The Christmas Blessing by Donna VanLiere

I know it's after Christmas but I said I would let you know how the sequel the Christmas Shoes was. This is a great book, even if it is after Christmas.

In the story the little boy from the first book, who bought the shoes for his dying mother, is grown up and going to school to be a doctor. While doing his internship he meets a girl and eventually falls in love. The girl he loves gets very ill and needs a transplant...she gets sicker and sicker but no transplant is available and just when she's about to die, the Christmas miracle happens, a transplant is found! The greatest part is where the transplant comes from but I won't tell you, just in case you wanted to read the book. :) It's a tear jerker just like the first book but it's still good. You know the feeling, when it feels like someone reaches into your chest and squeezes your heart? That's what this book did to me. Hope ya like it!

The Christmas Shoes by Donna VanLiere

And what better way to get you in the holiday spirit than a Christmas book, right? Well, maybe go for The Night Before Christmas or something like that if you want to feel all warm and fuzzy inside. This book was a short read and well written but I felt like my heart was breaking while I read it. You've heard the song about the little boy who wants to buy his momma pretty shoes because she's gonna meet Jesus tonight...this is the story the song is about (actually was written about the song but whatever.) The book introduces us to the characters and then at the end, it tells how the mom talks to her son about how she's going to die....it's very sad. All I could think of was how sad I would be if I were that mom and knew that I was going to be leaving my family behind. :( I will be posting the sequel to this book soon, The Christmas Blessing. See ya soon!

Intensity by Dean Koontz

AS you all know, I am a book worm and will read anything but I really like to read scary books (which is kinda stupid because I WON'T watch scary movies!) Anyways, I finished this book the other day and thought I let ya know that it was great! The whole book is basically about this psychology student (who is pretty darn dumb) trying to escape from this homicidal maniac (who is pretty darn smart.) Her escape is long and drawn out, and very detailed. She makes it away from his house in his motor home with his captive, a teen-age girl, and you gotta know they will meet up with the killer for the fight scene....well, seriously the fight lasted one whole page. That's it! I thought after all of the events leading up to the fight it would be this crazy, wild fight but no, she just killed the killer and everyone lived happily ever after. Well, kind of, anyways...it was still a good book, full of suspense (and while reading it I kept thinking what an idiot! The girl was asking to be captured...duh!)

The Fred Factor by Mark Sanborn

Fred, my friend from the gym, is seriously the nicest guy you could ever meet. He has a hobby of growing roses and gives them away to anyone and everyone just to brighten their day...never expects anything in return, just does it to be nice. Fred asked me to read this book so I could understand why he does this.

The Fred Factor is about a mailman that goes above and beyond what his job description says he should do. He makes sure that his "customers" are happy and get the very best service that he can provide. That's it...it's all about giving your all in all that you do. If we could all do this, this world we live in would be a nicer place. If you would like to read something motivational...try this. :)

Creating Myself by Mia Tyler

Alright, well it's been a while since I read a REALLY good book but this one...yea, it was a good 'un! This book is about the life of Mia Tyler, legendary rocker Steven Tylers daughter. The book tells how even though she had a famous dad, a beautiful groupie mom and basically all the money she could ever want...life can still suck. After almost committing suicide she has a new view on life and tells us to look for the positives in everything and not dwell on the negative. Good book, you should go pick it up!

Hope's Highway by Dorothy Garlock

Hope's Highway was a pretty quick read. The story reminds me a whole lot of The Grapes of Wrath due to the fact that the entire book is set on the road to California. Several families from Missouri who own ice businesses (this is when people still used ice boxes for fridges) decide to head to California and start there businesses fresh there. Unlike today, the trip takes weeks and there is plenty of drama along the way. It is kinda neat to read about what life was like in other times.

