13. Visions of Sugar Plums by Janet Evanovich...

Title: Visions of Sugar Plums
Author: Janet Evanovich
ISBN-10: 0-312-30632-6
ISBN-13: 978-0-312-30632-8
Hardcover: 149 pages
Publisher: St. Martin's Press, 2002

This short story has Stephanie looking for FTA Sandy Claws. At Christmas time. What she finds is a toy store that looks abandoned, a workshop that falls down around her, and "elves" who like pelting her with cookies and causing a riot. And don't forget Diesel, who just pops into her kitchen. Like, literally. To complicate things, it's four days to Christmas, and she hasn't gotten anything done - no Christmas cards, no tree, no presents, no Christmas cheer.

Family: Valerie is pregnant. Grandma Mazur has a half-blind studmuffin, who comes with sparks. The Christmas tree goes up in smoke, along with the "fake snow" batting and all the presents underneath.

Wheels: A Honda CR-V that gets burned to a crisp.

Action: There's kissing, but nothing to tell. =)

This is a quick read that capitalizes on Stephanie's ability to draw out even the most unbelievable events and people. Morelli's gotta be wondering sometimes.

Sony Reader & Kresley Cole's Kiss of a Demon King...

Kresley Cole's latest installment in the Immortals after Dark series - Kiss of a Demon King - is coming out on January 20th. Go here for an excerpt. She's also giving away a Sony Reader. Go here for details.

12. Hard Eight by Janet Evanovich...

Title: Hard Eight
Author: Janet Evanovich
ISBN-10: 0-312-98386-7
ISBN-13: 978-0-312-98386-4
Mass Market Paperback: 326 pages
Publisher: St. Martin's Press, 2002

Stephanie's helping out her parents' neighbor Mabel, whose house is collateral for a custody bond on Annie, her great-granddaughter. Now Annie & her mom (Evelyn) are both missing, and Mabel's going to lose her home to the bond company. Ok, you say, what's so difficult about finding a mother and daughter? Apparently, a lot. QUITE a lot. Stephanie finds herself face-to-face with another psycho nutjob, one that both Morelli AND Ranger warns her to stay away from. If only it were that easy. Steph & psycho nutjobs seem to go together like peanut butter and jelly.

She gets stalked around town by a bear and a rabbit, picks up a new helper (a hapless lawyer), has an FTA die on her (of the flu), and gets rescued by Valerie.

Family: Valerie tries to put her life back together. Apparently landing herself a husband is supposed to help. Hmm... Stephanie's mom runs over a rabbit on the way to lunch. Never mind that the rabbit was chasing after Stephanie in the middle of the street. Buh-bye bunny!

Wheels: Stephanie's CR-V apparently survived Seven Up, only to get blown up here. After being stolen multiple times, and side-swiped at least once. She's baaaaaaaaaaaack!! Her replacement (loaner?) CR-V from Ranger also meets the same fate. Somewhere up there is a commiseration club for Stephanie's vehicles, where they're all one-upping each other with the stories of their demise...

Action: Stephanie finally gets some Ranger action. Whoo boy. What is it about Stephanie and men who will not commit?

I love my gal Steph, but even I'm thinking she might want to find another line of work. One that puts you in the hospital as often as this one, isn't really my idea of fun... Still, she gets 'em all in the end.

11. Seven Up by Janet Evanovich...

Title: Seven Up
Author: Janet Evanovich
ISBN-10: 0-312-26584-0
ISBN-13: 978-0-312-26584-7
Hardcover: 309 pages
Publisher: St. Martin's Press, 2001

This next installment in the Plum series has Stephanie chasing down old Eddie, who's depressed, half-blind, hard of hearing, and surprisingly quick on his feet. As usual, Stephanie loses the FTA, and insanity ensues. Eddie's looking for Stephanie's old high school classmate, Dougie (the Dealer). Dougie did a delivery run for Eddie and disappears. Perpetually-stoned MoonMan, Dougie's buddy, comes to Stephanie to ask her to find Dougie. She finds her first dead body on page 14. I wonder if this is the earliest one has popped up? I should've taken notes...

