The A-List: Summer Reading, Part Two

The coolest thing about owning a Kindle is that I can order up samples of books for free.  This lets me get a "taste" of what the book is about before I plop down the cash.  If I don't like what I read, then I can just delete the sample and move along. One way I have been using the samples offered is to help me remember which books that I do want to read, even if I don't have time to read them right now.  I used to have good intentions, and would tell myself that I would come back to buy a particular book.  Then that promise would completely leave my head the second that I left the bookstore.  My Kindle has taken care of that little memory problem for me. 

More of what I've read this summer falls below.  I am on a mission this summer, to get lost in as many books as I can, so I have something to think about when I'm back at work and "too busy".  I know--you're never too busy to read--adding work to the mix seems to limit the free time that I enjoy each summer, especially since Zane will be starting Pre-K at a new school.  (Okay, so I'm reading more so I don't have to think about that, too.)

1.  Stolen Prey   Lucas Davenport is one of the great detectives, in my opinion.  He's practical with a little dash of idealism thrown in there.  He's smart and was able to get rich writing video game scenarios.  He's a hero, except when he's not.  I've read all of the "Prey" books, and they never fail to thrill me. These are great beach reads!  John Sandford bases most of his tales in Minnesota and the surrounding states; I had no idea that such a sleepy sounding part of the world was such a seething hotbed of intrigue.  This particular adventure involves the Mexican drug trade and a mugging.  I love the comfortable dialogue that seems to flow between the characters.  There always seems to be a witty comeback or a sarcastic remark that fits so well that you can just picture these characters actually having those conversations.  Nothing sounds forced or just inserted for a laugh.  I admire that in a writer, and I sure do enjoy it.

Source: amazon.com via Tina on Pinterest

2.  Reading in the Brain  I always have to complete some continuing education credits during the summer, and this book is one of my classes.  (The other 42 hours have been all about autism, in case you're curious.)  The act of reading fascinates me.  It is an extremely complex act that many of us end up able to do automatically.  In a lot of ways we seem to start learning to read the second we are born!  This book is all about the "brainy" side of reading, what parts of the brain are active, and what is actually happening.  It's probably not something that is in the least bit exciting to anyone not interested in education, but I would recommend this to anyone who has a child who is struggling with reading.  If nothing else, it might offer a bit of perspective.

3.  The Darkest Seduction  So sue me, I'm a bit of a romantic.  This book is part of the Lords of the Underworld Series by Gena Showalter.  The premise is that when Pandora's Box was opened by soldiers of Zeus who were jealous of Pandora, Zeus punished them by placing one of the demons imprisoned in the box into each soldier. Each book is the story of a different man and his demon.  This current story has Paris, the Keeper of Promiscuity, and his attempts to reunite with his True Love, who just so happens to have been stuck with the demon Wrath.   The paranormal parts of the book do not detract in the least from the love story.  I like that the heroines in Showalter's books are not fragile flowers who are helpless until the hero rescues them.  These women are downright feisty.  Good beach read.

Source: amazon.com via Tina on Pinterest

4.  Lover Reborn  J.R.Ward's series involves vampires.  Not the sparkly kind.  The Warrior kind, with the big burly chests and lots of leather.  Lots and lots of leather.  These vampires are a separate race from humans.  They don't like to feed off of humans, either, although they will if they have to.  There's an entire aristocracy in the vampire world, and they are guarded by the Black Dagger Brotherhood, which are the big burly guys who wear the leather.  The vamps in this universe mate for life, when they find the One.  Except that the protagonist of Lover Reborn is recovering from the death of his "One".  He doesn't want to let his dead wife go, and clings to her memory so fiercely that he is preventing her from entering heaven.  It's up to an angel to help him let go and move on to a new life, and new love.  It's a love story from a little different angle, I think.  Still a love story!

5.  It's Not You, It's the Dishes  I am in the middle of this book now.  I picked this up because of my undying hatred of doing the dishes.  I do most of the cooking in our house, and in my mind, that means that my husband should be taking care of the clean up.  Except that he doesn't.  It's not that he thinks that cleaning is women's work.  He probably just gets distracted by something and forgets about it.  He's not really different from most guys, who likely don't think about doing dishes until the last fork is pulled from the drawer or all the coffee cups are dirty.  I find myself getting resentful about it, however.  The people who wrote this book decided to look at marriage from a different angle--economics.  Which intrigued me.  If I look at my marriage from the point of view of an economist on such concepts as a 50/50 division of labor, then I'm less likely to feel emotional about any issues that crop up.   I'm learning something new, and I'm getting a new perspective on marriage. 

Source: amazon.com via Tina on Pinterest

Okay, got any other books I should be reading? 

WOE: Dusseldorf

Prompt:  For Friday, I challenge you with this opening line:  “It was a rainy night in Dusseldorf…”
Have fun with it.



It was a rainy night in Dusseldorf; the kind of night that is best spent tucked under a blanket with someone.  Instead, Lacy pulled her rusted Fiat into the very first parking place she could find on the Bolkerstrasse.  She was late, but she paused a moment to check her lipstick in the rear view mirror, and took a deep breath.  Lacy opened the car door and stuck the umbrella above her head. She was not the least bit concerned about the brief sparks of lightning she had seen. Her updo was not likely to survive the walk to the restaurant on  Schneider-Wibbel-Gasse, but perhaps her dress would only be slightly damp.

The lights of the city glared onto the wet sidewalk in front of her, defiant, as the rain tried to drown it into submission.  Lacy walked as quickly as she could in her four-inch heels, cursing the uncharacteristic impulse that had led to their purchase. Her feet were already protesting, and she knew that she would have blisters.  Blisters were the least of her worries, she thought.  The lights of the restaurant were a beacon just ahead. 

A gloved hand suddenly snaked out in front of her face, covering her startled scream. The umbrella fell out of her hand as she was lifted off her feet and dragged into a alley she hadn't noticed. Her back hit the brick wall hard enough to knock a grunt out of her, then a hard body was pinning her. Lacy opened her eyes wide, trying to see in the dark as she struggled.

"Shhhh."  She knew this voice.  She relaxed into Adrien's familiar warmth.  Satisfied, he pulled away, disappearing into the darkness just as another man stepped into the alley.  Lacy inwardly cursed; she had been so focused on her rendezvous that she hadn't even noticed that she was being followed.   She remained still, her back still pressed against the wall, as the man moved silently toward her.  He saw the whiteness of her skin against the darkness and moved toward her, one hand held at his side.   No loud gunshots this close to civilians.  A knife was quieter.  She opened her mouth to scream.

The man was gone!  A muffled cry turned her head just as lightning erupted above.  Adrien had his teeth sunk deep into the neck of her adversary; his eyes were already dim with death.  Thunder rolled in after the lightning, the sudden darkness more blinding than the light.  Lacy breathed in deeply; she hadn't realized that she had been holding her breath. 

"I could get the hang of this spy business." Adrien was there beside her in the darkness, the air around him electric.  Tiny hairs on her skin strained toward him as his mouth hovered above hers and Lacy kissed him, the coppery taste of blood still on his lips.  They held hands as they walked toward the lights of the restaurant.