Whispers by Dean Koontz

FINALLY...a book that isn't predictable! I admit that the beginning of the book was a little lacking in action but it certainly picked up speed as I read. I just finished this while my daughter was playing at McDonalds and my heart was racing! It was funny cuz my leg was crossed and I was just shaking my foot like I had ADHD or something. Good book. If you are into scary stuff, this is the book for you. A little sick and twisted but ....well, it makes for a good story. Also, if you are into psychology or psychiatry...you'll like it.

The Runaway Mistress

Just your garden variety mystery. Pretty predictable but entertaining. This beautiful girl grows up poor, has a chance to get a really rich, old boyfriend, takes the chance, gets used to the lifestyle, hooks up with a mob-type guy, catches him kill his wife, runs away.....you'll have to read it to see how it ends! :)

Dream Series by Nora Roberts

I'm on the third book in this series but thought I'd go ahead and let you hear about it. This is a good series...unless you're lonely and in need of some lovin'. Three sisters (just like the Born in series) find love and the drama that goes along with it. I have to say that I do love Nora Roberts and these books are great reads to pass the time but they are not books that I would tell someone, "You've got to read this book!" Anyways, entertaining even if a little predictable.

The Amber Room by Steve Berry

I just finished The Amber Room by Steve Berry. This is a fiction mystery which I LOVE. The story is about a room that Prussians had crafted out of amber pieces....imagine, an entire room pieced together from beautiful golden amber! The story is that during WWII countries (namely Germany under Hitlers regime) were stealing precious works of art from each other and hiding them away. This is a sort of war crime (I think) and when the war was over, the art should have been returned to it's rightful owner(which of course, was an argument in itself)....well, the Amber Room disappeared. Treasure hunters have been searching for this room for decades trying to find their fortune. This is a great book, very thrilling and to make it even better...the Amber Room is real. After I finished the book I went to the Internet to look for info....I have posted a picture of the replicated amber room below, the original is still missing. You can also view this video clip from ABC on the subject. I think this is fascinating! http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=4215553
Isn't this just beautiful? I'm sure it would be hard to keep your jaw off the floor in a place like this. :)

"Born In" Series

I LOVE NORA ROBERTS. I just finished the Born In Series, where three Irish sisters, Brianah, Shannon, and Margaret Mary Concannon, share their stories with us. Set in the peaceful countryside of West County Ireland, you can't help but see the green pastures and hear the characters awesome Irish lilt (and crave a nice tall Guiness!) Yes, these are love stories, which I usually don't care much for, but these are really good books and two of the sisters have serious attitudes which I DO care for! :)

White Oleander

I found this book at a garage sale for $.25 so of course I bought it. (I'm such a sucker for books!) This books tells about a young girl whose mother goes to prison, how she is put through the foster care system and all of her trouble in between including being shot by one foster mother, molested by a mothers boyfriend, used as a built-in babysitter, starved, and beaten. This book reminds us how lucky we had it as children, having a permanent home, food on the table, and loving parents.

Our American King by David Lozell Martin

I am a bookworm...plain and simple. I will read anything I can get my hands on....I've even read a biography on pigeons once. When I go to the library, I just pick up a stack of books that spark my interest and come home to plow through them. Last trip to the library, I picked up "Our American King."

This book is VERY interesting. Of course, it is fiction but it reminds us of what we as Americans take for granted. My husband has been saying that our government is really screwing up and is going to make us into a 3rd-world country (depressing news, I know) so reading this book after hearing him say things like that is especially creepy. Anyways, in the book, the government fails, the rich and higher-ups hoard all of the necessary resources and leave the rest of the country to starve. It's like the common people have been sent back a few hundred years and have to live like their ancestors with no running water, electricity, grocery stores, etc. Give it a read, it will make you glad for the conveniences that we have!

good book alert...

If you guys don't know, I am a SERIOUS bookworm. I will read anything I get my hands on. Well, a while back someone gave me a box of books and I have been plowing through them and some have been good, some not so good...the last one though, Wow! It's a good 'un! If you are into psychological thrillers, read it. Main character has multiple personalities and well...I better not say anything else, just read it! ;)