The Tale of Hawthorn House

I finished reading the fourth book in The Cottage Tales of Beatrix Potter series, The Tale of Hawthorn House and I loved it. In this book we find Miss. Potter trying to find out who left a baby on her doorstep and who the baby's mother is. We also have some romance in the air in this book. Of course, what would this series be if we didn't have something going on with the village animals? So we have a duck who is bound and determined to hatch her own eggs, thank you very much. You see they keep taking her eggs from her and letting the chickens hatch them. I don't want to spoil the book so I will leave it at that.

I really enjoyed this book. It's such a sweet and charming cozy mystery. I love animals so I really enjoy how we get to "hear" what the animals are thinking and saying to each other. I know the fifth book is out and I'm tempted to go get it but I promised myself (and hubby) that I wouldn't buy any books until after the Fall into Reading challenge. So I shall have to make myself wait. It's not easy but I can do it...I think. ;) I highly recommend not just this book but the entire series. I'm giving The Tale of Hawthorn House five out of five stars.

What's on Your Nightstand??

I'm just a week late...totally forgot it was the second to last Tuesday..thought it was the last Tuesday of the month. So anyway, if you read what was on my nightstand last month you would know that it was my cats. They decided to take over my nightstand for their newest nap area. So to update you on that (cause I'm sure you are just dying to know *wink*) the cats have somehow gotten me to provide them with a small cup of water on my nightstand for them. Not sure how they did it though. I do know that whenever I had a glass of water I would have to keep an eye on it cause they always thought it was for them. I remember once I was reading and my cat, Carmel, acted like he wanted to lay down next to me so I moved to make room for him and went back to my reading. A minute later I realized that Carmel wasn't laying down next to me but drinking out of my glass. *shakes head* So to update you...still no books on the nightstand. ;)

But I do have a book in my purse and that book would be The Tale of Hawthorn House by Susan Wittig Albert. This is the fourth book in the Cottage Tales of Beatrix Potter series. I love, love, love this series. I know this will surprise people but one of the reasons I love it so much is because of the talking animals. :) You get to see the story unfold not only from the people who live in the village but also from the animals who live there. It is just a charming little cozy mystery. Even if you don't think you will like the talking animals you still might want to give it a try. I've read reviews from a few people who said they weren't a fan of talking animals but they enjoy these books. If you love animals and like cozy mysteries then I think you will love this series as much as I do. :)

Now on my husband's nightstand is the second book that we both are reading: Laugh Your Way to a Better Marriage: Unlocking the Secrets to Life, Love and Marriage. I'm about half way through this book and I have to say I think it should be required reading for everyone who is married. I started reading this book and was trying to figure out how to ask my husband to read a few sections. I figured I would have better luck getting him to read a few sections instead of the whole book but imagine my surprise when he picked it up on his own and started reading it. I'm about half way through it and it really has a lot of interesting things in it about how men and women act and think. The author also includes some funny stories. So if your married I highly recommend this book. :)

Okay, next month I'll try and be one time. ;)

The Shape of Mercy

I was asked to participate in the blog tour for The Shape of Mercy by Susan Meissner. I had never heard of Susan Meissner before but when I read the book was about a college student (Lauren) who gets hired to transcribe a diary written by a victim of the Salem witch trials, I knew I wanted to check out this book. I've always found the Salem witch trials interesting. So I joined the blog tour for this book and received the book last weekend. Oh my goodness! I'm now wondering why I haven't ever heard of Susan Meissner she is an amazing story teller.

The Shape of Mercy is about three women: A rich college student (Lauren), the owner of the diary (Abigail), and the writer of the diary (Mercy). By transcribing Mercy's diary Lauren is forced to admit a few things about herself and is also able to help Abigail who has become embittered with regrets.

The Shape of Mercy was an excellent book and I highly recommend it. This is one of those books that can't wait to finish yet at the same time are sadden it has ended. I'm giving The Shape of Mercy five out of five stars.

If you would like to have a chance to win a copy of this wonderful book then please come back to my blog during the blog tour (Oct 13-17) cause I will be giving away one copy. :)

Theodora's Baby

Finished reading Theodora's Baby Friday night. In this book we pick up pretty much where we left off with Theodora..she's newly married and will soon discover that she is also expecting. While I liked this book (the first one is still my favorite in the series) I really didn't like the ending at all. As far as I know this is the last book in the series and with this ending it made me feel like a door just got slammed in my face and I'm left wondering why. But if you have read the first two books I would still say read Theodora's Baby cause until the door slams it really was a good book. I'm giving Theodora's Baby three out of five stars.

Fall Into Reading 2008

It's that time of year again...time for Fall Into Reading!! This Spring was the first time I ever participated in anything like this and one thing I learned was I read more than I realized. So instead of six books I picked for the Spring Into Reading I am going to increase it by twelve. I have no idea if I will get all twelve books read but we shall see. :) For more info about Fall Into Reading click on the Fall Into Reading picture. *points up*

So here is my list:

• The Tale of Hawthorn House by Susan Witting Albert


• The Jewel of Gresham Green by Lawana Blackwell


• The Lady of the Hall by Veronica Heley


• Pedigreed Bloodlines by Sandra Robbins


• Evil Under the Sun by Agatha Christie


• The Restitution by M.L. Tyndall


• In Like Flynn by Rhys Bowen


• For Whome the Wedding Bell Tolls by Nancy Mehl


• Eyes of Elisha by Brandilyn Collins


• Fire By Night by Lynn Austin


• The Edge of Recall by Kristen Heitzmann
• The Shape of Mercy by Susan Meissner's
  
  

And here are four books I picked for subs:

