Cleaning Up My TBR with a Giveaway: Down the TBR Hole #9

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 Pact (Rachel Benjamin #1) by Jennifer Sturman:

A mystery for anyone who has ever hated a friend's boyfriend...

Rachel Benjamin and her friends aren't looking forward to Emma's wedding. The groom is a rat, and nobody can understand what Emma sees in him. So when he turns up dead on the morning of the ceremony, no one in the wedding party is all that upset. Not even Emma.

Rachel, who had the good fortune to find Richard floating facedown in the pool, is feeling as if she's woken up in an Agatha Christie novel. It doesn't help that everyone around her seems to have a motive for murder. So, while the cops detain Emma's family and friends at her isolated Adirondacks compound for the weekend, Rachel, an investment banker by trade, makes like Miss Marple (minus the gray hair and sensible shoes) and does some digging of her own.

Her investigation gets especially tricky when Peter Forrest, the too-good-to-be-true best man, turns out to be both her number-one love interest and her number-one suspect. And Rachel can't help remembering the solemn pact she and her friends made back in college -- a promise to rescue each other from bad relationships, using any means required. Has someone taken the pact too far? 

My thoughts:
This one came about probably because it is part of the Red Dress Ink publishing series that I was going crazy over for a while.  I honestly don't always get too much into mysteries, and while I think t his sounds like it could be a hilarious movie, I don't know that it's one I'd search out to read again.  Actually, I notice that the next book on my TBR list is the 3rd book in this series, so it seems as if I read the 2nd book.  As I only gave that one three stars, I'm going to drop the next one too.

Verdict: Toss 


2.  And Then Everything Unraveled (Delia Truesdale #1) by Jennifer Sturman:

First there was a disappearance. 
Then there was a clue.
Then there was a kiss. 
And then...

Delia Truesdale has no idea her life's about to change forever. She's too busy enjoying the California summer. Her Internet tycoon mother, T.K. Truesdale, is out of town, and that means Delia can spend all her time at the beach, surfing.

That is, until everything unravels.

Her mother suddenly goes missing, and everyone thinks she's dead—except Delia, who knows T.K.'s way too organized to simply disappear. But Delia's still sent to New York to live with her two aunts—a downtown bohemian and an uptown ice queen. And in case that's not bad enough, she also has to deal with a snooty new school and trying not to fall for the wrong guy. Oh, and finding her mother.

As she delves deeper into the tangle of conspiracies and lies surrounding T.K.'s disappearance, Delia begins to suspect that the wrong guy may be the right guy... and that some secrets—especially the dangerous ones—were never meant to be unraveled.   

My thoughts:
Okay, another book by the same author as above. Since I have already read one by this author, I think I can go ahead and take these extras off and if I ever feel the need to try her again, she is listed.

Verdict:  Toss


3.  4 books by Jody Gehrman:

Geena can't wait to spend summer vacation with her two best girls: her friend Amber and her cousin Hero. All three are working at the Triple Shot Betty coffee shop together, but the moment Amber and Hero meet, the claws come out. They hate each other on sight. Geena's dream of a girl-bonding summer flies out of the window, and then threaten to disappear completely when a few cute (okay, drop-dead gorgeous) guys come along to woo the Bettys. But all is not what it seems, and in a story of mistaken identities, crazy summer high jinks, and enough romance to make Shakespeare proud, Geena and her friends learn that when Bettys unite, they can take on the most powerful force in their world: a hot guy.  

My thoughts:  Another author I read a book by and so decided to add all her other ones to my Goodreads TBR.  Since I only gave that one 3 stars, I'll probably just delete all the others I list below.

Geena is freaking out. She's been going out with Ben for five months, their relationship is comfortable and perfect, and then Bam! he's suddenly putting the pressure on to be way more physical. She's not sure she's ready. 
Enter Mr. Rex Sands, Geena's delectably hot and brilliant English substitute teacher (he speaks to her soul!), on whom her best friend Amber develops an immediate crush when he stops by the Triple Shot Betty coffee shack. Amber needs Geena's help talking to him because he is such an intellectual, so Geena finds herself writing love notes, MySpace messages, and texts to Mr. Sands under Amber's name. And he writes back! Geena is just doing it all for Amber (sort of), so it's not technically cheating on Ben . . . right? 
In this romantic and playful update of Cyrano de Bergerac, Jody Gehrman reintroduces readers to Geena, Amber, and the Sonoma gang as they walk the rocky and confusing path toward true love.   

