On My Wish List, Part 5

On My Wishlist is a fun weekly event hosted by Book Chick City and runs every Saturday. It's where I list all the books I desperately want but haven't actually bought yet. They can be old, new or forthcoming. It's also an event that you can join in with too - Mr Linky is always at the ready for you to link your own "On My Wishlist" post. If you want to know more click here.
All descriptions are from Goodreads.com.

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

I have seen this one a bit here and there – mostly on friends' reading lists on Goodreads. It really sounds good.

When we first meet 14-year-old Susie Salmon, she is already in heaven. This was before milk carton photos and public service announcements, she tells us; back in 1973, when Susie mysteriously disappeared, people still believed these things didn't happen. In the sweet, untroubled voice of a precocious teenage girl, Susie relates the awful events of her death and her own adjustment to the strange new place she finds herself. It looks a lot like her school playground, with the good kind of swing sets. With love, longing, and a growing understanding, Susie watches her family as they cope with their grief, her father embarks on a search for the killer, her sister undertakes a feat of amazing daring, her little brother builds a fort in her honor and begin the difficult process of healing. In the hands of a brilliant novelist, this story of seemingly unbearable tragedy is transformed into a suspenseful and touching story about family, memory, love, heaven, and living.

Fairy Tale by Cyn Balog

This one has always interested me. It sounds good. Plus, I think its cover is GORGEOUS!

Morgan Sparks and Cam Browne are a match made in heaven. They've been best friends since birth, they tell each other everything, and oh yeah- they're totally hot for each other.

But a week before their joint Sweet Sixteen bash, everything changes. Cam's awkward cousin Pip comes to stay, and Morgan is stunned when her formerly perfect boyfriend seems to be drifting away.

When Morgan demands answers, she's shocked to discover the source of Cam's distance isn't another girl- it's another world. Pip claims that Cam is a fairy. No, seriously. A fairy. And now his people want Cam to return to their world and take his rightful place as Fairy King.

Determined to keep Cam with her, Morgan plots to fool the fairies. But as Cam continues to change, she has to decide once and for all if he really is her destiny, and if their “perfect” love can weather an uncertain future.

If you wanna join in on the Linky, it can be found HERE.

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On My Wish List, Part 4

On My Wishlist is a fun weekly event hosted by Book Chick City and runs every Saturday. It's where I list all the books I desperately want but haven't actually bought yet. They can be old, new or forthcoming. It's also an event that you can join in with too - Mr Linky is always at the ready for you to link your own 'On My Wishlist' post. If you want to know more click here.

All descriptions are from Goodreads.com.

OK, so it just occurred to me that I've been saying "wish list" when the title is "wishlist." Darn that being a grammarian ... my apologies to Book Chick City! (In keeping with the whole editor/grammarian thing, I'm gonna keep it this way – it's grammatically correct. Plus, all my other posts were this way, and my tags/labels ...)

Anyway, my wish list is ALWAYS growing. Always. So, let's see what I can come up with today ...

Columbine by Dave Cullen

I have wanted to read this one for quite some time now. That is a day from my life that I don't think I'll ever forget. I remember where I was, what I was doing, who I was with when the news broke. Whenever I think about that tragedy, my heart breaks. Such a sad time in our nation's history. I continue to pray for all affected.

Ten years in the making and a masterpiece of reportage, "Columbine" is an award-winning journalist's definitive account of one of the most shocking massacres in American history.

It is driven by two questions: what drove these killers, and what did they do to this town?

The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting

I have seen this one all over book blogs, lately, and it sounds really good. Plus, I just LOVE the cover. So beautiful and compelling.

Violet Ambrose is grappling with two major issues: Jay Heaton and her morbid secret ability. While the sixteen-year-old is confused by her new feelings for her best friend since childhood, she is more disturbed by her “power” to sense dead bodies—or at least those that have been murdered. Since she was a little girl, she has felt the echoes the dead leave behind in the world . . . and the imprints that attach to their killers.

Violet has never considered her strange talent to be a gift; it mostly just led her to find dead birds her cat had tired of playing with. But now that a serial killer has begun terrorizing her small town, and the echoes of the local girls he’s claimed haunt her daily, she realizes she might be the only person who can stop him.

Despite his fierce protectiveness over her, Jay reluctantly agrees to help Violet on her quest to find the murderer—and Violet is unnerved to find herself hoping that Jay’s intentions are much more than friendly. But even as she’s falling intensely in love, Violet is getting closer and closer to discovering a killer . . . and becoming his prey herself.

If you wanna join in on the Linky, it can be found HERE.

