Book #39 in 2005
Finished: 12/27
Title: Silver Bells
Author: Luanne Rice
Genre: Womens Fiction
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 210
My Rating: 3/5


Ok I don't say this often, but the movie was better then the book!
I didn't hate the book by no means, it was a nice holiday story... just wasn't what I was hoping for.
First it seemed to repeat the same info over and over and it wasn't anything that was important to the story itself, just things like the color of Christy's eyes and the glasses that Catherine wore. And then the inconsistencies bugged me as well.. In chapter 2 it said Lucy was nine years old, but in chapter 11 they said that Lucy had been three when her Uncle Brian passed away (and that was three years before the story took place) so therefore Lucy would be six not nine years old!

Maybe I'm just being picky lol but I also hate the way they change books for movies, I won't discuss what they changed since it will ruin the book for anyone intending to read it. I would suggest reading the book first which is what I normally do, but since I hadn't known about the book till I had watched the movie on TV this time I did it backwards.

Taking the easy way out lol here is the synopsis from Amazon:

A Christmas tree farmer from Nova Scotia and a lonely New York widow come together in this Christmas weepie by bestseller Rice (Beach Girls, etc.). Catherine Tierney, a corporate librarian who lives in a 19th-century townhouse on a quaint street in the Manhattan neighborhood of Chelsea, used to love Christmas until her husband, Brian, died of cancer. Each year, she awaits a sign from him that'll let her know he's watching over her. Christy Byrne, a widower from Nova Scotia, is in Manhattan with his 12-year-old daughter, Bridget, to sell his Christmas trees. Every night he leaves his boarding house in Chelsea to go looking for his estranged 16-year-old son, Danny, who ran off the year before. When Danny resurfaces and it's revealed that he's been living on the streets with the help of Catherine and her friend Lizzie, they all realize that their paths have crossed many times, and that they've touched each other's lives more than they could imagine. Thrown together in their shared concern for Danny, Christy and Catherine help each other forget their troubled pasts and move toward the future together. Rice's romanticized vision of Manhattan is sharpened by local detail, and her heartwarming Christmas story will please readers who like a nice dose of pathos with their holiday fare.

Book #38 in 2005
Finished: 12/20
Title: Blueberry Muffin Murder
Author: Joanne Fluke
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 325
My Rating: 4/5

Another excellent series that I just can't seem to get enough of!
In this 3rd book of the Hannah Swenson series Hannah solves yet another double murder! This time a famous TV cooking star with a nasty attitude comes to town for their first annual winter carnival and Hannah finds her murdered the pantry of her Cookie Bakery!

In this book we really start to see the characters evolve a bit and learn more about the relationships that Hannah has with Norman and Mike (the 2 guys she's been dating). I really enjoy the interaction between these characters and her close relationship with her sister Andrea in the stories.

Book #37 in 2005
Finished: 12/11
Title: Undead and Unemployed
Author: MaryJanice Davidson
Genre: Paranormal Chick Lit
Format: Massmarket Paperback
Pages: 272
My Rating: 4/5

Book 2 of Vamp Queen Diva Betsy Taylor! I'm really loving this series and can't wait to read the next one now... Betsy gets herself in all kinds of trouble yet again and almost killed a few times as well! But still manages to find a job selling those "beloved" shoes in Macy's.

Book #36 in 2005
Finished: 12/04
Title: The Next Big Thing
Author: Johanna Edwards
Genre: Chick Lit
Format: Trade Paperback
Pages: 352
My Rating: 4/5

Kat Larson is a woman who has battled being over weight her whole life.. and now she finally found a way to get thin! Be on a reality TV show!

This book was just too funny and really hit home... I've been over weight all my life as well and reading this story really makes you see that not every woman can be a size 4!