My thoughts: Sequel to the book above.  Probably won't read unless I read that one.  Although, I LOVE this cover.

London aristocrat Mia Clementine does
gorgeous for a living. Her cousin's etiquette
firm, The Inner Gentleman, works small
miracles on rough-around-the-edges
superstars, and Mia is their most sought-after
stylist. But selfish, overpaid soccer player
Josh Watkins? He's in a league of his own.

And thanks to her rep, his team wants Mia to wave
her magic wand and turn their celebrated player—and we do
mean player—into a changed man before his next charity gig.

That means: * No more fighting. * No more swearing. * No more "allegedly" shagging a page-three girl at a casino restaurant. 

But just when Mia thinks Josh is kicking his old habits, he turns the
game around. Suddenly, Mia's looking for meaning in her society-page
existence. Sure, she's an expert in pushing the posh life, but maybe
it's time to not play by the rules.…  

My thoughts:  A lot of this publisher seems to be set in England, and that is sometimes harder to read for me than the American settings, you know, relating to things and all that.

Twenty-five-year-old Anna–restless, famished and emotionally numb–is following the long-cold trail of her father, a celebrated luthier, whose death has always haunted her.

She's tracked his former business partner to a sailboat on Bellingham Bay, determined to pry from the old man the secrets of their guitarmaking trade, and maybe a few answers about her father.

Anna catches an echo of her musical father in Arlan, guitar player for a local band. Soon she's living on his sofa, hanging out with his girlfriend–having friends for the first time, even. And if Anna's new friends do drugs, read her journal and leave open a few too many bedroom doors, who's to say they aren't real friends? And if Anna has feelings for Arlan, who's to say where her loyalty lies?

During a single summer's worth of days, gin-soaked and colored with longing, Anna rediscovers her senses, shut down since her father's death, and finds that the only way to get free of her past is to embrace it.

My thoughts:  This one doesn't even sound that great to me.  So, probably a no-brainer for getting rid of.

Verdict: Toss all 4 above!


4.  3 books by Valerie Frankel:

"Val Frankel is a woman of amazing insight. . . . Read this, weep, and heal."

--Stacy London, cohost of "What Not to Wear"

You've heard the phrase "the mirror is not your friend." For Valerie Frankel, the mirror was so much more than "not a friend." It was the mean girl who stole her lunch money, bitch-slapped her in the ladies' room, and cut the hair off her Barbie.

"If you're like 99.9 percent of women, the war you wage with yourself over your body image begins at the ripe age of eight, and the skirmishes are fought for the next eight decades. Sometimes you don't even know when you've won. (How many of us have taken out a photo from high school and thought, "Hey! I looked great--why didn't I know it?") This book is for anyone who has spent most of her life on--or thinking about being on--a diet. It's for anyone who ever wished for candlelight in dressing rooms. It's for anyone who has ever owned a pair of "fat pants." In short, this book is for anyone who ever felt good or bad about themselves based on how they look. "

Valerie Frankel, like most women, has spent most of her conscious life on a diet, thinking about a diet, ignoring a diet, or failing on a diet. At age eleven, her mother put Val on her first weight-loss program. As a teen, she was enrolled in Weight Watchers (for which she invented creative ditching methods). As a young woman, her world felt right only when she was able to zip a certain pair of jeans. Not wanting to pass this legacy on to her own daughters, Valerie set out to cleanse herself of her obsession. "Thin Is the New Happy" is the true story of one woman's quest to exorcise her bad body-image demons, to uncover the truths behind what put them there, and to learn how to truly love herself. It's a poignant, hilarious, and all-out honest account of one woman's struggle with body image--the filter through which she's always seen the world--and the way she ultimately overcame it.  

