The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry

by Carol6 Comments
The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry From the dust jacket: Towner Whitney, the self-confessed unreliable narrator of The Lace Reader, hails from a family of Salem women who can read the future in the patterns in lace, and who have guarded a history of secrets going back generations, but the disappearance of two women brings Towner home to Salem and the truth about the death of her twin sister to light. The Lace Reader is a mesmerizing tale that spirals into a world of secrets, confused identities, lies, and half-truths in which the reader quickly finds it's nearly impossible to separate fact from fiction, but as Towner Whitney points out early on in the novel, "There are no accidents." My thoughts: Even after finishing this book, I'm not sure how I feel about it. The concept was great and I was engrossed, but there was something off for me. Maybe it's because in the first paragraph, Towner, the narrator, tells us she's a liar and...
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I Thee Wed by Amanda Quick

by Carol2 Comments
I Thee Wed by Amanda Quick Description: Sharp-witted lady's companion Emma Greyson has as much trouble holding a job as she does holding her tongue. But lack of references can't deter Emma; she just writes her own and finagles a new position. Her present employment brings Emma to a tedious house party in the country where she spends most of her time trying to dodge the lecherous groping of the gentlemen guests. In fact, to avoid just such an encounter Emma is forced to hide in a wardrobe. The only problem is that the space is already occupied--by mysterious financier Edison Stokes, no less! Stokes is on a quest to locate a volume of arcane potions that could prove deadly if it falls into the wrong hands, and he believes the text is in the possession of one of the partygoers. Emma soon finds herself the focus of another kind of attention, equally undesirable, when her highly developed intuition makes her susceptible...
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I Loved, I Lost, I Made Spaghetti by Giulia Melucci

by Carol13 Comments
I Loved, I Lost, I Made Spaghettiby Giulia Melucci My copy is an ARC. It is scheduled to be published April 8 by Grand Central Publishing. Description: From failure to fusilli, this deliciously hilarious read tells the story of Giulia Melucci's fizzled romances and the mouth-watering recipes she used to seduce her men, smooth over the lumps, and console herself when the relationships flamed out. My thoughts: I have to start by saying I was prepared to fully enjoy this book. I love spaghetti, and with a title like I Loved, I Lost, I Made Spaghetti, this was on my must-read list. I wasn't disappointed. It turned out to be a fun, quick read. Guilia has had a series of disappointing relationships, all men I would consider losers, but manages to make it funny. I love the way she places the recipes inside the narrative, at the point she served them to her love at the time or to her lonely self. Some of the recipes sound delicious, and...
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My Little Red Book edited by Rachel Kauder Nalebuff

by Carol2 Comments
My Little Red Bookedited by Rachel Kauder Nalebuff Published: Feb 2009 by Twelve Description: My Little Red Book is an anthology of stories about first periods, collected from women of all ages from around the world. The accounts range from light-hearted (the editor got hers while water skiing in a yellow bathing suit) to heart-stopping (a first period discovered just as one girl was about to be strip-searched by the Nazis). The contributors include well-known women writers (Meg Cabot, Erica Jong, Gloria Steinem, Cecily von Ziegesar), alongside today's teens. And while the authors differ in race, faith, or cultural background, their stories share a common bond: they are all accessible, deeply honest, and highly informative. Whatever a girl experiences or expects, she'll find stories that speak to her thoughts and feelings. Ultimately, My Little Red Book is more than a collection of stories. It is a call for a change in attitude, for a new way of seeing periods. In a time when the taboo...
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Backyard Bird Watching for Kids

by CarolNo Comments
Backyard Bird Watching for Kids: How to Attract, Feed, and Provide Homes for Birds by George H. Harrison Published May 1997 by Willow Creek Press From the back: This book provides a fascinating opportunity for children to learn how to attract birds to their own backyards. Backyard Bird Watching for Kids is filled with entertaining and fulfilling projects that allow young bird watchers to interact with nature while learning about the needs and behaviors of wild birds. And there's no better teacher than "Mr. Backyard Bird Watcher" himself, expert birder and author George H. Harrison. This book will kindle in readers a healthy, enduring interest in birds and other wild animals. My thoughts: As I've mentioned before, I'm not exactly a nature lover, but I do enjoy watching the birds at our backyard feeder from our kitchen window. I know this book is geared for kids, but I found the pages on identifying birds especially useful. It only lists about 20 birds, so it was easy to...
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