Book #35 in 2005
Finished: 11/30
Title: Calling Romeo
Author: Alexandra Potter
Genre: Chick Lit
Format: Trade Paperback
Pages: 347
My Rating: 4/5

Juliet is a 30 year old woman living with her boyfriend Will, in London. The story starts 2 years into their love story when Juliet is beginning to wonder if Will even loves her anymore. They make a special date for Valentine's day and she finds herself sitting alone in a restaurant waiting for him for hours. To make matters worse on her way home she gets drenched in the rain while watching all the other couples driving by in the back seat of cabs all warm and snuggly... then out of no where she is sprayed buy a ton of water when a jerk in a "cool" car drives by in a hurry. She locks eyes with this driver and finds herself day dreaming about him for the next few days.
Will stands her up a second time, this time for her office party that he knew was very important to her. Even though she is very angry she goes to the party and gets drunk. She then meets the stranger that drove his car threw the puddle on Valentine's night. His name is Sykes and he is her competition for an ad campaign her boss just put her in charge of. After she tells him off for ruining her coat he offers to pay for the cleaning and to take her to dinner to make up for it.
They end up spending time together and Juliet really falls for him and all the special attention she doesn't get from Will any longer. Sykes takes her to Verona, Italy for the weekend where the story of Romeo & Juilet was based from and makes all her fantasies come true.
But once back home in London she feels terrible for hiding the truth from Will..

I thought this was a great story, she discovers a lot about herself and about Will. She had to learn the hard way that relationships isn't all about candy hearts, fairy tales and Valentine's Day.

Book #34 in 2005
Finished: 11/20
Title: Stuck On You
Author: Patti Berg
Genre: Romance/Mystery
Format: Mass Market
Pages: 374
My Rating: 3/5

Scarlett Catherine Mary O'Malley lives in in Plentiful, Wyoming and owns a mystery book shop called A Study in Scarlett. Ever since she was a little girl she's been obsessed with being like Nancy Drew which is why she sticks her nose in everyone's business and gets herself in all kinds of trouble trying to solve cases that mostly her over-active imagination (plus the help of her book club buddies known as "The Sleuths") have only made up in the first place!

After Logan Wolfe (former police detective from Las Vegas) comes to town a mysterious woman dies in the book shop while trying to tell Scarlett something.. Then the wealthiest women in town disappears and no one knows where she could have gone.
So at this point Scarlett and the sleuths have got Logan as a thief, a womanizer and a murderer within days.. the only problem with this theory is Scarlett's developing feelings (and lust) for Logan.

This book held my interest that's for sure! However I thought some of the sexual encounters could have been left out ... just a little too much sex and way too much detail for me (once upon a time this wouldn't have bothered me, but for some reason my tastes have changed and I prefer not to read that much detail in a book). Most romance books only have 1 detailed sex description and the rest would be in passing. Maybe I'm just in a mood? lol

The next book by Patti Berg is also set in Plentiful, Wyoming and is called "AND THEN HE KISSED ME"
I'll probably give that book a try also since this book was really well written and kept me drawn into the story.

Book #33 in 2005
Finished: 11/08
Title: Undead and Unwed
Author: MaryJanice Davidson
Genre: Paranormal Chick Lit
Format: Mass Market
Pages: 255
My Rating: 4/5

This book was all kinds of funny! lol I haven't laughed so hard while reading in a long time :)

In this first book of the series, a 30 year old woman named Elizabeth "Betsy" Taylor (lots of jokes regarding the name by the way!) loses her job and then died when she was hit by a car later that same day. A few days later she woke up in the morgue and couldn't understand where she was or why she was wearing crappy clothes and knock-off shoes! Once she figured out she is supposed to be dead she did everything she could to try and "die again". Including going to a church where she should have not been able to go since she soon discovered she was a vampire... but not just any vampire! She was the new vamp queen... who just happened to hate the sight of blood!

The interaction between her family, friends and new vamp friends was just too funny and I can't wait to continue on with this seires and even got it at the library already today. Though I've got a few other books before I can get to it, I will read it probably later this month or early Dec.

Book #32 in 2005
Finished: 11/01
Title: Catering to Nobody
Author: Diane Mott Davidson
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Format: Mass Market
Pages: 301
My Rating: 3/5

This is the first book in the series, I read the 2nd book first "Dying For Chocolate" by mistake. However reading this one second has given me more insight to some of the characters. And left me wondering how the 2 books could be so different.

This first book didn't have a "cozy" feel to it at all. There were descriptions of the crime and other parts that seemed too vivid.

I also am not sure how I feel about how Goldy talks to Arch, her 11 year old son. In this story Arch's teacher (and friend) Laura has been found dead with slit wrists in her bathtub... Goldy shares a lot of details and asks for her sons opinions on this matter.. To me an 11 year old should not hear such things. Then I guess playing all those killing video games and watching horror movies is the same, but this was details of someone he actually knew so it just seemed harsh to me.