Extras in this caper are Benny and Ziggy, Eddie's "social club" buddies, who're also looking for Eddie & the stash he lost. And have no problem waiting for Stephanie in her apartment. Uninvited, of course. You'd think she'd get better locks. And lots of 'em. Oh, and we can't forget Bob, who now lives with Morelli. Who eats anything and everything (Bob, not Morelli). And then has to return what he's eaten. Usually (if she can make it there) on Joyce's lawn.

Family: The perfect sister, Valerie, moves back home with her daughters, Angie and Mary Alice. The hubby ran off with the money and the babysitter. Grandma Mazur gets kidnapped, and can't wait to tell everyone about it. Her mom's getting hot flashes, and her dad should be ready to drive himself to the asylum any day now... =P

Wheels: Stephanie's ride is a black Honda CR-V. Which lasts through 2/3 of the book before getting accordioned by a Cadillac.

Action: Morelli & Stephanie are engaged! She gets dragged dress-shopping, her family books the hall, and she's not sure that she's ready for marriage. She's not sure he is, either. The book ends with Ranger visiting, to collect on helping her bring Eddie in.

Wow. I'm actually in awe of Stephanie. Somehow she's managed to get through seven (!) of these books without permanently hurting herself. Sure, she's been shot at, shot, beaten up (by little old ladies nonetheless!), and almost blown up, but she's still ticking. And going. Kinda like the Energizer bunny... AND, she gets her man. Every single one. Whether she really wants him or isn't so sure. Another entertaining caper to pick up.

10. Hot Six by Janet Evanovich...

Title: Hot Six
Author: Janet Evanovich
ISBN-10: 0-312-20540-6
ISBN-13: 978-0-312-20540-9
Hardcover: 294 pages
Publisher: St. Martin's Press, 2000

In Hot Six, Stephanie has to use all her skills & more, to find Ranger. Yup, Ranger's the FTA - a rookie cop booked him for carrying concealed. And he didn't show up for his court date because he's now also a "person of interest" in a homicide investigation - he's on camera walking into a building with the deceased, and walking out without him. He's actually Joyce's FTA, because Stephanie knows better. Complicating things is the fact that the deceased is the youngest son of a local mob family. So instead of trying to find Ranger, Stephanie stakes out the mob family's properties, and ends up chauffeuring the mob's don out for cigs & beer.

She also trades favors to help out her friend Carol Zabo, and ends up with a new addition to her apartment - a golden retriever named Bob. All this plus 1 homicidal maniac who tries to run her over & sets fire to her shirt. A domestic abuser who also turns out to be her first body - in this book. And 1 high-as-a-kite stoner and his enterprising buddy, known as the Dealer. Life could be better.

Family: Grandma Mazur has a spat with Stephanie's dad and moves in. Just until she gets her own place. Stephanie can't get a wink of sleep, and Morelli's getting antsy (lol!).

Wheels: Stephanie loses a little blue Honda Civic to a reefer. She borrows a Rollswagen from the Dealer, which is probably only good for parts by the time she's done with it. The two hitmen following her lose a Lincoln Town Car to a manic wife-beater FTA gunning for Stephanie, and a Carpet Car set on fire by the oldest trick in town - the flaming dog poop bag. Oh, & Grandma Mazur buys a red Corvette.

Action: None while Grandma Mazur's at Stephanie's.

Ah, Stephanie, Stephanie, Stephanie... It's just comical how things happen around her. But she's smart enough to figure things out, and she always gets her man in the end. Which includes a kinda-sorta marriage proposal. Joe's exact words were "Yeah, for crying out loud, I'm going to marry her." Stephanie, I know you love him, but there's a way to do things, for crying out loud! =) Another quite enjoyable romp.

9. High Five by Janet Evanovich...

Title: High Five
Author: Janet Evanovich
ISBN-10: 0-312-20303-9
ISBN-13: 978-0312203030
Hardcover: 292 pages
Publisher: St. Martin's Press, 1999

Stephanie looks for missing Uncle Fred in this addition to the highly-entertaining series on the life & times of a bounty hunter. Uncle Fred went to complain to the garbage collection company, and never came home. Her FTA is Randy Briggs, who moves into her apartment after she breaks down his door during his apprehension. And to try & make more money, Stephanie takes on a side job - working for Ranger. She manages to lose a limo (& passenger), and blow up a bomb-wearing junkie looking for his stash. Actually, the latter was blown up by someone else, but Stephanie was next to the (ex-)dude. New characters include Tank, a heavily-muscled ex-military employee of Ranger's.

