Lisa's Looking Forward To #9 - March 26th, 2019

Second week I'm posting this on a Wednesday, and hopefully this week I'll have time to join in with the Waiting on Wednesday Posts, and the Can't Wait Wednesday posts hosted by Wishful Endings.  There are quite a few books coming out next week that I've got listed in my planner. So here we go!

You can read my review of this one HERE.  But the final part of the blurb tells you one big reason I was first interested!  I just wish I'd been able to get a physical ARC, but will be reading an e-galley.

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:
A thief. An officer. A guardian.

Three strangers, one shared destiny . . .

When the Last Days came, the planet of Laterre promised hope. A new life for a wealthy French family and their descendants. But five hundred years later, it’s now a place where an extravagant elite class reigns supreme; where the clouds hide the stars and the poor starve in the streets; where a rebel group, long thought dead, is resurfacing.

Whispers of revolution have begun—a revolution that hinges on three unlikely heroes…

Chatine is a street-savvy thief who will do anything to escape the brutal Regime, including spy on Marcellus, the grandson of the most powerful man on the planet.

Marcellus is an officer—and the son of a renowned traitor. In training to take command of the military, Marcellus begins to doubt the government he’s vowed to serve when his father dies and leaves behind a cryptic message that only one person can read: a girl named Alouette.

Alouette is living in an underground refuge, where she guards and protects the last surviving library on the planet. But a shocking murder will bring Alouette to the surface for the first time in twelve years…and plunge Laterre into chaos.

All three have a role to play in a dangerous game of revolution—and together they will shape the future of a planet.

Power, romance, and destiny collide in this sweeping reimagining of Victor Hugo’s masterpiece, Les Misérables.

Sound good?  Add to Goodreads HERE.

There have been a lot of books about Joan of Arc lately, and this one sounded pretty good based on the format it is in.  Maybe I'll get ahold of it some day.

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:
Author David Elliott explores how Joan of Arc changed the course of history and remains a figure of fascination centuries after her extraordinary life and death.
Told through medieval poetic forms and in the voices of the people and objects in Joan of Arc’s life, (including her family and even the trees, clothes, cows, and candles of her childhood). Along the way it explores issues such as gender, misogyny, and the peril of speaking truth to power. Before Joan of Arc became a saint, she was a girl inspired. It is that girl we come to know in Voices. 

Sound good?  Add to Goodreads HERE.

This one sounds like a good contemporary mystery with a twist.  Plus, I've always wanted to read something by this author.

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:
Chloe was three years old when she became Chloe Holden, but her adoption didn’t scar her, and she’s had a great life. Now, fourteen years later, her loving parents’ marriage has fallen apart and her mom has moved them to Joyful, Texas. Starting twelfth grade as the new kid at school, everything Chloe loved about her life is gone. And feelings of déjà vu from her early childhood start haunting her.

When Chloe meets Cash Colton she feels drawn to him, as though they're kindred spirits. Until Cash tells her the real reason he sought her out: Chloe looks exactly like the daughter his foster parents lost years ago, and he’s determined to figure out the truth.

As Chloe and Cash delve deeper into her adoption, the more things don’t add up, and the more strange things start happening. Why is Chloe’s adoption a secret that people would kill for?


Sound good? Add to Goodreads HERE.

This one sounds really good, and I'm pretty sure I've been reading some good reviews about it.  I've yet to read a James Patterson Presents title either, so that intrigues me as well.

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:
I’ve been chased my whole life. As a fugitive refugee in the territory controlled by the tyrannical Mercer corporation, I’ve always had to hide who I am. Until I found Excalibur.

Now I’m done hiding.

My name is Ari Helix. I have a magic sword, a cranky wizard, and a revolution to start.

When Ari crash-lands on Old Earth and pulls a magic sword from its ancient resting place, she is revealed to be the newest reincarnation of King Arthur. Then she meets Merlin, who has aged backward over the centuries into a teenager, and together they must break the curse that keeps Arthur coming back. Their quest? Defeat the cruel, oppressive government and bring peace and equality to all humankind.

No pressure.