At Laura's funeral, Arch's Grandfather (Golds ex-husbands father) was poisoned and Goldy's catering business was shut down during the investigation.

I did enjoy the recipes and cooking as with other Cozy Mysteries and really enjoyed seeing the start of the relationship between Goldy and the detective on the case Tom.

Book #31 in 2005
Finished: 10/22
Title: I Do (But I don't)
Author: Cara Lockwood
Genre: Chick Lit
Format: Mass Market
Pages: 373
My Rating: 3/5


This story was very pretictable but cute :) But the reason for my lower rating is because I've never seen so many typos in a book ever!

It was about a woman who worked as a wedding planner and falls for the guy in the wedding.

Book #30 in 2005
Finished: 10/11
Title: Confessions of a Shopaholic
Author: Sophie Kinsella
Genre: Chick Lit
Format: Mass Market
Pages: 350
My Rating: 2/5

I don't know why there was such hype about this series! I didn't hate the book, and the writing was very well.. But I just found the character so annoying!!

There wasn't enough character interaction for me... not much personal relationships. It was all about Becky spending money on clothes and non-sense things she didn't really need and then thinking about spending more money on things she didn't really need. The more she owed the more she spent and then the more she thought up ways to buy new things and avoid the credit card companies.

I did enjoy the ending... she finally found some sort of purpose, she realized she knew a lot more about finances then she thought she did and the book ended with a relationship just begining, which also annoys me because I would have liked to read about where it might go. And I really don't intend to read more of the series to find out!

Book #29 in 2005
Finished: 9/25
Title: Milkrun
Author: Sarah Mlynowski
Genre: Chick Lit
Format: Mass Market
Pages: 347
My Rating: 4/5

This book was just TOO funny! There were parts I thought were a bit too graphic for Chick Lit, but so much of this book had me laughing out loud and reading parts to people in the room! :)

The story was about Jackie, a woman who got a "Dear John" type email from her boyfriend who went off to Thailand to "find himself" saying that he has found a new girlfriend while there.

She then decides since he is seeing other people that she should too and goes to bars to pick up men with her friends. She finds herself in all kinds of messes and then finds out the ex has come back and he has heard about her relationships and now jealous tries to get back with her.

I loved how it ended and thought she ended up with the perfect guy for her :) Great story!

Book #28 in 2005
Finished: 9/22
Title: The Strawberry Shortcake Murder
Author: Joanne Fluke
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 293
My Rating: 3/5

This is the 2nd book in the Hannah Swenson (Bakery) series, and though the story was good, I thought it was a bit predictable and the way the sister kept needing Hannah to need her was really ANNOYING to me!

However the story centered around a cooking contest which was really fun to read about especially since it was all sweets and I sure do love my sweets! Had some really yummy sounding recipes included in this book too. I'll probably take a short break from the series but I fully intend to read the next book in the series soon.

Book #27 in 2005
Finished: 9/15
Title: Little White Lies
Author: Gemma Townley
Genre: Chick Lit
Format: Trade Paperback
Pages: 320
My Rating: 4/5


Natalie Raglan quits her job at an advertising firm, breaks up with her cheating boyfriend, and moves to London. She finds a job as a sales person in an expensive clothing store and lies to her friends and family back home saying she works in advertising there as well.
She also lies about where she goes for fun and who she's dating! It's a fun story and you find yourself telling her to just tell the truth! She gets herself in all kinds of messes with everyone from her best friend to her new boyfriend who thinks she's really somebody else lol which all started when she opened a letter addressed to the person who used to live in the apartment she lives in now.

Book #26 in 2005
Finished: 9/10
Title: Aunt Dimity's Death
Author: Nancy Atherton
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Format: Mass Market Paperback
Pages: 244
My Rating: 5/5

I hadn't intended to read this book right away, I got it in the mail on Wednesday from the swap site and when I opened the package I read the first page... And KEPT on reading! LOL

The story is about Lori Sheppard, a woman who has gone though a bad couple of years, she got a divorce and was dealing with her Mothers death. She didn't have much and was renting a room with 2 other roommates while she was doing temp work. Her prize possession was a pink stuffed rabbit that she's had since her childhood.

