Amber, I had a feeling it'd make me teary at times.  Having lost a cat recently, I'm gonna wait on anything animal related but I'll keep it on a list for the future.  And I agree - housework can wait (it's not like it's going anywhere )

Donna, thanks for adding me as a friend!  I just ordered a book from you :-). 

Aww, I'm sorry to hear that you recently lost a cat, Sandi!  It's hard losing a pet.

Amber:

"I read Backseat Saints by Joshilyn Jackson quite a few months ago & I really liked it.  I added a book of hers to my WL & I am wanting to read others by her too. " 

I finished Gods in Alabama and really liked it. Did you know Backseat Saints is kind of like a sequel in that it features a story around Rose who was a character in Gods in Alabama?? I thought I had it and was going to go right into it but find it is on my WL and going to take awhile to get. I ordered it from my library as I'm anxious to hear more about these people. I love how the author sucks you in and makes you feel like you are right there in the story. The last 75 pages, I was on the edge of my seat, anxious to find out what really happened as the puzzle pieces were being fit together. I do have "gods in Alabama" posted on my shelf if anyone is interested in reading. I highly recommend it.

Now I am reading Dream Lake by Lisa Kleypas. I enjoyed the first 2 books in this series (Friday Harbor series). The only problem is I started with the first one "Christmas Eve in Friday Harbor" when it first came out and did not realize it was going to be a series. Then I have to wait for each book to come out and by the time that happens, I've read so many other good ones in between, that I forget what was going on in the Friday Harbor series. Same thing happening as I just started Dream Lake - I can't remember the back stories of the characters as they jumble around in my brain with other characters from other series. Maybe that's a side effect of advancing age??? LOL!

Marilyn, if I had more credits, I would totally order that from you! Maybe after I get a few more credits & if you still have that book, I will order it from you!  I would definitely love to read it.  I had no idea the book went along with Backseat Saints.  I do think Joshilyn Jackson is a good writer.  Backseat Saints was about a woman in an abusive relationship & luckily I can say I couldn't relate to that situation, but it did make me feel like I was there so I totally agree with you on that.  I'm not sure how many books she's written, but I definitely want to read them all.

I haven't read anything by Lisa Kleypas yet.  I may have to check out her books sometime!

Marilyn, I just ordered Gods in Alabama from you!  I probably won't be able to read it anytime soon because I just bought some credits & ordered a long list of books from people, haha.  But at least I will have it since I do think Joshilyn Jackson is a good author!

I also started a reminder list for anyone who may be interested in what books I am seeking in case you have some that I own & are willing to offer a deal on them! Thanks everyone!  (it's in my siggy line... there are a lot of chick lit listed!)

I just started reading One Tuesday Morning by Karen Kingsbury.  I'm thinking that it's going to be one of those books that I will have to read just a little at a time & read other things in between since I think it will be really sad.  It's based off of 9/11 & I've heard it is a tearjerker.  It's definitely not chick lit, but I've been wanting to read it for awhile.

I am also trying to finish The Big Happy by Scott Mebus, which is okay.  His books have been good but not overly great.  I have it posted on my shelf already even though I'm not done with it but it's a pretty quick read so it probably won't take me much longer to finish it.

Amber, I'm happy to hear that I'm not the only one who does that with sad books!  Sometimes I really wanna read something serious but I have to inject a little light-heartedness in between to get thru it. 

I just started The Beach Club by Elin Hilderbrand.  I've read a few of her books before & liked them, mostly. They're always set in Nantucket (a place I've never been but would love to go) & kind of whisk you away. This one is capturing my attention right from the start, so that's a good sign :-).

Sandi, it's just hard to sit & read something so depressing without taking a breather, especially when it's based off of such a horrific day.  The book is really good so far though! I can't seem to want to put it down but I've been trying to get some things done in between around the house so it's keeping my mind busy instead of just sitting there focused on the book.  Having something to distract me is good!

I haven't read anything by Elin Hilderbrand, but there are some of her books I'm interested in.  I will have to read some of hers sometime!

I just finished One Tuesday Morning by Karen Kingsbury.  I read it in just a few days but could have easily finished it sooner if I'd just had the time.  I can't lie though, it totally made me cry!  But it was one of the best books I've ever read & now I am about to read the second book in the series, Beyond Tuesday Morning.

Well, I finished Beyond Tuesday Morning already.  Both of those books kept me glued to them!  I think the story line is a little too unbelievable, but at the same time, it left a bittersweet feeling in me & I loved both books. I will now have to order the 3rd book in the series (Every Now & Then), but in the meantime I'm trying to finish The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein.  It's been good, a little funny at times.  I wanted to finish it last night but I had to get to bed, but I will finish it tonight.  I think I only have about 25 pages left.

Once I am done, I will start reading Traveling Light by Katrina Kittle. I had it on my WL but decided to just get it from the library instead.  I have it with me at work right now & am tempted to start reading it already.

I finished Traveling Light within just a few days.  It was great!  But then again, it was Katrina Kittle & her books are written very well.  I can't wait to read more by her.

Since then I have been reading Columbine by Dave Cullen.  Ironically enough my plan was to finish it today at work since it's slow this afternoon.  Unfortunately the Conn. school shooting happened today, so finishing this book is hard for me.  I started reading the book a few weeks ago.  I can only read a little of it at a time & then I have to take a breather.  It is sad to read & a bit disturbing.  I hate that the elementary school shooting happened today.  It just breaks my heart.

I've also read Are You There Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea.  It was funny.  I didn't really care for the first chapter but after I got past it, I couldn't put the book down!  Totally hysterical.

