your current read
2. Open to a random page
3 . Share 2 "teaser" sentences also citing the title of the book and the author and in that way people can have great recommendations if they like the "teaser".
4. Please avoid spoilers!
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The hunt for Great Uncle Tony's workshop had been a wild and exciting chase, sprinkled with danger and magic, and now another quest was beckoning. But for what? What was the price this time?
 ~page 36 (arc)
Horten's Incredible Illusions (book #2) by Lissa Evans

 **Signed galley giveaway coming up!**

Mailbox Monday

Mailbox Monday (started at The Printed Page and now a traveling meme) is at Mrs. Q Book Addict this month and is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week (checked out library books don’t count, eBooks & audio books do). Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy,toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.

~~~~~~~~~~~~
 Another hot summer week here, just right for reading and lounging in the hammock! I need to get more blogging done but since our summer is kind of short here I'm outside as much as possible. I do love the sunshine! I hope you had a good week too and enjoyed plenty of reading time. What new books arrived at your house?

Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble by H. P. Mallory
Free from Barnes & Noble (ebook)







The Templeton Twins Have An Idea by Jeremy Holmes
For review from Edelweiss (ebook)

Drawn By Maria Lamba
Free from Amazon (ebook)

Frey by Melissa Wright
Free from Amazon (ebook)

Cinder by Marissa Meyer
Won from Stacy's Books (audio)

Review: The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa

"In a future world, vampires reign. Humans are blood cattle. And one girl will search for the key to save humanity." Allison Sekemoto survives in the Fringe, the outermost circle of a vampire city. By day, she and her crew scavenge for food. By night, any one of them could be eaten.

Some days, all that drives Allie is her hatred of "them." The vampires who keep humans as blood cattle. Until the night Allie herself is attacked--and given the ultimate choice. Die...or become one of the monsters.

Faced with her own mortality, Allie becomes what she despises most. To survive, she must learn the rules of being immortal, including the most important: go long enough without human blood, and you will go mad.

Then Allie is forced to flee into the unknown, outside her city walls. There she joins a ragged band of humans who are seeking a legend--a possible cure to the disease that killed off most of humankind and created the rabids, the mindless creatures who threaten humans and vampires alike.

But it isn't easy to pass for human. Especially not around Zeke, who might see past the monster inside her. And Allie soon must decide what--and who--is worth dying for.
(Goodreads.com)
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Review 
I've enjoyed this author's writing so I was very curious about this one but I wasn't sure if I would care for the topic. The vampire market seems pretty saturated so I didn't know how this could be any different but I was pleasantly surprised.  The author came up with her own dark world, no sparkly vamps here! Most of the humans endure a harsh and gritty existence, struggling to survive every day. In the vampire city you can choose to belong and give up your blood freely in exchange for their protection or you can try to make it on your own, free but desperate for food and shelter. Allie has chosen to live free in the outskirts of the city among other stragglers. It is survival of the fittest. When she is attacked and must make the ultimate choice all the rules change for her.

I like reading about a tough heroine and Allie is a strong example. She faces one obstacle after another but can defend herself and also protect others. She knows how to adjust and adapt and above all else, she wants to survive. Through all her struggles she is also able to retain her humanity. Her world is a desperate place but it's not without hope.

The author nicely builds the story as new characters are gradually introduced and we get glimpses into their backgrounds.The world she created wasn't traditional and had some original elements.This was a long story but mostly interesting. The middle did feel drawn out and somewhat monotonous but the action later picked up again. There were also details that didn't really make sense to me but I am curious to see if they will be explained better in the next book. Kagawa has introduced an unusual series with this first installment and I look forward to reading where it goes from here.

The Eternity Cure (Blood of Eden #2) coming 5/13
juliekagawa.com
harlequinteen.com

Thank you to NetGalley for an ebook in exchange for my honest review.

Release date: 4/24/12
Publisher:Harlequin Teen
Pages: 485 (hardcover)
Type: YA dystopian

Giveaway reminder!

My giveaway for Struck by Jennifer Bosworth ends tomorrow! 

Enter now!

Mailbox Monday

Mailbox Monday (started at The Printed Page and now a traveling meme) is at Mrs. Q Book Addict this month and is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week (checked out library books don’t count, eBooks & audio books do). Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy,toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.

~~~~~~~~~~~~
Another hot week here but not as bad as many places across the country. And I'll take the heat over the snow! It was a busy week too so I didn't get all the reading done I would have liked to, but it sure didn't stop me from getting more! I hope you had time for both and lots of goodies made it to your house.