She came home from work one day finding a letter from a law office asking that she come to see them as soon as possible. She decided to go right away and took a couple of buses through the cold pouring rain. She arrived at the doorstep of a huge mansion looking like a drowned rat. She was then welcomed in as if she was an expected, old friend and given dry clothes to change into before she even learned the man at the door was Bill Willis one of the lawyers at Willis & Willis!
She soon found out that Aunt Dimity had died and left her a mission to complete. This was not something Lori ever expected because she thought Aunt Dimity was a character from stories her mother used to tell her as a child.. She had no idea that Aunt Dimity was an actual person!

Her mission included reading all the stories that her by her mother told her as a child.. She learned that they were actually written by Aunt Dimity. She also had to read 40 years of letters written between Aunt Dimity and her Mother and answer questions about both.

Willis Sr. Gave Lori 2 letters to start with, one was from her Mother and the other from Aunt Dimity. In her Mothers letter she found a photograph of a tree with the explanation that something about that photo upset Aunt Dimity so much that she nearly was destroyed. Her Mother was never able to solve the mystery of what that something was and it was her dying wish that Lori try and find out the secret heartache that Aunt Dimity took to her grave.

I found this to be a beautifully written story with mystery, love and strong bonds of friendship... I can't wait to read other books in this series.

Book #25 in 2005
Finished: 8/31
Title: No Greater Love
Author: Danielle Steel
Genre: Fiction
Format: Mass Market Paperback
Pages: 384
My Rating: 3/5


I finally finished this book, it was a buddy read with my friend Bonnie that I should have finished a couple of months ago ... It was a good story, but I found it to be a bit dragged out and yet a lot of the story was still left untold.

The story is about a family that went to London to announce the engagement of their daughter Edwina to a London man named Charles. On their return trip home to CA they sailed on the Titanic. After losing her parents and fiance in the wreck Edwina goes back to CA to raise her 5 siblings. It's a touching story of love and life in the aftermath of this tragedy. Edwina selflessly gives up her life to care for her younger brothers and sisters.

Book #24 in 2005
Finished: 8/30
Title: Must Love Dogs
Author: Claire Cook
Genre: Fiction/Movie tie-in
Format: Trade Paperback
Pages: 274
My Rating: 4/5

I finished this book in 24 hours time! That's a first for me, but I was having trouble sleeping and just read and read LOL Also another first for me is that I read 7 books this month! I've never done this much reading before and it feels great :) The only downfall is I haven't been doing my other fave hobby at all the entire month (Cross Stitch)

I'm looking forward to seeing this movie too :)

This story is about Sarah Hurlihy, a Massachusetts pre-school teacher in her 40s, divorced and with no children of her own. She hasn't had a date in a couple of years and her nosy Irish Catholic family seem to think it's their business to get her back into the dating world! Her sister Carol decides the best way is for Sarah to put an ad in the personals.. And her first date turns out to be a disaster since the date she's set up with is actually her recently widowed Father!
So then Carol decides phone personal ads will work better and she goes ahead and sets up the ad herself without help from Sarah at all! Soon Sarah has more dates then she knows what to do with including a Father of one of her pre-school students.

A really fun and funny read, you find yourself laughing out loud at some of the silliness in this book, but also shedding a few tears at the tenderness and love of this crazy family!

Book #23 in 2005
Finished: 8/29
Title: Hunting Fear
Author: Kay Hooper
Genre: Fiction/Mystery
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 338
My Rating: 4/5


This is the first in a trilogy about a team of psychic special agents.
In this book the team led by Lucas Jordan hunt down a serial killer that seems to always be 2 steps ahead of them until Samantha Burke (a carnival fortune teller and former lover of Lucas) steps in to help.

Up till now the murderer kidnapped random victims from all around the country and killed them by using his own torture machines... He always asked for small ransoms knowing ahead of time what the family can afford to pay. And whether he receives the payment or not the victim is always killed and then left dead somewhere else to be found.

But now in the town of Golden, the kidnapper abducts Lindsay, a local police officer and left her to drown in a glass tank daring the team to find her before it was too late. His next victim turns out to be the sheriff who was dating Lindsay and has no belief in all this psychic talk.

