Well...

Before reading Summer of Two Wishes, I read several books that I never blogged about. I'm trying hard to get back into the blogging mojo.


Here are the books I read prior to Summer of Two Wishes. And a few thoughts on each one.

Best Friends Forever- Jennifer Weiner finished 7/31/09

This was a good book...not quite what I was expecting...I guess I don't really know WHAT I was expecting. Two best friends reunited after being apart for several years. I guess I had hoped the storyline would be different than it was, but surprisingly, I kept going back for more. This was an ebook. This was also a new author for me! (another goal for this year was to read as many new authors as possible).

Tangled Up In Love by Heidi Betts- finished 8/28/09

This turned out to be an awesome book. This is the first book in the "Chicks With Sticks" series. I heard about this from my friends in the Robyn Carr chatgroup. Once I heard it had a knitting theme, I knew I'd like it. Since I like books that take place in some type of store and are centered around a group of friends. This was ANOTHER new author for me. Sadly, this was the only book I finished in August.

Any Minute- Joyce Meyer Finished 9/6/09

This was a great book. I recently realized that I like storylines where characters have the perfect life, then suddenly something catastrophic and life changing happens to them. The woman in this book didn't realize how lucky she was. She just wanted to go, go, go, and always seemed to want more, more, more. She didn't seem to appreciate anything. I had originally seen this on a website...I can't remember where, and knew that I wanted to read. I was even tempted to buy it, but decided to hold off, which is a good thing because my library eventually got the ebook, so I got to read it for FREE. Free is good. I would definitely reccomend this one. I do enjoy reading some Christian Fiction and this was definitely a good one.

92 Pacific Blvd.- Debbie Macomber Finished 9/8/2009

#9 in Debbie Macomber's Cedar Cove Series. It was ok. Not my favorite, but I didn't hate it either. Can't wait to read more.

Loves Me, Loves Me Knot- Heidi Betts Finished 9/19/2009

This was #2 in the Chicks with sticks series. I think I liked this better than the first book. This centered around Gage and Jenna, Ronnie's good friend. who were recently divorced. Also gave us a little background for the next book--Knock Me For A Loop. Can't wait to read that one!

The Castaways- Elin Hilderbrand Finished 9/19/2009

This was definitely one of my favorite books for the year. I loved reading about all the relationships/love triangles among this group of friends. I wish more authors would write storylines like this. This was an ebook and also another first time author for me! ALSO one that I had considered buying, but held off, and was delighted when it showed up at my library!!
I definitely plan to read more books by this author. She's a nice change from the cutesy little romance books I normally read.

No Time To Wave Goodbye- Jacquelyn Mitchard

I usually like to follow this author's new releases, and have yet to be disappointed by one of her books. I was walking around Barnes and Noble one day, when I came across this book. I was beyond delighted when I realized this was a SEQUEL to a book I read a long time ago...Deep End of the Ocean. This takes place 19-20 years later, and reflects on the aftermath of Ben's disappearance and the reunion of him and his family. Unbeknownst to Beth, Vincent writes a screenplay based on this exact event. Later the family suffers all over again, when Ben's baby is found, but luckily she is found and SAFE! This is another one that will go on my favorites list for the year. I hope they do a movie based on this book, even a made for tv movie would be great!

The Christmas Bus- Melody Carlson Finished 10/20/2009

I had been planning to read this anyway, but it became free in the Kindle Store, so I downloaded it to read on my ipod. A Very cute, feel-good Story. I have read two books by Melody Carlson now, and really enjoyed both of them. Can't wait to read more. I recommended this to several of my book reading friends, I liked it so much. It took place in a bed and breakfast inn, one of my favorite types of settings!

Lakeshores Christmas- Susan Wiggs Finished 10/31/2009

This is part of another one of my favorite series. The Lakeshore Chronicles by Susan Wiggs. I liked this book, but it seemed like it was a struggle to finish it. I kept putting it down to read other books. I didn't really care for alot of the storyline, although the library closure storyline was interesting, and I did like Maureen. I was just hoping that it would be more about Daisy Bellamy, since she is my favorite character in that series. Oh well. At least we only have to wait a few months for the next book!

Shades of Blue- Karen Kingsbury Finished 10/25/2009

This was ANOTHER one of my favorite books. I think it was while reading this book that I realized I liked storylines where people have the perfect life, then something catastrophic happens to them. I have been waiting for this book since I found out she was writing it. This would make an awesome movie.

Ok...so this brought me up to a total of 52 books read for the year.

