Labor Day ARC Giveaway

I realized that I have not had a contest in awhile so here is on for Labor Day!
I have three Advance Reader’s Copies to give away to one lucky winner.

They are:

On The Bluffs by Steven Schindler
The Sentinels: Fortunes of War by Gordon Zuckerman
Giv: The Story of a Dog and America by Boston Teran


To enter the contest, please leave a comment stating what you are doing this Labor Day weekend and your e-mail address so I can contact you if you are the winner.

This contest is open to US residents only and runs for one week, ending on Monday, September 7th, 2009
Extra entries: Become a follower and/or subscriber (one additional entry each).

Saturday Ramblings

It is Saturday afternoon and I just finished a bowl of charred tomato soup that I made using fresh tomatoes and basil from my garden. It tasted good and helped warm me up since it is another rainy day again. There goes tubing down the Delaware River and a trip to the drive-in movie theater; two things we hoped to accomplish before the summer was over.

Speaking of summer; where did it go? Most of these three months have been wet. I felt like we were living in the Brazilian rain forest. Yuck! My grass is over grown and weeds have sprouted up all over my driveway. And I could have sworn my house was white; not green!

I lucked out at the library this week and got a lot of books. None to be reviewed here; mostly for research. My daughter starts her senior year in school tomorrow and then is off four days for Labor Day weekend. Hopefully, that will be a nice weekend.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend folks!

The Birthing House by Christopher Ransom

Book Description
It was expecting them.

Conrad and Joanna Harrison, a young couple from Los Angeles, attempt to save their marriage by leaving the pressures of the city to start anew in a quiet, rural setting. They buy a Victorian mansion that once served as a haven for unwed mothers, called a birthing house. One day when Joanna is away, the previous owner visits Conrad to bequeath a vital piece of the house’s historic heritage, a photo album that he claims “belongs to the house.” Thumbing through the old, sepia-colored photographs of midwives and fearful, unhappily pregnant girls in their starched, nineteenth-century dresses, Conrad is suddenly chilled to the bone: staring back at him with a countenance of hatred and rage is the image of his own wife….

Thus begins a story of possession, sexual obsession, and, ultimately, murder, as a centuries-old crime is reenacted in the present, turning Conrad and Joanna’s American dream into a relentless nightmare.

An extraordinary marriage of supernatural thrills and exquisite psychological suspense, The Birthing House marks the debut of a writer whose first novel is a terrifying tour de force.

My thoughts
“The Birthing House” by Christopher Ransom had grabbed my interest by the premise of a scary story, but falls flat. This book did not frighten or excite me in anyway. The birthing house is a Victorian mansion in Wisconsin that was once a birthing house and now seems to be haunted where new owner Conrad Harrison purchases without consulting his wife in Los Angeles. Although they move into the house, his wife soon leaves for a new job and Conrad stays behind. Why? I don’t know and I don’t care. Some chapters worked but mostly not. I did not leave the book with chills running through me but with much disappointment.

Blue Jean Baby by Sally Parmer

Book DescriptionBlue Jean Baby is a surprisingly real trip through the Los Angeles music scene of the 1960s. Sally finally gives true pop culture buffs what they've been seeking: The Sixties Unplugged.

My thoughts
This book is not about the music scene of the sixties, but one girl’s adventures with the new music crowd coming through Los Angeles and how she grew up in the midst of it all. This autobiography is an honest and open look of a teenager’s growing up, dealing with an abusive mother and experiencing sex, drugs and rock and roll. It was a different world then and Sally Palmer allows us as the reader to explore the angst and wonder she felt during this turbulent time.

Sugar Time by Jane Adams

Book Description
What if you got one last chance at both love and success but getting one meant giving up the other? Sugar Kane hasn't created a hit TV series in years but now she's older, wiser, and ready to prove she can still deliver - unless her young, scheming assistant doesn't steal her new show out from under her. Then Sugar faces a crisis that threatens her career, her health, and the unconditional love she's finally found, long after she stopped hoping she ever would.

My thoughts
Another Hollywood story, but “Sugar Time” involves a fifty-something television writer who hasn't had a hit in 20 years. But she hasn’t given up and creates a possible show, while dealing with health problems and a new man in her life. Jane Adams has written a funny story that was quite entertaining and it isn’t just for women. I loved this book!