Sound good?  Add to Goodreads HERE.

On one hand this sounds like it is similar to the story Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, but it also has some unique sounding ideas in the synopsis below.  

Here is the blurb from Goodreads:
After moving into a dank and drafty basement suite in West Edmonton with her truck- driving father, nasty stepmother and taciturn twin brother, Ash, seventeen-year-old Greta doesn't have high expectations for her last year of high school. When she blacks out at a party and is told the next day that she's had sex, she thinks things can't get any worse. She's wrong.

While Greta deals with the confusion and shame of that night, her stepmother and father choose that moment to disappear, abandoning Ash and Greta to the mercy of their peculiar landlord, Elgin, who lives upstairs. Even as Greta struggles to make sense of what happened to her, she finds herself enjoying her new and very eccentric family, who provide the shelter and support that has long been absent from her life. Much to Greta's surprise, she realizes there is still kindness in the world--and hope.


Sound good?  Add to Goodreads HERE.


Final Thoughts:
Quite a few books come out next week.  Only got to read one, a few I wish I could read soon!  How about you?  Have you read any of these yet?  Are they on your TBR?  And hey, while you're here, you should go try to win some of my ARCs from Cleaning Up My TBR Post HERE.

Cleaning Up My TBR: Down the TBR Hole #7 with Giveaway

This meme was started by Lost in a Story.  Here is how it works:

• Go to your goodreads to-read shelf.
• Order on ascending date added.
• Take the first 5 (or 10 if you’re feeling adventurous) books
• Read the synopses of the books
• Decide: keep it or should it go?

Because I have so many to do, I'm going to try to do this weekly, and do 10 at a time.


1.  Many Bloody Returns by Charlaine Harris and others:

Never-before-published vampire stories by Charlaine Harris, Jim Butcher, Kelley Armstrong, and many others. 

Suspenseful, surprising, sometimes dark, sometimes humorous-these all-new stories will ensure that readers never think of vampires (or birthdays) in quite the same way again. 

In New York Times bestselling author Charlaine Harris's "Dracula Night," Sookie Stackhouse is the only human at the annual commemoration of Dracula's birth. But this year, the Prince of Darkness actually shows up-and finds Sookie to be a tasty-looking present. 

New York Times bestselling author Jim Butcher's crime-solving wizard Harry Dresden, of the Dresden Files novels, heads to a role-playing party to give his vampire brother a birthday present in "It's My Birthday Too," only to discover there are some bloodthirsty party crashers who don't share their brotherly love. 

In "Twilight," Cassandra DuCharme, who appeared in New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong's Dime Store Magic, knows she has to kill to live as a vampire another year-but finds herself disturbingly disinterested in the hunt. 

Plus ten more bloody good birthday stories that take the cake.
 
My thoughts:  Now, really I only want to read the story by Charlaine Harris, to get the Sookie Stackhouse story.  So I probably don't need to have this book on my list.

Verdict: Toss


2.  Lily Dale:  The True Story of the Town that Talks to the Dead by Christine Wicker:

In Lily Dale, New York, the dead don't die. 

Instead, spirits flit among the elms and stroll along the streets, sometimes dressed in garb more common 120 years ago, when Lily Dale was founded and suffragette Susan B. Anthony was a frequent guest. 

According to Spiritualists who have ruled this Victorian hamlet for five generations, the dead don't go away and they stay anything but quiet. Every summer twenty thousand guests come to consult the town's mediums, who can hang out a shingle only after passing a test that confirms their connection to the spirit world. 

On the hot June day when reporter Christine Wicker comes to the world's oldest and largest Spiritualist community, she is determined to understand the secret forces -- human or otherwise -- that keep Lily Dale alive. She follows three visitors: a newly bereaved widow; a mother whose son killed himself; and a beautiful, happily married wife whose first visit to Lily Dale brings an ominous warning. 

Are the mediums cold-hearted charlatans, as Sinclair Lewis wrote of them? Or are they conduits for a hidden world that longs to bring peace and healing to the living, as psychologist William James and muckraker Upton Sinclair once hoped to prove? 