I'm also reading Life as I Know It by Melanie Rose, which I just posted to my shelf today. I'm about halfway done with it. I plan to read the rest of it this weekend since it's a quick read & hard to put down!

Although it's not chick lit, I just finished Redemption by Karen Kingsbury & today I started on Remember which is the second book in the series.

Redemption was fairly good, but it was a little predictable as the book went along.  I have a suspicion that I know what happens within the next book (or books) of the series, but maybe I will be surprised.  I think she is a good author & I like her story lines.  She seems to have a way of teaching good solid values/morals within her stories.  It was my 4th book to read by her & I can't wait to read more of her books.

I started Blessings of the Animals today - only 40 pages in and I'm hooked. Looking forward to curling up with this more after all the Christmas hoopla is over with and I can read without feeling guilty about not cleaning or doing some other holiday preparation!

I was hooked on that book too, Marilyn!  I didn't want it to end!

I finished Remember but I didn't have the 3rd book in the series when I finished it, so I skipped to reading Even Now & also Ever After (both by Karen Kingsbury).  I finished them fairly quickly.  Both were good books, but then I tend to enjoy all of Kingsbury's books.  A lot of her books that I've read have seemed to relate to 9/11 & the war.  They are sad usually but I always like her story lines.

I am now reading Fifty Shades Darker.  I'm pretty disappointed in it, but I figured I would be. I mostly wanted to read it just to finish out the trilogy.  I also have Fifty Shades Freed so I will read it as soon as I'm done with Fifty Shades Darker.  I do NOT plan to read anything else that E.L. James ever writes.  If she continues writing books, I highly doubt I will bother reading them.  I just can't seem to grasp what made these books so popular, but I know a lot of people who've enjoyed the trilogy, but I can't say that I have liked them.  I find the story line to be highly unbelievable, so I am going to force myself to finish them as quickly as possible & then contine with the Redemption series by Kingsbury.

Then perhaps I can finally venture back to some chick lit again, but I have a handful of books to complete before that happens!

Marilyn........have you finished Blessings of the Animals yet?  I am curious to hear how you felt about it if you've finished it.

Hi Amber (and everyone else):

I just finished Blessings of the Animals by Katrina Kittle on New Years Day. I really liked it - I love how this author writes - her characters, especially the animals, you could picture so clearly. What a wonderful viewpoint on how a sad event such as divorce can actually be a good thing in the long run. I now started the new Nora Roberts trilogy- The Next Always. I haven't read Nora Roberts in a long time so I'm looking forward to this series. 

I also did not see what all the hoopla was about in the Fifty Shades series. Once I got through the 2nd book, I could hardly make it through the 3rd. It took me a month or more as I just kept reading other stuff in between - I was so BORED with it and the immaturity between Christian & Anna and I was so tired of her always worrying about making him mad over every little thing she did and said. I do have to say the sex scenes were hot but the storyline in general was shallow and dumb.

I agree that Katrina Kittle's books are really good!  She definitely has a way of pulling you into the story line.  I'm glad you liked Blessings of the Animals.  I loved that book!

And I agree that the characters in the Fifty Shades trilogy are so immature.  I don't think I've rolled my eyes at any other books as much as I've rolled my eyes at these & I'm not even halfway through the 2nd book yet.  The sad thing about is I am curious to see the movie now, only to see how it's portrayed onscreen (plus I'm curious who gets cast for Ana & Christian), but the story line is so odd to me that it's hard for me to feel any sort of attachment to any of the characters.  I must say I agree with you, Marilyn.  The story line really has been shallow & dumb.

Just finished the Fifty Shades trilogy today & boy, am I glad to be done! I meant to finish the last book a few days ago but just got too busy.

Now I am taking a slight detour from the Kingsbury books because my boss let me borrow her book,  The Boarding House by Sharon Sala, which so far has been good!  I just started it this evening so I haven't read much but it looks promising.  She liked it, so I am guessing I will like it too.

I see no one has been on here in awhile so I thought I'd drop in for a minute.

I finished The Boarding House just a few days after I posted about it & all I can say is WOW!  It was a good book, but the topic was very hard to read about. It made me want to jump into the book & kick some major butt since one of the characters was a jerk.  There is a twist about 3/4 of the way into the book that really threw me off guard.  It almost made me want to read the entire book again to see if the story came across a different way to me.  I give it 4.5 stars, only because a portion of the story is a little too far-fetched to completely believe.  However, the writing style and the unexpected twist in it make me give major props to the author.

Now I am reading Love Under Cover by Jessica Brody which is the sequel to The Fidelity Files, which I loved.  The follow up has been just as good.  I love the way Jessica Brody writes!  I love authors who write so well that I envy them & she is definitely one of them.  Although the books are fiction, they could totally be factual.  I love the story line about a woman who is hired by suspicious wives/girlfriends that think their husbands/boyfriends are cheating on them to see if they can pass a fidelity test.  It gives me an idea for a future job I may want, haha. Just kidding about that but the books have both been great!

Although not chick lit, I tried to read We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver.  I did NOT like the writing style that the author used so I quit reading after a couple of chapters.  I was quite disappointed because the book intrigued me from the day I heard about it.  Maybe I will watch the movie at some point so I can at least find out what happened.

I've been collecting the Annie's Attic Mystery books as I find them used and now I have the first 6.  I am reading the first book The Lady in the Attic by Tara Randel.  I have actually read it before when I first got it but I'm going to read it again and then list is on PBS to make some room on my shelves.