New Tricks by David Rosenfelt

Book Description
Andy Carpenter gains possession of an adorable Bernese puppy whose owner was brutally murdered. Few can rival Andy's affection for dogs, and he will do whatever it takes to insure that this little pup doesn't fall into the wrong hands. However, his playful new friend is valued by several people, many of whom are willing to resort to violence to get what they want. It will take more than Andy's usual courtroom theatrics to save this dog, including a little help from his beloved golden retriever, Tara. Andy soon discovers that anyone around him is in danger, including his long-time girlfriend Laurie, and he will have to muster all of his wits to save those he holds most dear.

My thoughts
David Rosenfelt brings back attorney Andy Carpenter in “New Tricks”, his fifth book in the series. Andy, the dog lover that he is, is told by the courts to decide where a cute little puppy belongs. Not an easy task when murder happens and Andy and his sarcastic nature decides to investigate further. His romance deepens with the love of his life Laurie. Rosenfelt has developed a great cast of characters and keeps me entertained and laughing with each new Andy Carpenter story.

Giv: The Story of a Dog and America by Boston Teran

Book Description
My name is Dean Hickok, sergeant, late of the U.S. Marines. I nearly ran down a dog one night on a back road during a Kentucky rainstorm. The dog, it turned out, had been made to suffer and left to die in a crate. But his will to survive, his determination to overcome the many cruelties inflicted upon him, and the ultimate and unabated goodness that abided in him afterward, are the actual reason these pages bearing my name exist at all. I was profoundly wounded of heart and empty of purpose as I drove through the Kentucky darkness that night. I had recently returned from Iraq, the lone survivor of my squad, when my headlights bore through a sweeping rain to find him there, stumbled and fallen. Both of us being on that same road, on that night, and at that moment, was not an accidental happenstance but the poetry of fate. For as much as I saved a dogs life, he saved mine.

My thoughts
“Giv: The Story of a Dog and America” by Boston Teran is just that; a story about a dog. And what a heartfelt story it is. From the time Giv is born he something special, but the tale does not begin there. It begins with Dean Hickok ex-sergeant who has returned from Iraq and is contemplating suicide when he almost runs over the starved and suffering animal that was Giv. From there we learn that Giv was stolen from his original owner and survived Hurricane Katrina. We learn of the people who come in contact with him and how everything comes full circle. This is certainly a story that brings out all sorts of emotion.

Coldheart Canyon by Clive Barker

Book Description
Hollywood has made a star of Todd Pickett. But time is catching up with him. He doesn't have the perfect looks he had last year. After plastic surgery goes awry, Todd needs somewhere to hide away for a few months while his scars heal.

As Todd settles into a mansion in Coldheart Canyon -- a corner of the city so secret it doesn't even appear on any map -- Tammy Lauper, the president of his fan club, comes to the City of Angels determined to solve the mystery of Todd's disappearance. Her journey will not be an easy one. The closer she gets to Todd the more of Coldheart Canyon's secrets she uncovers: the ghosts of the A-list stars who came to the Canyon for wild parties; Katya Lupi, the cold-hearted, nowforgotten star for whom the Canyon was named, who is alive and exquisite after a hundred years; and, finally, the door in the bowels of Katya's dream palace that reputedly open up to another world, the Devil's Country. No one who has ever ventured to this dark, barbaric corner of hell has returned without their souls shadowed by what they'd seen and done.

Mingling an insider's view of modern Hollywood with a wild streak of visionary fantasy, Coldheart Canyon is a book without parallel: an irresistible and unmerciful picture of Hollywood and its demons, told with all the style and raw narrative power that have made Clive Barker's books and films a phenomenon worldwide.

My thoughts
I picked up “Coldheart Canyon” by Clive Barker because it was a Hollywood ghost story and I enjoy those Hollywood stories. Unfortunately, I chose the wrong book to start reading Clive Barker. I heard that his books were great, but although this story started out okay, it soon become drawn out and slow and boring. I could not connect to the story or the characters whatsoever. I was looking for horror not sex. Can anyone recommend a better Clive Barker story?

I Can See You by Karen Rose

Book Description
New York Times bestselling author Karen Rose delivers her latest pulse-pounding suspense novel, where the line between the virtual world and everyday reality blurs when it comes to murder.