Horten's Incredible Illusions by Lissa Evans
For review from Sterling Children's Books (arc)

The Two by Will Carver
Free from Audible (audio)

Anna Dressed In Blood by Kendare Blake
Free from Sync (audio)

Jessamine by Eugenia O'Neal
Free from author's blog (ebook)

Saturday Snapshot

 Saturday Snapshot is hosted by At Home with Books. To participate in this meme post a photo that you (or a friend or family member) have taken then leave a direct link to your post in the Mister Linky. Photos can be old or new, and be of any subject as long as they are clean and appropriate for all eyes to see. How much detail you give in the caption is entirely up to you. Please don't post random photos that you find online.
~~~~~~~~~~~~

I hope you had a happy and safe holiday! 

We had a lazy day of fun in the sun!

Little Lucas :)

Review: 101 by Margaret Chatwin

How do you get desperately needed answers when no one is talking? Who do you trust in a place full of criminals, a place where it’s easy to mistake friends for enemies and enemies for friends? And how is it possible for one girl to seemingly vanish into thin air, especially when the place is surrounded by sixteen foot high electric fences?
When Trigg and his sister Ren are sentenced to township 101 for the crime of defending themselves, and Ren suddenly comes up missing, Trigg must ask himself these same questions.
Something else he’d like to know is, how do you survive when the flaws of the NAO’s justice system has turned a simple punishment into a game of life or death?
(Goodreads.com)
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Review 
Teenagers Trigg and his younger sister Ren were sent away from their abusive father to a facility that many people don't come back from. Although their crime was committed in self defense, the New Age Order (NAO) justice system believed in swift justice, no mercy and no distinction between crimes. They were placed in township 101 with every type of criminal possible. Unlike a traditional prison system, these inmates had been released into an abandoned village surrounded by armed guards and electric fences. There were few rules from the outside because the NAO didn't really care if they survived or not. There are several rules on the inside though and Trigg and Ren had to quickly learn them in order to survive.

I really enjoyed the characters and developed strong feelings for them throughout the story. Love them or hate them (and there were a few I really hated), their actions stirred up emotions. As each of their backgrounds slowly emerged the reader was able to discover why each of them came to be at 101. I would have liked to find out more about some of the secondary characters but I was still able to get the general idea. It was interesting to see what it took for all of them to find their strength and how far they were willing to go to survive. Trigg wasn't much of a fighter when it came to defending himself but he would fight to the death to protect Ren. And in an exciting final confrontation some did make that sacrifice.

This was my first book by Margaret Chatwin but it won't be my last. Well written and very intense, this was an action-packed, quick read. While it's of the young adult genre it has very adult, and often violent themes so I recommend this to older teens and up. 

Thank you to Goodreads - Shut Up & Read! reading group (Read It and Reap 71) for an ebook in exchange for my honest review.

Release date: 1/24/12
Publisher: Whisk Away Books
Pages: 205 (paperback)
Type: YA dystopia

Wonderful idea!

In today's Shelf Awareness Pro (7/5/12) they included a story about an empty Wal-Mart that was converted into a new public library in McAllen, Texas! It's the length of two football fields!! How nice to see something built up instead of torn down.

Independence Day

  

Teaser Tuesdays

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly meme hosted by Miz B of Should Be Reading and asks you to :
1. Grab your current read
2. Open to a random page
3 . Share 2 "teaser" sentences also citing the title of the book and the author and in that way people can have great recommendations if they like the "teaser".
4. Please avoid spoilers!
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The water snatches away her shriek as she's pulled under. Blood trails behind as she becomes a shadow, moving deeper and deeper, further and further away from light, from oxygen. From me.
~ page 18 (arc)
Of Poseidon by Anna Banks

Mailbox Monday

Mailbox Monday (started at The Printed Page and now a traveling meme) is at Mrs. Q Book Addict this month and is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week (checked out library books don’t count, eBooks & audio books do). Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy,toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.

~~~~~~~~~~~~
I've missed a week or two of Mailbox Monday and I'm a bit behind today but I still got some goodies! What came to your house last week?

 Birdman by Mo Hayder
Free from Barnes & Noble Free Friday (ebook)

101 by Margaret Chatwin
For review from Goodreads Read It and Reap (ebook)

A Whisper To A Scream by Karen Wojcik Berner
Won from The Cheap (ebook)

 City Of Bones by Cassandra Clare
99c sale at Barnes & Noble (ebook)

 Getting Over Mr. Right by Chrissie Manby
For review from LibraryThing Early Reviewers (arc)

The Help by Kathryn Stockett
Bought used from sale shelf at library (paperback)

 Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (#1) by J.K. Rowling
Bought used from Salvation Army (paperback)

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (#7) by J.K. Rowling
Bought used from Salvation Army (hardcover)