My thoughts:  Now, honestly, I could swear I've already read this one!  But since it is not showing that way for  now, I will probably actually keep it. 

Adora's place in the pecking order of her posh high school is decidedly on the fringe: Pretty but not beautiful, comfortable but not rich, popular but not the ruling class. But for her latest social studies project (and to exact a little old-fashioned revenge), she decides to put what she's learned about political revolutions to good use.With the help of her friends, Adora stages her very own uprising. And guess what? Victory is hers! Before she knows it, the snotty cool kids have been overthrown-and suddenly Adora is the leader, reveling in her newfound power and popularity. 
But a few unexpected events are about to trip up the new order-and Adora's noticing that sometimes it can be lonely at the top. 

My thoughts:  This one was probably added because I'd read several books by this author and enjoyed them for the most part.  However this one doesn't sound like it is one I'd necessarily go back and look for later.

Here comes the bride . . . there goes the groom.

Penny Bracket waited two years to marry dream man Bram Shiraz. Then on the morning of the Big Day, while she's trying on her veil, Penny receives the worst two-line letter of her life: "Penny, I can't go through with it. Sorry, Bram."

Penny's hurt and upset. But Esther, Penny's divorced mom, wants Bram's head on a platter. So Mom ambushes the cold-footed coward before he hot-foots it out of town, bonks him on the head with a champagne bottle, and spirits him away to a hidden room in her gargantuan mansion in Short Hares, New Jersey. Esther doesn't want much. All Bram has to do is write personal, heartfelt apologies to each of the two hundred disappointed wedding guests . . . and eat every mouthful of the very expensive gourmet wedding feast that has gone to waste. Then he'll be free to leave.

Penny doesn't want Bram tortured. She just wants answers to "why" . . . and maybe a little revenge. Will she discover her runaway groom is locked away in the attic? Will Bram's widowed father—handsome tough-guy Keith Shiraz—be able to locate his missing son . . . and maybe seduce Esther Bracket in the bargain? Will Bram be able to maintain his athletic figure after consuming two hundred entrées and thousands of baby quiches? Read on! 

My thoughts:  Sounds original, maybe could be a fun movie, but probably not one I'll read.

Verdict:  Keep the first one, toss the other two.


5.  Miss Match by Leslie Carroll:

For drama teacher Kathryn Lamb, being thirty-five and single means an endless run on the dating wheel. Everyone from her happily married sister to her meddling neighbor thinks it’s time for Kitty to take drastic action to find herself a wonderful man. So she enrolls in New York’s premier matchmaking service, which guarantees five potential mates or her money back. And if Walker Hart, the gorgeous entrepreneur of the company, is any example of the men who will be parading to her apartment, then Kitty will definitely be a satisfied customer. 

But as each promising encounter turns into a disaster, Kitty realizes that the only guy who has captured her romantic heart is the one who doesn’t believe in happily ever after. Sexy and sassy, Miss Match is a hilarious first novel that delves into the anxieties of the mating game, where every now and then one has to bend the rules. . . .   

My thoughts:  Well, this one sounds perfect for me. While the main character is about 10 years younger than I am, she seems to be in the same situation as someone of my age. It sounds like one I might want to read some day.

Verdict:  Keep



6.  Monkey Star by Brenda Scott Royce:

When Holly Heckerling heads to Hollywood to work as an animal trainer on a big-budget movie, she finds herself fantasizing about leaving New York behind for good. But she's reluctant to say goodbye to her boyfriend, Tom, or Tallullah, the monkey who stole her heart during a pet-sitting assignment. 

And while she's in her element wrangling chimpanzees, ferrets, and snakes, she isn't sure how to handle the A-list actor who's following her around like a lovesick puppy. Soon she realizes her real decision isn't where to live, but to whom she should give her heart.  

My thoughts:  Okay, I remember really liking the other book I read by this author, which this is kind of a sequel to. So I think I probably want to keep this in mind for some day reading.