Eve Wilson's face was once scarred by a vicious assault. Terrified and ashamed, she escaped to the online realm, where she could choose the face she allowed people to see. Years later, her outer scars faded and inner scars buried, Eve has fought her way back to the real world and is determined to help others do the same. Now a graduate student moonlighting as a bartender, Eve researches the addictive powers of online communities. When her test subjects begin turning up dead as a result of apparent suicides, she doesn't know where to turn.

Homicide detective Noah Webster is one of the few people who believe the victims are connected murders. Eve becomes Noah's online guide and realizes that the handsome detective may have secret scars as painful as her own. As Eve and Noah chase a killer who is always one step ahead of them, together they try to overcome the tragedies of their pasts and learn to trust again, but they soon discover that danger is much closer than they think.

My thoughts
In “I Can See You”, Karen Rose has combined torture, romance, fear, murder, loneliness and virtual reality in a top-notch murder mystery/suspense/thriller. See; with all the things she has going on , I could not choose just one world to described this book. The main characters are well developed. And I even cringed as this sadistic killer was torturing his victims. The plot was powerful. The twist at the end was a shock. This lengthy novel kept me interested throughout and left me wanting more from Ms. Rose. I believe I will go and read her previous books.

Soul Survivor by Bruce and Andrea Leininger with Ken Gross

Book Description
This is the story of James Leininger, who-- a little more than two weeks after his second birthday-- began having blood-curdling nightmares that just would not stop. When James began screaming out recurring phrases like, "Plane on fire! Little man can't get out!" the Leiningers finally admitted that they truly had to take notice.

When details of planes and war tragedies no two-year-old boy could know continued-- even in stark daylight-- Bruce and Andrea Leininger began to realize that this was an incredible situation. SOUL SURVIVOR is the story of how the Leiningers pieced together what their son was communicating and eventually discovered that he was reliving the past life of World War II fighter pilot James Huston. As Bruce Leininger struggled to understand what was happening to his son, he also uncovered details of James Huston's life-- and death-- as a pilot that will fascinate military buffs everywhere.

In SOUL SURVIVOR, we are taken for a gripping ride as the Leiningers' belief system is shaken to the core, and both of these families come to know a little boy who, against all odds and even in the face of true skeptics, harbors the soul of this man who died long ago.

My thoughts
First I would like to mention that “Soul Survivor” did not make me rethink my thoughts on reincarnation; I am still a non-believer. With that said, I did enjoy the story itself regarding the life of the WWII fighter pilot and his comrades. The personal life of the parents of the boy who may or may not have the soul of this pilot in him, was not entertaining and I found it a deterrent.

A Circle of Souls by Preetham Grandhi

Book Description
The sleepy town of Newbury, Connecticut, is shocked when a little girl is found brutally murdered. With the murderer on the loose, the police desperately look for any clues to lead to his identity. Meanwhile, a psychiatrist in a nearby hospital is also in a desperate search to find the cause of seven-year-old Naya Hastings s devastating nightmares. Afraid that she might hurt herself in the midst of a torturous episode, Naya s parents have turned to the bright young doctor as their only hope. When these two situations converge, they set off an alarming chain of events. In this stunning psychological thriller, innocence gives way to evil, and trust lies forgotten in a web of deceit, fear, and murder.

My thoughts
Preetham Grandhi has written an outstanding murder mystery with “A Circle of Souls”. This debut novel comes as a surprise as it is well written and had me wondering and guessing what was going on. In mixing spiritual beliefs and modern medicine, he has created an intense story. You feel for the characters and it is easy to read and understand. I was able to finish it in two days.

Lizzi & Fredl: A Perilous Journey of Love and Faith by Dr. William Stanford

Book Description
Austria, 1938. Europe trembles under the shadow of Hitler and the spreading threat of Nazism. Though some Austrians welcome the idea of belonging to the Fatherland once more, many more fear such a day. The Steiners are one such couple that dreads that ultimate day.They have carved out a successful life for themselves in Vienna. Twenty-seven-year-old Fredl is an accomplished master jeweler, while twenty-six-year-old Lizzi is a professional dressmaker. When Fredl receives papers ordering him to Munich, Germany, to serve the Nazis in their war preparations, the couple knows they have no choice: they must leave Austria. As Hitler and his troops gain force in their homeland and annex Austria, Lizzi and Fredl endure a harrowing flight to France, uncertain whether they will ever see their country again. But France holds no safety for them. Fredl is captured by French Nazi sympathizers and must outwit his captors to survive in Vichy-controlled concentration and labor camps. Separated from Fredl, Lizzi evades arrest and relies on her guile and chutzpah to search for her beloved husband. What follows is an incredible seven-year odyssey filled with danger and endurance. From their long, arduous journey to Paris to Fredl's unbelievable rescue from a train bound for a Nazi death camp, Lizzi and Fredl delivers a remarkable true story of courage, faith, and overwhelming love.