Adding to the suspense, the psychotic prize-fighter from One for the Money is back and stalking her again. And the press now tags her the "Bombshell Bounty Hunter," not in reference to her looks, but rather for the way things just seem to blow up in smithereens around her.

Family: Well, there's Uncle Fred, who's missing. Aunt Mabel, who's buying new things, & planning a cruise. Grandma Mazur, who's... Grandma Mazur. Who manages to stun-gun Stephanie's dad. And pulls a fire-alarm at the funeral home so she can look into the (closed) casket.

Wheels: Boy oh boy. I don't know what to say... Well, first off, I need a new name for the tank (see above). I'll have to get back to you on that. This time, Stephanie manages to kill 1 Porsche (bomb), 1 BMW (stolen), 1 limo ("stolen"), and 1 garbage truck (see Porsche). At least none of 'em are hers - the 1st 3 are Ranger's, because his "employees" only drive black - and the garbage truck was collateral damage.

Action: Stephanie tries to stay away from Morelli, except she has to go to his cousin's wedding with him. She also gets kissed by Ranger, further complicating her feelings for both men. She picks one in the end, and gets some nookie. Go, Steph!

Stephanie is a smart-enough cookie to somehow make it through the bombs, stalkers, weapon-wielding (& wearing) losers running around, AND gets her man, too. How could I not read #6 next? =P

The Knight at Dawn (Magic Tree House #2) by Mary Pope Osborne...

The little man & I went to the library the other day, and he decided that he wanted his own books. Specifically, he wanted Spanish books, because he knows Spanish. In the confident manner of 5-year-olds everywhere, just because he's learning the language, he must know it...

Long story short, he discovered that there are LOTS more words in Spanish that he doesn't know (yet!). So we ended up with the Magic Tree House series. In English. Dad read #1 to him, which is why it's not here.

The Knight at Dawn continues Jack's and Annie's adventures with the tree house. Neither could sleep after their first adventure and just before first light, head off to find the tree house again. Just to be sure.

This time they end up in medieval England because Annie wanted to see a knight and castle. They end up getting chased in the castle, caught and brought to the dungeons, where they escape and end up in the moat. They make it back to the tree house (& home) safely with the help of the knight that Annie wanted to see.

The little man actually attempted to read this himself, with my help on the more difficult words. He made it through 3 pages before giving up, but I'm so very proud of him! After all, he IS only 5+... Maybe my monkey will grow up to love books like his mom?

8. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer...

Title: Twilight
Author: Stephenie Meyer
ISBN-10: 0-316-03837-7
ISBN-13: 978-0-316-03837-9
Mass Market Paperback: 498 pages
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company, 2008

Twilight is the story of Bella and Edward, two high-school students who meet in Forks, a small town in the Olympic Peninsula in Washington state. Bella is seventeen, Edward has been seventeen for almost a century.

This is a very well-written love story. You feel Bella's confusion when Edward is antagonistic towards her. You appreciate Edward's attempt to keep away from her. The supporting cast of characters are well-thought out. Except maybe for Rosalie ~ I don't quite get why she is so angry towards Bella.

One thing that bothered me a little about this book - Bella is 17. I know why she wants what she wants from Edward. Or thinks she wants what she wants from Edward. But she's only 17. A person grows and changes with every passing year, with life lived and experienced, with trials and tribulations, and success. With loves won and lost. Is 17 old enough, mature enough, lived enough, to ask what she's asking for? To know what she's asking for? After all, Edward didn't have the same options she has. The same life she could have. Or the ability to choose.

I cannot wait to read New Moon. I'm #177 on the library wait list. *sigh* Somebody please feel free to take pity on me & send me a copy to read... =P

So, WOW! My first ever award...

lilly over at Reading Extravaganza has given me my very first ever award - the Premios Dardo Award! What a complete surprise, and such an honor! (I'll stop using exclamation points one of these sentences. Promise! Oops...)

