Teaser Tuesday's - To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Teaser Tuesday's is hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading. To play along, just do the following:

- Grab your current read
- Open to a random page
- Share two “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
- BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
- Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR list if they like your teaser.

My teaser this week is from page 36 of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird:

 

"Make us up one, Jem," I said.

 

"I'm tired of makin' 'em up."

 

Our first days of freedom, and we were tired.  I wondered what the summer would bring.

A Quick Book Survey

There is a fun book survey over at The Broke and the Bookish.  So, here are the questions, followed by my answers:

1. The book I’m currently reading: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.  This is one of my favorite books but it's been quite a while since I've read it.  My very good friend Julia and I read The Help several months ago and she wanted a different take on the American South.  I suggested To Kill a Mockingbird and now we are reading it together.

2. The last book I finished: A Summer Seduction by Candace Camp.  It's the second book in a historical romance trilogy.  I liked it and it was a mostly light, definitely happy-ending book.  Perfect, as I've been super busy and a bit scattered with the summer coming to an end.

3. The next book I want to read: Paris in Love: A Memoir by Eloisa James.  Eloisa James and her husband packed up their family and went to live in Paris for a year.  Paris.  Need I say more?

4. The last book I bought: When It Happens to You by Molly Ringwald.  I ordered this book from Barnes and Noble today.  I am quite excited to get my hands on it.  I am truly a child of the 80's and like many who came-of-age at that time - I adored Molly Ringwald's films.  Seriously, Pretty in Pink had a huge impact on me at 14.  So, when I saw this book being advertised on GoodReads I did some browsing and know it'll be read in the very near future.

5. The last book I was given: My friend Julia (mentioned in answer number one) gave me two books for my birthday; Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre. 

If you wish to take the survey, click on the link above.  And if you do take it - let me know.  I'd love to read your answers to these fun questions.

Wordless Wednesday - A View From Home

Teaser Tuesday's - Dream Lake by Lisa Kleypas

Teaser Tuesday's is hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading. To play along, just do the following:

- Grab your current read
- Open to a random page
- Share two “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
- BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
- Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR list if they like your teaser.

My teaser this week is from Nook page 103 of Dream Lake by Lisa Kleypas:

I haven't been alone for months, he wanted to tell his brother.  I'm being haunted.

Musing Monday's - Snacking

Musing Monday's is hosted by Miz B at Should Be Reading. This week’s musing, courtesy of http://collettaskitchensink.blogspot.com — asks…
Do you snack while you read? If so, what is your favorite reading snack?

I generally do not snack while I read.  The main reason for that is because the majority of my reading takes place at night, and usually in bed.  The idea of snacking in bed grosses me out.  That being said, there are times when I read during the day - usually during a readathon.  Then I will snack; my favorites are, plain M&M's, veggies and dip and chips and salsa.

Teaser Tuesday's - Real Men WIll by Victoria Dahl

Teaser Tuesday's is hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading. To play along, just do the following:

- Grab your current read
- Open to a random page
- Share two “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
- BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
- Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR list if they like your teaser.

My teaser this week is from Victoria Dahl's Real Men Will:

He flew under the radar.  He didn't rock the boat.  He put his head down and did his job and that was it. 

Musing Monday's - Book Blogs

Musing Monday's is hosted by Miz B at Should Be Reading. This week’s musing, courtesy of http://readbookswritepoetry.blogspot.in, asks:
What attracts you to a book blog? What puts you off in a book blog? Do you share personal stuff on your book blog?

I like book blogs that are informative without being preachy.  I also tend to like the ones that are not cluttered, while still being nice to look at.  As for my own blog - I share a bit of personal stuff, like my writing aspirations or struggles.  If I share something personal, it's often rather general.  THis is just me being very protective of my family.

Vacation Reading

I have vacation on my mind and thankfully, on my family horizon.  Naturally, as a bonafide bookworm, I MUST have books to read while on vacation.  As a very happy Nook owner, I no longer have to lug books around with me on vacation.  Believe me, this is a really good thing.

What I'm wondering is - do you have certain criteria for your vacation reading? I do.  My criteria is that my reading be really good (hopefully anyway) and engaging (again hopefully).  It has to be something I want to come back to read while still being something that I can be interrupted from and not forget the overall plot.  In other words, wonderful but not mentally taxing.  I find that a good romance or mystery usually fall into this category.

Book Review - Good Girls Don't by Victoria Dahl

I LOVE discovering wonderful authors that are new to me! I finished Victoria Dahl's Good Girls Don't earlier today and I am still smiling over how much I liked this book.  In fact, I;'ve already gotten the second and third books in this family trilogy.

Good Girls Don't is the love story between Tessa Donovan and Luke Asher.  Tessa and her two brothers, Jamie and Eric, run a family brewery together.  When the brewery is broken into, Tessa meets, and is immediately attracted to Luke.  He happens to be one of the detectives in charge of their break-in.  He's also an old college party buddy of her brother Jamie's.

Both Tessa and Luke have serious abandonment issues but for radically different reasons.  Due to said issues, both are quite afraid to leave and practically unable to trust.  This doesn't stop the immediate attraction they both feel for one another, though.  They begin what they both assume will be casual dating and quite a bit of lust.  And almost immediately, these two stubborn and scared people begin to fall for one another.

Tessa and Luke's story is sweet, sexy and at times sad.  I completely fell for these characters and Tessa's brothers, too.  If you want wonderful story telling with heart and spice - pick up this book by Victoria Dahl.   Oh, and I've already begun Jamie's story, Bad Boys Do. 

When in a book rut --

-- do some crafting! It worked wonders for me and I am thankfully out of my rut.  I am really enjoying Good Girls Don't by Victoria Dahl.