My thoughts
“Lizzi & Fredl: A Perilous Journey of Love and Faith” by Dr. William Stanford chronicles seven years in the lives of his parents from Vienna, Austria where they escaped the clutches of Hitler’s reign and relocated to France. Unfortunately, Fredl is imprisoned by French Nazi sympathizers and although Lizzi eludes capture, she still has to try and survive with little money or food. I applaud Dr. Stamford for capturing the experience of his parents before it was too late and detailing here for the rest of us to read. It is truly a remarkable tale of two regular people caught up in the chaos of WWII. I tried to have my grandmother (who lives in Germany) record her life but she does not want to relive her past. Thank you, Dr. Stanford for sharing your parent’s story.

A Rollercoaster Vacation

Summer brings vacations and we are no different. My wife, my 16-year-old daughter and I recently went on a rollercoaster vacation. It was my idea but I didn’t think I would have to ride the coasters. Boy was I wrong!

The idea was to hit three amusement parks in three states and ride the coasters. Now, I haven’t been on a rollercoaster in fifteen years and I liked it that way.

First stop was Dorney Park in Pennsylvania. Since it was a little over an hour ride there, we left that morning and headed straight for the park. Although, it was crowded (it was a Saturday), the lines were not long, but we only accomplished 4 rollercoaster rides. Of course, we did other things like the carousel and the water park and other rides that had me spinning. My wife got stung by a bee on the very first ride and we went to first aid to get some salve and ice. It didn’t dampen her spirits but it hurt like hell. At the water park, I lost my eyeglasses on some tube ride and they had to close the ride until I could locate them. Okay, they made me take off my water shoes, but never mentioned the glasses. What was up with that?

We stayed overnight in PA and then traveled to NY the next day. There was a stop at the Corning Glass Museum so that the ladies could make some glass products. My wife made a pendant and my daughter sandblasted a vase that was labeled “The Karpf Rollercoaster Vacation 2009”. We then drove up to Dansville (it was quiet for a Sunday), but my daughter took some photos of me. It’s on my buck list to visit as many towns in the US with my name in it. (The next one will be Danville, PA). Okay, so I am strange, but it is fun to travel!

This was the only day that we hit rain on our trip, which slowed us down (okay, my wife since she was driving), but we made it to our upstate New York hotel with no problem. I think we even got to enjoy the pool. The next amusement park was the Darien Lake Theme Park. It used to be a Six Flags, but no longer. The Kingdom Bound Music Festival was happening while we were there, which made it crowded but still no long lines. Luck was on our side! We completed 6 rollercoaster rides (yes, some of them twice) and I didn’t lose my glasses on any water rides. My wife stayed away from any bees. This was my favorite park of all three.

The following day would be the longest drive since we were heading to Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey. We had to stop off in Corning to pick up my wife’s pendant since it needed a day to cool. I actually did some driving and although we live in New Jersey, I thought the GPS was taking us to the wrong hotel. It didn’t and all was okay.

We started the day with the trip through the Safari Park. When I was a kid, the baboons used to climb all over your car and I wanted my daughter to experience this. Now, they are behind fences and I was quite disappointed. We could have gone to a zoo. Great Adventure has the biggest rollercoasters and more of them. And since we didn’t go to the water park that day, we spent all day riding them. We did a total of 10 rides before my wife and I decided our brains were jumbling around in our heads. Also, towards the end of the afternoon, the lines were getting longer.

We decided to call it a day after the log flume and headed home. I heard there is a great rollercoaster park in Ohio. Shhh… please don’t tell my daughter!

Abandon by Blake Crouch

Book Description
On Christmas Day in 1893, every man, woman and child in a remote gold mining town disappeared, belongings forsaken, meals left to freeze in vacant cabins; and not a single bone was ever found. One hundred thirteen years later, two backcountry guides are hired by a history professor and his journalist daughter to lead them into the abandoned mining town so that they can learn what happened. With them is a psychic, and a paranormal photographer—as the town is rumored to be haunted. A party that tried to explore the town years ago was never heard from again. What this crew is about to discover is that twenty miles from civilization, with a blizzard bearing down, they are not alone, and the past is very much alive.