Summer of Two Wishes- Julia London

I started Summer of Two Wishes on Saturday night (10/31) and once I started this book, I pretty much could NOT put this book down. I whipped through it and finished it a day later on 11/2/09 at 1:17am. When I went to bed, I started off on page 158 and figured my goal would be to get to page 200..well I passed right by page 200, and soon I figured "ok I'll stop at 300", which soon became "well why don't I just finished this book!" So that is what I did. I found myself not wanting to put this book down, only wanting to wait and see what happened. I had never really read a book with storyline before (the closest thing was the 9/11 series by Karen Kingsbury and even that was quite different). This was also my first book by Julia London, but definitely not my last! She writes mainly Historical romance, which I'm not that into, but she does also have some Contemporaries which I will definitely check out. I joined her fan page on facebook, where I read that she will have future books set in Cedar Springs, Texas, where Summer of Two Wishes Took Place. This is very exciting because (I'm hoping) it means that there will be a sequel to this book.

Here's a little blurb: Macy's first husband ,Finn, was killed in Afghanistan, while fighting in the war. She was devastated to lose him, but 3 years after he died, she married Wyatt. 7 months after THEY married, Macy finds out that Finn is, in fact ALIVE! This turns her life, as well as everyone's elses' lives upside down while Macy decides what she wants to do, or better, who she wants to be with. Basically she can either declare her marriage to Wyatt void, and stay with Finn, or divorce Finn, which would automatically make her marriage to Wyatt valid. She takes far too long to make this decision (in my opinion) and chooses Finn. In the meantime, she finds out that she is carrying Wyatt's baby!! But STILL chooses to stay with Finn. She says she loves both men, but she always has and always will love Finn. And poor Wyatt soon realized that he'd always been competing against Finn.

I was on Team Wyatt through the entire book. I didn't like Finn, and his mother drove me crazy. It drove me nuts how Finn just ASSUMED that Macy would come back to him, not even giving Wyatt a second thought. Finn and his Mom seemed really put out that Macy Moved on with life after Finn died. Isn't that what you'd expect someone to do? Even though I didn't like these characters, they obviously made the book what it was. And it was funny to see the drama between them. I cheered when Macy and Finn found that Wyatt had sold Finn's ranch, AFTER Macy put Wyatt through hell while she was deciding to go back to Finn (I think she knew what she would do all along). And I also cheered when Wyatt refused to give Finn's dog back. He deserved SOMETHING out of this horrible deal that he got.

I think it would be awesome if the sequel was centered on Wyatt's life. :)

Wow, I can tell I loved this book because I had a ton to say in my review!!

This is book #53 for the year. My "current" goal is to get to 75.

Finished 11/2/2009

Home At Last by Anna Schmidt

It is now 2:28am and I have just finished Home At Last by Anna Schmidt. This is another book in the Harlequin Love Inspired Line. Like the previous book, I was walking down the book aisle at Walmart and saw this book, and after reading the back cover, I know instantly I would love. I had never heard of this author before, but after reading this book, I will definitely look for more of her books. I only wish that Home At Last was part of a series, and I could see many ways that the author could continue with the story.

Home At Last reminded me somewhat of one of the characters in Susan Wiggs' Lakeshore Chronicles Series--Daisy Bellamy, and her father. This book was centered around a teenager, Jazzamine or "Jazz", an indifferent, moody, somewhat rebellious teenager, and her single father, Daniel. Daniel is also the owner of a hotel in Manhattan, and when his mother falls and injures her hip, he adds that to his already full plate of things to deal with as well. His Ex-wife Gloria makes frequent appearances, causing a stir whenever she arrives. Then, when he goes to visit his mom's farm, he meets Jo, the lady his mom has hired to tend the cranberry crops. Daniel and Jo fight their feelings for each other and also can't agree on the best place for his mother to live her final days. But they soon give in to their feelings of mutual attraction.

This was definitely a feel good story, and I was very entertained, especially by Jazz. I could not put this down, and like I mentioned above, I only wish the author would make this book into a series. Any book that keeps me up until 2:30am is obviously a good one!!

Date Finished: 7/27/09 2:38am!!

Second Chance Family by Margaret Daley

I just now finished Second Chance Family by Margaret Daley. It is part of the Steeple Hill Love Inspired Fiction line and is the last book of the Fostered by Love series. I found this book when I was in Walmart searching for another book by the same publisher, and when I saw that it had to do with foster care as well as children with special needs, I knew I'd love it.