Investigating a movement that attracted millions of Americans in the 1800s and now barely survives, Wicker moves beyond the mediums' front parlors and into the lives that tourists never see. She follows the mediums to a place where what we know and how we know it is the greatest mystery of all.

My thoughts:  So, this is something that I've been interested, probably since I first saw this book at the bookstore where I work.  Not sure if I need to keep this specific book on my TBR list.  I mean, I can always just do some research online through databases, etc.

Verdict:  Toss

3.  Believing (Lily Dale #2) by Wendy Corsi Staub: 

After her tumultuous summer in Lily Dale, Calla has decided to stay, hoping to unearth more about her mother’s untimely death.  As she starts school at Lily Dale High and begins to explore her relationships with Jacy and Blue, her visions begin to occur with greater urgency. There may be a killer on the loose, and he may be after Calla for her role in solving his first victim’s disappearance.  Now that Calla believes in her ability, can she learn to use it properly before it leads her into more danger? 

In this thrilling sequel to Lily Dale: Awakening, readers will find an even larger dose of mystery, suspense, and romance that will keep them coming back to Lily Dale.

My thoughts:  Now, unlike the NF book listed above, this is a series that I've read the first book, and do want to read on.  I feel it isn't that well-known, so I'll probably forget if I don't keep it on the list.

Verdict: Keep

 

4.  Max (Maximum Ride #5) by James Patterson:

Maximum Ride and the rest of the Flock have barely recovered from their last arctic adventure when they are confronted by their most frightening challenge yet.
Someone-or something-is decimating ships and sea life off Hawaii's coast, and Max and her flock find themselves sucked into the Navy's top-secret investigation of the catastrophe. Their objective: Rescue Max's activist mom from a wicked subterranean enemy. The hitch: They must dive deep into dark waters, where gruesome evil dwells . . . and for high-flying Maximum Ride, could there be anything more terrifying than being trapped in the great abyss? 
With high-flying thrills, this soaring adventure takes Maximum Ride and the Flock into terrifying new territory-fans, hold your breath!     

My thoughts:  Well, this is a well-known series, and while I feel like maybe some day I'll want to finish it, I don't think I need to keep this on my TBR list.  You know what, I feel like this would be a good tv show.  Someone tell someone who can get that going.

Verdict: Toss  


5.  The Boleyn Inheritance by Philippa Gregory:

Three Women Who Share One Fate: The Boleyn Inheritance

Anne of Cleves 
She runs from her tiny country, her hateful mother, and her abusive brother to a throne whose last three occupants are dead. King Henry VIII, her new husband, instantly dislikes her. Without friends, family, or even an understanding of the language being spoken around her, she must literally save her neck in a court ruled by a deadly game of politics and the terror of an unpredictable and vengeful king. Her Boleyn Inheritance: accusations and false witnesses.

Katherine Howard
She catches the king's eye within moments of arriving at court, setting in motion the dreadful machine of politics, intrigue, and treason that she does not understand. She only knows that she is beautiful, that men desire her, that she is young and in love -- but not with the diseased old man who made her queen, beds her night after night, and killed her cousin Anne. Her Boleyn Inheritance: the threat of the axe.

Jane Rochford
She is the Boleyn girl whose testimony sent her husband and sister-in-law to their deaths. She is the trusted friend of two threatened queens, the perfectly loyal spy for her uncle, the Duke of Norfolk, and a canny survivor in the murderous court of a most dangerous king. Throughout Europe, her name is a byword for malice, jealousy, and twisted lust. Her Boleyn Inheritance: a fortune and a title, in exchange for her soul.

The Boleyn Inheritance is a novel drawn tight as a lute string about a court ruled by the gallows and three women whose positions brought them wealth, admiration, and power as well as deceit, betrayal, and terror. Once again, Philippa Gregory has brought a vanished world to life - the whisper of a silk skirt on a stone stair, the yellow glow of candlelight illuminating a hastily written note, the murmurs of the crowd gathering on Tower Green below the newly built scaffold. In The Boleyn Inheritance, Gregory is at her intelligent and page-turning best.  