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On My Wish List, Part 3

On My Wishlist is a fun weekly event hosted by Book Chick City and runs every Saturday. It's where I list all the books I desperately want but haven't actually bought yet. They can be old, new or forthcoming. It's also an event that you can join in with too - Mr Linky is always at the ready for you to link your own "On My Wishlist" post. If you want to know more click here.
Idea inspired by The Story Siren. All descriptions are from Goodreads.com.

I have been thinking, and I've come to the conclusion that this is going to become difficult to do regularly. Not because I don't love this meme, but because I might get repetitive! LOL So, forgive me if you've seen repeats – especially as time goes by! I'll do my best to avoid repeats, but I'm sure I'll miss one or two – eventually! Think of it as a sign that I really want whatever's been repeated! ;-) That said, I'll get to the list!

After the Rains by Deborah Raney

I read this book's predecessor as part of a blog tour recently, and I really liked it. It was sad, but very good. I heard about this one and, naturally, HAD to read it. Not sure when, but some day, I will.

Long ago, Natalie’s mother faced an agonizing choice between the two people she loved most, and the difficult resolution to her predicament affects Natalie throughout her young life–fueling a season of teenage rebellion that results in the death of her best friend.

As a young woman, Natalie attempts to put her troubles behind her, ultimately finding solace in the arms of a man with close ties to the tragedy. Yet neither time nor love can liberate her from the past. Determined to confront her terrible guilt, Natalie embarks on a journey that will take her thousands of miles from home and straight into the life and heart of a man unlike any she has ever known.

Confronted with a decision that echoes the one her mother faced so many years before, Natalie finds herself drawn to two men–each of whom holds a claim to her heart. But the sins of her past must be confronted, and an escape from her guilt found, before her heart will be free to find its home.

Showing that God can forgive the gravest of sins, After the Rains beautifully illustrates that his forgiveness comes purely through loving mercy and grace, not by our human efforts to earn it.

Because the Cat Purrs: How We Relate to Other Species and Why It Matters by Janet Lembke

I'm an animal lover, and this just sounds very interesting. Plus, how can you NOT fall in love with that ADORABLE cover?

We share our lives, for better or worse, with a multitude of animals, white-tailed deer and white-tailed eagles, hens and wrens, frogs and guppies, and, last but hardly least, bugs and bacteria. For the most part, we drift along separately, with neither man nor animal affecting the other's way of life. Sometimes, however, we fall in love—as in the case of the cat in the title—or otherwise encounter our animal neighbors in ways that change both of us. Lembke challenges her readers to consider the idea that all creatures are conscious, with the ability to make choices, exercise awareness, and seek pleasure while shunning pain.

Rarely has a book of natural history covered such a broad range of subjects, from the everyday bargains we make with our pets and other domestic creatures to descriptions of bungee-cord snail sex and the purpose of a honeybee's sting. Lembke explores the evolution of her subjects, and draws on literature and myth to paint gorgeous, wide-ranging portraits of everyday (and more unusual) encounters, such as that of a gardener and a groundhog, or a chicken egg and Augustus Caesar's wife. This is a sensitive and timely appraisal of how we treat the creatures we share our planet with—and how we ought to. It is a book that no lover of intelligent writing about the natural world will want to miss. 20 b/w illustrations.

If you wanna join in on the Linky, it can be found HERE.

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On My Wish List, Part 2

On My Wishlist is a fun weekly event hosted by Book Chick City and runs every Saturday. It's where I list all the books I desperately want but haven't actually bought yet. They can be old, new or forthcoming. It's also an event that you can join in with too - Mr Linky is always at the ready for you to link your own "On My Wishlist" post. If you want to know more click here.
Idea inspired by The Story Siren. All descriptions are from Goodreads.com.

The Christian Life and Character of the Civil Institutions of the United States by Benjamin F. Morris

I can't remember when or how I first heard of this one, but it's been on my wish list for quite some time now. Unfortunately, I can't find a description anywhere online (at least not on my usual channels: goodreads, Google books, Amazon), so I cannot give you one. What I do know is that it clearly outlines the Christian background that our great country was built on – the history of the United States that so many seem determined to keep most Americans in the dark about. I believe this book is out of print, as it is VERY hard to find!


Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay

 This is the first in a series of books that inspired the Showtime TV show Dexter, which my husband and I both LOVE! I have no idea how close the show is to the movie, but I don't care. I wanna read it! Generally speaking, when there's a show/movie I like that I wasn't aware of there being a book beforehand, well, I MUST read it! Now, to find time – and the money ...

