I'm back!! and R.I.P. Peril - Book two

Book Two in the Peril-The First in the R.I.P. Challenge!! I chose "The Becoming" by Jeanne C. Stein because it is about vampires, one of my favorite creepy subjects. The main character in this book is Anna Strong, and she is very similar to Laurel K. Hamilton's Anita Blake in that she is a tough, scrappy woman doing a job most would think was a men-only thing. Anna is a bounty hunter and is "turned" by a rogue vampire during a capture that went very wrong. The world Anna lives in is like ours in that everyone believes that vampires are not real, so it takes some adventures and more mishaps to convince her of her new nature.

All said, I enjoyed this book - very fun to read and I am sure there are more to come with Anna Strong as the protagonist. I recommend it for pre-Halloween-get-ready-for-vampires-and-things-that-go-bump-in-the-night reading! On to book three.....

R.I.P. Peril the First!!! (UPDATED List!!)

Well - I am entering a reading challenge put on by Carl V. (which I found out about from one of the many blogs I follow)!! It runs from September 1, 2008 through October 31, 2008 and sounds like fun!! (Plus, I love Halloween, so this should help build up the suspense!!)There are 3 Perils to chose from and I have selected Peril the First, which means that I must read FOUR books of any length, from any subgenre of scary stores.... bwah ha ha ha ha ah aaaaaaaaaa....
According to the rules, I need to post my "pool" of possible selections on my blog here and then post reviews as I finish reading at: Ripping Yarn's Site
So - Here is my pool of possibilities:

• The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova (which may be cheating because I just finished reading this one and LOVED it!)


• The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
  
• Breaking Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
• unknown... because I don't usually read scary books, I don't have many in my "to be read" pile, so I'll have to investigate. Gee a trip to Barnes & Noble will really break my heart - LOL
• UPDATE: "The Book of Lost Things" by John Connolly (recommended by a friend)
• UPDATE: " The Thirtheenth Tale" by Diane Setterfield
• (I found out it doesn't necessarily have to be SCARY, it can also be about the supernatural, preternatural, etc... that makes it easier since I love Vampires, werewolves and stuff like that... yippee!)

So - onward and upward - woo hoo!!

The new Stephanie Meyer book

Friday, when I got home from work, there on the porch was a big box from Amazon.com!! Yippee!! I quickly grabbed the box, opened it up, removed the books into a tote bag, hid the box in the trashcan and smuggled the books into the house... (yes, feeling a little guilty about buying books when I told my spouse he couldn't spend money on non-essentials right now.)

So, inside and first to be read, was "The Host" by Stephanie Meyer. I immediately started reading and kept going until about 10:30pm. Saturday, got up with coffee and was reading and continued to read until 7pm when I finished the book!! Yes, I could NOT put it down. Once again, I have to admit it wasn't at all what I was expecting. I love the Twilight series books about Edward and Bella and was thinking maybe this book would involve supernatural creatures, too. Well, it does, kind of - if you can call alien "souls" supernatural.

Stephanie Meyer does a great job of grabbing your attention and not letting go!! I really liked this book and the only slight negative I have to comment on is the ending. I'm undecided on if I like it or dislike it.... It wasn't bad or weird, it just didn't quite feel right to me... But, even so, I highly recommend the book to one and all! I give it an A- grade!!

Quilt Shop Hop - part 2

Here are shots of "the booty"! Bonnie's pile on the table below. She was very focused and didn't go crazy (as much as she could have!).



Kristie was interested in getting alot of ideas from patterns & books - and I think she did quite well! We can't wait to start working on new projects.

My pile here on the floor was insanely huge and I was afraid to go home with it! However, my husband was happy for me and even drove me over to the MIL's to show and tell!

So - after a long day of shopping and then eating, we decided to put on the PJ's and go downstairs to play pool and checkers.

How much trouble could we get into playing pool and checkers in our pajamas? ....