Sam and Lucas get close once again as he protects her when they believe that the kidnapper has targeted her as his next victim. And Sam helps Lucas overcome his own fears and emotions when dealing with his psychic abilities.

This is a great story that really keeps you guessing right to the end!

Book #22 in 2005
Finished: 8/23
Title: Can You Keep A Secret?
Author: Sophie Kinsella
Genre: Chick Lit
Format: Trade Paperback
Pages: 357
My Rating: 5/5


OK I'll be honest here.. I really didn't think I was going to like this book, I was even dreading reading it! And look at those 5 stars! I just fell in love with the characters and the love story in this book.

Emma is a woman in her 20s just trying to get by in life... Owes her parents a lot of money, is on her 3rd career in 4 years, lives in an apartment with 2 roommates, one her best friend Lissy the other Jemmima - a materialistic woman. Her boyfriend Connor isn't exciting her anymore, but she can't help but feel like its the only good thing going for her at the moment.

She works as a junior in a marketing company for a soft drink or as her coworkers likes to call her their assistant or secretary! She finally gets a big break after working at the company for almost a year and gets to fly to a meeting that is supposed to be all set. As she's sitting there her mind is wandering because for the most part she doesn't know what they are talking about and she starts thinking about all the little secrets she has in her life about herself, work, her family and Connor. When finally she hears them say that the company she is there to represent is not getting the account she's there for. And she panics since she's hoping for a promotion and tries as hard as she can to tell these people why she thinks the products are great and ends up spilling the can of soda all over the guy! Needless to say things didn't go well after that.

She gets to the airport and has to wait for her flight and has 3 vodkas, and through her frustration she ends up in tears and gets bumped up to first class because the flight attendant felt bad for her. During the flight they hit air pockets and the plane starts dropping and everyone is screaming and praying and panicking and she just starts blabbing all the secrets she was thinking about earlier to this guy in the seat next to her. She told him everything about her work, family, love life EVERYTHING! She was so mortified when she got off the plane that she couldn't even look at him.

The next day at work she finds out that the owner of the company is coming and everyone is in a panic to get things tidy and look busy. When he walks in she is horrified to see that its the guy from the plane!!

I won't say anymore, but this is the most fun I've had reading a book in a long long time and anyone looking to read something that will have you laughing and crying though a beautiful love story should read this book!

Book #21 in 2005
Finished: 8/21
Title: Beach Girls
Author: Luanne Rice
Genre: Fiction
Format: Mass Market
Pages: 428
My Rating: 5/5





Review coming soon.... I plan to watch the mini series on lifetime and compare it in the review.

Book #20 in 2005
Finished: 8/17
Title: Soapsuds
Author: Finola Hughes
Genre: Chick Lit
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 373
My Rating: 3/5


Well, let me start by saying why I choose to read this book.. I've been a long time fan of both General Hospital and All My Children, Finola Hughes has played in both these soaps as the character of Anna Devane.

However, I found myself waiting for the big story to start the entire time I was reading this. It wasn't that it was horrible or anything, but I think it could have been much better and wasn't really want I was expecting.

The story is about Kate McPhee, a woman from London who moved to USA after finding her best friend and boyfriend having an affair.

She became part of the cast of a soap opera called Live For Tomorrow as a lesbian detective. It was really interesting to see how the behind the scenes of a soap opera is run... And this story showed us how it would feel to suddenly be the hottest new face on daytime television and showed us how she handled learning the lines for the taping, the long hours on the set each day, the photo shoots, the public appearances and yet still try and manage having somewhat of a personal life.

While watching the soaps after reading this book, I could actually see how things might have been behind the scenes that day! LOL
But seriously, I've gained a lot of respect for the actors/actresses on the shows .. Especially the women since the need to be "beautiful" on a soap is so strong.

One of the characters in the book is a cast member on Live For Tomorrow, Meredith Contini.... she's been a head actress for many years and was used to always getting her way when it came to makeup, hair and even casting changes.... I couldn't help but wonder if these issues were a reference to some of the actresses on the shows these days. I was seeing a bit of Susan Lucci (AMC- Erica Kane) in her character in the book! LOL I'm sure it was done all in fun, but it sure did give me a whole new perspective on the shows.