Meet Dexter Morgan, a polite wolf in sheep's clothing. He is handsome and charming, but something in his past has made him abide by a different set of rules. He s a serial killer whose one golden rule makes him immensely likeable: he only kills bad people. And his job as a blood splatter expert for the Miami police department puts him in the perfect position to identify his victims. But when a series of brutal murders bearing a striking similarity to his own style start turning up, Dexter is caught between being flattered and being frightened -- of himself or some other fiend.

Heart of the Matterby Emily Giffin

I read the other books by Emily Giffin last summer and LOVED (or at least REALLY LIKED) them all. But, as with most other books, I'll wait for paperback. For some reason, I have a pretty strong preference for paperback. Perhaps one day I'll post about that.

Tessa Russo is the mother of two young children and the wife of a renowned pediatric surgeon.  Despite her own mother's warnings, Tessa has recently given up her career to focus on her family and the pursuit of domestic happiness. From the outside, she seems destined to live a charmed life.

Valerie Anderson is an attorney and single mother to six-year-old Charlie--a boy who has never known his father.  After too many disappointments, she has given up on romance--and even to some degree, friendships--believing that it is always safer not to expect too much.

Although both women live in the same Boston suburb, the two have relatively little in common aside from a fierce love for their children.  But one night, a tragic accident causes their lives to converge in ways no one could have imagined. 

In alternating, pitch-perfect points of view, Emily Giffin creates a moving, luminous story of good people caught in untenable circumstances. Each being tested in ways they never thought possible. Each questioning everything they once believed. And each ultimately discovering what truly matters most.

OK. I showed you mine. Now it's your turn ...

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On My Wish List, Part 1

There is a fun meme going around amongst book bloggers that I finally discovered when reading Christie's blog over at The Fiction Enthusiast. It seems pretty straight-forward, but I'll still explain. Many – if not most – avid readers have a L-O-N-G list of books they want to get – and read, of course. I am no exception. Heck, I have TONS of books I fully intend to read but just haven't found the time to read. Anyway, Book Chick City has a weekly post sharing books on her wish list, and invites others to join in the fun. And, so I am happy to accept the invitation. Now, the hard part is deciding which books to share first ...

The Bourne Identity (Jason Bourne #1) by Robert Ludlum

I have wanted to read this ever since I saw the movie! The only problem is it's a series with several volumes, and I can't afford the whole series as of yet! ;-)

His memory is a blank. He only knows he was fished out of the Mediterranean Sea, his body riddled with bullets. There are a few clues. A frame of microfilm surgically implanted beneath the flesh of his hop. Evidence that plastic surgery has altered his face. Strange things that he says in his delirium -- maybe code words. Initials: "J.B.". And a number on the film negative that leads to a Swiss bank account, a fortune four million dollars, and, at last, a name: Jason Bourne. But now he is marked for death, caught in a maddening puzzle, racing for survival through the deep layers of his buried past into a bizarre world of murderous conspirators -- led by Carlos, the world's most dangerous assassin. And no one can help Jason Bourne but the woman who once wanted to escape him.

The Crystal Cave (Merlin #1) (Arthurian Saga #1) by Mary Stewart

A friend of mine highly recommended this to me. And this is a genre I tend to love! :-)

Mary Stewart tells the Arthurian legend in her own unique way, bringing to life one of the world's greatest legends and mysteries, shedding a fascinating new light on the turbulence and mystery of fifth-century Britain. An enthralling work, Ms. Stewart once again reveals those qualities of suspense and romantic adventure that have made her one of the world's most widely read novelists.

Furies of Calderon (Codex Alera, Book 1) by Jim Butcher

My sister HIGHLY recommends this one, and we have similar tastes in books.

"For a thousand years, the people of Alera have united against the aggressive and threatening races that inhabit the world, using their unique bond with the furies - elementals of earth, air, fire, water, and metal. But now, Gaius Sextus, First Lord of Alera, grows old and lacks an heir. Ambitious High Lords plot and maneuver to place their Houses in positions of power, and a war of succession looms on the horizon." "Far from city politics in the Calderon Valley, the boy Tavi struggles with his lack of furycrafting. At fifteen, he has no wind fury to help him fly, no fire fury to light his lamps. Yet as the Alerans' most savage enemy - the Marat - return to the Valley, he will discover that his destiny is much greater than he could ever imagine." Caught in a storm of deadly wind furies, Tavi saves the life of a runaway slave named Amara. But she is actually a spy for Gaius Sextus, sent to the Valley to gather intelligence on traitors to the Crown, who may be in league with the barbaric Marat horde. And when the Valley erupts in chaos - when rebels war with loyalists and furies clash with furies - Amara will find Tavi's courage and resourcefulness to be a power greater than any fury - one that could turn the tides of war.

All descriptions are from Goodreads.

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