• Her Royal Spyness by Rhys Bowen


• Bachelors Puzzle by Judith Pella


• The Convenient Groom by Denise Hunter


• Bakers of Fatal Dozen by Lisa Harris
  
  

I also have two non-fiction books I would like to finish:

• Saturdays with Stella by Allison Pittman


• Laugh Your Way To A Better Marriage by Mark Gungor

Theodora's Wedding

After having finished Pride and Prejudice I decided I needed a nice light read so I picked Theodora's Wedding out of my TBR pile. This is the second book in the series and while I didn't find it as funny as the first book, Theodora's Diary, I still enjoyed it. This series is like a Christian version of Bridget Jones's Diary. So it's written in a diary format which was just what I needed after P&P. Theodora's Wedding follows Theodora to her wedding day and the stuff that happens between the first entry and the big day is really a nice lovely journey. I do think the first book in the series was better but all in all I enjoyed this book and actually I'm reading the third book in the series now, Theodora's Baby. So I'm giving Theodora's Wedding 3 1/2 stars out of 5.

Musing Mondays

Today’s MUSING MONDAYS post is about the treatment of books!

HOW ABOUT YOU? Do you treat books carefully, or do you just treat them as any other object? Do you have certain things you refuse to do with books (write in them, etc)? If so, what are they?

I absolutely refuse to dog-ear the pages in my books. In fact, I'm so against dog-earring that I get onto my mother when I see her doing it. I know I'm probably weird but for some odd reason I just hate to see someone dog-ear a page in their book...makes me shudder. For me seeing someone dog-ear a page in their book is like someone just ran their fingernails down a chalkboard. *shudders*

Pride & Prejudice

I finally did it! I finally read Pride and Prejudice. I kept seeing on other people's blogs that they had read this book and usually loved it. So I kept telling myself I was going to read it...well, I've been meaning to read it since last Christmas and I finally did. :) Sorry, but I'm quite pleased with myself.

Okay, so now about the book. I am sure that most people know what it is about so I will spare you the details. I read this book on my Amazon Kindle and am really glad I did because on the Kindle you can look up words and I found myself looking up quite a few words. If I had to look in a dictionary I probably wouldn't have and would have missed understanding some things in the book. The language is pretty dense and at times I would have to either re-read a sentence or read it out loud to finally understand what was going on but the further I got into the book the easier it became to read. I won't lie I found the first few chapters a little boring but I'm glad I didn't give up on it cause once the story started flowing it was an excellent book and I'm so glad I finally read it. So if you haven't read this yet I hope that you too will treat yourself to this lovely story about Pride and Prejudice.

Teaser Tuesdays

TEASER TUESDAYS asks you to:

Grab your current read.

Let the book fall open to a random page.

Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.

You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!

Please avoid spoilers!


My Teaser Tuesday is from Pride and Prejudice:

"We have dined nine times at Rosings, besides drinking tea there twice! How much I shall have to tell!"

Elizabeth privately added, "And how much I shall have to conceal."

Saturdays with Stella Blog Tour

Sometimes your best four-legged friend is also your best teacher.

When you bring a new dog into your home, a wash of great joy can become a trial of perseverance as your furry pal chews, digs, yaps, and yes, piddles her way through every room in the house. Allison Pittman learned this all too well when she adopted a “tiny, shiny puppy of indefinable breed(s).” Stella wasted no time in turning her home upside-down as only a pup can.

As could be expected, six weeks of obedience school covered the much needed basics–sit, stay, come, and down. What Allison didn’t expect was the spiritual benefit she would receive as each Saturday lesson revealed a fascinating metaphor. In this heart-warming, thoughtful, and often hilarious tribute to her beloved Stella, Allison Pittman shares how she came to understand what it means to follow the ultimate Master, including how to:

Sit!–at the feet of Jesus and listen for His voice

Drop It!–and let go of personal agendas

Come!–when it’s time to run in the right direction

Stay!–in God’s presence

In Saturdays with Stella, a slightly neurotic yet curiously adorable canine will not only capture your heart–she’ll show you how captivating you are to God.

About the Author
Allison Pittman is the author of the three books in the popular Crossroads of Grace series. Before her life as a novelist, Allison spent sixteen years teaching high school English. A founding member and copresident of the Christian Writer’s Group of the Greater San Antonio area, she devotes her time inspiring other writers to work toward their goals and sharpen their skills. Allison lives in Universal City, Texas with her husband Mike, their three sons, and Stella.

Angie here: I haven't had time to read the book yet but I do plan on reading it pretty soon so be on the look out for my review later.

In Loving Memory

I've been putting off writing this post because it's not an easy one but on August 21, 2008 I had to say goodbye to my sweet Felix. He was a stray cat who found me one day and I never regretted taking him into my home and heart. He was the sweetest cat you could ever have the pleasure of knowing...he was just a big love bug. He will be missed but not forgotten. I love you, Felix!!

Which Harry Potter Character Are You?

I should be working but instead I'm taking silly quizzes....I've got my priorities straight. ;)

Your result for Another Harry Potter Character Test...

Hermione Granger

The bookworm of all groups, you're the one everyone turns to when they have a question. You don't care much what others think of you, and are pretty darn smart! You're die hard loyal. When it comes to school, you dot your i's and cross your t's.

Take Another Harry Potter Character Test at HelloQuizzy

Teaser Tuesday

TEASER TUESDAYS asks you to:

Grab your current read.

Let the book fall open to a random page.

Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!
Please avoid spoilers

I thought this sounded like fun so here is mine:

From Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen: "Certainly, sir; and it has the advantage also of being in vogue amongst the less polished societies of the world. Every savage can dance."