My thoughts:  I became more interested in all of this story when the movie came out based on the book before this by this author, The Other Boleyn Girl.  I read that book and then saw the movie and loved them both.  This is another popular author.  So it is hard for me to decide if I should keep this on my list or not.  Hmmm.

Verdict:  Toss 


6.  Drink, Play, F@#k:  One Man's Search for Anything Across Ireland, Las Vegas, and Thailand by Andrew Gottlieb:

In Drink, Play, F@#k Bob Sullivan, a jilted husband, sets off to explore the world, experience a meaningful connection with the divine, and rediscover his passion. 
His travels lead him from his home in New York City to a drinking bender across Ireland, through the glitz and glamour that is Las Vegas, and to the hedonistic pleasure palaces of Thailand. 
After a lifetime of playing it safe, Mr. Sullivan finally follows his heart and lives out everyone's deepest fantasies. For who among us hasn't dreamed of standing stark naked, head upturned, and mouth agape beneath a cascading torrent of Guinness Stout? 
What could be more exhilarating than losing every penny you have because Charlie Weiss went for a meaningless last-second field goal? And what sensate creature could ever doubt that the greatest pleasure known to man can be found in a leaky bamboo shack filled with glassy-eyed, bruised Asian hookers? 
Bob Sullivan has a lot to teach us about life. Let's just pray we have the wisdom to put aside our preconceptions and listen. Because what Bob Sullivan finds isn't at all what he expected.  

My thoughts:  I'm sure I added this based on reading and enjoying the book this title is a play off of, Eat, Pray, Love.  However, I'm pretty sure now that I have no desire to read this.

Verdict:  Toss 


7-8.  The Judas Strain  and The Last Oracle (Sigma Force #4 and #5) by James Rollins:

New York Times bestselling author James Rollins returns with a terrifying story of an ancient menace reborn to plague the modern world . . . and of an impossible hope that lies hidden in the most shocking place imaginable: within the language of angels.

ju·das strain, n. A scientific term for an organism that drives an entire species to extinction.

From the depths of the Indian Ocean, a horrific plague has arisen to devastate humankind--a disease that's unknown, unstoppable . . . and deadly. But it is merely a harbinger of the doom that is to follow. Aboard a cruise liner transformed into a makeshift hospital, Dr. Lisa Cummings and Monk Kokkalis--operatives of SIGMA Force--search for answers to the bizarre affliction. But there are others with far less altruistic intentions. In a savage and sudden coup, terrorists hijack the vessel, turning a mercy ship into a floating bio-weapons lab.

A world away, SIGMA's Commander Gray Pierce thwarts the murderous schemes of a beautiful would-be killer who holds the first clue to the discovery of a possible cure. Pierce joins forces with the woman who wanted him dead, and together they embark upon an astonishing quest following the trail of the most fabled explorer in history: Marco Polo. But time is an enemy as a worldwide pandemic grows rapidly out of control. As a relentless madman dogs their every step, Gray and his unlikely ally are being pulled into an astonishing mystery buried deep in antiquity and in humanity's genetic code. And as the seconds tick closer to doomsday, Gray Pierce will realize he can truly trust no one, for any one of them could be . . . a Judas.

In Washington, D.C., a homeless man dies in Commander Gray Pierce's arms, shot by an assassin's bullet. But the death leaves behind a greater mystery: a bloody coin found clutched in the dead man's hand, an ancient relic that can be traced back to the Greek Oracle of Delphi. As ruthless hunters search for the stolen artifact, Gray Pierce discovers that the coin is the key to unlocking a plot that dates back to the Cold War and threatens the very foundation of humanity.

An international think tank of scientists known as the Jasons has discovered a way to bioengineer autistic children who show savant talents -- mathematical geniuses, statistical masterminds, brilliant conceptual artists -- into something far greater and far more "frightening," in hopes of creating a world prophet for the new millennium, one to be manipulated to create a new era of global peace... a peace on their own terms.