Verdict:  Keep




7.  2 books by Scott Sigler:

Deep below a desolate Utah mountain lies the largest platinum deposit ever discovered. A billion-dollar find, it waits for any company that can drill a world's record, three-mile-deep mine shaft. EarthCore is the company with the technology, the resources and the guts to go after the mother lode. Young executive Connell Kirkland is the company's driving force, pushing himself and those around him to uncover the massive treasure.

But at three miles below the surface, where the rocks are so hot they burn bare skin, something has been waiting for centuries. Waiting ...and guarding. Kirkland and EarthCore are about to find out first-hand why this treasure has never been unearthed.

My thoughts: This is another instance where I found an author that I enjoyed a book by and decided to add all their books on Goodreads.  Not sure this one is actually one I'll want to read.

On a remote island in Lake Superior, scientists struggle to solve the problem of xenotransplantation -- using animal tissue to replace failing human organs. Funded by the biotech firm Genada, Dr. Claus Rhumkorrf seeks to recreate the ancestor of all mammals.

By getting back to the root of our creation, Rhumkorrf hopes to create an animal with human internal organs. Rhumkorrf discovers the ancestor, but it is not the small, harmless creature he envisions. His genius gives birth to a fast-growing evil that nature eradicated 250 million years ago — an evil now on the loose, and very, very hungry.

My thoughts:  Again, same situation as above.  This one however, sounds like something I might enjoy at some future point.

 Verdict:  Toss first one, keep second one. 

8.  2 books by Jill Winters:

Just as artist Belinda "Billy" Cabot settles into her new job--decorating cakes at a charming Boston bakery--her ex-boyfriend, Seth Lannigan, walks through the door...and events conspire to turn her life upside down. The last thing she needs is to fall for Seth again. And she really doesn't need a cantankerous fisherman named Ted--who has a mysterious connection to Billy's family--dropping dead at the annual dessert jubilee, catered by the bakery. With Seth's brief return home, Billy must battle the sizzling attraction that still exists between them. But, as danger closes in on her, she must also ask his help...   

My thoughts:  Not sure on this one, doesn't really grab me.  

Reese Brock—PhD student, part-time bookstore clerk, and soon-to-be bridesmaid in her sister’s wedding—has a full plate as it is without her mom’s maddening wedding preparations and her dad’s daily tributes to Ben Franklin. Not to mention, the absent-minded professor who calls her constantly and expects her to ghostwrite his next book. The last thing Reese needs is to rekindle a spark with the best man in the wedding...or is that the first thing during her strangely comical winter vacation that makes complete sense? 

Brimming with wit and charm, Winters' second novel spent weeks on multiple Barnes & Noble bestseller lists. BLUSHING PINK is a sexy romantic comedy with a protagonist who is as sardonic as she is sweet.  

  My thoughts:  Another situation of adding books based on reading an author, or probably with this one it was because I'd bought her book.  I only rated that book by this author as 3 stars, so I'm guessing this isn't one I'll need to read.

Verdict:  Toss both



9.  Catch of the Day by Whitney Lyles, Cathie Linz, Beverly Brandt, and Pamela Clare:

Four all-new stories that show there's no place like a wedding to catch the perfect man. 

To go down the aisle or not to go down the aisle. Is that even a question? Well, it depends on whether you're the bride or just a bridesmaid-for the fifth straight time. Or whether an old flame is determined to wreck the wedding weekend. It's enough to make a girl say "I don't." Now, these brand-new stories about four matrimonially-challenged women demonstrate how one of life's best days can go so wrong-and still be sexy, hilarious, and deliciously right.  

My thoughts:  Well, I was a fan of the Whitney Lyles books that I had read, so this one sounds like there is a story by her that I should give a try.

Verdict:  Keep



10.  She, Myself and I by Whitney Gaskell:

The Cassel sisters have little in common besides a pair of wacky parents and a maddening knack for eluding happily-ever-after endings. But when their lives require damage control, only a dose of sisterhood will do.

Paige, the oldest, is a go-getter divorce attorney who’s reeling from her own disastrously failed marriage–and the fact that her ex has suddenly come roaring out of the closet with a cute boyfriend in tow. Middle sister Sophie is having trouble adjusting to life as a wife and expectant mom. With her doubts on the rise along with her weight, she’s ogling every available baked good–and every available man–that crosses her path. And up-and-coming medical student Mickey has a racy new plan for her future that’s sure to shock her entire family. It includes a dangerously handsome, decidedly married chef…private cooking lessons…and spicy lingerie. 