My thoughts
Blake Crouch has written one captivating mystery with “Abandon”. In 1893 the entire town of Abandon disappears under mysterious circumstances and then 116 years later, a team of explorers go to the town to do some research and take photos. When two of the guides are attacked in front of the rest of the group, the mystery becomes even more mysterious. Alternating between the two time periods, Crouch has the reader watch as events unfold in the past, and how the tension builds up as we discover what the real reason these people are here. I, at first, was skeptical, thinking this was a supernatural type of story but was completely and happily surprised that this was as suspenseful thriller based on greed. Great book.

Road Dogs by Elmore Leonard

Book Description
Jack Foley, the charming bank robber from Out of Sight, is serving a thirty-year sentence in a Miami penitentiary, but he's made an unlikely friend on the inside who just might be able to do something about that. Fellow inmate Cundo Rey, an extremely wealthy Cuban criminal, arranges for Foley's sentence to be reduced from thirty years to three months, and when Jack is released just two weeks ahead of Cundo, he agrees to wait for him in Venice Beach, California.

Also waiting for Cundo is his common-law wife, Dawn Navarro, a professional psychic with a slightly ulterior motive for staying with Cundo: namely, she wants his money. And with the arrival of Jack, she sees the perfect partner in a plan to relieve Cundo of his fortune. Cundo may be Jack's friend, but does that mean he can trust him? And can either of them trust Dawn?

Road Dogs is Elmore Leonard at his best—with his trademark tight plotting and pitch-perfect dialogue—and readers will love seeing Cundo, Jack, and Dawn back in action and working together . . . or are they?

My thoughts
Two guys meet in prison, form a friendship and one (Cundo) helps the other (Jack) get his sentence reduced. Now Jack owes Cundo, or does he? Outside, Jack stays at Cundo’s house, meets Cundo’s woman and waits for Cundo to get released. Oh, did I mention that Jack has an FBI agent hounding him, waiting for him to rob another bank? What we have here is a peculiar group of characters who definitely are not being honest with each other. “Road Dogs” is filled with witty dialogue, but with a plot that doesn’t hold for the full length of the novel. It was enjoyable but there has been better from Elmore Leonard.

Cherry Bomb by J.A. Konrath

Book Description
At the end of Fuzzy Navel, J. A. Konrath surprised readers with an agonizing cliff-hanger: One of Lieutenant Jacqueline "Jack" Daniels's loved ones is dead. But who? Readers were left clamoring to know more.
Cherry Bomb, the sixth Jack Daniels mystery, opens at the funeral. While Jack stands graveside, tears in her eyes, her cell phone rings. It's the killer, escaped maniac Alex Kork, taunting Jack, drawing her ever further into a twisted game of cat and mouse. Because while Alex is more than willing to kill random victims, Jack is her true prey. But which woman wants revenge more?
Cherry Bomb is J. A. Konrath's most gripping novel of suspense yet--filled with twists and turns that will keep readers on the edge of their seats.

My thoughts
“Cherry Bomb” the sixth in J.A. Konrath’s Jack Daniels series, is not as sarcastic or hilarious as previous stories (mom and cat not really involved). But this one begins where the previous novel ended, with Alex Kork, a really sadistic killer is out to get Daniels. And the games begins: the killings get more gruesome and Jack becomes more emotional. This definitely kept me on the edge of my seat and I couldn’t put the book down.

Take Me Out to The Ballgame by Gary Morgenstein

Book Description
Baseball and bailouts, as American as apple pie. Weaving today's economic malaise with the powerful magic of a Cinderella baseball team, Take Me Out to the Ballgame is a political baseball novel for our times. The Buffalo Matadors haven't won a world championship in 37 years, a dying franchise. Until flamboyant Harry Witowsky, a 21st Century George Steinbrenner, buys them, vowing to do whatever is necessary to change the fortunes of the "Door Mats." Victories and attendance climb as Witowsky creates an Us versus Them mentality at the Stadium. The rally cry of "Where's My Bailout" replaces "Let's Go Mats." Buffalo's surprising surge resonates with a nation afraid of losing jobs and homes, shaken by terrorist threats, frightened for the future. The Matadors become America's Team.

