A Ghost Hunter Mystery

what's a Ghoul's to Do? is the first book of A Ghost Hunter Mystery by Victoria Laurie. I have read Victoria Laurie's previous books, Psychic Eye series, and i enjoyed them all. So I was very excited about reading this book. So you know how it is, you build up something and you hope that it doesn't disappoint you.

Here's the blurb:

M.J. Holliday's a medium with a message -- her business is helping lost souls cross over to the other side. But what if the ghosts want to stay put?

M.J. Holliday has two rules. One, she and her partner, Gilley Gillespie, work alone; and two, she doesn't date clients. But when handsome Dr. Steven Sable needs her help, the specter-spotting sleuth is ready to break both of her rules.

It seems the hot doc's grandfather jumped from the roof of the family lodge in an apparent suicide. But Dr. Sable knows in his bones it was foul play, and strange keep happening at the lodge. He'll hire M.J. and Gilley -- but only if he can come along. Hey, the duo needs the money -- and looking at eye candy all weekend long doesn't sound too bad, either...

But once they reach the lodge, the three realize they're dealing with more ghosts than just Grandpa Sable's. And the spooks keep playing nasty tricks on their human visitors. To the untrained eye, it would appear that ghouls just want to have fun. But M.J. knows they're communicating their distress -- and it's up to her figure out why....

It didn't disappoint! It was very good. I enjoyed the characters, M.J. a tough cookie with an incredible gift, Gilley her best friend who has a wandering eye, Doc her pet parrot, Mama the coffee house owner that can't make a good cup a coffee if her life depended on it and Steven Sable, the yummy doctor. It's fast paced, funny and with a tad of romance, just what this girl loves! Can't wait to get my hands on the next book, the teaser at the back of the book really sparked my curiosity.

Rate: 4/5, Library book.

Fall Into Reading: The Lusiads

I finished reading the first book from my list for the Fall Into Reading Challenge hosted by Katrina.


The Lusiads by Luis Vaz De Camoes, is considered to be "the national epic of Portugal". It was originally published in 1572, the epic celebrates the achievements of the Portuguese people. It tells the story of their heroic voyage to India, of the explorer Vasco de Gama. Gama is the protagonist of this poem, he's the one that tells the story of the Portuguese people to the the king of native tribe in Africa.

I first read this book in Portuguese for one of my history classes. I enjoyed it then, and I was always curious on how different it would be if I read the English translation of the book. The only difference is that the original is in poem form and the English translation is in prose, which makes perfect sense.

I glad that I read this book. I had the opportunity to revisit old stories that I learned from my grandmother and my father, and later on that I read myself. And someday my children will read these stories and learn about the courage, and the achievements of the Portuguese people. I'm very proud of my Portuguese heritage.

About the author: Luis Vaz De Camoes was born 1524 to a lesser nobility family. His family was related to Vasco de Gama, so he had a interest in the discoveries and the creation of the Portuguese empire. He went to university in Coimbra, where he studied Latin, mythology and history. He went to Ceuta in 1547 as a common soldier, where lost his right eye. He traveled to India, and Macau, where he worked on The Lusiads. He returned to Portugal in 1570, and The Lusiads was published to little acclaim. He died June 10, 1580.

Lover Unbound

The latest book of The Black Dagger Brotherhood by J.R. Ward. Here's the blurb (taken from the author's website):

Ruthless and brilliant, Vishous son of the Bloodletter possesses a destructive curse and a frightening ability to see the future. As a pretrans growing up in his father's war camp, he was tormented and abused. As a member of the Brotherhood, he has no interest in love or emotion, only the battle with the Lessening Society. But when a mortal injury puts him in the care of a human surgeon, Dr. Jane Whitcomb compels him to reveal his inner pain and taste true pleasure for the first time- until a destiny he didn't choose takes him into a future that cannot include her.

I had high expectations for this book, and I wasn't disappointed. I found the book very different from the others of the series. It had the usual darkness of the story but it didn't have the usual fighting between the Brothers and lessers, the conflict was more of a personal fight within Vishous. It also gives us more information on how their society works. There are a few shocking scenes, wait, there were the good kind. It was definitely the steamiest of the bunch. Although I enjoyed the main plot, I was at times more interested in what was happening with John and his friends.

Looking forward to the next installment. I think it's to be released in March.

Rate: 4/5, Keeper Shelf

Thank You Apple!