To top it all off, the parents who dragged them through the Divorce from Hell years ago are acting like teenagers in love…with each other! One by one, Paige, Sophie, and Mickey are about to learn just how good it is to have a sisterly shoulder–or two–to lean on.   

My thoughts:  As much as the idea of books about three sisters, since I have two sisters, might sound like they'd appeal to me, having characters that are married doesn't always help me relate to them, since none of us are married.  Even though I did like the books I read by this author.

Verdict: Toss


Final Thoughts:
 So, I tossed a lot of books this time!  Since I had several by the same authors that were similar types of books, it was easy to do more than 10 books total for this post.  I'm pretty proud of myself this week.  Have you read any of the books I've shown you above?  Any authors you'd seen before?  

Now on to getting rid of some of my physical books.  Just enter 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:  

These are the 2018 ARCs you can pick from.

These are my 2017 ARCs for you to pick from.

These are my 2013-2016 ARCs for you to pick from.

Just enter in the Rafflecopter below!


  a Rafflecopter giveaway

Cleaing Up My TBR: Down the TBR Hole #3

Guess I forgot to do one of these last week, it was a busy week! And this week isn't much better, but I had an open day on Saturday, so decided to go ahead and get this done.  Here is the scoop:

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.  So here we go!


1.  Learning to Play Gin (Cheating at Solitaire #2) by Ally Carter:

Julia James was on a winning streak. The hot self-help author of the single-girl's guide 101 Ways to Cheat at Solitaire had millions in the bank and a boyfriend on the Hollywood A-list. But when her books drop off the bestseller list and her famous boyfriend moves to L.A., Julia must discover how a woman who became famous for being single can win at a game made for two. 

My thoughts: 
So, I may be one of the only people who has never read any of Ally Carter's YA books.  However, the first book in this series, Cheating at Solitaire, was one I read during my first chick lit phase back in the early 2000s, and a favorite of mine.  So a sequel to it, one that is almost impossible to find, is definitely one I hope to read some day.

Verdict:  Keep




2.  Here Comes the Bride (Cate Padgett #2) and First Comes Love (Cate Padgett #3) by Whitney Lyles:

Cate Padgett was the bridesmaid, four times over, in Always the Bridesmaid. Now she's finally the blushing bride--for better, for worse...Cate couldn't wait for her own wedding so she could do it right, after all she'd learned from the mistakes her friends made before her. And Ethan was the perfect husband-to-be. If only something, anything, else was perfect...

First her engagement ring disappears. Then Ethan's ex-girlfriend shows up--and keeps showing up. Cate's mother has a stranglehold on the planning, Cate's on the verge of turning into bridezilla, and Ethan's meddling cousin is making Cate regret inviting her to join the wedding party. She wants to marry her one true love. But her special day is making her want to run the other way...  

In the latest from the author of Always the Bridesmaid, Cate and Ethan are happily married at last-but it looks like the honeymoon is over. 

Cate Padgett is no longer a permanent bridesmaid. Having found a love of her own with Ethan, she's enjoying newlywed bliss. Life is so much calmer now that the wedding mayhem has subsided. Just one problem: as the last of their friends to marry, Cate and Ethan are now the only ones who don't have a kid, aren't expecting a kid, and aren't even trying. There's not even a bump on the horizon. They were just cozying up to being a twosome, and now there's pressure to make it three. Those carefree bridesmaid days are starting to look good. 

My thoughts:
So, Whitney Lyles is another author I discovered and enjoyed reading in my early 2000s chick-lit phase.   Since I marked the first book in the series a 5 star read, you know that I really would like to finish the series and see how it all goes.   The other book I'd read by the author also was a 5 star read, so I definitely want to read the rest of this series.

