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Daily Archives: July 25, 2010

Mailbox Monday

My Mailbox looks a little like this one.I’m participating in Mailbox Monday from Marcia at The Printed Page.  Head over to her blog to see what appeared last week in the mailboxes of bookish people all over the net.

Starting next week, Mailbox Monday will be touring the Internet, with a new host each month.    For August, the host is Shanyn @ Chick Loves Lit. See you there!

My mailbox contained 2 books this week.

Based Upon Availability by Alix Strauss

From the publisher:

From the very first page of this stunning novel, readers are drawn into the lives of eight seemingly ordinary women who pass through Manhattan’s swanky Four Seasons Hotel. While offering sanctuary to some, solace to others, the hotel captures their darkest moments as they grapple with family, sex, power, love, and death.

Trish obsesses over her best friend’s wedding and dramatic weight loss. Robin wants revenge after a lifetime of abuse at the hands of her older sister. Anne is single, lonely, and suffering from obsessive-compulsive disorder. Drug-addicted rock star Louise needs to dry out. Southerner turned wannabe Manhattanite Franny is envious of her neighbors’ lives. Sheila wants to punish her boyfriend for returning to his wife. Ellen so desperately wants children that she insists she’s pregnant to her disbelieving husband. And Morgan, the hotel manager—haunted by the memory of her dead sister—is the thread that weaves these women’s lives together.

I met the author at BEA this year, and am looking forward to reading this book!

Faeries Gone Wild by MaryJanice Davidson, Michele Hauf, Lois Greiman, Leandra Logan

From the publisher’s website:

MARYJANICE DAVIDSON “Tall, Dark and Not So Faery”

Scarlett is not your typical pint-sized faery. At six feet, four inches tall, she’s an unlikely candidate for a match made in heaven. But when she ventures to Cannon Falls, Minnesota, on royal orders to survey its extraordinary residents, she stumbles upon the one man who just may measure up to size…

LOIS GREIMAN “Pixie Lust”

William Timber is a cutthroat developer who refuses to let a few trees come between him and his next million. But when Avalina—a sparkling faery charged to protect all things green—comes to town, William is forced to choose between life as he knows it and the unknown reaches of his heart.

MICHELE HAUF “Dust Me, Baby, One More Time”

A librarian by day and a tooth faery by night, Sidney has absolutely no time to find Mr. Right. Until she flies smack dab into sexy, sun-bronzed Dart Sand, a man who makes her wings a-flutter…and whose allure could get her banished from the Mortal Realm.

LEANDRA LOGAN “A Little Bit Faery”

Tia is mystified when she strikes out on the Luna faery singles scene, in spite of her hourglass curves and vivacious charm. Then she takes off for Manhattan and lands on the doorstep of a steamy firefighter who sets her soul on fire—and shares a strong connection to her secret past.

I received this as a thank-you from filling out a poll on a romance book website. Unfortunately, I’ve misplaced the paper that gave the specifics, so I’ll just give a general Thank You here.

What was in your mailbox?

 
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Posted by on July 25, 2010 in books, meme

 

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Audio Review: The Search by Nora Roberts

The SearchMy rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a nice, enjoyable read.

My summary

Fiona Bristow is a dog handler with a past– the only survivor of the Red Scarf Killer, now in prison for life, thanks to her.

She’s made a new life for herself– one that becomes a little more interesting when Simon Doyle and his puppy come to her for help.

All signs show that the Red Scarf Killer is back– and has her as a target, once again!

My Review

For me, the best part of The Search was the dogs, particularly the search and rescue aspects. I’ve read other books that have featured these special canines, but here I really got a feel for how they operate, and why people and dogs would volunteer to do this kind of work. I liked seeing the training techniques at work with dogs ranging from skilled search and rescue dogs playing games on their playground to the highly spoiled little yappy dog that had taken over her owners’ lives.

The creepy serial killer story worked for me as well. If I’ve read a few books featuring search & rescue dogs, I’ve read many with serial killers stalking a victim. The Search has a clever twist, and overall executes this part of the story competently.

I loved the characters, and I’m guessing we will see sequels about Fiona’s two (single) best friends. I pretty much always enjoy Nora Roberts’ female leads. Fiona was strong and self-sufficient, but not so much so that she wouldn’t let friends and a new lover into her life when she needed them.

The only part that didn’t thrill me was the romance. In particular, I didn’t feel any pull from the character of Simon. He was interesting enough, but felt a little too much like a stock character, and one that doesn’t particularly appeal to me.

However, that’s OK because the romance wasn’t the primary focus of the story. I often think of Nora Roberts books as more of chick lit than romance for this reason. Overall, I found the book to be a good read.

Audio Notes

Narrator: I had no complaints about Tanya Eby.  She was pleasant to listen to and read the book well.

Production:  A competent production.  No highlights, no problems.

Audio vs. Paper: This book was a spur of the moment purchase simply because it was on sale at Audible.  While I don’t think the audio particularly added to the experience, it certainly didn’t detract from it.  I enjoyed carrying this story with me.  Since I have so much less of a backlog for audiobooks, I think I’ll be enjoying Nora Roberts this way again.

 
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Posted by on July 25, 2010 in books, reviews

 

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