My Book Retreat

When Nora de Jong returns home from work one day, she finds her mother brutally murdered and her infant daughter missing. A man presumed to be the murderer is also dead in her home, and the police have no leads on where her daughter may be. Nora decides to take matters into her own hands, going on a quest to find her daughter that takes her to the Netherlands, where she gets a glimpse into her mother's early life during World War II.

The Tulip Eaters by Antoinette van Heugten is a murder mystery that has a great premise. It kept me turning pages to the end, as I waited to see how if Nora would find her daughter and how things would be resolved. But with the murderer and kidnapper revealed in the first few chapters, along with the background story that led to the crime, there wasn't a lot of suspense for the reader.

I also had a hard time connecting to Nora. I just didn't feel a lot for her, and I'm not sure how to explain why. Her mother was murdered and her daughter t…

The holidays are fast approaching, so I've decided to join in the Christmas Spirit Reading Challenge hosted by Michelle at The Christmas Spirit. The challenge started last Friday and runs through January 6. I'm signing up for a combination of the Mistletoe Level (read 2-4 Christmas books) and Visions of Sugar Plums (read Christmas books with your children).

Last year, I actually won a set of Christmas books, and I believe it was from this challenge. So I have a stack to choose from. Here's what I'm thinking about reading, but I reserve the right to change this up as I go!

Twas the Night Before: A Love Story by Jerry B. Jenkins
Christmas Jars by Jason F. Wright
There's Something about Christmas by Debbie Macomber
The Handmaid and the Carpenter by Elizabeth Berg (I've actually read this before, but am considering re-reading it this year if I get this far)

I'm not going to list out my children's holiday books since there are so many, and I'm sure we'…

It's Monday and I'm blogging! It's amazing. I'm hoping to post a review this week too. Wouldn't that be thrilling?! I'm hosting Thanksgiving, but once dinner is over, we actually don't have a lot of plans on the weekend. Perhaps I'll finally have time to do some writing!

What I'm Reading
I'm reading The Tulip Eaters by Antoinette van Heugten now. It's an interesting murder mystery that's keeping my attention so far. I'm hoping to finish it tonight.

Up Next for Me
Up next, I have a few children's books to review, and then I'll be reading Who Asked You? by Terry McMillan. That's a repeat from last week, since I didn't finish The Tulip Eaters yet.

What C is Reading
C finished Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai. He was surprised to have enjoyed it, given it was written in verse and was about a Vietnamese girl who had to leave Vietnam when Saigon fell and move to the United States.

He is now starting another Battle o…

I seem to be on a mid-week pattern with these weekly updates! Too bad the memes are all on Mondays. Oh well. I've been reading quite a bit lately and got a few reviews up as well.

What I've Reviewed
What the Hell is Going on in My Life? by Lawrence Schwimmer
Into the Crossfire by Cindy McDonald

What I'm Reading
I'm now reading The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty. Actually, I'm just a few pages from finishing that one. We'll be discussing it at book club on Thursday night.

Before The Husband's Secret, I started The Tulip Eaters by Antoinette van Heugten. I had to put it aside so I could finish the other book in time for book club, but now I'm going to go back to it.

Up Next for Me
Up next, I have a few children's books to review, and then I'll be reading Who Asked You? by Terry McMillan.


What C is Reading
C is reading another book from his Battle of the Books list: Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai. I actually read some of it with him t…

Four years ago, police officer and former Navy SEAL Jack Haliday was undercover with a biker gang when his cover was blown. He got away, but so did the leader of the gang, Gunner. He's been waiting for Gunner to find him and exact his revenge ever since -- and he finally does. He rips Jack's family apart, and leaves Jack to pick up the pieces with his little girl, Lil.

Into the Crossfire by Cindy McDonald is a great thriller with an engaging storyline and interesting characters. It was a quick read and kept my attention throughout. The story follows Jack and his daughter, as well as the First Force team that cares for them and works with Jack to take down Gunner and his gang. But we also get to see the gang, mostly from the perspective of Gunner's girlfriend, so we get to see both sides of the story to some extent. This gives us the opportunity to get to know many unique characters.

I really enjoyed Into the Crossfire, particularly because of the characters. The storyline…

When is the best time to change jobs? Is love in your future? Is it a good time to make a big investment? Everyone asks questions like these throughout their lives, but it's hard to know the answers. In What the Hell is Going on in My Life, Larry Schwimmer introduces a "new" astrology that can help you answer some of these questions.

The book begins with an introduction to the basic ideas around astrology, all of the famous people who have been using astrology, and how you can use astrology to make decisions. I will admit that I know quite a bit about astrology since I have a friend who is an astrologer and taught me all about the "old" astrology years ago. So the introduction and the first few parts of the book were a bit slow for me. I think they'd be an interesting introduction for those who are not knowledgeable about astrology, though.

Where I really got into the book was the "meat" of it, which begins with Part V. This is where Schwimmer b…

Good morning. It's once again been a couple weeks since I posted, but I've gotten quite a lot of reviewing and reading done. I also passed my 4 year blogiversary on October 20th. I can't believe I let it pass without any fanfare!! Thank you so much to those of you who have been following my blog for the past 4 years, and to those who are newer followers!


What I've Reviewed
I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai
My Yellow Umbrella by Chris Robertson
Upir and the Monster Gang by Sharron and Raymond Thornton

What I'm Reading
Since my last update, I finished reading Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese, as well as the three books listed above. I also read Into the Crossfire by Cindy McDonald. I'll have that review up next week for the book tour.

I'm now reading an astrology book called What the Hell is Going on in My Life? by Lawrence Schwimmer.

Up Next for Me
I have two more review books to get through, so I'll probably read one of these next: The Tulip Eaters by An…

Upir, a young vampire, has been sent to monster camp at the Neewollah graveyard, where he will take classes to work on his powers. It's a bit scary at first, but then he meets some new friends: Isabelle, a witch; Payne, a scarecrow with a pumpkin head; Gusty, a ghost; and Hawthorne, a green, hairy creature. They may be different from one another, but they quickly become friends.

In Upir and the Monster Gang by Sharron and Raymond Thornton, the kids have a lot more to deal with than just classes. First, there's Muriel and her gang of bullies. Then, there's the problem of strange things happening around camp, including kids getting hurt and disappearing. And finally, the friends all find themselves having the same exact dream. Something strange is going on.

Upir and the Monster Gang is a fun adventure that is full of action and excitement. But it is also a story about friendship and acceptance of others who are different. Without getting too serious about the topic, it also …