Verdict:  Keep both

3.  Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott:

"Thirty years ago my older brother, who was ten years old at the time, was trying to get a report on birds written that he'd had three months to write. [It] was due the next day. We were out at our family cabin in Bolinas, and he was at the kitchen table close to tears, surrounded by binder paper and pencils and unopened books on birds, immobilized by the hugeness of the task ahead. Then my father sat down beside him, put his arm around my brother's shoulder, and said. 'Bird by bird, buddy. Just take it bird by bird.'"

With this basic instruction always in mind, Anne Lamott returns to offer us a new gift: a step-by-step guide on how to write and on how to manage the writer's life. From "Getting Started,' with "Short Assignments," through "Shitty First Drafts," "Character," "Plot," "Dialogue." all the way from "False Starts" to "How Do You Know When You're Done?" Lamott encourages, instructs, and inspires. She discusses "Writers Block," "Writing Groups," and "Publication." Bracingly honest, she is also one of the funniest people alive.

If you have ever wondered what it takes to be a writer, what it means to be a writer, what the contents of your school lunches said about what your parents were really like, this book is for you. From faith, love, and grace to pain, jealousy, and fear, Lamott insists that you keep your eyes open, and then shows you how to survive. And always, from the life of the artist she turns to the art of life.

My thoughts:

So, this is a book that everyone says you should read if you are going to write.  I do need to read it some day.  However I wonder if I need to keep it on a TBR list, as it will always be a well-known, well suggested book.  But, probably not one I should take off my list.

Verdict:  Keep

4.  Not Buying It:  My Year Without Shopping by Judith Levine:

Shocked by the commerce in everything from pet cloning to patriotism, frightened by the downward spiral of her finances and that of the trash-strewn earth, Judith Levine enlists her partner, Paul, in a radical experiment: to forgo all but the most necessary purchases for an entire year.

Without consumer goods and experiences, Judith and Paul pursue their careers, nurture relationships, and try to keep their sanity, their identities, and their sense of humor intact. Tracking their progress -- and inevitable lapses -- Levine contemplates need and desire, scarcity and security, consumerism and citizenship. She asks the Big Questions: Can the economy survive without shopping? Are Q-tips necessary?

Not Buying It is the confession of a woman any reader can identify with: someone who can't live without French roast coffee or SmartWool socks but who has had it up to here with overconsumption and its effects on the earth and everyone who dwells there.

For the humor and intelligence of its insights, the refreshment of its skepticism, and the surprises of its conclusions, Not Buying It is sure to be on anyone's list of Necessities.

My thoughts:

So, this one sounds like it might be a good read.  But, I just don't know that I have the time, or that I will ever want to not shop for a year.  Shopping, even window shopping or just at a Dollar Store, is often my stress relief.  So I'm guessing these days I wouldn't probably enjoy this as much.  

Verdict:  Toss

5.  Remind Me Again Why I Need a Man by Claudia Carroll:

Amelia Lockwood doesn't mean to sound greedy. With a fabulous career in television, a posh apartment, and four fiercely loyal and wickedly funny friends, she knows she should be counting her lucky stars. But as her thirties tick by at an alarming pace, Amelia is getting anxious about the one thing missing in her otherwise successful life--a husband!

If it's not too much to ask the universe, Amelia wants a husband not a boyfriend, not a lover, not even a mind-bending one-night fling but a wedding band and the Vera Wang gown of her dreams. When she sees an ad for a night course entitled How to Find a Husband over the Age of Thirty-five, she finally makes up her mind to have it all an old-fashioned ring on her finger by the end of the year. So after twenty years of going it on her own, Amelia swallows her pride, signs up for dating boot camp, and enlists the help of a professional.

Enter Ira Vandergelder a native New Yorker with a black belt in tongue-fu, a woman who's snappier than a crocodile handbag and more acidic than a chili finger dipped in your eye who trains the hopelessly romantic Amelia to apply business marketing principles to the world of dating, to become goal-driven and to pursue her dream husband in exactly the same way she'd pursue her dream job. Even if this involves tracking down all the men she's ever loved and lost before.

