Dark Currents- Agent of Hel by Jacqueline Carey

I finally got out of this mystery rut I've been stuck in and picked up something from the fantasy genre. I was VERY happy with my selection!
Dark Currents tells about a half-breed, spawn of a lesser demon from hell, Daisy Jo. Set in Pemkowet where there is a lot odd happenings and even odder beings. Daisy is the the Norse Goddess, Hel,  enforcer on earth. This tale is about a young man being murdered and trying to figure out who did it..or rather- what did it. Throughout the story you meet ghouls, werewolves, vampires, witches, bitches, fairies and Hel plus a none too sweet hag that lives in the swamp. If you love fantasy, read this book! Daisy encounters all sorts of beings and solves the case with her hunky cop 'partner', Cody. The showdown at the end is epic! Plus, a mermaid to boot. I loved the imagination of this author and she sticks close to the myths about each fantasy being. I think the creepy party is when you first get taken with Daisy to meet Hel and the description of her is awful and frightening. The most intriguing part is that Daisy has to control her emotions or she can bring hell on earth, literally.

5 out of 5 stars!!

The Pout- Pout Fish by Deborah Diesen

So I decided to add children books to my blog since I have a baby now!

The pout-pout fish is one of my favorite under the sea books! It has shiny pictures, catchy, cutesy rhymes and cute characters. The pout-pout fish has many friends who try to help him turn his pout upside down but he simply can't because he's a pout-pout fish. Then one day a beautiful sleek lady fish kisses his pout and he becomes the...KISSY KISSY fish!
Even though I'm an adult, this book makes me laugh and at times makes my tongue twist with its rhymes. It's a great children book. I highly recommend it.


5 out of 5 stars!

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The Scent of Rain and Lightning by Nancy Pickard

I'm such a huge fan of mystery fiction, it's one of my favorite genres. I actually read this book for a book club I'm in and I am so glad I did. I usually read those little cutesy tootsie mystery series but I may have to branch out and pick up more regular, more adult-like mysteries.
The story centers around Jody, a young woman whose parents were murdered 23 years ago and how the murderer is coming back to town after his being set free by the governor. After the first chapter, it flashbacks to the year the murders happened. Hugh-Jay and Laurie, her parents. were young, twenty somethings who had their whole future ahead of them. Laurie was a spoiled girl who was stealing from the Linders. Hugh-Jay and his family were rich and powerful but a good family in Rose, Kansas. Their marriage was in a rough patch because it turns out Laurie was stealing money from one of their ranches (which didn't surprise me one bit). One of my favorite characters was Chase. He was a rugged cowboy who all the ladies loved but he still worked hard and loved his family. I'm so glad he didn't kill his brother and sister in law since I thought the whole time he did! The man who was convicted of the murders was Billy Crosby, a mean son of a bitch who had a drinking problem and beat his wife and son. His son, Collin, is the one who gets him out of jail because he grew up to be a lawyer. As the story progresses, you find out that the Linder daughter's (Belle) fiance, Meryl, kills them but the way it happens, while horrible, is accidental. Hugh-Jay came home to find Laurie and who he thought was Billy having sex (he thought he was raping her) but really it was Meryl and Laurie having sex as they had been having an affair. Hugh-Jay is shot with his own shot gun after Meryl jumps at him and turns the gun on him. Laurie is taken to the rock formation where she falls to her death. In the end, Colling and Jody fall in love as they were meant to be all along.
I highly recommend you read this book even if you now know who did it. The details are in the book and it's such a good read! It's one of those books you can't put down because it's so well written and suspenseful!

4 out 5 stars! (some typos)

God is in the Pancakes by Robin Epstein

God is in the Pancakes is one of funniest and saddest books I've read in a long time. Grace is a quick-witted, sharp tongues heroine who works at Hanover House, a retirement home. She is a candy striper who waters plants and hands out the latest edition of magazines to the residents. She is also the main visitor to Mr Sands, an old man who is dying of Lou Gehrig's disease or ALS. She visits him every shift and on one particular shift, he asks her to do the unthinkable. He asks her to help end his life. How could someone ask a young girl who's a sophomore in high school to do such a thing? I guess we all have out limits. Grace also has a best friend who she now is developing feelings for much to her dismay, and he has feelings for her. Her quick wit and sharp tongue however, make them getting together almost impossible and at times has you wondering if they will (they do). When Grace meets Izzie, Mr Sands wife, everything changes for her. How could this man who she's spent so much time with, who's become a father figure to her, not tell her he's married with children? Something's you just want to be private, he explains to her. As his health declines, Izzie and Grace become more and more friendly, talking about Mr Sands more and just talking about life. Grace thinks she is an uncaring regular teenager. The reader knows better. She's more than she thinks she is. Grace at first tells Mr Sands, No!, about helping him. Then after seeing his health deteriorate more and more, she realizes she can't let her friend be in pain anymore. So she sneaks in, crushes up the pills and 'kills' him in her mind. We find out later after the funeral, that in fact, Izzy and Mr Sands had an agreement that if one of them was too ill, then the other would help them die. So in face, Izzy is the one who helps him die by disconnecting his oxygen, not Grace (much to her relief and the reader's).
Overall, this is a really good book. It makes you think and laugh and cry.

5 out of 5 stars!

Mind Over Murder (A Raven's Nest Bookstore Mystery) by Allison Kingsley

What could be better than a mystery series set in a bookstore in a small town? How about some magic and mind-reading with it? Clara Quinn and her cousin Stephanie Quinn Dowd are great characters, more like sisters than cousins their banter makes this story enjoyable. Clara has what is known as the Quinn Sense, it helps her know when people are lying (if only) and it's the only time where hearing voices is acceptable. The unexpected murderer makes the story all that more interesting, just when you think you know who done it the author puts doubt in your mind with some other clue. I also liked the romantic element between Clara and the Rick, the Hardware store owner. The subtle humor in this book makes it along with the mystery of who killed the mean old woman, worth reading!

Thanks to my Mom who let me borrow this book to read :))

5 out 5 stars!

Update on My Life and Reading Adventures

Allie, July 30, 2012

I had my beautiful baby girl after 27 hours of labor on July 30 at 12:12pm. She's doing great and is such a joy! I love being a mommy to her :) I'm still sleep deprived but I wouldn't have it any other way.

Reading..I haven't had time at all to read lately. I'm hoping as we get into a schedule that I will be able to start back up on my reading though. I miss it so much. I had started reading 'The Joy Luck Club' before Allie was born but I wasn't able to finish it or any of the other books I had checked out from the library. I'm hoping this coming week I can go back and get a couple of books to read and to finish 'TJLC' book.

Hope all is well with y'all. Take care!

July

July has been a pretty crazy and fast paced world wind for us. I haven't had time to read :( I'm due any day now with our first little girl and have been going crazy trying to get everything in order for her :)

Posts will continue once things settle down...I'm hoping to read some today actually..maybe hit the library up one last time tomorrow! Oh the little joys lol

Have a good day!