My thoughts
I enjoyed reading Gary Morgenstein’s “Jesse’s Girl” and looked forward to his latest book, “Take Me Out to The Ballgame” which is actually a re-write of a book her wrote in the seventies, updating it with what is happening in society today. With that said, mixing baseball (America’s favorite pastime), politics and the economic situation of today, this thriller is quite a ride. I didn’t expect the outcome and enjoyed this book.

Shanghai Girls by Lisa See

Book Description
For readers of the phenomenal bestsellers Snow Flower and the Secret Fan and Peony in Love--a stunning new novel from Lisa See about two sisters who leave Shanghai to find new lives in 1930s Los Angeles.

May and Pearl, two sisters living in Shanghai in the mid-1930s, are beautiful, sophisticated, and well-educated, but their family is on the verge of bankruptcy. Hoping to improve their social standing, May and Pearl’s parents arrange for their daughters to marry “Gold Mountain men” who have come from Los Angeles to find brides.

But when the sisters leave China and arrive at Angel’s Island (the Ellis Island of the West)--where they are detained, interrogated, and humiliated for months--they feel the harsh reality of leaving home. And when May discovers she’s pregnant the situation becomes even more desperate. The sisters make a pact that no one can ever know.

A novel about two sisters, two cultures, and the struggle to find a new life in America while bound to the old, Shanghai Girls is a fresh, fascinating adventure from beloved and bestselling author Lisa See.

My thoughts
“Shanghai Girls” is an interesting tale of May and Pearl, two sisters in 19030’s China and how they make it to American and what they needed to survive. Their love for one another keeps them going through whatever pain life throws their way. I couldn’t put the book down, but was surprised by the abrupt ending. I got to feel for these women and watch them grow as the story unfolded, but then it was over and I was left wondering “Is that it?” It was a good read but the last few pages just killed it and hence the so-so rating.

One Batter, One Pitch by Michael Connelly

Book Description
The novel One Batter, One Pitch is a sequel to An Informal Boston Education, which chronicled the chaotic, frenetic, and hilarious career, social, and romantic missteps of quirky, wisecracking, ballplaying, weightlifting, and beer-drinking young Boston CPA Rocky Collins; until, with the help of a good woman and promising new job, he finally gets his life under control. But now he's approaching middle age, frustrated with limiting age-related physical issues and feeling increasingly out of tune with the culture; and worst of all, the changing competitive landscape facing the company he's been successful with for twenty years has become an insurmountable problem. He's working too hard and long with disappointing results, and worrying that, despite his rewarding family life and a solid circle of old friends, he's going to end up a failed, essentially numerical man. But his unrelenting drive and determination, intelligence and wit, along with the unwavering empathetic support of his equally hard-working wife, finally have him hooking up with a couple of charismatic, successful Boston venture capitalists, who not only appreciate his talent and work ethic, but also his imagination and combative Boston-Irish humor. He gets his career back on track by helping them turn around a couple of mid-size manufacturing companies, while also helping found a new independent baseball league with some very unique rules, equipment, and playing fields; designing The Penultimate Boston Sports Bar; and helping a black Boston area youth minister build a Life Training and Development Center.

My thoughts
I tried to really get into “One Batter, One Pitch” but I couldn’t seem to grasp what it is about. A middle aged man coming to terms with his life. He is not happy with his job and gets involved with a minor league baseball team. I am a finance guy and the explanations of how he helps these companies while trying to get the team up and running just didn’t click with me. I finished the book but felt lost. If someone else can explain to me what I missed in this novel, I’d appreciate it.

Little Stalker by Jennifer Belle

Product Description
Since she was thirteen, one of the few things New York novelist Rebekah Kettle has been able to count on is the thrill of seeing a new movie by world-renowned filmmaker Arthur Weeman every fall. Now thirty-three, the humor and poignancy of Weeman's singular movies have inextricably merged with her own memories-to the point that she has begun writing him letters under the guise of her thirteen-year-old self-and her teenage admiration has become fullblown obsession. So when Rebekah steps back and takes stock of her own life, she isn't happy with what she finds: She's unlucky in love, hopelessly stalled in her work, and unable to get over the past.