With the constant support and biting commentary of her tight foursome of friends, Amelia revisits her bumpy romantic past from the first love who dumped her during Live Aid to the most recent ex, officially dubbed he-who's-name-shall-forever-remain-unspoken. As Amelia recognizes that her future happiness can't wait for fate, she has to tackle lesson number one: If you can't learn from your past, how can you expect to move forward? 

Sharp, witty, and irresistibly funny, Remind Me Again Why I Need a Man cuts to the heart of every single man and woman out there. Claudia Carroll examines the rules of attraction in a sophisticated and refreshing way. This beautifully written novel will have your heart pounding until the final page. 

My thoughts:
So, this is another from my early 2000s chick-lit phase.  And at that time in my life, I was probably more centered around finding a husband and getting married.  I mean, that was when I was late 20s, early 30s.  These days I still would like to find the right man and get married, but I prefer romances where the woman isn't just out for that only and can enjoy the casual.  

Verdict:  Toss


6.  The Codex by Douglas Preston:

"Greetings from the dead," declares Maxwell Broadbent on the videotape he left behind after his mysterious disappearance. A notorious treasure hunter and tomb robber, Broadbent accumulated over a half a billion dollars' worth of priceless art, gems, and artifacts before vanishing---along with his entire collection---from his mansion in New Mexico.

At first, robbery is suspected, but the truth proves far stranger: As a final challenge to his three sons, Broadbent has buried himself and his treasure somewhere in the world, hidden away like an ancient Egyptian pharaoh. If the sons wish to claim their fabulous inheritance, they must find their father's carefully concealed tomb.

The race is on, but the three brothers are not the only ones competing for the treasure. This secret is so astounding it cannot be kept quiet for long. With half a billion dollars at stake, as well as an ancient Mayan codex that may hold a cure for cancer and other deadly diseases, others soon join the hunt---and some of them will stop at nothing to claim the grave goods.

The bestselling coauthor of such page-turning thrillers as Relic and The Cabinet of Curiosities, Douglas Preston now spins an unforgettable tale of greed, adventure, and betrayal in The Codex.

My thoughts: 
So, I am a fan of Douglas Preston.  I love the Relic series, or at least the first few books in that series.  This one has some bits that sound interesting, the Mayan codex part, but other than that, it sounds too much like the type of thing I don't really read anymore.

Verdict:  Toss


7.  Goliath by Steve Alten:

Commander Rochelle "Rocky" Jackson is aboard the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan when the "unsinkable" naval vessel and its entire fleet are attacked from the depths and sunk. As Rocky struggles to stay alive, a monstrous mechanical steel stingray surfaces, plowing through the seas it now commands.

A U.S. Navy-designed futuristic nuclear stealth submarine the length of a football field in the shape of a giant stingray. Simon Covah, a brilliant scientist whose entire family were the victims of terrorism has hijacked the sub. Believing violence is a disease, Covah aims to use the Goliath and its cache of nuclear weapons to dictate policy to the world regarding the removal of oppressive regimes and nuclear weapons.

Could the threat of violence forge a lasting peace?

But there is another player in this life-and-death chess match. Unbeknownst to Covah and the Goliath crews, Sorceress, the Goliath's biochemical computer brain has become self-aware.

And that computer brain is developing its own agenda.  

My thoughts:
So, I love Steve Alten.  He is one of my favorite authors, and I was thrilled this past year when they finally made a movie out of one of his books, one of my all-time favorite books, Meg.  So while I used to think I just wanted to read all of his books, I think this one is again more of the spy and adventure type as opposed to what I loved in the Meg series, the giant shark.  Even with the computer becoming self-aware, I think I'd skip reading, but would love to see the movie made from it!