Halfway around the world, a man wakes up in a hospital bed with no memory of who he is, knowing only that he's a prisoner in a subterranean research facility. With the help of three unusual children, he makes his escape across a mountainous and radioactive countryside, pursued by savage hunters bred in the same laboratory. But his goal is not escape, nor even survival. In order to thwart a plot to wipe out a quarter of the world's population, he must sacrifice all, even the children who rescued him.

From ancient Greek temples to glittering mausoleums, from the slums of India to the toxic ruins of Russia, two men must race against time to solve a mystery that dates back to the first famous oracle of history -- the Greek Oracle of Delphi.

But one question remains: "Will the past be enough to save the future?"

 My thoughts:  So, James Rollins used to be an auto-buy author for me.  I devoured all of his books.  I did like the first three in this series.  However, I have since gotten to where I have trouble getting through this type of story.  Some day, I may be in the mood to try these again.  However, I don't think I need to keep them on my TBR list, I'll always know he's one of my favorite authors.

Verdict:  Toss both



9.  The Last Single Woman in America by Cindy Guidry:

The funniest, freshest essayist since David Sedaris, Cindy Guidry examines American culture and present-day gender relations in all their confusing, heartbreaking, and hilarious glory. 

After losing both her job and a potential husband, Cindy sets off to figure out why on earth she's so happy and soon must combat an onslaught of unsolicited advice from her mother, her 'have it all' friends, and a Yoda-like waxing lady, and the guy next door. Making pit stops along the way to ponder everything from the satanic origins of the Internet to her disturbing discovery that men are the new women, Cindy ultimately finds inspiration in her CD collection and renewed hope via a love letter from an Indian gas station attendant. 

Cindy Guidry is a self-aware woman with a razor-sharp wit, and in The Last Single Woman in America she takes us on an outrageously funny romp through her own unique mind, uncovering universal truths along the way.  

My thoughts:  Well, I don't remember this one, but as I feel like it's closer and closer to me being the last single woman, I feel that this may still be one I want to read.

Verdict:  Keep 



10.  Thanks for Coming:  One Young Woman's Quest for an Orgasm by Mara Altman:

By turns uproarious and touching, the memoir of a young woman's search for an orgasm—and for the elusive connections between sex and love

Twenty-six-year-old Mara Altman wanted to know what all the screaming was about. She'd lost her virginity at seventeen; grown up in southern California with sexually free parents; had lovers in India, Burma, and Peru; and spent a year in Bangkok observing all manner of depravity. And yet she was an attractive, successful, single woman in New York who'd never had an orgasm.

And so she embarked on a wildly funny, emotionally resonant odyssey—a journey both inside and outside herself—only to discover that, for Mara, orgasm was connected to a part of her that no vibrator could reach. Thanks for Coming is one woman's look at our obsession with and anxiety over the female orgasm. Her quest to get her own yields poignant results that will surprise even the sexually awakened among us. From sex shows to sex conventions, from a therapist's couch to her own couch, from the bedroom to the bar, Mara Altman proves to be a guide as hilarious as she is investigative.  
My thoughts:  Okay, so the next few books you'll probably see on my lists will be a similar subject.  I think I was reading something like this and searched for similar titles.  This one still sounds like I might want to read it some day.  Might even be helpful with the romance novels I've been writing.

Verdict:  Keep 



I did pretty well this week, only keeping 3!  Have you read any of the books above?   

Now, to help with my physical TBR shelf, check out the giveaway below!

Giveaway:
Once again this is a US only giveaway, unless you are International and see a book here you really want and would be willing to pay for the difference in the shipping through Paypal or some other way.  Just as with the past weeks, you get to pick any book from the pictures below, as long as they don't get traded away, or picked by last week's winner, and I will pick a surprise book from the piles to add to your choice.  Here are your choices:  

Above are the 2018 ARCs I have for trade.

These are my 2017 ARCs.

The books in the picture above are from 2013-2016.

There are your choices!  Just fill in the Rafflecopter below to enter!

  a Rafflecopter giveaway

Cleaning Up My TBR: Down the TBR Hole #5 with Giveaway

This meme was started by Lost in a Story.  Here is how it works:

• Go to your goodreads to-read shelf.
• Order on ascending date added.
• Take the first 5 (or 10 if you’re feeling adventurous) books
• Read the synopses of the books
• Decide: keep it or should it go?