It's time for Rebekah to take action. She starts a relationship with Isaac Myman, a quirky paparazzo with whom she's suspiciously compatible. And she befriends Mrs. Williams, an eccentric older woman who needs her companionship. It seems things are looking up. But, just as unexpectedly, Rebekah discovers that Mrs. Williams's apartment has the most coveted view on the Upper East Side-straight into Arthur Weeman's town house-where she can watch the object of her obsession's life displayed like a silent movie. Weeman has always been a fixture on the rumor mill, but Rebekah has been his staunchest defender-until she sees the evidence for herself, and has to ask herself some questions. Does she give her new love a chance at the scoop of a lifetime-a photo of the compromised Weeman-or does she remain loyal to the man whose films have defined her life?

Riotously funny and astonishingly moving, Little Stalker is a bold, daring, twisted, and lovable novel that could have come only from a literary voice as sharp and original as Jennifer Belle.

My thoughts
“Little Stalker” by Jennifer Belle is a funny story about an author’s obsession with a has-been film maker. The quirkiness of the characters with the New York City setting makes it a very enjoyable read. There was enough humor to make me smile and enough things happening to keep me turning the page to read more. It’s a good book to read on the beach. Enjoy it.

Of Bees and Mist by Erick Setiawan

Product Description
Reminiscent of Keith Donohue's The Stolen Child, Erick Setiawan's richly atmospheric debut is a beautiful, engrossing fable of three generations of women in two families; their destructive jealousies, their loves and losses, their sacrifices and deeply rooted deceptions, and their triumphs.

Of Bees and Mist is the tale of Meridia -- raised in a sepulchral house where ghosts dwell in mirrors, she spends her childhood feeling neglected and invisible. Every evening her father vanishes inside a blue mist without so much as an explanation, and her mother spends her days venomously beheading cauliflowers in the kitchen. At sixteen, desperate to escape, Meridia marries a tenderhearted young man and moves into his seemingly warm and charming family home. Little does she suspect that his parents are harboring secrets of their own. There is a grave hidden in the garden. There are two sisters groomed from birth to despise each other. And there is Eva, the formidable matriarch whose grievances swarm the air like an army of bees. In this haunting story, Setiawan takes Meridia on a tumultuous ride of hope and heartbreak as she struggles to keep her young family together and discovers long-kept secrets about her own past as well as the shocking truths about her husband's family.

Readers of magic-realist fiction will instantly be captivated by this richly evocative fairy tale. Of Bees and Mist takes place in a nameless town during a timeless era, where spirits and spells, witchcraft and demons, ghosts and clairvoyance -- both real and imagined -- are an everyday reality. Setiawan skillfully blends the real and the fantastical as he follows our heroine over a 30-year time span in which her love, courage, and sanity are tested to the limit.

My thoughts
Of Bees and Mist” is a fantasy novel, what with the ghosts and sprits and the magical occurrences. But if you take away the ghosts, and the bees and the mist, what you have is a story about three generations of two families united by marriage and their relationships with one another. Since one woman, Eva is very controlling (not only of the bees) but her husband and children, it is all about her and the demands she makes. I could not get into the story at first, but then it became quite intriguing and then again, it lost my interest at the end. So, all in all it was an okay book. Still can’t figure why the author, Erick Setiawan added ghosts, bees and mist in it though.

The Sign by Raymond Khoury

Book Description
In Antarctica, a scientific expedition drops anchor for a live news feed. As the CNN journalist begins her report, a massive, shimmering sphere of light suddenly appears in the sky, enveloping the ship in luminous white light before disappearing as mysteriously as it arrived—the entire event witnessed by an incredulous world audience.

Meanwhile in a dusty bar in Egypt, a dozen men are lazily discussing the state of the world when the brilliant, glowing symbol on the television stops them cold. One man breaks out in a sweat, crosses himself repeatedly, and rushes out of the bar muttering the same phrase over and over again: It can’t be.

Across the Internet and around the globe, a stunning controversy threatens to consume the world: Has God finally decided to reveal himself? Or is something more sinister at hand?

My thoughts
It begins with the appearance of ‘the sign’ a mysterious glowing apparition in the Antarctica. I thought form that I would enjoy a great thriller, but this is not the case with this book. The plot is thin; the characters are not developed and the book is more or less and avenue in expressing the author’s political and religious views. I expected more and got less. I do not recommend “The Sign” for anyone looking for a good thriller or mystery to read.