Thanks to the new ipod nano commercials I have this song in my head.... Enjoy!



Feist's 1 2 3 4 ... I'll be shopping for her album! :D

I Do Not Want To Be Teen Again

Megan McCafferty's book Sloppy Firsts definitely brought back memories, some good, but mostly bad memories. I confess I'm one of those people who rather have a root canal then go back to school. I hated it! I hated it! Have I mentioned that I hated high school?! I still have very close friends from high school, but they're the ones that made it a better place for me.

Here's the blurb:

When her best friend, Hope Weaver, moves away from Pineville, New Jersey, hyper-observant 16-year-old Jessica Darling is devastated. A fish out of water at school and a stranger at home, Jessica feels more lost than ever now that the only person with whom she could really communicate has gone. How is she supposed to deal with the boy-and-shopping-crazy girls at school, her dad's obsession with her track meets, her mother salivating over big sister Bethany's lavish wedding, and her nonexistent love life?

I really identified with Jessica. I was Jessica in high school, well minus the track star bit. I found that Ms. McCafferty really got to the essence of being in high school. The layers of high school society that can drive a sane person insane. There were laugh out loud moments and hanky moments, just like the ones that you either remember or try very hard to forget (it all depends on your perspective.

Fashion Wire Daily said of the book: "Funny and touching.... Perfect for nostalgic adults who'll be happy they've grown up and alienated teenagers who'll be grateful for a book that tells it like it is."

Rate: 4/5, Library book

Fall Into Reading

Katrina from Callapidder Days is hosting Fall Into Reading. I thought it was a great idea so I joined.

Before I began really pondering on my list I decided that it would have to be books that I own which I haven't gotten around to reading. And let me tell you it's been very hard to pick without looking at the new releases.

Non-Fiction:

Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser

The Lonely Empress: Elizabeth of Austria by Joan Haslip

Fiction:

The Persian Pickle Club by Sandra Dallas

The Gospel According to Jesus Christ by Jose Saramago

Blindness by Jose Saramago

Wicked by Gregory Maguire

The Lusiads by Luis de Camoes (at least I can brag that I read both in Portuguese and in English)

The Ex, Why and Me by Susanna Carr

Just Give Me MIKs...

Seriously just give me MIK! It seems that's the only thing that sparks my interest....So far this month I've the read The Bride and The Highlander's Touch.


I've been looking through my shelves and the two books that I think that I'll re-read are The Dark Highlander and The Immortal Highlander, both books are written by Karen Marie Moning. See the pattern?

Well I'm off to cuddle with some yummy MIKs....

Trip to the library...

Took my little guy to the library after school and I grabbed a few books for myself as well.

Here's what came home with me:

Body Movers by Stephanie Bond
The Last of the Red-Hot Vampires by Katie MacAlister
A Place of Hiding by Elizabeth George
The Hourglass by Barbara Metzger
American Diva by Julia London
Sloppy Firsts by Megan McCafferty
The Sacred Bones by Michael Byrnes

Book Challenge: Fall Into Reading

I found out about this reading challenge via Mad's House. It sounds like fun, so I signed up for it. The challenge starts on September 23rd and ends on December 21st.

I'll be working on my list. I have a huge amount of books in my TBR that I've wanting to read but never get around to reading them, so I may be adding them to my list.

You never know it may just be what I need to cure my slump.

Slump

It's been a while since I read a book, the last book I read that I actually enjoyed was my re-read of The Bride by Julie Garwood. I've tried everything that I can think of, but nothing is helping. So, I'm back to re-reading my favorites, and I'm hoping that The Higlander's Touch by Karen Marie Moning will help me out. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

VMAs

Once upon a time I used to watch the VMAs, I loved them. So I decided to take a quick look and this is what I saw.... Ok, let's just say that I won't be watching again... what a joke! What the heck has happened to Britney Spears?!

Comfort Reading...

It's one of those days, rainy and gloomy, definitely a day to stay inside and read a good book. Although I'm already reading two books, they're not all that interesting at the moment, not the books fault, I'm just a moody reader.

So, I decided to visit one of my favorites books again, The Bride by Julie Garwood. I first read this book back in 1994, I was taking a break from exams and needed a little pick me up, and my roommate suggested The Bride. I was hooked from the first page, I loved the book. When I got a chance I bought my own copy and I still re read it any chance I get.

It's my comfort read, you can say... What's your comfort read? What's that one special book that you go back to when you feel the need to visit old friends?