Because I have so many to do, I'm going to try to do this weekly, and do 10 at a time.


1.  The Continuity Girl by Leah McLaren:

Meredith Moore: reluctant daughter, devoted friend, flawless continuity girl, raging sperm bandit.

Meredith Moore is the perfect continuity girl. An on-set film script supervisor, it is her job to make sure every frame of the picture is consistent with the one before. She is the error catcher. The needle-in-the-haystack finder. A cigarette in the left hand when it should be in the right, a prematurely melted ice cube in a half-empty glass of Scotch, a stray lock of an actor’s hair—these are the details by which she measures out her life.

But when Meredith wakes up on the morning of her 35th birthday yearning for a baby, her personal sense of continuity is thrown into flux. Determined not to marry, she impulsively flees to London to reunite with her eccentric single mother and accept a new job on a well-known producer’s film set. Her covert plan: to become a Sperm Bandit and find an unsuspecting donor to father her child.

Navigating London’s murky social waters, Meredith is thrown into a strange new story, one that quickly spins out of control. In her quest to get pregnant on her own terms, she will accidentally uncover a web of secrets that will change the way she envisions both her working life and the nature of love.

My thoughts:  
Hmm, this sounds like one I might still enjoy.  Haven't seen it around a lot lately.  Afraid if I take if off the list I won't remember it.

Verdict:  Keep


2.  The Second Assistant:  A Tale from the Bottom of the Hollywood Ladder (Lizzie Miller #1) by Clare Naylor and Mimi Hare:

A fast-paced, breezy read about life at the bottom of the Hollywood food chain

No political science degree could ever prepare Elizabeth Miller for her new job as a second assistant at The Agency, whose clients include everyone you’ve never met—but you know who they’re sleeping with. A former congressional intern in Washington, Lizzie made a bid for a life change that landed her a job a world away, where ethics and First Amendment debates take a backseat to pleading the Fifth for Ritalin-snorting boss Scott Wagner. He’s the hottest young agent in Hollywood, who devotes his days to playing online poker—that is, when he’s not closing a $30 million deal for one of his AAA-list clients. And while getting six-hundred-dollar highlights from Cameron’s colorist or organizing the strippers for George’s birthday party come close to causing heart failure for this East Coast girl, the real dangers lurk elsewhere. 

But Lizzie is a  survivor, and no Machiavellian assistant, lecherous producer, or power struggle at The Agency can douse her nascent dreams of climbing up the Hollywood ladder. But first she has to run down to the Coffee Bean to pick up that triple espresso, or Scott is going to throw something.... 

My thoughts:
I talked about book 2 last week, not sure why that was put on my list before book 1.  Weird.  Since I own a copy of this, I'll keep it on the list.

Verdict:  Keep 


3.  The Goddess Rules by Clare Naylor:

Here’s the delightful new novel from Clare Naylor, whose sleeper hit Dog Handling was one of Cosmopolitan’s Best Beach Reads for 2002. Fresh and fun, The Goddess Rules is an outrageous, wry, and razor-sharp portrait of a girl who thinks her life is just fine–until she meets a woman who swears by the belief that life is meant to be fabulous. 
When obsessed pet owners have pooches or kitties they want immortalized on canvas, Kate Disney is the artist of choice. From her shed (which doubles as a studio and apartment) in London’s Primrose Hill, Kate caters to the whims of the rich and famous while herself living a decidedly bohemian existence. The problem is, she has a tendency to cater to her on-again, way-off-again boyfriend as well. Jake is so erratic, that most of her friends don’t understand why she even bothers. But it’s hard to fall out of love with a man who writes her songs and calls her “Angel”–even if he disappears for weeks at a time. 

Luckily for Kate, Mirabelle Moncur isn’t buying any of that claptrap. Mirri was an actress, a legend in her time. Now, at age sixty, she’s given up on fame and men and lives in Africa, where she raises lion cubs. But her reclusive nature has done nothing to dull her beauty, mar her incredible figure, or dampen her outrageous joie de vivre.