Jason McCoy is a little boy about to start kindergarten. He is autistic and his (single) dad, Shane, is fighting the school district because he feels Jason should be placed in a regular mainstream classroom. The school finally agrees to honor Shane's wishes and try it. Whitney Maxwell has recently moved back to Cimarron City to be closer to her brother and start her life over. She has a bit of a troubled past that she's trying to get away from. She actually meets Shane one morning when she's passing by his house, looking for an address on his street, and little Jason darts in front of her car, because it is yellow, and he loves yellow objects. It just so happens that Whitney has also accepted a job as a teacher's aide at Jason's school and she ends up being Jason's special aide in his classroom, since his teacher really doesn't feel comfortable interacting with him. As time goes on, Shane and Whitney become friends, but soon Shane realizes he's just not ready for their relationship to progress that far. He lost his pregnant wife and baby daughter in a house fire, and feels he was responsible for not saving them. He soon turns to God for help in forgiving the arsonist, and once he's able to forgive, he's ready to move forward in his relationship with Whitney.

Steeple Hill books are considered Christian Fiction and/or inspirational so all of the characters in every one of their books has some type of relationship with God. I've started getting into Christian Fiction a little bit and have really enjoyed these stories.

I especially enjoyed Second Chance Family because it was about a child with special needs, Foster Care, and also one of the settings was a rescue center for children. I only wish I would've found about these books earlier so I could've read them in order, since each story builds on the previous one. But I still plan to go back and read the first 3 books if I can track them down.

Date Finished 7/23/2009
# of books for the year: 41

Where Yesterday Lives by Karen Kingsbury

I finished Where Yesterday Lives the other day. It was one of Karen Kingsbury's older books, but in my opinion, one of her best. In my mission to read every single one of Karen's books, I'd known about this book for awhile, but never had the urge to read it until now. After reading it, I have no idea why I waited so long. My favorite part of the book was the Family Dynamics. Where Yesterday Lives was about the Barrett family who lived in Petoskey, Michigan (Which I ALSO was able to relate to because my boyfriend is from Michigan). The five Barret children are grown now and have their own lives, and 2 of the older daughters have moved away from Michigan.

The book takes Place in July 1998 in Petoskey, Michigan, a little town off Traverse Bay. Most of the book takes place in the aftermath the Patriarch, John Barrett, dying of a massive heart attack. None of the Barrett children are very close to one another and it's been awhile since they were all together. Each one has their own issues they're dealing with as well as their own thoughts about their family.

Here's a brief description of each member of the Barrett Family

Jon Barrett worked for IBM and a few other jobs, which required constant relocating, and as a result their family moved around from place to place quite a bit, not establishing permanent roots until they arrived in Petoskey.

Ellen is the oldest child and is 31 years old. She is a reporter for the Miami Times. She lives in Miami with her husband, Mike, and so far they have been unable to have any children. In highschool, her best friend was Leslie and her boyfriend was Jake Sadler, the boy she thought she would end up marrying.

Jane is 29 years old, has been married to Troy for 7 years and they have 3 children--Koley, 6 year old boy, Kala--3 year old girl, and Kyle--one year old boy. They live in Central Arizona.

Jane has always resented the close relationship that Megan and their father have. Jane and her father have never been that close and Jane never felt that she was good enough for their father. Also, the one time when she needed him the most, he was not there to help her. This affected their relationship in many ways. Jane feels especially angry at their dad after he dies.

Megan is 27 years old. She is still single...she went through a period of time where she used some heavy drugs and drifted away from the family. She seems to be out of that now. Megan also seems to be in denial that her siblings' relationships are strained, as they are.

Amy is 25 years old. She has a degree in Child Development and is married to Frank. She is quiet and sometimes seems like the odd one out of all the children. Amy is especially close with her mother.

Aaron is 23 years old. He has anger issues and hasn't been able to hold down a job because of it. He is also the yougest, and the only son with 4 sisters, so he's had alot of issues because of that (or so he says). He and his dad did have somewhat of a good relationship. They enjoyed golfing together frequently.

The book shifted back and forth between the present (1998) and back when Ellen was in highschool and college, and dating Jake. While Ellen is visiting Petoskey for her dad's funeral, she is questioning her marriage to Mike, and whether their relationship can make it through dealing with their problems. She also runs into her old flame Jake Sadler, and spends time with her, but in the end realizes that Mike is the one she really belongs with.

No one really knows why Jane is so mean and nasty, and why she treats Ellen the way she does. At John's funeral, each of them read eulogies that they've written and alot of things are explained. Jane reveals that she was raped as a teenager, the same week that their dad took off, and that the fact that he wasn't there for her when she needed him most really hurt her and ruined their relationship. Ellen also begins to understand why Jane resented her all these years. After hearing each others' eulogies, they are all able to understand each other better and begin to have better relationships with each other.

I really enjoyed the family dynamics (and drama!) and even though characters made me really mad on a few occassions, it was easy to understand why they acted the way they did. I could easily see this book being made into a movie.

Catching up

Recently I've finished two books...not as far I had hoped to get in July, but I really enjoyed the two books I read. The first was Take Two by Karen Kingsbury, book 2 in her Above the Line Series. I finished this a week or so ago. I just finished the second book today, and that was Matters of the Heart by Danielle Steel.