Details: This award acknowledges the values that every blogger shows in his/her effort to transmit cultural, ethical, literary and personal values every day.

The rules to follow are:

1. Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person that has granted the award and his or her blog link.
2. Pass the award to other 15 blogs that are worthy of this acknowledgment. Remember to contact each of them to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

So, um, now to pass it along.

J.Kaye's Book Blog ~ J.Kaye has been wonderful at helping me with my blog, replying to comments, roping me in for challenges, and just plain letting me be goofy. =) And whaddaya know, her blog's pretty cool, too.

Fantasy Book Critic ~ Some of the best reviews I've read are here. I guess it doesn't hurt that this is my favorite genre... So, uh, yeah. Even though I'm not very active on the blog site, doesn't mean I'm not paying attention.

Nice Mommy, Evil Editor ~ Angie's posts are a mix of entertainment, information, and random goodness.

Book Dads ~ There's such a range of books here that I'm sometimes intimidated by the breadth of it all. Then again, blogs like this make me want to get over my own insecurities and check out new things.

ReadingAdventures ~ Marg's blog is one of the first few that I got hooked on.

Filling the Well ~ Carrie's blog is so well-written, I'm so NOT surprised that I love her books...

Dear Author ~ Not just reviews here, nosirree - there's industry news, opinion pieces, and stuff I wish I could write, but I'm just not that good.

Peeking Between the Pages ~ Dar's blog - like J.Kaye's - is like hot chocolate on a cold snowy day. Or night. Like today, actually.

SciFiGuy.ca ~ Insightful, detailed reviews are to be found here. Something for me to aspire to, if I ever find the time to do more than the blurbs I currently post.

Stone Soup ~ Katrina's hats are the bomb. (is it still cool - or was it ever cool - to say "the bomb"?)

The Book Fiend

A Banana in China ~ This isn't Kitty's book blog, but it definitely transmits "cultural, ethical, literary and personal values every day" so I'm giving it the award.

Thank you all for being in the blogosphere, for the inspiration, information, learning, and entertainment provided.

My favorite author blog...

At the risk of ticking someone off, I just had to gush about Carrie Vaughn's blog, Filling the Well. I don't know what took me so long to find it, but I'm so there! She's funny, entertaining, vicarious, and she makes costumes. Oh, and she writes great books too. Go check out her essays on kick-ass heroines in Urban Fantasy - they're pretty darn kick-ass themselves.

7. Four to Score by Janet Evanovich...

Title: Four to Score
Author: Janet Evanovich
ISBN-10: 0312185863
ISBN-13: 978-0312185862
Hardcover: 294 pages
Publisher: St. Martin's Press, 1998

The continuation of Stephanie Plum's life & career as a bounty hunter. This time she's on the hunt for Maxine Nowicki, who stole her boyfriend's car, then skips her court date. Complicating things is Maxine's disappearance, while her friend's finger gets chopped off, her mom gets scalped, and her boyfriend gets kidnapped. None of which helps Stephanie find her. And who else shows up on the hunt, but Stephanie's nemesis Joyce Barnhardt? Good thing Lula's there to help diffuse the situation, Lula-style!

All this while somebody accuses Stephanie of stealing their boyfriend, and fire-bombs her apartment. What fun! (not!)

Family: Grandma Mazur goes to Atlantic City with Stephanie, Lula, and Sally (7-ft-tall - when fully decked out - cross-dressing singer in a transvestite band). And boy, do they scare the heck out of locals & tourists alike.

Wheels: A Honda CRX that's - yup, you guessed it - blown up. Ok, what happened is it got soaked in gasoline. And the FTA's mother dropped a lit cigarette into the gas puddle. Whoof! & it's back to the tank...

Action: Stephanie stays at Morelli's for 3 days. So what do you think happens?? Whereupon his mom invites them to dinner, his granny Bella puts the eye on her & declares she's pregnant, and his aunts start showing up at the door with casseroles and Morelli's christening outfit, talking about showers. Run, Steph, Run!

A very enjoyable, fast, read. Even for me. =)

Jumping on the bandwagon...