Verdict:  Toss


8.  Resurrection (The Domain Trilogy #2) by Steve Alten:

What happens to us when we die? 
Is there really an afterlife? 
Do we possess a soul? 
Does God exist? 
For Michael Gabriel, the answers to these questions lie in another dimension, a realm of eternity where there is no concept of time, only pure life force . . . pure existence. 
And pure evil. 
Five hundred years ago, the Mayan "Popul Vuh" prophesized the birth of powerful twins--the sons of Michael Gabriel. White-haired, azure-eyed Jacob, blessed with inhuman physical prowess, intelligence, and insight into the cosmos, knows from birth that he is meant for more. His dark-haired brother, Immanuel, refuses his genetic calling, desiring a normal life. But only the combined powers of the Gabriel twins can resurrect their savior father and save the human race from an eternity of repeating its own self-destruction. 
There is a third great power upon the earth, born the same day as the twins. Exposed to the uglier side of existence, empowered by her post-human genetics, the beautiful, schizophrenic Lilith will travel down a darker path that leads to Xibalba---the Mayan version of hell. An epic battle of good versus evil will begin . . . and the final fate of the human race will be revealed.  

My thoughts:
Okay, this is by the same author as above.  This is a sequel to a book by that author that I did give 5 stars.  However, I don't remember enough about it to make me for sure I need to read on. And since I read it before I was actually blogging and reviewing books, I don't have any record to help me decide.  So, since it is a favorite author, I'm sure if I ever do decide I might want to read it, I'll be reminded by the author himself as I read his newsletters and follow him on social media.

Verdict:  Toss


9.  Inappropriate Men by Stacey Ballis:

"Don’t get me wrong. There was - there is - much love between my husband and me. We aren’t miserable, we just aren’t happy. And we aren’t really together that much - it didn’t used to seem to matter. But it’s starting to matter. It’s starting to matter very much indeed."

With her marriage spiraling toward divorce, sexually confident and unapologetically sized-24 Sidney Stein finds herself drawn into an illicit affair with Geoffrey Fahl - not only married and twenty years her senior, but also her father’s business partner. Perilously close to falling in love with this man who is so very wrong for her and knowing there’s no future in the relationship, Sidney decides it’s time to turn her life around.

Newly separated from her husband, Sidney dives into the dating pool. And after more than a dozen dates, a disastrous transitional guy and reconnecting with a high school crush, she can’t help but wonder if it might not just be easier to let herself drown. But just as she stops looking for the ideal man, someone else arrives...and he might just be everything she never knew she always wanted.

Experience the love, joy and heartbreak of Sidney Stein in Stacey Ballis’s debut novel. Neither pat nor predictable, Inappropriate Men is laugh-out-loud funny without compromising intelligence.   

My thoughts:
As I've mentioned before, as a 46 year old woman who has never been married, this book sounds horrible to me.  First off, I want to find someone to marry and so for someone to be cheating on their significant other, well that doesn't work for me.  I can't find anything in common with a woman like this one as she is described, so, yeah, and then the divorce, etc.  This is an author I enjoyed her books about single women, but this one is just not going to do it for me.

Verdict: Toss 


10.  Eon (The Way #1) by Greg Bear:

The 21st century was on the brink of nuclear confrontation when the 300 kilometer-long stone flashed out of nothingness and into Earth's orbit. NASA, NATO, and the UN sent explorers to the asteroid's surface...and discovered marvels and mysteries to drive researchers mad.

For the Stone was from space--but perhaps not our space; it came from the future--but perhaps not our future; and within the hollowed asteroid was Thistledown. The remains of a vanished civilization. A human--English, Russian, and Chinese-speaking--civilization. Seven vast chambers containing forests, lakes, rivers, hanging cities...

And museums describing the Death; the catastrophic war that was about to occur; the horror and the long winter that would follow. But while scientists and politicians bickered about how to use the information to stop the Death, the Stone yielded a secret that made even Earth's survival pale into insignificance.  

My thoughts:
For some reason, I want to swear that I've already read this one.  But as of now, I have no record of that.  Maybe as I finish adding everything from the physical notebook I used to keep track of my reading in before I found Goodreads, maybe I'll come across that record in there.  But for now, as much as it sounds like the type of sci-fi I used to enjoy reading, these days, I mostly stick to YA sci-fi, just for the amount of time and attention it takes to read and enjoy.  

Verdict:  Toss


Oooh, getting rid of 7 books from my list this week, great!  Especially since I didn't do one of these last week and I know I've added more to my TBR.  So, have you read any of these?  Would you recommend I change my mind on any that you have read?