Take Two by Karen Kingsbury:

Blurb: Filmmakers Chase Ryan and Keith Ellison have completed their first feature film, and Hollywood is buzzing with the news. In the wake of that excitement, the producers acquire rights to a novel that has all the ingredients they want for their next project. At the same time they cross paths with a well-connected player who introduces them to the right people, and suddenly every studio in town wants to talk to Chase and Keith. The producers’ dreams are on the verge of coming true, but Chase’s marriage is strained and Keith’s daughter — Andi Ellison — is making questionable choices in her quest for stardom. The producers are gaining respect and are on the verge of truly changing culture through the power of film — but is the change worth the cost?

My thoughts: As usual, with any Karen Kingsbury book, I absolutely LOVED it!! It was a great continuation to Take One. I was most interested in what was happening with Chase and his Wife, Kelly, and also with Andi. It was interesting seeing how she wanted become her own person, independent from her parents. I am very eager to find out what happens in Take Three, both with Chase and Kelly, and also with Andi, and even with Bailey and Cody. I didn't like Bailey so much in the Baxter Series, but I like her better in these books.

Matters of the Heart:

Blurb (from amazon): Hope Dunne has carved out a name for herself as a top photographer, known the joys of marriage and motherhood, and the heartbreak of loss. In her chic SoHo loft, Hope is content with her life, finding serenity and beauty through the lens of her camera. She isn’t looking for a man or excitement. But these things find her when she accepts a last- minute assignment to fly to London at Christmas and photograph one of the world’s most celebrated writers—an Irish-American author known for novels of thrilling literary darkness.

To Hope’s surprise, Finn O’Neill exudes warmth and a boyish charm. Enormously successful, he is a perfect counterpoint to Hope’s quiet, steady grace—and he’s taken instantly by her. He courts her as no one ever has before, whisking her away to his palatial, isolated Irish estate.

Hope finds it all, and him, irresistible. Finn’s magnetism and brilliance are undeniable. But soon cracks begin to appear in his stories: gaps in his history, a few innocent lies, and bouts of jealousy unnerve her. Suddenly Hope is both in love and suspicious, caring and deeply in doubt, and ultimately frightened of the man she loves. Alone, thousands of miles from home, her mind is reeling. Is she just being paranoid? How many lies has he told? Are there more secrets to come? Is it possible that this adoring, attentive man—like the characters in his novels—is hiding something even worse? The spell cast by a brilliant sociopath has her trapped in his web, too confused and dazzled to escape as he continues to tighten his grip on her.

My thoughts: Even though I put this book down to read other books on two seperate occasions, this still ended up being one of my favorite of Danielle Steel's books. I loved the element of suspense. I even stayed up until 3:30 am last night reading because I wanted to find out what happened. Then, when I woke up this morning, I got right back to it. I had a feeling I knew what was gonna happen at soon into the book, a couple of my predictions were somewhat correct, but there were still plenty of surprises. My heart was racing during the last 50 or so pages of the book. I was so happy with how it ended! I will definitely need to read something lighter for my next book.

The Wednesday Letters by Jason F. Wright

Book #37 for the year
Finished on 6/21/2009

I got the urge to read The Wednesday Letters when I recieved my library's e-newsletter, which includes excerpts from a different book each week. The first few pages seemed to grab my attention, and I wanted to read more, so I rushed to the library and checked out the book. My First impression was that it reminded me somewhat of Karen Kingsbury's Baxter Family, which I absolutely LOVE. I guess it did on some level, but not as much as I originally thought.

The Wednesday Letters started on the night that Jack and Laurel Cooper died in each others arms, in their home, a Bed and Breakfast Inn, in Woodstock, Virginia. In the days following their deaths, their children find boxes and boxes of letters written by Jack. He wrote Laurel a letter each Wednesday, and wrote about any number of things including his heartfelt feelings and any happenings of their lives. Their children came to cherish these letters and spent alot of time in the next few days pouring over them, often finding out interesting things about parents' relationship, including a few troubling secrets that had been kept secrets until now. And then they had to learn to deal with these secrets and learn to move on.

I really enjoyed this book, and the book kept my attention the entire time. I had actually skipped ahead and accidentally saw what one of the secrets was, which didn't actually ruin anything for me. I was still eager to know how they got to that point, and also what would happen after, and even then, there was a twist in the story that I wasn't expecting. The only character I really didn't care for was Nathan. I loved all the other characters, and especially felt sympathy for Malcom.As the synopsis says, he really is the "Black Sheep of the family" and it was interesting reading his thoughts and emotions. I also really enjoyed the one scene where several of the past visitors of the Inn came together and shared Stories.