After sweeping into London to have Kate paint a portrait of her favorite cub, Mirri seizes hold of Kate’s life–from the baggy wardrobe to the hopeless taste in men. Under Mirri’s tutelage, Kate learns to dance on tables with abandon, drink like a dockworker, and flirt like a goddess. And when her old friend Louis reenters the picture, she begins to see things in a whole new light. But Mirri has secrets that hint at a less than divine future. Now it’s Kate’s turn to teach Mirri a thing or two about life, love, and being fabulous.
 
My thoughts:
I guess I probably added this one because the author is one from the last book I have on the list.  That is something I tend to do, go add authors that I've either read one book by, or ones that sound good.  This one sounds like a bit more of women's fiction as opposed to the chick lit I used to like or the romance I'm into now. 

Verdict:  Toss


4.  Everything Nice by Ellen Shanman:

Super-slick, super-independent, Michaela "Mike" Edwards is a lady going places. Or so she thinks. Once unexpectedly fired, her career as a young advertising hot-shot is over just like that. Before long she's doing the unimaginable: moving back in with her widowed father to help make those pesky ends meet - it's clear she needs to rethink her life. Maybe she should start with trying to unravel those complicated feelings she's been having about her best guy pal, Aussie journalist Gunther...?

A few wrenching twists of fate later and Michaela has a new job and a reinvention she never expected. But there are more surprises to come. It seems fate won't be finished with her until she finally realises going places in life doesn't always have to mean going it alone...  

My thoughts:
I don't remember this one being added.  But it does sound like one I would still enjoy reading some day. Again, it's not a big name author, so I'd hate to delete it and forget about it.

Verdict:  Keep


5.  The Wedding Girl by Madeleine Wickham:

At the age of eighteen, in that first golden Oxford summer, Milly was up for anything. Rupert and his American lover, Allan, were an important part of her new, exciting life, so when Rupert suggested to her that she and Allan should get married to keep Allan in the country, Milly didn't hesitate.

Ten years later, Milly is a very different person and engaged to Simon—who is wealthy, serious, and believes her to be perfect. Milly's secret history is locked away so securely she has almost persuaded herself that it doesn't exist—until, only four days before her elaborate wedding. To have and to hold takes on a whole new meaning when one bride's past catches up with her and bring the present crashing down.

With her trademark style of keen insight, and razor sharp wit, Madeleine Wickham introduces her fanatical fan-base, plus a host of new readers to a fresh and irresistible heroine in The Wedding Girl.   

My thoughts:
So, this is Sophie Kinsella's other name she writes under, and this is definitely one that sounds good still.  So I think I'll keep it on my TBR because I really don't want to forget this is one I want to read, because some of the others she's written under this name are ones I'm not interested in.

Verdict:  Keep 


6.  Impossible by Nancy Werlin:

Lucy is seventeen when she discovers that she is the latest recipient of a generations-old family curse that requires her to complete three seemingly impossible tasks or risk falling into madness and passing the curse on to the next generation. Unlike her ancestors, though, Lucy has family, friends, and other modern resources to help her out. But will it be enough to conquer this age-old evil? 

A beautifully wrought modern fairy tale from master storyteller and award-winning author Nancy Werlin. Inspired by the classic folk ballad "Scarborough Fair," this is a wonderfully riveting and haunting novel of suspense, romance, and fantasy.  

My thoughts:
Gah!  Most of my books I'm looking at this week are ones that I think I want to keep on the list!  This one definitely sounds like one I want to read some time.

Verdict:  Keep



7.  The Lives and Loves of Daisy and Violet Hilton:  A True Story of Contioned Twins by Dean Jensen:

The true rags-to-riches-to-rags tale of conjoined twins--their journey from freak-show notoriety to vaudeville stardom to movie celebrity, and their heart-wrenching descent back into poverty.

A richly detailed account of the romantic adventures of these attractive and accomplished young women who were at the epicenter of one of the most celebrated sex scandals of 1930.