I never thought I'd get around to reading Twilight any time soon - I was #174 on the hold list at my library a week ago... However, a friend came through and loaned me her copy, so ta dah! Twilight now has a bookmark in it. So far it's better than I thought it would be. Yeah, yeah. I know there's been a lot of gushing over the book(s) & the movie, but I'm not really a follow-the-gush type of gal. We'll see where I'm at once I'm done with the book. =)

BTT - The best of '08?

This week's Booking through Thursday:

It's a week or two later than you’d expect, and it may be almost a trite question, but … what were your favorite books from 2008?

I think my absolute favorite was Feast of Souls, by C.S. Friedman. I really, really, loved her Coldfire trilogy, and was very bummed that she seemed to only have science-fiction books other than that trilogy. So I couldn't wait to get my hands on Feast of Souls. And the sequel, Wings of Wrath, comes out next month. *drool*

6. Hard to Handle by Lori Foster...

Title: Hard to Handle
Author: Lori Foster
ISBN-10: 0425219720
ISBN-13: 978-0425219720
Mass Market Paperback: 330 pages
Publisher: Berkley, 2008

SBC (Supreme Battle Challenge) fighter Harley Handleman has dedicated his life towards the ultimate prize - the championship belt. However, life threw some kinks into those plans, and the book opens with his rehab & recovery. Anastasia Kelley is a life coach and the landlord of his get-away-from-home cabin. They've known each other for a while, but this is the first time Harley actually notices her. (yeah, men!) Sparks fly, etc. etc. etc.

Maybe there's a good reason I've stayed away from romances for as long as I have. I think the last time I read a romance novel was in the late '80s, or early '90s. This book was mostly predictable, with the guy getting the girl, the cops catching the stalker trying to kill her, and lots of confusion (men!) in between.

The verdict: Eh.

5. Don of the Dead by Casey Daniels...

Title: Don of the Dead
Author: Casey Daniels
ISBN-10: 0-06-082146-9
ISBN-13: 978-0-06-082146-3
Mass Market Paperback: 325 pages
Publisher: Avon Books, 2006

Pepper Martin's first "real" job is a tour guide at Garden View Cemetery, where a chance meeting with a marble headstone leads to her meeting with Gus Scarpetti, former Don of the Scarpetti family. Apparently Gus cannot move on, because there's unfinished business in this world. He heckles, cajoles, insults, and basically manipulates Pepper into helping find out who was responsible for doing the deed on the Don. Side characters include everyone from Gus' mob "family", to a handsome detective, to the adorably geeky doctor who wants to check into Pepper's brain.

There's plot, characters, etc. in this book, but I really didn't get into it. I guess Pepper's not really my type of heroine ~ I'll wholeheartedly confess that this may be a side-effect of getting into the Plum novels.

Teaser Tuesdays ~ Jan. 6...

This week's Teaser Tuesdays is a little late... But here it is!

• Grab your current read.
• Let the book fall to a random page.
• Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
• Share the title of the book that you're getting your teaser from... That way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you've given!
• Please avoid spoilers!

"When Anthony dies, you want to go with him."
"You think?"
Don of the Dead, Casey Daniels ~ pg. 242

4. Exit Strategy by Kelley Armstrong...

Title: Exit Strategy
Author: Kelley Armstrong
ISBN-10: 0-553-58819-2
ISBN-13: 978-0-553-58819-4
Mass Market Paperback: 480 pages
Publisher: Spectra, 2007

Exit Strategy is a departure from the Women of the Otherworld series author Kelley Armstrong. There is absolutely nothing paranormal in this book, just crime, killing, and suspense.

Nadia Stafford is a cop-turned-hitwoman who's recruited by her mentor, Jack, to help find a hitman-turned-serial killer. Flashbacks in the story provide background as to why she's a former cop, and why she's turned to taking on assignments for a mob family. The meat of the story revolves around looking for the serial killer, and her relationship with Jack, his mentor, a few other "helpers". Mostly the first two.

Jack's not much for talking - he says what he has to, and not a whisper more. The dialog between Nadia & Jack is crisp and to the point. The story moves along less-than-quickly, there are a few close shaves, but in the end good prevails. Well, as good as assassins can be, I guess.

I'd pick it up if I were a fan of Kelley Armstrong who wouldn't be bothered that it's not a paranormal.

Giveaway - Sundays at Tiffany's by James Patterson and Gabrielle Charbonnet...

*** THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED ***

drey's library's first ever giveaway (hurrah!) is Sundays at Tiffany's by James Patterson and Gabrielle Charbonnet, courtesy of Hachette Book Group. There are 5 copies, so come on over & throw your name in the hat!

As a little girl, Jane has no one. Her mother, the powerful head of a Broadway theater company, has no time for her. She does have one friend-a handsome, comforting, funny man named Michael-but only she can see him.

Years later, Jane is in her thirties and just as alone as ever. Then she meets Michael again-as handsome, smart and perfect as she remembers him to be. But not even Michael knows the reason they've really been reunited.

SUNDAYS AT TIFFANY'S is a love story with an irresistible twist, a novel about the child inside all of us-and the boundary-crossing power of love.

Giveaway details:

1. Enter before midnight (CST) on Saturday, January 24, 2009. Come back after to see if you've won!
   
2. Giveaway is open to residents of the U.S. and Canada only, and you must have a valid mailing address (no P.O. Boxes).
3. For one entry, comment on this post.
4. Become a follower for another entry. Let me know in the comment section.
5. Blog about this contest for two (2) more entries. Comment & include the link to your blog post.

Good luck everyone!

edited to add: Check out West of Mars - Win a Book for other blogs giving away Sundays at Tiffany's. May you be lucky at one of 'em!

3. Three to Get Deadly by Janet Evanovich...

Title: Three to Get Deadly
Author: Janet Evanovich
ISBN-10: 0-312-96609-1
ISBN-13: 978-0-312-96609-6
Mass Market Paperback: 321 pages
Publisher: St. Martin's Press, 1998

Book #3 in the Stephanie Plum line-up, Three to Get Deadly has our heroine hunting down the neighborhood's ice-cream and candy shop owner, Moses Bedemier. She's stuck out the bounty-hunting gig for 5 months now, and is feeling better about making this work for her. However, Uncle Mo is beloved by all, and nobody is willing to help her find him when he disappears. Stephanie's efforts are further complicated by the pile-up of dead drug dealers turning up all over town. Her efforts to nab smaller-fry FTAs result in orange hair and a public take-down of a chicken. Or, rather, an FTA in a chicken suit.

Family: Grandma Mazur brings a date to dinner. Who's promptly sent on his way by Stephanie's dad. With dessert in a bag, of course.

Wheels: A cute little blue Nissan pickup that she buys on a whim, and breaks down constantly. Until it's finally fixed. Upon which it gets eliminated by a rocket launcher. Don't worry, the tank's still around.

Action: More smooching (& a little more) with Morelli. Oh, and some puking on, too.

There's no lack of action, dialog, and the occasional illegal maneuvers, but I'm now wishing I'd picked up #4, which is waiting for me at the library. Oh well, there's always tomorrow.

2. Two for the Dough by Janet Evanovich...

Title: Two for the Dough

Author: Janet Evanovich

ISBN-10: 0-684-19638-7

ISBN-13: 978-0-684-19638-1

Hardcover: 301 pages

Publisher: Scribner, 1996

Book #2 in the Stephanie Plum line-up continues Ms. Plum's adventures as an bounty hunter. It starts with her crouching behind a hydrangea bush in the heat of an Indian summer, watching for another bail jumper from the burg - Kenny Mancuso. Something like that would probably make me re-think my choice of careers, but Stephanie... Well, let's just say that her options haven't improved much since book #1 (and she did bring in Morelli for her $10,000). She's still got attitude and ineptitude, some brains, and a whole lotta luck.

Family: Grandma Mazur features prominently, and boy does she have fun checking out stiffs in caskets, which gives Stephanie's mom nightmares.

Wheels: Stephanie drives a Jeep Wrangler, which gets stolen. Guess that's better than getting it blown up, like Morelli's SUV in One for the Money. Her next ride is a powder-blue 1953 Buick, which she calls Big Blue, and I call the tank - she can hit anything with it, and it'll have nary a scratch.

Action (*grin*): Morelli kisses Stephanie. And more. But not quite everything.

All in all, this is a fun ride-along with Stephanie's escapades. Pick it up if you're a Stephanie fan, or if you just like a good rollicking adventure.