Book Reading (or Listening) Challenge 5th Book

5. "Bruja Brouhaha" by Rochelle Staab Paperback

This is the second of Ms. Staab's books that I have read. She writes about different "religions" and psychiatry through her main characters Liz Cooper (psychiatrist) and Nick Garfiled (professor of religious studies). I picked up the first one purely because I liked the title "Who Do Voodoo?" I enjoyed it so much that I did not hesitate to purchase the next. This time, instead of getting a peek at voodoo, we are allowed to learn a little about Santeria. I find myself eager to learn about all types of worship and religion and I love me a good mystery, so this was a win-win for me. The story started out at a good pace, slowed a little near the middle, but then tied everything together neatly at the finish. I enjoyed it and look forward to the next one!

Book Reading (or Listening) Challenge 4th Book

4. "Ice Shards" by Yasmin Galenorn e-Book (e-Novella)

I have read some of Ms. Galenorn's work, in paperback, in the form of her Chintz 'n China series as well as another (too short, in my opinion) series when she was writing as "India Ink". Lately, I have been listening to Ms. Galenorn's Otherworld series on my mp3 player. I enjoy her writing style and plots. The Otherworld series of books are intriguing and satisfy my imagination. I find the whole supernatural genre to be fabulous reading and have added more books dealing with witches, vampires, demons, dragons, werewolves, shifters, etc. to my "read" list and to the "to be read" list.

"Ice Shards" tells the background story of one of the characters (Iris, the house sprite) in the Otherworld series. Since I have been listening to the other books in this series, reading one (especially on my i-Phone) was a new experience for me. As I read, I could still hear the narrator (Cassandra Campbell) voice. The only difference I noted is the Otherworld books use one of the three D'Artigo sisters as the "narrator" if you will, starting with Camile (moon witch), Delila (were-tabby/were-panther) and Menoly (vampire). The books include all the characters, but the individual sister's story drives the action in each book. It was a nice change to hear the story through one of the other characters. After reading this one, I am hoping that Ms. Galenorn takes the time to write other novellas that focus on one or more of the other characters from Otherworld.

This story was a good, quick read, but I am wondering how much I would have enjoyed it if I had not started listening to the others in this series. As it stands, I read this story out of sequence; but not far enough out that I couldn't follow the plot line. I have finished up through book #8, but this story really happens between books #10 and #11. Guess I'll just have to listen to numbers 9 and 10 to catch up!

Book Reading (or Listening) Challenge 3rd Book

3. "Clobbered by Camembert" by Avery Aames  Paperback

This is the third book in The Cheese Shop Mysteries. I found this author's books at the blog "Mystery Lovers' Kitchen". I am a big fan of Cleo Coyle's Coffee Shop Series and of Krista Davis' Domestic Diva Series. I learned that both of these ladies not only share recipes in their books, but at this blog as well. One day while I was checking out the blog, I noticed the cover for one of Avery's (a.k.a. Daryl Gerber) and decided to purchase it and check it out. It was the first one, "The Long Quiche Goodbye". I'm so very glad I did. The plots, characters and description of different cheeses are wonderfully rich and satisfying. I am looking forward to the next one in the series.

Book Reading (or Listening) Challenge (The Beginning)

I love books! I love to read! So...I joined a book challenge "Read A Latte". I am going to read as many books as I can this year from January 1 to December 31, 2013 and post reviews or at least the titles of the books here on my blog.

Here goes:

1. "File M for Murder" by Miranda James   Paperback

I really enjoy cozy mysteries, especially cozy mysteries with animals. This one has a cat; a Maine Coon named Diesel. The other characters are human, and that's cool too. The main human, Charlie Harris, is a librarian who inherited his Aunt's house and has moved in after his wife passed away. This is the third book in the series and I have enjoyed each in turn. The stories are well thought out, have engaging plots and showcase Diesel who gets his name from the sound of his purr. We meet people from Charlie's work, his boarders, his children and old and new friends. All in all, a good read.

2. "Dead in the Family" by Charlaine Harris   Audio Book

This is the 10th book in Ms Harris' Sookie Stackhouse series. I like Sookie. I like reading about vampires and werewolves and shape shifters and fairies and witches and telepaths. Many people have panned this book as not having any "new" things happen. I happened to like it as much as I like the other books in the series. I listen to books while I exercise, either on the stationary bike or while I take my daily walk. I guess I just like to be read to. I feel like I "know" the characters in a series especially if I've invested so much time to read, or listen to, all the books, so I just want to get to the end...to see what happens next.

Two down...Seventy-three to go...
Keep checking back to see my progress and maybe pick up one or two to read or listen to yourself.

National Blogging Day of Remembrance

Loss of a Friend

Losing a friend is never easy. Sometimes there is an argument, sometimes a misunderstanding, sometimes it's just time to move away and move on. I can recall the piece that was making it's way around the Internet discussing how sometimes people come into your life for a reason or a season. Then they go out just as quickly as they meandered into your life. But sometimes they just die.

Wow. That sounds so cold..."just die"...but in this case, it's true.

I'm old enough to have lived life a little. I've been married and divorced, I've traveled to many places, I've lived on the East Coast and the West Coast, I've bought and sold homes, moved countless times, and have loved and lost at least 2 dozen pets, but I very rarely have lost a friend in the way that I've just lost my friend. She died. And I am very sad.

You see, I really haven't known this person for a very long time...only seven months, but she was the type of person, that special type of person you just grow an attachment to; develope a bond with for no other reason but you have a gut feeling...intuition and the deep down reality that the person was just So. Damn. Special.

What makes this situation even worse is she took her own life. I'm still trying to wrap my head around that one. She definately had more than her share of issues; physical and emotional. On the outside, she looked like she had it all together, was coping and was happy. I admired her for the strength she exhibited and how she took one day at a time, took one step and then another and kept going! She was intellegent and funny and amazing. I know now that on the inside, things were very different. I wish I could have seen the inside. Not only have seen it, but been able to prevent the unthinkable act that ocurred, but I couldn't and I didn't.

My heart is breaking for her family, her boyfriend, her other friends that I never got to meet and it's breaking for all those people around me who go through some type of hell every day and hide it from everyone until one day, they just can't take it anymore.

Rest in Peace, my dear, dear friend. I'm just glad that I got the chance to hug you and tell you that I loved you. I will miss you.

Hope...

Hope is the sunshine that filters through my bedroom window in the morning. Hope is the purrs of my cats as they lie on my yoga mat while I try to breathe through the pain in my hips as I begin my morning practice. Hope is the cup of tea made with love by my husband even if he was up half the night trying in vain to sleep, but can't. Hope is the sound of my brother's laughter even though he lives with debilitating headaches day after day. Hope is in the eyes of every teenager struggling to find herself in the maze of life. Hope is found in every person who puts one foot in front of the other and continues on in spite of the depression, the hurt, the endless prescriptions and blank faces of humanity. Hope is all of us who are reaching out to offer friendship and laughter, to hold a hand or send a hug halfway across the world to people who are only photos on a blog or a social media site, and hope is taking a deep breath and continuing on, not so much for yourself, but for others that need to know that there is someone else out there...struggling and living and smiling...YOU are hope.