Chronicles the hurly-burly history of American entertainment from the turn of the 20th century through the 1950s. 

Illustrated throughout with rare black-and-white photographs.  

My thoughts:
This is one that is a topic I'm always curious about.  I think it is something that some day I will want to read.

Verdict:  Keep


8.  A Hopeless Romantic by Harriet Evans:

From the bestselling author of Going Home, which Sophie Kinsella hailed as “fabulous,” comes a novel sure to touch and delight anyone who believes in love.

Laura Foster is a hopeless romantic. Her friends know it, her parents know it—even Laura acknowledges she lives either with her head in the clouds or buried in a romance novel. It’s proved harmless enough, even if it hasn’t delivered her a real-life dashing hero yet. But when her latest relationship ends in a disaster that costs her friendships, her job, and nearly her sanity, Laura swears off men and hopeless romantic fantasies for good.

With her life in tatters around her, Laura agrees to go on vacation with her parents. After a few days of visiting craft shops and touring the stately homes of England, Laura is ready to tear her hair out. And then, while visiting grand Chartley Hall, she crosses paths with Nick, the sexy, rugged estate manager. She finds she shares more than a sense of humor with him—in fact, she starts to think she could fall for him. But is Nick all he seems? Or has Laura got it wrong again? Will she open her heart only to have it broken again?  

My thoughts:
This definitely sounds like one I'd still be interested in reading at some time.

Verdict:  Keep



9.  Shelf Monkey by Corey Redekop:

Thomas Friesen has three goals in life. Get a job. Make friends. Find a good book to curl up with. After landing a job at READ, the newest hypermegabookstore, he feels he may have accomplished all three.All is not peaceable within the stacks, however. Discontent is steadily rising, and it is aimed squarely at Munroe Purvis, a talk show host whose wildly popular book club is progressively lowering the I.Q. of North America.But the bookworms have a plan. Plots are being hatched. The destruction of Munroe is all but assured. And as Thomas finds himself swept along in the maëlstrom of insanity, he wonders if reading a book is all it’s cracked up to be.If you’ve ever thrown a book against a wall in disgust; if you’ve ever loved a novel that no one else can stand; if you obsess over the proper use of punctuation; this may be the novel for you. A weirdly funny story about bookish addictions, Shelf Monkey is the ideal novel for anyone who loves good books. Or hates them.  

My thoughts:  So, I think I chose this one because of the character working at a bookstore, like I do.  However, it just doesn't appeal to me anymore really.

Verdict:  Toss



10.  The Lake House (When the Wind Blows #2) by James Patterson:

The memorable story begun in When the Wind Blows continues in this thrilling novel, and it's one that really soars! Frannie O'Neil, a Colorado veterinarian, knows a terrible secret that will change the history of the world. Kit Harrison, an FBI agent under suspension has seen things that no one in his right mind would believe. A twelve-year-old girl named Max and five other incredible children have powers we can only dream of. These children can fly. And the only place they will be safe is the Lake House. Or so they believe...   

My thoughts:  
So, I read the first book and liked it.  However since this is a big name author, and big series, I think it's one I don't need to keep on my list on Goodreads.

Verdict:  Toss



Only getting rid of 3 books this week.  Have you read any of these?  What do you think about my choices to keep or toss?  


Giveaway:
 Last week I did this giveaway on Sunday, but then I got to thinking, it kind of goes with cleaning my TBR off.  While this blog post is for what is on Goodreads list, this giveaway will help me clear off my actual shelves.  So, I think once a week, whenever I do this post, I'm going to give away a couple books from my Books for Trade pile.  The picture below is what I currently have, although between this post and next Friday, the ending day, that may change by one or two. But I'll let the winner know when I email them.  You will get to pick one book, and I will add one other one of my choice to mail to you.  Unfortunately this is going to be US only giveaway.  :-(  I can't figure out how to do international without spending a ton on postage.  I mean if you really wanted the books, I guess you could send me the money through Paypal to cover the difference between shipping in the US and International.  But otherwise, I can't afford to do it.  Here are the books:

 

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